Tales from today's utility ride
- Thread starter Pale Rider
- Start date
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D
Deleted member 1258
Guest
Sounds like you need a pair of these.
https://www.visualnews.com/2013/10/10/bringing-sexy-back-biking-high-heeled-biking-shoes/
Hugh Manatee
Veteran
An amazing thing happened on Sunday. The bike I built for my wife to ride was used!! When I briefly give you the bike's spec, you will see what I mean.
- Rock Lobster steel frame with canti hanger.
- Rockshox Mag 21 forks.
- Deore DX/LX groupset.
- Almost new Psyco tyres in grey.
It has been gathering dust for a long time. A quick tune and oil and it was ready to go. So three of us set off, daughter as well; son preferred to play on Xbox rather than ride a Bontrager titanium, on a utility ride to Hobbycraft.
The now familiar ride along the canals. A mixture of farmland and countryside, industrial and post industrial landscapes spun past.
The usual wildlife plus a death defying rat who so nearly got truncated by a Tioga Psycho tyre. A bit of shopping including an ill advised French stick loaf and the all important 2.5Kg back of plaster of Paris. The ride home was done under darkening skies and rain was falling as we stopped for an ice cream at the canal shop.
- Rock Lobster steel frame with canti hanger.
- Rockshox Mag 21 forks.
- Deore DX/LX groupset.
- Almost new Psyco tyres in grey.
It has been gathering dust for a long time. A quick tune and oil and it was ready to go. So three of us set off, daughter as well; son preferred to play on Xbox rather than ride a Bontrager titanium, on a utility ride to Hobbycraft.
The now familiar ride along the canals. A mixture of farmland and countryside, industrial and post industrial landscapes spun past.
The usual wildlife plus a death defying rat who so nearly got truncated by a Tioga Psycho tyre. A bit of shopping including an ill advised French stick loaf and the all important 2.5Kg back of plaster of Paris. The ride home was done under darkening skies and rain was falling as we stopped for an ice cream at the canal shop.
Cycled to the swimming pool last night as I quite often do on a Monday.
On the way there, I spotted a cyclist looking at a map. I stopped to see if I could assist. It turned out that they wanted to be in Dalkeith; in fact they had badly overshot their turning and were now in central Edinburgh! Fortunately the start of the easiest way to Dalkeith was the way I was going, so I guided them through a few twists and turns and saw them on their way.
The rain wasn't too bad at that point, but when I came out of the swimming pool it was raining cats and dogs. I was very wet by the time I got home. At least it was not cold.
On the way there, I spotted a cyclist looking at a map. I stopped to see if I could assist. It turned out that they wanted to be in Dalkeith; in fact they had badly overshot their turning and were now in central Edinburgh! Fortunately the start of the easiest way to Dalkeith was the way I was going, so I guided them through a few twists and turns and saw them on their way.
The rain wasn't too bad at that point, but when I came out of the swimming pool it was raining cats and dogs. I was very wet by the time I got home. At least it was not cold.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Typical ride to market yesterday with a few exceptions. First outing on the dutch bike for my new front mini-basket - it doesn't hold much (in weight or size) but it is pretty useful having somewhere to plonk things for short times: my hat and gloves while locking the bike, my locks when putting the panniers on after unlocking the bike, the salmon and samphire while wheeling and riding between the fishmonger and greengrocer stalls (rather than opening the panniers) and so on.
Another exception: I got stuck in a small traffic jam in the narrow bit at the top of the A10 but they were all wearing helmets (unusual here) and the front two had big panniers.
And this bike parked in one of the few remaining wheelbenders (there's always spaces in those wheelbenders - I won't use them) had a parking ticket stuck to its saddle. I'm not sure if it was a joke or what. Fun place to store a cuddly toy, too - I didn't check whether it was belted in!
The other thing was someone giving a child a backie on stunt pegs, pictured over in the Teenagers as passengers discussion at https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/teenagers-as-passenger.195890/post-4364297
Another exception: I got stuck in a small traffic jam in the narrow bit at the top of the A10 but they were all wearing helmets (unusual here) and the front two had big panniers.
And this bike parked in one of the few remaining wheelbenders (there's always spaces in those wheelbenders - I won't use them) had a parking ticket stuck to its saddle. I'm not sure if it was a joke or what. Fun place to store a cuddly toy, too - I didn't check whether it was belted in!
The other thing was someone giving a child a backie on stunt pegs, pictured over in the Teenagers as passengers discussion at https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/teenagers-as-passenger.195890/post-4364297
Gert Lush
Senior Member
- Location
- Weston-super-Mare
While on my bike ride this evening I took a detour and scouted out the new housing estate. I'm going to be delivering there tomorrow and I've never done it before so wanted a little heads up and have a better idea of where roads etc. A lot easier to do that on a bike than in a car.
