Silly commuting racing

veronese68

Beware ninja cyclists, especially if you’re a ninja yourself. Spotted a chap walking dragging a bike with him. Only spotted him due to reflectors on the bike and him. Asked if he was ok and got a pretty despondent sounding yes, turned back to check and it turned out he’d had an accident and thought he may have broken his collarbone. He was riding with no lights and crashed into another bloke with no lights. I couldn’t be bothered to state the obvious and he had someone coming to get him so I left him to his thoughts on the cost of a set of lights.
Didn’t stop to Ofer the other chap any help as he was checking his bike over and looked to be moving ok. I confess I had little sympathy for either of them as they were both to blame in equal measure.

itboffin

it was a few years ago now but i actually stopped someone with no lights and no clue and gave them my emergency spares.

Q this Saturday morning i'm heading out at 7:30 to meet up for the club ride and i instantly regretted not having a front light, rear stays on all the time.

anonymousblackfg

Got done by about four people in Oval, fully napping and now hanging my head in shame... I do love how just a little bit of rain brings out all the d1ckheads in cars.

cjcp

Close pass from a small white van man on Priory Lane this morning.

And he gets no further than 20 yards ahead until 100 yards before the lights.

And when you pass him and point out how brilliant a manoeuvre it was, he gets all annoyed and angry.

Ho hum.

martinc

Double puncture in RP (missed the tiny shard of glass when swapping tubes). About to start the walk of shame back home and spotted a Firefly friend who stopped and saved my sorry ass. Not the best start with brand new G-Ones.

njee20

mtb-idle said:

smokey_bacon said:

cjcp said:

As for the route via Imperial Wharf and Wandsworth Bridge, the pinch-points near the Hurlingham and the 90° turns have always put me off in the winter/when it's dark, but I like the section before that.

We're truly spoilt for choice in that part of town, aren't we...?

Did the detour last night. Much more pleasant than NKR and you can keep up a decent speed more or less all the way around to Putney Bridge. Going to test it going the other way next week. Yeah the variety of routes in general going west is great!

Glad you enjoyed it. Traffic can be a bit hit and miss along there but in general is far better than NKR

Yeah I did it too on Thursday and it was definitely better thanks, a good tip! It has the advantage that traffic along there in winter is lighter than summer, which coincides with when NKR feels particularly dodgy! A bit slow between the Sainsbury's roundabout and Wandsworth Bridge Road, but that was ok to navigate.

I've not ridden in again since because, as previously observed, I'm now lazy and fat! Maybe Thursday this week. Maybe...

rower63

Wow. Just got this response from Kingston Council after my email to them last week about the danger of the new Kingston bridge cycle lane arrangements:

Thank you for your email. We concur with your views and we have closed the cycle lane until we review the transition from cycle lane to road.

Apologies for the momentary inconvenience.

Longshot

rower63 said:

Wow. Just got this response from Kingston Council after my email to them last week about the danger of the new Kingston bridge cycle lane arrangements:

Thank you for your email. We concur with your views and we have closed the cycle lane until we review the transition from cycle lane to road.

Apologies for the momentary inconvenience.

Good result but "momentary"?

veronese68

rower63 said:

Wow. Just got this response from Kingston Council after my email to them last week about the danger of the new Kingston bridge cycle lane arrangements:

Thank you for your email. We concur with your views and we have closed the cycle lane until we review the transition from cycle lane to road.

Apologies for the momentary inconvenience.

Well done, I should probably email them to say the dropped kerb when going the other way on the other side isn't dropped enough so there is a slight ridge which could have someone off. They did the same thing with the first incarnation of the lane and had to close it again to make the dropped kerb flush with the road surface.

anonymousblackfg

I saw Kingston Cycling Campaign have done a tour of the Mini Holland works with an 8 page snagging list! Fingers crossed that the team are listening...

hopkinb

Amusing mud coloured shins from bottom of knee warmer to top of sock, both last night and this morning. I foresee more of the same later. Going by my strava feed, it's a popular "look"..

rower63

hopkinb said:

Amusing mud coloured shins from bottom of knee warmer to top of sock, both last night and this morning. I foresee more of the same later. Going by my strava feed, it's a popular "look"..

... yes as you noticed, I too was sporting this fashion this morning. Added to the hairy legs, I must've been irresistible

mtb-idle

hopkinb said:

Amusing mud coloured shins from bottom of knee warmer to top of sock, both last night and this morning. I foresee more of the same later. Going by my strava feed, it's a popular "look"..

That's what is known as a #BelgianTan

cjcp

veronese68 said:

rower63 said:

Wow. Just got this response from Kingston Council after my email to them last week about the danger of the new Kingston bridge cycle lane arrangements:

Thank you for your email. We concur with your views and we have closed the cycle lane until we review the transition from cycle lane to road.

Apologies for the momentary inconvenience.

Well done, I should probably email them to say the dropped kerb when going the other way on the other side isn't dropped enough so there is a slight ridge which could have someone off. They did the same thing with the first incarnation of the lane and had to close it again to make the dropped kerb flush with the road surface.

Good work, rower!

Veronese - is that on the Hampton side?

The lane is much wider by TK Maxx, which is much, much better.

kingstonian

Legs are a funny thing sometimes...........went for a run on Sunday morning, legs were tired on the bike on Monday and Tuesday, and then this morning BANG they're back on form again. Am hoping that over time the post-run tiredness reduces from a 2 day hangover to 1.

