Your rants here.

veronese68

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Yep, uncertainty is the worst bit, especially as tfr first doctor didnt take us seriously for feeling under the weather, they are now taking it very seriously which makes us more worried!

Uncertainty is horrible. I was told a lump was nothing more than fatty tissue by a locum GP as it moved. When a second lump turned up I thought it was nothing as it moved. Eventually got a second opinion and it turned out I had Lymphoma. Once I was in the system things moved very quickly and over 10 years later I'm still fine. My experience is that the NHS is very frustrating a lot of the time, but when it's really needed they are very good.
Anyway, hope they work out exactly what is going on quickly and things get sorted for you and your wife.

Snakebite the 2nd

itboffin wrote:

that special skill known as indicating has also gone the way of the ASL, red lights and using your mobile whilst driving.

Seriously WTF is going on with drivers today?

PS. I was in my car just now a witness more than a dozen people not indicate, two of which also drove onto the roundabout with a car (me) already on it causing me to brake to avoid a crash.

Don't get me started.

Just don't.

Snakebite the 2nd

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Wife being pushed into the urgent waiting list for an unidentified lump. Feeling OK to wtf is going on in 2 days.

Hope it sorts itself out.
Good luck to you both.

vimfuego

Riding home last night, pulled up at some lights & a car pulls up alongside. It's one I'd seen earlier that had drifted into the left in front of me (into the bike lane) - I thought at the time that he was probably one of those spatially unaware morons that insists on being nailed to the left hand kerb as they drive themselves (rather than the car) up the middle of the carriageway. Reason why became clear however - the driver was on his ipad FFS. Had it on his lap & was merrily playing a game! So absorbed was he that he had no idea I was waving at him trying to attract his attention (or indeed that the lights had changed) - so I just pootled off. Hopefully he managed not to kill or maim anyone on his way home.....

edrobbin

1st puncture on the hybrid tonight. Back wheel luckily as I was tanking it. Also lucky I was within spitting distance of Waterloo. Surprised how easy it is to change a 700c tyre - was expecting a right ball-ache.

But - and here's the rant - for the life of me I couldn't find the culprit - tyre clean as a whistle, pin-prick hole in the tube, but nothing in the tyre - pumped back up, and still OK 3hrs later. But, sods law it will be down by morning, and I leave at 04:50. I also stupidly only bought one tube so will have to go tomorrow with fingers crossed.

Also - stupid little Blackburn mini-pump - fine for getting halfway decent pressure in knobblies, but not chance getting anywhere near the 90psi I was hoping for.

Bring back wooden wheels....

meanredspider

edrobbin wrote:

Also - stupid little Blackburn mini-pump - fine for getting halfway decent pressure in knobblies, but not chance getting anywhere near the 90psi I was hoping for.
.

CO2 - that's is all.

redvee

Riding home tonight, Tuesday, and turn into the unlit lane I use and nearly crashed into a ninja who'd stopped in the middle of the lane to play with his phone. I only saw his pedal reflectors at the last minute. Don't like using the lane, even with lights but it's better than using an unlit road with cars coming along it and apparently some have been caught out by the ice of the last few days and parked in the ditches at the side of the road.

jds_1981

Bright lights on canal paths. Hasn't been that bad this year but last night was fairly awful. Multiple blindingly bright lights. One bright front light set on strobe and used as someone's rear light. A few more blinders and one of them rode at me on my side of the path as I was trying to shield my eyes with my arm.

timothyw

I'm just baffled by the number of people riding with front strobes out of town - does it not occur to them that they're intended for daytime visibility? Does it not give them a headache? Are they on their way to a rave?

Snakebite the 2nd

TimothyW wrote:

I'm just baffled by the number of people riding with front strobes out of town - does it not occur to them that they're intended for daytime visibility? Does it not give them a headache? Are they on their way to a rave?

As a car driver I see flashing lights better and earlier than fixed lights that can blend into other lights and traffic, even out of town.

