This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Walking commute again as my chest is a wreck right now. Some tosser in a white Beemer ploughed through a crossing while I was on it with no attempt to stop; caught up with him stuck at some temporary lights and surprise surprise he was on his phone not looking at the road at all. He moved a bit further down and I sneaked up and got him and his plate on video. I think you can just about see his phone screen lit up in his lap but unfortunately my camera is crap and there was a lot of light reflecting off his window. Still going to give reporting him a go though; wish I'd gone in a bit closer but I didn't want him to spot me and quickly hide his phone.

my fly6 rear light cam/light combo thingy arrives this week (would have caught his plate if so) annoyed I didn't have it yet so I could report the twat, sadly I was more focused on not getting smushed than reading his plate.

Lord knows what was happening on baker street today, black cabs driving on pavements, ubers rolling thought red lights, peds every where - it was madness!

Where are you? I rode in in shorts today (top half still well covered).

Southern Sweden.

That'll be it then :)

I put a 120mm stem on the Tripster last night and rode that in to work. Front end feels odd, like I've overtightened the headset, but it doesn't feel overtightened. Maybe it's just the fact I've gone from a 50mm stem MTB to a 120mm stem/aerobars Tripster.

Ditto, my knees were relishing the fresh fumes and cool breeze.

FML

I had my jacket on but it was a bit boil in the bag as they say. I think it was still only about 6degC but that feels like feckin' summer over here.

Was about 7 degrees when I left the house, baselayer and short sleeve jersey was perfect amount.
I’ve only started wearing my jacket below 6 or 7 now or I get to work too sweaty

bit changeable out there today

I throw all my commuting kit into a pile and put it all on again the next day. It'll take weeks of being "too hot" or something before I actually think about ditching an item :)

Re jackets / overheating: I commuted in a Vulpine Harrington jacket today.

Not boiled in the bag and it kept out pissing rain for the half and hour I was in it.

The fabric used is Epic Cotton, other brands use it too. Way better than Gore water proofs and other coated plastic for breathability.

No idea how it compares to Gore Windstopper for feel. It can be washed without reproofing so that's handy too.

It was 8 degrees here but with cold rain / wind. So that epic cotton stuff may be a handy option if you also are in a "4 season a day" locations :)

Today marks my second week back on the bike for my commute, and my fifth day in a row going straight up Highgate West Hill, and it feels damn good

Also feels good: tomorrow I don't have to cycle straight up Highgate West Hill

a row of carst

Where are you Antarctica?

Hub on the Ellipses on my MASH is knackered, the lockring thread has split from the cog thread & I can't get the cog off for the life of me. Thankfully they're double-threaded, so was going to put it on the other side, but I couldn't get the cog off for the life of me, so on the 'summer fixed' today (even though BST doesn't start until the weekend). Commute this morning felt good!

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hat tip to the middle aged guy doing a full aero tuck on his Brompton down Constitution Hill this morning

Cotton

... is rotten. But what is this Epic Cotton? Hmm

Amphibious Cotton® by Nextec ?
http://www.nextec.com/epic_cotton.html

Was complimented on clean/new bike.
Obviously I take it the way I'd have delivered it, ie. "where have you been all winter, pussy?"
Did get to explain though. HTFU points rebalanced.

Yup. I've the Harrington since we were near neighbours. Still working fine.

It’s shit, my vulpine trousers soaked through in light rain the first time I used them.

Yep, that there material.

In NI you obviously can have anything from sun and 2 degrees cycling to work to pissing rain and 10 degrees on the way home... so it feels like cotton except it keeps the rain out.

I tried an endura "plastic" jacket with pit zips, but meh, still boily. I generate a lot of heat though when I exercise.

Thanks to the cyclist who pointed out my drybag had popped out of my Wildcat at the clusterfuck that is Smithfield.

"drybag popped out of my wildcat" >>> euphemism-o-meter red-lining.