Silly commuting racing

Jen J

Meh. Second day back from holiday and no biking this morning. Getting the tube into town as wearing a suit and no changing facilities where I'm going.

Each year we have to work instore for a day, so today I will be working in Selfridges trying to sell lots of perfume. Feel free to come and say hello if you're around Oxford Street. (And buy some perfume. Please :twisted: ).

greg66_tri_v2.0

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

The Giant is technically described as an 'Urban MTB' in the blurb - provided you're on reasonably slick tyres it does come a a shock to the roadies when they get passed - although I have to confess my score on roadies is in single figures - um - (shuffles feet)actually one
:oops:

Urban MTB? Wtf?

You know, for urban mountains.

It's so obvious really. The clue's in the name.

Ear! you takin der p*ss out of my bike ??

Means really that its urban proof - 36 spokes instead of 32, lightened MTB frame, 28/38/48 front ring go anywhere do anything (except pass roadies)

No, no, no. Not at all, my good man.

I'll callin' yer bike a POOF! :twisted:

Right - that's enough - we'll settle this like gentlemen

You're ugly and you're mother dresses you funny :evil:

Ah. I see.

Ahem. Your mother ... undresses you! Ha! :twisted:

don_don

snooks wrote:

Dave be true to yourself, mate. It's not good hiding behind a false persona and the anonymity of the web. The reason you're getting a wet, moist, dank head is that mask of the pretty girl you seem intent on hiding behind.

A word of warning though.....You'll be found out.

I know everyone at the SCR party said they were convinced by your "fancy" dress, but to be honest the stubble and braces were hidden by the dim lights, maybe they were being a bit polite, but mate, I could tell.

Also the next time you come to and SCR meet, don't leave your truck outside, and if you do, remember to lock it up!!!! No one really wants to see the contents of an Ann Summers lorry strewn over a pavement. While you were getting lashed the local herberts were helping themselves to all sorts of things that would make a grown up blush. Lyrca is one thing, what you were carrying in that truck was something completely different.

Oh and the pump you sold me won't fit my bike I wanted the presta...and those novelty pink inner tubes, weren't inner tubes...That's the last time I inflate anything you sell me on the train home! :shock:

I wasn't there, but what on earth were you smoking snooks? :shock:

Clever Pun

Nothing on the road at all except this guy who zipped past me as I set off from the lights... I thought yes this looks good... I get up to speed 24-25-27 sh!t he's still pulling away chapeau sir even if you are standing up a little too much...

snooks

No scalping action, but I did have a comedy incident when I rode into the back of a bus! :shock:

Bus going along, slowing and indicating left, I could see the bus stop ahead, so I changed down and started moving right. Bus stops for pedestrian crossing (the two sided one by Parsons Green, ped on far side of the road)

Wasn't expecting that! I break, because I'm changing gear my fingers slip of the front brake so I squeeze the back brake being careful not to lock up, get my finger back on the front brake, and squeeze, but it's too little too late. My front wheel touches the plastic (flexy) bit at the back of the bus I go forward in slow motion, and head but the churchill dog in the add on the back. All very slow speed, kind of like a crash test dummy video.

4 inches more and I would have stopped! Well I did stop, just using BB (Bus Braking) no damage to me, my bike, the bus or the Churchill dog

I cycled off with a smile on my face

biondino

Jen if Selfridges was 10 minutes closer I would totally be there

Man, it's colder when it's foggy! Three degrees when I left this morning, so I thought "no problem", but within 300 yards my teeny ears were blue with cold!

Also, today's ride made one thing clear: men need to MTFU. 90% of the cyclists I saw this morning were women, and a couple of nippy ones too - chapeau to the brunette on the blue hybrid who was cruising about 19mph, and chapeau too to the amazingly lithe and lycrad girl on the black Genesis who overtook me (at the lights obv) outside Buckingham Palace.

biondino

Nice work snooks! I did manage an accidental wheelie when I was about to set off from the lights at Piccadilly Circus only for a guy to step out into the road so I instinctively pulled back, but my foot was still pressing down and I did a fairly impressive BMX impression. Would have made me smile more if there hadn't been a bus behind me.

lost_in_thought

Clever Pun wrote:

I get up to speed 24-25-27

I bet you were on the Brompton...

I had a good one, guy on a planet X thing joined me just as I turned on to the main road that takes me all the way to town. Yaaaaaay!

Let him go in front, to see how fast he is. Manageable, I think to myself, manageable. Might have to push it a bit.

So we filter gaily through Acton high street then it's onto the fast bit. I engage the warp drive and I'm gone. Or so I think. I 'shoulder check' before 'going round a pothole' and he's a way back.

