Your rants here.

mattsaw

Veronese68 wrote:

Did you tell him it’s best to make sure he’s faster than people he passes like a cnut? Belittling twats doesn’t really help but it does make me chuckle.

Yeah I agree, I normally try to remain fairly placid.

Ultimately it's not worth getting wound up. I think in 10 years I could count on one hand the amount of times I've been genuinely angry. This was one of those times.

I guess it was the combination of his speed relative to such a small gap, the shock and surprise, and the total disregard for my road position.

kingstonian

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

I swear that this morning I must have mistakenly wandered into a Cockwomble Cycling Event on the commute. Absolute bellends everywhere. The best example was two women riding at prob 10 miles an hour side-by-side on the CS by Millbank Tower. Yeah, don't worry about us, we'll just go round you into the traffic because you two can't possibly wait to finish your imbecilic chat about Love Island.....

<pedestal>
Understand that this is a rant thread, but that's exactly the same attitude that many drivers have when faced with a cyclist "in the way" and preventing them from going faster, and results in close passes etc.

We need to accept and encourage these people, they are the types that good cycle lanes are "for", and the more of them wanting to, or actually riding a bike on the good lanes, the more good lanes will be made. Would you prefer them to be side by side in a car having the same chat?

</pedestal>
Love island? shudder. :!:

I'm very supportive of them riding a bike. I'm also very supportive of them using the cycle lanes. But when there are so many cyclists on the morning commute an element of common courtesy and riding single file wouldn't go amiss. Maybe I'm the odd one out, but if I'm out on a ride and are 2-abreast then I'll drop into single file when a car etc approaches from behind - I don't technically need to but just see it as being polite to other road users.

redvee

NitrousOxide wrote:

I wish my kitchen doorframe would look where it's going, smashed into my right little toe good and proper a while ago, still stinging now! :roll:

Not just mine that moves in front of my bare toes then.

roger_merriman

I’m really not enjoying this heat, mainly that I’m not intended for beyond 20C.

And thus I’m ending up sleep deprived as I’m struggling to sleep. And yes I do prefer cold and wet! Weather that is!

timothyw

Ugh, drive side spoke popped on the rear wheel on the way in.

As an added bonus, the bike has tubeless tape on it, so it's going to be a double ball ache to change it, as that will presumably need to be replaced (as it happens, the tubeless tyre destroyed itself this weekend so at least I don't need to worry about setting that up again...)

Do I drop it off early to the work LBS or do I ride the 14 miles home with a rattly rear wheel. Won't do the other spokes much good.

Hmmmm

tgotb

TimothyW wrote:

Ugh, drive side spoke popped on the rear wheel on the way in.

As an added bonus, the bike has tubeless tape on it, so it's going to be a double ball ache to change it, as that will presumably need to be replaced (as it happens, the tubeless tyre destroyed itself this weekend so at least I don't need to worry about setting that up again...)

Do I drop it off early to the work LBS or do I ride the 14 miles home with a rattly rear wheel. Won't do the other spokes much good.

Hmmmm

If you're very careful, you can replace the spoke without removing the tyre or rim tape. One trick is to cut a 2mm-wide strip of electrical tape, a few inches long, an wrap it round the top of the nipple. This helps to discourage the nipple from disappearing inside the rim when you remove the spoke. Assuming your LBS has the right spoke, you just have to ask them nicely to remove the cassette for you, and you can fix it yourself.

timothyw

Unfortunately the spoke broke at the nipple end, and the nipple (and washer) were already rattling around in the rim when I stopped to investigate.

FML. This shouldn't happen with 32 spoke handbuilts. Serves me right for being such an 18 stone stud I guess.

tgotb

TimothyW wrote:

Unfortunately the spoke broke at the nipple end, and the nipple (and washer) were already rattling around in the rim when I stopped to investigate.

FML. This shouldn't happen with 32 spoke handbuilts. Serves me right for being such an 18 stone stud I guess.

