Tales from today's commute....

[wafter]

Stupid anxious brain had done a great job or ramping up the fear over today's low temperatures and flooding in the city.

Up dark and early after not a lot of sleep, most stuff pre-emptively packed last night, tyre pressures checked and set (good job as the battered tube in the front seems to have a slow leak since last week's punishment). Out the door and parked in Yarnton just before dawn.

Thankfully my fears proved largely unfounded; it was cold but dry, extremities kept acceptably warm by some fat Thinsulate gloves I've had since I was a kid and thick walking socks doubled up with another normal pair on top. Along with base layer / fleece / waterproof and hat this is my cold weather gear pretty much maxed out.

The canal was high but tow path dry, town was quite quiet - perhaps on account of congestion on the outskirts as the flooding has apparently knackered another of the three remaining of four main routes into the city - certainly don't envy the drivers today and I'm glad I didn't bail and decide to take the car on account of the cold.

50% chance of rain later; so the journey back has the potential to be horrible... fingers' crossed!

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Heavy frosts over the weekend and clear skies this morning so rode the MTB with ice tyres in.

Predictably, no ice whatsoever on the roads today.

 

[cyberknight]

1 st bike commute of the year .
Frosty and dodging potholes,can't beat riding to work when half asleep

 

[Mazz]

No need for photos mate. The ones on the link you provided are pretty good pictures.
I will deffo be ordering, cheers.

Update: I bought a pair of RockBros bar mitts for the roadbike and used them for the first time this morning. They were fantastic, wish I'd bought them years ago.

 

[Arjimlad]

Put the ice tyres wheelset on the bike yesterday afternoon - and there was some icy slush on an uphill backroad which carries a lot of groundwater, so I was glad of them for quarter of a mile.

My new Galibier Deep Winter gloves kept my hands nicely warm at zero degrees, with silk liner gloves underneath.

 

[wafter]

Fugging snowed.

 

[wafter]

Further, rode back through town and while the journey in made no mention of the carnage that was probably unfolding on the 50% crippled ring road, my egress found static traffic from the very city centre (outside the Randolp) all the way out along the Woodstock road and presumably to the Pear Tree (so maybe 2-3 miles).. although I disembarked onto the tow path after a few miles.

Never seen that before, but it's not surprising given all the traffic that can't currently get down the flooed Abingdon Rd.

Of the two options the cold but somewhat life-affirming toil on the bike beats the alternative misery any day of the week

 

[GeekDadZoid]

Yesterdays ride home was awful, the mudguard run was back on both the front and back. Plus it was like crazy karts on the road.

I think I'll stick the old tyres back on today time permitting ahead of the ride in tomorrow.

 

[biking_fox]

Strong and biting (head)wind in manchester today. Not actually freezing, but it certainly felt like it. Remembered why my single speed is a fair weather bike - it's really hard work against the wind, and spins like crazy if it shifts to a tail wind (warms you up though).

 

[fossyant]

Ice wheels on !

Lovely this morning. No frost as it's been pretty windy overnight but only just above freezing. Roads and paths very dry, even the Fallowfield Loop. The flood was there still, and still over shoe level, so coasted through most of it. Did a quick stop as someone had thrown a plastic road barrier right into the middle of the track, so moved it to the side where there 'was' some works going on - I saw a cyclist last week who had stopped to move a settee, table and wheelie bin that had been dumped under one of the bridges on the Loop - fortunately that's gone today.

I suspect the 'bog of doom' will still be un-rideable.

 

[ianrauk]

Yep, dry here also but very chilly. The cold north winds have dried the roads. Apart from the northern headwind it was quite a pleasant commute. The wind will make for a nice assisted ride home later today.

 

[wafter]

"Feels like minus four" they said - no sh*t

Actual figure was 1 degree but it certainly felt damned cold this morning; moreso than yesterday and my extremities struggled a bit more as a result.

Out the door late due to lithargy and the need to attend to the tyres on the bike, no time for sausages but cold aside the route was pleasant and dry. Lots of people about on the tow path, and traffic queued back to Yarnton from the Peartree (and I suspect from there all the way the city centre so effectively a four-mile-long car park). Wasn't like that when I passed yesterday, but I was 20 mins later today.

Despite, or maybe because of the adversity and crisp, fresh mornings I'm actually feeling pretty good currently. A very welcome change and I imagine I'd be in a very dark place if I'd sat in traffic for literally hours to get here this morning, with the prospect of the same in order to escape later.

Also forgot to mention yesterday that I returned to my car to find some little hearts and something illegible written in snow on the bonnet. Might have read "I heart massive donkey wangs" for all I know, but it made a less-overtly-aggressive change to the note-that-shall-not-be-mentioned that blighted the vehicle at some point last year..

On the down-side the boot latch operation on the car has become intermittent causing me last night to have to fold down the seats and drag out the bike and bag through the passenger compartment.. however I think the latch mech is just full of cack / failing to reset properly so hopefully can be sorted by a clean later in the week.

 

[cyberknight]

Wind-chill went through the windproof and 3 layers this morning , headwind all the way to work meant my AVG was about 2 mph slower than usual.
At least I should have an easy ride home

 

[Arjimlad]

Wind-chill went through the windproof and 3 layers this morning , headwind all the way to work meant my AVG was about 2 mph slower than usual.
At least I should have an easy ride home

Yes, I certainly noticed the chilly north wind this morning! Brr!

 

[cyberknight]

Commute home
sunny but still bitter !
Had to change a flat tyre before i set off , im not surprised as the roads are still covered in debris from the floods then whilst i was overtaking another cyclist a van overtakes me forcing me to swerve and nearly hit the other rider .Then a few more miles down the road a vehicle was parked on the other side and a massive 4x4 thing overtakes it as i was passing forcing me into the drive on my side .
Feet are numb from the wind now , this weather can fark right off .