This morning's commute and other commuting stories

In my personal experience, a backpack with wires hanging out of it ensures an empty carriage.

Shorts, base layer, s/s summer jersey, and overshoes are perfect.

For the aero?

Are you still rocking the big beard?

Are you still rocking the big beard?

Ditched it when I had to go to the US Embassy for a visa.

For the aero?

My feet get cold :-/

It was fucking freezing, need to sort out some kind of hat to go under my helmet as well as some gloves. Was weirdly quiet going through Vauxhall/Pimlico today, around 6:50

That's cuz most people were still in bed...

I went past this yesterday morning too - the motorcyclist was gone and popo were directing traffic, Addison Lee car parked up across the bike lane and cyclists getting unnecessarily stressed out by having to drive slowly around an accident, same as everyone else. Hope the rider's okay.

Took yesterday off for trainingz so was slow today. It didn't rain. Novelty.

mrs hell tells me people drive to the mall to walk around it. in running shoes and sweat pants. for exercise.

IME of living in the US the sedentary lifestyles are roughly the same as the UK, it just looks vastly different due to the lack of pedestrian infrastructure (or good public transport) in many cities in the US so they all get concentrated in the few public places you see them (e.g. shopping malls).

I got very odd looks from coworkers for walking between offices (4 or 5 miles), or running/cycling to work (4 miles) when I lived/worked in Overland Park, KS. Why would I do that rather than drive to work and then to the gym? It just added to the eccentric Englishman schtick that I failed to pull off very well.

Bought a weeks travelcard yesterday, so much regret.

I pheel u bro

Finally have had to put a biek in a bike shop to get something fixed that I can't do at home; facing a disc brake tab.

Curse you disc brakes and Charge's shoddy paint/frame finishing for making me take a train home and back to work in the morning. Office Xmas party was the last time I didn't ride in.

So cold

Well below zero this morning.

racing slicks, fingerless gloves, no hat, vented shoes.................meh.

You'd think I'd learn.

To be fair SF, you can't anticipate freak weather like that in Norway, can you?

Who do you think i am. john kettly?

TBH. It was +18c a few mornings ago. I thought the thermometer was broken.

Dear passengers on the 49 bus on Holland Road this morning,

I am afraid your driver did not like it when I passed him, so put his foot down to prevent me from moving into the left hand lane. He then moved right into my lane in an attempt to run me into the traffic island at the Addison Crescent turn-off. It was only when I slowed to avoid hitting the island that he looked properly at the road ahead and realised his next stop was just a short distance away - and stood hard on the brakes. Shame your driver was such a cock and neglects passenger safety every time he spots a cyclist he would like to kill. Please do join me in complaining about him to his employers.

forgot my oversocks cos they were drying. feet were freezing, how did I go so long without them?

Cycling home, end up behind a white van. The driver accelerates with a huge rev, spewing out huge amounts of black sh*t right into my face, only to slam on the brakes right away as we were both stuck in heavy traffic.

Can't shake the feeling it was intentional, is this a thing now? Or am I paranoid? I passed without questioning his driving but maybe I should have...

It is intentional.

Unfortunately only supposedly for trucks & buses:

https://www.gov.uk/report-smoky-vehicle

Well below zero this morning.

racing slicks, fingerless gloves, no hat, vented shoes.................meh.

You'd think I'd learn.>

You're on your own with the fingerless gloves, but I've stuck gaffer tape over my vented shoes for the last 2 winters and enjoyed warm, dry feet.

New thread alert - What gaffer tape for minus temperatures?

Gapha merino tape, only 79.99 a roll. I never use anything else.

Is this a stupid idea? For £20 I might give them a go under overshoes in the deep winter conditions.
http://www.breezeblockers.com/buy/aeroguard.php