This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Also: scooter. Double cunt.

My shoes are Medieval torture devices. I have flats and straps on my Surly Steamroller and have been using Five Ten Maltese with them up until two weeks ago. Liking the Five Tens so much and wanting another pair I ended buying the Impacts hi-tops cos Chain reaction had em on offer. But they are much chunkier than the Maltese and wouldn't fit in the straps and anyone who rides flats with straps knows you wanna hit a sweet spot and stick with it so they got left in a locker at work with me thinking I will use them over the winter because they are big and sturdy and weatherproof and warm.

So I switched over and have been using them on my ten mile commute each way this week, which is longer than my usual commute. Fucking hell they have been killing my feet. At first they were fine, didn't notice the first day at all. By the second day I had to stop on the way back to get some life into them. I put it down to 'office foot', that sitting down all day makes your feet swell. I ended up trying everything to make those shoes more comfortable: three different thickness of socks, adjusting the straps constantly, filing off the studs on the plastic pedals, lots of soft pedalling, but it just got worse escalating into stabbing, crampy pains just behind the toes.

I ride home today with only the right strap on as my left foot felt so fucked. I persevered with them in hope, annoyingly it took this much cycling to discover how uncomfortable they are, but then I guess they are freeride shoes so I am using them in a way they weren't designed for. Still it was orgasmic to kick them off and stand on a dog bed.

Tl:Dr my shoes tried to kill me

I just googled 'five ten impact' and that alone is torturing my eyes.

Police cars either side of the seg lane northbound through E&C at 08:45. What up?

Witnessed a crash this morning on Walworth road. Cyclist attempted to pass car on the right, car turned right and knocked him off. I'm not clear whose fault it was really - the car was indicating for a while, something that both my other half and I noticed and slowed down for.

Rider was shaken up (to the extent that the email he gave me doesn't work) but otherwise fine. Car scraped and rear brake light shattered.

if the car was indicating prior to turning and the cyclist failed to see / failed to take caution of it then its his error!

Not true. I suspect there would be a shared responsibility if it went to court but an indicator is not your free pass to make a move. It is the drivers responsibility to ensure it is clear and safe for them to make a manoeuvre before they begin to actually do it. Indicating or not.

I always thought that a driver has to check that where they are turning is clear and your blind spot before manoeuvring. Genuine question.

Got in before me.

Yeah, indicators aren't some magic right of way givers. You still need to look and make sure it's safe to turn.

Kind of what I thought. Amusingly a passer by who stopped was a QC and told the driver the same thing!

agreed, but if the car is indicating, you would be a fool to overtake.. if the cyclist is already overtaking, and then the car moves, thats different. Its always going to be a difficult one to prove unless witnesses etc

That would be a 50/50 in insurance terms. Driver should have looked, cyclist should have noted the indicator and held back. No point taking that one any further if it’s just a few scrapes cos only the solicitors will make any real profit out of it.

Lesson to both - look where you’re going.

Also, bus cunt yesterday afternoon going up Peckham Rye. Me and the wife riding up the hill on Bromptons so not fast, she overtakes bus at stop, I do likewise, as I’m just about to pass his cab he pulls away. I have to nip in front of him to avoid being shoved into the road. I slow down, gesticulate and shout out to check his mirrors. He shouts fuck off back at me. I slow to walking pace in the middle of the road til the next bus stop with him inches behind revving his motor. Took a pic and reporting him to TFL. Fucking prick.

Just another day in London’s famous London...

(Yes, it is sellotaped to the car!)

That ain't gonna hold for long. Clearly requires...

Shame on you for missing this joke, @c00ps.

It was a sitting duck.

Dawn raid on the Pret-A-Manger (perhaps)

Ruddy hell. I really fowled up there.

Tit

My favoured passive aggressive response to general cuntdom.

Bit of a gaffe by c00ps, for sure.

Definitely - brain got stuck and I couldn’t reel anything off

(hangs head in shame)

My dad used to take us three kids to school by bike - one on the top tube, one on the rear rack, and one on the handlebars.

back to short sleeves for the mid week commute :summersun: