Your rants here.

straas

Nothing like forgetting to stick underwear in your panniers when you won't be home till Wednesday evening!

Kieran_Burns

mattomal wrote:

Nothing like forgetting to stick underwear in your panniers when you won't be home till Wednesday evening!

Wallis Willis will be proud

hatbeard

mattomal wrote:

Nothing like forgetting to stick underwear in your panniers when you won't be home till Wednesday evening!

get thee to a primarks!

as for my rant, cold, wet, WINDY start this morning and my bike decides to throw it's chain off the smallest chainring which my bike had magically shifted to without any intervention on my part just as I pulled out onto the main junction by deptford bridge dlr. luckily I was in the right turn lane and there was no right turners directly behind me so I could hop off and fettle roadside on the traffic island.

I also discovered that my brand new cadence sensor has had the spoke wheel sensor arm torn off sometime between last night and this morning. £30 down the f**king drain and I only got it at xmas. seriously angry about it. was installed correct so unsure how it happened. doubtful I'll have any joy from Garmin on a replacement though. GRRRR!

and some skidmark of a banker on a bojo bike decided he was clearly excused from any kind of traffic rules at bank, jumped a red, cut across a ped crossing and then tried to cut across my front wheel side on to get onto queen victoria street as I was trying to make the lights onto poultry.

on the upside I briefly met canny jock to pick up some more cheap classified goodies for an as of yet unbuilt bike ( ) and we had a sedate ride up to london bridge as traffic was twice as heavy as yesterdays at the exact same time in the morning. :roll:

soundninjauk

Dear Taxi Driver,

I understand that picking up fares is how you make your living, I really do. But was it necessary to swerve instantly left across 3 lanes? I hate to think what could have happened if I'd been immediately to your left instead of a car length behind.

But never let it be said that I only see the bad side of people. The road was at least clear of everything except me and the cyclist behind me, and you did indicate a nano-second before pulling the manoeuvre. Although I do think the time between indicating and moving was in fact, the time it took you to put your hand back on the steering wheel, rather than the time you took to check your mirrors.

Git.

hatbeard

oh and to the addison lee cabbie who rather than wait for me to finish getting up to speed on the sloped approach to the southern london bridge junction when I was riding in primary because I was just about to catch up with the queue of traffic moving off from the green light in front of us you decided you'd overtake by only going half into the other side of the road thus passing me with about 12 inches to spare.

you put my life at potential risk and you gained a net total of one car length for your actions I know this as I was sitting right on your bumper matching your speed until we got onto the bridge. you are a james blunt of the highest order sir :evil:

sketchley

Scooters Riders, dont shake you head at me becuase you got blocked by me leaving having been sitting at the front of the ASL. Read the highway code you shouldn't of been in the ASL in the first place! If you had been correctly positioned in the first place I would not of had to position my bike where I did.

airbusboy

Buses ( and other vehicles) stopping in the cycle box at traffic lights.....

Typically with buses I use them to lean on, right next to the driver, saving myself from un-clipping :-)

WesternWay

Roads: You seem to have gained a lot of potholes over Christmas. Did Santa bring them?

lastant

WesternWay wrote:

Roads: You seem to have gained a lot of potholes over Christmas. Did Santa bring them?

There's a peach of a pothole that's opened up about a yard into the carriageway and about fifty yards heading up from Leicester Square station on Charing Cross Road.

Almost a perfect circle I think, maybe a foot across and perhaps five inches deep?

Have managed to hit it both days on my commute this week...

rjsterry

Watch out for the F***-off moon crater just after the eastbound exit of the Blackfriars tunnel - right where you would be riding, and a good 4" deep with sharp edges. A real wheel-eater.

W1

lastant wrote:

WesternWay wrote:

Roads: You seem to have gained a lot of potholes over Christmas. Did Santa bring them?

There's a peach of a pothole that's opened up about a yard into the carriageway and about fifty yards heading up from Leicester Square station on Charing Cross Road.

Almost a perfect circle I think, maybe a foot across and perhaps five inches deep?

Have managed to hit it both days on my commute this week...

I swear I could see the river flowing beneath one pothole on Putney bridge last week.

cjcp

W1 wrote:

lastant wrote:

WesternWay wrote:

Roads: You seem to have gained a lot of potholes over Christmas. Did Santa bring them?

There's a peach of a pothole that's opened up about a yard into the carriageway and about fifty yards heading up from Leicester Square station on Charing Cross Road.

Almost a perfect circle I think, maybe a foot across and perhaps five inches deep?

Have managed to hit it both days on my commute this week...

I swear I could see the river flowing beneath one pothole on Putney bridge last week.

PB is in a hell of a state.

