Tales from today's commute....

[potsy]

Nah we annexed Offerton and Brinnington to Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council a while back hoping the Russians might invade claiming to be the ethnic Russian population of Stockport . Unfortunately they haven't bothered yet.

Brinny was always too cool to be part of Cheshire, we I mean they are much better off as part of Stockport

 

[fimm]

Was passed by a chap on a hybrid going up a hill. Not unusual for me to be passed... I took another look at the bike, though, and as he wasn't really pulling away I caught him up & asked: "Is that an electric bike?"
"Yes," he said, "but the battery doesn't work... it needs to go back to be looked at".
Don't ask me why he had an electric bike, he was proper speedy without any help!

 

[BSRU]

Gear changing problems on the way home for lunch, instead of being on the 4th smallest cog it was on the smallest and I could get the rear derailleur past the 7th biggest cog.
Fortunately while investigating at home as to what the problem was I heard a loud twang, problem found, gear cable must have been frayed in the brifter and finally just snapped.

 

[fossyant]

Day two of new commute route. Might try the dirty short cut that @I like Skol tried out recently. Nearly got bumped into by a stupid cyclist on the Fallowfield Loop. I was coming up to one of the gates near Sainsburys and slowed to let a cyclist through. Well mad hair guy wasn't looking at all, went through gate didnt look and locked up just before he reached me. Didn't see the double LED lit on low..

 

[Fubar]

On the way home yesterday a car had broken down. No one was stopping to assist, so I helped the driver push it off the road.
Good deed for the day done.

did 2 good deeds yesterday - on the commute in going over the Forth Road Bridge I fixed back into place a steel mesh fence that had been blown over into the cycle path, on the (extended) commute home I stopping to pick up a plastic hoop the local scout troup kids had thrown (accidentally) into the road. I'm surely in line for some Local Hero Award...

 

[GrasB]

Heard a guy in van yelling a a cyclist, doing a fair pace (18-20mph in a 30 limit) about holding him up, he was close to the cyclist but still well in lane. When both lanes of the opposing carriageway was totally clear I zipped past them. Only to hear mr van driver gun it to catch me up, I was doing 30mph on my speedo which is 0.1-0.5mph fast. Straight through a speed camera with a pair of flashes for good measure. He then put his main beams on and tailgated me. End up getting some distance from him just before another speed camera, which he dutifully sped through again with accompanying flashes. He then maintained it tailgating with main beams on for 2 1/2 circuits of a nice little rural loop I sometimes do on a bike before deciding to turn right not left. I really hope he does end up with +6 points on his licence because he was a right c**k.

 

[ushills]

Looks like my commute will be coming to a close when the clocks change, last week the clip on my Klickfix front bracket for my front rack broke and prevented me commuting in while waiting for a replacement, fitted it last night and this morning it was getting dark, I have lights fitted but don't think I will be commuting along the canal beyond mid-October as the alternative is a busy dual carriageway and it will be pitch black on the way home..

Roll on Spring, looks like I will be back to training in the evening on the country lanes at home,

 

[Ganymede]

Looks like my commute will be coming to a close when the clocks change, last week the clip on my Klickfix front bracket for my front rack broke and prevented me commuting in while waiting for a replacement, fitted it last night and this morning it was getting dark, I have lights fitted but don't think I will be commuting along the canal beyond mid-October as the alternative is a busy dual carriageway and it will be pitch black on the way home..

Roll on Spring, looks like I will be back to training in the evening on the country lanes at home,

I commute part of the way home in the pitch black, though admittedly not next to a canal. It's on unlit narrow country lanes that I know well. Are you worried you might end up in the drink?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Looks like my commute will be coming to a close when the clocks change, last week the clip on my Klickfix front bracket for my front rack broke and prevented me commuting in while waiting for a replacement, fitted it last night and this morning it was getting dark, I have lights fitted but don't think I will be commuting along the canal beyond mid-October as the alternative is a busy dual carriageway and it will be pitch black on the way home..

