How many potholes?

jonnycomelately

With the weather not improving neither are the roads so its becoming a serious mission to get home safely.

How many pot holes do you encounter on your ride home? See if you can count how many I avoided in this short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGFqd3pnFJc

vengeance111

theres loads because the water seeps into the cracks, freezes, expands and makes them bigger
there are so many were i live its safer to go along the grass verges

_Brun_

I literally (in the footballer's sense) filled my trousers on the way home when I came across a massive and unavoidable puddle at considerable speed. Was convinced it was hiding a massive pothole as my life flashed before me.

There was no pothole.

SmellTheGlove

I think they're portals, not potholes - giant portals to a universe of pain for the unwary.
It's kind of manageable if you ride a regular route and know where the buggers are but it's still amazing how they can open up overnight.
Take care out there people and report them if poss.

cat_with_no_tail

See, what you need is a big 6" travel MTB with nobbly tyres. Potholes stop being a nuisance then.

downfader

Ahh you're the 4Kam guy, then?

On a side note, this old vid of mine has has the attention of some bloke who thinks I'm being literal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV3ZN34YzB0

He's sent me 2 private messages -

"Third World Roads - in the UK!?"
You are really misinformed if you think that the roads in that video are anything remotely close to "3rd word" roads

and

How is that "irony"?

after I told him the title is ironic. I told him to check the dictionary as I aint his teacher

spen666

I went for a ride in Blackburn - 4000 holes on my ride

deptfordmarmoset

I think they're portals, not potholes - giant portals to a universe of pain for the unwary.

_Brun_

Edit - was talking bollocks again :oops:

prj45

Right, tomorrow I will make a serious effort to hit the lap button on my bike computer every time I go near a pothole.

If I survive I'll let you know the results tomorrow night.

barry_kellett99

Its pothole season,innit

Clever Pun

_Brun_ wrote:

I literally (in the footballer's sense) filled my trousers on the way home when I came across a massive and unavoidable puddle at considerable speed. Was convinced it was hiding a massive pothole as my life flashed before me.

There was no pothole.

seems...right

roger_merriman

for the commute, big green being a big solid hybrid is unfazed, some of the deeper ones are quite fun to be honest.

but out on sunday club runs there are some nasty holes.

jonnycomelately

SmellTheGlove wrote:

I think they're portals, not potholes - giant portals to a universe of pain for the unwary.
It's kind of manageable if you ride a regular route and know where the buggers are but it's still amazing how they can open up overnight.
Take care out there people and report them if poss.

I agree. If you know the road you've got half a chance but if you're unfamiliar with it and its starting to go dark you could be in hospital before the sun sets completely!

downfader wrote:

Ahh you're the 4Kam guy, then?

For my sins I am part of the 'team' yes

prj45 wrote:

Right, tomorrow I will make a serious effort to hit the lap button on my bike computer every time I go near a pothole.

If I survive I'll let you know the results tomorrow night.

Cracking idea, maybe cateye will introduce that function in the next release!

UndercoverElephant

spen666 wrote:

I went for a ride in Blackburn - 4000 holes on my ride

Nice one.

jonnycomelately

UndercoverElephant wrote:

spen666 wrote:

I went for a ride in Blackburn - 4000 holes on my ride

Nice one.

Yea thats a few more than the Beatles spotted!

Gazzaputt

See a guy in Lewisham this morning that looked he gone down a pothole. Wheels looked buggered. I just missed it but it must be about a foot and half deep.

Sewinman

I snapped a spoke due to a massive one near Streatham Common. I sort of bunny hopped the front wheel over it but the back wheel got a pasting.

tarquin_foxglove

downfader wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BV3ZN34YzB0

Went for a ride with a friend at the weekend, all the roads were just like your video and it was surprising how mentally tiring it was watching out for a suspect road surface and dealing with all the bumps and hollows in a manner that didn't put you in danger with other road users.

As we get near his house the road became a beautiful piece of black tarmac, so smooth and unmarked with fresh lines painted on it, it was a joy to ride on.

Apparently the leader of the Council lives on that road.

