MONDAY 2nd - who'se still commuting

Bagman

Just too much snow in Suffolk. Had to take the car today.

greg66_tri_v2.0

cjcp wrote:

"Yet"? Typing and driving, eh?

Are you bonkers? You just want to unleash The Inner Clarkson, don't you?

Typing and waiting at the lights. It's very different

Managed to get a little wiggle on booting it as I went up Kingsway.

YEAH BABY!

iain_j

Biked in this morning, the roads near home were snowy but not slippery. "ah, the main roads will be gritted and cleared by the traffic anyway". Silly me. I think Liverpool City Council sold the gritters to fund '08. As I got further in, the snow and ice was getting more and more compacted and at times i had to literally skate away from the lights, no traction whatsoever.

I'm confident in my own sensibility to ride safely, I ride slowly so if I do fall off it won't be too painful. What scares me is the... I don't know, idiots doesn't describe them... the drivers who don't make the link between them slipping as they walked to their car and the car possibly slipping on the road. Sorry mr driver for holding you up this morning as i struggled to start moving on the ice at the lights, it was perfectly reasonable of you to floor it to get past me with your wheels spinning and car drifting towards me as you went past.

Getting the bus home tonight. It's not worth it again.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Always Tyred wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Thought about riding from SW London. Opted for the Quattro option instead. Glad I did. There are a few cyclists out, all of whom look like Bambi on Ice.

What's annoying is all the 4WD drivers who don't realize that they really can go faster than 15mph. If the traffic got out of my way, I could have a ball. As it is, I haven't even had the traction control light come on yet.

Just so you know - 4 wheel drive doesn't help you stop. I wouldn't want you to miss the point or anything.

Yeah I know. I think the clue's in the name: the "D" stands for "Drive". I read that on the internet. I think. Maybe I made that up.

I have brakes for stopping though. And the ridges of kicked up slush. They help a lot.

MrChuck

Walked in instead- I'm close enough to my office that it's not worth the messing about with the bike/risking someone sliding into me. Coming in would probably have been mostly OK but if it all freezes tonight it could be different.

edhornby

it was easy - on my mountain bike this morning !!! although not as fast...

il_principe

Typical that the 2 bloody tube lines I need are working so I had no choice but to come in! No way was I risking the bike; I remember cycling in snow the last tine we had a big fall (5/6 years ago?) and I came off several times then. Amazingly a colleague who lives in Hertfordshire has actually made it in via the train. No Idea how he will get home though, nad he's hungover the poor sod. :evil:

DragQueen

Problem is, I live at the top of a really big hill. Whichever direction I go in, the temptation is just gonna be too great to ride down as fast as possible and then not be able to stop at the bottom.

Shall I just go for it anyway?

iain_j

DragQueen wrote:

Problem is, I live at the top of a really big hill. Whichever direction I go in, the temptation is just gonna be too great to ride down as fast as possible and then not be able to stop at the bottom.

Shall I just go for it anyway?

Put the knee and elbow pads on and go for it

DISCLAIMER - despite what i just wrote i take no responsibility for what you're about to do :P

DragQueen

iain_j wrote:

DragQueen wrote:

Problem is, I live at the top of a really big hill. Whichever direction I go in, the temptation is just gonna be too great to ride down as fast as possible and then not be able to stop at the bottom.

Shall I just go for it anyway?

Put the knee and elbow pads on and go for it

DISCLAIMER - despite what i just wrote i take no responsibility for what you're about to do :P

I'll be sure and carry a piece of paper in my pocket stating that you made me do it.

Underscore

MrChuck wrote:

Walked in instead- I'm close enough to my office that it's not worth the messing about with the bike/risking someone sliding into me. Coming in would probably have been mostly OK but if it all freezes tonight it could be different.

I am also close enough to walk but I also have a route that is completely off-road, so I got the MTB out - it was gorgeous, riding across fields of pristine snow. Fell of once when I lost traction on a steep-ish up-hill section (so pushed the bike until it started to flatten out). Took the downhill bits very carefully as they were on frozen, rutted tracks with a smooth and even covering of snow - wonderful practice for you bike control though.

What a fantastic change to most commutes this time of year.

_

_Brun_

I walked the three and half miles. Was torn between that and the bike, but considered what the conditions might be like this evening and decided I was better off on foot. Main roads all looked fine for cycling, saw plenty of folk on MTBs, one bloke on a Specialzed Allez or summat and a Cervello being pushed.

The side streets of Soho are very slippy even for walking, but I saw a couple of messengers on skinny-slicked single speeds. I'm not sure if I'm full of respect for them or just think they're stupid.

blorg

Not quite as bad over here in Dublin but I reckon I am going to stick the cross tyres back on my fixed Tricross and use that. Have a hardtail with 26x2.1 Nobby Nic front/Racing Ralph rear, might be an option either. Took it very easy, getting started from lights was the trickiest bit.

Jay dubbleU

Still on the bike - passed a guy on a collapsing bike this morning wearing SHORTS!! :roll:

Still snowing here so I'm not sure what the ride back tonight will be like

lost_in_thought

Greg66 wrote:

Always Tyred wrote:

Greg66 wrote:

Thought about riding from SW London. Opted for the Quattro option instead. Glad I did. There are a few cyclists out, all of whom look like Bambi on Ice.

