This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Just seen a report saying 2 lanes have been closed on regents st at the j/o of maddox st for a leak repair.

Climbing up Highgate Hill on a very bleary early start, couldn't get in gear, chain jumping all over the shop, I was convinced that my rear derailleur had had it. Glanced down and it looked shredded. Fuming all the way in about cost of replacement, being off the bike for a week at least, etc etc. Got to the office to find the actual problem is a giant clump of wig hair that's stuck in the jockey wheel.

Chatted to a guy with a lovely Colnago Master X-Light. Had a beard. Must be on here.

The stall holders that block Leather Lane with their vehicles to unload of a morning shit me.

Azam's disco wig come back to haunt us

I waited patiently for a van to come through a narrow space between two cars and as he passed he told me to go fuck myself. Love this town :(

Must've known you were a forrin.

#thanksbrexit

Last night on Kennington Park Road I filtered on the right of a bus waiting at the lights. He was very pleased I wasn't on his left, since he had a stop to pull into on the other side of the junction. "Top cycling, Sir! Top cycling!".

Very amicable exchange - it's nice when everyone gets on. Stress-free roll all the way home from there.

#notallbusdrivers

Zen/10

Whenever I find myself thinking "oh that pressure should be fine", I always get a flat. No exceptions.

Observed once again while riding with a relatively new (slow) bike rider you get constantly punished, pushed and pressed by all sorts of drivers way more than you would if you're a bit quicker. It really is worrying and stressful and very easy to see why people think it's dangerous and would be put off by taking up cycling regularly.

Seconded. There's definitely an optimal riding speed when cycling for transport that's faster than your average newbie and slower than absolutely bombing it (which opens you up to being unable to react in time to drivers' silliness when they misjudge you and pull out).

I almost got rear ended / squashed by a bus who thought it appropriate to attempt an overtake pulling away from lights through a junction, obviously didn't have enough time to do it before the crossing islands in the other side. turned around to find him within cm from my rear wheel shouting at me through his glass, asking why I was there. I was ahead of him while waiting at the lights. Almost every time I cycle with my son, gf, dad or a friend who is slow something noteabley dangerous like that happens. It's fucked!

Just like my memory of being a learner driver. The sight of the L plate makes the red mist descend for some people and they will do anything to aggressively overtake, pull out in front and so on.

constantly punished, pushed and pressed by all sorts of drivers way more than you would if you're a bit quicker

Absolutely. The only times I have lost my shit with aggressive driving lately have been when riding with my son, who is a good rider but not fast. It's like people see you riding with a kid, and get more angry.

I think it's something a lot of people on here don't appreciate. It's all well and good saying that we don't need cycle lanes and you can cycle in traffic but if you can't keep up with the rest of the traffic then it becomes a whole different experience.

Agreed, I think it's a lot harder to hold a proper assertive line when you're going that bit slower, not helped by the fact that slower newer riders are understandably nervous and reluctant to do so. I've seen it for example where obviously beginner riders would rather weave into what are effectively parking spaces so as to continue hugging the kerb, than hold their line (in a position that seems to them like the middle of the road) which would avoid then having to effectively pull back out into traffic when they next meet parked cars which is in itself challenging.

ayn rand would be a vehicular cyclist.

yup, totally agree. Taking the lane at 15mph is a reasonable activity in most of London. Taking the lane at 8mph not so much.

out here in the countryside people will crawl behind a tractor and understand that is what they have to do when a slower vehicle is in front.

it is a lack of consideration, patience and understanding that makes people drive like cunts around cyclists. we need concerted education of drivers, reminding them that cyclists are peoples loved ones, that they are actually a big part of the solution to urban congestion and actually go faster on average than a lot of London's motorised traffic.

anecdote:
ride along lane, get caught up with queue of car drivers, work way to front. the cars are behind a horse, and in turn passing the horse (really) wide and (really) slow. ride past horse in appropriate fashion. keep riding. get close-passed by every dickhead who just behaved properly around the horse.

thanks guys!

Not trying to contradict anyone but I've never felt that me going quicker than the average cyclist has helped me or the cars around me. In fact there are several roads i use where i know my pace causes me/them problems (mainly roads with pinch points, Milkwood...). If i cruise along cars tend to give me space as they can get past in their magic second gear and they feel like they've achieved something. When i'm hooning it cars just sit on my arse as they don't have the space/pace to get past safely and then always at the worst point make a lame attempt to squeeze me out. I also generally feel a lot calmer when i go that little bit slower and deal with dickheads that much better. But it's the one part of my riding (no RLJ or opposite lane wankery) i currently refuse to change, as people have noted once these pricks learn that i'm not holding them up the world will be a better place. I seem to recall a study that noted more experienced cyclists were more likely to be victims of close passing than organ donors riding Boris bikes as from a motorists perspective they look far less stable and need to be given a wide birth.

Some weapons-grade eejit managed to lock my bike up along with theirs yesterday evening in central. They must've gone to quite some effort to put their lock (a long U-lock) between my seatstays above the bridge. The po-po advised me to come and saw it free myself, but miraculously it was still here this afternoon with no other bike in sight when I came to release it. Not the waste of time I needed 2 days before an exam. I hope the other person wasted enough time putting their brakes back together and doing up all the stops though. Rant/10

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Don't wastemans do this for bike nicking?

Yes - I was amazed to a) see it was still there this afternoon and b) that someone could be so thick. They really had to go to some effort to thread their U-lock through in the way they did.

We could be on to something...