This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Pretty impressive bike control from the girl riding a red fixed gear through West Dulwich this morning. Shame your whip skid was right through a red light and it was unfortunate that your contortionist act between that van and lorry didn't quite work. The van driver was pretty pissed off that your backpack hit his wing mirror as you squeezed through.

Still, you've clearly been practicing your skids, so good work I guess.

Last night - such a nice evening so decided to add on a College Road climb to see what it was like on my single speed. Some poor chap had come off near the top, looked like a collar bone break. I'm sure I terrified him by telling him not to eat anything in case they needed to operate... sorry about that.

Tubemute from Balham to Waterloo followed by a beautiful walk from Waterloo to Cannon Street. This is a very pretty city. 10/10.

I'm sure I terrified him by telling him not to eat anything in case they needed to operate... sorry about that.

Not really terrible advice.

You man... in the silver Honda, all that sitting on my arse down the hill trying to get past into a space that doesn't exist...there is a reason I've left a two second gap between me and the smelly bin van...

Nice work sneaking past, cutting me up and then filtering left next to the bin van that is also turning left but has positioned itself towards the right of the road so it can see up the hill that its turning into.

There was a degree of satisfaction watching him turn into the front of your car...

Bin man... excellent driving.

I treated myself to croissant's.

Move in start time at my Stratford job has meant me hitting crappy traffic on way from willesden.

Started a few months back and had been doing willesden-regents park-Euston rd-City Rd-commercial st- whitechapple to stratford on CS.

looking for alternative... today I tried finchely road- camden-canals from kings X to stratford. was shit. slow, ped confusion, aggressive cyclists on too narrow a path for shared use.

any suggestions on a better route?

No, but - seeing his face drop was a bit bad. Poor feller.

Was he about to tuck into a bacon roll when you told him that?

An energy gel. Not sure if that counts as food or liquid.
(hospitals say 2 hours for liquid, 6 hours for food i think)

Without looking at a map, just going by instinct, I would ride that something like:
Cricklewood
West Hampstead
Chalk Farm
Agar Grove
Highbury Corner or thru Canonbury
De Beauvoir
haggerston
Well St
Hackney Marshes

It's a proper commute that!

Headwinds starting to come, so time for winter ScobleBrick(tm) build soon.

All peaceful bar a pavenger cycling and forcing people out of the way (I walked). Now, I don't get annoyed by gentle pavement cycling, though technically it's against highway code, but come on...don't be a dick.

And perhaps I was one pointing to the right side of the road as a BMX bandit was on the wrong side of the road on the non segregated cycle lane.

Lots of wildlife (non-human eating gulls), river, sea. Belfast is such a nice cycle place on some routes. We just need more.

In 7/10 but I may need a boat for going home...

From Kings X try:
City Rd
Old St
Hackney Rd
then Victoria Park into
Olympic Park and
Stratford

The final park stretch will put a smile on your face before work.

Getting to chalk farm was a nightmare this morning, school run in 4x4's west hampstead/finchley rd. was nasty. it's the east of camden/Kings X bit of London that I just don't really know, so will be getting the map out. Cheers for the suggestion!

it's a nice distance to commute TBH, 13 miles or so each way, but it's really forcing me to address my poor bike fit issues, lower back pain from being too stretched out (drop levers on a 60cm dolan PC, even at 6foot 3, is just a stupidly long reach) so back to BRKLZ risers, nice for the back but slower and more knackering by friday. HTFU i guess...

Definitely Islington-Haggerston-LDN Fields-Viccy Park for your east section then. Avoid Cty Rd/Old St/Hackney road, if i were you - there's good quietways in Hackney and nearby.
Will make you a map in a bit.

I used to do Romford - Kentish Town and then Dalston - Kentish Town.

For me, from Camden:
Agar Grove
Brandon Rd/Blundell St
Cali Road
Weelwright St
Roman Way
Offord Rd
Laycock St
Upper St
Highbury Corner
St. Pauls Rd/Balls Pond Rd/Dalston Lane

Then you can decide to go South East to Viccy Park
Or straight through Hackney Wick and into the Olympic Park or bump North to Homerton and through to the top of the Olympic Park and thread down

I did that commute for years and personally I've found it to have minimal issues compared to Euston Road, City Road, Whitechapel etc.

Getting to chalk farm was a nightmare this morning, school run in 4x4's west hampstead/finchley rd. was nasty.

God, I can imagine! Maybe stay on Kilburn High Road and cut east later to pop out at Finchley, avoid the gyratory somehow then find a Primrose Hill cut down to Camden Lock.

^^ Yep that was the sort of route I was envisaging from Camden, round Pentonville prison and over to De Beauvoir...

From Islington, this was the route I used to take. Nice and quiet, and pretty free from lights too.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=6711539

Romford - Kentish Town

Christ! Serious business.

Thanks for that! will get it onto the phone somehow and try it reversed tonight...

+1 for this one, what I do. Really nice

Mackenzie and Market Road have just been entirely re tarmacced so lovely and smooth for the next 6 months or so.

I would use the cycle crossing at Maddras place to get over Holloway road and north of St pauls on Mildmay for a mile or two less of utter shit.

riding down essex road at a decent clip then hear loud panting and the odd clank behind me, turns out that some bloke on the jankiest hybrid was about 6 mm from my rear wheel with this big grin on his face having the time of his life. I slowed right down and told him to please get off my wheel and i was accused of being wierd and a bit ridiculous.

I just dont want some random person drafting me in the middle of friday rush hour in case I have to break suddenly or whatever or some car pulls a funny move and he comes plowing through the back of me. I have no idea about his ability on a bike and nor does he of mine, its foolish and fairly dangerous. He seemed genuinely amazed that I was irritated by this, I think he was being a bit of a knob but also felt a bit bad for spoiling his fun. I'm in the right here right?

Yes. Drafting on the commute = dick move. What's rule number one? Don't be a dick.