Tales from today's commute....
- Thread starter martint235
- Start date
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Randombiker9
Senior Member
Well yesterday was weird i checked the brakes working (It still had a weird noise from other day when stupid school kids messed with it whilst i was in a park doing a bit of photography) i had no choice yesterday and to cycle in morning to get to somewhere, In the afternoon i decided to cycle a different route in a park short cut and i was going down hill and i guess my brakes didn't slow down in time as i tried to and then crashed. I was fine and on my own i noticed something was bleeding, thought it was my teeth but it was just my lips luckily. dunno how but my helmet visor snapped off and ended up in the spokes. I took it out and the spokes were still fine. Everything else is looked fine i just had to sort the handelbars out as somehow they got bent. I decided to visit one of the local bike shops in my area as i fixed what i could but it was still making that noise and the gears were messed up. I was able to get to bike shop. However it turned out that the hanger got bent. So i assume it must of already been bent beforehand (As i didn't fall off to that side i fell off the other side) from those kids messing with it and i just didn't notice it. I couldn't tell where the noise was coming from but now I've got a feeling it was from when those kids messed with it and i didn't notice it before hand. However they were full and busy.
So unfortuantly i had to leave my bike locked overnight till Sunday (or bike shops going to call me if anything changes) because i didn't feel safe riding it home. Hope it doesn't get stolen.
I need to get a new helmet anyway as even though my helmets not cracked. It's best to replace after a impact right?
On the positive note at least i didn't hurt myself. just got small cuts on lips (which don't sting at all)
So unfortuantly i had to leave my bike locked overnight till Sunday (or bike shops going to call me if anything changes) because i didn't feel safe riding it home. Hope it doesn't get stolen.
I need to get a new helmet anyway as even though my helmets not cracked. It's best to replace after a impact right?
On the positive note at least i didn't hurt myself. just got small cuts on lips (which don't sting at all)
Pleasant, if a bit windy ride in today. I have called on the wife to pick me up however, as it looks like it's going to p*ss it down on the ride home and my rain jacket is sat in my house. It definitely did not have rain forecast this morning when I checked the weather.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
I don't know what exactly you call it but I had an abandoned left hook or something tonight. Approaching a roundabout I had two cars overtake me, the last was a bit close to the rbt, but fair enough I was only doing a Z1 recovery ride and a slow 12-13mph. Things always come in three's however and a third car followed impossibly close to the rbt to immediately put their left turn indicators on only to slam their brakes on hard so they didn't crash into a car already on the rbt. When I said impossibly close it was impossible for me too stop, I needed another 10 or 20cm and ended up giving their bumper a little tap. Not hard enough to do any damage just a mild bounce. Unfortunately my tyre was smooth and clean and I didn't even get to leave them a reminder. I think she knew what she done she paused a second then drove off.
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Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
Well, I'll be honest, I have had better commutes than this morning's.
Two close passes within the first two miles, the first less than 300 metres from leaving home. - Normally at the time I leave I might see two cars coming from the opposite direction of travel, in the first three miles. Later some idiot in a BMW tried to force himself between me a van turning right, but backed off after some verbals and gestures. And then half a mile from work, a Nissan Leaf driver who couldn't be arsed to wait a less than 5 seconds, passed me on my left hand side as I was turning right at a major junction.
And it was cold. Should have worn woolen gloves not fingerless. Many of the first 6 miles or so were spent with a hand behind my back out of the wind chill. The noticeably warmer air in the suburbs was very welcome and as gear changes and braking had become gradually easier for my fingers from around 12 miles, I mistakenly thought my hands were just cool. No so, as I discovered, trying to extract my security pass, in order to enter the work underground car park. With a queue of cars behind me, I had that moment when your brain wants your fingers to do something, in this case unzip my chest pocket and my fingers were incapable of grasping the zip handle. Fortunately the handle wasn't flush with the material and with a lot of effort I managed to wedge the zip handle between my thumb and first finger. But it was almost at the stage where I would have to ask the person behind me to unzip me.
