Tales from today's commute....

[Hacienda71]

Another icy-ish commute on the tpt, not sure if it was 'fossyant that passed me or not, blue jacket? and a bright bright light?
Did see @edwards80 again though, that's twice this week

Err, I think you should be posting in the Silly Strava thread, don't you?

 

[Kookas]

I also got to do this today, usually don't see much traffic but had a big grin on my face as i whizzed past what must have been a mile of stationary/very slow moving traffic!

You musn't live in a big city then, this is just the daily grind for us Brummies. Main reason why I'll never take a bus to college of my own free will.

Have to say though, cycling through Solihull is like going through a city of ladies and gentlemen.. everyone is pretty chill down there.

 

[AndyPeace]

minus 6 this morning... Smiling all the way. Route covered in frost.. kept to steady speeds, but think I'm being over cautious. Enjoyed the wintery scenes, wish I'd had time to stop and take a few pics. I am seeing more cyclists out this winter than ever before... it can only be a good thing.

 

[Twilkes]

After last week's fireworks display, the Science Centre arranged for me to have a puncture to balance things out. In no rush so was fine, although it took me ten minutes to get my wheel back on, as the mech was in the way and I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was up with it - I'd kind of convinced myself that the springloaded part had done a 180 and was pointing backwards. Ended up turning the bike upside down as I just couldn't figure it out in the cold. (incidentally, finally got to use the monkey handwarmer my wife bought me for just these occasions: http://www.thepeasknees.co.uk/p2278...Monkey-Reusable-Hand-Warmer/product_info.html)

Was passed by dozens of teenage girls near the SECC trying to get a glimpse of what turned out to be the DJs from Radio Clyde 1 - the glamour of the west end indeed.

 

[fossyant]

Another icy-ish commute on the tpt, not sure if it was 'fossyant that passed me or not, blue jacket? and a bright bright light?
Did see @edwards80 again though, that's twice this week

What time, down near pars wood, 5 ish , someone else with two bright lights, thought it may have been you, you did say something. Blue top yes. I think it was lumens wars.... Heh heh. Did point them down.

 

[potsy]

What time, down near pars wood, 5 ish , someone else with two bright lights, thought it may have been you, you did say something. Blue top yes. I think it was lumens wars.... Heh heh. Did point them down.

Yeah, you numpty, blue jacket had me confused only ever seen you in red
Mine was angled down too, good ain't they?

 

[BSRU]

Almost scalped a roadie, he saw me and decided to put some effort in, unfortunately for him it was too easy catching him even on my ice bike with studded tyres.
Shame I had to go a different way

 

[fossyant]

Yeah, you numpty, blue jacket had me confused only ever seen you in red
Mine was angled down too, good ain't they?

Yup - you had two bright lights - I had the T6 and Magicshine. The blue top is the one I use when it's really cold. PS the Triple T6 is at the post office - I'll collect it in the morning and test it tomorrow night. Watch out for aircraft landing in the wrong place.

 

[potsy]

Yup - you had two bright lights - I had the T6 and Magicshine. The blue top is the one I use when it's really cold. PS the Triple T6 is at the post office - I'll collect it in the morning and test it tomorrow night. Watch out for aircraft landing in the wrong place.

T6 and the Moon 500, great combination
Thought the blue might have been some tarty colour coordination thing

 

[TheJDog]

Plus I forgot my pants so I need to nip out to M&S this morning to buy an emergency pair.

I just go commando when I forget mine

 

[fossyant]

T6 and the Moon 500, great combination
Thought the blue might have been some tarty colour coordination thing

It is, but still had the red lid Blue MTB. The Moon is very similar on brightness, couldn't tell, then I was coming at you with a wide and spot T6.

 

[bicyclos]

I am liking these cold snap mornings which is tolerable better than getting wet. I can push harder on hills without boling over, great!

 

[fossyant]

Just to thread hog, which may be interesting - me/Potsy's 'unknown at the time encounter' - we do spot each other on the road.

We both use an off road path, and road route, and we 'bump into each other occasionally'.

Anyway I've been using an off road route, by the river, to get to and from work. It's the Trans Pennine, and can be a bit muddy, so on goes full guards (this year's addition) - the mud is like concrete though.

I see the odd cyclist and maybe one or two pedestrians. Say a cheery hello to dog walkers in the mornings, nevr any issues and all is good.

But at night:-

You go from trying to spot a pedestrian in pitch black, to a bike with a 'candle' on it, to what me and Potsy are running - you can ride as fast as you can and see anything, so slow down, re-aim lights and pass - the ped's really appreciate it as you don't suddenly sprout upon them.

There are the odd folk that cycle in pitch dark with flashing bright lights, even two T6's on constant can't compensate. I'm sure me and Potsy saw each other a fair distance out, as there was just 'light' coming out from the bikes (normally it' a little white glint), so we both aimed down as we'd seen each other, but the idiots that ride down there with no lights - sorry I've obliterated YOUR night vision, but get a light !

Peds appreciate the light from behind, I can pick them up early, but head on I can drop the lights to the floor straight away as soon as I spot the dark shadow.

 

[Miquel In De Rain]

Used the Audax and success so obviously something is very wrong with the fixie.At work in the racks some cretin tried to nick my lights but didn't realise they were bolted on so the thief failed.So had to work when I got back at making my lights fast removeable and a few other alterations.Was aware there was a risk because some cretin nicked a back light off of the fixie earlier this week but I believe it was a third party and not another cyclist.The Audax was suddenly pressed into service yesterday after one and a half years without a commute,but it did a great job.

Ordered a set of two five spoke wheels for the fixie and will investigate the problem with it when I have some time off on Sunday.

We really have a country of cretins haven't we? I spied yet again someone had hilariously (not) turned a set of traffic light around the wrong way.FFS.That is apart from not being able to keep their thieving hands off of my property.Apologies if you are actually a well behaved human being and you don't actually overtake me with a millimetre to spare or bolt into that box of space at the traffic lights in front of me..

 

[Jon2]

Hello! First post in here, although it could be my last for a little while too. I have one month off commuting, being a student is great. Saw the chance you guys have to complain about the things that happen on the commute, so I had to join in. Been commuting for about a year and 3 months now, but this is the coldest it's been, and the first time I've really had to deal with ice. The roads are gritted from my doorstep (is there a smug smiley?) but the last two days it wasn't enough.

Had to use my "back up" lights today, as my proper relatively expensive (for the brightness) lights failed again, 3rd time now. The other light isn't really a back up light, I use it like a full beam on a car, but i had to use it on its own today, tilted down. 3x U2 makes for grumpy drivers and cyclists

I'm a soft Southerner by the way, I commute to Canterbury, but I'm told that Canterbury was the coldest place in England Tuesday night, so we're not that soft.