Silly commuting racing

sgt.pepper

itboffin wrote:

Sgt.Pepper wrote:

First time riding in with the wife on her ebike. It does the same speed uphill as it does on the flat :shock:

Awesome drafting no doubt

It cruises at about 15-17mph, so pretty lacklustre drafting :?

DrHaggis wrote:

Sgt.Pepper wrote:

First time riding in with the wife on her ebike. It does the same speed uphill as it does on the flat :shock:

If it's anything decent, I wouldn't race her up a 3km@7% hill. I know from experience :oops:

Ha, that's basically exactly what I did this morning. She was chatting away at about 12-15mph up this long, building incline. I would've really struggled if I was on one of the tourers and not the road bike. It's a rear hub one and not central drive, so basically has a single gear in the motor to spin away, which limits the top speed but gives her a great average speed.

tgotb

Turns out Veronese68 is a half-way decent cyclocross rider...

veronese68

TGOTB wrote:

Turns out Veronese68 is a half-way decent cyclocross rider...

Rather slow though
Amazing how tired my hands got doing that, good fun all the same. A very slow ride in to work this morning, seems I wasn't the only one leaving for work late this morning.

vimfuego

Well that was fun

Set of as early as I used to (on the road just after 6) to make sure i had no issues with locating a parking spot / queueing for the shower etc. Needn't have worried. I'll lie in next time.
Anyway, not too much f*ckwittery today. Rode most of the way with someone else who semed to have started out in Epsom - not exactly a battle royale, but keeping pace well enough and no underhanded wacky racing. Got passed by a chap in a Castelli skinsuit - first one I've seen on CS7. Are aero bars considered to be mechanical doping? Either way, not even worth considering keeping up with him, he was turning a huge gear and absolutley caning it.
Otherwise, happily incident free.

Cheers Hopkins - Christmas beers it is!

smokey_bacon

Surprise detour through Battersea Park last night because Chelsea Embankment was closed off by the rozzers for what looked like an acident involving a bin lorry. Hopefully nothing serious. Quite quiet out this morning perhaps the fog is starting to put the summer cyclists off.

rhodrich

Smokey Bacon wrote:

Surprise detour through Battersea Park last night because Chelsea Embankment was closed off by the rozzers for what looked like an acident involving a bin lorry. Hopefully nothing serious. Quite quiet out this morning perhaps the fog is starting to put the summer cyclists off.

Apparently, there was a suspected unexploded WWII bomb (which turned out to be something else) found along there on a construction site....

https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/li ... b-15239184

hopkinb

So, if you are going to be a div and commute on vanity wheels, and this happens...



Make sure you have either

1. Inner tubes with long enough valves.
2. A spare valve extender
3. The right tools to remove a jammed valve extender.

Hobble of shame to Brixton cycles, who sold me a couple of inner tubes, and removed the jammed valve extender as well.

Thanks to Olas, who was right behind me, and checked I had everything (I thought I did...), and the lovely lady with a mobile bike cleaning business (on a cargo bike), who stopped and offered the use of tools and a track pump.

smokey_bacon

Rhodrich wrote:

Smokey Bacon wrote:

Surprise detour through Battersea Park last night because Chelsea Embankment was closed off by the rozzers for what looked like an acident involving a bin lorry. Hopefully nothing serious. Quite quiet out this morning perhaps the fog is starting to put the summer cyclists off.

Apparently, there was a suspected unexploded WWII bomb (which turned out to be something else) found along there on a construction site....

https://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/li ... b-15239184

Ah, that'll do it!

anonymousblackfg

hopkinb wrote:

So, if you are going to be a div and commute on vanity wheels, and this happens...

Make sure you have either

1. Inner tubes with long enough valves.
2. A spare valve extender
3. The right tools to remove a jammed valve extender.

Hobble of shame to Brixton cycles, who sold me a couple of inner tubes, and removed the jammed valve extender as well.

Thanks to Olas, who was right behind me, and checked I had everything (I thought I did...), and the lovely lady with a mobile bike cleaning business (on a cargo bike), who stopped and offered the use of tools and a track pump.

