Tales from today's commute....

[John_S]

Hi gaijintendo,

That's sounds like an annoying thing to happen and did you manage to get the bungee cord unwrapped from your cassette ok with no damage done and carry on your way?


My commute was fairly uneventful. The annoying thing about it was the fact that it was into a pretty strong headwind for most of the way. The only frustrating thing about this is that instead of benefitting from a tailwind on the way home from work I'm just going to encounter the same headwind again because I'm carrying on in the same direction after work as I keep heading north to meet up with family who will already be camping. Still it'll be the weekend and I'll be away camping and so not too much to complain about really.

Hope that everyone has a good weekend!

John

 

[gaijintendo]

Hi gaijintendo,

That's sounds like an annoying thing to happen and did you manage to get the bungee cord unwrapped from your cassette ok with no damage done and carry on your way?

Thankfully I thought a spoke was gone as it danced about the wheel, so I only had it go round once and a half times.

I tried to pedal after, but it had locked up.

Only issue was a bent bungee hook and thrchsi was bumped off the smallest cog...

Have fun this weekend. Sounds a good plan.

 

[Arjimlad]

A bungee cord got wrapped around my cassette on the way in, and out and back in again, this morning.

I thought you were referring to the feeling you get when your legs are tired or there's a nasty headwind !

 

[Arjimlad]

Oncoming van? No bother, just squeeze past the cyclist to make room for it.

Don't even think about slowing down until the road ahead is clear enough to leave 1.5m passing space.

Reported. View attachment 414896

This driver is getting a Notice of Intended Prosecution.

 

[Sixmile]

Today was our first cycle commute to school. We drove to a park (we're out of our house at the moment so can't ride from home), parked the car, bikes off the roof and rode through the park to the primary school. We were there much faster than anticipated to which my eldest girl questioned if we were really late as there was hardly anyone in the playground. After the bell rang, it was a quick trip up the road to the nursery school to drop off my youngest. I've left her seat in the nursery for my wife to pick up later and she'll have to manage to get the bike in the car too but it'll be grand! Then for me, it was 13 miles up into Belfast in glorious sunshine!

 

[Randombiker9]

Sorry haven't been on while as my macbook broke and lost my mobile. But now my macbooks repaired i'm back on as for recent days. The worst day was Friday although good and bad. Seemed opposite day that day as the drivers were respectful of the horses. (when there not ussually) But for some reason too many pass closes that day and in a junction this car. (There wasn't enough room and most drivers wait behind (as i was stopped to wait for other lane to clear so i could turn across) but this driver decided to go fast litreally my leg touched his black car but luckily he didn't cause an accident as i was stopped (he mumbled something afterwards which i didn't hear) and after that a silver van decided to overtake too closely. :/

Today was fine apart from in a cycle path ducks went into path so i had to swerve around them and a pedestrian walked straight into my path. I managed to swerve around just in time to avoid hitting them. When peds don't hear your bell or are too distracted

 

[Slick]

Most of my commutes are pretty standard, the usual close passes but little of interest, but today seemed a bit surreal with first the local wildlife being a bit more frisky than usual then the 2 legged kind of wildlife being more stupid than anyone has previously given them credit for.

My first encounter was with a grey squirrel. Not everyone's favourite but I would hate to hurt any animal nowadays which is strange considering my hunting youth. This thing run out from the base of a tree just as I got to it and I'm sure I ran over it's tail. I'm also sure I made a very strange high pitched yelp that I never knew I was capable of making. It scampered back up the tree whence it came seemingly none the worse for ware.

No more than a mile further on 2 huge beasts that turned out to be a pair of hares bolted from their hide just in front of me and galloped across the road and ran up a farm road. I've seen many a hare run but always in a field and I never noticed the noise their feet make as they search for grip on tar, they sounded more like a hooved animal then they started boxing when they got to the top of the hill. Again, I've seen the mad march hare plenty but never this late, the sun must be affecting everyone this morning.