Then, a while later, I hear the click of a derailleur. I can't look immediately, stinks of trying, but I wait for another shoulder checking opportunity, and he's gained! Well done!

Then a red light, and he pulls alongside me. I sneak a look, and he's huffing and puffing like a good'un. Teeheehee!

Off we go again, I'm doing my patented standing-but-not-standing manoeuvre to accelerate, he's d!cking about with gears. And I've got him again. Look in a shop window, he's not in range.

Stop at another red, he sails through it and turns off.

BAD Planet X man. Go to your room.

lost_in_thought

Jen J wrote:

Meh. Second day back from holiday and no biking this morning. Getting the tube into town as wearing a suit and no changing facilities where I'm going.

Each year we have to work instore for a day, so today I will be working in Selfridges trying to sell lots of perfume. Feel free to come and say hello if you're around Oxford Street. (And buy some perfume. Please :twisted: ).

Actually I'll be at selfridges this lunchtime. I'll come find you!

Totalnewbie

Jen J wrote:

Meh. Second day back from holiday and no biking this morning. Getting the tube into town as wearing a suit and no changing facilities where I'm going.

Each year we have to work instore for a day, so today I will be working in Selfridges trying to sell lots of perfume. Feel free to come and say hello if you're around Oxford Street. (And buy some perfume. Please :twisted: ).

Aww it's wrong end of Oxford st for me or I would come and see you, I'm at the Oxford Circus end. My colleague's sister works for Selfridges, she gets good discounts...

snooks

lost_in_thought wrote:

I sneak a look, and he's huffing and puffing like a good'un. Teeheehee!

I can usually get away with a slow breathing at the lights after a good scalping; I'm not trying, I never try, see look at me I'm not even breathing heavily, I'm not gasping or puffing, my chest is static, see me, I'm fine, I'm so fine that all the layers I wear prevent me skin breathing properly, but I'm just peachy...You, on the other hand, look like you're run 5 marathons in a day..HA HA!

Unfortunately, with this cold weather, all the steam I'm slowly steadily exhaling looks like I'm sitting in a cloud!!!

Boo to the cold weather! :evil:

lost_in_thought

snooks wrote:

I can usually get away with a slow breathing at the lights after a good scalping; I'm not trying, I never try, see look at me I'm not even breathing heavily, I'm not gasping or puffing, my chest is static, see me, I'm fine, I'm so fine that all the layers I wear prevent me skin breathing properly, but I'm just peachy...You, on the other hand, look like you're run 5 marathons in a day..HA HA!

Unfortunately, with this cold weather all the steam I'm slowly steadily exhaling looks like I'm sitting in a cloud!!!

Boo to the cold weather! :evil:

I have some weird thing I've been noticing where I can zoom along really working for a reasonable distance without having to breathe heavily at all, then it kicks in after a while.

I don't know why this is, but I do know that it's great.

And yeah, stupid steam-breath. I've become quite good at skin-breathing, although it can make me feel rather nauseous if I overdo it.

cjcp

biondino wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Do any of our resident MTB commuters run out of gears on the flat?

On today's commutes, I was left clicking in thin air, so to speak, glancing down at my sprockets thinking, "What? You mean that's it?".

Nothing on the way home tonight, and I was really up for some Roadie-Worrying too.

I thought I'd found you - bloke going pretty fast on a MTB. I made the pass but couldn't lose him, not straight away anyway. I reckoned it wasn't you as I passed but couldn't really tell - the fact you didn't re-overtake 30 yards on convinced me it wasn't you after all

Yep, not me. Was a bit late this morning, so only action was a FG on Embankment who RLJ'ed, so that gave me the impetus to catch him. He then duly drafted me (The Big. Screaming. Wuss.) and went by me and jumped the next RL when I slowed down for it.

Hoping to get out of work at a sensible time tonight so I can pester roadies.

Jay dubbleU

Greg66 wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

The Giant is technically described as an 'Urban MTB' in the blurb - provided you're on reasonably slick tyres it does come a a shock to the roadies when they get passed - although I have to confess my score on roadies is in single figures - um - (shuffles feet)actually one
:oops:

Urban MTB? Wtf?

You know, for urban mountains.

It's so obvious really. The clue's in the name.

Ear! you takin der p*ss out of my bike ??

Means really that its urban proof - 36 spokes instead of 32, lightened MTB frame, 28/38/48 front ring go anywhere do anything (except pass roadies)

No, no, no. Not at all, my good man.

I'll callin' yer bike a POOF! :twisted:

Right - that's enough - we'll settle this like gentlemen

You're ugly and you're mother dresses you funny :evil:

Ah. I see.

