This morning's commute and other commuting stories

I treat my commute as a race. A RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK TO GET HOME.

Yeah, I suspect mostly people who race4real aren't the problem...

As the person who initially said that I do a lot of wheelsucking, here's my justification:

It's not like I do it all the time, and I'm not on their back wheel, I just catch up to them and don't overtake. Because I'm usually doing it to someone who's demonstrated pushy road behaviour (see my OP), I know that pushing past them, sometimes requiring a fair bit of effort, will only provoke a leapfrog retaliation. This happens maybe once a week.

This isn't happening in traffic or through lights and stuff. I'm not racing, I'm just being a low-level annoying dick to someone who's demonstrated low-level annoying dick behaviour to me. London's a great city.

I defo do that. Just get on to them and show them that they aren't that great, but don't enter into what will be a pointless dick fight.

Bit if a trend going on with cyclist happily puling straight out of side streets, twice this morning both idiots had massive headphones on and not a care in the world.

Yep, Totally acceptable.

Anyone who says otherwise is being an idealistic tit who is not considering the real world situation of the turd who 'has' to be in front of everyone else anywhere.

@biarittz @Ramsaye right! I'm not going to bomb past them and get into a dick swinging contest, but I'm not going to slow down and hang ten metres off them either.

Enough of this wheelsucking lark. Anybody fancy fitting a new chain to my bike while I'm at work today? :D

Sure, fiddy dorrah?

£32.02 at current exchange rates. Maybe if it was a real nice chain...

"this cyclist is equipped with an afterburn facility, please stay clear"

;)

I has tool, Canary Wharf.

Is it bad form to practise my starts at traffic lights? Elbows kept in of course.

Cheers for the offer mate but I'm working in Chelsea and bike is in Kennington. I'll get it sorted. Its only a short walk home from Kennington anyway.

I thought that is what traffic lights are for.

Complimented a gentleman this morning on his trackstand. He acknowledged the compliment and asked about my Chrome shoes. Much camaraderie. All very pleasant.

Wasn't one of you lot, was it?

There used to be a guy who would regularly suck my wheel going in and out of London. On rare occasions he would overtake but then promptly blow up and would then ride 2-3 mph slower than I had been going. One day I asked him why the fuck he did this and he said "but I can keep up with you" it was as if he had not actually realised that when he was on my wheel he got an advantage but the moment he went in front he could not maintain the pace.

Last year riding the hells highway that is cs7 I had one of those serial rljers who every time I passed him would jump on my wheel and then graze past me when I stopped for red lights. He eventually lost concentration trying to catch my wheel and collided with the rear of my bike. I heard my mudguard briefly rub against my wheel, foowed by a clatter and a groan as stacked it at over 20mph.

The problem is that many of these wheel suckers lack the skills or awareness of how to do it.

So much irony.

Off out for a ride into that london to see some cargo bike stand at covent garden, shall wheelsuck as much of the way as I can and report back.

I oft cycle past these queues, they make me feel better about myself

Fuck me. Just went to the LBS near work and they wanted £25 for a KMC S1. That's nearly fiddy dorrah for a <£10 chain >>>>>>>>>>>>

That would be me. Nice to meet you mate.

Yay. Commuter friends.

Flushed and ecstatic from first ever trackstand longer than about 2.476 seconds, I come to next set of lights, which I now think are on a bit of an incline, and someone's trackstanding on a Brompton. A Brompton!

I want one.