Oh dear. Quite an unusual place to break a spoke; do you know what they are?

timothyw

Sapim Race. XR31t offset rim, novatec hub, bought from Malcolm just over a year ago, built myself.

I think I'll probably just ride it home as it is then do a proper inspection tonight, replace spoke/rebuild as necessary... bit of a bugger as this bike is earmarked for Ride London, do i risk the wheel or do I swap it out.....

tgotb

May not be any use to you, but just in case...

I was once faced with a similar situation except that it was about midnight, so public transport not an option, and I discovered my well-worn rim had exploded on the bike rack, destroying the tyre along the way. Fortunately our underground car park has a number of old abandoned wheels and tyres lying around. I managed to cobble together a wobbly wheel with 8-speed cassette, a threadbare tyre and my own spare inner tube, put the wheel on my 10-speed bike, and ride 14 miles home. The shifting was a lot better than expected, and I was able to return all the bits the following morning; they're probably still there.

Anyone/anywhere you can borrow a rear wheel from?

redvee

TimothyW wrote:

FML. This shouldn't happen with 32 spoke handbuilts. Serves me right for being such an 18 stone stud I guess.

Had a 32 spoke rear wheel handbuilt for me which cost quite a bit but the wheelbuilder did offer a lifetime warranty on the wheel so when I broke a spoke last September I took it back and he rebuilt the wheel with better spokes and since then the wheel has stayed as true as it was on day one despite all the treatment I give it. I'm 15st and ride with a pannier.

timothyw

I've had a word with the wheelbuilder, he's agreed to do whatever it takes to put it right - be that replacing the dodgy spoke or rebuilding the entire wheel.

It was an easy conversation as it was with myself ;-)

I'll probably start by doing just the spoke, most likely to just be bad luck with a bad spoke.

Upgrading the spokes to something like DT Alpine 3s would have been unlikely to make a difference in this case as it broke at the threaded end (just below the threads by the look of it) and that is still 2.0mm on most stronger spoke designs.

tgotb

Thinking about this last night - the only reason I can see for the spoke to break at the nipple is if the rim's not letting the nipple align properly with the spoke. That *shouldn't* be the case for a correctly-laced 32-spoke 3x wheel, but some rims are better than others.

If that is what's happening, these might help (though you'd want to replace all the drive-side spokes at the same time, as others will have probably been similarly over-stressed)...

timothyw

That's a good thought, but unfortunately the wheel was built with Sapim Race spokes, which are already supplied with Polyax nipples as standard.

The wheel was also build with Sapim nipple washers, which you'd have though might help nipple alignment, but I suppose counter intuitively might have actually contributed to it if that is the issue - by slightly reducing the angle that the nipple sits at.

I'm 80% sure it was laced the right way round - this was one of the first wheels I built so I was being extra obsessive about everything, but obviously I'll double check that too.

I chucked on my spare wheel last night, I've got Friday off work so should have plenty of time to sort it/investigate this weekend.

cjcp

People who ride in the bike lane in heavy traffic at a speed which barely allows them to remain upright, hold up a load of cyclists, then ride straight on through the red lights like they've not a care in the world, like they're sniffing the bloody flowers as they ride.

Like the ones at the north side of Putney Bridge.

Holy crap, that really grinds my gears. They're in bloody La La Land.

awavey

shared use paths that are just not fit for use because they are just a flippin path with a bit of paint on. to think I actually prefer riding on the road with all the crazed nutcases who try to overtake you on roundabouts, or who cut in 5 feet before a red traffic light or an oncoming ambulance or left hook you,bad enough, but also happen to be a bus.

