Tales from today's commute....

[martint235]

Well that was interesting. I've never broken a saddle before. And certainly don't want to do it again while putting power into climbing Shooters Hill. There was a ping noise and the front of the saddle collapsed!

 

[RJG]

3 days in a row driving to work but today got back on the bike. I missed the verbal abuse, didn't take long for things to get back to normal - today I got the classic, often-quoted stereotype of hearing someone shout "GET THE F**K OFF THE ROAD YOU F*****G GAY" and its 3 fat shirtless sweaty men squashed together in a transit . I had my rebuttal ready (good morning cupcake, and blow a kiss) but the lights changed and the queue moved off before I could catch them

I think 3 shirtless men squashed together probably ticks more gay stereotype boxes than a brave cyclist navigating nasty roads.

 

[RJG]

The usual T-junction chaos today on Moss Lane East. I signalled to go right and waited at the junction. A black Corsa pulled along side me to the left, and the female driver (who had a face like an angry baked bean) was gesticulating something towards me before she swung around me onto the main road in a very dangerous fashion. I laughed and shouted 'wait for me!!' in a comedy voice (I think one has to see the funny side) but she drove off and I missed her at the lights. Pity as I was going to thank her for her text book driving.

 

[HarryTheDog]

Well schools are breaking up and the teenagers of Dagenham are getting listless.
I got to the spot where I was kicked off my bike in january and broke my wrist and hand . I saw a group of 5 teenagers straggling across the pavement and cycleway, Cycling in front of them was one of thier mates arsing about on a BMX. Another group of 3 was coming the other way. I sensed trouble may be on its way.
I slowed and asked the guys on the cycleway politely to move . Suprisingly they did. The bmxer however decided he would amuse his mates by trying to barge me off my bike. He was really suprised when it was him who nearly hit the deck not me.It was really slow speed and we both stopped. His previous laughing style soon turned nasty and one of his mates threatened to fill me in and there was growling from the others. I decided not to hang around and accelerated away.
Of the 3 guys up the road 2 moved out of the way, the largest at the behest of the other group decided he was going to stop me. I slowed and said "do you really want to try?". My tone was enough for him to relent.
Finished the day off with a really close pass by South Weald Park from some old posh bloke in a Lexus cabriolet who slowly past me with a inch to spare when there was a whole free lane to pass me in , he really objected to me shouting in his wifes ear "give me some room" . He gave me several hand signals and verbal insults. Pity I did not have my water bottle in my hand I could have given him and his missus a free shower.
Shite ride really.

 

[MisterStan]

Well schools are breaking up and the teenagers of Dagenham are getting listless.
I got to the spot where I was kicked off my bike in january and broke my wrist and hand . I saw a group of 5 teenagers straggling across the pavement and cycleway, Cycling in front of them was one of thier mates arsing about on a BMX. Another group of 3 was coming the other way. I sensed trouble may be on its way.
I slowed and asked the guys on the cycleway politely to move . Suprisingly they did. The bmxer however decided he would amuse his mates by trying to barge me off my bike. He was really suprised when it was him who nearly hit the deck not me.It was really slow speed and we both stopped. His previous laughing style soon turned nasty and one of his mates threatened to fill me in and there was growling from the others. I decided not to hang around and accelerated away.
Of the 3 guys up the road 2 moved out of the way, the largest at the behest of the other group decided he was going to stop me. I slowed and said "do you really want to try?". My tone was enough for him to relent.
Finished the day off with a really close pass by South Weald Park from some old posh bloke in a Lexus cabriolet who slowly past me with a inch to spare when there was a whole free lane to pass me in , he really objected to me shouting in his wifes ear "give me some room" . He gave me several hand signals and verbal insults. Pity I did not have my water bottle in my hand I could have given him and his missus a free shower.
Shite ride really.

