This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Cheers. What's Elephant like to cycle through these days? My only experience was 5 or so years ago.

There's a new, separated cycle lane you can use to avoid the worst of it, although the wait at the lights outside the LCC building is interminable.

The traffic flow has been changed too, and the northern roundabout is no longer a roundabout, so it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

I can vouch for the College Road - Sunray Ave - Walworth Road to Elephant.

Same, and E&C is not bad at all so long as you pay attention and take your time. The cycle route has a shit surface and has many suicidal/distracted peds so I usually take the road. However, saying that, the wait at the lights at the end of Walworth Road means you can see what traffic you are about to hit that has come from Kennington so if there are a load of HGVs and the like, then I will resort to the cycle path.

There are some lovely little trails through Putney common leading all the way to Barnes Green. Hit the start of the unpaved tow path at the end of Putney, take the first left to wiggle round onto the common then hack your way across by any of the mangle of singletrack. Part of it is through a slightly spooky grave yard too. If you get it right you can be off-road pretty much all the way to Barnes. Think its all ok for cyclists too. Just gotta be considerate.

Thanks all! Seems like Google maps is unusually accurate with its route suggestion.

I come up from Kennington Park Road but I have taken to going Dante Road -> Brook Drive -> Elliot's Row. The light at the end of Elliot's Row is usually quite short and allows me to hop onto the bike path and then back into E&C to cut over to Borough High Street.

Its definitely longer than going straight through E&C but I can actually ride at pace, avoid the peds and at worst I end up back in with the same group as when I turned onto Dante. Often they are still sitting at the light to cross over St. George's when I ride past though.

The graveyard bit there is pretty cool, though last time I cycled through there in the summer I encountered a dishevelled looking bloke wearing y-fronts and a wasitcoat. Not sure if he's a fixture or whether it was a one-off.

once again it seems the BBC forecast is totally up its arse, 9mph from the east was actualy 13mph from the south west and in my effin face BBC...in MY FACE grrrr - other than that,damp ride in, 7/10

Been train wankering all week cos I tweaked my knee skiing last week. Annoyingly it's been quite nice. On time. Got a seat each day. Catching up on radio shows I never get the chance to listen to. Coffee in a thermos. Hopefully when I see my bank balance I'll be encouraged to get back on the bike....

Catching up on radio shows I never get the chance to listen to

My mornings are entirely made up of Radio 4 comedy shows. Unfortunately I need them to pass the time while train wankering to Watford.

Each time you cycle in, put half the train fare in a pot to buy some bone conduction headphones?

Nah, I find it too distracting even to have my mind occupied with listening to something. Noticed even when pootling about I make bad judgements if I've got headphones on. Each to their own, but for me, it's not worth even a slight change in my focus on my commute.

arm and knee warmers today - brilliant commute - quick too

best moment whas on london bridge and a guy saying 'f*king motorbikes - they clearly cant fit'

Walworth Road is full of traffic and therefore horrifically polluted, E&C is possibly the worst junction in South London. Head up Greendale and then pretty much follow the Q7 quietway. I now no longer cough at my desk every morning taking this route!

Almost collided with RLJing fox.

Listening to music is easier I guess than speech radio. I was always against cycling with earphones but have recently found great pleasure in headphones (outer ear variety) and a volume level loud enough to hear myself speak. I still get the music and don't feel cut off from everything going on around me.

same dilemma here and was really considering bone conduction, but now i am thinking either a funky minimal phone holder on the bike (my phone is waterproof) and use its speaker, or i've seen an armband from PROVIZ that takes a phone and again just use the speaker in the phone - i know its not going to be mega quality in any way, but i feel it might be the right compromise....

anyone know what that phone holder is called thats basically a tiny elastic band?

Apple earbuds are perfect for this- they are so crap at isolating and controlling noise leakage that even at a decent volume I can hear very well what is going on around me.

They have finally opened to cycle superhighway between Westbourne Terrace and Hyde Park. Gave it a whirl and they haven't got the light sensors sorted at two sets of lights - sat through a complete cycle at both before RLJing

Is there someone at TFL I can report this to?

My concern is not that I can't hear what's going on around me, it's that I make worse decisions when I've got music on. My assessment of situations is poorer/slower. I reckon I'd be fine cycling deaf, it's the distraction that I notice. Each to their own though. I always listen to the radio in the car. Perhaps thats the metal box effect.

First commute in since November on a pedal cycle (usually a motorbike). 15 miles from Bromley to Covent Garden were pleasant.

5/7, would commute again.

Good to hear, Soul. Hope you can leave the M'Bike home a bit more. Now maybe I'll know who it is shouting DO A SKID at me on the OKR.

Try cycling slower and listening to classical music.
There has got to be a correlation between people driving fast not entirely with due care and attention at the same time listening to high volume higher bpm music. When cars buzz past me with high volume music playing it's never mantovani or Bach.

aha so i found that mount

Finn silicone mount