Tales from today's commute....

[Ciar]

What a bloody awful return journey last night was, got about a mile into the wind and the rain began talk about freezing rain topped by headwinds, so glad to get home and so were my legs!

 

[Twizit]

This morning I discovered that there appears to be little alternative to my bulky Aldi ski gloves when it is below freezing. The Skytec Argon cold weather builder's gloves just didn't keep the chill off my poor fingers !

I too suffer from cold extremities on the bike. Solved the hands by using DHB liner gloves combined with seal skins winter gloves. Can't remember the model but they grade them by warmth - am sure mine are the full 5 star version. Not too bulky and I've not had a problem since, even in sub-zero temps.

 

[Ciar]

I too suffer from cold extremities on the bike. Solved the hands by using DHB liner gloves combined with seal skins winter gloves. Can't remember the model but they grade them by warmth - am sure mine are the full 5 star version. Not too bulky and I've not had a problem since, even in sub-zero temps.

These are brilliant, i also have the wiggle roubaix liner gloves and use them inside my hummvee mtb gloves, those two combined work a treat. I can imagine if you put them inside actual winter gloves they would be very toasty.

 

[rivers]

I got into with a taxi driver last night as I was cycling to the hippodrome. He passed me with something like 6 inches of room to spare. I caught up to him at the set of lights and as per normal, he "gave me plenty of space". Not if I can touch your vehicle you didn't... Then I sped off as he was stuck in traffic.

 

[John_S]

Well todays ride to work was a thoroughly miserable one!

It was chucking it down from the moment I left the house and it was blowing a bit of a gale as well. It was not quite hail but the rain was being blown almost horizontally and it was stinging my face. The gusts of wind were strong as well especially when there was any open ground.

Then I got to a closed road on my route and this was on the rural bit of my commute and the diversion added just over a mile and a half to my commute. Normally I'd be fine with this because the extra riding would actually be a nice little bonus but the weather was so horrible it wasn't really appreciated.

Also today I was wearing some new bib tights. My previous winter wear for my legs were some think fleece material trousers which I bought in about 1993. These were nice & thick and warm but they had been staring to fall apart for a while now so were on their last legs. Therefore I treated myself to a pair of bib tights in the January sales. I only got them last weekend and prior to today I'd be lucky enough to dodge anything more than drizzle this week. Today was the first time using them in a downpour and I noticed an interesting effect compared to my old fleece winter trousers. Now the old trousers had absolutely no water repellence what so ever so they just soaked up the rain. However the new ones do have a bit of water repellence but I noticed that the effect of this was that the water sort of beads on the surface and then runs down your leg and I ended up with water just pouring into my shoes. This resulted in very cold wet feet and quite and uncomfortable feeling and this isn't something that I ever had a problem with when I was using the fleece trousers.

Therefore I'm guessing that this is why people these days now use over shoes but I've never before had any. As a result I'm guessing that I've now got another thing that I need to buy for rainy days.

Hope that everyone has a good weekend once today is over and done with (with commiserations to everyone who is working this weekend).

John

 

[Sixmile]

After reading the above, I feel a little bit guilty for saying my am commute this morning was bliss. Dry, light tailwind and skipped by a heap of traffic. I did catch more red lights this usual though but made it into work still under 50 minutes, 20 minutes quicker than in the car yesterday. More cars than usual though this morning pretending to be buses. If they want to use the bus lane, either get on the bus or a bike!

 

[confusedcyclist]

It was my first cycle commute in a fair while, yet already I nearly got wiped out on Leeds-Bradford Cycle SuperHighway this morning travelling down Barkerend road... On two occasions, drivers were pulling out of the schools along the path, one at the top of the hill, another near the bottom. You'd think that drivers moving in and around these places being highly likely to have vulnerable road users on bicycles would pay more attention, especially near primary schools, but no. Flagship safer cycling infrastructure my arse, what's the point putting this stuff in if people still drive in and around them with reckless abandon. Luckily I anticipated their idiocy and avoided collisions both times, the second by an uncomfortably narrow margin. Most days this sort of thing happens, but you anticipate it and stop wait for the half arsed SMIDSY hand wave, and get on with your life. Today was different, today I thought the car had spotted me, as the driver was looking right at me, so I proceeded, yet he didn't stop and had I not had space to swerve to the left, he would have taken me down. Too close for comfort.

I gestured with two fingers at the first idiot, but pointing at my eyes, as in "use your bloody eyes!" The driver looked quite displeased, as if I had given her the V for victory... In case you are reading this obscure niche hobby forum, no deary, that was not my intention. I just want you to look where you are going and anticipate cyclists riding, you know, on the dedicated cycle path that cost 1.2 million per mile to install. Don't look so offended, let's not forget it was ME that nearly ended up on/over the bonnet of YOUR car because you did not stop, look left or right at the junction to check it was safe before pulling on out.

I think I'm going to stick with the road on that section on the downhill stretch from now on, because this is becoming too regular an occurrence, most of the time it seems when drivers are not are seemingly deliberately trying to mow you down at a junction, you have to contend with parents inalienable right to parking on the cycleway in order to drop their snowflakes off within 3 feet of the school gates, god knows how they would manage parking on a side street and walking 500-1000 feet extra, I wonder if perhaps they might die as a result of the sheer extremes of physical exertion it takes to put one foot in front of another, rather than inconvenience but more importantly force vulnerable cyclists into conflict with cars by jumping on and off the kerb to pass by on the road.

