This morning's commute and other commuting stories

The spray from a bike wheel goes about 10 feet.

No problem in the countryside but a bit antisocial in London.

So this guy overtook this morning then pulled over onto my line - I didnt have much choice in getting sprayed. Yes, I overtook asap, but why cause road shit to be flying about anyway?

Spray zone is at least a good 3m depending on tire and amount of surface water so not drafting distance.

From this morning's commute

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Its raining, you're gonna get wet. I didn't see a single other rider with mudguards on my commute today. They were all spraying shit ten feet in the air and up their backs. My flapless rear water spray deflector should be the least of your worries.

Watching some fixie skidder take 3 times more distance than me (disc brakes) to stop when a car pulled out today doesn't really want me to make it easier for someone to sit behind me in the wet (and mudguards don't fit on my bike is another issue).

I don't mind getting rained on. I do mind having road grime flung in my face and all over me. It's called being considerate about how your actions affect other people. There's little enough of it about, sadly, I agree.

Indeed, the stuff that falls from the sky is mostly clean. The stuff flicked up from the road is far from clean.

Just look at the dirty streaks up the backs of many non-mudguarded riders.

Very much this

long flaps ftw

HTFU guys seriously it's a bit of muddy water. I'm more concerned with avoiding the white lines, manhole covers, falling trees and wind than a bit of splashback

Nah, flap the fuck up guys. I want my mudguards to work for the many, not the few.

Haha, this guy knows how to arrive at work with dry clothes - just don't wear any!

Took me a while...

did lol

Erodes is probably too strong a word, more momentary doubt, by the time I rode home I was back to normal.
I enjoy being crash/accident free, it's not so much the pain rather the rehab/physio that I'd like to avoid..
Anyway doing the Brompton commute today and back on big bike tomorrow so will let you know how I feel.
Thanks for the positive waves!

yes!

Have to applaud the bus driver today on Victoria Embankment who, on breaking down, opted to park in the middle of the lane rather than block CS8, then stood guard on the pavement to make sure his mechanic didn't step out into passing riders, which the mechanic almost did, right into me.

Headed out east for work last couple of days - so have had the joy of riding away from my usual route and checking out the CS3 out eastwards.

Blimey that's narrow in places! I'm uncomfortable with oncoming overtaking moves on the E-W highway. It gets veeeery tight on the CS3, doesn't it?

fucking headwind!
it had better be a tailwind on the way home.

Thought I was done with struggling into the wind, until novemberish..

I was thinking the other day - is wind seasonal in any way?

I get it when I eat red meat

If you live anywhere near the coast (and maybe the Thames estuary counts) the morning wind and the evening wind often go in opposite directions, because the land heats up and cools down more rapidly than the water. Meaning a morning headwind is often followed by an evening headwind for the luckless commuter :-S

Ah. That's why I'm so slow.

recent 13/14C mornings drops to 4C today

#frozeneverything/10

Depressing to see the security barriers in place on Blackfriars bridge