Silly commuting racing
Comments
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Great ride in this morning with the helping tailwind!
A lot warmer than I thought as well, bit too overdressed in the end.
To anyone who might be considering going down Plough Lane in Cobham, it's totally flooded, had to do a detour this morning as it looked pretty impassible without getting soaked.Giant Defy Advanced 0 - Best
Planet X London Road - Wet
Montague Fit - Foldy thing that rarely gets used these days0 -
Wider than CJ and almost certainly slower.philbar72 wrote:
that'd be some one other than CJ. they are the folks that do Slow Wednesday laps regardless of the weather.Veronese68 wrote:A bunch of cyclists in the pub this evening. One in a Wheelers jersey with a bald head and a beard, but not CJ.
Bit blowy riding through Bushy Park this morning, woman on a dutch bike I often see travelling in the opposite direction was easily doubling her normal speed for very little effort.0 -
You think the snow is bad - I had to deal with like 70% humidity last night.
Soldiered on though.
Couple of incidents last night. Had no idea I had a guy getting a tow behind me as we were going about 30, only found out later after checking the cameras. Don't mind that - but he had a bit of a hairy moment when he braked late as I reacted to something, and almost went into the back of me. Would've been a bit of a shock.
The other was a fat bloke in a work vehicle who followed a car overtaking me as I was accelerating from a roundabout, who then didn't know what to do when I was up to their speed. On the fence about sending a passive aggressive email to his company.0 -
Horrendous...how do you cope!
Paid dearly for enjoying the tailwind yesterday morning in the evening. Legs were not playing ball at all on the way home. Kind of glad i'm PT'ing for a pub session today!0 -
WFH today. Looking out of the window, that appears to be no bad thing. Got overtaken by my daughter whilst walking down the stairs to my desk though. The shame of it!1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
I'm WFH today too. Totally smashed the competition on the path to school when I walked my boys in though.0
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Lovely wind, a guy behind me did comment on me getting blown sideways in Colliers Wood.
A bit of an amber gambler did see me break free of the faster looking group including Hopkins doppleganger and a guy who having seen his riding before is best avoided...If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.0 -
Had one of those electric scooters go into the back of me this morning. No damage as I think he jumped off so it was only 5kg of scooter bouncing off my back wheel. I had stopped as a bus was allowing a right turning car to come across the front of us, which was fairly predictable by the gap the bus had left, obviously not predictable if you're stupid enough to ride an illegal scooter on the road in the rain... not really a rant though as it didn't cause any harm and he was apologetic although he did then mumble something about "stopping immediately" - to which I have since thought up a thousand responses!
Great bit of SCR into the headwind last night (which wasn't as bad as expected) had an ongoing light to light sprint-off with a guy on a polished alu Specialized from chelsea bridge down to somewhere near Balham/Tooting
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agreed. but tonight will be a different kettle of poissons I thinkfrogonabike wrote:... into the headwind last night (which wasn't as bad as expected) ...Dolan Titanium ADX 2016
Ridley Noah FAST 2013
Bottecchia/Campagnolo 1990
Carrera Parva Hybrid 2016
Hoy Sa Calobra 002 2014 [off duty]
Storck Absolutist 2011 [off duty]
http://www.slidingseat.net/cycling/cycling.html0 -
anonymousblackfg wrote:Lovely wind, a guy behind me did comment on me getting blown sideways in Colliers Wood.
A bit of an amber gambler did see me break free of the faster looking group including Hopkins doppleganger and a guy who having seen his riding before is best avoided...
Oddly enough I saw you this morning - you were the last one through on the bike lights at the north end of Southwark bridge onto the shared bit of pavement there, where I was on foot. (I have to carry something home this evening, which won't really fit in my bag, especially with the huge headwind forecast). I was going to shout out, but you'd already passed me by the time I registered that it was you.
