Tales from today's commute....

[Lonestar]

Fixie 1 is three years older than Fixie 2 but went like a dream today...The chain doesn't crunch...it's so smooth so no probs.It can rain all day if it wants but I wont moan about it...better than snow or walking seven* miles back when it goes tits up.

Probs with joggers coming back for some reason mainly not concentrating where they were jogging along the CS 3 at some hard to see places but it's not like that every day.Two tried to run under my wheels just past Tower Gateway but I was ready for trouble up junction.

Also pedestrian in backstreet with mobile phone glued to ear decided not to look before he crossed in front of me.Unfortunately this is quite a common occurrence nowadays.If only these people had a few fried braincells to rub together.

*= Extended to make it look more dramatic.Actually wanted to measure how far it was that I walked yesterday but I forgot.

 

[Jenkins]

Bloody lorry drivers - first vehicle at a set of traffic lights and left plenty of space at the ASL, back end of trailer covered in warning stickers about not overtaking on the left, giving space, etc but it's only when the traffic lights turned green that the indicator lights and "this vehicle is turning left" audible warning came on...
(I had held back behind the truck and not gone to the ASL as I never trust them)

 

[si_c]

Slow and steady ride in this morning as a light headwind but quite foggy when I set off. Lots of really mad drivers on the road without any lights. Could barely see a few of them.

 

[Lonestar]

Bloody lorry drivers - first vehicle at a set of traffic lights and left plenty of space at the ASL, back end of trailer covered in warning stickers about not overtaking on the left, giving space, etc but it's only when the traffic lights turned green that the indicator lights and "this vehicle is turning left" audible warning came on...
(I had held back behind the truck and not gone to the ASL as I never trust them)

Nice move or not to move shall I say.

 

[Bazzer]

Over dressed for the ride home, as the sun kept bathing me in its rays, either directly or through high cloud. So the compression base layer and bib tights which kept me warm in the morning, were a bit toasty. Still, its better than freezing my nuts off and it was a pleasant change riding home sans buff and gloves.
A couple of sets of traffic lights appeared to have an electrical fault, which allowed only a handful of cars through at a time. Could see that causing some serious delays later. (Unless of course you were on a bike )
Looks like I am due for a soaking tomorrow.

 

[si_c]

Eventful ride home, the BB has been clicking for a good few weeks, and chose today to fail spectacularly, I now have more than 5mm of play in the cranks and moving them in any direction makes a horrible noise.

Don't have a spare as I've been too cheap to order one. So salvaged a HT2 BB from a frame in the loft and hopefully that will work with the megaexo cranks.

 

[cosmicbike]

WooHoo, no rain when I came out of work tonight. For the first mile, then it started proper raining so I stopped to put the trousers on. Glad I did too. New cables on order so looks like little ring for the rest of the week...

 

[Lonestar]

Eventful ride home, the BB has been clicking for a good few weeks, and chose today to fail spectacularly, I now have more than 5mm of play in the cranks and moving them in any direction makes a horrible noise.

Don't have a spare as I've been too cheap to order one. So salvaged a HT2 BB from a frame in the loft and hopefully that will work with the megaexo cranks.

Yes,my bottom bracket failed big time yesterday and I must admit I had a clicking that went on for ages and it was driving me mad...Was never able to track it down but when I faffed about with the chain it stopped for a short time.Guess I will find out when I get the new BB in.

 

[si_c]

Yes,my bottom bracket failed big time yesterday and I must admit I had a clicking that went on for ages and it was driving me mad...Was never able to track it down but when I faffed about with the chain it stopped for a short time.Guess I will find out when I get the new BB in.

I knew it was the bottom bracket, it had the same horrible sound as last time.

Had dinner and tried removing the crankset and in the dark and my haste I've stripped the first half of the threads for the crank remover so I probably need a new crankset now. Really pissed at myself for trying to eek out a few extra miles.

 

[straas]

Eventful ride home, the BB has been clicking for a good few weeks, and chose today to fail spectacularly, I now have more than 5mm of play in the cranks and moving them in any direction makes a horrible noise.

Don't have a spare as I've been too cheap to order one. So salvaged a HT2 BB from a frame in the loft and hopefully that will work with the megaexo cranks.

I'm pretty tight, but that's taking it a bit far! You can get an ultegra bb for a tenner!

I can't stand the sound of a bad BB

 

[Lonestar]

I'm pretty tight, but that's taking it a bit far! You can get an ultegra bb for a tenner!

I can't stand the sound of a bad BB

Yes it was pretty awful.I thought it was the chain as I'd put a new one on and it started.In hindsight I had plenty of warning.I have no complaints.Riding the other fixie the difference is astronomical.So smooth and it's three years older to boot.Will dismantle today as I have a bit of time.

 

[si_c]

I'm pretty tight, but that's taking it a bit far! You can get an ultegra bb for a tenner!

I can't stand the sound of a bad BB

Problem is it's an FSA BB not HT2 and consequently five times the price, the spindle diameter is 19mm rather than 24mm like HT2, lots of confusing information on the web, so I had to pull it out to check, and they're not compatible.

The whole bearing cage disintegrated, with loose bearings rolling around inside the sleeve. Ordered a new BB, so on a hybrid for a couple of days.

Edit: Today's commute was really really really wet.

 

[Sixmile]

Bumped into a friend a few miles into my commute home last night. Turned my 12 mile commute into 38 miles!

I had arranged to drop the hybrid off to a mechanic this evening but realised realistically it would be too tight for time later. I decided to get up early, drive 20 miles the other direction from work and lock my bike to the door of his back street unit and slid the key under the door. Then it was a case of driving back towards work, lifting my road bike off the roof, seasucker in the boot and cycling a rainy 7 miles into the office. The handle that I locked it to is only held on by 4 star heads but it's out of view of most passers by so hope it is ok!

 

[chriswoody]

What a difference a few weeks makes. A few weeks ago it was down jacket and fleece in temperatures of -10. Today I'm in a t-shirt pootling along as the temperature hits the low 20's and not a cloud in the sky.

We've gone straight from Winter to Summer and forgot to stop at Spring.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

has it actually stopped raining ?