Silly commuting racing

m0scs

Wrath Rob wrote:

I saw a failed wolf-in-sheeps-clothing today. What looked like a MTB went past me up Southwark Bridge, remembering my MTFU juice I caught and held him (no passing due to the kurbed off cycle lane) down to the lights on the other side. I had a look at his bike which appeared to be a bit of a Frankenbike, with the frame, forks, wheels, gears etc off of a road bike and then the handlebars and bar ends from a MTB! And no, it wasn't a hybrid before some clever clogs asks

So, nice try mate but why don't you stick the proper 'bars back on the bike and reveal yourself, rather than sluking around pretending to have a high FCN?

Im not entirely sure what the difference is between hybrid and flat barred road bike.

I thought most hybrids were effectively road bikes, road wheels and gears with a flat bar for a more comforatable ride. Spec Sirrus etc seem to be just that.

I have an MTB with full suss and mtb gears but with road tyres. I def still think of this an MTB, so what exactly is the spec of a Hybtid?

Anyway, on the subject of clean bikes riding nicer I had a new rear cassette and chain put on my bike last week. Shiney

Seems to have made a lot of difference in the smoothness of the ride without all that built up black crud on the chain. Must make a note to clean my bike at least once a week particularly now the weather is crappy.

tailwindhome

Only 9 posts during office hours on a Monday?


The recession bites?

linsen

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

Only 9 posts during office hours on a Monday?


The recession bites?

or everyone's feeling guilty about posting at work.....

It won't last

mtb.boy

I watched a BMX and a MTB having a race tonight. The BMX was good downhill and on the flat but kept getting overtaken uphill.

mtb.boy

I watched a BMX and a MTB having a race tonight. The BMX was good downhill and on the flat but kept getting overtaken uphill.

ansbaradigeidfran

As I cycled in to work this morning, shortly after nine, a gentleman on something hybrid-y turned out in front of me. He was kind enough to offer me his scalp in the half-mile that I had to travel. That brings me to a total of two scalps, having been passed by one roadie a month or so back.

Admittedly, given my FCN, I'm lower than anything without a trailer/basket, and I shouldn't count being dropped by a roadie, but as the pickings are so slim at the time of day I tend to be out I'm going to MTFU and count it.

Wrath Rob

m0scs wrote:

Im not entirely sure what the difference is between hybrid and flat barred road bike.

I thought most hybrids were effectively road bikes, road wheels and gears with a flat bar for a more comforatable ride. Spec Sirrus etc seem to be just that.

I have an MTB with full suss and mtb gears but with road tyres. I def still think of this an MTB, so what exactly is the spec of a Hybtid?

Anyway, on the subject of clean bikes riding nicer I had a new rear cassette and chain put on my bike last week. Shiney

Seems to have made a lot of difference in the smoothness of the ride without all that built up black crud on the chain. Must make a note to clean my bike at least once a week particularly now the weather is crappy.

A fair point, but when I got next to him the frame looked like a racer, including the carbon aero front works and thin tube rear triangle which you don't normally see on a hybrid. Admittedly I'm no expert but I calls em like I see em!

The ride home tonight was uneventful apart from the 1/2 inch glass sliver through my Gatorskins and the corresponding puncture. Had a nice dual with 3 other roadies on various parts of the Embankment but no-one came out on top before I had to turn off onto Lotts Road.

prj45

lost_in_thought wrote:

In SCR news, I took the chiswick route in this morning, really slow, lots of traffic and seemingly about double the amount of lights to my uxbridge road commute.

Uxbridge road is pig ugly though.

I take Chiswick route these days as I head down toward Cheyne walk. turning round that last corner and blasting it along the riverside after dealing with all the traffic bunging up earls court is a joy, especially when the sun's coming up over the south bank of the Thames, like a big egg yolk floating around in a big blue aquarium.

If anybody knows a better way to drop down from hammersmiffish to Cheyne walk (other than snarled up old Earls court but avoiding horrible Fulham) then please let me know!

snooks

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

Only 9 posts during office hours on a Monday?


