Tales from today's commute....

[PeteXXX]

I thought I was going to get damp on my commute home at 01:00, but the drizzle stopped just as I clocked off

 

[clippetydoodah]

Commuted yesterday to be in with the cycle to work day. No mention
anywhere of any events etc. Decent trip to work, but absolutely soaked to the skin
on the way home. The combination of rain and sweat meant I couldn't see for a
bit, was quite painful. I had taken my sunglasses off, but put them back on to stop
the stinging. What do others do in these circumstances?

 

[Lonestar]

Cycle to Work Day - not a single mention in the run up either locally or nationally from one of the largest Civil Service departments. The only reason I knew about it was that I'm still on the Cyclescheme mailing list despite our lot not using it any more and this is the first time I've not been on rest day or leave.

The picture of the work's bicycle shed from 10am just about sums up the attitude to cycle commuting round here...
From the left:

• Shockwave BSO - ridden in once and abandoned when the weather turned bad later in the day. Been in that spot for around 10 years
• Regularly ridden Cube 29er
• Some form of Apollo hybrid (pre-Halfords?). Never seen before and it apppeared overnight a few months ago with two flat tyres, rusted solid chain and various other loose bits. It couldn't have been ridden in and the shed is on secure key access so someone in the building actually loaded it into a car and dumped it there deliberately - possibly as the local recycling centre/tip is on limited opening hours
• A very nice Giant MTB turrned in to a slick tyred commuter, the owner also had a e-assist fat bike. Unfortunately he had long term health problems and was taken sick while at work and eventually died 3 months ago. Management are waiting for his estate to decide what to do with the bike.
• My Van Nicholas.

So there it is - Cycle to Work Day and a bulding of 50+ people has a bike shed of 3 abandoned bikes and only 2 cycle commuters. Even if the other occasional riders had turned up, it would have added perhaps another 5 or 6 bikes.

Thank yourself for small mercies.Our so called bike compound was a death trap till a few weeks back.We continually warned them that the metal fence which was held on by four loose bolts on the ground were dangerously loose (if it had fallen it would probably have fallen on the flatbed van or a cyclist....It took ages to be fixed but now the gate doesn't lock due to the strengthening bar at the top of the gate.There was forever a motorbike parked on the pavement part so we couldn't walk on the pavement part also blocked by the flatbed van...the motorbike now doesn't seem to park there anymore......It's full of crap and rubbish dust and rats and speeding drivers who do more than the 5mph limit in an area where pedestrians pop up from nowhere.

It's got three or four dumped bikes in there all the time and it must be a third of the size of your bike parking place (if that)....Still it's better than nothing.

Yup forget about cycle to work day.

 

[Dec66]

Anyone any idea what was happening this evening on Camberwell Road, by Edwardes Cycles?

Loads of bizzies, a couple of ambulances, loads of people milling about, and the blue tape cordoning it off (and one of the side streets further down on the same side).

A few minutes later, toward the top of Denmark Hill; yet more flashing lights, yet more bizzies, having a good old.search through a black BMW.

Not seen anything on the local news.

 

[Bazzer]

Commuted yesterday to be in with the cycle to work day. No mention
anywhere of any events etc. Decent trip to work, but absolutely soaked to the skin
on the way home. The combination of rain and sweat meant I couldn't see for a
bit, was quite painful. I had taken my sunglasses off, but put them back on to stop
the stinging. What do others do in these circumstances?

Have you tried something like these? https://www.halfords.com/cycling/cy...clear-lens-sunglasses?request_type=bestseller Very useful when it is lashing down, or warm evenings and mornings when flying insects are around but the sun isn't.
If you find rain pools on the lenses, some glass cleaner such as can be used on car glass should help.
Depending upon how hot you get, you might find they start to steam up when stopped at (say) traffic lights, but again that is easily sorted.

 

[Dec66]

Answering my own question above:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45213136

Blimey.

 

[JhnBssll]

Crikey, doesn't sound good.

I had a rest day today but have clocked up sixty odd miles on the Plug since it's upgrade. I'm loving it more and more; the completely silent drivetrain, the smooth rolling 32mm tires, the hydraulic disc brakes... The difference between the Rival22 stuff and the Claris it replaced is night and day. Oddly the Rival22 bits feel somehow better on the Plug than it did on the Roubaix it came from; maybe I've just got it adjusted better or maybe I'm imagining it but either way it's putting a smile on my face every time I ride it

 

[Arjimlad]

Left home by 0715 for a pleasant 20 mile ride in up to Tortworth then back down the A38. Averaged over 18mph which I was happy with. I think I had a tailwind on the way north but I didn't notice a headwind on the way back south again.

A couple of close-ish passes, at least 2 drivers using mobiles and the sound of car wheels locking up on gravelly roads as a Land Rover plus its trailer braked hard to avoid rear-ending a van turning right into a layby for breakfast. I don't think the Land Rover driver had been paying proper attention. He stopped behind the van with very little space to spare after a nice long skid !

All of the customers at the bacon van in the layby started cheering.

 

[biggs682]

Busy on the cycle paths this morning

 

[Serge]

Busy on the cycle paths this morning

View attachment 425407

It's good to see a nice, safe overtaking maneuver by the slug there.

 

[Johnno260]

nice 20mile commute in, hampered by some fairly nasty knee pain, going home should prove "fun" haha

 

[Maverick Goose]

nice 20mile commute in, hampered by some fairly nasty knee pain, going home should prove "fun" haha

Symps!

 

[Johnno260]

Symps!

It's ok I have 7.5hrs to man up and enjoy the ride home! haha.

I took a detour this morning, as part of the commute is up a decent hill with solid white lines in the centre, it's a pig and dangerous to overtake and last time I took some abuse up that hill, the detour was actually really good, a little longer but more scenic.

 

[T675Rich]

I almost had a Porsche turn into me after they failed to use their indicators or mirrors. Having said that I am wondering if my manoeuvre was not the bast due to my noobishness so I'll explain the situation. As bus pulled over at a stop that has a central crossing area a little bit further down the road but not close enough to stop cars going passed the parked bus but often people don't so a small queue of about four cars had formed with none making an attempt to go round the bus. As I had a bit of momentum and could see the cars weren't going I overtook the row of cars intending to go in front of the buss as there were still a few passengers getting on as I got along side the Porsche that was the second car back from the bus he went to overtake the first car and the bus, I shouted and he did stop. Like I said if he looked in his mirror he would have seen me and he wasn't indicating but was the whole manoeuvre silly? Or is it this question that is silly? Or me?

 

[Serge]

I almost had a Porsche turn into me after they failed to use their indicators or mirrors. Having said that I am wondering if my manoeuvre was not the bast due to my noobishness so I'll explain the situation. As bus pulled over at a stop that has a central crossing area a little bit further down the road but not close enough to stop cars going passed the parked bus but often people don't so a small queue of about four cars had formed with none making an attempt to go round the bus. As I had a bit of momentum and could see the cars weren't going I overtook the row of cars intending to go in front of the buss as there were still a few passengers getting on as I got along side the Porsche that was the second car back from the bus he went to overtake the first car and the bus, I shouted and he did stop. Like I said if he looked in his mirror he would have seen me and he wasn't indicating but was the whole manoeuvre silly? Or is it this question that is silly? Or me?

In my, completely inconsequential opinion, it was probably wise to have waited. There was always the possibility there that an impatient driver could pull out. But yes, the driver should have checked mirrors and indicated their intentions.