This morning's commute and other commuting stories

There was also some guy riding the Camberwell drag from New X to Vauxhall who:

• Was riding a wide bar fixed freestyle kinda affair
  
• But with a single speed freewheel
  
• Brakeless
  
• And with a false arm
  
  

Did my best to stay as far away from him as poss.

This mornings commute involved my driver being alerted to trouble on the A12 and driving me to work a different way to normal. Took about the same amount of time. I have a bike at work so I might ride it home.

Nice cycle to work, windy but sunny.

Met ex-colleague of mine who said he's seen me cycling and let me out and then went on a rant about how the cycling provisions here are half assed and drivers seem to like to moan about hitting cyclist :)

Apparently a UXB will be adding an extra frisson to my journey home to just off Lee High Road FFS.

If the Germans have bombed my offy.....

3rd worst commute of my life this evening (the worse two were when I got hit by car/van). Firstly grim rain. Secondly, my 1x10 drivetrain is fucked and so is effectively a 1x6 (50x12/17) anything lower than that my chain tries desperately to jump ship.
Had an "oh shit" moment half way home when riding behind a coach in a bus lane. I had thought that there was plenty of space behind the coach and in front of me but when it slammed on the brakes, I reacted quickly and dropped the anchors but had a sudden moment of confusion as to why the bus was stopping and I wasn't but then realised my rear wheel was locked and nearly so too the front. It was raining and I'd seen a lot of petrol/oil or something patches on the road. Anyway, after a few seconds of coming to terms with the fact I was going to have a very slow and embarrassing impact with the back of a coach, I managed to stop about 3 inches away from it. Conti Hardshells are not good in the wet, especially very worn ones.
Then I got a puncture 2 miles from home so started walking in the cold and rain, desperately needed the loo so ran in Asda and on the brink of wetting myself, tore my bib shorts trying to get my arm out in the toilets.
Thought I'd get some dinner while I was there. £2 bank balance.
Sore ankles from walking in cycling shoes

#csb TLDR: rained, nearly crashed, got a flat, nearly wet myself, I'm poor and sore

Next time don't get your kit from lidl

Next time don't be a twat

James of course the expert on practical cycle kit

You jell cos I can enjoy a leisurely cycle happily wearing jeans and trainers?

Not all of us want to pretend we are TT champions ;)

Ouch

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That sock and shoe combination...

That's cute

Some of it is habit and ritual. It's more a why not imo.

I think the guy will either wish he did take my name and go the route of attempting to arrest me or he will watch it and feel he really cocked up with a dose of "do I really look/sound/act like that". I'd also think he is very desensitized after 30 years so might not get all of what people are watching.

Also as an insurance policy for me, as in the UK, you need to prove that the drivers is at fault, even thought you shouldn't need to.

^Sounds like you've already decided that drivers are 'at fault'.

@Clockwise I can think of loads of reasons why not: your life is is for living, not filming, putting every other bikeride on youtube is not benefitting you, you will just become a video making machine, always looking for shit driving and getting into one with coppers. Stop looking for trouble. Get on with something more productive and healing.

What is it all for?

I got left hooked four years ago and despite having numerous witnesses around, none were willing to testify and I lost out majorly.
I record my rides because footage is impartial and I do feel that burden of proof falls on cyclists all to often.
I don't look for conflict, upload to YouTube or consider myself a road warrior at all. In fact, in a couple of occasions aggressive road users have calmed down sharpish and behaved a lot safer around me after having been informed their actions are being recorded.
Ymmv and all that but I for one feel better knowing that I can provide footage should anything happen.

Ah, but do you, consciously or subconsciously, ride in a way more likely to irritate people because you know you have the protection of the camera?

I don't have a camera and have never had a piggy-wiggy deny my friend request like @Clockwise so I'd say a camera makes you more likely to get into confrontations. Anecdotally of course. But that makes it true.

http://youtu.be/E10Bp_mPXXA

I feel motor vehicles have a capacity to kill that bicycles don't have.

I'd understand if it was a huge expense or great difficulty to ride with a camera but it's cost £50 which is no more than my cycling shoes, cycling jacket, cycling bag, fancy co2 inflator or any other gear I have. The sd card can record over itself when it's done so it's a matter of charging another thing next to the garmin+phone and pressing 2 buttons before each ride to turn it on and one after.

But why are you posting on an internet forum? Are you looking for trouble? Stop looking for trouble. Get on with something more productive and healing.

What is it all for?

I recon I most likely change the way I ride because of mood rather than because of the 'protection' of my cameras. I'm also very aware that any footage showing others' behaviour on the road would also put mine under scrutiny at the same time. I don't think that would be particularly helpful to any anecdotal situation if I got into trouble through no fault of my own but was shown to be confrontational or reckless on the rest of the footage.
I do see your point though, but whilst I film all my rides, (front and rear bike mounted cameras) I really don't want to be 'that guy' yelling and screaming about minor perceived infractions just because I've got personal cctv. It just makes me feel a little bit more secure, knowing the footage will be there, just in case.

Ah, but do you, consciously or subconsciously, ride in a way more likely to irritate people because you know you have the protection of the camera?

Let me rephrase this.

Ah, but do you, consciously or subconsciously, ride in a way more likely to irritate people because you know you have the protection of the helmet?

Ah, but do you, consciously or subconsciously, ride in a way more likely to irritate people because you know you have the protection of the helmet?

But wait...

Ah, but do you, consciously or subconsciously, ride in a way more likely to irritate people because you know you have the protection of the high-vis?

How about;

Ah, but do you, consciously or subconsciously, ride in a way more likely to irritate people because you know you're simply a complete and utter cock womble?

I like the helmet analogy ed.
I ride in a way more likely to avoid the need to have a record of confrontation.

u wot m7?

I ride in a way more likely to avoid the need to have a record of confrontation.

I thought using just sign languages toward drivers who nearly hit me as a way to reduced aggression.

Turn out it just make it worse, a lots worse.