Roll on Spring, looks like I will be back to training in the evening on the country lanes at home,

I've done the commute in the pitch black down the tow path, secret is a good cree front light and either a light on your helmet or a head torch if helmetless.

I only ever fell off once as I didn't follow my own advice above

 

[ushills]

I commute part of the way home in the pitch black, though admittedly not next to a canal. It's on unlit narrow country lanes that I know well. Are you worried you might end up in the drink?

Quite used to country lanes in the dark on the road bike, however the tow path is narrow in a city then very rural on a folde and I'm not too keen on a cold swim.

A quiet route in on roads would be good but its just dual carriageway.

I have decent lights but I would have to go to slow to make it worthwhile

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

A strange day today

As I joined the Busway I am sure I saws @MisterStan in front by about 300 yards. Tried to catch up as he looked like he was putting his headphones in and for a brief moment I thought I could ctahc him.
He then sorted himself out and put his foot down and was gone. The thought of a cardiovascular near death experience in trying to catch him was not going to happen for a Friday.

Then near the Histon end of the Busway someone had tried to drive down the Busway in an Audi A3, realised they were going the wrong way and to me looked like they tried a U turn. Big fail! Most of the front of the car was then removed. So all the buses were diverted.

Then at Histon roundabout over the A14, the police had closed it off as it looked like 2 people had tried to jump off the bridge onto the carriageway for some reason. So everyone who had come off at Histon in the car was diverted back on! I did chuckle as I cycled past the Bobbies in Blue!

And then it struck me, finally after 35,000 miles the reason why I cycle, is that my journey to work is in my hands. I am not at the mercy of people who cause or have accidents that close the roads. People who do things that cause motorist's to be delayed. When you go by bike you rely on you and only you to sort it out, your not waiting for some bus driver to hopefully turn up or for the railway people not to be on strike, its all in your hands. I think that's why I ride to work. Its so reliable, you only have yourself to blame, and lets face we can fix almost everything by the side of the road to get us to where we need to be.

So a great day and a great reason for me to keep going on the bike, it may be dull some days and tiring but it gets me where I need to be more reliably than any other form of transport. Its good for me, its cheap, pollution is low and is great for the environment.
Well done to all of us who do it every day.

I will get off my box now!

 

[I like Skol]

Friday night is numpty night!
A couple of interesting/amusing incidents on the way home tonight. But first, in addition to Kevin_cambs rambling above I would just like to say how perfect the weather is at the moment. Really makes commuting a joy, a nice autumn is just the best.

The single most entertaining point of tonights commute was some pleb (thank you @potsy for that word) who thought he would left hook me at the Bredbury roundabouts. When the traffic is queuing for the roundabout I am used to people whizzing up the R/H lane then taking the first exit left, which is why I always take a strong primary in the R/H lane when going on to that roundabout. Tonight the roundabout and approach were empty so I took a strong primary in the lefthand lane. Lo and behold, Mr Prize Numpty still came up the R/H lane and tried to take the 1st exit (there are no direction arrows in these lanes so logically left lane would be left or straight and right lane would be straight on or back round to enter the Ind Est.).
Bear in mind I am doing around 20mph at this point, I could almost hear the indecision rattling around in his empty head when he realised I was not going to concede and was aiming for his passenger door to do some damage! Brake, no accelerate, God NO brake, accelerate, sh1t he isn't moving BRAKE!
Muppet, I continued on my planned path and he duly crossed humbly behind me. FFS, the roundabout was DESERTED, what did he/she think they were going to achieve?

Friday night is also take-away night and the Denton curry strip is always a tease when I ride through at weekend after the dayshift

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Took advantage of the weather and the fact I needed to go to another site this afternoon and knocked off another 100 miles in a day of commuting. Going to have a lie in tomorrow

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

Well done to all of us who do it every day.

Yes, just this.

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

Going to have a lie in tomorrow

Wuss....