Two close passes within the first two miles, the first less than 300 metres from leaving home. - Normally at the time I leave I might see two cars coming from the opposite direction of travel, in the first three miles. Later some idiot in a BMW tried to force himself between me a van turning right, but backed off after some verbals and gestures. And then half a mile from work, a Nissan Leaf driver who couldn't be arsed to wait a less than 5 seconds, passed me on my left hand side as I was turning right at a major junction.
And it was cold. Should have worn woolen gloves not fingerless. Many of the first 6 miles or so were spent with a hand behind my back out of the wind chill. The noticeably warmer air in the suburbs was very welcome and as gear changes and braking had become gradually easier for my fingers from around 12 miles, I mistakenly thought my hands were just cool. No so, as I discovered, trying to extract my security pass, in order to enter the work underground car park. With a queue of cars behind me, I had that moment when your brain wants your fingers to do something, in this case unzip my chest pocket and my fingers were incapable of grasping the zip handle. Fortunately the handle wasn't flush with the material and with a lot of effort I managed to wedge the zip handle between my thumb and first finger. But it was almost at the stage where I would have to ask the person behind me to unzip me.
I had a few days off the bike just before the bank holiday weekend due to a combination of work and a friends stag do weekend away.
After a few days off the bike having got back to commuting last week I noticed a marked increase in the number of insects of all types, shapes & sizes. There were a couple of rides last week where I was riding along at it was almost like riding through hail with the number of things hitting me.
Unfortunately I'm not feeling that great at the moment due to a cold and so I couldn't just ride along my mouth closed breathing only through my nose and so I'm an easy target for flying things. Last week I ended up taking direct hits from several bugs of some sort and swallowing them whole.
All in all a thoroughly unpleasant thing and the only silver lining that I could think of was I suppose it's extra protein although in all honesty I could have lived without it.
Maybe if I was a super flexible pro rider instead of a humble commuter I could ride along with my back forwards and my head down so that the bugs would bounce off the top of my head instead of straight into my mouth but that's not a position that I could adopt.
After a few days off the bike having got back to commuting last week I noticed a marked increase in the number of insects of all types, shapes & sizes. There were a couple of rides last week where I was riding along at it was almost like riding through hail with the number of things hitting me.
Unfortunately I'm not feeling that great at the moment due to a cold and so I couldn't just ride along my mouth closed breathing only through my nose and so I'm an easy target for flying things. Last week I ended up taking direct hits from several bugs of some sort and swallowing them whole.
All in all a thoroughly unpleasant thing and the only silver lining that I could think of was I suppose it's extra protein although in all honesty I could have lived without it.
Maybe if I was a super flexible pro rider instead of a humble commuter I could ride along with my back forwards and my head down so that the bugs would bounce off the top of my head instead of straight into my mouth but that's not a position that I could adopt.
Bazzer
Setting the controls for the heart of the sun.
- Location
- On the edge of reality
Safety glasses or sunglasses and a buff?
Salty seadog
Space Cadet...(3rd Class...)
It won't be the tyre with only that mileage on it unless it's a duff one. More likely bad luck or there's still a sharpie embedded.
KneesUp
Guru
I am fortunate in that I start work around 10. ish. So I rarely commute in the heaviest traffic. However, today I had to be at work for 8 (ish) so I was out with the worst of the traffic. Blimey! I'd forgotten how bad it is. It felt safer than usual because whereas traffic has some semblance of flow when I normally go to work - and you get the odd person who is clearly late for something - at proper rush-hour no bugger is moving, so you just sail past. Sheffield is not a huge city, so I did wonder quite how many of the drivers could feasibly be cycling instead, and how much nicer that would be for everyone.
One other thing I noticed is that earlier commuters cycle faster. On my normal run in I usually reel in and pass a couple of (no doubt ancient and ailing) cyclists and no-one ever passes me, but this morning I was gasping along pretending I could keep up and desperately hoping people would turn off rather than follow my route.
One other thing I noticed is that earlier commuters cycle faster. On my normal run in I usually reel in and pass a couple of (no doubt ancient and ailing) cyclists and no-one ever passes me, but this morning I was gasping along pretending I could keep up and desperately hoping people would turn off rather than follow my route.
