Cal
Active Member
- Location
- North Manchester
[Originally blogged on CC: 11 November 2011]
Cycling home from work last night, it's about quarter to nine, dark (November in Britain, of course it's dark, Carol) not raining, but the roads are wet. I discover that my lights (all three of them) aren't bright enough. Certain parts of the route are unlit (though there are lampposts!) and the treetops meet overhead, I'm terrified of this bit yet I like being scared. Nevertheless I trundle up the hill, some of it actually riding the bike. Feeling really miserable by the time I reach the top, which is lit somewhat by the moon. Prepare to coast down the other side. Because it's dark, I'm taking it easy, hitting the brakes.
Approach some houses, now we've got streetlights, a pub. Hit pothole, actually I managed to miss the first two, hit the worst, everything went flying out of the basket, quite how I managed not to fall off I don't know. Plastic bottle of milk split, that got left at the side of the road. One of the plastic daleks off the front of my son's dr who mag broken, my pride, battered.
One rather shaken disillusioned Mum went to pick the kids up. Eldest wants to try out my bike, send him off home instructing him to stay on the pavement and switch the lights on, he got to the end of his dad's street before the chain jammed. That was one very mournful walk home. Replete with tears.
.
All of which made me want to check out autotrader to buy a car.
So...today, forced myself to take it out for a couple of miles and thoroughly enjoyed it. Fitted the bike lamp I'd bought a day or two back and ordered yet another. Also checked out yet another route to work avoiding the worst of the hills and (as far as I can tell) little of the route unlit, which adds less than a mile to the journey.
Cycling home from work last night, it's about quarter to nine, dark (November in Britain, of course it's dark, Carol) not raining, but the roads are wet. I discover that my lights (all three of them) aren't bright enough. Certain parts of the route are unlit (though there are lampposts!) and the treetops meet overhead, I'm terrified of this bit yet I like being scared. Nevertheless I trundle up the hill, some of it actually riding the bike. Feeling really miserable by the time I reach the top, which is lit somewhat by the moon. Prepare to coast down the other side. Because it's dark, I'm taking it easy, hitting the brakes.
Approach some houses, now we've got streetlights, a pub. Hit pothole, actually I managed to miss the first two, hit the worst, everything went flying out of the basket, quite how I managed not to fall off I don't know. Plastic bottle of milk split, that got left at the side of the road. One of the plastic daleks off the front of my son's dr who mag broken, my pride, battered.
One rather shaken disillusioned Mum went to pick the kids up. Eldest wants to try out my bike, send him off home instructing him to stay on the pavement and switch the lights on, he got to the end of his dad's street before the chain jammed. That was one very mournful walk home. Replete with tears.
.All of which made me want to check out autotrader to buy a car.
So...today, forced myself to take it out for a couple of miles and thoroughly enjoyed it. Fitted the bike lamp I'd bought a day or two back and ordered yet another. Also checked out yet another route to work avoiding the worst of the hills and (as far as I can tell) little of the route unlit, which adds less than a mile to the journey.
