Silly commuting racing

blu3cat

lost_in_thought wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Hmmm, sounds a bit hit and miss, I'd probably manage to turn mine into a microwave emitter or a laser or something.

Now how cool would that be? Couldn't find the right settings for either of those though.

I forgot to add that it would probably kill me...

DonDaddyD could show you how to turn in into an antigravity thingy that allows you to timetravel

Bassjunkieuk

UndercoverElephant wrote:

tardington wrote:

:shock: detail please!

Quite simple actually, crack open said machine, suck out the big lump of solder next to the screen, and re-solder one of the solder points.

I changed my A4 into an A8, and now have fancy things like max and average speed. I could have changed it to the wireless one, but you need the fork transmitter. 8)

Awesome dude! I love a bit of technical hackery but that just about takes the biscuit :-D

Nothing to report from me today again. Spotted a roadie that I had seen earlier in the day as I was picking off some jobs on my way to the main office - I just think it's a huge coincidence to ride past and see them! I did manage to squeeze in a rather respectable 8 extra miles today all in the aid of "work" :-) Seems I'm getting known as the "guy on his bike" at some of the sites!

Also in regards to the roadie scalps, the game is always on and yes it does hurt when your overtaken. I still have recurring knigtmares about the times when someone has got past me.........

@ DDD & IP - Set a date and I'll come spectate ;-)

blu3cat

some action on the way home this evening (must remember new time regime), few hybrids, couple of tourers and a couple of racers, who were dressed like me - cycle stuff, but not race kit.

Moments of the journey though:

A couple of fully lycra clad roadies (one on a new shiny felt and I think the other was on a new shiny trek) in putney going up to wimbledon, and I thought right, except they RLJ-d and were off up the hill, by the time the lights had changed and I filtered through the traffic, they were gone

The best though was a woman on a bike who RLJ-d through a busy box junction whilst texting someone on her phone. Do people have no sense.

And while I'm on about RLJ-ers I think it's time we had a debate about this very seldom mentioned subject.

tardington

I second that. Could it be about RLJing on a hybrid?

jimmypippa

tardington wrote:

I second that. Could it be about RLJing on a hybrid?

Best Bikehelmet to wear on a Hybrid for RLJing

tardington

bad jimmypippa BAD! No treats for you!

itboffin

yes yes yes I have the first post of Friday - nothing more than that i'm very shallow

itboffin

So that satellite didn't help at all ilford to kings cross via most of the city & parts of the west end, think I might have gone wrong somewhere :roll:

DonDaddyD

Am I not DondaddyD!?
Did I not scalp the Man who sold me my bike, who force fed me into this World of candence and gear inches!? Is not my passing crimson with blood dripping from the scalps of my alies and enemies alike? My every waking moment is spent either taking scalps or worshipping the ones I've taken!

I own Balham highstreet. I OWN BALHAM HIGHSTREET, not you or you or any of you plhucks. ME! I own it! ME! Now call me 'Joey' b*tch!

I line up by Tooting Bec Tube. Several bikes around me one noticable flatbar Cannondale Synapse with Mavic Kysrium wheels (on a flat bar bike of any nature it looked wrong). I look around "Hi my name is DondaddyD and I am you doom" my facial expression implies.

BAM! The lights go green and to my surprise a guy on a front suspension cheapo bike with knobbly tyres shoots off like the clappers. The guy is spinning so furiously he'll probably have no nuts when he gets to work! :shock:

The moment I clip in my turbo kicks in and I'm off! I destroy every single and utter living thing in my path. Man, Women, Child, the fabric of time and space and 'the darkness inbetween' is not safe from the sheer rage I'm exerting now. The only thing working harder is my face muscles trying to conseal the physical effort I'm putting out. "I will not huff, puff, pant or simply breath" Zen like was my dedication to maintaining a face that suggest 'I'm not even trying'-- a true master of SCR am I!

Car's are going backwards now and ahead of me is the guy on a front suspension cheapo bike, spinning the biggest cog and front ring like the clappers. Now chapeau to this guy, it was impressive that he could even go that fast. Like me, he dispathed a Giant Defy 1, a Bob Jackson, a Cannondale Synapse with Ksryium wheels and a proper single speed - the pedigree was good today.

I dispatch the guy of the cheapo bike without complaint, I even look at him as I pass ala Lance Amstrong style to see if he had anything left :roll:

I go through the first set of lights and then owards to Balham Tube. On the way I despatch another single speed and a burd who went through the Tooting Lights a sequence earlier. I arrive the undisputed Balham Tooting Champion!

