This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Just remembered catching up to a turd on London Bridge as his foot flew off his pedal on the down slope, and he reached for the brake, which was his front (and only) brake. He pulled a bit hard and nearly flew over the handle bars.

Cool shades bro! Would look great with some foot retention, a helmet and a fucking clue.

Helmet thread>>>>>

which tires?

I swear by Marathon Supremes (ok, Plus too)

Michelin pro 4 endurance. to be fair, the rear was liberally bespeckled with shards of what looked like mirror glass, I have had no problems before or since. I think I was just unlucky that day.

Just to add some balance to this thread, today's commute in was a pleasure. Enjoy the sunshine everyone

^This. I've been having a lot of fun dodging/overtaking fair weather nodders on the commute, great to see so many (well behaved) bikes on the road. I'm worshiping this weather to, happy vibes.

Yeah, sometimes this commuting lark ain't so bad

19 dead quiet miles to derby hospital, 52mins sun and crisp fresh air.I fucking love this commute.
Legs were hurting bad from last night though...

awesome journey today.... built up slowly and then boom - got on a train with 2 others pushing it to 40kph. fun times drafting, staying with the traffic. no agro. amazing what a bit of sunshine can do.

I don't start work until 9:30am, but I need to traverse the whole of London to get there, over bridge and fen, through hillock and twunt, etc etc. I'm so sick of the traffic I've got up an hour early today to see if leaving before 8am makes a difference.

Oh, I hate my commute so much. My boss sent me a message while I was off last week telling me he had a team structure update for me and I had to see him about it, and he signed it off with "don't get excited, we're not making you redundant" :(

What's your 'to and fro' Bovvs? If you're that desperate that you're tacking an hour on to your day there must be some route extending you can do to make things more pleasant?

Balham to Kings Cross. What I'd really like is a slightly less hideous bridge to go over (I do Blackfriars), but also not to immediately get caught up in a massive clusterfuck getting from the less hideous bridge to Kings Cross, so I can rule out Southwark and Waterloo bridges right off the bat. Battersea or Albert Bridge might be alright, but that'd mean going through Chelsea every morning which is surely worse. Any of the west bridges would also mean crossing Oxford Street and possibly riding along Euston Road D:

Then there's coming in from the east instead, but that can't even be entertained as a reasonable proposal.

Leaving an hour early got me to work in 30 minutes instead of 45, though there wasn't much visible difference in the traffic. Dodging the school run clogging up the street I live on is probably what helped.

Rat runs? Sounds like you hit all the main arteries. Chelsea is awash with backstreets no? Or are you keen to get your head down and pace it a bit? A summer pootle on quieter roads might lengthen your life by a few stress free years. *

• I don't do this and always arrive sweaty and adrenalinised everywhere I go.
  

Both - I used to do that and my (not ideal) route was this:

Balham
Clapham South
Across Clapham Comon to the top of Cedars Road
Down Cedars then right onto Wandsworth Road
Up to Vauxhall
Across at Vauxhall and follow river southside to Westminster Bridge
Right onto whatever the road's called that runs north along the river
Left up Northumberland Ave. to Traf. Sq.
Up Charing X Rd
Illegal right turn onto Shaftesbury
Back roads up to the bit of UCL near KX, passing Russel Square

Getting out of Bristol was a challenge again, seriously fucked traffic but the valley beyond in this weather are just gorgeous. Had a moment in them, when I just thought 'peace' to myself, and had something swell up in me. For once it wasn't indigestion but a feeling of unfettered joy so potent a tear may or may not have slipped out. Now at my desk with two days to hit a massive sales target having rinsed all my clients.

Still at least there are trees:

Yesterday on the way back through Long Ashton there was a chap on a road bike who had colour co-ordinated his tyres, shoes, shorts and helmet in a lovely lime green. I was catching him comfortably until some roadworks, where upon he decided to up his pace, I assume in an effort to drop my fat arse. I was perfectly happy since there was a headwind so I just sat in his wheel, finally getting past him on a descent, where upon he geared up and came past me again, so I just wheel sucked again. I think he was surprised when I wished him a good evening. Bristol cyclists don't have much chat.