The recession bites?

Naa it's a Monday, everyone either go the train or has work to do today...Wait till tomorrow, things will be back to normal....



I hope

jonginge

Oh no! I got passed going up Millbank this morning, Passed, I tell you*. That hasn't happened in open commuting traffic for a while. Passed. Gah. I didn't let him drop me, though, but it hurt, hurt bad.

Wanted: new legs. The old ones have been malfunctioning since last thursday

* by a hairy roadie in Disco shorts and a hi-hiz jacket

greg66_tri_v2.0

JonGinge wrote:

Oh no! I got passed going up Millbank this morning, Passed, I tell you*. That hasn't happened in open commuting traffic for a while. Passed. Gah. I didn't let him drop me, though, but it hurt, hurt bad.

Wanted: new legs. The old ones have been malfunctioning since last thursday

* by a hairy roadie in Disco shorts and a hi-hiz jacket

Where's the gradient on Millbank?

What time? I'm building a list of targets. Anyone who wears Disco kit deserves everything they get ...

daniel_b

Ahhh, I've just realised what you meant by 'Disco shorts'

I had a vision of you being passed by a hairy roadie in gold hotpants :shock:

I did think that was a tad unusual.......

jonginge

There's a marginal gradient up to the roundabout But by up millbank I mean into town not t'other way.

Anyway, the Disco chap wasn't that quick It's just that my legs have fallen off and I need to MTFU

Dan: I also had that image when writing the post but I quickly banished it with a shudder

lost_in_thought

OK, ok, ok... What are disco shorts if they're not spangly cycling shorts?

Stupid travelling stops my cycling. Stupid tube.

cjcp

lost_in_thought wrote:

OK, ok, ok... What are disco shorts if they're not spangly cycling shorts?

Stupid travelling stops my cycling. Stupid tube.

Discovery Channel. :P

Clever Pun

took a another fixed twice today and I managed to bin a guy who looked fast on his winter hack conalgo (still had a record bottle holder mind) and kitted in a smattering of nice rapha... that was quite pleasing.. I did have to push that one.

lost_in_thought

cjcp wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

OK, ok, ok... What are disco shorts if they're not spangly cycling shorts?

Stupid travelling stops my cycling. Stupid tube.

Discovery Channel. :P

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh suddenly it's all so abundantly clear.

There's a disco bike (see, I'm learning) that is often parked outside my office. It's all rather, um, disco!

jonginge

cjcp wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

OK, ok, ok... What are disco shorts if they're not spangly cycling shorts?

Stupid travelling stops my cycling. Stupid tube.

Discovery Channel. :P

http://www.cyclingnews.com/photos/2007/ ... 4/DV212469

Ok. probably could have got a better pic but I like the dejection of the chicken (followed by the ejection a few days later)

Sewinman

JonGinge wrote:

Oh no! I got passed going up Millbank this morning, Passed, I tell you*. That hasn't happened in open commuting traffic for a while. Passed. Gah. I didn't let him drop me, though, but it hurt, hurt bad.

Wanted: new legs. The old ones have been malfunctioning since last thursday

* by a hairy roadie in Disco shorts and a hi-hiz jacket

Good on you for sharing. I have recently been questioning the validity of some posts on here - scalping carnage and Waterloo-esque victories on a dialy basis. Is there a possibility that there may be some faster cyclists than those that post on this here thread!? For instance has L_I_T ever been passed?

*hides behind keyboard*

cjcp

JonGinge wrote:

Oh no! I got passed going up Millbank this morning, Passed, I tell you*. That hasn't happened in open commuting traffic for a while. Passed. Gah. I didn't let him drop me, though, but it hurt, hurt bad.

Wanted: new legs. The old ones have been malfunctioning since last thursday

* by a hairy roadie in Disco shorts and a hi-hiz jacket

Jon - if it makes you feel any better, I was passed in RP this morning for the first time in a long while. In my defence, I was pootling and had just finished fiddling with my overshoe, but he still passed me. Once I'd regained my speed (and calmed down from the outrage of it all), I caught up with him, but we then took different routes out of Roehampton Gate.

lost_in_thought

Sewinman wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Oh no! I got passed going up Millbank this morning, Passed, I tell you*. That hasn't happened in open commuting traffic for a while. Passed. Gah. I didn't let him drop me, though, but it hurt, hurt bad.