Team Sky, PM me if you want me to race for you.

shoulder_of_orion

Well I cannot complete with the bombastic time traveller of balham.

I was slooow today. Three things were holding me back:

1) headwind from hell
2) hangover of doom
3) cataclysmic right knee pain

I think the knee pain comes from the right doing too much work when setting off from junctions etc. I am trying to "train" my left to do more work, but it is a work-shy dole bludger...

Still my soul can at least retain its kudos as I was not scalped and could in fact claim a few of my own, even if they were only the elderly and burds...

itboffin

I had a great 'man' tussle coming along the A118 this morning whilst leading the lycra charge I nailed the entire east end division of the hi-viz army leaving their bloody corpses strewn along the road.

Even with the MASSHOOF after effects on a V late night on the town all your scalps are still MINE :twisted:

+100 to me

Morpeth anyone....?

il_principe

itboffin wrote:

Morpeth anyone....?

Yep - not riding 'til Sunday so a cheeky pint would be welcome.

blu3cat

nothing this morning, nowt, nada, nil, (only Hi-viz, RLJing Hybrid riders - FCN too high)

Kieran_Burns

I left home at 6:30 this morning to get to my desk for 8 and boy were the roads quiet!

If I'd pushed it I could've had a personal best getting in as I wasn't stopped by ANY traffic the whole way in, most gratifying..

I also managed to frighten this poor guy half out of his wits when he was clearly giving it his all down this shared footpath / cyclepath bit. He was spinning like buggery and holding about 20ish when I went belting past at 30+ with a cheery "Good Morning!" (slight downhill, SMOOTH surface and a tailwind all help)

I seemed to only meet old guys on bikes today and dispatched them all, and that was with tired legs (which does not bode well for this evening... BHWFH again)

lost_in_thought

Il Principe wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Morpeth anyone....?

Yep - not riding 'til Sunday so a cheeky pint would be welcome.

Hmmm... possibly, although I shouldn't!

itboffin

lost_in_thought wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Morpeth anyone....?

Yep - not riding 'til Sunday so a cheeky pint would be welcome.

Hmmm... possibly, although I shouldn't!

Beer plus lycra win win situation, what could go wrong!?!

gb155

Legs were not wanting to play tonight but pretty quick I was flying, Passed someone at the top of a vally and never looked back, he didnt overtake me going up the other side either, result, ohhh he was on a hybrid..................

benno68

gb155 wrote:

Legs were not wanting to play tonight but pretty quick I was flying, Passed someone at the top of a vally and never looked back, he didnt overtake me going up the other side either, result, ohhh he was on a hybrid..................

Sounds like you had that Friday feeling! Nice one.

I'm feeling a little laclustre today - I'm only commuting 15 miles a day (10 in and 5 back) and my legs are telling me to have a break. As there's no SCR action to speak of down here I always seem to be going as quick as I possibly can, trying to beat cars into town etc - think I need a gentle pootle home this evening. Will I ever grow up?

On another note, I've been looking through the web at custom built steel frames like Argos in Bristol and Nimbus. Oh if only I had some spare cash and the ability to do one justice! It is getting me thinking whether steel or carbon would be best for me.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Bassjunkieuk

Good work DDD, I really do envy you at the moment! I really need to start covering some colleagues up in town again, this short commute is doing nought for my SCRing!
I've had to resort to racing myself via the bike computer :-) Unfortunately today I would have lost my scalp as my average was down about .8mph for the 2 mile journey, I blame it on not leaving work late and in a relatively good mood :-D

greg66_tri_v2.0

Had a chat with a swift guy tonight on a Dolan. I've seen him a few times before, and exchanged the odd word.

Tonight's chat was a bit longer; long enought to find out that after ten years he'd just lost his job and won't be burning up the Embankment for a while.

Times are not good.

linsen

I want to ride my bike to work again

itboffin

Riding home from this evenings Morpeth visit I once again messed up the train time table and spent an hour waiting at waterloo then on the way home my front light ever so slowly got dimmer & dimmer until it disappeared.

I just rode almost 20 miles in complete darkness with not even enough light to make out the road in front of me :shock:

Twaz interesting to say the least

gtvlusso

Slow ride in this morning after last weeks food poisoning.

Generally okay, some complete knobber on an MTB was kerb hopping his way in - seemed to think he was quite fast when in reality, he was just a pillock who is gonna have a very big accident soon.

Roastie

I don't like being picked on when I'm feeling rough.

I don't know what it was. Dodgy red wine, too much sun. Maybe the combination of both - but not really in the mood for riding quickly this morning. So when this dude on an Enigma decides to be so rude as to overtake me on the newly smooth Borough High Street...

