The Tyne and Wear Commuter Thread

jomoj

OK, a few points I want to challenge. Firstly, the whole segregation analogy you make is nonsense because you are drawing a parallel with segregation between equals but, like it or not, there is absolutely no parity between an 8 year old on a bike and a 2 ton 4x4, there is no parity between an adult cyclist and a 2 ton 4x4 either for that matter. This is why we have pavements for pedestrians and why more enlightened countries like Holland and Denmark have widespread cycling infrastructure that allows anybody to ride a bike at a comfortable speed. I don't know if you've ever visited or spent any time in those countries or anywhere with proper bike infra, but bloody hell it's an eye opener. Here's a 6 second video clip I took in Malmo: https://vine.co/v/Oaarlviprdz
that's probably the same number of cyclists than I see in my 45 minute commute into Newcastle and its because they have halfway decent bike lanes that go where people want to go.

I get the argument that poor quality cycling lanes - such as make up the majority of bike infrastructure in the UK can create an expectation that a cyclist should not be on the road and there is no way this is going to change over night. If you look at this specific proposal however you would have seen that it really stands out because it is actually done properly. NTC road engineers apparently went on a jolly to Holland and took on some lessons from what they saw. It is a separate lane, separate from the road and separate from the pavement with right of way over the side roads. This is what we need more of, not just green paint and a 'please drive a bit slower sign'.

You also have considerable more faith in some playground training, paint stripes and speed limit signage to protect our hypothetical 8 year old cyclist from impatient, inattentive drivers or being blown off course into their path. I have a non hypothetical 8 year old who loves to ride her bike but I wouldn't let her near the road yet because kids just don't have the ability to read the situation and make good, instant decisions at that age. That's partly why 100s of them are injured and killed on the road every year, we expect them to deal with an increasingly lethal environment that is unforgiving of mistakes and lapses in concentration.

Now I like riding my bike quickly and I am fit enough and confident enough to mix it with traffic but if there was a genuinely good bike lane then I'd use it and accept it because it's just overall a better experience. I think there's a lot of fear about this from people (usually young, athletic males) who think it is going to infringe on their perceived rights to ride fast on the road. However there are still going to be miles of road to do that on and if the price of making it safe for kids and all kinds of people to cycle in town and the suburbs is that they have to moderate their speed in some places then frankly, that is a miniscule price worth paying.

Initialised

'Cycleways' are basically footpaths where bikes are allowed. It is not proper cycling space because UK law does not cater for roads for the exclusive use of cyclists. Do it properly or don't bother.

markhewitt1978

"Don't segregate integrate"? No. Nowhere where cycling is properly popular has gone down this route. Subjective safety is what it's all about.

The Dutch know that you can't share when the vehicle types are of vastly different speed and weight. There's no excuse for the crap we have to put up with.

As said it's not about the roadies - and I speak as one.

jomoj

Initialised wrote:

'Cycleways' are basically footpaths where bikes are allowed. It is not proper cycling space because UK law does not cater for roads for the exclusive use of cyclists. Do it properly or don't bother.

Do you really think that nothing should be done unless it's absolutely perfect? This is only going to happen incrementally and it's going to need compromise from all sides - yes, including cyclists - but if you take the time to look at the scheme:


http://www.northtyneside.gov.uk/browse. ... tegory=755

Then you'd see it's a considerably better effort than most.

xbnm

Its my fault.

This morning felt a case of man flu coming on but had to try out the new commuter. Full mud guards and hydraulic disks god do they make a difference in the wet so you can blame me for the wind and rain and any related flu pandemic that comes.

For info its a Whyte Cornwall http://road.cc/content/news/131553-whyte-launches-cornwall-carbon-frame-mudguards-and-disc-brakes no whyte branded mudguards available so had to fit some SKS ones a little fiddly and required use of a hack saw on the front mudguard stays but they fit fine also replaced the maxis denotater tyres 25mm tyres that it came with for some 4 seasons.

Cables need a little tidying around the headset but im very happy.

jomoj

yes I'm totally sold on road disc brakes, I've got the shimano R517 cable brakes with 105 levers and they're pretty good considering the limitations of the single moving pad. Just need a tweak of the pad spacing every week, which takes less than a minute. Hydraulics would be nice but I'm not taken with current cost of the combined brake and shift levers, just seems like an awful lot of money to place in a part that can take a beating if you crash.

y33stu

Saw a lady cyclist get hit by a 4x4 this morning, from about 3 meters away.

I was heading away from Sage, at the Great Park, over the bridge over the A1, in the cycle lane. A car pulls out of the junction on the right, and heads straight over, hitting the cyclist who was probably doing about 15mph. She hit the side of the car, luckily avoiding going under the front wheels.

He just didn't even look before pulling out, like so many do coming out of that estate.

I was about 3 meters behind her, and stopped to help out/shout at the driver.

Was horrible to see, plus the sound of her hitting the car was awful. I was just about to overtake her too, so could so easily have been me under the car. Scary stuff.