If I am the only one on the road I put my lights to fixed, because you say it gives you a headache and you cannot see your way properly.

wolfsbane2k

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

***** that spread mud on the road just as they pass you by running into the verge on a single track road.
Cue wipeout at 20mph and a lot of gravelly, muddy road rash.
Bike thankfully went cheap side down, on the other hand, I now need a new helmet. Hmm

Rant: 1) Smashed the brifter and buckled front wheel, replacments now fitted and front wheel trued.
2) Haematoma the size of a Satsuma on my hip still hurts like fek.
3) jacket, leg warmers and helmet written off.
4) the explosion of "stuff" from the duo-derm covering the grazes when leaning on a table, covering a colleague and the table isnt' nice.

anti rants.
1) Jacket, leg warmers were all aldi cheapies, so not much of a loss
2) grazes now healing nicely.
3) Back on the bike tomorrow, no more PT ( although in this weather, it was somewhat comforting to be on PT today)

jds_1981

Snakebite the 2nd wrote:

TimothyW wrote:

I'm just baffled by the number of people riding with front strobes out of town - does it not occur to them that they're intended for daytime visibility? Does it not give them a headache? Are they on their way to a rave?

As a car driver I see flashing lights better and earlier than fixed lights that can blend into other lights and traffic, even out of town.

If I am the only one on the road I put my lights to fixed, because you say it gives you a headache and you cannot see your way properly.

Surprising number of people on the canals use a single strobing light. As they say. Half of all people have an IQ of under 100...

tgotb

Snakebite the 2nd wrote:

As a car driver I see flashing lights better and earlier than fixed lights that can blend into other lights and traffic, even out of town.

My experience is that *some of the time* you can spot a flashing light more easily than a fixed one. However, once you've spotted it, it's a lot harder to judge the speed and direction of a flashing light. This effect is exacerbated in wet conditions, especially when looking through a rain-spotted side window, or past windscreen wipers.

wolfsbane2k

TGOTB wrote:

Snakebite the 2nd wrote:

As a car driver I see flashing lights better and earlier than fixed lights that can blend into other lights and traffic, even out of town.

My experience is that *some of the time* you can spot a flashing light more easily than a fixed one. However, once you've spotted it, it's a lot harder to judge the speed and direction of a flashing light. This effect is exacerbated in wet conditions, especially when looking through a rain-spotted side window, or past windscreen wipers.

Yep, and then your into "fixation" mode, and human nature is to turn towards what your looking at.
This morning I was flabbergasted to see someone with a multi mode strobe on the rear - had about 6 different modes it went through. Was a bloody nightmare to actually pin down exactly where he was - just as you got used to 1 mode routine, it changed to the next one!

And that's why I always run with a 2hz high/low, rather than on-off strobe front and back, alongside steady lights.

porlyworly

Not really a rant, more of a sadface.

Had an unfortunate off this morning, my first ever accident involving another road user. Approaching a roundabout with four exits, I'm going straight over and a bus is going straight over from the opposite direction. To my left is a young lass in a brand new Audi TT who is turning left (i.e. the way I'm going) and she see's the gap is just about big enough to nip out before I get to the roundabout. To be fair to her it just about was and it would have been fine had she not immediately slammed on the brakes for no reason (she panicked when she saw the bus despite it being nowhere near her). Needless to say her ABS stopped the car quicker than my canti's stopped my bike in the wet and I went into the back of her, luckily having managed to shed most of the speed.

Few cuts & bruises & a bit of road rash but don't think anything is broken & the bike was fine. She pulled into the pub car park and was really apologetic & quite shaken up to the point I was asking if she was alright!

Don't think either of us were entirely blameless & can't help but think the disc brake equipped cx bike would have had the required stopping power. Good enough reason to upgrade the stock wheels that came with the cx bike!

smokey_bacon

Ouch, glad man and machine are ok.

wolfsbane2k

Owch for the sadface! Glad neither bike nor rider are seriously injured!
It's amazing how humans react in the face of adversity, some collapse, some soldier on, some stand up and thrive. At an accident, its quite surprising to see who follows which course, independent of who is in the wrong.

Hope the road rash gets better quick, get some duoderm on it quick!

menthel

Veronese68 wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Yep, uncertainty is the worst bit, especially as tfr first doctor didnt take us seriously for feeling under the weather, they are now taking it very seriously which makes us more worried!

Uncertainty is horrible. I was told a lump was nothing more than fatty tissue by a locum GP as it moved. When a second lump turned up I thought it was nothing as it moved. Eventually got a second opinion and it turned out I had Lymphoma. Once I was in the system things moved very quickly and over 10 years later I'm still fine. My experience is that the NHS is very frustrating a lot of the time, but when it's really needed they are very good.
Anyway, hope they work out exactly what is going on quickly and things get sorted for you and your wife.