Colliers Wood has its own weird wind pattern, I think it's that tall building.0 -
I don't really have a problem with electric scooters. Some of the people using them are complete numpties, as you've demonstrated, but I suspect those people would be just as numptyish if they were on Boris bikes. They go at the same speed as a slow-ish cyclist, and will probably cause a similar amount of damage if they run into someone. I have more of an issue with pedestrians on the road or in the bike lane...frogonabike wrote:stupid enough to ride an illegal scooter on the road in the rain...Pannier, 120rpm.0 -
TGOTB wrote:
I don't really have a problem with electric scooters. Some of the people using them are complete numpties, as you've demonstrated, but I suspect those people would be just as numptyish if they were on Boris bikes. They go at the same speed as a slow-ish cyclist, and will probably cause a similar amount of damage if they run into someone. I have more of an issue with pedestrians on the road or in the bike lane...frogonabike wrote:stupid enough to ride an illegal scooter on the road in the rain...
Yeah that's kind of my thinking. It would arguably be foolish for the police to clamp down on them, they're probably the most convenient alternative green (ish) lazy transport option - so I can only imagine we're going to see more of them!0 -
hopkinb wrote:anonymousblackfg wrote:Lovely wind, a guy behind me did comment on me getting blown sideways in Colliers Wood.
A bit of an amber gambler did see me break free of the faster looking group including Hopkins doppleganger and a guy who having seen his riding before is best avoided...
Oddly enough I saw you this morning - you were the last one through on the bike lights at the north end of Southwark bridge onto the shared bit of pavement there, where I was on foot. (I have to carry something home this evening, which won't really fit in my bag, especially with the huge headwind forecast). I was going to shout out, but you'd already passed me by the time I registered that it was you.
Colliers Wood has its own weird wind pattern, I think it's that tall building.
Exceptional luck with those lights, though as I came through the big ASL the lights for the traffic were changing with a chap on a Ducati indicating left. Good job he didn't floor it.
It is that building plus my frame bag... probably still more stable than you with those silly plastic wheels.If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.0 -
The latter is becoming insane, especially heading West on CS8 through the roadworks before Parliament Square. Why they can't cross the road onto the PAVEMENT is beyond me. As for the tourists stepping out looking the wrong way.....TGOTB wrote:
I don't really have a problem with electric scooters. Some of the people using them are complete numpties, as you've demonstrated, but I suspect those people would be just as numptyish if they were on Boris bikes. They go at the same speed as a slow-ish cyclist, and will probably cause a similar amount of damage if they run into someone. I have more of an issue with pedestrians on the road or in the bike lane...frogonabike wrote:stupid enough to ride an illegal scooter on the road in the rain...0 -
TGOTB wrote:
I don't really have a problem with electric scooters. Some of the people using them are complete numpties, as you've demonstrated, but I suspect those people would be just as numptyish if they were on Boris bikes. They go at the same speed as a slow-ish cyclist, and will probably cause a similar amount of damage if they run into someone. I have more of an issue with pedestrians on the road or in the bike lane...frogonabike wrote:stupid enough to ride an illegal scooter on the road in the rain...
The worst has to be electric skateboards
There's a geezer I've seen a few times doing 20-25mph on the Embankment on one. All is fine when it is clear, god knows what happens when he has to brake suddenly - I expect the skateboard stops and he goes flying as he has nothing to brace against.0 -
Good ride in, some competition but not tons, just glad to be dry but more ice on the back roads the forecast said.
I am awaiting Hopkins to appears as I headed out into Surrey with him yesterday before having to abandon him 50k from home, i'll leave it to him to explain why with a pic? and he wasn't the other guy who's crank fell off at Cobham...If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.0 -
Nice clear morning. Was that a rare-as-hens-teeth northerly? Albeit not a strong one. Went the OKR route, I'm enjoying it atm as the sequencing of lights seems much better than when I used to use it back in the day, so generally you catch greens until the traditional snarl-up at the Albany Rd junction.
