Tales from today's commute....

[si_c]

Yep, I had 8° this morning. Still in mitts.
Got halfway to work, it had warmed up a bit and I was a bit too hot in a windcheater, so ditched that and continued in s/s shirt.
Strange seeing other cycle commuters in full arctic winter gear

Aye, it was a bit cold at the start, but once I got going it eased off a bit. Seen quite a few people in massive custard jackets the last couple of days - one was wearing a buff and a balaclava under his plastic hat .

 

[subaqua]

Yep, I had 8° this morning. Still in mitts.
Got halfway to work, it had warmed up a bit and I was a bit too hot in a windcheater, so ditched that and continued in s/s shirt.
Strange seeing other cycle commuters in full arctic winter gear

Not sure what the temp was but I rode in short sleeve top and normal trousers. Only a tad damp in the mizzle but yes lots of full arctic riders

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Punctured this morning on the way to work. Was really struggling along the Great Central Way when I noticed the back tyre was a tad flat. Rode 5 miles on it to work as I couldn't be arsed to stop and it wasn't completely flat.

Had two tubes in my bag. First tube had a slit in it, so fitted the second one. Now no tubes for gonig home.

The tyre (marathon plus) was knackered, loads of cuts in it, one right through and I dug a good dozen stones and bits of glass out of it, pretty sure I have a new tyre at home so just hoped it would last the ride home.

Pop out at dinner time to get some more tubes and go for a spin. Told people in the office I'd be an hour or so

Pick up the tubes from Halfords, five or six miles into the ride, flat tyre. Sit in the sun and change it and carry on with the ride. 12 miles in a BT van parked up beeps his horn at me, look over and it is @13 rider. Turn round and have a chat and then in my way back to work.

Another puncture, at this point, I 'm a mile tops from work and about 1.5 miles from Halfords. Limp to Halfords get three more tubes and a new tyre. Sat in the park and changed it over, got back to work just over 2 hours after I'd "popped out"

 

[Supersuperleeds]

No punctures tonight

Chain is skipping though time to give it a clean and pass it to the LBS for some TLC

 

[Bazzer]

Lucky tonight; almost kopped for a dooring.
Filtering along standing traffic which hadn't formed an orderly queue and spotted several cars further along, a car being driven partly on to and then stopping on the pavement. I approached cautiously and spidey sense went into overdrive at the back of his car. Sure enough door flung open. Easily stopped and the door then suddenly closed. The look on his face said it all as I passed.

 

[simon the viking]

Nightmare commute... Someone at work thought it was funny to hide my cycling shoes.... When i find out who it was.. I'll lexplain that I will hide something worth 130 quid of theirs and see if they think its funny... Might put a mouse trap under them... .

Or I could just cram them in my locker.... Made me 10 minutes leaving...

Then got a puncture on way home... Walked last mile then found out Mrs V got one today as well.

 

[si_c]

On the train today as need to wear a suit to work. Got to the station and the timetabled train isn't even on the board. Not cancelled, not late, just missing.

No explanation on the train operators media accounts either. This is why I commute by bike.

 

[ianrauk]

On the train today as need to wear a suit to work. Got to the station and the timetabled train isn't even on the board. Not cancelled, not late, just missing.

No explanation on the train operators media accounts either. This is why I commute by bike.

I remember those days well

Anyway.
Strange old commute this morning. 9° when I left home this morning but felt colder. I didn't really get that warm on the ride in either. It was also one of those 'just can't be arsed' rides where the brain was willing but the body not. I simply had no oomph this morning. Just one of those days.

Saw a strange thing too. A black BMW driven by a woman with 3 kids in. I noticed the car had no rear number plate. Ok I thought, it may have fallen off or something. Over took her, looked round, she had no front number plate either. She could see i was looking and gave me one of those 'WHAT!' type faces. So knew what I was looking at.

 

[straas]

On the train today as need to wear a suit to work. Got to the station and the timetabled train isn't even on the board. Not cancelled, not late, just missing.

No explanation on the train operators media accounts either. This is why I commute by bike.

I can fit a suit in my pannier!

 

[nickAKA]

That looked very unpleasant and I would report the driver. You have other examples in the same clip of drivers safely passing you and there would seem to be no excuse as the car behind the close passer had given them and you, room.

On a dual carriageway FFS. The stupidity & ignorance of some people is truly astonishing.

 

[Arjimlad]

Yesterday on the ride home, I had one of those pushy drivers waiting behind the white lines on a side road who, when he saw me approaching, lurched forward over the white line to try to force me to stop and let him out. I didn't stop, so he ended up 2 feet into the road as I went around the front of his van. He had only just drawn up to the junction so hadn't been waiting to turn out for very long at all.

I wouldn't have bothered reporting it but it emerged that his van was due an MOT in February, so the police are "reporting him for summons" for driving without an MOT or something like that.

If he'd not been such a pushy knob he'd have got away with the lack of an MOT for a bit longer.

 

[13 rider]

Curse be on @Supersuperleeds and his plague of punctures .Only talked to him yesterday and guess who got the puncture this morning are they contagious . 3 miles from work could hear a tick ,tick ever wheel turn . There's something in the wheel I think . Made to work just about to an extra loop when the rear wheel feels iffy . Stopped and yes nearly flat easily found the drawing pin . So cut the loop short and changed the tube at work on the light and warm .

 

[Arjimlad]

Bit cold this morning, but I soon warmed up despite just wearing a SS jersey with arm warmers. Two bad close passes, one I yelled at her through the window at the next set of lights after she passed with about 6 inches to spare. The second driver passed me within 3 inches of my handlebars following having been stopped at a set of lights - I was doing just under 30mph at the time.

I'm normally not one to bother making reports, but this was truly egregious.

Any update on this shockingly bad & unnecessary pass ?

 

[si_c]

Any update on this shockingly bad & unnecessary pass ?

Unfortunately yes, apparently they need the bike in the shot so they can determine the perspective But also they said I didn't attach a statement... Despite there being a mandatory statement box to fill out.

Also they said they couldn't use the footage as I moved off the line at the junction before it turned green so technically I'd committed an offence too.

Bit disappointing really.

 

[nickAKA]

Unfortunately yes, apparently they need the bike in the shot so they can determine the perspective But also they said I didn't attach a statement... Despite there being a mandatory statement box to fill out.

Also they said they couldn't use the footage as I moved off the line at the junction before it turned green so technically I'd committed an offence too.

The short version - "we can't be ar*sed, suck it up, loser"

EDIT - if you're on twitter, @roadcc have a 'near miss of the day' feature. Send them the link to the video & details of what the police said, hopefully they'll use it & shame them into doing something in future.