Tales from today's commute....

[Arjimlad]

Nice to be back on the bike today.

Although it was cold there was no ice or snow to contend with. I had a Tenn jacket under the Aldi winter jacket for extra warmth, and ski gloves, and stayed quite warm enough what with the balaclava too.

 

[MisterStan]

Felt like hard work again, but I managed a respectable average speed all the same. Traffic was quite light. Scalped a pair of roadies too.

 

[ianrauk]

Felt like hard work again, but I managed a respectable average speed all the same. Traffic was quite light. Scalped a pair of roadies too.

Yet for me was the opposite.
Nice tailwind for a change which meant a good time.
Still bleedin' cold though.

 

[subaqua]

just before the commute home was walking from one site office to another and spotted a cyclist whose rear derailer hanger had gave way and put the RD into the spokes. I showed /helpedhim how to get the wheel out of the dropouts take the RD out of the blade type spokes and told him turn a multiple speed cassete into a single speed get you home bike with a chain tool. I also guided him to Evans 100yds up the road so he could buy a chain tool.

work wanted to now why my hands were oily .

the best comment was - how do you know all this abouit bikes !!

 

[MisterStan]

Nice tailwind

Jammy sod.

 

[ianrauk]

Jammy sod.

Yeah..but had to work for it this morning.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Not as windy in Leicester tonight, speed is still crap, bloody Giro challenge has ruined my speed, be glad when I have finished it.

 

[avsd]

Cold but DRY in Belfast. Thing I need to buy a lottery ticket this week. Both taxi and a bus gave way to me at a junction when they had right of way. They got a big then a dog owner stepped of the cycle path with his dog so I could pass safely.. With luck like that I should definitely win the lottery

 

[Matthew_T]

Had an awesome commute today. Morning was glorious and very beautiful with the sun out and shining. Very cold though so tested my new neck warmer/balaclava which worked wonders and kept my face very warm. Iced over puddles to contend with and the odd bit of snow. Very strong tailwind meant that I got 3rd on one Strava segment.

Evenings ride was a little earlier than normal so set off just before the sun went down. Nearly got taken out by a taxi who cut a corner just as I set off.
Icy patches had disappeared by now but saw some bit of snow still. Sidewind meant that I could keep up a good speed.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Another good day, much warmer than yesterday, my hands didn't actually loose feeling today, but my legs would not work very well for some reason, may be the 17 days off from cycling didn't help ! but I feel very tired tonight so no more trying to get to sleep.
Again lots of very nice motorists as well.

 

[PoliceMadAd]

That's a cracking commute. Perfect distance IMHO.
It's great that you are starting now as come the spring when the weather is much better, you will be flying.
An early morning commute in warm sunshine is one of lifes great cycling pleasures.
Please keep us updated as to how you get on.

As someone who does a long commute, can I offer some good advice.
Check your tyres after every ride. Dig out anything that's stuck in the rubber.
It's a pain in the arse but you soon get into the habit and it's less of a pain then getting a puncture.

A quick update, been doing the commute now for just under a month (though it feels like a helluva lot longer) i enjoy most of it (just not the mile or so of country road at the start and end dependent on which way im coming).

I do it 2-4 days a week, have a physical job in between so its tiring but it's not putting me off.

Just need to take a bit more pride in and care of my bike as im neglecting it so getting my act together as of tomorrow and gonna get a new chain sorted and take the bike to an LBS to get the gears and rear wheel sorted (the gears dont change properly, but im managing, and the rear wheel wobbles).

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Commute today was similar to yesterday, quarter past seven in the morning its freezing with a bitter biting head wind, but the wind isn't quite so strong as yesterday, still made for a slow trip, came out tonight and its warmed,up a lot, still cold though, and the wind has eased a bit more, but it was still mostly behind me and helped me fly home, the minor annoyance is the driver of a grey car that gives a loud blast on the horn when ever he comes up behind a cyclist, I've seen him a couple of times before and thought the horn blast was because I was in primary, tonight I was rolling along in secondary with plenty of room for the overtake and still got the horn blast.

 

[subaqua]

Yay. didn't feel as cold this morning. and it was getting light when i left. even better was it was light going over London bridge

 

[GrasB]

Decided to go swap the 49t chaining for the 47t one & glued up the 22mm Durano tubs on the fixed. So this mornings commute a short one at 16.37mile took 34m 57s... ... ...

 

[G3CWI]

47 minutes of joy!

First time in on the hybrid so some off-road fun was possible. Nice ride through a wood. Slightly less easy "technical" across a ploughed field. Lots of pheasants out and about (far more than cars of course). Two more of my spotted potholes are receiving attention - one has been "fixed"; rather poorly fixed but much better than it was. A particularly nasty one - submerged and huge, now sports two orange cones. Bright sunshine cast a great shadow of the cycling G3CWI in the hedgerows.

It was cool but not too cold although I did suffer the cyclists' equivalent of brain freeze coasting down the 10% hill on the route. What a pity that I have to go down it and up it both ways, grrr. 10 miles of total bliss.

The only down side of my route compared to central London is perhaps the lack of a Costa Coffee to go. But then again, maybe not.