What's annoying is all the 4WD drivers who don't realize that they really can go faster than 15mph. If the traffic got out of my way, I could have a ball. As it is, I haven't even had the traction control light come on yet.

Just so you know - 4 wheel drive doesn't help you stop. I wouldn't want you to miss the point or anything.

Yeah I know. I think the clue's in the name: the "D" stands for "Drive". I read that on the internet. I think. Maybe I made that up.

I have brakes for stopping though. And the ridges of kicked up slush. They help a lot.

On my rather un-fun drive to/from stansted last night (that's as far as I made it before being sent back) an Audi zoomed past me in the thick snow going at about 60 to my 45-ish, about 10 minutes later it was wedged in the central reservation... that'll learn ya.

However, 15mph is totally unhelpful to people like me with big wide tyres who need some speed to get up hills.

In good news I've just managed to get my car home up the hill. Tricky. Traction control light nearly burnt itself out...

il_principe

I'm just watching some cock (in a BMW) trying to park at work. He's sliding all over the place and now appears to be totally stuck. New Beemer as well so thought he would be ok. Amazed at the number of morons trying to drive in totally unsuitable cars today. They all seem to have made a tiny porthole in their windscreen - so it's the most dangerous driving conditions in the last 20 years in London and you're attempting to drive with less visibility than normal. Morons.

Totalnewbie

The victoria line is working, typically, but I refuse to try to cram myself on it (the world and his bloody dog want to get on because it's the only thing that is working in Stockwell and it will be hell) so I came back home - the snow is only going to get worse, and I don't want to be trapped at work or having to walk home if that line goes down for any reason. No buses in the whole of Londontown.

Am not cycling in this, even if I could trust my bike handling skills I couldn't trust the drivers.

DragQueen

Ok, I bottled out. Went for a walk and it's absolute carnage out there.

Think I'll just stay home and OD on coffee instead.

jairaj

was torn between taking the car or the bike today. Went for a quick drive around the block in the car to asses the conditions and it was not fun at all.

Found the MTB mush easier than driving in. Was also faster than the cars in some areas. It was a bit similar to cycling on mud so i was quite used to the odd slip of the wheel.

lost_in_thought

The Real Estate department (the one I work in) are having a snowman competition....

DragQueen

lost_in_thought wrote:

The Real Estate department (the one I work in) are having a snowman competition....

Are we still allowed to say 'snowman'?

PaulRide

akcc05 wrote:

Just been staring out the window from my little flat in London, I saw 2 guys on MTBs and an absolute nutter on a single speed/fixie with skinny tyres and clip-in shoes...man...that guy has got to be a real messenger!

I rode my fixed wheeler with skinny tyres and SPDs in from Forest Hill today. It was, well, interesting. I'm thinking about alternative ways of doing the 8 mile return journey.

il_principe

Totalnewbie wrote:

The victoria line is working, typically, but I refuse to try to cram myself on it (the world and his bloody dog want to get on because it's the only thing that is working in Stockwell and it will be hell) so I came back home - the snow is only going to get worse, and I don't want to be trapped at work or having to walk home if that line goes down for any reason. No buses in the whole of Londontown.

Am not cycling in this, even if I could trust my bike handling skills I couldn't trust the drivers.

Sensible, I changed at Stockwell for the Northern and had to wait ages to squeeze on a tube. Wishing I hadn't bothered now. I was going to stay at the girlfriends in Willesden last night, if only I had as she is snowbound.

neil²

DragQueen wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

The Real Estate department (the one I work in) are having a snowman competition....

Are we still allowed to say 'snowman'?

If you can tell which gender your snowperson is, I think that you have made it a little too realistic

flybywire

About 2cms of snow here in Berkshire .. Rode in from Mortimer (7am) to Newbury (15miles) this morning mainly along the towpath..

Tyres grippy on CX bike and ok on short quiet roadsection in Thatcham. Good fun on fast sections & skittish..

Funny encounter with a dog walker at 7:20am in Woolhampton along towpath muttering "nutter" :shock: as I passed I said "Good Morning" with a wry smile :roll:

Local weather reckons heavier snow at about 4-5pm so hoping leave early from work today

demBones

my 5 series bmw is useless in the snow. 3.0diesel + rear wheel drive + big fat tyres = disaster. had much more fun on the MTB and less expensive to fix if i have a problem.

_Brun_

Forgot to mention. I saw someone on a Brompton, wearing TWEED and sporting a MOUSTACHE. Think they may have got lost on the way home last Sunday and have been circling London ever since.

I also saw a woman walking a small dog wearing a one piece flourescent ski suit. She looked very stupid, and the dog looked quite embarrassed.

il_principe

lost_in_thought wrote:

The Real Estate department (the one I work in) are having a snowman competition....

Snapped this on the way to the office:

Feltup

gert_lush

not sure what all the fuss is about, jumped on the bike and commuted as per normal!
Definately a few flakes in the air but nothing on the ground here, think its meant to hit a bit later on, if so..bring out the mountain bike for tomorrow