And has anyone seen the crater that's opened up about 100 yards before the lights at the Thames St/Southwark Bridge junction (heading east)? Not funny.

suzyb

The morning travel gives a general warning to motorists to watch out for potholes now. News this morning said it could cost £100 million to fix :?

georgee

I found these two individuals responsible for the bridge when I did a Freedom of Info Request to work out why they’d wasted so much money on the poor efforts at repair/cycle facilities on the bridge. I suggest anyone to feel free to drop them a note to ask if anyone has yet been hit by traffic while trying to negotiate the Putney Bridge Road surface.

Brendan Gillman – Contract Engineering Services – Wandsworth BC
BGillman@wandsworth.gov.uk

Dalton Cenac
dcenac@wandsworth.gov.uk

Also i've just e-mail the chairman of the transport committee

sketchley

suzyb wrote:

The morning travel gives a general warning to motorists to watch out for potholes now. News this morning said it could cost £100 million to fix :?

I'll do it for £85 million.....

Gussio

georgee wrote:

I found these two individuals responsible for the bridge when I did a Freedom of Info Request to work out why they’d wasted so much money on the poor efforts at repair/cycle facilities on the bridge. I suggest anyone to feel free to drop them a note to ask if anyone has yet been hit by traffic while trying to negotiate the Putney Bridge Road surface.

Brendan Gillman – Contract Engineering Services – Wandsworth BC
BGillman@wandsworth.gov.uk

Dalton Cenac
dcenac@wandsworth.gov.uk

Also i've just e-mail the chairman of the transport committee

Putney Bridge heading South is a f*cking disgrace. The bus lane has developed some wierd waves in the tarmac and so much debris has washed out of the potholes that it is like riding on marbles at the approach to the traffic lights. One of the least favourite parts of my commute.

rjsterry

cjcp wrote:

And has anyone seen the crater that's opened up about 100 yards before the lights at the Thames St/Southwark Bridge junction (heading east)? Not funny.

Yep, that's the one I mentioned - right on the 'natural cycling line' and looks like it would damage a truck wheel let alone a bike.

secretsam

Bankers.

What a bunch of see-you-next-Tuesdays.

They got us into this mess, we pay for it and they laugh at us whilst guzzling huge bonuses to p155 away on utter sh17e.

B**tards.

W1

SecretSam wrote:

They got us into this mess.....

Oh really?

Nothing about poor regulation?

Nothing about irresponsible borrowing?

And 50% of their bonus goes straight back to the government.

And all bankers? Mrs Miggins behind the counter at Natwest too then?

I wonder whether you have a good understanding of the issues, or just read the headlines....

pinkbikini

rjsterry wrote:

cjcp wrote:

And has anyone seen the crater that's opened up about 100 yards before the lights at the Thames St/Southwark Bridge junction (heading east)? Not funny.

Yep, that's the one I mentioned - right on the 'natural cycling line' and looks like it would damage a truck wheel let alone a bike.

Reported now - it's a potential life-wrecker. Surprised that I couldn't see it on the fillthathole.org map until I registered it. I'll assume that someone was proactive and reported it elsewhere prior to having a rant about it on an internet forum.
And that's my first rant - I swore to myself that I'd never bother with this thread!

UndercoverElephant

W1 wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

They got us into this mess.....

Oh really?

Nothing about poor regulation?

It's not my fault, Sir, it's yours for not explicitly closing the loopholes I wanted to exploit for my own gain. I can't be held responsible for my actions, you should have told me not to do it, Sir.

W1 wrote:

Nothing about irresponsible borrowing?

No, no, Sir, it's not my fault that all these people were given mortgages when they didn't have a hope in hell of paying it back. How can I be expected to check that people can afford to pay back what I lend them?

W1 wrote:

And 50% of their bonus goes straight back to the government.

They pay tax? I doubt it, certainly not the real big earners. Actually you should add in the 20% they'll pay back with VAT, that sounds much better, they give 60% of it straight back to the government. They're like a regular bunch of saints.

W1 wrote:

And all bankers? Mrs Miggins behind the counter at Natwest too then?

She's the bloody worst. Makes good pies, though.

W1 wrote:

I wonder whether you have a good understanding of the issues, or just read the headlines....

Nope, neither.

dhope

SecretSam wrote:

Bankers.

What a bunch of see-you-next-Tuesdays.

They got us into this mess, we pay for it and they laugh at us whilst guzzling huge bonuses to p155 away on utter sh17e.

B**tards.

Homeowners
Greedy f*ckwits remortgaging when they don't have the salary to back it up, driving up the cost of homes for first time buyers.

Ah, if only it were all so simple.

dhope

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Nope, neither.

