This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Very thick coffee :)

Grim last night and barely made it the last 800m home due to several incidents with poor / angry drivers.

Triple puncture on the way in this morning at which point I said f-it and got the train home. WFH.

Do fatter/more knobblier tyres actually help with icy roads?

Trying to decide between croix de fer with 35mm + guards or brother big bro with 2.4 tyres but no guards for the 'snow showers' tomorrow

Swrve softshell trousers are putting in the work right now though I must say.

Maybe...lower pressures should help a bit though - more surface area.

Probably best not to ride clipped in this morning...

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Cold one.

First time I’ve done a 14 mile commute and Not got heated up....

Yep, cold. 90% of cycleways had no ice tho.

When i stacked it the other morning, at slow speed, on sheer ice, only spikes could have stopped it. I was on slick 60-559’s. The rest of the journey on ice was uneventful and way less sketchy than previous years on 28-622’s in similar conditions.

On mud, the treaded tyres certainly seemed to grip, but mostly just flicked more shit up at me as they carry stuff in the knobbles on wet and slippery paths.

Knobblies felt solid over wet leaves, but the jumbo slicks eat up everything. Pretty sure if it’s solid and compacted under you then a bit of knobble might bite better, but if it’s pure wet slush then a bigger contact patch will keep you steady.

In a ‘look what I just got in the post’ theme, these were waiting at home.
Two day delivery. Size XL fits my 45 shoe perfectly, quality looks great. Plus in the envelope was a lovely free surprise snood with an Italian newspaper print.
Ride report tomorrow evening.

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got mine today as well, snood was a nice bonus!

I bought them plus socks and didn't get any snoods. Robbed!

Anyone have an idea what was going on in Fulham (on the way to Putney) after 19:00? Over half a dozen police vans and some other vehicles and a lot of officers about, though they mostly looked quite relaxed. Traffic backed up quite far, I was already wondering what was going on before I saw the police at all...

If it looks like that, you need boots. I think I paid £129 for some Old Man Winter SPD boots.

On the subject of warm feet. I bought these earlier this week and my feet have been toasty for the last three days.

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/sealskinz-lightweight-halo-overshoes-1/

Chelsea vs Spurs at Stamford Bridge.

Thanks for that link. £20 plus the LEDs! Is a bargain!

Very quiet out on the road this morning. Like a ghost town down embankment.

Ah cheers - that would explain it. I'm not very interested in football which is probably how I've managed to not even realise there's a stadium right there despite commuting essentially past it for quite a long time. Ignorance is bliss, or something.

In a ‘look what I just got in the post’ theme, these were waiting at home.

Nice one, I got a free snood in the past with a base layer.
I don't think I've taken the toe covers off since fitting them back at the start of December - Instead just roll them down to get to the shoe straps. So much less faff and allows me to easily adjust tension on the main shoe ratchet while on the move with thick gloves.

Wore them today and while it was about 2 or 3deg (warm!), toes felt noticeable warmer. Top tip for these.

First full run commute for almost 2 years. Happy that it's chilly, stops me overheating (not quite kl-compliant but not far off).

Anyone know how long those roadworks on Chelsea Embankment have left? Not enjoying them on either bike or running commutes.

I think the Tideway project is due to finish in 2023 so god only knows when they will actually finish! Its only got worse since they closed the bike lane and put in temp ped lights going east bound!

It's going to be a long while yet I think. Once they are done tideway tunneling they are creating a nice little park area too. There is an animation on the website below, but the lack of any finishing date suggests its a how long is a piece of string type question at this point.

https://www.tideway.london/locations/chelsea-embankment-foreshore/

TBH, i reckon it's pretty impressive they are doing this without closing the road at all, as annoying as it is.

Ah, didn't realise it was part of that. Armed with that info I found this:-

https://www.tideway.london/locations/chelsea-embankment-foreshore/

2021 allegedly, but it looks quite impressive what they're adding so I'm sure that deadline will slip.

That snood is fresh af

anyone got any other galibier stuff? the mistral foul weather jacket looks like it might be good...