I concur, though it is easier said than done. Coincidentally, I was listening to Machine Head last night
View: https://youtu.be/CfkpvsvmVsM?si=8DB7ucIBt7hX31nT
Tales from today's commute....
- Thread starter martint235
- Start date
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I concur, though it is easier said than done. Coincidentally, I was listening to Machine Head last night
View: https://youtu.be/CfkpvsvmVsM?si=8DB7ucIBt7hX31nT
biking_fox
Legendary Member
- Location
- Manchester
A whole week of still air, dull grey skys and easy riding. Next week looking a bit damper :-(
That about sum's it up for me too.
We are in drought here, no rain for about two months now, I'm turning the sprinklers on every 6 days to save the plants. It's supposed to be 88F later this afternoon. I was planning to ride but I'm fed up with the humidity - it really is dragging riding in high temperatures and high humidity.
Please send some rain over.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Thursday morning to noon here bizarrely got
Back to normal today though
But rather than spreading a heavy cold I picked up on my last train commute home, I am WfH today.
Arjimlad
Tights of Cydonia
- Location
- South Glos
I'm sorry to hear this. We must end this postcode lottery.
Tom B
Guru
- Location
- Lancashire
It wasnt todays commute, but one from Monday this week.
I'd just finished the climb out of suburbia in to the rural bit of my commute, got the pace up to about 18mph when I heard a rustle in the hedgerow, saw something moving in my peripheral left, got hard on the brakes as what turned out to be a deer jumped the hedge, just in front of me. Caught it a glancing blow on the rear leg which just nerfed the front wheel. Luckily it was going at a good pace and was gone over the road before I piled into it so I was able to just carry on. New underpants needed.
I'd just finished the climb out of suburbia in to the rural bit of my commute, got the pace up to about 18mph when I heard a rustle in the hedgerow, saw something moving in my peripheral left, got hard on the brakes as what turned out to be a deer jumped the hedge, just in front of me. Caught it a glancing blow on the rear leg which just nerfed the front wheel. Luckily it was going at a good pace and was gone over the road before I piled into it so I was able to just carry on. New underpants needed.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
My extra close deer encounters were just after the last lockdown (I think they had got tamer); they weren't commutes though.
I was cycling along a fairly busy in village terms main road that connects a couple of villages. When a deer jumped over my face, when I was going at speed and missed me by inches. Phew, I thought. But I never realised they were the leader of a herd and a bigger one followed and barrelled straight into my mate who was draughting me. My mate was out for a bit with a broken collar bone.
A week later I was going along a narrow rut that passes for a gravel track here at speed again, when a huge black stag came running straight at me. Fortunately the rut was deep enough he managed to jump directly over my bike. But I was in his territory!
Deer are a problem up here on our mainly very quiet roads.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Car day for me as I'm off to the consultant after work and don't fancy leaving the bike lying around whilst I'm in there plus I think it might be taken the wrong way when I tell them too much cycling makes the knee hurt whilst dressed in Lycra
biking_fox
Legendary Member
- Location
- Manchester
Wet under wheel but not raining. Light traffic still little wind. Over dressed as I was expecting more rain.
roubaixtuesday
self serving virtue signaller
Snap!
Arjimlad
Tights of Cydonia
- Location
- South Glos
I noticed a wobble/buckle in my back wheel on Friday but I couldn't get onto checking it until yesterday afternoon. Turns out I have a busted spoke.
I got my spare Superstar Element wheelset down from the rafters (it was wearing Schwalbe studded tyres), but I have upgraded the groupset on the commuter from 9sp Sora to 11spd 105 since I last used it.
The 9spd cassette came off the spare wheel alright. It's lazy to pop the cassette off the OEM wheel without cleaning it, so I had to do that with some baby wipes.
The spare wheelset was installed without any need to adjust the disc brake calipers or the deraillleur. A test ride felt lively and fast. I had forgotten how different these wheels felt.
OEM wheels will be with my LBS for truing & spoke replacement shortly and will then wear the studded tyres for icy days.
Despite rain becoming heavier for the last half of the ride, and heavy traffic, I managed the 10.06 miles in under 40 mins for the first time in a little while, so that was rather pleasing.
I got my spare Superstar Element wheelset down from the rafters (it was wearing Schwalbe studded tyres), but I have upgraded the groupset on the commuter from 9sp Sora to 11spd 105 since I last used it.
The 9spd cassette came off the spare wheel alright. It's lazy to pop the cassette off the OEM wheel without cleaning it, so I had to do that with some baby wipes.
The spare wheelset was installed without any need to adjust the disc brake calipers or the deraillleur. A test ride felt lively and fast. I had forgotten how different these wheels felt.
OEM wheels will be with my LBS for truing & spoke replacement shortly and will then wear the studded tyres for icy days.
Despite rain becoming heavier for the last half of the ride, and heavy traffic, I managed the 10.06 miles in under 40 mins for the first time in a little while, so that was rather pleasing.
if it was only the one Id be a lot happier with itits just the sheer constancy of it that bugs me most.
I suspect in London now, cyclists, whilst you may still get poor interactions still, are alot more accepted as part of everyday traffic on the roads. Whereas out here in the sticks, it feels like we're still fighting to be recognised as legitimate or valid road users, most of my poor interactions arent necessarily of drivers not seeing me, pulling out on me or stuff like that, its their already in perma road rage mode before they encounter me, and then the way they pass me is almost like punishment passes most of the time for daring to be in the way for a few seconds.
had one tonight and this one is quite a common occurence, Im approaching a roundabout in a cycle lane, which of course disappears and merges into traffic just as you get to the roundabout
theres a car ahead of me slowing,with traffic on the roundabout, which Im aiming to merge behind and then sit in prime through the roundabout as Im going straight on, obviously we're all going to have to stop, and yet I look to my right as Im merging and Ive got a car trying to overtake me, their front wing is getting quite close and personal with my panniers, clearly so they can sit behind that car in front instead and is obviously trying to squeeze me back on to the kerb out of their why
Why for what gain ? theyve got to stop, they clearly can see me, lit up like a christmas tree, I havent just appeared, and I cant suddenly vanish, and all they had to do was ease off the accelerator read the road ahead and we're all good right, why the need not to give me the space there.
I hold my ground refuse to back off and make it into the gap behind the car who was infront to begin with who had now stopped, and we get through the roundabout as the traffic clears after 10secs
but Im already expecting the next bit to come, that driver who I dared refuse to concede road space too is annoyed by the little woman cyclist arent they, so we all know Im getting a close pass back as payback for that, and lo and behold as the cycle lane comes back on the road again and we get into a left curve, they come steaming past with a fairly close pass, but then chop across in front of me, just so I get the message.
and I get treated like that by drivers nearly every day.
Sorry to hear this, it's very sad. I get the occasional racist abuse from drivers on top of general anti-cyclist abuse.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I imagine it must be a lot worse if you're a female cyclist, getting bullied because of misogyny and sexism.