It shows...

W1

UndercoverElephant wrote:

complex quoting

Ah, 70% tax - good point.

So you think that only the bankers had any input or responsibility for the world recession, like Secret Sam does?

UndercoverElephant

W1 wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

complex quoting

Ah, 70% tax - good point.

So you think that only the bankers had any input or responsibility for the world recession, like Secret Sam does?

60%, you can only pay VAT on what you have left after income tax and NI, even a banker can't claim to be that altruistic.

I don't think that bankers have sole responsibility, to be honest, but they have to take a fair old chunk. I've known people offered mortgages at 6.5 times salary with little or no deposit, and then the bank said they'd take into account a non-guaranteed bonus as well. How the hell is that going to be paid back if times get rough? Yes, people have a responsibility to do their own sums, but if a trained financial advisor is telling most people this stuff, it's a very dangerous and compelling argument.

There are people drawn to the banking industry who are just plain greedy, and are willing to do anything for their own, personal gain. Obviously better regulation is required, but surely that should have come from within the banking industry itself a long time since?

cyclingpast

Absolute James Blunt walked out in front of me cycling through Clapham Junction yesterday morning. Hopefully my perfectly timed loud 'OI' induced the stickey brown adrenaline in his pants...

Clever Pun

UndercoverElephant wrote:

W1 wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

They got us into this mess.....

Oh really?

Nothing about poor regulation?

It's not my fault, Sir, it's yours for not explicitly closing the loopholes I wanted to exploit for my own gain. I can't be held responsible for my actions, you should have told me not to do it, Sir.

W1 wrote:

Nothing about irresponsible borrowing?

No, no, Sir, it's not my fault that all these people were given mortgages when they didn't have a hope in hell of paying it back. How can I be expected to check that people can afford to pay back what I lend them?

W1 wrote:

And 50% of their bonus goes straight back to the government.

They pay tax? I doubt it, certainly not the real big earners. Actually you should add in the 20% they'll pay back with VAT, that sounds much better, they give 60% of it straight back to the government. They're like a regular bunch of saints.

W1 wrote:

And all bankers? Mrs Miggins behind the counter at Natwest too then?

She's the bloody worst. Makes good pies, though.

W1 wrote:

I wonder whether you have a good understanding of the issues, or just read the headlines....

Nope, neither.

Yes the 'bankers' get taxed if it's a cash bonus it's paye in so it's gets 1/2'd straight away, more senior guys will get stock options which can't be realised for 2 years (for example)

with the exceptions of the part government owned banks I really can't see whose fu<king business it is other than the company themselves.

Same every year some big number get bandied around and loads of people get jealous and upset. They chose that career path good for them.

There's no point in being bitter about what other people are doing; live your own life and do what you want to do.

rjsterry

Clever Pun wrote:

Yes the 'bankers' get taxed if it's a cash bonus it's paye in so it's gets 1/2'd straight away, more senior guys will get stock options which can't be realised for 2 years (for example)

with the exceptions of the part government owned banks I really can't see whose fu<king business it is other than the company themselves.

Same every year some big number get bandied around and loads of people get jealous and upset. They chose that career path good for them.

There's no point in being bitter about what other people are doing; live your own life and do what you want to do.

Amen.

suzyb

Clever Pun wrote:

Yes the 'bankers' get taxed if it's a cash bonus it's paye in so it's gets 1/2'd straight away, more senior guys will get stock options which can't be realised for 2 years (for example)

with the exceptions of the part government owned banks I really can't see whose fu<king business it is other than the company themselves.

Same every year some big number get bandied around and loads of people get jealous and upset. They chose that career path good for them.

There's no point in being bitter about what other people are doing; live your own life and do what you want to do.

Not everyone chooses what they want to do (not exactly anyway). But if you're too stupid to get the level of education required for a certain career then you have to find something else.

cyclingpast

suzyb wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Yes the 'bankers' get taxed if it's a cash bonus it's paye in so it's gets 1/2'd straight away, more senior guys will get stock options which can't be realised for 2 years (for example)

with the exceptions of the part government owned banks I really can't see whose fu<king business it is other than the company themselves.

Same every year some big number get bandied around and loads of people get jealous and upset. They chose that career path good for them.

There's no point in being bitter about what other people are doing; live your own life and do what you want to do.

Not everyone chooses what they want to do (not exactly anyway). But if you're too stupid to get the level of education required for a certain career then you have to find something else.

+1 to that. It irritates me when I see these adverts for further education courses and it tells people that they don't need A-levels. If you didn't get A-levels then why on earth would you think that taking your education further is a good idea? They were supposedly academic courses being advertised as well, everything from english to physics!