Silly commuting racing

girv73

Perv73 ?

Clever Pun

girv73 wrote:

Perv73 ?

Girth? you're in Ireland no? hence no mention... don't feel bad

girv73

I don't, I was just joining in with the funny names.

Greg T

Clever Pun wrote:

Grammargator
Bald Greg
Cripple Greg
FaceJunkie?

you guys about?

See what I did there?.... badly

LEMMEATIM,

Don't hold me back, I'm going to do him good and proper.

Bstard

I've got an unfortunate and unputoffable lump of "work" to do that's imposing on my secret weblife as a voyeur of pain and embarresment.

cjcp

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/animals/a ... 811051376/

Clever Pun

Greg T wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Grammargator
Bald Greg
Cripple Greg
FaceJunkie?

you guys about?

See what I did there?.... badly

LEMMEATIM,

Don't hold me back, I'm going to do him good and proper.

Bstard

I've got an unfortunate and unputoffable lump of "work" to do that's imposing on my secret weblife as a voyeur of pain and embarresment.

awww you still want that beer?

il_principe

Poor uptake on the beer front folks. Will anyone actually be there?

Greg T

I can't make it I'm afraid I've been booked by Mrs T for looking after Bianchi as if she hasn't sat on her arse all day watchingTrisha whilst I've been at work, working.

Jen J

jashburnham wrote:

Poor uptake on the beer front folks. Will anyone actually be there?

I would go, but it'll take me an hour or so to do my hair, and then half and hour for my make up, and then I'd have to travel there, and you're all just going for a quick drink...;)

lost_in_thought

Jen J wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

Poor uptake on the beer front folks. Will anyone actually be there?

I would go, but it'll take me an hour or so to do my hair, and then half and hour for my make up, and then I'd have to travel there, and you're all just going for a quick drink...;)

Jen, if it's still on I'll be there looking like a scarecrow.

Clever Pun

there's 3 takers... all only a swifty

sack it off till another time? From my point of view it make me cycle through brixton and that's bawls

il_principe

I pass the Morpeth on the way home regardless so I'm happy either way.

lost_in_thought

I'm not fussed either, so as there's a lean towards no I will raincheck and head back to Essex for the real suffolk ale and cider festival at my local.

If we get a late rush of attendees or yes votes my arm could be twisted!

Jen J

In all seriousness, I wouldn't get until probably 6.30 ish, and if you're all heading out swiftly, chances are I'll turn up and you'll all be gone

Next time maybe...and definitely on the 28th.

(I've heard the scarecrow look is latest thing for those achingly hip people that have got bored of their fixies...)

cjcp

Can't make it chaps. Was out on the beers last night and am having a curry tonight. I also need an early night and allow the blood levels in my alcohol system to recover.

gb155

Did a total of 19 miles today and one saw ONE bike, That was a hoodie Gangsta' on a BMX, He was of course passed, Not sure I would even think to call it a scalp though, Ahh well.

Bassjunkieuk

Made it pretty much all the way home this evening without passing a single cyclist. I eventually found one of the high-vis clan heading towards Thornton Heath Pond.
Before anyone jumps in with silly remarks about "oh so where you passed then?" what I actually mean was that it took me just over 11 miles of cycling to find this lonely HV heading in the same direction as me.

I saw a few people heading in the opposite direction, including the usual ones that aren't lit up very well! It really irks me when I see people that seem to care so little about themselves and others!

Jen J

Although I took the long way home, it was still only 3 miles, yet had 4 near misses.

- nearly clipped the kerb going onto a cycle path, as it's really narrow and the first time I've done it on a fixie.
- where the road bends right, with a side road from the left and the cycle path continues (off road) straight on, a car turned into the side road through the stationary traffic I was passing. I managed to slow down, but she then stopped right in front of me to wait to turn onto a drive! My first emergency unclipping moment, and I'm relieved that there was no bluster fluster as I would have expected, I simply unclipped, put my foot down and all was well.
- then on the said off road cycle path (which I only use when the traffic is completely blocked), a guy was walking his dog. Fortunately the dog was on a lead. Unfortunately the dog was on one side of the cycle path, the guy was on the other. I shouted at him from way back, and he moved to the middle, grudgingly allowing me enough space to squeeze by. I told him he was walking on a cycle path. He told me I didn't have a bell. He couldn't see this (I didn't though) but I shouted louder than a bell would have been. It was not a shared path - there was a perfectly adequate footpath, about 3m wide separated from the cycle path by a metre of grass (or a wall in places)
- I was nearly left-hooked for the first time. By now I was on high idiot-alert and slowed and the driver saw me before she actually cut across me, and stopped.

I nearly had another near miss, which was completely my fault. :oops:

I was dwelling on the idiocy of others, when I saw there were a couple of peds in the road. It was only then a realised I was approaching a red light. I slowed and still stopped a few metres before the crossing, but it made me realise that I need to constantly be aware of everything, regardless of what may have just happened. Always look to the near-future.

Bit of a ramble there, but my commute is usually so uneventful I don't get to post anything about it...

Jay dubbleU

End of my second week commuting, getting used to the bike now, adjusted the saddle so its comfortable and I seem to be getting fitter as I'm using my big ring more but my one regret is that I don't seem to have any competition on my route apart from creaky MTBs - got scalped by a roady yesterday but only because I was a bit later than usual - I've started riding in the evenings - my excuse is meeting Mrs JW from work but I suspect the bike bug has got me

Wrath Rob

well this sucks. Work seems to have banned BikeRadar so I can't get on during the day

Been an interesting few days, though only tonight brought some competition, but my kit let me down just as the race was on. At Vauxhal lights I pulled up next to a nice TriandRun TT bike. Away from the lights he jumps them and so has 30 yards on me. Strangely I catch him up so quickly that I almost ram into the back of him. Passing him I accelerate down the road, keen to stop him trying to draft me. After the next lights I hear someone behind me and up the power just as a roadie in Discovery Team lycra comes past, no ruck-sack but paniers levels the score. Game on!

