Tales from today's commute....

[potsy]

My rear light fell off on the way home yesterday too, luckily I was on a shared path at the time so no pesky cars could run over it.
Always have 2 on the bike when commuting.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Not sure where this post belongs, but it was on my way home last night…
That well known chain H@1####s is not a shop I normally frequent, but there's a very convenient one on my commute for basic consumables, like cleaning stuff, etc.
The check-out is in front of a service area. As I'm paying, there's one of their branded MTBs (C@####@) up on a stand having its tyres pumped up. The guy on the till turns to the one pumping up the tyre, says 'don't go beyond 40psi on C@####@s - the rim is likely to go'.

Nice piece of own product endorsement, not?

Great story, made me smile.

If C@####@ shares its name with a classic Porsche I'd say it says more about the ignorance of the bloke on the till than the quality of the product.

and even I, big unit that I am, don't pump my mtb tyres past 40psi. Not because the rims might go, but because it makes tha handling off road absolutely gawd awful.

 

[Christopher]

I have a colleague who commutes on a Carrea Subway with slicks - she's had no issues, it is a good bike.

Bike path I go on is getting seriously overgrown this year - I had to clear nettles at a gate to avoid getting stung twice a day. Might have to do more. Council does do the path but it has to be done every year.
Looking forward to when the trees drop their leaves and it's crunchcrunchcrunch for miles and before they rot to slime that coats me and the bike every time . Sometimes mist will form in the riverside fields I pass on the way home, it looks ultra-creepy, like the opening secne to a Hammer Horror film...

 

[400bhp]

texting? fiddling with radio?
he can't have been looking...

WVM to the rescue? surely with an independant witness there might actually be something done?

what speed limit is that because he's shifting?

I think the way to play it with the Police would be "a driver actually stopped and flagged me down further up the road to provide details of the bmw and act as a witness", rather than " I have a witness that can corroborate my story"

 

[defy-one]

A swan held up me and the traffic on Uxbridge Road at Southall bridge. 2 drivers got out and chased it off into flight and away

 

[Hip Priest]

...and I thought yesterday was bad. Today, some James Blunt in a 320D BMW swerved at me whilst overtaking, totally unprovoked. I still don't know how I avoided him, thank fcuk for the nimble handling of my recumbent. The van driver behind was so shocked he followed the guy, got his details and noted that he ran a red light further down the road, and gave me his details and that of the 320D driver. What a gent.

I'm pretty shaken though, I was close to shouting at anyone coming even slightly too close to me for the rest of the commute.

Jesus H. Christ mate, that's horrendous - should be banned from the roads.

 

[BSRU]

After reading about BM's problems this morning I was thinking how lucky I have been over the past few months, it seems that my luck ran out today as I encountered four drivers with no respect for my safety, (nowhere near as bad as BM's incidents).

 

[Guygreenwood]

Hi all. Not looking forward to these dark night because when I put all my high visaul clothe's I don't know if it's just me but these four or more wheel's (ie) cars and alike seem to think they can get closer to you or is it just me.

 

[dand_uk]

Had a near miss this morning on way to work. On a section of road into work I pull to the left as the road widens out to let the following car pass. I keep looking behind to see what the next car will do (road begining to narrow again 150m later) then dopey woman on a pushbike pulls out of one of the side roads right in front of me. Did not even look to the right just wobbled round the corner into my path. As there was a car behind I didnt really want to slam on the brakes so think fast, very quick look behind to the car approaching, then move out slightly, passing her closer than I would of liked, the car behind would not overtake at that point!

Apart from that the commute is a joy passing all the queues of angry motorists on very congested roads now the kids are back!

 

[BSRU]

My encounter with a low flying object.


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5VnQN7WIxI

 

[benb]

...and I thought yesterday was bad. Today, some James Blunt in a 320D BMW swerved at me whilst overtaking, totally unprovoked. I still don't know how I avoided him, thank fcuk for the nimble handling of my recumbent. The van driver behind was so shocked he followed the guy, got his details and noted that he ran a red light further down the road, and gave me his details and that of the 320D driver. What a gent.

I'm pretty shaken though, I was close to shouting at anyone coming even slightly too close to me for the rest of the commute.

That video deserves its own thread, so you can keep us updated on the police action.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Beautiful sunny morning this morning, but decidedly Autumnal with a nip in the air, my light weight long sleeved summer jerseys will soon be going away till the spring. A routine commute apart from me playing leapfrog with the buses, I was a little earlier than usual, I don't normally see the bus. Leaving Coventry on Wheelright Lane I had a single decker behind me, not crowding me but sitting a few feet behind me patiently waiting for for his opportunity to overtake, when it came I waved him through and got a thank you wave as he passed me nice and wide, we repeated that manoeuvre several times on the way through to Nuneaton, at the mini roundabout at the top of Donnithorne Avenue where I turn right off the main road the bus was a few feet behind me at the bus stop.

 

[400bhp]

Had a bit of friendly banter with an ice cream van yesterday going home.

He pulled out on me from a side street-he was turning right and I was on his left. Am sure most of you have been there where car ends up alongside you going in the same direction.

I'm not slowing down (20mph) and the road is reasonably busy so he can't go any faster. He is straddling the other side of the road and got one or 2 beeps off the other drivers. He knows I'm there as has his ice cream window open and has turned around a couple of times to look at me.

I shout through the open window "I didn't want a 99 mate", he chuckles. At the lights I filter past and he says "did you want two flakes with that?". Gave him a quick wave and off we went.

He knew he'd fecked up and there was no point dwelling on it. Better to have a positive experience rather than me pontificating.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Crazy mentalist knobber in a volvo decided to try to overtake a Luton, which was travelling at the speed limit, on the B2115 at Plummers Plain. The road is not wide enough to accomodate Luton, Volvo and an oncoming cyclist.

Either he didn't look to see what was coming the other way, or he did look and utterly misjudged the speed of the van, his acceleration, and the on coming cyclist in primary, or he did look did see me and just thought "eff it it is only a bike I'm coming through".

Stood bike on its nose, and aimed for the gutter/verge, he bailed from his overtake with blue smoke from his tyres. Man in Luton looked like he was gonna pop. We all exchanged pleasantries and we went our separate ways.

 

[fossyant]

At least two flakes and some rasberry sauce. Dont for get the 'bits' !