D
Deleted member 1258
Guest
A little short one for me this morning, I was going to be spending a lot of today on the M6, but the postman had tried to deliver a box of plants yesterday and we weren't at home, so instead of leaving them down the post office I got on my bike first thing and headed for the post office, I arrived a couple of minutes after they had opened, and collected them before we set off
Last edited by a moderator:
OP
OP
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
My utility ride today was a short round trip to visit the Sunderland International Airshow.
A bicycle is the ideal transport for such a journey, enabling me to avoid queues and road closures.
Decent attendance as usual, although I think there's been more people in previous years.
At least those that did turn out were in safe hands with the St John fast response team to look after any who fell ill.
Any report of an airshow wouldn't be complete without a rubbish pic of one of the displays.
The Red Arrows put on their usual seamless performance.
I've seen them a handful of times over the years, but they still make a fine sight, in the air, if not on the forum page.
A bicycle is the ideal transport for such a journey, enabling me to avoid queues and road closures.
Decent attendance as usual, although I think there's been more people in previous years.
At least those that did turn out were in safe hands with the St John fast response team to look after any who fell ill.
Any report of an airshow wouldn't be complete without a rubbish pic of one of the displays.
The Red Arrows put on their usual seamless performance.
I've seen them a handful of times over the years, but they still make a fine sight, in the air, if not on the forum page.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Interesting ride to town to hold a chainguard up against my bike and buy some food this afternoon. The roads were busy with an early start of the weekend holiday traffic but that doesn't bother me using the cycle tracks and filtered streets. The interesting bit was seeing two police cars with vehicles pulled over on the first stretch of road and one on the way back. Apart from when they're doing a spotter+catcher operation, I rarely see police cars stopping vehicles.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Combined the outbound of one of my regular rides with a connection to market and then my usual homeward section. The outbound was unremarkable and I made fairly good time despite a head/cross wind. First stop passed uneventfully, then I sat on top of a grass amphitheatre for a while to eat breakfast and drink a coffee, with the bike parked in the centre (close to where my current avatar pic was taken, actually). Fun people-watching and it's surprising how many people walk past without looking to the top of the banking. 
The connection was another head/cross wind across some fens, with a short pause for an agricultural lorry forcing cars to reverse around a bend back to a wider section. It's a shame they'd all overtaken me fairly well, else it would have been more satisfying. Then to the riverbank and into King's Lynn along the notorious National 1 with the town unfolding ahead of me between gloriously blue sky and river that this doesn't quite capture:
Then a particularly bumbly trip around the market, back out along Harding's Way and the King cycle track, spotting a friend pass in front of me as I give way waiting to join it, then catching him up and having a short chat before we go our separate ways and I get home again... now to work!
The connection was another head/cross wind across some fens, with a short pause for an agricultural lorry forcing cars to reverse around a bend back to a wider section. It's a shame they'd all overtaken me fairly well, else it would have been more satisfying. Then to the riverbank and into King's Lynn along the notorious National 1 with the town unfolding ahead of me between gloriously blue sky and river that this doesn't quite capture:
Then a particularly bumbly trip around the market, back out along Harding's Way and the King cycle track, spotting a friend pass in front of me as I give way waiting to join it, then catching him up and having a short chat before we go our separate ways and I get home again... now to work!
shouldbeinbed
Rollin' along
- Location
- Manchester way
Soaked as soon as I stepped out of the door, blown dry by half way and soaked again before getting there.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Popped out for eggs. None on sale in this six street village (the chickens aren't all laying, apparently), so I rode through the increasing darkness to the neighbouring five street village, 2¾ miles away. There were eggs, but the odd thing was passing five oncoming cyclists, which seems a lot on a back road from almost nowhere to almost nowhere. I don't usually ride that road at that time so I wonder if that's typical.
shouldbeinbed
Rollin' along
- Location
- Manchester way
I've had to start buying eggs again, my chickens have stopped laying. They need their energy to stave off the encroaching cold.
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
12km to the shops and back for milk. I took the scooter for a ride to start training my legs for winter. Its getting cold and I would not be surprised if we got snow by the end of the month.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Serendiptiously, I was heading around a blind-ish bend on a too-narrow bit of cycle track this week, met a cyclist coming the other way a bit fast and their instinct was to head right! 
Thankfully, we both also pulled the brakes and him heading to the right meant he scuffed the kerb, so we stopped without colliding, despite me skidding (I was carrying three bags full on the rear rack). No harm done, as usual on cycle tracks IMO, but I wish they'd bring that section up to standard width.
Thankfully, we both also pulled the brakes and him heading to the right meant he scuffed the kerb, so we stopped without colliding, despite me skidding (I was carrying three bags full on the rear rack). No harm done, as usual on cycle tracks IMO, but I wish they'd bring that section up to standard width.