Oh dear, that's a f*cker, at least it didn't then go through the rim!

I wondered why so many blue lights on embankment last night but that bomb would explain it.

I did Wimbledon common for a bit of CX training last night and also now have some cross tyres to fit, hopefully they'll feel more comfortable trying to corner on speed on gravel than my slicks did last night.

DrLex

hopkinb wrote:

[...] and the lovely lady with a mobile bike cleaning business (on a cargo bike), who stopped and offered the use of tools and a track pump.

How very entrepreneurial of her! Did she also have a large thermos or perhaps an aeropress & jetboil to provide coffee for her clients?

kingstonian

3 near misses on the way home this evening, all were cars deciding to either pull out of or turn into side roads without looking to see what was coming. Was pretty relieved to get home in one piece.

roger_merriman

Kingstonian wrote:

3 near misses on the way home this evening, all were cars deciding to either pull out of or turn into side roads without looking to see what was coming. Was pretty relieved to get home in one piece.

Feck, some roads are worse for it, had a few near misses before sorting my route when I started at the new place about a year ago, was one back road that’s a rat run.

Oddly the main road that I now use mostly though much faster traffic it’s mostly good. I also have almost traffic free route that I use when the deer cull is on, or if I can’t be assed with traffic it’s a touch slower going but shorter so ends up same time.

sgt.pepper

Kingstonian wrote:

3 near misses on the way home this evening, all were cars deciding to either pull out of or turn into side roads without looking to see what was coming. Was pretty relieved to get home in one piece.

Do you run daytime flashers? Obviously not blaming you for their dangerous driving, but I do find that they've helped me get noticed more - particularly from the front.

roger_merriman

Sgt.Pepper wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

3 near misses on the way home this evening, all were cars deciding to either pull out of or turn into side roads without looking to see what was coming. Was pretty relieved to get home in one piece.

Do you run daytime flashers? Obviously not blaming you for their dangerous driving, but I do find that they've helped me get noticed more - particularly from the front.

I’d 2nd no victim blaming but equally I have found that running powerful though steady (front) lights has stopped folks on dull days well being dull and not looking, and probably for cars.

cjcp

rower63 wrote:

Chatted briefly to a guy I see quite a lot who rides from somewhere near RP to near St Paul's. He's Antipodean, generally quite competitive, normally seen spinning madly on an off-white Brompton. Today he said something I couldn't quite make out at Vauxhall Bridge lights. I didn't recognize him as Cream Brompton Man until a bit later when I worked out what he'd said: "It's easier to hold your wheel on a road bike". He was riding an old steel (Alu?) red, white and blue road bike with, in italics, "Terry Dolan" on the frame. never seen that before, old. Riding a Dolan myself, I complimented him on it and its 20-year-old Dura-Ace.

Yeah, started seeing that Dolan for the first time this year. As he said, easier for him to hold the wheel.

kingstonian

Sgt.Pepper wrote:

Kingstonian wrote:

3 near misses on the way home this evening, all were cars deciding to either pull out of or turn into side roads without looking to see what was coming. Was pretty relieved to get home in one piece.

Do you run daytime flashers? Obviously not blaming you for their dangerous driving, but I do find that they've helped me get noticed more - particularly from the front.

Yes, I do. So drivers not being able to see me isn’t a viable excuse. None of them were paying any attention to what was around them, they were all in a daze.

inbike

I think that part of the problem is that car running lights are so much brighter than they used to be, and mostly they are on all the time.

It sets expectations high and forces other road users to join in the visibility arms race.

jds_1981

inbike wrote:

I think that part of the problem is that car running lights are so much brighter than they used to be, and mostly they are on all the time.

It sets expectations high and forces other road users to join in the visibility arms race.

I was just thinking about this the other day. The auto-on feature means that whereas previously you'd be will into dusk before most cars turned their lights on, nowadays loads turn on with just a hint of darkness.

cjcp

Veronese68 wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Turns out Veronese68 is a half-way decent cyclocross rider...

