This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Had a weird one this morning. So I was at the front of the queue of traffic in the right hand side of the ASZ at the lights on Holborn Circus, waiting to turn right on to New Fetter Lane. The lights change and I move off and wait for a gap in the traffic. Then this bus driver, whose cab has just appeared to my left, calls me out and says I shouldn't be alongside her bus. This was peculiar as I had been in front of her bus until the point at which she had decided to come alongside me. It's a funny junction where some vehicles will try and undertake you into New Fetter Lane, some will try and overtake and others will just follow your line and let you just take the lane. The best policy to me has been to try to position myself in a central position in the junction such as to encourage people to let me take the lane, but occasionally there is no stopping some drivers from forcing you off your line. She'd essentially been unable to just wait behind me, which nothing was stopping her from doing, and then blamed me for my positioning. There simply wasn't enough time to explain the concept of primary or that if she had been behind a car she would not have done it. Slightly bewildered. Fish and a half/10

You don’t not 'need' a lock ring. I've been running a wheel without one for a couple of years without problems.

Wrap the chain around the sprocket and use the wheel as a lever to tighten the sprocket in place.

You don't "need" teeth either.

You don't need a lockring, but it slipping is a sign you either didn't tighten it enough or you've fucked the threads... In my experience 99% the latter, but that's because I over tighten everything.

@croft you'd be surprised how many couriers and trackies don't use lockrings... if you do it right it's not a problem... @Buffalo_Bill?

And if your threads aren't fucked already, using the wheel as a lever is as good a way of fucking them up as any :)

What's the point in not using a lockring though? Worth it for peace of mind. Trackies are always changing their gear so leave them off but not like the rest of us change ratio that often...

I could rotafix a sprocket on so that it wouldn't budge, doesn't mean to say I'd do it though.

Maybe with a total beater which I didn't care about.

Just bought the wheels (second hand) so didn't really think to check it... Maybe I should have, but definitely lesson learnt. personally I don't really know why you wouldnt want a lockring. Fair enough on a track you don't need one but on the road why would you not.

Weight weenie?

Awesome skills courier who wants to give a "I don't give a fuck" vibe?

Don't ask me, I lockring the shit out of everything.

was it the lockring or the sprocket? Just sounds like the sprocket wasn't tight enough on, I've done that in the past

Funny how a cat appears just after a mention of fish.

Sound like it may have been something like that, the bloke in the shop just tightened it all up and it was fine! Didn't even charge meh.

I ran a bike without a lockring for a while out of sheer laziness, if you have a rear brake it is not absolutely necessary. Tighten it up good and don't skid.

Exactly: no lockring = no leg brak powerz!!!111!one!11!

Sharkpits? Doesn't count if not. New jersey is just too tasteful

Not sure if the school run debate was in here or another thread, but in my own non scientific appraisal of the traffic levels on wandsworth road/upper richmond road, both today when I left later and yesterday when I was an early bird. The roads are surprisingly bereft of nose to tail traffic, apart from the major intersections where its always a bunfight..

Really wish it could always be like this, great weather (despite having to switch up the outfit as I was all good for the chilly morn, then sweating like the proverbial in the warm evening), cars a scarcity and legs feeling good.

On another note, I've had a couple of motorcyclists object to me filtering on the right of traffic, crossing the centre line to do so, even though they have plenty of space in their lane. Having done so on a motorbike, I understand its a process of give and take, when there's space on your side you give way, when there's space on their side they give way and you both nod and carry on your way. Seems the mindset of those couple of motorbike riders is, you shouldn't be there, filtering is for me and not for you, or just give way to me I'm bigger and have an engine.

Anyway commute was good, would do again..

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON WITH WATERLOO BRIDGE???

And also, why Drury Lane closed?

It's still the backlog/effect of the Holborn fire. Closures on Kingsway apparently still IN FULL EFFECT

Mysterious fire that's been out for a week.

I'm looking for chemtrails.

Fire was underground.

Check for sinkholes too.

Fantastic Film,

The comment at the time was that the road would be closed for a while as part of it melted ...

Oval is really shit at the moment. That is all.

Nice chat with @amey this morning, good to see you!