This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Pull in front of them, take a picture of the licence plate, report at https://secure.met.police.uk/roadsafelondon/ when you get to work.

Flys, billions of tiny little flys.
How is one supposed to breathe?

Wednesday is the new Friday. Morning of shit drivers.

Have been in a bad mood the last few days so the tempation to bash close passing cars was huge.

Manage to resist but jeez I need to chill

Rainbow road, seemed a bus taking the same route before me had an oil leak and rain had made them rainbow patterns appear, kinda amazed it seemed to go for 4miles without running out of oil to dump on the road. Apart from that lovely.

So that's where Mario Kart got the idea.

Through streatham towards brixton? Followed this very same trail this morning

@timbre other way, I suspect a 109 doing streatham - norbury - croydon but then they would turn around and head back to brixton. Explains why bus fares are going up if they are pissing away all the money on oil.

Punctures, 2 of them (different days), no tyre irons, embarrassed pushing of bike past silently judging pedestrians, their indifferent eyes screaming 'he's too fat/unfit/lazy to ride his bike up this slight incline', my eyes screaming back 'I HAVE A PUNCTURE, LOOOOK, can you not see that the thin tyre at the rear is completely flat, isn't it obvious? Can you not hear the clunk of the rim and it clatters over bumps on the pavement? You can't then why not? STOP JUDGING ME'

Tyre iron? Was it not flat enough?

No, they were judging your weak thumbs

So after this mornings rear blow out I got a puncture on the front this time coming back home 13miles into a dry but dark 20 mile commute. This mornings pneumatic prangage has resulted in my rear Continental 'City Ride' tyre having a ~12mm open wound across the centre tread area, its got less than 500miles on it and its mullered already, thanks random sharp things.

I think I shall retire from cycle commuting and go back to motorcycle commuting, its cheaper!

At least then you won't have to change your username ;-)

Today I got into work at 12 and left by 3:30.

It was a good day...

Heheheh, ouch! harsh but true!

I've splashed out on 2 x 32mm Gatorskin Hardshell tyres, if I get another puncture EVER again I'm giving up all together :-)

I remembered the name of the company this morning. A letter is winging it's way to them in the post.

No, when the hardshells die, that just means you need marathon plus.

Ribimo are pretty good too.

Conti >>>

Doh! Not a good commuter choice Mr Hippy?

Hippy is conti-racist. There are far worse commuters.

Got chased by two youths on the same crappy halfords full sus mountain bike (not the same model, two of them on one bike) yesterday after one of them pointed out that I looked a bit like Austin Powers and I pointed out that he looked a bit like a dickhead. Turned up to work giggling 8/10

late commute to work, spat me out into wandsworth road tail back. At least it was going in the opposite direction to me.
Rest of the ride was gravy.

would do again.

Commute was fine other than the excessive headwind until I got to Camden and loads of traffic backed up due to what looked like roadworks (loads of cones cutting down the lanes).

Got to the front of the traffic queue to see a cyclist on the ground with paramedics (seemed to be conscious but holding his shoulder). It knocks it out of you a bit when you see that on your daily commuting route.

Some people swear by them, others swear at them.

I prefer Schwalbe for durability. Vittoria or Michelin for speedier stuff.

The only things worse than Conti clinchers for commuting are Conti tubs. :P

Massive case of SLOM and DOMS but eventually dragged myself out. Trackstanding Pearson guy commented "nice bike" on my Inbred and asked about the forks and stuff. I hope he doesn't follow me around to steal it ;) I trundled off in 32x16 not even bothering to give chase because.. ouch. Really enjoying it now I've chopped the bars and moved the brake levers a bit. All I need now is to swap the rear wheel bearings and probably gear it up a touch.

Traffic from my front door to the front door of work.

Why?

fish/water