Your Anti-Rants here
Comments
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Numpty decided to use a single lane 2 way bus link as shortcut had to reverse 150 yards around a corner to allow me and the bus behind through lol. Not exactly that good a shortcut.0
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Even if it was, I'm sure they will have been given the message.roger merriman wrote:Luckily my commute is fairly benign for that being mostly cycle paths/parks. But close passed at speed few weeks ago, in front of a police car which promptly did a U turn and I caught up to them looking very glum a few minutes later, it was probably the speed which they (if they where) done for
In my yoof I wasn't always as sensible a driver as I could have been, and I was once stopped by the police for tailgating a middle-lane-hogger on the M40; I was towing a trailer, so not allowed to use the fast lane. Although the offence I was ticketed for was speeding (after the lane hogger had finally pulled over) they made it abundantly clear that tailgating was the more dangerous offence. Less paperwork on their side (fixed penalty for speeding, and easier to prove), I felt that I'd got off lightly, and my driving improved; everyone a winner!Pannier, 120rpm.0 -
That made me laugh when I remembered that many moons ago one of our bosses got stopped for speeding whilst towing a trailer with a Morris Marina pick up. He claimed the speed they said he was doing was impossible in that without a trailer so clearly there was a mistake. I think he got away with it because he was very pleased they didn't look under the bonnet to see the V8 engine.TGOTB wrote:I was towing a trailer, so not allowed to use the fast lane. Although the offence I was ticketed for was speeding0 -
A weekend where the bike started dirty, and ended up clean and sparkly without me have to raise a finger . And they even fitted new cables. Good god is it nice to have perfectly shifting gears again.
Thank you local bike shop,Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0 -
Feeling good after a great weekend's riding.
Rode from Epsom to Tunbridge Wells on Friday setting out at 03:47 am.
Train from TW to Dover then the 10:00 ferry to Dunkirk.
Rode from Dunkirk to Oudenaarde before heavy, heavy rain stopped play so we got another train to Geraardsbergen.
Saturday we rode the Muur van Geraardsbergen and then onto Waterloo for a battlefield tour. I have wanted to visit there for circa 50 years so it was a bit of a dream come true to finally see and walk on the battlefield. Train from Waterloo to Gent.
Sunday (this morning) we rode from Gent to Dunkirk and ferry back to Dover and then train home.
Feeling content sitting at home now after a few beers and some red wine.
A great weekend covering over 400km.FCN = 40 -
Wolfsbane2k wrote:A weekend where the bike started dirty, and ended up clean and sparkly without me have to raise a finger . And they even fitted new cables. Good god is it nice to have perfectly shifting gears again.
Thank you local bike shop,
Silence. Absolute, utter, silence - no creaks, no moans, no partially changing gears.
Well, silence, other than me coughing my guts up with hayfever.
I knew the cables were fscked, but a gear change now is so lightweight, it annoys me how over a year I'd not noticed the gradual increase in force required to shift.Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0 -
Saw an old Renault Clio parked in the Meadows' bike lane today. Pissed as I was, I stopped to take a picture, but was too busy at work and forgot to do anything. Saw the same old Clio on the way back, on the same spot, with a parking fine on the windscreen (are they FPN in Scotland already?). It felt _good_. Almost stopped to high-5 the traffic wardens I saw 100m higher up the road.0
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Changed over to summer tyres last night. This morning felt like bliss on the bike. Amazing what a change from 700x38 PX CX tyres to 700x32 Vittoria voyager hypers will do for the feel and speed of a ride.
A bit harsh though. Wonder if hypers are available in a wider tyre and whether tyre wider version will slow me down noticeably.0 -
Someone - who wanted to argue with me about it - is about to find out via a letter that I was in fact correct.
It is indeed illegal to be sat in your car in the ASL texting
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pastryboy wrote:Someone - who wanted to argue with me about it - is about to find out via a letter that I was in fact correct.
It is indeed illegal to be sat in your car in the ASL texting
Did you take a photo? I see people texting most days, or was it the ASL bit that made it worse?0 -
Oh bu**er! I've probably just recorded my best time into work for a couple of years.
Seriously! I rode it, saw a good time with a minute to go and stopped the GPS watch recording and everything disappeared. Either I've closed the summary page as well as stopping the clock or I've deleted the ride. I'm now waiting for it to transfer through fitbit to strava to find out which.
Either way, I've just done my best morning commute for possibly a couple of years. That's what a winter on nobbly, cheapo CX tyres and a sudden change over to voyager hypers does to you. Whether I have the record or not it's an anti rant.
On a more commuting based anti rant. I got very few close passes, none were bad and the lights were all in my favour. Even the awful greyhound Bridge roadworks diversion played nice for me this morning. Plus near work I found out they've made an attempt at filling some nasty tramline potholes at the edge of services roadworks from 15 years ago. They've been bad for most of those years. So even if it's a dodgy job I reckon once they've hardened it'll be better than 10+ years of fake tramlines to get stuck in.
I'm buzzin'! Is it endorphins or the fast time that's causing my high?!