Which, coincidentally, is where my first bout of SCR began this morning when a promuter type appeared from the park and rolled out to wait at the lights, doing a fairly solid trackstand I might add. He beat me away from the lights but once I'd wound up the 44-16 I was able to stalk him at a safe distance. Things stayed more or less moving to the Lidl sprint section so once it opened up there I engaged super-spinny mode and made the pass. When I shoulder checked to move across at the roundabout he was still in touch - I just made all the lights (including one amber that must have been very burnt when he went through) and continued to put the power down along Great Dover St.
The effort was beginning to tell by now but I was playing a sneaky game, as my route takes me only as far as the Roebuck where I turn onto Trinity St. I kept working hard to the turnoff and up to the Trinity St barrier thing, where I risked a look back to confirm that he must have stayed on GDS.
That wasn't it for the morning either. I was more or less bimbling on Waterloo Rd but at the final set of lights got away slightly quicker than a guy in yellow hi-viz. He started to come back at me on the inside, which meant that when we got to the entrance to the weird bike lane thing just before the roundabout, he was annoyingly blocking my way in (or at least I'd have had to cut him up a bit to get in there). I let him go and stayed on the road as that lane isn't always the quickest option (you can get caught at the zebra crossing for an age) but this morning it worked out like a dream for him as he sailed through the crossing and got a green onto the bridge.
I was stuck at the lights for a good 30 secs or more, so once it finally turned green I put in a frustrated effort onto the bridge and into a suddenly strong headwind. As I crested the rise I saw the guy in the distance. For once the bridge was pretty clear with an inviting green light at the end, so with the legs screaming I pressed on hard. Closer and closer he got, oblivious to his fate...the lights stayed green...one final effort...made it to the lights - a metre or two behind him as he turned left onto the Strand. Gah! Typing this now, I'm wondering why I didn't take the Strand myself to give myself a chance for a nonchalant pass, but I'm not keen on it and went my preferred route through the back streets of Covent Garden, reflecting on a mixed bag of results as I slowly wound down.
Good start to the week!0 -
anonymousblackfg wrote:Good ride in, some competition but not tons, just glad to be dry but more ice on the back roads the forecast said.
I am awaiting Hopkins to appears as I headed out into Surrey with him yesterday before having to abandon him 50k from home, i'll leave it to him to explain why with a pic? and he wasn't the other guy who's crank fell off at Cobham...
I don't think I got round to taking a pic...
PT today, as when shifting into the small ring 50km into a 100km loop with abfg, I managed to shear said chainring into 3 or 4 pieces. The incident also tore out all but 3 of the chainring bolts, leaving the big ring wobbling about in the spider. Oh, and munched the rear derailleur cable too. Bike unrideable. No idea why it happened - I'd been in and out of the small ring all morning. Maybe the chain overshifted and got caught up in the chain catcher? That's the only thing I can think could have caused it.
Luckily there was a pub a mile back from the incident, so a mixture of freewheeling and pushing got me back there, whereupon I called the support car. Not a happy support car...
The pub opened about half an hour after I got there, which was good, as I was about to die of exposure.
New small ring and chainring bolts are arriving today, so let's see if any more lasting damage was caused.0 -
hopkinb wrote:anonymousblackfg wrote:Good ride in, some competition but not tons, just glad to be dry but more ice on the back roads the forecast said.
I am awaiting Hopkins to appears as I headed out into Surrey with him yesterday before having to abandon him 50k from home, i'll leave it to him to explain why with a pic? and he wasn't the other guy who's crank fell off at Cobham...
I don't think I got round to taking a pic...
PT today, as when shifting into the small ring 50km into a 100km loop with abfg, I managed to shear said chainring into 3 or 4 pieces. The incident also tore out all but 3 of the chainring bolts, leaving the big ring wobbling about in the spider. Oh, and munched the rear derailleur cable too. Bike unrideable. No idea why it happened - I'd been in and out of the small ring all morning. Maybe the chain overshifted and got caught up in the chain catcher? That's the only thing I can think could have caused it.
Luckily there was a pub a mile back from the incident, so a mixture of freewheeling and pushing got me back there, whereupon I called the support car. Not a happy support car...
The pub opened about half an hour after I got there, which was good, as I was about to die of exposure.