I gave it a moderate run to the next set of lights - then we hit dense traffic. I got boxed in but he had chosen well and seeing I was boxed, gave it a spurt onto London Bridge. "Yeah right you aren't racing!"

So as soon as a gap opened up for me to pass the car ahead (held up by a slow RLJ'er) I gave it horns. Enigma-dude had a good lead on me by this point, and I think he thought his scalp was safe.

I eased up just before passing him so it didn't look like I tried too hard to catch him, but kept the hammer down. He accelerated to try to save, but too late. I stayed firmly ahead before we split to go our separate ways.

Well and truly silly, but good fun.

cjcp

Roastie wrote:

I don't like being picked on when I'm feeling rough.

Ditto, albeit on the first day back in the saddle after a two week holiday.

Sprocket Man appeared and another couple of roadies. The lights (fortunately) meant that SM got away on Embankment. Never mind, I thought; there was no way I was catching him. The The latter two I managed to hold off. Just.

Had a visit from the PF this morning too. An awful lot of bikes passed me too, and not one of them slowed to ask if I had everything, not even the roadie 20 yards behind me. Am I being a bit harsh? :?

Greg T

cjcp wrote:

An awful lot of bikes passed me too, and not one of them slowed to ask if I had everything, not even the roadie 20 yards behind me. Am I being a bit harsh? :?

I tend to do a "do they know what they are doing" estimation if they look on the ball then I leave them to it.

If they are pushing a bike with a flat I'll have a word, if they are a burd.

If they are guys - get a spare tube dumb arse.

jonginge

I'm going through a mid-season crisis. Zero weekend miles with no excuses readily to hand: just couldn't be ar$ed. Felt the lack of miles this am (though laptop in bag didn't help) and everyone else seems to have upped their game. Boo.

CJ, harsh? Yes and no. No to the first few when you were starting to shoo the PF away but later on when the repair is obviously well in hand... Still, a bit of fraternity can buck the spirits up post PF visitation.

DonDaddyD

"Feel the thunder, feel the force, thunder-D is loose!"
Yep I now sing when commuting. (Yes! The Thundercats theme song - I'm most happy when I'm lost in the midst of my childhood memories)

Were there scalps, I overtook at least two women and a guy on knobbly tyres who was further up the road than I'd like and clappering (is this the adjective to clappers?) it down my beloved Balham drag strip. Credit to him he made me go to 5th of 8 cogs at the rear to catch him.

I scalped him good and proper, complete with a look over my shoulder to reaffirm that he should never have even tried. The lights at Balham tube were green so I powered through.

Quick power consumption assessment:

Sit rep
I haven't had any recovery time after the Balham sprint and knobbly tyre man can maintain his speed indefinantly. Don't burn out. The shame would be too painful.

Solution
Drop the cadence a notch but maintain the high gear so you don't spin. This should compensate for the lack of recovery at the lights. Get to the waitrose, once through the lights there use the downward incline to speed you up for the hill. The added momentum combined with less effort used will allow you to recover from the drag just in time for Balham hill.

Outcome
I love it when a plan comes together! I powered past several cyclists, powered up the hill and past a single speeder while going up hill.

Chapeau me!

Not bad for a fat man.

Roastie

Welcome back!

cjcp wrote:

Had a visit from the PF this morning too. An awful lot of bikes passed me too, and not one of them slowed to ask if I had everything, not even the roadie 20 yards behind me. Am I being a bit harsh? :?

I don't think so at all.

A few weeks ago on the way home on the run up to Big Ben, I botched a bunny hop and ended up snake-biting my front tube.

Countless cyclists rode by, most doggedly avoiding any eye contact as I repaired the tube. Others just looking on and then going straight past. The only person who offered me any form of assistance (even if it was just a sexy, sympathetic smile) was a shapely redhead wearing killer stilettos and a pencil skirt. I digress.

So annoyed was I that a) I had not repaired my spare tube and b) no cyclists even turned their heads to ask if all was OK (given they were stopped at the light) that I duffed the first repair and had to rip it off and try again.

While I will admit that I have passed a few cyclists in distress when I have been in a particular hurry - I will always offer a helping hand; even if it looks like the rider has everything under control. Costs me nothing but having that functional pump or 5mm allen key can sometimes make all the difference to someone else. In my home town it seemed to be the standard modus operandi, but I do despair that big city cyclists prefer to keep their big city blinkers on.

Greg T

Roastie - it appears that you look like you should know what you are doing and are a self servicer.

You should appear less competent. Why don't you stand by the kerb holding your wheel aloft looking sad and crying?