In other news, well done to the numbskull on a red Colnago, Speedplay pedals yet riding in trainers who went through the ped crossing approaching Parliament Square, almost taking out 2 pedestrians. A really efficient way of giving the rest of the commuting cyclists a bad name.

asprilla

cjcp said:

veronese68 said:

rower63 said:

Wow. Just got this response from Kingston Council after my email to them last week about the danger of the new Kingston bridge cycle lane arrangements:

Thank you for your email. We concur with your views and we have closed the cycle lane until we review the transition from cycle lane to road.

Apologies for the momentary inconvenience.

Well done, I should probably email them to say the dropped kerb when going the other way on the other side isn't dropped enough so there is a slight ridge which could have someone off. They did the same thing with the first incarnation of the lane and had to close it again to make the dropped kerb flush with the road surface.

Good work, rower!

Veronese - is that on the Hampton side?

The lane is much wider by TK Maxx, which is much, much better.

I do all the work and someone steps in at the last moment to take the credit.

Story of my life.

Only one day on the bike this week as mainly WFH. Only in the office today because I'm going drinking tonight. SWR strike action means I have to get all my London Xmas drinking in before the start of December.

rower63

asprilla said:

... I do all the work and someone steps in at the last moment to take the credit.

Story of my life..

. I think my slightly sensationalist email was a final straw to break the camel's back after your groundwork.

What did your TfL guy say?

asprilla

rower63 said:

asprilla said:

... I do all the work and someone steps in at the last moment to take the credit.

Story of my life..

. I think my slightly sensationalist email was a final straw to break the camel's back after your groundwork.

What did your TfL guy say?

He gave me a name and I emailed them with my concerns. I've not heard back, but obviously something is happening. I'd also gone back to RBK with my concerns about the dangers of the kerb, of cyclists using the pavement at speed and then joining the carriageway where there was no provision to do so.

RBK were a bit put out at my request to escalate so quickly, which kind of played to my stereotype of council workers just drinking coffee and scratching their testicles for the first and last three hours of each day. Anyway, they agreed with me that it wasn't safe.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Looking like I might want to swap out the 28mm 4 Seasons for the 38mm Gravdal ice spike tyres for Saturday and beyond as far as Met Office goes, some very chilly approx 1C feeling like -4C coming up at my commute times between 0600 and 0700 in Southampton.

hopkinb

asprilla said:

just drinking coffee and scratching their testicles for the first and last three hours of each day.

Is this not in your contract of employment? I had to push pretty hard, but I got it in there. The other two hours of the working day I spend sucking air in through my teeth, shaking my head and saying "it'll cost you guvnor". British jobs for British workers. Can't have the forrins coming in with their diligence, "can-do" attitude and professionalism.
In other news - when will this infernal rain cease? Checks met office - next week, when instead it will be bl00dy freezing. Roll on May...checks calendar...

kingstonian

Yep, things are pretty wet at the moment. I gave my bike a cursory look over this morning and it is properly filthy, demonstrating to all my hard as nails, out all weather, no fairweather riding SCR capabilities.

wolfsbane2k

nitrousoxide said:

Looking like I might want to swap out the 28mm 4 Seasons for the 38mm Gravdal ice spike tyres for Saturday and beyond as far as Met Office goes, some very chilly approx 1C feeling like -4C coming up at my commute times between 0600 and 0700 in Southampton.

Thanks for the warning. My ice bike is well and truly in pieces still as it needs a new headset, and I've discovered that my marathon winters wont' run on my diverge with mudguards fitted, so need to fix that pretty quick...

hopkinb

kingstonian said:

Yep, things are pretty wet at the moment. I gave my bike a cursory look over this morning and it is properly filthy, demonstrating to all my hard as nails, out all weather, no fairweather riding SCR capabilities.

Accumulated grime/lube being washed off means my gear changes are pretty much random events. One click'll shift "n" sprockets, where n can be either 0,1,2,3 depending on the whim of the rear derailleur and its cable. The timing of the shift can also be surprising.

I collected my daughter from her friend's house yesterday evening straight from the commute - her mum took one look at me, said "ugh", and made me stand on the doorstep. I'm assuming it was the mud & crud all over me and my kit, rather than a deeper dislike of my personage.

smokey_bacon

Not sure what the thought process is of someone who thinks wearing white tights with no mudguards on is an option. The result was not pleasing on the eye! Got scalped by Rower on Putney Bridge was the only other thing of note to occur.

hopkinb

smokey_bacon said:

Not sure what the thought process is of someone who thinks wearing white tights with no mudguards

Ewwww.

More feckin' wet.

rower63

smokey_bacon said:

Not sure what the thought process is of someone who thinks wearing white tights with no mudguards on is an option. The result was not pleasing on the eye! Got scalped by Rower on Putney Bridge was the only other thing of note to occur.

Ah yes I passed you at the Putney lights and got to the Temperance lights just as they were about to change. Was feeling quite good this morning, unlike last night when I felt as close to being bonked as I've ever been. It's never good when you think "I feel REALLY hungry" after only a couple of hundred metres. It was awful, possibly my slowest ride home ever.

kingstonian

The tailwind probably helped this morning too, certainly made me feel like I had a bit more zip in the legs

anonymousblackfg

A right load of cyclists out this morning, full marks to the chopper who wobbled into me as we set off into the segregated section by Oval.

I did spot Simon (Chinese Mike's mate on the black condor) who i've chatted to two days this week but he was chatting away to the full face unit of a guy.

kingstonian

Anyone else praying for a few days of dry roads? Looks like our prayers might have been answered as the forecast shows it turning colder but also dryer.

j_mcd

I went down Plough Lane (near Chobam) this morning. It hadn't rained for ages (i.e. 4 hours) and so I thought it might be passable.

I was wrong, had to one-foot, half-peddle for about 300 metres and the water was almost up to the bottom bracket. Thankfully I had mudguards so didn't get wet.