Tales from today's commute....

[si_c]

This mornings commute was relatively uneventful, right up until the pinch flat going downhill at 30mph about 100yds before the turn to work. Not pumped the tyres up for a while, and did think this morning that I probably should, but dismissed it as not necessary. That'll teach me.

Loved the ride home this evening though, really do enjoy a night ride.

 

[PeteXXX]

First ride in for a while. 12.5, usual route, feeling quite warm by the time I got there.
Similar route home, at midnight. It got quite foggy after the Isham roundabout dash so I stopped for a while and fixed my spare back light next to my Bontrager Flare.. Absolutely no reason that I couldn't be seen through the fog. Still, as I only saw three cars all the way home, I was just being extra cautious.
By the time I'd arrived home, I was decidedly damp from the autumnal air.

Two day off now

 

[Randombiker9]

Yesterday teens were annoying me and they kicked my bike and something’s damaged as when I braked it caused the wheel to get stuck and made a noise like the rim scraping on the road but the tyres on. The pedals are spinning but rear wheel won’t move anymore. So they damaged my bike. Ugh and it’s not just annoying it means I have to find other ways to get to places when I would normally cycle and I have to wake up earlier and I hate my routine getting messed up

 

[Bazzer]

Warm enough for shorts this morning, but a headwind for the several miles of the most exposed part of my commute was unwelcome. I'm just hoping it stays in that direction for the ride home.
Approaching a roundabout on the way home last night I got cut up by a MGIF, non indicating, trailer towing United Utilities van, followed by verbal abuse from the driver's passenger. I await with interest the views of United Utilities on their employees' driving and behaviour following my email last night and of course Greater Manchester Police.
Also notified last night that last Monday's close passer and the RLJer driver of the driving school vehicle are to be referred for a NIP.

 

[Arjimlad]

Bugger...
View attachment 437223 View attachment 437224
Over shifted from small to big ring which dropped the chain and then I buggered thing up by changing down to the smallest sprocket on the cassette somehow trapping the chain against the frame which I didn't notice as it was on a pitch black back road. I then really broke it by applying brute force on the pedals which snapped the hanger and what can be seen above..
Thankfully it was only a mile & a half from home and on the 13 Alpha which is the least used of my bikes and was going to be disposed of/sold when I'd got the Pickenflick flat bar built. I'll have a look at the damage in daylight at some point to see what needs doing, cost the parts up and see if it's worthwile doing.

Bums!

I had similar when a mudguard snapped & jammed in the rear wheel. Hope it can be fixed OK.

 

[Arjimlad]

"Once more unto the hedge, dear friends, once more, or close the road up with our cycling dead!"

The unusual thing was this horsebox driver made not the slightest attempt to slow down when he saw me.

Thankfully I was going a little slower than usual due to an unusually large number of cars on this road earlier but the rear end of the truck came uncomfortably close to my shoulder.

View attachment 436380

Horseman of the apocalypse is getting a NIP, for driving too fast around bends on a narrow country lane & getting too close to me with the back of his truck.

 

[rivers]

Last week, I pulled out the bib tights, merino baselayers, and winter gloves. Today I was back in shorts and had the legs outs. I started off with my jacket on as it was a bit breezy when I left my house, but around a mile or so in, I had to pull over and take it off. Back on the B2B today after 2 weeks of commuting via the roads. The newly repaved bit in Warmley is lovely.

 

[Threevok]

What happens when an unstoppable knobber meets an immovable numpty ?

Approaching the junction of a roundabout this morning, a taxi driver decides to get there before me and overtakes at speed, narrowly missing me.

Looking in my mirror, I see a white VW Golf approaching at speed too.

From fear of running out of room, I take a defensive position to stop him overtaking.

Meanwhile, the taxi driver wants to enter the bus station on the opposite side of the road. But instead of going around the roundabout first, he decided to take a short cut and takes a sharp right - and why not ? There's only a cyclist behind him. What do they matter.

As this was happening, the fool behind me in his Golf, gets a bad case of TWS and perceives me in front of him as a threat to his manhood.

He decides floor it past me, on the wrong side of the road.

Unfortunately for him - the taxi in front is now on the wrong side of the road (at 90 degrees) and he has to slam on his brakes to avoid broad-siding the taxi. He skids and ends up at same angle - also on the wrong side of the road.

Words ensue between the two - as to who was at fault - that was, until I arrived and set them both straight.

It's bad enough having to deal with one of these at a time, but when you get two together !!!

 

[ianrauk]

It's bad enough having to deal with one of these at a time, but when you get two together !!!

As the old saying goes, 'Just like Busses'

 

[Bazzer]

The wind behind or to my side was extremely pleasant for the ride home, spoiled only by the usual knobbery of motorists expressing their frustrations in various ways of caught up in queues. Then I get two miles from home and stop at pelican crossing as the lights turned red. On the opposite side of the road a police van stopped. No one crossed, suggesting either the intended crosser went before the lights changed or it was kids messing about. Police van driver decides he has waited long enough and just drove over the crossing and continued on his way, despite the lights being on red. Meanwhile those of left at the crossing are left looking at each other I am sure thinking "Have I just seen that?"
I suspected red lights were considered an option to stop, at least for the first five seconds, by many motorists in Salford, but outside Salford and by the police?

 

[hennbell]

The staying all winter snow and ice have settled. I have taken 2 days to let everyone get their winter wheels underneath them, tomorrow back to the bicycle.

 

[Jenkins]

I think you'll need a new derailleur, hanger and possibly a new chain if any of the links are twisted. So probably around £50ish damage depnding on how much the replacement hanger is.

Had a quick look before going to work this morning and you're right about the parts needed - I've got a chain in stock, the derailleur's only £19 from Tredz and I'm hoping the hanger is the Halfords type A which is only £10 (to be confirmed when I eventuially get round to taking everything apart) so it'll probably get fixed up for sale.

 

[dhd.evans]

Was on a flying visit to the Big Smoke yesterday so no bikey for me. However got a good view of cycling in the city which was absolutely farking terrifying to watch - RLJers everywhere, headphones, lack of helmets, squeezing through traffic on all sides. Just terrifying.

 

[ianrauk]

A really grim commute this morning. Cold, wet and dark.. real grim. Not helped by crappy motons not paying attention. Rain seems to bring out the worst in some car drivers. I had a couple of very close passes this morning and a car that didn't stop at the stop line from an adjoining road... twat. I was also irritated by a couple of RLJ'ing cyclists who nearly caused a collision. They both jumped a light early causing a moton to also RLJ as he obviously wasn't paying attention. Lots of car horn beeping ensued.

All in all a very irritable, grumpy ride, and I don't wear a helmet here in SE London either and I squeeze through traffic on all sides because if I didn't I wouldn't get any bloody where.

Rainy commute #40 for the year to date.
Last year 24 in the same period, 31 over all for 2017

 

[dhd.evans]

All in all a very irritable, grumpy ride, and I don't wear a helmet here in SE London either and I squeeze through traffic on all sides because if I didn't I wouldn't get any bloody where.

Rainy commute #40 for the year to date.
Last year 24 in the same period, 31 over all for 2017

@ianrauk, no offense intended - you do you, kind of thing. Where i ride squeezing through traffic is not a daily necessity so seeing it happen with mm to spare causes me a sharp intake of breath and a 'Ooh, that looked close' mutterings. Confidence and familiarity with your landscape is key and it's not for me! Helmet wearing is another thing - i choose to wear one but accept that others do not, again you do you!