Don't you just love Saturday morning traffic, 12 miles early this morning passed by the total of two cars . Even managed to scalp a milk float .I was literally the only person on the road for most of the route .Pretty chilly but no ice . strangely felt colder on the way home tonight a horrible cold wind that cuts you so 8 mile route home .
Tales from today's commute....
- Thread starter martint235
- Start date
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RoubaixCube
~Tribanese~
- Location
- London, UK
Just got home. Had my first SNAFU with a black cab driver in a SMIDSY - idiot pulled out to drop his passenger off without indicating and i almost went right into the back of him
Heres how it went down:
[Black cab is stuck in non-moving traffic, Im cycling up on the left handside bus lane when he suddenly pulls out without indicating first to drop his passenger off. I almost crash into the back of him so i scoot around to the drivers side and knock on his window..]
Me: "Doesnt the highway code state that you have to indicate before pulling out or changing lanes??"
Cab Driver: "you were miles away!"
Me: "so you dont even check your mirrors before you pull out? I almost went into the back of you because you failed to indicate & check your mirrors."
Cab Driver: [Starts to shout abuse at me]
Me: "Mirrors – Signal – Manoeuvre - you did neither of the first two, Not only did you put me in danger you put other vulnerable road users in danger as well."
Cab Driver: [More abuse shouted at me]
Me: "you're a poor excuse for a professional driver. You shouldnt even be on the road"
Cab Driver: [More blabbering excuses and verbal abuse]
Me: "Im having none of it - You could have seriously injured me and everyone else. I hope you'll check your mirrors and indicate before pulling out next time"
[I cycle off]
==========
Private hire mini cabs are bad, So are the handful of black cab drivers who have a seriously poor attitude and think they own the road.
I think I'll get a cycle camera going.... Ive had one few a month or two but ive never actually gone ahead and attached it because I was always against the idea of it. But I dont think I can let bad drivers get away with it anymore. Im not saying im going to or want to go full traffic droid but maybe a camera or two (maybe 3....1 on bars, 1 helmet & 1 rear camera) to record such incidents with drivers on the road.
Heres how it went down:
[Black cab is stuck in non-moving traffic, Im cycling up on the left handside bus lane when he suddenly pulls out without indicating first to drop his passenger off. I almost crash into the back of him so i scoot around to the drivers side and knock on his window..]
Me: "Doesnt the highway code state that you have to indicate before pulling out or changing lanes??"
Cab Driver: "you were miles away!"
Me: "so you dont even check your mirrors before you pull out? I almost went into the back of you because you failed to indicate & check your mirrors."
Cab Driver: [Starts to shout abuse at me]
Me: "Mirrors – Signal – Manoeuvre - you did neither of the first two, Not only did you put me in danger you put other vulnerable road users in danger as well."
Cab Driver: [More abuse shouted at me]
Me: "you're a poor excuse for a professional driver. You shouldnt even be on the road"
Cab Driver: [More blabbering excuses and verbal abuse]
Me: "Im having none of it - You could have seriously injured me and everyone else. I hope you'll check your mirrors and indicate before pulling out next time"
[I cycle off]
==========
Private hire mini cabs are bad, So are the handful of black cab drivers who have a seriously poor attitude and think they own the road.
I think I'll get a cycle camera going.... Ive had one few a month or two but ive never actually gone ahead and attached it because I was always against the idea of it. But I dont think I can let bad drivers get away with it anymore. Im not saying im going to or want to go full traffic droid but maybe a camera or two (maybe 3....1 on bars, 1 helmet & 1 rear camera) to record such incidents with drivers on the road.
It's hard to quantify how many cabbies are bad drivers as there's so many of them. But yes, not indicating is a special trick of theirs - they do it in busy places like the City of London and just randomly stop, or pull out, or they'll be stationary and then just pull out etc etc
HarryTheDog
Guru
- Location
- Basildon Essex
Sorry long tale of woe for the morning.
Investigated my tyre going soft from Friday, no fault found, tyre stayed up all weekend. within 50yds of leaving home it went soft. Returned home took a spare front wheel off my wife's bike.
Well crap start to the ride and my misfortune continued.
Going along the cycleway in Barking past the industrial estates which is on the pavement NOT the road so I need to give way at left turns. I shoulder check for any lorries coming up behind me on the road turning left into one of the estates. Sure enough a indicating rigid bodied lorry. I see him, he sees me.
