This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Totally and utterly unsafe around S Oxon today, side roads are basically all ice rinks :(

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-64301329

I needed that, thanks fella.
@Nef
I saw another cyclist on the way home yesterday have the exact experience, sorry it wasnt exact he didnt get shunted he was just stuck with 3 directions of traffic using him as an island, that I had that morning. In the same spot. Scary man.
@bigshape
I wont stop for long, my friends bike is half the weight of mine so theres a few fear facctors at play atm. Not afraid to admit that

Ouch, hope they aren't too badly hurt.

WFH, it is the random patches of ice that I don't like and make commuting a bit more exciting that I need.

But I did managed 13 years ago in The Big Snow Year on Schwalbe studded tyres, the bike they fit on it just not built up atm. If you really have to, studded tyres work.

@eskay @platypus
Here's some terrible pictures.
They're a 44 actually. I'm a 9.5UK in most shoes. Take a 44.5 in other cycling shoes but these ones fit well actually. Better than I remembered. They're not shiny new but there's almost no scuffs or anything, decent condition overall. Maybe 30 quid for em?

3 Attachments

Thanks, they would be a bit too small for me unfortunately otherwise I would have taken them, Over to you @platypus. If anyone has anything similar in a 45/46 let me know!

On the way home I could see intense strobe reflections on bits of my bike and signs etc coming from someone I thought was right behind me. After a (short) while this got on my tits and thought to myself, “Why the fuck don’t they just get the fuck past me”.

After a while I looked round and they were about 200m back, searingly bright even at that distance and that’s with street and shop lights around.

Managed an impressive fall in the garden last night, smashed my knee nice and good. Annoying and painful but surprisingly ok on the cycle today.

Deffo icier conditions today.

Beautiful cycle through the park on the way to work, crisp and wintery all round.

Sounds about right. Just baffles me how these people are so unaware about it.

It is raining atm and will freeze overnight, so cycled down today as tomorrow will be an ice rink!

Snow is still so pretty even with the hassle of having to walk part as there is no gritting and checking for SURPRISE!!!!!!!!! patches on black ice on gritted areas.

It is funny how everyone is having a "oooh icey" solidarity moment :)

Was a bit of a sketchy run home last night. Some huge ice-rink puddles emanating from the gutter needed careful negotiation.

Ice. Fell over on way to train. Back pain. Grumpy.

sometimes i wonder what it would be like to go through life as a blissfully unaware moronic douchebag

On the way home I could see intense strobe reflections on bits of my bike and signs etc coming from someone I thought was right behind me. After a (short) while this got on my tits and thought to myself, “Why the fuck don’t they just get the fuck past me”.

After a while I looked round and they were about 200m back, searingly bright even at that distance and that’s with street and shop lights around.

This is thing that I am most pissed off about by miles EVERY SINGLE DAY. I really need to not give a shit.

Pissing rain this morning, will be the same on the way back it looks like. It makes me miss the snow.

The thing that is currently pissing me off most, much more than lights, is drivers in queues who choose to be the one in every few dozen cars who block the so-called cycle lane.

Whilst we’re on annoyances. It’s seems to be more and more common for drivers to not put a signal on until they’re actually turning. Always annoys me at traffic lights when people don’t signal until the lights have gone to green and they’ve got to the front of queue, then all of a sudden their indicator is on and they’re turning.

Yes, it is almost as if the indicators are subscription-based, and the drivers will be charged per click.

I can only assume modern cars have an ear shattering click that people choose to avoid.

"Ihavejustturnedlefticators"

in an attempt to be more Ogmios, i've given up shouting 'use your fucking indicators, you cunt' at people now.

Dont get me started on lights.
As Im here...

Default setting is anti aircraft. Oo LEDs are super bright so we have to install brighter lights than the street lights!
Such brilliant logic....
You can see through skin in the most basic car now.
My grandparents wont drive if lights are needed.
Its so dumb, you cant judge speed, size, direction or make out any 'no you go' gestures from the driver which leads to weird politbess chicken mexican stand offs.
Dumb af. Ive thought this for years. National petition? Doesnt france still have yellow filters?

I wish headlights were subbed.
Its like a Janet Jackson video out there man.