This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Sorry for your loss, mate.

:(

Crisp, sunny morning, winter gloves time soon. Many cyclists, cycling is really taking off now.

Swapped wheels on Mr Balk and it runs a lot smoother, bearings on rear were extremely gritty. Note to self, don't buy the cheapest ones next time...

To my great joy the speed check signs they just installed at the big wide road at work ... work on cyclists :D
20 mph today, can I get it to 30...?
(it also shows what I suspected that nobody is doing, er, 30)

8.5/10

Thanks , feels like l losing a member of the family.

Everyone's in winter kit and I'm still sweating profusely in SS jersey and bib shorts.

SS jersey, normal shorts (we'll have no bib shorts here) but added arm warmers.

Busiest I've seen my commute for a long time, maybe I was just a bit later than normal and everyone is trying to get in as close to 9am as they can.

Busy and a lot of shitty bits of aggro/selfishness from everyone but I tried to stay well back out of it.

Merino SS base layer plus cheap LS jersey, shorts and thinnish gloves for me.

On the mental jukebox:

• Tommy Tutone: Jenny (867-5309)
  
• Audio Two - Top Billin'
  
• Ice Cube - No Vaseline
  

SS LFGSS jersey, purple Rapha shorts, merino sweater (John Smedley v-neck in a pale blue) plus gilet. Felt over dressed.

Lovely ride in though, plenty of swans out, one heron and none of those bloody immigrant North American geese.

On the actual duke box
Slade
Status Quo
Whitesnake
10cc
Foreigner
ZZ Top

So bright and glorious! Almost got right hooked by a car turning right. It was indicating, I'll assume early enough because I just missed the indicator lights, such was the sunlight.
Still, I'm a dick.

Such a beautiful ride in!!
Long sleeve merino worn for the first time last night/this morning but no need for layering. Still a sweaty bastard. Slight chill to the fingers.

Warned a rider of a left indicating lorry up ahead as she whizzed past. Turned out the driver had no idea what he was doing. She was grateful for the heads up though. Which was nice.

Got a CLOSE pass off a white van with 'Hopkins' written on the side. That fuck mouth gets everywhere!

Got a CLOSE pass off a white van with 'Hopkins' written on the side. That fuck mouth gets everywhere!

Lovely ride in. Took the off-road version of my commute via the Tamsin Trail up Dark Hill in Richmond Park, then nipped over to Wimbledon Common taking the track parallelish to the A3 ( bit naughty as not really permitted)
So nice to get a little light mountain biking in whilst thinking of most of my work colleagues jammed into tubes, trains and busses. The poor souls.

Struck by a puncture this morning. And I've got a hub gear and mudguards, so it's a real faff. Arrived at work looking like an exhaust fitter, covered in oil.

nice to be back on the bike, after a week off with what seems to be my annual summer into autumn/winter chest infection. Nice and bright, too it relatively easy, no coughing up lots of the green stuff, so all good chest wise. Legs felt half decent, and the wind jacket is proving super useful in the chill of the early morning departure. First run out for the gloved hands today, and my digits thanked me for it..

Only thing that annoyed me, was the inept signalling on the one large roundabout I have to ride round everyday, two lanes, drivers coming off and getting onto the A316, so you need to do a bit of anticipating to figure out when you can join. I was taught you only indicate to leave the roundabout, once you've passed the exit before yours. So many people indicating left through multiple exits. Are you leaving the junction at the exit I'm waiting to join at, or the one after, or the one after that. Are you even in the right lane to exit, because being in the right hand lane of two and still indicating left, is confusing me.

I once had the crappiest student bike stolen in Weert (NL) and then my parents found it thrashed near a supermarket.

I still remember that, bikes can be so personal to us... :)

So, pootling home along the weird pave section inbetween St Marys and Paddington basin and the Grand Union, when this guy rides past me super close. Fine. Except he then does the same thing to several peds, and actually clatters in to one, knocking the ped's cig to floor that I can only assume he was going to light. No harm done, but douche-on-a-bike carrys on as if nothing has occured. I ask the ped if he's ok and he is and I say I'll have a word with douche-on-a-bike but when I get closer to him - which I do because he's held up by more peds that he brushes / shoulder barges past - I realise that he's probably not the type to respond to requests for general politenes and civility. Or maybe he is. Truth is, I was too concerned about getting a kicking to bring it up.

Le shame.

^This

and this:

Too much aggro on the roads. With the result that any time you speak to someone, their first instinct is that you must be having a go.

Are making me sad right now. Seriously asking myself why I bother to try to do the right thing (fight the power).

The older I get, the more bored I'm getting with London and Londoners. Rightmove here I come.

I'm with you. I love where I live, it's just fighting through the rest of the city that takes it out of you.
Still, my heart's in the country (or up a mountain) so as soon as I've worked out how to make money not-in-london, I'm out.

First ride in with a rack & bag, lots nicer than a backpack. Was late today so less cycle commuters through kensington high st, so fairly nice ride in. Also like the cooler temperature.

so as soon as I've worked out how to make money not-in-london, I'm out.

I've been dead against this habit of moving out - London was my first love, never really lost that feeling - though it's better than distance commuting IMO, so I think one day I may have to go and live somewhere quieter, with some trees and stuff. Where I'd quite like to live has almost no secondary schools for miles around, and I don't relish the prospect of my kid being driven to school.

Congrats. Backpacks suck for cycling.

Interesting cycle to work this morning. Came across someone cycling my bike that was stolen from me a few months ago. Chatted to them and at a stalemate. Now wondering whether I will get it back and how.

@Fyo

What did the police say?