Wanted: new legs. The old ones have been malfunctioning since last thursday

* by a hairy roadie in Disco shorts and a hi-hiz jacket

Good on you for sharing. I have recently been questioning the validity of some posts on here - scalping carnage and Waterloo-esque victories on a dialy basis. Is there a possibility that there may be some faster cyclists than those that post on this here thread!? For instance has L_I_T ever been passed?

*hides behind keyboard*

Of course I have! By cars mostly.

I'm both a) willing to run myself ragged in order to catch people and b) lucky enough to cycle mostly on bike-free roads!

However, you should note my post a while ago about the return of my nemesis on the uxbridge road - the man with the red rims.... red rims... I'll reel him in eventually.

If I cycled on the Embankment with the rest of the big boys, I'd be scalped constantly.

cjcp

Sewinman wrote:

JonGinge wrote:

Oh no! I got passed going up Millbank this morning, Passed, I tell you*. That hasn't happened in open commuting traffic for a while. Passed. Gah. I didn't let him drop me, though, but it hurt, hurt bad.

Wanted: new legs. The old ones have been malfunctioning since last thursday

* by a hairy roadie in Disco shorts and a hi-hiz jacket

Good on you for sharing. I have recently been questioning the validity of some posts on here - scalping carnage and Waterloo-esque victories on a dialy basis. Is there a possibility that there may be some faster cyclists than those that post on this here thread!? For instance has L_I_T ever been passed?

*hides behind keyboard*

Remember, there is always someone faster than you...

I saw a chap on a Soloist this morning, just coming off North side of Albert Bridge. For a very brief moment, the legs and lungs went to Def Con 2 on the basis that this was The Great Man, himself: Mr G66.

However, the moment passed when I spotted the race blade and the fact that he wasn't sporting his autumnal range of New England-in-the-Fall reddy/orange. He also went straight on instead of turning onto Embankment so no chance of my first duel with a Cervelo.

edhornby

I managed to obtain a scalp last night, I was waiting at the lights when a geared road bike got the run of the green lights as they changed.. I clipped in, chased, rolled past him and dropped him. Job done, then as I turned off into my street he shouted at me 'it's not a race you know !'

oh yes it is my friend....

mind you I regularly get scalped by a girl (who is somewhat foxy and rides a cervelo so that makes it ok)

Bassjunkieuk

After an extended commute this morning (owing to me thinking I left the laptop PSU @ home) I managed to pickup a rather nice scalp!
On the 2nd outward bound journey I was heading towards the lights for some road works and spotted what appeared to be a worthy foe!

As I approached he was doing a lovely trackstand on a nicely kitted out Robert's (custom builder in the Croydon area) bike with Fulcrum Racing 7's! As the lights changed and after the car ahead of us RLJ'd we set off. He smiled when I mentioned "Yep that was still red" as we moved off in pursuit of the car. He seemed to be settling in but wasn't going fast enough for my liking so I moved out and overtook :twisted:

Held him off for the length of the main road through Croydon and we eventually parted ways as I took the bus lane past the tram stop and he went down the underpass.

Greg T

I played a bit part in an Embankment meat train last night pushing out some serios wattage...

One of the players was riding a trick fixed with reflective Rapha across his arse. He caught me napping at one of the last sets of lights on the Embankment and I had to make do with following him through Fulham before unloading the bomb bays on Parsons Green.

He then drafted me to beneath the towering majesty of Col de Puyney Bridge. I hit the big red go button with both hands to keep him off over the col before easing off for the descent. My spidey senses were buzzing, he was on my six and lining me up for a spanking by the Dukes Head.

