This morning's commute and other commuting stories

People who cycle with their helemt dangles freely from their bars...why?

They are just carrying until the next time they do a dangerous activity that justifies a helmet, like walk down a flight of stairs.

So they can pacify Mummy / Daddy / Spouse that they're acting responsibly but then want to look 'cool' as soon as they're out of range!

I know what you mean about wondering why they’re carrying a helmet. But I wonder a whole lot more why people can’t arrange their straps properly or even do them up!

Yeah this always reminds me of a kid leaving for school, stopping around the corner and messing with their tie knot/rolling their skirt up.

QW2 is ok - I use it every day - but there are a couple of places in hackney where it's a narrow road between parked cars, with rat running traffic steaming towards you. If I were a novice cyclist I'd find it a bit dangerous in those places without some kind of friendly pre-warning/advice on how best to behave so as not to get squished etc.

Finished the dodgy section of their commute and they're now enjoying a gentle spin through the park?

dickheads

No, but that was the word around here (it happened about 5 mins away from my shop) at the time. Nothing has come of it since, so hold fire on that one

The pedestrian died from her injuries:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/sep/14/e-bike-crash-death-prompts-debate-over-safety-on-uk-roads

its happened

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Welcome to the money pit

havent even rode it yet and searching out new wheels

There have been several e-bike and pedelecs pedestrian / cyclists deaths in the Netherlands.

Sometimes from riders falling and hurting themselves (wet road / heavy due to battery) and sometimes collisions due to mistakes / risk taking / speed difference.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/25/older-men-using-e-bikes-behind-rising-death-toll-among-dutch-cyclists

But pedestrian collisions are rare but do happen. Can't really find anything in English..

ISTR that even before the growth in e-bike usage the majority of NL cycle fatalities were single-person incidents involving elderly cyclists; e-bikes have just strengthened that trend.

Was ten miles of constant fight into gale-force winds, at work and feeling dazed. Bacon sarnie to break my no carbs diet and coke zero to re-fuel.

Better be a tailwind home.

coke zero to re-fuel

Umm.

head-windy, wet and a under-waterproofs-sweat inducing 17degrees this morning at 7.15am on my commute into Leeds.
seems to be the pattern for the week according to weather.

Was it windy? Didn't notice.

#hippyisfat

Bacon sarnie to re-fuel, Coke Zero for some caffeine as I don't coffee

Enjoyed my tailwind. Stuck the small cog on so I could cruise in at speed.

Looks like it's going to stay windy, so it will even up for us all later.

yeah - it makes me dig out all those articles about AERO v WEIGHT again around this time of year to minimise any effort i need to make "against the wind"....(Like Captain van der Poel says in ICE COLD IN ALEX ) The greater enemy.

12 miles of 20 mph off and on tailwind! then I hit head wind for the last mile, still my fastest commute averaging 18mph which I am happy with. Just got to crack down and get fit again!

All this talk of light tailwinds is making me unreasonably angry. 26mph head and cross winds including some ferocious gusts that almost stopped me dead. Took the geared bike as I felt I need the range, I was in the small ring on the flat a couple of times.

Thought it was just my flat's ancient sash windows exaggerating the sound of the wind when I woke up this morning. Nope! Felt happy on a heavy tank bike but glad I held off on getting a poncho for now since the crosswind/headwind was occasionally a bit fierce.
Tollington Park rammed af down the whole length since there was a film crew with their equipment lorries next to the Front Room Cafe (big crowd outside, lights set up on the pavement that I could see from hundreds of metres away) and a road closure further down towards Hornsey Road.

not as angry as I at 2am when the neighbours recycling blows off down the street .. for the 3rd time this month.