fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Tales from today's commute....
- Thread starter martint235
- Start date
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cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
3 c according to a work mate this morning, it's ruddy felt like it too 🥶
Some schools around here have resorted to draconian punishment regimes for relatively minor infractions.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Going to have to watch it this week if it's frosty. Hopefully surfaces will be dry. Didn't have a good experience of ice back in January.
Vantage
Carbon fibre... LMAO!!!
- Location
- Behind everyone else, Bolton
markharry66
Guru
Cold start again, notice less and less cyclists on the road as temperature drops. Start off in the dark and hit light half way through journey. Lost last years winter gloves, broke the new ones Monday zip broke. Put on spare set only for the wind to go straight through them. Had ski socks on this morning legs still felt cold. Not looking forward to blocks of ice feeling in feet you get in January. Overshoes tomorrow if this keeps up. Not looking to Thursday as off the bike and have to travel in central london via train cant stand that.
@markharry66 for your winter tootsies, get a pair of waterproof socks. Sealskinz or such like. As well as keeping yer feet dry, they are brilliant for keeping out the cold, and worn along with overshoes, well, I think yer tootsies will be toasties.
+1 for waterproof socks, easier than overshoes to get on and off and much easier to get ones big enough for my size 50s too!
Freezing again, but beautiful. Pogies on - tried for the first time last winter and now swear by them.
Last night - left work knackered, two minds about kickboxing but went anyway and was all over the place. Onward to M&S where the only score was a kilo of carrots, then the long way to Waitrose via the tow path an Witham to be rewarded with a proper haul of yellow-stickered stuff; a whole basket of top-end food for less than £20 
Saw a really nice Bianci road bike (lugs, chrome and Campag) parked outside; nearly said something to the owner as he unlocked it but tbh was past the point of soliciting any more social interaction for the day.
The evening weather was really pleasant although as soon as the sun went down the temperature plummetted so I had to layer up - rediscovering my merino neck tube / buff which tbh looks fabulous
The increasingly cold, tired ride home was made all the more fun by dropping my chain turning off at the bottom of George St - I thought it'd just come off the chainrings and was surprised to find that it had actually separated at the quick link. Not sure what I'd done to precipitate this as my memory's sketchy - possibly a combination of a worn / sloppy ("reusable") link and down-shifting and stopping pedalling / pedalling backwards as I came to a halt to get the pedal position correct to set off again.
Struggled to sort it out in the middle of the turning box with two heavily-laden panniers and the bike resting against my face, eventually got one side on which was enough to hold it in place and allow me to drag the bike to a more appropriate location without the chain coming off.
QL refitted I was back on my way, albeit with even less faith in the Fuji's already somewhat sketchy drivetrain than I had previously. May or may not replace the quicklink as I have a few spares..
Another gorgeous, bright, cold morning today.
Left late and groggy as I feel like I'm coming down with whatever's going around; dressed more appropriately today in LS merino base layer, cheap regatta fleece and the mid-weight gloves I'd forgotten I'd got - which were very welcome.
A nice steady waft in kept internal temperatures in check with the only bit getting chilly being my growing expanse of forehead. The traffic was odd - heavy in areas I'd not usually expect, light in others. Ring road was rammed again. Not a huge amount of folks about on the tow path / generally, which was nice.
Dishonourable mentions today to the knobhead who crawled past me only to signal left and cut across me, then later the stupid woman on the high street who appeared "bike blind" - stepping out boldly from behind a parked bus; I think she'd have walked straight in front of me were I not being followed by another bus, while she very obviously intentionally walked in front of a mother and child riding the other way when she was unable to cross anyway due to traffic on my side; causing them to stop and blocking the road completely - selfish idiot.
Sausages were fantastic, a bit late to work but I guess that's better than calling in sick. I've got the rings with me for the way home but I think that's wishful thinking..
Saw a really nice Bianci road bike (lugs, chrome and Campag) parked outside; nearly said something to the owner as he unlocked it but tbh was past the point of soliciting any more social interaction for the day.
The evening weather was really pleasant although as soon as the sun went down the temperature plummetted so I had to layer up - rediscovering my merino neck tube / buff which tbh looks fabulous
The increasingly cold, tired ride home was made all the more fun by dropping my chain turning off at the bottom of George St - I thought it'd just come off the chainrings and was surprised to find that it had actually separated at the quick link. Not sure what I'd done to precipitate this as my memory's sketchy - possibly a combination of a worn / sloppy ("reusable") link and down-shifting and stopping pedalling / pedalling backwards as I came to a halt to get the pedal position correct to set off again.
Struggled to sort it out in the middle of the turning box with two heavily-laden panniers and the bike resting against my face, eventually got one side on which was enough to hold it in place and allow me to drag the bike to a more appropriate location without the chain coming off.
QL refitted I was back on my way, albeit with even less faith in the Fuji's already somewhat sketchy drivetrain than I had previously. May or may not replace the quicklink as I have a few spares..
Another gorgeous, bright, cold morning today.
Left late and groggy as I feel like I'm coming down with whatever's going around; dressed more appropriately today in LS merino base layer, cheap regatta fleece and the mid-weight gloves I'd forgotten I'd got - which were very welcome.
A nice steady waft in kept internal temperatures in check with the only bit getting chilly being my growing expanse of forehead. The traffic was odd - heavy in areas I'd not usually expect, light in others. Ring road was rammed again. Not a huge amount of folks about on the tow path / generally, which was nice.
Dishonourable mentions today to the knobhead who crawled past me only to signal left and cut across me, then later the stupid woman on the high street who appeared "bike blind" - stepping out boldly from behind a parked bus; I think she'd have walked straight in front of me were I not being followed by another bus, while she very obviously intentionally walked in front of a mother and child riding the other way when she was unable to cross anyway due to traffic on my side; causing them to stop and blocking the road completely - selfish idiot.
Sausages were fantastic, a bit late to work but I guess that's better than calling in sick. I've got the rings with me for the way home but I think that's wishful thinking..
First time this month I've worn long gloves (not the first time I've needed them! fingers were cold yesterday). Needed to get a bike box earlier this year so I went into a bike shop- one I rarely visit- so thought it better to buy a couple of things while I was there. Today I discovered a new baselayer and gloves sitting in the drawer ready for me.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Winter boots for the win.
N0bodyOfTheGoat
Über Member
- Location
- Hampshire, UK
Wetsuit socks over a thin pair of socks through winter, not just on wet days, are great for keeping feet warm.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Nippy this am. Think this year's winter policy will be ride if cold and dry (ice tyres at ready), but car or WFH when wet and icy.
Edit, two new Marathon Winter Plus tyres on the way to replace the very old Snow Studs. See bargains thread.
Edit, two new Marathon Winter Plus tyres on the way to replace the very old Snow Studs. See bargains thread.
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Arjimlad
Tights of Cydonia
- Location
- South Glos
As above, cold yesterday, about 5 degrees on the Wahoo, and only 4 this morning, but no ice about, dry roads, and basic Aldi winter gloves were quite adequate. Toe covers on the shoes helped too.
I used a lightweight packable jacket in the morning which can be stowed away for the warm ride home.
I used a lightweight packable jacket in the morning which can be stowed away for the warm ride home.
