Tales from today's commute....

[Supersuperleeds]

After my bottle defrosting very quickly yesterday, I put it in the freezer at work as soon as I got in this morning. Left it in there for nearly 9 hours, yep it stayed frozen all the way home!

 

[die_aufopferung]

In to work today, down the country lanes without a whiff of manure. Then on the dual carriageway, not a single bit of roadkill. Thought it was a very odd ride in.

And then on the ride home I nearly went into the back of some lycra-clad muppet - downhill into a right-hand turn, I was already well to the right on the road and had previously stayed about 15m behind him so as to not be a wheelsucker, I decided to speed up a bit as he "clearly" wasn't going to turn right. At the last possible moment, he wafts his right hand out for a fraction of a second and darts across right in front of me.

Seriously boys and girls - if you spend all that money on a flashy bike, lycra kit, and special shoes, you should be significantly faster than some duffer in baggy shorts, steel-toed boots, on a bike that weighs 15kg all-in. And if you're not faster, at least do a sodding shoulder check or two if you plan on turning right and have some road sense in general. As it was I forced myself to drop back and stay well behind him - didn't fancy him sitting on my wheel after I went past.

 

[lutonloony]

40 min spin home this eve in 23', how the heck do those guys manage 4hrs at nutter pace? (Apart from being fit, loads of training, proper nutrition and many litres of fluid)

 

[Twizit]

I was actually cold for the first few minutes of the commute this morning. "Only" 18 degrees

 

[Leaway2]

L̶e̶g̶s̶

 

[HarryTheDog]

As @Twizit said, a lot cooler than I thought it would be. Light traffic and not many cyclists.
Had a strange “incident” at the end of my commute. Whilst booking my bike in at security another cyclist bumped into my rear wheel which jolted me, it was mild so I wasn’t angry so I just looked around in interest. The guy on the bike (my age) gave me a look of intense hatred offering no apology so I just gave him a “you ignorant twat look”. I got booked in and went down to the garage and started to lock my bike up. Twat arrived and leapt of his bike furiously sorting his bike out and avoiding all eye contact with me. He was sorted and off before I was. Then he must have forgotten something and came striding back again avoiding my gaze, so I decided to give him a cheery good morning just to piss him off really. He looked at me like thunder but said nothing at all. Maybe he is just a bad tempered prat but I feel hitting my rear wheel was now on purpose, maybe I smoked him up the last hill or something and now he has the hump, really weird.
Going to check my bike over before leaving for home in case the guy has some strange vendetta against me.

 

[tatr]

Check the brakes are still working!

...how would you sabotage a bike if you were the villain in a film?

 

[Origamist]

Check the brakes are still working!

...how would you sabotage a bike if you were the villain in a film?

Loosen the QRs or stem bolts. Not that I'm a Scaramanga type...

Lovely day to ride the bike. Roads were busier due to problems on the M6 and Tatton Park flower show, but still managed a decent average.

Tan lines are developing apace.

 

[HarryTheDog]

.Loosen the clamp on the brake cable where it attaches to the brake caliper so not obvious until you come to use them. Hacksaw halfway through several tubes from the underneath so not visible from above. I have thought about this, obviously.

 

[martint235]

Nearly took out a pedestrian on my way home last night. I rang my bell at least 10 times starting from at least 300 feet back (I was riding at a decent, but not horrendously fast speed on the Bristol to Bath railway path), and he was completely oblivious to it. I braked hard and swerved around him and got a few dirty looks in the process. The path was quite busy as it was still commuting time, with quite a bit of traffic coming from the other direction. I was hoping that by ringing my bell, he would step a bit further to the outside of the path giving me enough space to safely pass him and not become a danger to the oncoming traffic, but no...

I also had the dreaded first clipless moment yesterday. I had my left foot unclipped, and as I was coming to a stop, my bike decided it was going to fall to the right. I frantically tried to unclip my right foot and managed to just as I hit the ground.

Sorry but if you rang your bell at me 10 times on a shared path, I'd start doing a little jig so you'd have no idea where I'd go next. You have the responsibility to pass him safely and when it is safe to do so.

 

[summerdays]

Nearly took out a pedestrian on my way home last night. I rang my bell at least 10 times starting from at least 300 feet back (I was riding at a decent, but not horrendously fast speed on the Bristol to Bath railway path), and he was completely oblivious to it. I braked hard and swerved around him and got a few dirty looks in the process. The path was quite busy as it was still commuting time, with quite a bit of traffic coming from the other direction. I was hoping that by ringing my bell, he would step a bit further to the outside of the path giving me enough space to safely pass him and not become a danger to the oncoming traffic, but no...

I also had the dreaded first clipless moment yesterday. I had my left foot unclipped, and as I was coming to a stop, my bike decided it was going to fall to the right. I frantically tried to unclip my right foot and managed to just as I hit the ground.

I hadn't noticed this post, but as a regular on the path, you do have to move around the pedestrians without expecting them to move out of your way, and if it means slowing behind them because there is someone coming the other direction then you do... the skill comes in trying to time your passes so that you pass the pedestrians when there is a gap coming the other way.... there are just so many people on the path these days, especially for the morning rush hour commute, the evening one never seems as bed. And always look behind before passing them in case there is someone passing you.

 

[tatr]

Loosen the QRs or stem bolts. Not that I'm a Scaramanga type...

Stembolt, evil one, you have reminded me of the time I bought a bike from halfords and the stem bolt wasn't correctly tightened.

I lost all steering control with no warning on a path next to a 6 foot drop into deep water. Fortunately I toppled off the other way.

 

[I like Skol]

Lovely ride home at 1am after doing half of a night shift. It was like nature watch. Had a fox dart across the road not more than 10 yards in front of me and a short distance later a badger ambled out from a gateway on the other side of the road. It stopped dead on the white line when it saw me and stood there watching me whizz past.
Temperatures where a lot more pleasant at that time of night but definitely not chilly

 

[die_aufopferung]

Check the brakes are still working!

...how would you sabotage a bike if you were the villain in a film?

A file used to thin out some of the rear spokes near the nipple. A pair of snips used to cut ~90% of the brake cables just before the clamp. Ever so slightly loosened stem bolts. Spray oil on the brake pads/rotor. Less dangerous but still massively annoying: Completely unscrew and remove one or more limit screws, or prise the outer chain links apart, not enough to completely separate them but enough to weaken it. I'm sure there are more creative ones though.

 

[Arjimlad]

Part of my commute today is meant to be a shared path, which I have taken to using a bit more now the roadworks have narrowed the adjoining busy road.

My heavier all-weather bike has a bell because I use it more on shared paths for family rides etc. I have ordered a new bell for my road bike.

I hate using the bell because it is a bit Mr Toad-like ...

A jogger had her headphones on and I stood no chance of getting past, not that it mattered much because I turned off not far ahead. So I just slowed down and whistled a tune .