Be safe out there folks.

Note. Gave her my details etc... and since then have checked, she's ok, other than a nasty cut arm, sore legs. Bikes ok though

Long_Time_Lurker

Sage you say?
We may be sharing a bike shed

That junction is a pain since the bollards were put there. Locals watch out for buses, but not bikes.
I had to throw on the anchors last Friday evening after someone in a people carrier pulled across the junction.

Captain Slackbladder

Great Park's a awful place to cycle to for me (East to West) bad enough heading out to the sticks on a Saturday/Sunday morning nevermind through the week commuting times.

y33stu

@Long time Lurker - I live just past Sage in the new development, so unless you somehow park your bike in my house, It's unlikely we share a shed!

But yeah, you're spot on about the bollards. The amount of times I've had to dodge cars coming out of there is unbelievable.

Long_Time_Lurker

y33stu wrote:

@Long time Lurker - I live just past Sage in the new development, so unless you somehow park your bike in my house, It's unlikely we share a shed!

But yeah, you're spot on about the bollards. The amount of times I've had to dodge cars coming out of there is unbelievable.

Phew! I was worried that you might be a corporate spy.
I was waiting for an email from IS warning me about accessing the internet for personal use during contracted work hours.

Slackbladder - I'm East to West too. My easiest route takes me along the Coast Road - one of the most uninspiring rides you can make. Sucks all the fun out of riding. Add some wind and rain into the equation and I'll happily leave the bike at home.

Captain Slackbladder

Long Time Lurker wrote:

y33stu wrote:

@Long time Lurker - I live just past Sage in the new development, so unless you somehow park your bike in my house, It's unlikely we share a shed!

But yeah, you're spot on about the bollards. The amount of times I've had to dodge cars coming out of there is unbelievable.

Phew! I was worried that you might be a corporate spy.
I was waiting for an email from IS warning me about accessing the internet for personal use during contracted work hours.

Slackbladder - I'm East to West too. My easiest route takes me along the Coast Road - one of the most uninspiring rides you can make. Sucks all the fun out of riding. Add some wind and rain into the equation and I'll happily leave the bike at home.

My commute is the below, there's quicker ways into town but i'd rather stick a few extra km's on. The coast road is awful in my opinion...

http://app.strava.com/activities/204709366

Initialised

Captain Slackbladder wrote:

Long Time Lurker wrote:

y33stu wrote:

@Long time Lurker - I live just past Sage in the new development, so unless you somehow park your bike in my house, It's unlikely we share a shed!

But yeah, you're spot on about the bollards. The amount of times I've had to dodge cars coming out of there is unbelievable.

Phew! I was worried that you might be a corporate spy.
I was waiting for an email from IS warning me about accessing the internet for personal use during contracted work hours.

Slackbladder - I'm East to West too. My easiest route takes me along the Coast Road - one of the most uninspiring rides you can make. Sucks all the fun out of riding. Add some wind and rain into the equation and I'll happily leave the bike at home.

My commute is the below, there's quicker ways into town but i'd rather stick a few extra km's on. The coast road is awful in my opinion...

http://app.strava.com/activities/204709366

Nonsense, the coast road is loads of fun: http://www.strava.com/activities/188528 ... 4425494421

Captain Slackbladder

Initialised wrote:

Captain Slackbladder wrote:

Long Time Lurker wrote:

y33stu wrote:

@Long time Lurker - I live just past Sage in the new development, so unless you somehow park your bike in my house, It's unlikely we share a shed!

But yeah, you're spot on about the bollards. The amount of times I've had to dodge cars coming out of there is unbelievable.

Phew! I was worried that you might be a corporate spy.
I was waiting for an email from IS warning me about accessing the internet for personal use during contracted work hours.

Slackbladder - I'm East to West too. My easiest route takes me along the Coast Road - one of the most uninspiring rides you can make. Sucks all the fun out of riding. Add some wind and rain into the equation and I'll happily leave the bike at home.

My commute is the below, there's quicker ways into town but i'd rather stick a few extra km's on. The coast road is awful in my opinion...

http://app.strava.com/activities/204709366

Nonsense, the coast road is loads of fun: http://www.strava.com/activities/188528 ... 4425494421

WOW, you've gone back 5 weeks to post a KOM segment on a commute...

jomoj

I'm with slackbladder here, I add on a few miles for a reduced stress commute along the river. There's a few tyre hazards to dodge of man and dog made nature but otherwise it's relatively pleasant most days.

Initialised

Captain Slackbladder wrote:

Initialised wrote:

Captain Slackbladder wrote:

Long Time Lurker wrote:

y33stu wrote:

@Long time Lurker - I live just past Sage in the new development, so unless you somehow park your bike in my house, It's unlikely we share a shed!

But yeah, you're spot on about the bollards. The amount of times I've had to dodge cars coming out of there is unbelievable.

Phew! I was worried that you might be a corporate spy.
I was waiting for an email from IS warning me about accessing the internet for personal use during contracted work hours.