Ahem. Your mother ... undresses you! Ha! :twisted:

Your mother was a hamster and your father smells of elderberries

How's the back :twisted:

Clever Pun

lost_in_thought wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

I get up to speed 24-25-27

I bet you were on the Brompton...

I had a good one, guy on a planet X thing joined me just as I turned on to the main road that takes me all the way to town. Yaaaaaay!

Let him go in front, to see how fast he is. Manageable, I think to myself, manageable. Might have to push it a bit.

So we filter gaily through Acton high street then it's onto the fast bit. I engage the warp drive and I'm gone. Or so I think. I 'shoulder check' before 'going round a pothole' and he's a way back.

Then, a while later, I hear the click of a derailleur. I can't look immediately, stinks of trying, but I wait for another shoulder checking opportunity, and he's gained! Well done!

Then a red light, and he pulls alongside me. I sneak a look, and he's huffing and puffing like a good'un. Teeheehee!

Off we go again, I'm doing my patented standing-but-not-standing manoeuvre to accelerate, he's d!cking about with gears. And I've got him again. Look in a shop window, he's not in range.

Stop at another red, he sails through it and turns off.

BAD Planet X man. Go to your room.

I wish... I wasn't willing to flog myself with the nail circuits class I have today.. it makes going home embarrassing

itboffin

No scalps in days, plenty of people out on their bikes today but mostly old men wearing all the clothes they own.

I did manage to almost come off my bike this afternoon, pushing a very good speed the back wheel slipped out, thankfully I managed to catch the slide in time, I even got a thumbs up from a passing motorist or at least I think it was a thumbs up

greg66_tri_v2.0

itboffin wrote:

plenty of people out on their bikes today but mostly old men wearing all the clothes they own.

Did that include you? :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

m0scs

cjcp wrote:

biondino wrote:

cjcp wrote:

Do any of our resident MTB commuters run out of gears on the flat?

On today's commutes, I was left clicking in thin air, so to speak, glancing down at my sprockets thinking, "What? You mean that's it?".

Nothing on the way home tonight, and I was really up for some Roadie-Worrying too.

I thought I'd found you - bloke going pretty fast on a MTB. I made the pass but couldn't lose him, not straight away anyway. I reckoned it wasn't you as I passed but couldn't really tell - the fact you didn't re-overtake 30 yards on convinced me it wasn't you after all

Yep, not me. Was a bit late this morning, so only action was a FG on Embankment who RLJ'ed, so that gave me the impetus to catch him. He then duly drafted me (The Big. Screaming. Wuss.) and went by me and jumped the next RL when I slowed down for it.

Hoping to get out of work at a sensible time tonight so I can pester roadies.

Hi All, just catching up.

I put a 48 tooth front ring on my MTB as I kept running out of gears.

LiT, nice to see you back you your usual self!

More drama with broken spokes, despite changing the tyre to a fatter 1.5 Spec Nimbus discovered yet another bust spoke yesterday as I was preparing to go for a spin.

Ive told the LBS to replace all the spokes on this wheel as they recon evertime they replace one it just puts pressure on the weaker ones. They all seem to break at the rim end. This is going to cost somewhere in the reigon of £50.00 :evil:

Can anyone tell me how long I can expect a wheel to last before having this problem. The bike was new in March and Ive done 2200 miles since then.

Ironically my last, much cheaper mtb, run on the same tyres, for the same period of time and distance never broke a spoke.! Doesnt figure

The Spec Epic I now have has DT Swiss rims.

il_principe

m0scs wrote:

Hi All, just catching up.

I put a 48 tooth front ring on my MTB as I kept running out of gears.

LiT, nice to see you back you your usual self!

More drama with broken spokes, despite changing the tyre to a fatter 1.5 Spec Nimbus discovered yet another bust spoke yesterday as I was preparing to go for a spin.

Ive told the LBS to replace all the spokes on this wheel as they recon evertime they replace one it just puts pressure on the weaker ones. They all seem to break at the rim end. This is going to cost somewhere in the reigon of £50.00 :evil:

Can anyone tell me how long I can expect a wheel to last before having this problem. The bike was new in March and Ive done 2200 miles since then.

Ironically my last, much cheaper mtb, run on the same tyres, for the same period of time and distance never broke a spoke.! Doesnt figure

The Spec Epic I now have has DT Swiss rims.

MTFU and get a roadbike.

lost_in_thought

jashburnham wrote:

MTFU and get a roadbike.

I really think you've missed your calling - clearly you should be a counsellor.

itboffin

Greg66 wrote:

itboffin wrote:

plenty of people out on their bikes today but mostly old men wearing all the clothes they own.