I'm not sure how kids are supposed to feel safe riding on the path unless they learn to stop and yield to every inconsiderate nutjob in a car who fail to look/stop at every give way lines at every goddamn junction on the path. The schools themselves clearly don't give a shite about the manner in which their children's parents behave. If I were the headteacher, I'd be out there asking parents parked outside to move on, because despite the wonderful facility, it's totally useless to the kids as a result. What a shame.

/rant over.

 

[Slick]

It was my first cycle commute in a fair while, yet already I nearly got wiped out on Leeds-Bradford Cycle SuperHighway this morning travelling down Barkerend road... On two occasions, drivers were pulling out of the schools along the path, one at the top of the hill, another near the bottom. You'd think that drivers moving in and around these places being highly likely to have vulnerable road users on bicycles would pay more attention, especially near primary schools, but no. Flagship safer cycling infrastructure my arse, what's the point putting this stuff in if people still drive in and around them with reckless abandon. Luckily I anticipated their idiocy and avoided collisions both times, the second by an uncomfortably narrow margin. Most days this sort of thing happens, but you anticipate it and stop wait for the half arsed SMIDSY hand wave, and get on with your life. Today was different, today I thought the car had spotted me, as the driver was looking right at me, so I proceeded, yet he didn't stop and had I not had space to swerve to the left, he would have taken me down. Too close for comfort.

I gestured with two fingers at the first idiot, but pointing at my eyes, as in "use your bloody eyes!" The driver looked quite displeased, as if I had given her the V for victory... In case you are reading this obscure niche hobby forum, no deary, that was not my intention. I just want you to look where you are going and anticipate cyclists riding, you know, on the dedicated cycle path that cost 1.2 million per mile to install. Don't look so offended, let's not forget it was ME that nearly ended up on/over the bonnet of YOUR car because you did not stop, look left or right at the junction to check it was safe before pulling on out.

I think I'm going to stick with the road on that section on the downhill stretch from now on, because this is becoming too regular an occurrence, most of the time it seems when drivers are not are seemingly deliberately trying to mow you down at a junction, you have to contend with parents inalienable right to parking on the cycleway in order to drop their snowflakes off within 3 feet of the school gates, god knows how they would manage parking on a side street and walking 500-1000 feet extra, I wonder if perhaps they might die as a result of the sheer extremes of physical exertion it takes to put one foot in front of another, rather than inconvenience but more importantly force vulnerable cyclists into conflict with cars by jumping on and off the kerb to pass by on the road.

I'm not sure how kids are supposed to feel safe riding on the path unless they learn to stop and yield to every inconsiderate nutjob in a car who fail to look/stop at every give way lines at every goddamn junction on the path. The schools themselves clearly don't give a shite about the manner in which their children's parents behave. If I were the headteacher, I'd be out there asking parents parked outside to move on, because despite the wonderful facility, it's totally useless to the kids as a result. What a shame.

/rant over.

Wow, quality rant but definitely understandable. I was in Birmingham this week and just about every cyclist i saw was on the pavement. I know it's contentious for some, but when you see the quality of the driving on offer especially the morning school run, you can understand it.

 

[straas]

Wow, quality rant but definitely understandable. I was in Birmingham this week and just about every cyclist i saw was on the pavement. I know it's contentious for some, but when you see the quality of the driving on offer especially the morning school run, you can understand it.

I'd say Birmingham is the most aggressive and uncomfortable place to drive I've ever been. You get tailgated for doing the speed limit, and roundabouts are a nightmare.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I'd say Birmingham is the most aggressive and uncomfortable place to drive I've ever been. You get tailgated for doing the speed limit, and roundabouts are a nightmare.

Sounds like every place I've ever driven, lol.

 

[simon the viking]

Rang a company up today and complained about a driver who gave me 6 inches of room whilst an oncoming car gave him a blast of his horn.... Forty tonne truck loaded with bricks. I was up a gainst a grass verge so couldnt bail on to the pavement.

Spoke to transport manager. He aplogised and said he would have a word.

I dont normally bother much.. A shake of the fist and a few profanities and I forget about it.. As its usually a car or a plain white van

But if someone wants to drive apallingly whilst declaring where he works in foot high red letters... Then I reckon he's fair game...

 

[HLaB]

Its almost impossible to turn right out my works car park but this week the junction at the far end of the road has been shut. I hope its shut or a while

You still have to watch out for the occasional idiot who misses the road closure signs at the open end of the road

 

[ianrauk]

@HLaB you can guarantee that a motorist will ignore a road closed sign. Some always do in the vain hope they can get through. You can also guarantee that if one motorist tries to get through then another will follow.

 

[Maverick Goose]

I've been having a few close encounters with the local wildlife recently-last week a couple of Roe Deer ran across the road right in front of me, then a rabbit outside the Rheged Centre and a couple of days ago a Barn Owl flew within touching distance on the outskirts of Penrith. Glad to see the back of January too!

 

[cosmicbike]

Cold wet and horrible on the way home this morning, so much so that the commute was extended an extra mile or so Looks like the ride in tonight is going to be much the same, and may even need the waterproof trousers