The worst was yet to cone though, when I held my line going through Hawkhead road in Paisley which has numerous potholes and speed bumps. I was aware of a car revving and trying to get by me and he eventually drew alongside me as we reached a speed bump and I could see him lose control of the steering wheel he hit it that hard. He finally squeezed past me only to come a cropper round the next corner that he totally misjudged and ran his car up one of these built up traffic islands that's about 18 inches deep, maybe a bit more. His excuse was that he couldn't see with the low sun that wasn't that low even at 6.30 this morning. I was thankful it wasn't me he couldn't see, but still offered to try and help bounce his small car off the island but it was no use as he was grounded so we couldn't get the bounce. I did my best but just couldn't help him so no idea how he finally extricated his machine from this predicament.

Not sure what the moral of the story is, other than to keep your wits about you and stay safe.

 

[Arjimlad]

As I walked my daughter to school this morning, pushing my bike, I saw an older woman driver looking down into her lap as she drove along "School Lane" - a busy narrow road with many parked cars, and primary school children. As she passed I could see that she appeared to be sending a text message.

75 yards further up the road I saw a police officer emerge from a property on her e-bike. So I asked her to look out for this phone-abusing lady and she set off in hot pursuit. It really gets my goat when people drive distracted around school children. Hopefully the lady didn't notice the Police until it was too late !

 

[palinurus]

Just getting to that short period where I don't wear leg warmers in the morning.

Occasional detour on the way in getting a bit overgrown.

Sunshade hat!

 

[clippetydoodah]

Stunning ride in this morning, with no issues except being slowed down by a load
of cows mooching up the road.

As I had been in the car yesterday with all my work gear, I decided to weigh my trusty rucksack this morning. Was quite surprised that it was nearly 7 kg. This included a change clothes, lunch, laptop and charger, a hefty file and other bits.
Still my view is that it's good hard training. It made the commute harder work that's for sure.
Fortunately, I can leave most of my gear at work today, so the trip home should be easier.

 

[Slick]

My ride in was much the same, stunning certainly the first half anyway. I was humming and hawing wether to take the bike but I couldn't resist it when I opened my eyes at 5am and saw a beautiful red sun beaming in almost every window of the house. I came across a lot more wildlife again this morning and I suddenly realised why. The first cut of silage has been lifted from a lot of the fields leaving nothing but stubble which has removed much of the cover for the local wildlife. My commute does become quite urban in the second half but it was still a brilliant ride in and I'm just hopeful I don't faint on the way home tonight.

 

[ianrauk]

Much cooler on this mornings commute. A bit grey and overcast too. The wind has also picked up as the week has progressed.
Got to love cycle commuting in these warmer times.
Though not sure I would be wearing near enough full winter gear as I do see some other cycle commuters. Nuts.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Much cooler on this mornings commute. A bit grey and overcast too. The wind has also picked up as the week has progressed.
Got to love cycle commuting in these warmer times.
Though not sure I would be wearing near enough full winter gear as I do see some other cycle commuters. Nuts.

I saw someone this morning with thick winter gloves on and a parka with the hood up, he must have been sweating buckets.

 

[J_H1026]

Forgot my water bottle. 25 miles and my mouth was like Ghandi's flip flop.

 

[mgs315]

Much cooler on this mornings commute. A bit grey and overcast too. The wind has also picked up as the week has progressed.
Got to love cycle commuting in these warmer times.
Though not sure I would be wearing near enough full winter gear as I do see some other cycle commuters. Nuts.

I saw someone this morning with thick winter gloves on and a parka with the hood up, he must have been sweating buckets.

Aye mad people. I took the opportunity at a set of lights in Streatham to remove my arm warmers and that was just after 6am. Was still a bit of a sweaty mess by the time I got in.

Nothing too bad today. Had a Prius decide that cyclists don’t count as things to actually yield to as he decided to throw a left hand u-turn from his parking spot straight across the bus lane I was in. Thankfully he was so brazen about it I managed to squeeze round the back of him and went through his now vacant parking bay. Good job too, there was absolutely no chance of me stopping in the 15 or so metres he gave me from 25mph. The car alongside me wasn’t too impressed by his actions either judging by the tirade of choice four letter words out the window towards him after.

I’d like to think I anticipate most things quite well but I guess I didn’t quite anticipate his uniquely high level of stupidity. Oh well. Chalk it to experience.