Tales from today's commute....

[GrumpyGregry]

My ride was enlivened this morning by the growing realisation that I've killed the bottom bracket on my fixed. Inspection at work reveals play in the cranks, woppa, woppa. Not good. But the cost of a replacement is only broadly equivalent to two days rail fares so I'm still quids in and the nice people at VeloSolo have decent Sugino replacements in stock. Yippee.

 

[BentMikey]

Someone overtightened their chain...

 

[fossyant]

Wet/Windy. That's all.

Got into a brief discussion about rain legs and goretex shoes at traffic lights - the chap seemed to recon they are great (both).

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Someone overtightened their chain...

Yep. Mea Culpa. It does appear that way, though the FSA-TH Industries BB fitted as standard to Charge bikes doesn't have a rep for longevity and it does have a few 1000 kms on it.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Wet/Windy. That's all.

Got into a brief discussion about rain legs and goretex shoes at traffic lights - the chap seemed to recon they are great (both).

Which reminds me...

Last night a road cyclist pulls up outside me at lights and barks "Your chain. It's different. Why?" He found the answer "It's a half-link and I like the way it looks." wanting.

 

[fossyant]

Which reminds me...

Last night a road cyclist pulls up outside me at lights and barks "Your chain. It's different. Why?" He found the answer "It's a half-link and I like the way it looks." wanting.

Another reason to commute on a bike - you can't have random conversations with people on public transport or in a car !!

Had a quick chat with a fella at traffic lights last night. It turned out it was his first week of commuting to work, we then got into - it's good training that you fit into your daily schedule, to asking me do I ride all year round, and my explaining about studded tyres.

 

[Anders]

I got lucky this morning, avoided the downpours near work, a tad windy so took it easy.

Did however see a right loon riding over the Swingbridge at Lower Walton on the wrong side of the road into traffic cos he was too lazy to cross over!

 

[jamin100]

had someone overtake me on the wrong side of a pinch point this morning & also saw a mahousive bin lorry lock up on entering a small island and get quite close to the cyclist that was going around the island at the time!

 

[fossyant]

Oh, cyclist down 8:30am 11/9/12 - A34 Birchfields Road / Mossley Road roundabout near Levenshulme. Looked like a cyclist had been rear ended or clipped south bound right on the roundabout. Ambulance in attendance, cyclist on stretcher. Hope they were OK. Vehicle - need I say..... BMW X3

 

[BSRU]

Someone fancied some SCR at lunchtime, they mistook my easy pace, just started, as my normal pace.
Turned onto a road, hear the crunching of gears as they move to the obligatory big gear but they missed their opportunity for a tow.
Up a small drag into a strong headwind they just fall further behind. Have to stop at a pedestrian crossing, they catch up struggling for breath and decide not to try again.
This scenario happens quite often on that section of road for some reason.

 

[fimm]

Passengers in two different cars felt the need to say something to me this morning. I have no idea what, but assume that in both cases it was to object to me taking an assertive position to deter an overtake in the face of oncoming traffic. I don't think I was being over-cautious in either case... hmmm.
Otherwise it was a nice morning for the long commute!

 

[ianrauk]

Nice and fast commute this morning. Only hampered by some peanut roadie on the A21 in an orange hiviz top who kept on jumping lights and undertaking me to get to the front. Why? He was slow off the mark every time and myself and another roadie chap over took him at the greens every time. You sir.. Mr orange.. are a poor cyclist.

Apart from that, thought it was going to be very cold, looked at the temperature gauge and it was saying 9degrees. So on with the Short Sleeve Cycle Chat jersey and pedal just a tad faster as to not get chilled... didn't take long to warm up.

 

[Christopher]

had three minor incidents, just adds to the spice of commuting: a near clipless moment when the LH pedal meachanism jammed at a stoplight - took pedal off, soaked and oiled it, works fine now, then this AM a minor skid on the fixed when going around an awkward corner - had to stand up to get up a slope, put me off that, and finally was about to ring the bell before going around a blind corner but had to take evasive action to avoid a cyclist coming the other way - should have rung it before!

 

[GrasB]

At 5.6C when I left the house I got a proper chance to test my new thermal/windproof skinsuit & matching gloves this morning. Proper fast I was too, once it was light enough to see I wasn't a moped drivers were jamming the brakes on after I'd passed the end of their bonnet. You know you're supposed to judge speed before pulling out not go "it's a cyclists must be doing 4mph, I'll go" morons....

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Had a riding partner this morning (my 'boss'). He set off like a scalded cat, having warmed up on the way over to mine, and me on cold legs and riding a road bike with gears for the first time in months'n'months.

Big ringing it all the way, I draught-ed him for the first 8km, gave a few, asked for, tips on road positioning, rear observation, life-savers, and hazard awareness, passed him on the 'proper' hill, at his request, and then had to stop twice during the next 10km to let him catch up! He set a PB from mine to the office and all I could say was "Oh, it is still here then, I thought there must be a fire, as I hadn't realised we were actually in the Tour of Britain!" Cue coffee streaming from his nose.