R_T_A

I've been really impressed with the response in my area.

After the snow there were 8 extra potholes to avoid on my route home. The types that made me wonder if I'd ingested the seat the hard way. :shock: :oops:

I went on a course for three days last week and on my return to standard commute, 7 had been filled in by the tarmac fairy.

Dudu

jonnycomelately wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

spen666 wrote:

I went for a ride in Blackburn - 4000 holes on my ride

Nice one.

Yea thats a few more than the Beatles spotted!

I read the news today, oh boy.

What really gets me is all the whinging articles in the meejer complaining about damage to cars from potholes.

Diddums, den. How about the threat of fatal accidents to cyclists caused by potholes?

il_principe

I had an offski a few weeks ago - 1st ride back on the bike and I went through a puddle on a road I don't know, fecking pothole was hiding underneath and had me off. Potholes plus standing water make commutes a nightmare - last night in London being a case in point. Thank feck it's a nice day today.

Gussio

Yesterday's rain appears to have washed all the tarmac off Putney Bridge. It is a disaster waiting to happen.

rjsterry

One just off the south end of Blackfriars Bridge has claimed my front wheel this evening. Big dent in the rim (still more or less true though, well done Shimano) but I don't think I can just replace the rim without more cost than a new wheel as they are factory built R560s Off to register my disgust with Southwark Council FWIW.

EDIT: Have visited fillthathole.org and logged it, but turns out that its down to TfL to sort out :roll: and what I think is the same pothole (very similar description in almost same location) was actually reported nearly a month ago for the same reason (bike damaged while negotiating junction in heavy traffic, almost threw rider off). Am now even more f**ked off. Shall we fix that pothole? Nah, let's put it off until someone ends up under a taxi :evil: :evil:

prj45

68 on my 12 mile ride across town, and that's just the ones on my side of the road.

Paul 8v

I'm just about to build my first fixie after being a mountainbike rider for years. I'm dreading the potholes to be honest, there's quite a few I'll move to avoid in my car so god knows how it'll be on the bike.
The areas they've "repaired" have within about 6 months gone back to how they were if not worse. They can't blame everything on the cold weather, they've neglected the roads here for ages. All that and every morning I sit in traffic, which is created by them frantically spending thier budget before the new financial year on new mini roundabouts and other things which aren't needed.

rjsterry

Paul 8v wrote:

I'm just about to build my first fixie after being a mountainbike rider for years. I'm dreading the potholes to be honest, there's quite a few I'll move to avoid in my car so god knows how it'll be on the bike.
The areas they've "repaired" have within about 6 months gone back to how they were if not worse. They can't blame everything on the cold weather, they've neglected the roads here for ages. All that and every morning I sit in traffic, which is created by them frantically spending thier budget before the new financial year on new mini roundabouts and other things which aren't needed.

If you se them in time, it's generally not a problem to go round them or hop over them/shift your weight back to reduce the impact. It's the ones that appear from under the car in front that you have to worry about. I'm wondering whether I should get some more powerful lights specifically to pick out such things. Also, make sure you report the really bad ones. If enough people do it, it will start to make a difference.

rjsterry

Anyone any experience of this? Just received a slightly cryptic email from Claims Handlers acting for TfL in relation to my report of the pothole on Blackfriars Road. Virtually no text in the email, and just a standard letter .doc file (with a weird reference to a phone conversation I have never had) and claim form .pdf. I replied suggesting they be a little more polite and introduce themselves as I wasn't expecting an email, and pointing out the inaccuracy re. the phone call.

Are they likely to pay out for a new wheel?

cjcp

Very dodgy. What was the name of the company?

rjsterry

Gallagher Bassett. They check out as claims handlers, and I'm not sure how else they would have got hold of my email other than from fillthathole.org. I have to say I was abit dubious myself, hence the post.

EDIT: Actually, thinking back, I did report the pothole direct to TfL as well, so that would be where they would have got my email. GB are definitely the people who deal with this for TfL, and the telephone numbers, and address check out too.

Paul 8v

Is there a fill that hole for other areas of GB? I think I could crash the system with the amount there are around here!