Ba Da Boom! I kept my pace with the traffic and our man didn't fancy his chances, Queens Ride came and went, he was still on the cusp of attacking but didn't have the horsepower... Bolan Death bridge, by which time I'm tiring but am keeping up the revs - still no move. He shoots the ambers at the bottom as I'm braking, just as well I think my eyes were bleeding...

Also in the news today, I stopped for a burd with a Bianchi and a flat on the Embankment today. A Polish girl who had no kit, I swapped her tube for her, she wanted to pay me but I declined - she gave me a hug instead!

Bonus!

Many thanks to the girl who lent me her pump as I found that my Blackburn died on me.

Beat that - a hug from a burd on Bianchi!

snooks

Got me a roadie this morning and he only got me back approaching lights, but he was a roadie and I was a slicked rusty mtb. Neer Neerrrr Mr Roadie, take that, on yer shiny blue Trek.

But to be honest I had the moral high ground this morning. I stopped to help some fella with a puncture, he had the wrong sized gas cartridges, I had a pump

Anyway...What about the forecast this morning? "light drizzle to start off with" "light drizzle" light frigging drizzle? My wet rse was it light drizzle, that was rain in places! :evil:

greg66_tri_v2.0

cjcp wrote:

I saw a chap on a Soloist this morning, just coming off North side of Albert Bridge. For a very brief moment, the legs and lungs went to Def Con 2 on the basis that this was The Great Man, himself: Mr G66.

However, the moment passed when I spotted the race blade and the fact that he wasn't sporting his autumnal range of New England-in-the-Fall reddy/orange. He also went straight on instead of turning onto Embankment so no chance of my first duel with a Cervelo.

You'll need defcon 5 to deal with me at the moment. I tried some tempo riding this morning. Felt ok. For the last 2 hours the ol' back has been telling me that it was, in fact, a Very Bad Idea.

Still, progress of a sort. At least I can maintain tempo riding now. Journey of 1000 miles and all that...

lost_in_thought

Greg66 wrote:

You'll need defcon 5 to deal with me at the moment. I tried some tempo riding this morning. Felt ok. For the last 2 hours the ol' back has been telling me that it was, in fact, a Very Bad Idea.

Still, progress of a sort. At least I can maintain tempo riding now. Journey of 1000 miles and all that...

I've told you once already, you need panniers! That courier bag will be doing you no favours whatsoever.

DonDaddyD

I cannot take it anymore!

I swear to everything ever deemed holy that if I see the guy that wrought upon me this pain by stealing my seat post and saddle... <<Omitted due to several obscenities>>

Two days into commuting by train and I’m ready to go insane! Why I didn’t just fix my Giant M2 (currently needing a new tyre, innertube and service) until my new seat post and saddle arrives I do not know.

The thought of riding anything without 700c wheels and clipless makes my back stiffen with pain. But for the love of Victoria Pendleton! Any bike (that fits me) at this stage would be better than having to walk to the train station, being shoved onto a train and then standing underneath someone’s armpit as someone else coughs in my face. Certainly not my idea of a threesome!

I need freedom; I need to be free, I need to feel the cold air flowing through my tight Afro-Caribbean curls. I miss the pain in the top of my thighs as I push that much harder to go that little bit faster! I miss pounding the open air; trying to beat the lights and changing onto that gear that makes traversing the open road feel effortless. I miss terrifying the hell out of motorists as I filter past their stationary cars a mere millimetre away from their wing mirrors and I miss pissing them off further as they have no choice but to sit in traffic like lemmings. I want to feel the tight grip of lycra on my skin again! I miss the absolute glory of claiming a scalp and knowing that on my road I own I am king!

When I get home tonight I’m going to dress in my cycle gear (lycra padded shorts, cycle top, gloves, helmet) and walk around in my cycle shoes just so that I can embrace the memory of the joy that was once an everyday pleasure.

I cannot take it anymore, I can’t.

DonDaddyD

YES YES YES!

My seat and saddle have arrived!!!

Now to devise a plan to leave work in the middle of the day go and pick it up and make it back to work inside an hour before anyone notices!

Tomorrow I shall 'cry havok and let slip the dogs of war!'