Autumn Dangers

[mjr]

If you live in a university town, autumn also brings students. These parasites are best given a wide birth until at least November

I know you mean a wide berth but still... fnaar...

when they've spent all their money on cheap beer and spend the rest of the year indoors, trying and failing to cook an inexpensive dahl.

They have money again now? The joke used to be "what's green and takes two weeks to drink? A grant cheque" but grants have long since gone.

 

[Rooster1]

Did it make it or was it's fate sealed by a rather squishy end?

Amazingly it made it! Narf gave me a fright, I was doing 27 mph at the time

 

[hoppym27]

I will add daft teenagers too....i rang my bell on the cycleway this morning when approaching one..he moved aside then stepped right in front of me at the last minute...he looked before doing it too!....had to lock the whole bike up on wet leaves and narrowly missed him!

 

[Jenkins]

Other cyclists with no lights

Other cyclists/road users with poorly adjusted (dazzling) lights.

 

[cosmicbike]

Black lines. Worse than the white ones as not so easy to spot but equally slippery.
Squirrels as already mentioned.
Road spray from the bigger vehicles coating your glasses.

None of the above are enough to put me off commuting through the winter

 

[Dan B]

Low sun and leaf mulch are my two least favourites, plus the week after the clocks go back, drivers who've forgotten how to drive in the dark and think that they can compensate by going faster

 

[Andy_R]

Hedgehogs. By god, they keep the Puncture Fairy busy. And don't ask me about Badgers....

 

[furball]

Hedge clippings. Especially those from hedges that have been cut with a tractor attachment.

 

[Tin Pot]

I normally highlight some seasonal dangers that new riders may not have considered before, so if you are a newbie commuter and this is your first autumn, read on:
1. Wet leaves are slippery
2. Wet leaves over white road paint or smooth metal are very slippery. Don't lean over hard on wet leaves.
3. Low sun. This time of year (maybe a few weeks to go), when we see the sun it can be very low, on an East-West axis at normal commuting times. If you are riding into the sun, drivers behind may not see you so well. If the sun is behind you, drivers in front, eg waiting at junctions, may not see you. No light or hi viz gear can compete with thermonuclear fusion. Consider a detour, a change in commuting time or just be extra vigilant.
4. Debris from trees. Branches can get tangled in wheels and chain so don't ride over them.

4b branches lying lengthways on the road, can totally screw you up.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Low sun during a commute.

 

[KnackeredBike]

My best advice, if you are going in a straight line and suddenly notice leaves/ice/decapitated squirrel blood in your path keep going, do not brake or steer hard. Plan any deceleration or tight steering in advance so you have time built in to ease off if the tyres start squirming.

I cycle on muddy trails and paths often with a heavy trailer on the back on 23mm Gatorskins and haven't had a self-inflicted off all last winter.

 

[Tin Pot]

I'm riding quiet country lanes now, which is great, but doesn't have the self-cleaning features of busy A roads.

I'm noticing a lot of wet leaves and a generally slick look under the canopies - is there a significantly grippier tyre I could consider? My frame will take 28mm, I'm using 25mm gatorskins.

 

[Fonze]

Conkers ..
Plenty leaves and small slippery mud patches ..
Noticed fair few tractors on the country roads this past week , good bit of mud and muck left on the roads I use ..

 

[cyberknight]

crank arms falling off.

 

[MichaelW2]

crank arms falling off.

In a old CTC survey of where crankarms break, the answer was France.