Tales from today's commute....

[fossyant]

Dirty wet ride. The Fallowfield Loop is tricky in places with the soggy leaf mulch.

Couple of ninja cyclists on the loop. Thank goodness for stupid bright lights.

 

[13 rider]

Well that was an interesting ride (or three?)

As I set off I remembered I needed to pump the tyres up. Yes I know I am always forgetting to pump them up! Anyway, it's Friday so sod it they can wait until I get home, I'll do them tomorrow when I clean the bike.

After a couple of miles I realise they definitely need some air, but they feel okay, so I'll carry on, after 6 or 7 miles I decide to go home (I'm only a couple of miles away from home at this point - extended commutes do have their benefits) and pump them up as the bike is feeling worse. Get home having done about 9 miles and decide the front tyre is too flat, it must have a slow puncture. So three choices;

Do I change the tube? Do I nick the front wheel off the Sirrus? Or do I use the Sirrus? It's forecast to chuck it down later and the Sirrus only has one of those useless dirt monkey mudguards on the back, I can't be arsed to do the tube so I switch wheels.

I've got time to still do a decent ride and set off again. 9 miles later my right pedal falls off, the spindly bit is still attached to the crank so I turn around and ride home on one pedal and one spindly bit, that was knackering!

Get home, take off the front wheel and put it back on the Sirrus, give the missus a kiss and set off for the third time to get to work.

The third ride was thankfully totally uneventful.

Bike maintenance does have some benefits good job you always start early and allow plenty of time. Hope the ride home is uneventful if its like forecast suggests . another short ride to lbs tomorrow then ?

 

[Andrew_P]

Last night in the hissing rain 6 miles from home soaked through I got that sinking feeling when my rear tyre lost its air, I have run tubeless for miles and never had one go completely flat so knew it was bad. Stuck a CO2 on it and span the wheel praying it would seal it didn't. Battled for half an hour trying to get tyre back on with out pinching the tube. Finally did it to my amazement rode off but something felt wrong I didn't have my helmet on. Now this was really weird as I had no recollection of taking it off but went back and searched the two locations I had stopped no where to be seen. Miffed I guessed it had be nicked from the main pavement where I first stopped. Still miffed this morning I stop and looked around again using the daylight, still nothing. Got in to work and there it was. I had ridden 10 miles without even realising I didn't have it on. Most strange whenever I have done this before it takes 2/3 minutes to realise and then either decide to carry on or go back. Just like I did after the puncture but not for the 40 minutes riding out of work

 

[L Q]

Nice ride in this morning, quite mild with a little breeze helping.

Big thanks to the knob head that decided to leave a full size tree branch across the cycle path for someone to smash into, I guess I was the 1st person to use the path this morning so I just got off my bike and moved it as far out of the way as possible, If it had of been dark then it would have had someone off. Just pathetic that someone had to do that.

 

[DWiggy]

Not sure what's happening lately but I've has more near misses this passed 3 day's than I have had in all the time I have been riding!

 

[fossyant]

Bike was a right mess when I cleaned it this morning. Garage also had a tidy up so can't have a filthy bike in there

 

[The Rover]

This morning ride at 5.45 was damp, windy and foggy. Loved it!
This afternoons ride at 3.30 was wet, very windy and not foggy. Loved it!

Strava tells me that I got a few PRs on the way home but I think I got the start of the hurricane that's currently trying to blow my house from its foundations.

 

[I like Skol]

Ride into work last night was wet, wild and windy with many flooded roads to deal with. Full wet weather gear made light work of it and the over-trousers, over-shoes and Gore-Tex lined shoes kept my feet perfectly dry
Ride home in the morning should be a bit more pleasant and 15-20mph tailwind should help

 

[martinclive]

This mini roundabout has been the subject of a couple of poor bits of driving over the last few years..............

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.2..._sOJMCmL-_TOJrhDAlCw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

I am coming down the (quiet) country lane into the village and there is a housing estate to the left. It is not a good sight line but a couple of times people have pulled out from the left without really looking - generally they have been going towards the village (same as me) so not a major issue but very annoying and potentially dangerous.

This morning it was a big black people carrier taxi - and he was turning towards me - no look to the right at all until I am looking in his side window...........he did hold hand up immediately and I suspect it shook him up a bit to see me so close - but really poor driving - if I had been a motorbike I suspect I would have been buried in his back door by now.
I think the choices are 1. take it really slowly there, 2. ride a wider line (although I was pretty much in the middle of my lane) or 3. turn left through the estate (slightly convoluted route) to avoid any conflict (unless I meet him somewhere in the estate!!!)

 

[fossyant]

Very wet middle part of the commute.

 

[ianrauk]

Back on the commute after a week off gallivanting Stateside in the warm sunshine.

Grey, damp roads, bit of wind.. and a ton of traffic... welcome back to the UK.

 

[Origamist]

Tailwind which was nice, but the rain came down half way through the commute so it wasn't as enjoyable. Also forgot my water bottle, too busy making sure I had a double-decker chocolate bar.

The gusts on the way home look pretty rough - might pack halfway if it is teeming down as well.

 

[Gez73]

Headwind in today and another 'visit'. Second into weeks now, might change the tyres later. Should get home quickly. Not likely to be dry though. Gez

 

[Harry_Palmer79]

Blawin' a hoolie (windy) and a tad damp this morning

I had to make sure my unclipped foot was firmly planted when I stopped so I didn't get blown over and had a wobble or two when setting off again as I tried to clip in while the wind was trying to knock me over! If the trains hadn't been cancelled I might have not cycled at all!

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

Started work a bit earlier so was on the road at 05:00am, was a bit breezy and that really took the edge off the temperature. First encounter of weirdness happened just as I'd taken the turn off the main road into the country lane. Coming toward me was a milk van, with, rapidly bounding along in front of him, a mahoosive hare! If this thing had turned in front of me I'd of been in a right mess, but it didn't, it just bombed past, leaving the van in its trail!
Second bit of weirdness, crossing the old historic bridge in the pitch dark I see a white outline of a person just in front of me on my left (there's no real pavement on this bridge) I ride past and this person, who is as pasty as someone who fell over in a flour mill, just rotates on their heels and follows my every move, really freaky at that time in the morning!
A wet return leg. Leaving work early to go to my lads school for a meeting. There I was, dripping wet, in full kit. My wife gave me a knowing smile, to which I replied 'its what makes me, me' and gave her a wink...