todays shared path joy, when it isn't kids on bikes with no directional sense (why do kids never ride in a straight line!!!), dogs off leads,people staring at phones,cars driving on them (yes seriously), was a mobility scooter that I met on a bit of a hill with not enough room for us both to pass so I slowed to a crawl and moved over to the left expecting him to just carry on down the hill and we'd have just passed, but he stops and so I stop and then he says come through plenty of room, yeah if you exclude the overgrowing stinging nettles that Ive now got to ride through to get past you because actually there isn't the room on this stupid flippin path, and Im in totally the wrong gear because I hadn't expected to end up stopping/restarting on a hill like this, so its going to be slow and painful

and to cap it all like some stupid automaton idiot, I thank him, yes I passed on my actual thanks, even though my leg was now smarting like I don't what,though Im thinking the nettles had wilted in the heat so weren't full strength stinging as although I can feel that nerve tingly sensation still, it hasn't swollen up badly

timothyw

Had the chance to tell some troglodyte van driver what I thought of him after he close passed me today (having close passed me on Monday on the way home also, at high speed and with no other cars around).

Actually, is this an anti rant?

I suppose I'd have preferred if it hadn't happened at all.

I did at least (just about) manage to keep my composure and put across my case for not being murdered rather than hitting the cunt.

Hopefully he'll take away my key points of not just being a cyclist but also a husband and father, and the highway code stipulating that he needs to give me a metre and a half, rather than one foot.

More likely he'll continue to think 'bloody cyclists getting in the way durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr'

Amusing was his passenger gets out the phone and starts filming me just as driver says next time he's going to run me over.... please, submit that footage to the police straight away!

Cunts.

tangled_metal

Why?

The simple question I want to ask the driver of the 55 bus into Lancaster.

I overtook him on the approach to the town centre (well the bridge southwards over the river). He was parked up and another person was waiting to get on. He then set off and caught me up. A little too close so I guessed he was annoyed a bike overtook him.

So he overtook me just before a bus stop that always has people waiting. I mean always. Cue emergency brake (bus and me). Then being a narrow spot I couldn't safely see past him. So I waited. Like he should of done.

Is it technically a left hook when a motorist overtakes then turns left cutting you up? What if it's a bus and they're just pulling in to a stop not turning left?

Anyway I was practically at the stop when he started overtaking. So my question is why? What was the point? I was not holding him up since we were practically at the stop. The stops are possibly 250m apart too. It really makes no logical sense.

I'm thinking of emailing stagecoach customer services to set of they can ask the driver for me. I have no number plate but the time and location should be enough. It would have been on time then so traceable vehicle and driver.

Do you think I should email a simple question to the company with the time location and bus number?

slowbike

Tangled Metal wrote:

Why?

The simple question I want to ask the driver of the 55 bus into Lancaster.

Do you think I should email a simple question to the company with the time location and bus number?

Absolutely.

They are the public face of the company - if they're behaving badly, it reflects on the whole company.

tangled_metal

Well I emailed them with the information. Kept it polite and friendly.

Whilst I was at it I added a PS about the impressive 555 bus service. If the 5 and 55 service use dodgy drivers (I've had issues before but never reported) the 555 has drivers who never do anything wrong ime. In our family we do talk about the 555 having skilled and safe drivers. Couldn't resist the compliment. Been meaning to do it for a few years.

In fact if the 555 drivers could just be used to train b the 5 and 55 drivers the world would be great!

PS first complaint about driving to a bus or any other company. Nothing will happen.

vpnikolov

I complained once to TfL after a driver almost ran me over in a roundabout coming from the left (I was already in the roundabout). Had to sprint to avoid getting crushed. For what it's worth I was reassured the driver was spoken to.

tangled_metal

In an ideal world I would get to hear the driver's explanation of why he / she made that patently stupid manoeuvre.

It's a run into town. People are waiting at every stop to get into town. The stops are frequent. There is no way a bus can safely overtake anything between those stops. Something like 250m between them, if that, and it's a narrow section of road.

The point I stopped at I couldn't see past the bus I had no space to move my recumbent out to see traffic neither. I had stopped a metre or a metre and a half back from the bus. That wasn't me not giving the bus a safe stopping distance. That was the bus taking my safe stopping distance as it finished its overtaking manoeuvre and its stopping manoeuvre (part of the same action, pulling in from overtaking and pulling in to stop at the bus stop).

