This morning's commute and other commuting stories

This morning the journey to work got a bit epic.
Just before entering the Elephant and Castle roundabout a cab driver decided to drive aggressively into me and as a result broke his side mirror on my back...
As he later explained he felt threatened when I tried to go get pass him (a bit close but safely) before entering in the roundabout.
All escalated quickly when fellow cyclist decided to take action. Cab driver ended up with a punch in the face and two side mirrors broken (thanks to some ninja-kickasss-fast-punching combat abilities of the fellow cyclist)
Whoever you are... THANK YOU

P.S: I managed to take some photos of the driver and his car...

Along from charing cross to Buckingham palace, halfway and taxi passes inchese from me, even though there was an empty lane to my right. I roll up besides him at lights, "want to pass any closer next time?" "Try to"... after next lights (toward hyde park) he does indeed.

I'm usually non-violent but this morning's episode felt justified by the level of murderous violence displayed by the fucking cabbie

Not so much commute but tourist day tripper, and pedinger as Mrs 853 wasn't too keen on rolling out on a rental bike.

Did spend the time watching out for riders and bike checking, Started at St Pancs and a blonde lady with black and red helmet bombed down the hill and got a green light and zipped off at speed, behind St pancs by nature garden, up to camden lock for a chinese for breakfast, all flash road bikes around Regents park, no fixed or SS until we got down to soho.
Making mental notes and causally checking out bike locking, loads of Kryptonites out there but more cheapo locks, did spot some nice bikes around the place.
Loads of wreckers too, slowly rusting away and some classic how not to lock your bike front wheels only.
Thought of DAS'ing a few but decided against it, cut down from Regents into Baker street for Holmes, ambled along bond/oxford street checking out side streets, finished off at the Hunterian muesum which is great if you are a budding serial killer or trying to impress a Goth girl (few goth girls in there, i like goths) then a pizza across the road and amble back to St Pancs for a train home. Few commuters with bikes on board.
Learnt my way round a bit more, checked out and sat on a boris bike, next step will be rent one for central London then much later (need a good lock first) i will bring a bike in so i can go beyond the reach of rentals with out incurring extra fee's.

Cold but dry, some nice locals and grumpy tourists 8/10

Nodders, LOL

First time ever in clipless pedals, didn't stack it at the lights: 9/10

Rainwater seeped into my bag and made my work clothes all damp: 3/10

Last week I transitioned to shorts and there's no going back on a big decision like that.

Today was a real test, and I smashed it. #soproud #justdoit #pma #slightlycoldshins

First time ever in clipless pedals, didn't stack it at the lights

Be careful, you probably will. ;-)

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Be careful, you probably will. ;-)

Oh I'm sure I will . Expect a post on here when it happens.

Was actually disappointed with today's weather! Especially on a Monday! Where's last week's sun and warmth?

6/10 would have stayed in bed more

Tomorrow's meant to be nice.

#smalltalk #inaneweatherchat

Switched to MTB and hydraulic brakes thinking it would be peeing down. Wrong. So ground out a few miles on very knobblies and convinced myself it's good for fitness. Love the noise too. Slower than single speed and therefore safer? Have to say yes. Pleasant ride - 7 out of 10 mainly because slow is....well....slow!

Where are everyones mudguards!

had to bus in

left bike at work over the weekend

the worst

It's spring - didn't you get the memo?

Taxi crossing Southwark bridge northbound at about 8:40 this morning seemed fairly unhappy to find a cyclist using the road rather than the segregated bike lane. You could tell by his use of the horn.

I arrived at the lights on the north side of the bridge to find them both discussing the matter. Cyclist attempting to explain that he isn't required to actually use the bike lane, clogged up as it is at that time of the morning with slowcoach cyclists like myself.

Taxi driver insisted that "I'm just worried about your safety, mate", which, as the cyclist pointed out to me afterwards, roughly translates to "I don't have enough confidence in my driving, or that of my colleagues, to pass you safely, so probably best if you just fuck off out the way."

What a considerate man.

Not a commuting story, I just want to know why all the day-glo old Bill hanging around the junction of Edgeware and Marylebone roads, underneath the fly-over especially.

Is it to catch red light jumping cyclists or is it a ring of steel around Paddington green cop shop?

There be a thread for that famalam:

http://www.lfgss.com/conversations/135041/

Decided to take the long way home with over double the climbing because of a completely naff shift. Oh how it rained. Did the trick though, bad mood: gone.

Is it to catch red light jumping cyclists or is it a ring of steel around Paddington green cop shop?

Depends. There's often some there every now and then.

Today there was a big crash a little further up the road by KFC between a scooter and a car.

Nice ride home tonight, taking a break from the OKR by heading down the Walworth Road and over Herne Hill, along Rosendale and up Fountains Drive to the transmitter (I'm unfitter than I thought) and then spinning madly down through Sydenham. A bit nicer than this morning's soaking.

There's a thread for that too!
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/137645/

First cycle into work since I discovered the train was faster! Felt really good! knackered (not been sleeping well...) but still rode home too... Was good.

101/100

Ah! it seemed like an awful lot of police resources just to finger some MTB scrotes riding on the pavement.

What, you don't like the tepid, bitter, gritty, oily taste of road in your mouth at 7.30am every day?