I hope you good ppl have had as good a ride in today.0 -
Don't want to put a downer on your high, but is this the biggest factor?Tangled Metal wrote:Oh bu**er! I've probably just recorded my best time into work for a couple of years.
Seriously! I rode it, saw a good time with a minute to go and stopped the GPS watch recording and everything disappeared. Either I've closed the summary page as well as stopping the clock or I've deleted the ride. I'm now waiting for it to transfer through fitbit to strava to find out which.
Either way, I've just done my best morning commute for possibly a couple of years. That's what a winter on nobbly, cheapo CX tyres and a sudden change over to voyager hypers does to you. Whether I have the record or not it's an anti rant.
On a more commuting based anti rant. I got very few close passes, none were bad and the lights were all in my favour. Even the awful greyhound Bridge roadworks diversion played nice for me this morning. Plus near work I found out they've made an attempt at filling some nasty tramline potholes at the edge of services roadworks from 15 years ago. They've been bad for most of those years. So even if it's a dodgy job I reckon once they've hardened it'll be better than 10+ years of fake tramlines to get stuck in.
I'm buzzin'! Is it endorphins or the fast time that's causing my high?!
I hope you good ppl have had as good a ride in today.
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A slight factor due to a drop off in speed as I brake to a stop before pausing my watch but that's partly offset by the delay in starting it recording again after setting off. It doesn't account for the serveral minutes time reduction. A decade or more ago I could consistently do slightly further in the same time. However the past 6 years or so I've been mostly two minutes slower than this morning. 4+ minutes slower with the CX tyre.elbowloh wrote:
Don't want to put a downer on your high, but is this the biggest factor?Tangled Metal wrote:Oh bu**er! I've probably just recorded my best time into work for a couple of years.
Seriously! I rode it, saw a good time with a minute to go and stopped the GPS watch recording and everything disappeared. Either I've closed the summary page as well as stopping the clock or I've deleted the ride. I'm now waiting for it to transfer through fitbit to strava to find out which.
Either way, I've just done my best morning commute for possibly a couple of years. That's what a winter on nobbly, cheapo CX tyres and a sudden change over to voyager hypers does to you. Whether I have the record or not it's an anti rant.
On a more commuting based anti rant. I got very few close passes, none were bad and the lights were all in my favour. Even the awful greyhound Bridge roadworks diversion played nice for me this morning. Plus near work I found out they've made an attempt at filling some nasty tramline potholes at the edge of services roadworks from 15 years ago. They've been bad for most of those years. So even if it's a dodgy job I reckon once they've hardened it'll be better than 10+ years of fake tramlines to get stuck in.
I'm buzzin'! Is it endorphins or the fast time that's causing my high?!
I hope you good ppl have had as good a ride in today.
Nope there is a genuine reason to be happy there, genuine good time based on moving time only. I did get stopped by one set of lights, the rest were good for me.
Seriously when you've been riding on slow tyres, struggling to get on top of your pedaling then you suddenly switch to fast tyres. Well that feeling is amazing. Like night and day! One you're feeling like giving up and you take the car when you can. The other feels fun and you're using the bike when you can leaving the car sat at home not being used.
I think that all counts as an anti rant. A very good reason to be cheerful!0 -
Best bike commute with a new chain & new gear cables. First outing this year. Bliss!0
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ah go on then - I'll do another.
Had an issue with bad shifting on my Spec Tarmac - just the rear - worked out that it was the cable grabbing on the bottom bracket cable guide (good reason for DI2?) - anyway, that was a couple of years ago, I'd temporarily fixed the problem by passing the cable through an outer at that point, but that was only going to make it worse with dirt ingress. Anyway - FF this year and finally decided to sort it. I bought a generic BB guide - no way was that going to fit - it'd work ok-ish for the rear mech, but didn't provide the path for the front one. Contacted Specialized Concept store on FB - message read - no response... ok, contact Specialized UK - who found the part, was about to suggest I order it via a retailler (as they don't sell to the public) and decided it wasn't worth the hassle - so sent it through the post FoC!
Thank you Specialized UK - you made my Tarmac a joy to ride again - including changing gear.0 -
So it was exactly a week ago almost to the minute that I arrived in Geraardsbergen, cold, tired and soaked to the skin having left my house in Epsom at 03:50 a.m. that morning and covered 200km in between.
Another 200km was covered over the next two days before returning home, tired but dry and exhilarated.
Why the anti-rant? Well I just finished editing the videos so here's the highs and the lows of the trip. I will let you decide which is which:
Why Does it Always Rain on me?
The MomentFCN = 40 -
After shopping around for brake pads where I live without finding the sintered ones I want I gave up. Visiting family I popped into Halfords on the off chance. Found the organic Clark ones then asked for sintered. Assistant showed me the avid ones £20 each then took one back to check code online in case he could get it cheaper. Came back offering it for £10 each set. The clarks cheapo organic ones were now the same price so I went for the sintered ones.
Having needed a lift to get home Friday, after brake pad went (the pad ripped away from the backing frame / plate), I have now got a good deal on decent brake pads. On top of that the assistant got the deal for me. I waited for the assistant behind the till to help me but this guy stopped fettling a new bike in front of the tills and gave this good customer service.
