Tales from today's commute....

[fossyant]

Nippy this morning. Tried out my only bike related gift from Christmas - I 'thick' (flease inside) buff - nice and toasty round my neck. Traffic chaos everywhere, ha ha !

 

[Beebo]

I'm sure I should welcome all cyclists with a "come one, come all" attitude, but there just seems to be a few too many idiot cyclists about at the moment with no regard for their own safety or the safety of other cyclists. I saw some awful undertaking of buses and lorries and I was undertaken and cut up far too many time by other cyclists! It seems to happen at or near junctions where they are jostling for position. I try to sit back a watch the idiots battle it out, but every now and again they drag me down to their level and I end up in the melee.

 

[400bhp]

Frosty ride in. and have discovered where the cheesy smell is coming from. My helmet . ( down Fnaaar) not sure how to get rid of the smell either- baby wipes have not been working (quite obviously)

Put it in a mesh bag and bung it in the wash-ideally throw in some bicarb of soda too.

Also, spray with some febreze or something similar too.

 

[dodd82]

Decent commute today - actually feel better now than I did this time yesterday (see my tired thread!).

Traffic was already building up at 7am, so it'd have been a rough day to drive in.

Saw a cyclist on one of those bikes with no gears, having a leisurely ride on the high street - safely. Said hello as I passed... a nice start to the day.

Confidence is definitely coming on. I was entering my final roundabout before work, right hand lane ready for an immediate right turn after, and a impatient idiot undertook me, swerved in front, only to join the queue that was already onto the roundabout to turn right. I took immense pleasure at filtering to the front and taking the turn whilst he was still back somewhere on the roundabout

Into my last turn, an unlit child on a bmx type bike shot across the road in front of a car and me... I actually swore instinctively as I thought I was going to hit him. Crazy!

 

[ianrauk]

bbbbrrrrrrrrr little bit chilly this morning so go out the Spesh defroster boots to keep the old tootsies warm. Bit foggy too for first part of commute. But at least the roads were dry. Not that it made any difference to the already crappy state of my bike.

 

[apb]

Started using strava this week and was doing pretty well up the dundas climb segment until a VW polo wasn't happy being stuck in traffic and just broke left "Top Gun" style and almost pushed me in some parked cars, had to come to a complete stop up hill on a SS. Nevermind, there's always tomorrow.

Saw another CCer on this segment, reckon i can do that time. Think i'm a little over the hill to be KOM and i'm not much of a speed racer.

 

[dodd82]

Started using strava this week and was doing pretty well up the dundas climb segment until a VW polo wasn't happy being stuck in traffic and just broke left "Top Gun" style and almost pushed me in some parked cars, had to come to a complete stop up hill on a SS. Nevermind, there's always tomorrow.

Saw another CCer on this segment, reckon i can do that time. Think i'm a little over the hill to be KOM and i'm not much of a speed racer.

I track my rides using Endomondo, so that I can keep a track of my distances mainly.

Is Strava basically the same thing, but with segments where times are recorded in a competition type fashion, or have I got it wrong?

 

[apb]

I track my rides using Endomondo, so that I can keep a track of my distances mainly.

Is Strava basically the same thing, but with segments where times are recorded in a competition type fashion, or have I got it wrong?

yeah that sounds right. You can track your rides, distance, speed, you can hook up a HRM. and create segments to compete with others.

I think it's interesting to see how many miles i do and where i cycle in the city. It's a good tool to see where other people cycle and look for new routes, as they have incorporated an social element to it like twitter as you can share your rides. The Dundas street segment is an interesting one for me as it's part of my daily commute and i find it quite a challenge.

I've never heard of Endomondo, but there are a few GPS type cycling apps. I sometimes run to work when i drop my boy off at nursery and strava is good for that.

it's free

 

[doddy73]

She's a wicked lady that puncture fairy

She struck a chap on the way home last night who had no spare tube and no pump.... to thwart her evil plans I stopped and helped him with a new tube and a loan of my pump... chap merrily on his way.... I place new spare tube in bag for next journey...... This morning, 4 miles in, back tyre goes in an instant.... retribution by the fairy! ah but I have spares? thou shall not prevail!!!! So, wheel off, checks tyre to find an ich long pice of glass lodge in tyre... I found it by cutting my thumb with it.... happy days... keep smiling.... remove glass.... change tube... inflate.... on my way again. Still happy despite my glove now being somewhat squishy and bloody. Half a mile later she strikes again..... should have checked the tyre for more glass! hole in tube.... gives up and walks the rest.... she wins

Fairy 1
Dodster 0

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I track my rides using Endomondo, so that I can keep a track of my distances mainly.

Is Strava basically the same thing, but with segments where times are recorded in a competition type fashion, or have I got it wrong?

Don't go onto Strava, you find out how really old and slow you are.

 

[apb]

Don't go onto Strava, you find out how really old and slow you are.

Had a good dose of reality today.

 

[MisterStan]

She's a wicked lady that puncture fairy

She struck a chap on the way home last night who had no spare tube and no pump.... to thwart her evil plans I stopped and helped him with a new tube and a loan of my pump... chap merrily on his way.... I place new spare tube in bag for next journey...... This morning, 4 miles in, back tyre goes in an instant.... retribution by the fairy! ah but I have spares? thou shall not prevail!!!! So, wheel off, checks tyre to find an ich long pice of glass lodge in tyre... I found it by cutting my thumb with it.... happy days... keep smiling.... remove glass.... change tube... inflate.... on my way again. Still happy despite my glove now being somewhat squishy and bloody. Half a mile later she strikes again..... should have checked the tyre for more glass! hole in tube.... gives up and walks the rest.... she wins

Fairy 1
Dodster 0

Never give up!

 

[dodd82]

yeah that sounds right. You can track your rides, distance, speed, you can hook up a HRM. and create segments to compete with others.

I think it's interesting to see how many miles i do and where i cycle in the city. It's a good tool to see where other people cycle and look for new routes, as they have incorporated an social element to it like twitter as you can share your rides. The Dundas street segment is an interesting one for me as it's part of my daily commute and i find it quite a challenge.

I've never heard of Endomondo, but there are a few GPS type cycling apps. I sometimes run to work when i drop my boy off at nursery and strava is good for that.

it's free

Thanks - yeh, Endomondo sounds exactly the same but without the segments.

My combination of competitiveness and being a rather average cyclist on an average bike means that Strava maybe a bad idea for me.

 

[paulw1969]

Bit chilly this morning at 6.00am.....didn't seem as frosty as last night at about 11 though so reckon it might of warmed up a little overnight. Fewer close passes this week.
Stopped to help a fellow cyclist (on Tuesday i think it was) he had all the gear to repair a puncture but his tyre was bulging badly opposite the valve....didn't know what was up with it so couldn't help him..he had already stripped the wheel twice ...thought about it after and wondered if the beading on the tyre had broke?

 

[paulw1969]

Bit chilly this morning at 6.00am.....didn't seem as frosty as last night at about 11 though so reckon it might of warmed up a little overnight. Fewer close passes this week.
Stopped to help a fellow cyclist (on Tuesday i think it was) he had all the gear to repair a puncture but his tyre was bulging badly opposite the valve....didn't know what was up with it so couldn't help him..he had already stripped the wheel twice ...thought about it after and wondered if the beading on the tyre had broke?