 

[Spike on a bike]

Well schools are breaking up and the teenagers of Dagenham are getting listless.
I got to the spot where I was kicked off my bike in january and broke my wrist and hand . I saw a group of 5 teenagers straggling across the pavement and cycleway, Cycling in front of them was one of thier mates arsing about on a BMX. Another group of 3 was coming the other way. I sensed trouble may be on its way.
I slowed and asked the guys on the cycleway politely to move . Suprisingly they did. The bmxer however decided he would amuse his mates by trying to barge me off my bike. He was really suprised when it was him who nearly hit the deck not me.It was really slow speed and we both stopped. His previous laughing style soon turned nasty and one of his mates threatened to fill me in and there was growling from the others. I decided not to hang around and accelerated away.
Of the 3 guys up the road 2 moved out of the way, the largest at the behest of the other group decided he was going to stop me. I slowed and said "do you really want to try?". My tone was enough for him to relent.
Finished the day off with a really close pass by South Weald Park from some old posh bloke in a Lexus cabriolet who slowly past me with a inch to spare when there was a whole free lane to pass me in , he really objected to me shouting in his wifes ear "give me some room" . He gave me several hand signals and verbal insults. Pity I did not have my water bottle in my hand I could have given him and his missus a free shower.
Shite ride really.

I quite fancied living and cycling in the city but after reading various post on here I'm quite happy to remain rural

On my first commute Tuesday I held a lady up on a rather sandy stretch of signal track road until I found a safe ish place for her to pass

She pulled up level wound down her window and said !!

"Thank you young man"

Speechless I was as she looked a good 30 years younger than me

 

[HarryTheDog]

Thanks @MisterStan for the support, I have been doing this 9 years, the first years seemed to be fairly incident free, the last year or so has been a pain, literally!.
@Spike on a bike actually cycling in the built up areas is safer for me with respect to cars than the rural part of my commute.( close passes and actually knocked off by a van 3 or 4 years ago) This is my 3rd incident with youngsters however on cyclepaths.
Back to this mornings commute which I was praying for to be incident free,
3 of us cyclists at the lights in Canning Town, I am the last one. Guy in front of me is very slow to clip in and I am past the guy in a pedal stroke. A car overtakes and starts to turn left on the lead rider without indicating. I could see it happening and gave the car a good shouting at with expletives and the car stopped nearly on top of the cyclist, luckily the cyclist was switched on and was braking . The cyclist I just overtook thought I was shouting at him for being slow off the lights and gobbed it off at me. I turned and told him I was shouting at the car. He went a bit sheepish at that.

 

[martinclive]

@HarryTheDog and @donnydave sorry to hear of your hassles - we seem to have been quite lucky on this front with little 'abuse' (though I do worry as summer rolls on and boredom sets in for some)

We are fortunately often in a group of 2 or 3 and I do think that really helps - would be such a shame if things like this stopped any of us cycling

Take care

 

[martinclive]

Well that was interesting. I've never broken a saddle before. And certainly don't want to do it again while putting power into climbing Shooters Hill. There was a ping noise and the front of the saddle collapsed!

Ouch - clearly time for a nice expensive new one to ensure it does not happen again!

 

[Arjimlad]

@RJG I am trying to imagine what an angry baked bean looks like but it is a very funny description

@HarryTheDog I hope you were able to report the menacing oiks to the Police as in Bristol they would get someone down there to keep the peace. Not a nice experience for you, I hope it is not repeated.

 

[HarryTheDog]

@Arjimlad when I got attacked in January at the same place I had quite a long talk with the police.I was un-aware It has a well known trouble making element there in a rough housing estate there is always stuff going on, there was a murder in the car par nearby a while ago. However I have never ever seen a policeman there who was not in a car. Yesterday's event will be a complete non-event to them so I will leave it, there is a football academy right by and loads of teenagers about so how do they determine the good from the bad. I have changed my route as of this morning as I have had a bellyful of the place.

 

[Arjimlad]

@Arjimlad when I got attacked in January at the same place I had quite a long talk with the police.I was un-aware It has a well known trouble making element there in a rough housing estate there is always stuff going on, there was a murder in the car par nearby a while ago. However I have never ever seen a policeman there who was not in a car. Yesterday's event will be a complete non-event to them so I will leave it, there is a football academy right by and loads of teenagers about so how do they determine the good from the bad. I have changed my route as of this morning as I have had a bellyful of the place.

Good call changing the route. It is a public shame that the writ of law does not extend to some parts of the UK like this.

 

[Ciar]

Well that was interesting. I've never broken a saddle before. And certainly don't want to do it again while putting power into climbing Shooters Hill. There was a ping noise and the front of the saddle collapsed!

Ahh i broke the left rail on my seat a couple of months back, first saddle break for me ever was an odd feeling, had to ride from bow flyover to work so another couple of miles with a wobbly seat ;-)

 

[donnydave]

everyone ready to get wet on the way home?!

 

[Spike on a bike]

Got me new lights on charge

Now it's peeing down so not sure about computing in now

Bloody weather