This morning's commute and other commuting stories

I don't think you'll get traction with any road tire if you're turning across a wet manhole cover though.

Just going straight on not turning over it. Normally avoid them but they're just terrible tyres I reckon. It's not just the manhole covers. Even looking at a wet tarsealed road is enough to give me heart palpations. Into the bin with you.

I'm riding GP4000s, every day, all weather, never lost traction

And I always win my commute

You'd win by even more if you had decent tyres.

I am baffled by the unpopularity of Conti 4 seasons here compared with the people I actually ride with (and rarely stop for punctures with) on London/Surrey/Kent roads. No not Gatorskins.

I love conti tyres (GP 4000sii 25s in summer. GP 4season 28s in winter. Have only ever bought off brand to get clements because continental no do gumwall.

Into the bin with you.

I'll take them thanks.

compared with the people who actually ride

FTFY

They almost do, with their GP classics. It's like that cinnamon gum that Americans seem to like, I suppose.

That's brown. I'm not having that.

They're like if a gum wall and a specialized red wall had babies

I'm a big fan. 28s last a lot longer than 25s for some reason.

@Tenners: Actually there's also the GP 4000 'transparent wall' which has sporadically appeared on the Conti website through the various generations, but only very rarely seen in physical form.

A car bumped into me from behind in stationary traffic today.

Very slow speed and only gave me a bit of a jolt, but I think it's the first actual contact I've ever had at age 40 something, so I took it pretty badly when the driver's first response was to question whether it actually happened because they didn't feel it, and then said 'Sorry I didn't realise you were so close to me'.

Er, I'd been stationary for some seconds, right in the middle of the road behind another stationary vehicle, and they approached me from some distance and made contact with the middle of their bumper.

Strongly suspect they were on their phone, as they were definitely holding it, and that they didn't see me at all, so assumed I'd filtered/undertook in front of them and made contact.

To the driver's partial credit, they took it seriously when I pointed out another second or two of inattention could have resulted in a hefty bill/emergency services.

Speeding Range Rover Evoque pulled over by Police this morning. Lady driving got out and stood on the pavement. Leaving her door open blocking the road for other traffic. Proceeded to shout at Police whilst filming them on her mobile phone. Cracking attitude lady. Can't help but feel sorry for people who have to do that job sometimes.

yeah, i tried to buy some of those a while back (ended up buying classics, in fact) and couldn't find anywhere that had them in stock. I assume they're more or less the same colour as the classics?

I thought they were a bit lighter on colour but been so long since I've seen one, I'm not sure. Although Evans seems to have them in stock in deeply unfashionable 23mm - that's where I found the pic.

Yesterday morning heading on the 'super' highway from Tower Bridge to Canary Wharf saw a very close call with cyclist and lady with two kids. She suddenly stepped into road, kid in either hand, just before a zebra crossing and without looking. The guy cycling was in front of me and managed to scrub off speed before clipping her and her boy, knocking her over. He landed in heap as well. Lots of angry pedestrians shouting about zebra crossings... so I helped him explain the lady was at fault - she just stepped into the road without looking rather than standing at the crossing and at least having a glance first.

It all simmered down but the guy deserved credit for avoiding a nasty impact with the kid - the mum deserved some strong words about how to cross a road (but I left it, as she had taken a knock and the kids were upset). That highway can be a friggin nightmare. And it is slippy as hell in the wet, as I found out a few weeks back when I lost the front under braking.

enter code here

I had my very own Charlie Alliston moment this morning. I was riding out of Portsmouth down London road, it’s a busy road lined with chicken shops and weatherspoons, lots of double parking, side roads with dreadful sight lines and motorists racing between bottlenecks. It’s the type of road you have to ride in primary and keep pace with what’s around you. (Well that’s what works for me)

Two elderly peds emerged from between some parked cars on my side of the road and start making their way towards the middle of the road. I can see what’s going to happened, theres a number of cars bearing down on them in the opposite lane, I know their coming back my way. They reach the centre of the road, change their minds as the cars in the opposite lane aren’t going to stop for them.

I go form scrubbing speed to locked rear wheel and a bunch of front brake. Thankfully qashqai man behind me was equally switched on. I come to stop about 10 meters from them as they did the rabbit in headlines thing in the middle of the lane.

I unclip and sit on the top tube woundering if I should have done anything different. (#haveyouconsideredcycletrainning) I don’t say anything to them incase its used against me in a court of law. Seeing as I was traveling above 10mph I assume that’s wanton and furious.

I think about this all the time. Parents who haul their children into the road anywhere other than at a green man or clear zebra crossing are contributing to a growing generation of lack of regard for consequence. Every time I ride through Peckham I see mums running into the road pulling their kids along behind them without taking even a second to see what's coming. Fucks me off no end

This upsets me. Rye lane

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Pisses me off because someone obviously had their wheel nicked and decided to just claim insurance on the whole bike and left it there as rubbish to get picked clean, messing up the streets, stand availability and keeping insurance expensive.

...surely you'd still salvage the frame if you were the owner of the lock?