Slackbladder - I'm East to West too. My easiest route takes me along the Coast Road - one of the most uninspiring rides you can make. Sucks all the fun out of riding. Add some wind and rain into the equation and I'll happily leave the bike at home.

My commute is the below, there's quicker ways into town but i'd rather stick a few extra km's on. The coast road is awful in my opinion...

http://app.strava.com/activities/204709366

Nonsense, the coast road is loads of fun: http://www.strava.com/activities/188528 ... 4425494421

WOW, you've gone back 5 weeks to post a KOM segment on a commute...

Posted the wrong one, should have been this one: http://www.strava.com/activities/167259497#3890023732 the clue is in the title!

andy9964

Cracked my target of 2.5k miles for the year today. That's 1k up on last year
2514 in total so far, and 75 days left. If we get weather like last year, I'll be very disappointed not to get 3k.
Actually, thinking about it, I'll be disappointed regardless of the weather........3k is the new target

Initialised

Andy9964 wrote:

Cracked my target of 2.5k miles for the year today. That's 1k up on last year
2514 in total so far, and 75 days left. If we get weather like last year, I'll be very disappointed not to get 3k.
Actually, thinking about it, I'll be disappointed regardless of the weather........3k is the new target

Nice one, we have a page for this sor tof madness: http://www.startfarm.co.uk/aspStats/Default.aspx

andy9964

Initialised wrote:

Andy9964 wrote:

Cracked my target of 2.5k miles for the year today. That's 1k up on last year
2514 in total so far, and 75 days left. If we get weather like last year, I'll be very disappointed not to get 3k.
Actually, thinking about it, I'll be disappointed regardless of the weather........3k is the new target

Nice one, we have a page for this sor tof madness: http://www.startfarm.co.uk/aspStats/Default.aspx

Signed up, never enough websites to log stats

markhewitt1978

How windy was it yesterday! Rode down to Sedgefield and it was a massive hard slog in the wind, as ever you never feel like you get paid back on the way home!

xbnm

I took one look out the window at the trees blowing in the gale and decided it was a better idea to walk to a pub for Sunday lunch and some beers.

Tomorrow looking a little grim 10 miles into a 25mph wind up to Stanley with the possibility of horizontal rain as an added bonus to the wind chill.

Long_Time_Lurker

I had a 3 hours blast on the MTB, but picked my route carefully (until I got the Rising Sun).
Got blown home.

Felt it this morning though - so much so that I got the Metty in this morning.

Initialised

I stayed in the Tyne Valley not to bad a head wind on the way out, got some PRs on the way back so it must have been windy as I wasn't pushing.

Runtothehills

Touch windy this morning as well, going down Coldwell Lane with gusts alternating from either side was interesting, normally just get them from one side where the gaps in the houses are.

anthdci

It was my first time back on my bike this morning, been off it for nearly two months after an operation. Didn't hurt as much as I expected, but I felt slower, the wind didn't help. The winter prep I did wasn't perfect either. One of my front lights came out of the holder, luckily it is a flashlight and has a wrist strap that I loop over the bars to stop it bouncing down the road if this happens. I also found my seat post light has died, its nearly 3 and seen some harsh weather so I can forgive it. Now I am not sure what to replace it with.

andy9964

anthdci wrote:

Now I am not sure what to replace it with.

Smart Lunar R1 available from Taiwan on eBay for under £8. Got one myself 18 months ago, very bright - you wouldn't want to look into it. Though they can suffer from road spray.
R2 USB rechargeable for not much more, if the R1 is anything to go by, should be good

anthdci

Andy9964 wrote:

anthdci wrote:

Now I am not sure what to replace it with.

Smart Lunar R1 available from Taiwan on eBay for under £8. Got one myself 18 months ago, very bright - you wouldn't want to look into it. Though they can suffer from road spray.
R2 USB rechargeable for not much more, if the R1 is anything to go by, should be good

thanks, I was looking at the Cateye TL-LD610 since my old one was the TL-LD600 and it has lasted so long.
Since it is going to be used over winter road spray is probably going to be quite a big issue even with my guards on. I am quite conscious of blinding motorists with my lights, is this powerful enough to be seen but not so powerful that it will distract vehicles around me?

andy9964

Never had any complaints about it being too bright from the lads at work, who pass me on the way up to the bridge beside Nissan. They do say it's they can spot me from a good distance though.
As long as it is kept out of the spray, it'll be fine. I never had any issues with mine until I took the guards off, and it started playing up. Took the batteries out and let it dry, and it's been OK since (though I have put some electrical tape round the seam as a belts and braces measure)
It has a strobe and constant mode on full power, and two small LEDs for "club rides", so it may be a bit bright for any cyclists following you

anthdci

Great, I think I'll order one today. It was quite dark when I left the house, but the sun was up by about half way through my ride in.

andy9964

Maybe a bit late with this, but..............

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/accesso ... -_-TopLink