Was even worse for my wife- we were all med students when her lump appeared and we all poked it and made jokes. A little later and she went and saw someone who knew something and she was very quickly under the care of UCL for her Lymphoma- she is over 10 years post treatment as well. Thoughts are with you and your wife Wolfsbane!

Snakebite the 2nd

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Snakebite the 2nd wrote:

As a car driver I see flashing lights better and earlier than fixed lights that can blend into other lights and traffic, even out of town.

My experience is that *some of the time* you can spot a flashing light more easily than a fixed one. However, once you've spotted it, it's a lot harder to judge the speed and direction of a flashing light. This effect is exacerbated in wet conditions, especially when looking through a rain-spotted side window, or past windscreen wipers.

Yep, and then your into "fixation" mode, and human nature is to turn towards what your looking at.
This morning I was flabbergasted to see someone with a multi mode strobe on the rear - had about 6 different modes it went through. Was a bloody nightmare to actually pin down exactly where he was - just as you got used to 1 mode routine, it changed to the next one!

And that's why I always run with a 2hz high/low, rather than on-off strobe front and back, alongside steady lights.

@TGOTB
Yes I agree 100%, that is why I slow right down and take my time, because it can be hard to judge.
But I'm saying that as a cyclist who drives, not as somebody who drives but doesn't give a monkeys about cyclists.

@Wolfsbane
I run both fixed and flashing on the back, I like to think that helps those behind me.

rick_chasey

Seems every f*cker out there has eye searing lights aimed straight up into my eyes. Brighter than cars on full beam. Front and back.

Can barely see where the f@ck I'm going and when I can it's only because a rider has got so close I have a fairly large shadow of myself in front of me.

rhodrich

Rick Chasey wrote:

Seems every f*cker out there has eye searing lights aimed straight up into my eyes. Brighter than cars on full beam. Front and back.

Can barely see where the f@ck I'm going and when I can it's only because a rider has got so close I have a fairly large shadow of myself in front of me.

Richmond Park - after dark. Painful experience. People probably think I'm a miserable b'stard for calling them out on it, but it's so anti social. It's not acceptable to drive around everywhere on full beam, so why do cyclists think it's OK? Must say that I do get a bit of a smug warm glow from riding with my TüV approved lights that are specifically designed to light the road, and not to dazzle.

rick_chasey

Just point that sh!t downwards

rhodrich

[Two rants in a row......]

So my work, in their infinite wisdom have decided to 'upgrade' my Blackberry that they issue me with to ensure that I never have any down time. New Blackberry 'Classic' is huge, and weighs a ridiculous 178g. That's an extra 178g that I have to carry with me, to and from work, every day, on the bicycle, and it's not as if it's any good either!

rick_chasey

Good excuse for being rubbish on SCR though.

dhope

Rhodrich wrote:

1938 Hobbs Tandem
...
1993 Dawes Hybrid
Large Carradice on the back
Large Blackberry in the bag

rhodrich

dhope wrote:

Rhodrich wrote:

1938 Hobbs Tandem
...
1993 Dawes Hybrid
Large Carradice on the back
Large Blackberry in the bag

Lol - very good!

So I've just had a quick look on the Blackberry App store. NO STRAVA! I was at least hoping that I could use this phone as my Strava device, to save battery on my phone, but it appears that it's that rubbish that Strava doesn't support it. What's the point of a 'smart' phone, if it doesn't have decent apps?

itboffin

BlackBerry er WTAF its 2016 not 2006

redvee

Trying to get a matter resolved with the online shop that gives Haribos with your orders. Heard nothing for 2 weeks so emailed them on Tuesday which they ignored, emailed them again Thursday and still no reply so I asked them on Twittter and their response was DM us the order number and your email address. I can't DM them cause they don't follow me.

prawny

I wish this wind would fuck off.

rolf_f

itboffin wrote:

BlackBerry er WTAF its 2016 not 2006

I have a Blackberry Classic for work - awesome thing. Proper keyboard and all that. Works brilliantly. Way better than Apple stuff but that isn't saying much. But things like Strava support is ropey. You can get a Blackberry to synch to Strava (at least if it is an Android one) but it is tiresome.