Tales from today's commute....

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Lovacott

Über Member
4th puncture in 4 days and only one thorn found on day 2. Yes there must be another in there which I can't find but it no longer matters as they're going in the bin tomorrow when I fit the Marathon Plus. Also had a close pass by a VW Transporter who almost immediately then stopped in front of me because he couldn't get through the gap due to oncoming traffic. I would have been able to keep moving no problem if he had waited and he'd have got through just as quickly.
I started wearing a cheap helmet camera I bought off Amazon this week and I've noticed that close passes have dropped off to practically zero.

It's a bit bulky and boxy looking but weighs next to nothing and I don't notice that it's there myself.

But it's obviously visible to anyone thinking of overtaking me and I reckon it's doing what I intended it to do (acting as a deterrent).
 

Ollie W

Cycling pls
Location
Southampton
First commute back yesterday after covid isolation. Was expecting to struggle but it felt like an out of body experience! Chain and pedals sound a bit clunky so some lube and cleaning needed this weekend.
Little bit cold despite new gloves and a long sleeve base layer - thankfully I’ve been bought a reflective jacket for my birthday on Monday. Not sure where it lies on the windproof/waterproof scale but an extra layer + visibility is great news!
 

rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
Came across this interesting "bike" today on the B2B. There is a little placard on the back of it thst says "electric assist pedal bicycle". While it didn't look like it was capable of going particularly fast, and it did have pedals, he wasn't using them.

 

StickyPTFE

Senior Member
Location
Birmingham
Came across this interesting "bike" today on the B2B. There is a little placard on the back of it thst says "electric assist pedal bicycle". While it didn't look like it was capable of going particularly fast, and it did have pedals, he wasn't using them.


I am not too sure about the legality of that. In all fairness you overtook very easily, can't be that powerful.
 
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simongt

Guru
Location
Norwich
I got pelted half to death by hailstones
If you do a regular route, it pays to notice where the dry areas under trees / large bushes / structures etc. are on the way. They make useful places to shelter temporarily on occasions like that. :thumbsup: I've done this several times, as have others.
 

cyberknight

As long as I breathe, I attack.
Very close pass by a double decker bus today , nearly took me out !
Now i know the bus route and it stops a lot so followed it and confronted the driver , he siad "dont shout at me " and shut the window so i took the number plate and reported him for dangerous driving to the depot who confirmed that they had that bus and would check the cctv on the bus .
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
Wey, wet. wet.. and dark.. though not cold...
Looking like it's going to be wet all day and for the commute home too. :rain:
 

Badger_Boom

Über Member
Location
York
...Earlier in the week I caught and passed him riding along the main road in the dark on his black scooter, dressed all in black and weaving in and out of the parked cars and shadows. It was madness and I slowed down to tell him to get off the road because he WOULD get run over as he was very hard to see.
I just wonder what his parents think he is doing on this scooter at night? Not really an appropriate toy to give a child IMO.
"The Shadow. Coming to a morgue near you soon" (see from 1.50).
 
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Lovacott

Über Member
If you do a regular route, it pays to notice where the dry areas under trees / large bushes / structures etc. are on the way. They make useful places to shelter temporarily on occasions like that. :thumbsup: I've done this several times, as have others.
There's about 4 miles of my commute which is through farm lanes high up with a sea view. No trees or anything much at all (apart from sheep).

When I was commuting in London, I rarely got really wet because I'd just nip into a garage forecourt or pop under a shop canopy until it passed.

Having done both city and country commuting, I'd say that on balance, city commuting is easier. The traffic may be a pain in the arse, but it's mainly slow moving and with the roads well lit, a front light is more for being seen than actually being able to see things.

With country commuting, on my way into work (5.45am), I rarely see a car and I sometimes wonder how long it would be before I was found if I had some kind of mishap? The roads I use are not gritted and we get more than our fair share of rain down here ("Sunny Devon" my arse). On the occasions where I do meet up with a car, very often they are driving like lunatics in the belief that they have empty roads all to themselves. I've had so many near misses from close passes recently that I've fitted a huge,cheap, rear facing action camera to my pannier rack to act as a deterrent.

The views are brilliant though and I do get to see some pretty impressive local wildlife. A Barn Owl overtook me on Thursday morning and then glided along the hedgerow in front of me for about 20 seconds. Huge wingspan.

Either way, it beats going to work on the tube.
 
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