New small ring and chainring bolts are arriving today, so let's see if any more lasting damage was caused.
Knowing you'd settled into the pub we did wonder whether you even bothered call in the support car until late afternoon. If I were you i'd claim it was your sheer power you we're churning out but really I think it was punishment from the cycling gods for using the small ring full stop.If I know you, and I like you, you can borrow my bike box for £30 a week. PM for details.0 -
Guessing here, but how confident are you that the chainring bolts were all tight before it happened? If one of them had been working its way loose and then finally fallen out, that could have caused the failure you describe...hopkinb wrote:No idea why it happened - I'd been in and out of the small ring all morning. Maybe the chain overshifted and got caught up in the chain catcher? That's the only thing I can think could have caused it.Pannier, 120rpm.0 -
hopkinb wrote:PT today, as when shifting into the small ring 50km into a 100km loop with abfg, I managed to shear said chainring into 3 or 4 pieces. The incident also tore out all but 3 of the chainring bolts, leaving the big ring wobbling about in the spider. Oh, and munched the rear derailleur cable too. Bike unrideable. No idea why it happened - I'd been in and out of the small ring all morning.
I was with you up until the 'shifting into the small ring' bit. I think this is your problem - if you'd stayed in the big ring, none of this would have happened!1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
TGOTB wrote:
Guessing here, but how confident are you that the chainring bolts were all tight before it happened? If one of them had been working its way loose and then finally fallen out, that could have caused the failure you describe...hopkinb wrote:No idea why it happened - I'd been in and out of the small ring all morning. Maybe the chain overshifted and got caught up in the chain catcher? That's the only thing I can think could have caused it.
I think it would have to be that. I once folded a chainring on my SS MTB because one of the bolts had worked loose (the fact that it was no longer screwed into the nut/spider was kind of a clue). That was a fun scoot several miles home on a winter's night ride - calling out the support car definitely not an option past 9pm on a school night.0 -
TGOTB wrote:Guessing here, but how confident are you that the chainring bolts were all tight before it happened? If one of them had been working its way loose and then finally fallen out, that could have caused the failure you describe...
Not in the slightest bit confident... :oops:
That was my other thought, but I would thought I would have spotted some wonkiness or creaking as they worked loose.
Certainly checking that chainring bolts are nipped up will now be part of my regular maintenance.0 -
Rhodrich wrote:hopkinb wrote:PT today, as when shifting into the small ring 50km into a 100km loop with abfg, I managed to shear said chainring into 3 or 4 pieces. The incident also tore out all but 3 of the chainring bolts, leaving the big ring wobbling about in the spider. Oh, and munched the rear derailleur cable too. Bike unrideable. No idea why it happened - I'd been in and out of the small ring all morning.
I was with you up until the 'shifting into the small ring' bit. I think this is your problem - if you'd stayed in the big ring, none of this would have happened!
What can I say? I'm a spinner.0 -
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Gallywomack wrote:Hopkinb,
When mine went I had no inkling that anything was amiss until it happened.
CHeers Gallywomack - that'll most likely be it then. Easy enough to check once a week that they're done up. Hopefully it won't happen again..0 -
Maybe use a moderately weak loctite when fitting your new bolts?0
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Get one of these H³, you could get a Shimano one but your SRAM chainset might sulk.frogonabike wrote:Maybe use a moderately weak loctite when fitting your new bolts?0 -
I bought double hex bolts, like what was on the set already. Did I do badly?Veronese68 wrote:
Get one of these H³, you could get a Shimano one but your SRAM chainset might sulk.frogonabike wrote:Maybe use a moderately weak loctite when fitting your new bolts?0 -
No, use like for like. Hopefully all will be good. If not give me a shout and I may be able to help.hopkinb wrote:
I bought double hex bolts, like what was on the set already. Did I do badly?Veronese68 wrote:
Get one of these H³, you could get a Shimano one but your SRAM chainset might sulk.frogonabike wrote:Maybe use a moderately weak loctite when fitting your new bolts?0