I'm happy with rat runs - my route back does take in quite a few once I'm back in South London because I aim to get off CS7 as fast as humanly possible (they're not as good heading North, sadly).

doppelkorn, your route takes in the kind of places I'd like to avoid :p but it illustrates why I'm having trouble devising a new one - I hate Trafalgar Square, Charing Cross Road, Shaftesbury Avenue AND Fitzrovia, for the same reasons each time, with just too much traffic and people weaving about and freaking out about being in the wrong lane etc etc. But it seems pretty impossible to avoid places like that to get to where I need to be.

Might take a photo of a plane tree on my way home to cheer myself up a bit. Oh, wait, my eyes.

I think on a daily basis I praise Ghaia I don't have to commute in London. Getting disemboweled with a blunt, rusty object sound preferable.

Balham to Kings Cross. What I'd really like is a slightly less hideous bridge to go over (I do Blackfriars), but also not to immediately get caught up in a massive clusterfuck getting from the less hideous bridge to Kings Cross, so I can rule out Southwark and Waterloo bridges right off the bat. Battersea or Albert Bridge might be alright, but that'd mean going through Chelsea every morning which is surely worse. Any of the west bridges would also mean crossing Oxford Street and possibly riding along Euston Road D:

Then there's coming in from the east instead, but that can't even be entertained as a reasonable proposal.

Leaving an hour early got me to work in 30 minutes instead of 45, though there wasn't much visible difference in the traffic. Dodging the school run clogging up the street I live on is probably what helped.

How about South London - Battersea/ Albert Bridge (both of these have quite a lot of traffic in the mornings but it's slow clogged traffic not fast and dangerous, Albert is probably best) - Chelsea backstreets (and even main streets really) are fine - Hyde Park - Paddington backstreets - Regents Canal? Lots slower but hugely more enjoyable. Or the Edgware Road actually isn't that awful.

Or after Hyde Park you could stay further east and use Gloucester Place or Seymour place, which aren't too bad, then use Regents Park, and come into Kings Cross from the north?

I wouldn't go your way though.

Does anyone know why Tower Bridge has been so fucked the last couple of mornings? It was outstandingly bad today. I may have to alter my commute and I do not want that as I can't think of a better way to get to Canary Wharf than the way I've worked out.

Sorry to jump back a post but I used to find Chelsea Bridge and its approach rammed with nodders and ALPHA AS FUCK roadies loving the CS7.

^ Not at all and you're absolutely right doppelkorn. I was just writing that I used to do laps of Battersea park in the morning and yeah albert bridge works sort of well for coming across the water as the traffic is slow (if clogged), but then you have the problem of the embankment and the motherfuckers who love to wheel up and bromance it into Parliament Square.

Embankment roadies are the roadiest roadies of all. Avoid them- Battersea Bridge, Beaufort Street, Gloucester Road, Hyde Park, then attack the West End from the West.

If I end up on that Embankment it's from Chelsea Bridge and I get as far as Lupus St before I get all moody. Lupus St not a bad way to get into the West End most days mind.

Dear Jewson driver cunt, you move into my fucking lane with your truck and have the gall to complain about me hogging the road because I happen to be riding around a pothole at the time so wasn't in the gutter where you'd like me to be? Fuck you cunt! Professional driver my fucking left bollock. Die a horrible death so I don't have to raise my voice over your imbecilic bleatings again. Fucking shit nozzle fuck death scum whore.

How about South London - Battersea/ Albert Bridge (both of these have quite a lot of traffic in the mornings but it's slow clogged traffic not fast and dangerous, Albert is probably best) - Chelsea backstreets (and even main streets really) are fine - Hyde Park - Paddington backstreets - Regents Canal? Lots slower but hugely more enjoyable. Or the Edgware Road actually isn't that awful.

Or after Hyde Park you could stay further east and use Gloucester Place or Seymour place, which aren't too bad, then use Regents Park, and come into Kings Cross from the north?

I wouldn't go your way though.

These are all very good ideas, ta. Didn't even occur to me to try the canal - I'm not fussed about going slowly as it takes years to get to work anyway with all the traffic lights. I'll try a few of these out, hopefully I can hit commute gold.

My current commute: Enter park, cycle 5 miles in beautiful sunshine along the river, cross river, get to work. :D
Only thing which would make it better is being longer.