Close passes and pulling out from the bus stop without signaling are pretty common for service 5 and 56. I expect them and can easily predict them.

This overtaking and pulling in manoeuvre is a new one to expect from now on. I hope they don't teach it at driving school.

Sorry about this rant going on. It's just that I'm still surprised at the professional driver made that manoeuvre. No need and no benefits. Only danger for me and if a copper with inclination to take action a loss in job potentially.

There's a lot to be said about professional drivers being better drivers because it's their livelihood, they're better / to a higher level trained and they're driving more on our roads so have more all traffics experience. It's why I get surprised sometimes when they do things that are obviously stupid, probably careless or dangerous!

dinyull

This weather seems to be getting to a few people.

Had the closest of close passes yesterday as I was pootling in. Had I been on it I'd probably caught up to him to give him a decent bit of geordie dialect at the next set of lights. Just no need either as road was more than wide enough. Either punishment pass or didn't see me, which is a worry...

Then on the way home, riding behind another cyclist on a shared path had some wingnut shout that he "f*cking hates cyclists". He said it before I even passed. Wouldn't mind if the guy in front had done something wrong, but he gave him plenty of room and we were both taking it slowly.

Can only assume he got a fright because he didn't hear us, but it was in a busy built up area.

He carried on mouthing off, I was tempted to stop and ask what his problem was but thought better of it. Would have only been wasting my time.

vpnikolov

Canyon order delivery.

How hard is it to send four spacers, a bearing cover and top cap in the originally provided timeframe? Need them urgently before RideLondon, delivery estimate was 27th/28th, now pushed for first week of August. Customer service is useless too.

kingstongraham

Van driver so intent on looking at his phone while driving last night that I couldn't catch his eye to call him a rude name.

wolfsbane2k

I was hoping to push out 20 miles flat(ish) tonight to push me over the 250 mile target for the MMC with a few days spare, but I've not taken account of an incoming thunderstorm, or a meeting that overran by an hour.
And I've left my overshoes at home, and am wearing my brand new, out of the box this morning, shoes.

chunkytfg

Who needs to rant when I can just post a link to my morning commute!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDSYF1sunfU

bendertherobot

Lanes.

I mean, they are difficult. Pull in to let someone pass, they won't thank you. Don't pull in, they'll hate you.

And then there's the "closing speed." Even those drivers who would give vulnerable users space when overtaking seem reluctant to give you any when heading towards you.

And yesterday's incident wasn't really about threat. It was about how far we've come.

I come round the corner on bike, he comes round in car. We meet just as we see each other. Neither yields but we both move slowly (all taking place over yards). Neither of us has a space to pull into, neither can really back up easily.

He stops, I move past at walking space, stick up a hand of thanks. He puts down window, says I could thank him. I say that I am doing so.

This upsets him and he asks, with an absolutely straight face that:

"Why didn't you pull in up there (which would require some psychic ability), you could have scratched my vehicle."

Yep, it's all about the vehicle.

vpnikolov

bendertherobot wrote:

"Why didn't you pull in up there (which would require some psychic ability), you could have scratched my vehicle."

Yep, it's all about the vehicle.

He could've scratched the bike if it was the other way around. :twisted:

Some drivers are sad human beings.

UndercoverElephant

Had a huge rigmarole rebuilding the rear wheel of the Scott last month. I wanted to re-use the hub, so ended up getting a slightly esoteric rim combination and a load of new spokes. I loved that hub, see. OK, so I've had it five years, but it was the smoothest running hub I've ever known. Made by Francesco Moser himself* and just a superb bit of engineering. No longer available, in fact I can't even find much mention of them online anymore.

Yesterday when I was riding in I noticed it slipping when I put the power down, getting worse and worse. Took the cassette off and the freehub is split length-ways where my awesome power has torn the metal in two. Chances of getting a replacement freehub are somewhat nil.

I think you should know I'm feeling very depressed.

*Okay, probably not him personally, but it's Moser branded.