I brake to stop I start to slow then wheels completely lock I have hit something wet and slimy and I am heading towards the side of a left turning lorry at very slow speed in a two wheel skid. I manged to spin the bike and tyres suddenly find grip. So I meet it side on just as the bike starts to high side, result of the high side is I hit the lorry hard with my right shoulder, but its still moving so it pulls me off basically. I hit the deck and lorry stops.
The guy is really concerned and asks if I am ok, do I need a ambulance, turns out he cycles himself , he knew I had seen him and had seen me on the brakes and slowing so considered I would stop. Told him it wasn’t his fault, shoot just happens!. He stayed to make sure I was ok etc
Result is banged elbow, knee shoulder and thigh. Hole in bibtights at knee and hip. Elbow and knee hurts the worst but managed to carry on. Now just my elbow and knee smarts but that’s about it. Bibtights ( Assos) are probably un-repairable so that’s going to cost me a new pair, should have bought Rapha they do a crash repair service. I expect I will stiffen up later I will see how I feel and what the damage is when I get in the shower.
Investigated my tyre going soft from Friday, no fault found, tyre stayed up all weekend. within 50yds of leaving home it went soft. Returned home took a spare front wheel off my wife's bike.
Well crap start to the ride and my misfortune continued.
Going along the cycleway in Barking past the industrial estates which is on the pavement NOT the road so I need to give way at left turns. I shoulder check for any lorries coming up behind me on the road turning left into one of the estates. Sure enough a indicating rigid bodied lorry. I see him, he sees me.
I brake to stop I start to slow then wheels completely lock I have hit something wet and slimy and I am heading towards the side of a left turning lorry at very slow speed in a two wheel skid. I manged to spin the bike and tyres suddenly find grip. So I meet it side on just as the bike starts to high side, result of the high side is I hit the lorry hard with my right shoulder, but its still moving so it pulls me off basically. I hit the deck and lorry stops.
The guy is really concerned and asks if I am ok, do I need a ambulance, turns out he cycles himself , he knew I had seen him and had seen me on the brakes and slowing so considered I would stop. Told him it wasn’t his fault, shoot just happens!. He stayed to make sure I was ok etc
Result is banged elbow, knee shoulder and thigh. Hole in bibtights at knee and hip. Elbow and knee hurts the worst but managed to carry on. Now just my elbow and knee smarts but that’s about it. Bibtights ( Assos) are probably un-repairable so that’s going to cost me a new pair, should have bought Rapha they do a crash repair service. I expect I will stiffen up later I will see how I feel and what the damage is when I get in the shower.
Arjimlad
Tights of Cydonia
- Location
- South Glos
That must have been terrifying. Hope you and the bike are OK if a bit battered. Good job it was an alert lorry driver.
HarryTheDog
Guru
- Location
- Basildon Essex
Just found out Assos may repair them for free under their crash policy as less than a year old. Sent them a email, I will see how that goes.
RoubaixCube
~Tribanese~
- Location
- London, UK
went to work today, only to be turned away as Im supposed to be on leave. I submitted my holiday request but big boss denied it but one of the big boss's 3 assistants must of put it in the system without his authorisation. 1 manager 3 managerial assistants and not one of them have any idea what the other is doing.
I wasnt even mad. I still got paid for turning up. It was a good time to test the SJCam SJ4000 clone out too. Decent enough quality, not super but just about decent, conditions were a little cloudy/overcast on the way home but you can still read the number plates without any problem.
And then there was this guy.....
I guess somebody forgot to tell him it was a bus lane.
I wasnt even mad. I still got paid for turning up. It was a good time to test the SJCam SJ4000 clone out too. Decent enough quality, not super but just about decent, conditions were a little cloudy/overcast on the way home but you can still read the number plates without any problem.
And then there was this guy.....
I guess somebody forgot to tell him it was a bus lane.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
I hope you aren't aching too much @HarryTheDog and he sounds a nice lorry driver
. Any idea what caused the skid?
This morning's commute was cold... Took me two miles to vaguely warm up my legs enough to start moving faster! On the other hand I was going faster than everything on the ring road which had a top speed of 10mph, but mostly 0mph! Almost totally stationary today.