Rather slow though
Amazing how tired my hands got doing that, good fun all the same. A very slow ride in to work this morning, seems I wasn't the only one leaving for work late this morning.

Just signed up.

Now need to make sure the bike works.

kingdav

I took an off-road ride out today, trying out the planetx vittoria tyres mentioned in the course of the CX discussion. I was the only one to be visited by the puncture fairy, she delivered in spades though! I lost count but remember installing a borrowed 4th tube and used a couple of patches in the course of the ride. Some nasty thorns out there!

Great fun this afternoon watching the Bec hill climb on white lane.

Gallywomack

Cold today but still just about OK in shorts and arm warmers.

Uneventful ride until the very last set of lights. As I approached, I could see a guy on a Brompton doing that weird thing of ostentatiously checking out the bike of the bloke to his right. I pulled up to the left of him and in my periphery I could see he immediately started giving my bike a thorough look-over. So after a few moments of this, I leaned across to him and said "It's a black one".

He seemed amused, I think

smokey_bacon

Cracked out the gillet and overshoes for the 1st time this season and managed to hit the sweetspot despite thinking i was overdressed. Got scalped (again!) by Rhodrich just before Embankment station, given the amount of people in the group I couldnt say hello. Otherwise pleasant trundle in for a Monday.

anonymousblackfg

CX tyres on and in via Wimbledon Common, a bit better navigating around the Royal Golf club should get ride of the bits of tarmac. Felt really good and quick, but not enough competition on the embankment to really test them on the road for drag.

rhodrich

cjcp wrote:

rower63 wrote:

Chatted briefly to a guy I see quite a lot who rides from somewhere near RP to near St Paul's. He's Antipodean, generally quite competitive, normally seen spinning madly on an off-white Brompton. Today he said something I couldn't quite make out at Vauxhall Bridge lights. I didn't recognize him as Cream Brompton Man until a bit later when I worked out what he'd said: "It's easier to hold your wheel on a road bike". He was riding an old steel (Alu?) red, white and blue road bike with, in italics, "Terry Dolan" on the frame. never seen that before, old. Riding a Dolan myself, I complimented him on it and its 20-year-old Dura-Ace.

Yeah, started seeing that Dolan for the first time this year. As he said, easier for him to hold the wheel.

I can confirm that he's back on the Brompton this morning. When I commented on this, he told me that his back wheel on the Brompton had now been replaced.

Still don't quite understand why someone would choose to commute such a long distance on a Brompton, unless part of their journey was by train.

martinc

Think I've only seen him on the ride in, through RP. Maybe he takes the train home. Still odd though.

cjcp

martinc wrote:

Think I've only seen him on the ride in, through RP. Maybe he takes the train home. Still odd though.

He rides both ways. Can't see the point in riding that distance on a Brommie. Maybe I'm missing something, though.

dekant

At a guess, they need to move between offices in central London a lot so it's useful for the short hops during the day rather than the main commute in and out.

veronese68

Wife still on crutches so had to drive her in before continuing to my work. Sign in RP saying Richmond Gate was shut so out at Ham to Petersham Road which was a clusterfuck due to the roadworks at Tommy Steele's. I hate sitting in traffic and was extremely jealous of all the cyclists breezing along. I can see why drivers get annoyed, but surely they should direct their ire at themselves for choosing to drive rather than at those with the sense not to.

cjcp

Veronese68 wrote:

Wife still on crutches so had to drive her in before continuing to my work. Sign in RP saying Richmond Gate was shut so out at Ham to Petersham Road which was a clusterfuck due to the roadworks at Tommy Steele's. I hate sitting in traffic and was extremely jealous of all the cyclists breezing along. I can see why drivers get annoyed, but surely they should direct their ire at themselves for choosing to drive rather than at those with the sense not to.

Richmond Gate was open when I went past at 7.40-ish.

veronese68

cjcp wrote:

Richmond Gate was open when I went past at 7.40-ish.

I knew it would be closing today until Wednesday and thought it maybe open initially, but the sign at Kingston roundabout made me doubt myself so bailed at Ham.