Tales from today's commute....

[MisterStan]

No problems down sarf east of Lahndahn.... no wind, tiny bit of rain but nothing to bawl about. Traffic behaved itself too. Nice and quick ride in. Saw a good few other cycling commuters today. More then for a while.

It has been a tough couple of days here in the Fens with our 'special hills'! I have noticed a lot more cyclists than this time last year, possibly it's the usual 'New Year Resolution lot' hopefully they'll stick with it.

 

[Gains84]

Pretty heavy traffic today with school runs back on and leaving a bit later. Had a Range Rover decide to squeeze through a pinch point even though i was in primary which wasnt great but could have been worse, apart from him good drivers generally. Cut my ride in a bit after last nights torture and a random sore knee thrown in for fun!grrr

 

[Panter]

The ice was very patchy this morning, heavy in places and totally clear in others. Reasonable journey in although I definitely need some better heaters!

 

[HarryTheDog]

Great ride in, Rainham was stuffed, I happily rode past hundreds of cars, turned out to be an accident on the A13, lorry and a smart car, crap morning for some people then. Looked to be little damage but 3 ambulances in attendance, mystified me why they needed so many as how many people can you fit in a Smart car? Coming out of Barking a youngish guy on a white Giant ( maybe a TCR, aero seatpost) overtook me going up a hill. We traded places a few times over the next 4 miles overtaking around 4 other cyclists before Canning town. At the pedestrian crossing just before Canning town complex I got the drop on him by jumping onto the road joining the car traffic and crossing into the complex that way. He got stuck at the pedestrian crossing as traffic went past. Never saw him again.

 

[Exile]

Yesterday in a nutshell: get up, get bike, see flat tyre, swear some, get other bike out, set off, feel weird as too many gears and too upright, dry, dry, dry, 30 second monsoon, drowned, work, work, work, head home, numpty in a 4x4, traffic, numpty on a folding bike, home, food, swap Marathon Pluses from hybrid to CX, Black Books, bed.

Today (so far) in a nutshell: get up, get bike, fight a bit of a headwind, work.

So far, so good...

 

[donnydave]

Got to the end of the guided busway and turned left towards Milton on my way to work. I was all nose to tail but there was a gap as some people were stuck behind a cyclist (bl00dy cyclists!) so I thought (in the voice of Oddjob from Goldfinger when he finds the golf ball) "AHA!" and went for it. Now, I turn right immediately after this so got straight over far right meaning that almost all of the lane to my left is empty. Next thing there's a squeal of brakes. I thought "Oh noes! that cyclist must have been going quicker that I thought, and he must be turning right same as me so I've cut him up, what a terrible person I am" He then got along side (on my left in the massive space available) and said something grumbly followed by "thanks mate". My politeness autopilot kicked in and I simply replied "You're welcome" which didn't seem to go down too well.

The guy ended up going left into the science park so he could have just gone down the massive gap on my left but it seems he wasn't happy and wanted to make a point. Or alternatively it was closer than I thought and I was at fault

Either way, he's a nobber.

 

[DCLane]

Rode to work in decent weather and I got around to fixing both my broken wheels at the university's workshop. I needed to borrow their vice to get the freewheels off (old 6-speed wheels) and used some spare spokes they had as well.

So ... how to get them home? Drive in tomorrow? Train it and walk with both?

No chance. Ride home carrying a wheel in the wind and rain: http://www.strava.com/activities/238018147

 

[400bhp]

Well, that was interesting.

My chain fell off.

No, properly fell off....... I think the quick link worked loose. Managed to salvage the chain off the floor, but it was dark and raining so I will have a proper look later. Luckily I was 500 yards from home. I have a spare 9sp link I can use, so on the positive side, it's an excuse to clean the chain and cassette.

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

Well dry in Cambridge so on the Busway. Wife's weather report email delayed, so no idea it was wet in St Ives.
Got to last 2 sections of Busway and it was wet, so used the tried and tested @martinclive method of grit removal when I got in, and hosed the bike down with clean water
Nice to get home early and no cars but the grit from just 6 or so miles is just crazy

Anyway as I cycle home the gears get worse, jumping and feeling like something is going to snap. Get home and the link I had to re assemble on Saturday after changing the chain was almost loose and I am surprised it had not come off.
So anyway I try and get it off with the link tool, and one thing led to another, could not get it off, kept slipping and then it nudged back into place. Then I lost where it was and now cannot make out where it is! So will have to take it gingerly tomorrow and see what happens! SRAM split link ready just in case!!

 

[kevin_cambs_uk]

I also thought that us lot who keeping going through these winter months should be on the New Years honours list! Cause it aint easy, day in and day out.
So well done everyone!

 

[Ganymede]

My commute isn't very long (3.5 miles each way) but today it was 4 miles longer because my old mum rang me to say that my old dad had taken his electric razor apart and could I stop by and put it back together as he was going a bit bonkers (he has dementia and finds, as a former engineer, problems with equipment especially difficult to relinquish). Beautiful day for a bike ride so I didn't mind at all!

Home the usual way - more potholes have appeared I think, hard to tell in the dark but my little lane home was in a horrible state.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Ice bike today, very hard work this morning, and then tonight someone turned a horrible wind on, bloody knackered, back on the Tricross tomorrow.

 

[cyberknight]

Ice bike today, very hard work this morning, and then tonight someone turned a horrible wind on, bloody knackered, back on the Tricross tomorrow.

Indeed, i was into that headwind near enough all the way home gettign blown all over the place and only managed 12 mph average , legs like jelly .

 

[fossyant]

Head wind on the way in and on the way home. Damp both ways but the Fallowfield loop is filthy at the moment. Chain sounded like grinding on getting home. GT85, wipe down, hose off and new lube put on. Quiet.

 

[ianrauk]

Well the head wind gave me a good battering tonight. In some parts I was spinning away but not seeming to be going anywhere. The old thighs are feeling the burn this evening.