Homeward commute I didn't seem to be in any hurry and just took it easy.
. Any idea what caused the skid? This morning's commute was cold... Took me two miles to vaguely warm up my legs enough to start moving faster! On the other hand I was going faster than everything on the ring road which had a top speed of 10mph, but mostly 0mph! Almost totally stationary today.
Homeward commute I didn't seem to be in any hurry and just took it easy.
IBarrett
Über Member
- Location
- Nottingham
Terrible first commute in 10 days for me today after falling down the stairs a week on Sunday and hurting my back, pelvis and bum.
First of all was the issue I always seem to have on Mondays and that is getting out of bed and getting ready in any kind of sensible time.
Which meant I was later leaving than I wanted to be, which meant there were school kids like bloody ants on the path/cycle path I use along the side of the tramline. Were we all that dense when we were growing up? They all seem in a flaming dream.
Then I decided when I went into the shed for my bike I'd ride on the road bike I've just bought rather than my usual commuter, just to get the feel of it and because I actually enjoyed riding it yesterday.
As I don't have Gatorskins on this bike yet I decided I'd go the harder way to work to avoid the road I've got a couple of punctures on recently and go straight through the middle of Nottingham.
So that means Maid Marion Way and up to Canning Circus. A decent stretch of the legs first thing on the morning and I could do with the hill work anyway.
But half way up I felt the tell tale marshmallow feeling of a ruddy puncture !
No problem, Its the front wheel and I have a spare innertube. Piece of cake, and here is a nice bench for me to sit on while I do it too. Watch this then you smirking pedestrians, a record breaking inner tube change with ...
The inner tube for my commuter MTB, not a 700x25 which I actually need for the road bike
Bugger.
But I have everything I need to repair the puncture so off comes the wheel and after 10 whole minutes searching I eventually found the puncture.
Fixed it and I'm ready to take on the world again...
Do you think I could get the damned thing to hold air. Not a chance. So I phoned in work and got one of the guys to look up when Evans or Cycle Republic open because I was luckily standing right outside them.
It was 8:45am and neither open until 10am.
DOES NOBODY WORK NORMAL HOURS IN THIS BLOODY COUNTRY!!!!!!!
But I'm reminded by the guy on the phone who is trying to interrupt my ranting that there is a bike shop at the bottom of town which opens at 9am.
So off I trot, bike lifted onto its back wheel like I'm dancing with a transformer.
Hooray, the bike shop is open....
One of your finest inner tubes to fit this wheel please.
Do you want that fitting Sir?
Oh, that would be nice.
That will be £10 please.
At which point my Yorkshireman gene kicks in and next thing I'm stood down by the canal chuntering under my breath at the world like one the more usual canal side residents with a pair of inner tubes for said £10, fixing it myself.
I got to work at 9:45 desperately needing to shower and change.
At which point I realised I'd taken my towel home for a wash and forgotten it today, so I got dried using a clean pair of pants and some blue cleaners paper.
A hell of a start to the day and I'm looking forward to the battle with vampires or riding in a storm of tadpoles or something on the way home. God help anyone who gets in my way.
First of all was the issue I always seem to have on Mondays and that is getting out of bed and getting ready in any kind of sensible time.
Which meant I was later leaving than I wanted to be, which meant there were school kids like bloody ants on the path/cycle path I use along the side of the tramline. Were we all that dense when we were growing up? They all seem in a flaming dream.
Then I decided when I went into the shed for my bike I'd ride on the road bike I've just bought rather than my usual commuter, just to get the feel of it and because I actually enjoyed riding it yesterday.
As I don't have Gatorskins on this bike yet I decided I'd go the harder way to work to avoid the road I've got a couple of punctures on recently and go straight through the middle of Nottingham.
So that means Maid Marion Way and up to Canning Circus. A decent stretch of the legs first thing on the morning and I could do with the hill work anyway.
But half way up I felt the tell tale marshmallow feeling of a ruddy puncture !
No problem, Its the front wheel and I have a spare innertube. Piece of cake, and here is a nice bench for me to sit on while I do it too. Watch this then you smirking pedestrians, a record breaking inner tube change with ...
The inner tube for my commuter MTB, not a 700x25 which I actually need for the road bike
Bugger.