I hold him up to Albert Bridge, catch a breather at the lights and then set following him off and down the slope. He faffs and pulls away slowly so I flash past, kick it up to 100% (without looking like I was trying of course) and then hope I can hold him off. The plan works, he doesn't come back past but I know he's there, lurking like a blue and yellow spider. Traffic backs up so I end up taking to the pavement (its a shared cycle path) to get to the other side of Albert Bridge, him shadowing me. Unfortunately a meandering ped caused me to emergency brake and then came the kit failure.

My handle bars slipped down about 3 inches with my sylph like weight on them. I tried to carry on to evade the grasp of the spider but its no use, The slip some more so I have to pull over to tighten them up. The spider scuttles off down the road, the battle postponed. Next time will be different.

m0scs

Is it just me or are the road surfaces getting worse?

I live in Hertfordshire, (just north of London for all of you on here who never leave the smoke and think the world ends at the begining of the M1. )

I would love to get a fast road bike but im wondering if I didnt make the right decision when I bought my MTB earlier this year,

I cycle a lot of back roads, in the dark (at this time of year) no street lighting, not much other traffic.

Normally when on the road I lock out my front suspension, with the flick of a lever on the front shock. The rear sus takes care of itself due to Specialized Brain fade technology.

Of late, even on some of the main roads, Im using Im finding huge pots holes. This is bad enough in daylight but you can at least see them ahead of you, not so in the dark. Also you cant always move out to the centre of the road to avoid a pothole if you have a vehicle coming up behind you, and stopping sharply isnt a good idea either. I've taken to jumping over some potholes.

I posted last week about my buckled front wheel and ripped tyre damaged due to poor road surfaces.

How do you guys and girls on your road bikes with very thin wheels and no suspension cope with this?

Maybe the roads elsewhere are better maintained, but I doubt it.

linsen

I tend to stick to bigger roads in the dark. Try a second good light pointing more down to the road?

itboffin

I usually ride far enough away from the curb that I avoid most potholes but failing that a quick bunny hop does the trick.

I have to say even with some pretty nasty road surfaces it's still not to bad having no suspension and thin tyres, does help if you get out of the saddle mind.

If the road surface is really bad you could always report it http://www.fillthathole.org.uk/

Jen J

Well I've just managed 30 miles across South London. Including loads of hills. On the fixie. In the torrential rain.

Do I get loads of MTFU points?

Bassjunkieuk

JJ, I feel your pain as I had a few close calls last night. The worst one being as I was giving it some down a small dual lane on a hill. I was in the middle as I need to be in RH lane at the end for a turn. There was a bus just about to pull out of the bus stop with no cars ahead in the LH lane and I was probably doing around 25mph (couldn't see cycle comp as it's dark, I'm basing this on speeds from summer). One of the drivers in the RH lane indicated to pull over, I immediately jumped on the brakes but luckily they spotted my lights and pulled back into their lane. Was a bit close for my liking, but still the outcome was good!

M0scs, I've hit a few bad patches on my road bike and have been quite surprised how well the wheels have held up. I've even come down a few kerbs and have only had to true the back wheel once but I have no idea how it got so buckled as I'm sure it was OK before I parked it in the bike racks that day......... If anything the main thing I have to watch out for is the narrow tyres get stuck in drain covers and occasionally I get sketchy traction going throguh small ruts that are just wide enough for the tyres to slot into. I try to avoid them where possible but still hit them occasionally, just thankful I seem to have a good sense of balance!

Bassjunkieuk

Jen J wrote:

Well I've just managed 30 miles across South London. Including loads of hills. On the fixie. In the torrential rain.

Do I get loads of MTFU points?

There's no hills in South London, unless you ventured over towards Crystal Palace :-D
Kudos for doing it in the rain on the fixie tho!

Jen J

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

Jen J wrote:

Well I've just managed 30 miles across South London. Including loads of hills. On the fixie. In the torrential rain.

Do I get loads of MTFU points?

There's no hills in South London, unless you ventured over towards Crystal Palace :-D
Kudos for doing it in the rain on the fixie tho!

I invented my own route (ie got lost and went the long way) over to Catford Hill. I stopping noticing the road names, but I rode on Herne Hill, Dog Kennel Hill (I previously knew those so remembered being there) and loads more. I know at one point I went through West Norwood - that's by Crystal Palace isn't it?

Jen J

Oh, and the near misses I had today make yesterday's list look even more laughable. Can't rememebr details, but I know I shouted FFS a lot.

Bassjunkieuk

It's close enough :-) Herne Hill is quite fun, although I normally do Denmark Hill and then turn off towards Dulwich and tackle the climb upto Crystal Palace from that side having come past Dulwich Park.

There's some fairly short and sharp hills coming from Norwood towards South Norwood that are quite fun as well, I'm slowly working my way round them as I find them :-)

snooks

Jen J wrote:

Well I've just managed 30 miles across South London. Including loads of hills. On the fixie. In the torrential rain.

Do I get loads of MTFU points?

Did 19 miles in torrential rain, and a headwind from East London to Twickenham...Still faster than taking the train/public transport though

Wet? I've been swimming and stayed dryer! It comes to something when the cycle lane is 6 inches under water, that's if the cycle lane is still there and hasn't washed away!!

No hills though