This morning's commute and other commuting stories

You've seen my spec then! I tore off my crud r/r's after hours of messing yeserday, i suspect another culprit to why the bike felt so out of sorts.

Being on a tight budget with limited space i guess it comes down to what suits better, fixed and road bike or fixed and winter bike. Right now fixed only with a sealed B/B is winnning...

Scraped a lever along the wall outside London bridge road works this morning trying to filter through the traffic. My own fault for being impatient, however I do now have a cool scuff mark on my previously immaculate 105 shifters without having to fall off.

4/10 would probably do it again, but the other way so I can have matching scuffs.

Why steel mudguards?

Whats wrong with plastic or even aluminium?

The most robust form of mudguard, even alu despite being very light, can crack if mounted incorrectly.

Plastic guard like SKS are more of a compromise, doesn't really reduced side spray, the stay mount are on the inside (water pour out on the stay), heavy stay to compensate for the flexy nature of the mudguard and not long enough in some cases (longboard have excellent coverage but a lots weaker near the flap because the stay doesn't extend further down).

I recently got a replacement longboard and the front guard's bottom stay had been moved lower than on the previous two I've had (and had broken). Can't tell if it's made it much stiffer, I took the original heavy flap off and fitted a pair of raw flaps. Hasn't snapped off yet though.

I paid for my schadenfreude. Got properly nailed by a car's bow wave this morning :-)

Ha, serves you right.
At least you had the tailwind today, 'twas a right bugger heading south today.

Drivers seemed extra agro this morning. Close passes galore. Some chap nearly got wiped out by a left hook on the priory lane cycle path. The van driver had passed him about 3 seconds earlier.

On the plus side, someone complemented me on my bicycle. Which was nice.

First proper test of mudguards last nights.
Damp ankles from waterproofs riding up my legs.

Front guard works well enough for me, the short rear needs an extension flap off the rack.

Wet and tailwindy ride in yesterday, wet and headwindy ride home 50/50 /10

Had massive row with some weapon who couldn't see why I objected to him undertaking me whilst filtering on the outside of traffic up New Kings Road. The upshot of his response was that I was riding too far away from the traffic and I should "ride closer to the cars". FFS

I've now entered headwind season.
Hoping for but not relying on the reciprocal tailwind on the way home..

(Everybody) be careful on Blackheath. Vicious cross-wind.

Yeah welcome to my world.

Last night, going to a late client meeting; heading south on Pitfield St, Audi cunt wagon (white) tries to pull out in front of me at the zebra crossing by Shoreditch Park. Naturally he's the one who is pissed off and I can see him start raging behind the wheel. I need to be somewhere, so I carry on past and get on my way.

Before I know what's happening he's making a close pass into the path of oncoming cyclists, all the while hurling abuse out his window at me across his scowling wife. Thought it might be rude to not speak when spoken to so give his window a little smack and called him out as the cock gobbling sociopath that he is. He then swerves in front of me and slams on his cunt brakes, causing me to skid into the back of his cunt car which then inexplicably caused me to put my fist through his his cunt rear light.

Bus stop people look confused. Cunt drives off. I'm late.

strong. how's your hand?

Get angry, punch rear light.

Seemed legit.

Alt-Scoble?

Did anyone else encounter the big oil slick at the east end of Surrey Canal Road (at the quietway crossing) last night? I was hammering it to get to Goldsmiths for a lecture and there was another cyclist shouting 'get off your bike, you have to get off your bike', and at first I thought he was telling me I couldn't cycle across the (mixed use) pedestrian crossing... then I saw a moped driver holding up his bike and looking very sheepish as the oil flowed downhill in three directions. Slippy/10.

In other news does anyone know how to get oil off of a Rapha rain jacket? Some flicked up from the guy in front of me.

@Batt did you get a better deal from your clients when you turned up looking like a bruiser hard man with battered knuckles?

another case of a FRICKIN BUS coming up behind, overtaking and immediately closing the gap against a high curb when pulling in to a bus stop

hopped curb

carried on

what worries me is when bus drivers put less abled cyclist is in that situation there's no where to go!

Grrrr

This wasn't in South Norwood was it?

Saw the same whilst waiting for my bus this morning.

Iso propyl alcohol is your friend. Often sold as 'rubbing alcohol'. Spot test it first to make sure it doesn't damage the fabric.

I saw the slick last night as it's round the corner from my house. Looked like a tanker had split: all clean-looking engine oil, and masses of it.

Thanks! I think you're right - the moped I saw was probably the slick's first victim. There didn't look to be any tanker around, so it's possible that whoever caused it just fucked off and left it.

No such luck. When juxtaposed with the floppy hair I think it might not come across that menacing ... all the issues. Pleased to say; hand is fine, bike is fine.

No hope for your jacket ... just buy a new one? ... srsly though +1 Iso propyl alcohol, but try this first:

To get grease out of a technical jacket, dampen the stain and rub in
dishwashing detergent. Then wash the jacket in warm water with plenty
of mild powder laundry soap. If the stain persists, sponge it with a
safe cleaning fluid (Renuzit® or Carbona®) or mineral spirits; you can
find both at your local grocery store.

Whatever you do probably want to reproof afterwards with Nikwax Tech wash or similar.

Nice ride about to meetings today. Nothing amiss, nice temp.

There must have been a lot of oil, the black tyre lines go all the way through the park, I saw they were cleaning it up this afternoon.

Oil on clothes: corn flour leeches it out quite well before you wash it - google for more info.

I've also had pretty good results with baking powder poured over and allowed to soak the grease out