But I have everything I need to repair the puncture so off comes the wheel and after 10 whole minutes searching I eventually found the puncture.
Fixed it and I'm ready to take on the world again...
Do you think I could get the damned thing to hold air. Not a chance. So I phoned in work and got one of the guys to look up when Evans or Cycle Republic open because I was luckily standing right outside them.
It was 8:45am and neither open until 10am.
DOES NOBODY WORK NORMAL HOURS IN THIS BLOODY COUNTRY!!!!!!!
But I'm reminded by the guy on the phone who is trying to interrupt my ranting that there is a bike shop at the bottom of town which opens at 9am.
So off I trot, bike lifted onto its back wheel like I'm dancing with a transformer.
Hooray, the bike shop is open....
One of your finest inner tubes to fit this wheel please.
Do you want that fitting Sir?
Oh, that would be nice.
That will be £10 please.
At which point my Yorkshireman gene kicks in and next thing I'm stood down by the canal chuntering under my breath at the world like one the more usual canal side residents with a pair of inner tubes for said £10, fixing it myself.
I got to work at 9:45 desperately needing to shower and change.
At which point I realised I'd taken my towel home for a wash and forgotten it today, so I got dried using a clean pair of pants and some blue cleaners paper.
A hell of a start to the day and I'm looking forward to the battle with vampires or riding in a storm of tadpoles or something on the way home. God help anyone who gets in my way.
Last edited:
subaqua
What’s the point
- Location
- Leytonstone
cold ride in , but glad i did as it sorted the tight thigh muscle thats been there since i cramped in bed real bad last week.
warm ride home as sun was out. cS2 is a ducking fisgrace at the moment. the contractor nobbers have no idea on how to get cyclist off a completed bit back into carriageway. the best one was a "cyclists dismount " sign. no you can go and jog on .
warm ride home as sun was out. cS2 is a ducking fisgrace at the moment. the contractor nobbers have no idea on how to get cyclist off a completed bit back into carriageway. the best one was a "cyclists dismount " sign. no you can go and jog on .
HarryTheDog
Guru
- Location
- Basildon Essex
Talking to a work colleague, he had the same accident in december at the same place but he hit a car, cracked his frame.( Scott sub30) He put it down to those awful paving slabs they put down which I think are for blind people so they know they are close to a curb, they have little dimples on them or grooves and they are lethal in the wet.I hope you aren't aching too much @HarryTheDog and he sounds a nice lorry driver
Meanwhile this evenings commute. Found I had lost my 2 rear lights this morning ( so distracted I had not noticed) so brief visit to Evans. I had to don my emergency shorts and leg warmers I keep at work as my bib tights were continuing to tear and didnt want to be arrrested for indecent exposure on the way home.
I was becaming less stiff the further I went. Picked up a drafting fairy for nearly 2 miles on a white planet x with beat music on in his earphones at max volume and messenger bag. He thought he was being clever, I thought him a drafting wimp, briefly considered taking him to task or putting the hammer down but figured it was costing me nothing and if he needs to draft someone old enough to be his dad then he's a sad plonker and satisfied myself with holding the moral high ground.
Gert Lush
Senior Member
- Location
- Weston-super-Mare
went to work today, only to be turned away as Im supposed to be on leave. I submitted my holiday request but big boss denied it but one of the big boss's 3 assistants must of put it in the system without his authorisation. 1 manager 3 managerial assistants and not one of them have any idea what the other is doing.
I wasnt even mad. I still got paid for turning up. It was a good time to test the SJCam SJ4000 clone out too. Decent enough quality, not super but just about decent, conditions were a little cloudy/overcast on the way home but you can still read the number plates without any problem.
And then there was this guy.....
I guess somebody forgot to tell him it was a bus lane.
I think that looks pretty good, seeing as you're moving at the time
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
I've found that paving slippy, it has a bit of a polished surface that seems slippery when it's icy. Hope it doesn't hurt too much tomorrow, as that's when it kicks in normally.
HarryTheDog
Guru
- Location
- Basildon Essex
@summerdays yes I think it will be worse tomorrow as well, hadnt realised lost some skin on the shoulder as well, its going to rain apparently so perfect excuse to let the train take the strain. Rubbish timing on my part, first round of MTB xc races on Sunday, don't know if I want to race now but I have paid, so see how I go on the warm up lap.
