This morning's commute and other commuting stories

First commute with my warm cycling jacket this winter. It was pretty expensive (well, to me) and it is usually way too warm, but when I need it, it's fantastic to have. 0 degrees on the commute in felt toastier than 8 degrees do usually.

Very good use of a certain newly-acquired Castelli jacket for the last two days, but now I need better tights (so I ordered two pairs, to work address of course)... This morning a single balaclava under helmet wasn't enough, need to think of something else. Maybe a forehead+ear warmer kind of thing, Mark Knopfler style but thicker. Also a bummer I can't use my Aftershokz with the balaclava on.

Significantly fewer commuters in my usual route, a black cab completely ignored us (and probably didn't appreciate our drafting efforts) and joined into Grovesnor Rd from the left as we came in. Good reflexes all around. 7/10

Punctured on the way in and struggled through a tyre change due to stupid tubeless rims/freezing cold/hands that don't work properly after much demolition sledge hammering yesterday. Tyre back on and pumped up and on removing my screw on mini pump it also removed the core. Four fucking times. Stupidly picked up non-specialized inner tube. Thankfully saved by helpful guy with gas. Still not properly warm again though, was toasty pre-puncture.

Saw my front tyre was a bit low on air this morning. Decided to pump it up and tubeless valve broke off. Goddamnit. Good monday start.

Lovely n frosty through Richmond Park. I've moved to casual wear for my 12 mile commute. Jeans, tee shirt, jumper, jacket did most of the work. Extremities are more specialised. 4 layers of foil under the footbed in my Giro empires plus neoprene toe warmers and wooly booly socks kept the toes ok. Hands are still almost too warm in the sealskinz claw gloves. Still need to sort my hat game as winter cycling hat (sealskinz again) is almost too big and the peak is cutting off too much of the vista. 8/10.

Coming down Greenwich park hill, start to slow when I hear a delightful grinding of worn through brake pads.

Oh well, need to get the Dolan back out for some miles before January anyway I suppose

Tubeless woes, valve core errors, winter... are inner tubes really that awful, also just get a pump with a flick valve lock.

I have a Topeak Hybrid mini pump, it has a flick valve lock and a Co2 adapter on the other end.

4 layers of foil under the footbed

Is this a thing?

It's my first winter cycle commuting in London, could anyone advise on how good (or otherwise) the authorities are at gritting cycle paths? I go Paddington-Hyde Park-Parliament Square then join the superhighway up to Bank. When I used to live out in the sticks the paths were a no-go zone when the temperature dropped...

I've got these boots. Google tells me they're 200 quid but I only paid half that before last winter. They're not amazing but they're much warmer than my Sidi road shoes. I had single pair of socks, these boots and some relatively thin Pro Team Overshoes and my feet were fine at -1 this morning.

Having freezing cold feet on a ride is fucking grim. I really think its worth investing in winter boots. It seems that so few people do.

They're a little bit waterproof too

I was riding those paths last year and they were ok. Didn't spot if they were ever gritted though.

Ken had a rather tricky commute in this morning it seems

https://twitter.com/2wenty4s/status/1201452503642099714?s=20

Is it time to repost this again yet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqo4hwnJt6Y

Theres a few rocks that protrude out of the ground surrounded by otherwise nice and smooth compacted mud on the way across the common... is it ok to try and prise them up?

Asking for a friend who's narrowly avoiding pinching a tube on several occasions...

Gritting in London is a bit of an issue. Basically, most local authorities have some kind of set-up, but as winters in London are usually so mild that there are only a few days of snow cover and/or ice, gritting tends to be inadequate and concentrated on main streets. I don't know what the régime is for Hyde Park, but I'd expect it to be better than what happens on the streets, as the park is comparatively small, with few paths, and attracts a lot of tourists and others to attractions like the Winter Wonderland. If in doubt, you could always ask the company responsible for landscape services in Hyde Park:

https://www.royalparks.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/the-royal-parks-awards-new-landscape-maintenance-contract

For the next seven years [from 2014], Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, St James's Park, The Green Park, Grosvenor Square and Brompton Cemetery will be maintained by OCS.

I think this must be it:

https://www.ocs.com/uk/

It looks like one of those outsourcing firms.

@Oliver Schick
I think that is what used to be Office Cleaning Services.

Aha. Here's the page for their landscape services, by the way:

https://www.ocs.com/uk/services/horticulture/grounds-maintenance/

Thanks both, I'll keep coming in on the bike then and continue the 'don't lean' mantra! I've had to do that over the last few weeks anyway with the amount of leaf litter on some of the paths, especially where I join the park.

Ha, well I think it is working.

A friend of mine is a serious hill walker / amateur mountaineer and was saying most thermal hiking boots have some kind of foil footbed technology.

It makes sense in my head, similar to thermal sleeping pads making a huge difference when camping., so I folded a piece of extra strong foil into four layers, traced round the footbed, cut it out and slid them in.

Feet were not cold this morning. To really test it, think I need to take it out of one foot whilst keeping the other. Ideally i'd get the misses to do it and not tell me which one, just not sure I can face asking....

i usually just wrap a bit of foil over my toes when it gets down to minus temps.
might have to try the footbed thing and see if it's any more effective.

my thinking is that the wind chill is more of a factor while cycling, whereas the cold comes up from the ground when walking...

Foil helps to retain the heat in your feet, if they're already freezing it won't warm them up. Like those survival blankets, they're useless if the person is already freezing. Keeps hot, hot and cold, cold.

Ideally i'd get the misses to do it and not tell me which one, just not sure I can face asking....

Please do this.

Science demands it. And so do I.

Woke up with a sore throat, suffered two horrendous close passes, clipped my bars on a temp fence and fell hard. Fucking cunt of a day already.

Greasy roads and leaning don't mix. Came off rounding a roundabout this morning. Might not be icy, but is still slippy.