I'm sorry but there are some good Halfords staff. I know it's common to call them Halfrauds and criticise their service but the three Halfords I use (two local and one at family's Town) I seem to get good service and actually good advice. Including once getting told my to bother buying something but to look elsewhere.
So I guess my anti rant is that I have got a good result from shopping at Halfords.0 -
Tangled Metal wrote:After shopping around for brake pads where I live without finding the sintered ones I want I gave up. Visiting family I popped into Halfords on the off chance. Found the organic Clark ones then asked for sintered. Assistant showed me the avid ones £20 each then took one back to check code online in case he could get it cheaper. Came back offering it for £10 each set. The clarks cheapo organic ones were now the same price so I went for the sintered ones.
Having needed a lift to get home Friday, after brake pad went (the pad ripped away from the backing frame / plate), I have now got a good deal on decent brake pads. On top of that the assistant got the deal for me. I waited for the assistant behind the till to help me but this guy stopped fettling a new bike in front of the tills and gave this good customer service.
I'm sorry but there are some good Halfords staff. I know it's common to call them Halfrauds and criticise their service but the three Halfords I use (two local and one at family's Town) I seem to get good service and actually good advice. Including once getting told my to bother buying something but to look elsewhere.
So I guess my anti rant is that I have got a good result from shopping at Halfords.
When I moved out in my teens, my local Halfords in Brighton was absolutely brilliant for keeping me mobile before I learned basic maintenance.
My anti-rant is enjoying my wife's burgeoning appreciation of cycling since we got her an ebike. She loves the fact she's getting her daily exercise without a gym membership, saving money on commuting (particularly once her new battery arrives and she doesn't need to use the train), and gets to enjoy food without any guilt. It's been brilliant.0 -
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Perfect your aero position to beat the new record.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-445037 ... ing-record================
2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
Finally decided to take the plunge and buy a GPS cycle computer to then get an e-mail from Evans informing me about the £50 cash back offer that Wahoo are doing. Wahoo indeed!Condor Pista
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Following on from this and a ranty email,
viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12573143&p=20348552#p20348552
Halfords/cycle republic have now apologised, and offered me a 520 plus bundle for the same price.
Very kind of them, think I'll take that offer... That's about on par with the 705 functionality that it's replacing, other than live re-routing.Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0 -
Discovered persimmon lens, it's well nice on cloudy days and in the evening! I am using it more than my trusty photochromic now.0
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Driving through a local village this morning (sorry - need to get places quickly later) main A road but 30 limit - 2 cars in front stops to let the children cross the road to the village school.
That's it - simple - something I do too - but not really seen others do it. It's that sort of thing that we need to get back to really - being courteous and friendly to others we meet - and making it safe for our children - without being obliged to do so.0 -
I found my knog blinder back light...
I'd lost it after a tidy up late last autumn ... but found it yesterday whilst looking for something else (isn't it always the case?!) - didn't find the other things I was looking for though... never mind - found the blinder and it was still working
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Walked past a bike shop in St Albans on Saturday and they had a little FROG 48 chained up with a "cash only £125" sign on it.
It was in decent nick and kind of on a whim i thought i'd grab it and see if i can tempt the biggest Little 'In (4 and a half) onto it. He's never been all that keen on his balance bike and i'd worried that it might be quite painful getting him to ride a bike.
24 hours later and he's hardly been off the FROG! I had absolutely no idea that investing in a really good kids bike would make such a difference! He's very close to being able to ride off on his own, and seems so much more comfortable and confident.
Pretty sure at £125 that i can let both boys learn on it, and still get most of my money back when it comes to selling it on!0 -
Excellent - yup Frog and Ilsabikes both get a good following and s/h are usually sort after. Have a look for a FB group for used Frog bikes - you'll get a good idea what they're going for.
TBH - £125 to get 2 kids to learn to ride and (more importantly) enjoy it is money well spent in my book. We spend enough on our own bikes that it seems harsh not to give the child a good ride too.0 -
Yep, we have had both Isla and Frogs and quite frankly the quality of the bikes makes it easy for the kids to learn and gain confidence. Even buying new we have barely lost money on the bikes we have had.RIP commute...
Sometimes seen bimbling around on a purple Fratello Disc or black and red Aprire Vincenza.0 -
Wolfsbane2k wrote:Following on from this and a ranty email,
viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12573143&p=20348552#p20348552
Halfords/cycle republic have now apologised, and offered me a 520 plus bundle for the same price.
Very kind of them, think I'll take that offer... That's about on par with the 705 functionality that it's replacing, other than live re-routing.
Of course, it would actually help if Garmin hadn't sold out of the 520plus bundles and cr were able to get one for me. Looks to be a long waiting game '-(Intent on Cycling Commuting on a budget, but keep on breaking/crashing/finding nice stuff to buy.
Bike 1 (Broken) - Bike 2(Borked) - Bike 3(broken spokes) - Bike 4( Needs Work) - Bike 5 (in bits) - Bike 6* ...0