Did that include you? :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

Mine and everyone else's in the ITB house, perhaps next time i'll wear the panties and bra on the inside.

NB heels are very difficult to unclip in an emergency :?

R34PER

my middle ring on my mtb commuter is knackered so i went to buy a new(bigger) one a couple of weeks agoand figured i may as well get a bigger outer ring too. went to fit them and found the middle ring is really close but about 1-2mm off on all the mounting points. clever me threw away all the packaging the day i got it too to stick it in my "parts to fit" box in the garage. soooo, figured i should just MTFU and use the outer ring all the time and if i get round to it skim the inner edges of the new middle ring to fit (there is always the granny ring in worst case hilly situations). where was i? oh yeah, still not seen any worthwhile scalps (and still think tractors should count!) except for a breif duel i had with a moped we were both emerging from junctions onto a downhill section. my junction was further up and i managed to join the main road first. i arrived at his junction in time for him to pull out on me but anticipated this as he was probably late for school or the like. i was doing around 25ish when i passed him and we were both still gunning it. the hill helped me top out at 36.5mph and i stayed ahead of him until we hit traffic further on where i filtered and he didnt follow...probably the shame :twisted: i also managed my best average speed on one section of my ride, its a mild up hill one way twisty section and i'll normally just tootle it but with the danger of being caught by the moped if i tootled i kept it flat out (without trying mind) and stayed above 20mph. it shocked me how easy it was when the legs are already spinning oh, as of january 1st i'll be redundant too so no mor tractor scalps

m0scs

Jash

Thanks for your constructive advice.

I am seriously considering this in the new year.

FYI, I am a man and I did F*ck Up buying an MTB :shock:

Surely though, with thin wheels and high tyre pressures road bike wheels must suffer similarly from spoke breakages, Or not?

gtvlusso

m0scs wrote:

Jash

Thanks for your constructive advice.

I am seriously considering this in the new year.

FYI, I am a man and I did F*ck Up buying an MTB :shock:

Surely though, with thin wheels and high tyre pressures road bike wheels must suffer similarly from spoke breakages, Or not?

Never had a spoke go on a road bike (although I have bladed spokes and my cervelo had a disk wheel!). Had them go on my mtb due to rust though - lack of cleaning on my part!

in other news: A few scalps over the last few days - took the car on Friday after my thursday in the scenery (due to ice!). Re-built the bike with new Dura Ace cables and snazzy whiet bar tape and treated myself to 2 new cateye's......

ansbaradigeidfran

Bit rainy on the way home. Positively piddly.

On the final stretch, I saw a moped waiting to pull out on to the road after me. I put on the power, but couldn't push Ol' Bouncy over 23mph, and was greeted with a lungful of two-stroke fumes. Oh, the pain...

il_principe

m0scs wrote:

Jash

Thanks for your constructive advice.

I am seriously considering this in the new year.

FYI, I am a man and I did F*ck Up buying an MTB :shock:

Surely though, with thin wheels and high tyre pressures road bike wheels must suffer similarly from spoke breakages, Or not?

My pleasure! Yeah road wheels get spoke breakages - I've never had one though, touch wood.

gtvlusso

ansbaradigeidfran wrote:

Bit rainy on the way home. Positively piddly.

On the final stretch, I saw a moped waiting to pull out on to the road after me. I put on the power, but couldn't push Ol' Bouncy over 23mph, and was greeted with a lungful of two-stroke fumes. Oh, the pain...

Mmmm 2 stroke....was it Shell?

lost_in_thought

Ouch bl**dy ouch.

Something unpleasant has occurred in my ankle. This occurrence took place quite suddenly as I pulled away from some lights in Kensington. I am not sure what this occurrence was but its result caused me to swear quite a lot and make funny little noises all the way home. I have been doing experiments, and pushing up onto tiptoes is fine, but coming back down causes more swearing.

Anyway. It had a very negative effect on my scalp count. Although I did manage to overtake 4 bikes, I was overtaken by many more. Damn it. The embarassment. :oops:

gtvlusso

I had to have a brain scan (MRI) on Monday morning - had concussion apparently......Suffice to say I did not acheive much at work on Thursday after binning it - but I never do anyway, so it is not a real measure!

gb155

No bikes my way again today, BUT I just wanted to share that I have finally hit 1000 MILES WOOOT, Check out my blog for some info on me, the last 12 months and 3 pics, May I just say a HUGE Thank You to everyone who has supported and encouraged me since I have been here, You guys and gals are amazing, THANK YOU !!!!

Here is to the NEXT 1000 Miles

Gaz


http://gazzasblogs.blogspot.com/