The Straggle is Real

Having a lovely day ❣️

Best Impulse buy in ages. Needs a front rack and a light for that dynamo!

Started a full on storm, only for me to race to the pub, manically lock the bike, and dash in for it to then... stop.

Had a nice pint and some nuts, oggled my bike for an hour or so.

Rode home, got rearended, then as they swerved so they didn't crush me, hit my arm. Lucky that I have EDS in this case because otherwise that would have gotten torn off. ABSOLUTE PRICKS. annoyingly wrote the number plate down wrong and all I remember is white hatchback with a timestamp and location, no obvious cameras nearby so I'll drop it but I'm gonna avoid that shithole of a stretch for a while.

Oooft, hope you're ok! Bike looks great by the way, hope this hasn't put you off riding it.

F*** man are you ok?

The Surly looks ace btw.

@ltc @Jonny69 doing alright really! Thanks for asking <3

Reckon I'll take the bike down to SBC to get it looked over but I think my saving grace might have been a slightly loose rear skewer and horizontal drop outs taking the grunt of the impact.

I'm alright - arms clicky and achy but nothings broken so it'll just be rest, tiger balm and the occasional ibuprofen for me. No way this will put me off riding it, had a few near misses before and I've always hated that road. Just going to do a route rejig for when I go to Walthamstow from now on :D

That road / god-forsaken junction thing is one of the sketchiest bits of road. Peak car dependent infrastructure.

Unfortunately, the Lea Bridge way into walthamstow isn’t much nicer /in the park is bike-mugger sketchy

Yeah it's a literal hellscape, wish Haringey was better at cycle routes but alas. What gets me is the amount you'll go through some nice infrastructure, only to have to do a 5 min trip through hellscape to get to the next cycle lane???

Next routes I'll try will be West Green Road to Broad Lane, would rather avoid the Lea Bridge way because like you said sketchy park and it's just very pedestrian heavy/too narrow. We'll see!

Took the Broad Lane route yesterday - not perfect, but ten fold better than the alternative!

Back on the bargain train. For some reason Jeff Bezos website had a "used" medium steel black pelago for £60.63, couldn't pass it up given the going rate of Pelagos / front racks generally being pretty steep.

I'VE MOVED TO SOUTH EAST!

AND! THE BIKE HAS RACKS!

AND! ORTLIEBS!

Racks are stellar, would eventually like a black basket. To justify being frivolous I'll probably upgrade to a Manivelle ALTHOUUUGHHH.

To get the bike in the new house, it's a right PITA... so I've been pondering "would going skinnier with the handlebars make much difference?"

I'm hoping... it might. Although who knows. Maybe I'll just throw a paddy every time it comes to getting it in the house.

Took a ride to Peckham LIDL yday and got a few days worth of shopping in the ortliebs and in the basket, was pretty seamless really. I'm really chuffed with the whole set up. Tins/cans and bulky bits in the back, awkward shaped bits and light stuff in the basket.

It's great. I love it. It's perfect in every way.

Bike looks rad!
To save on cost I once rattle canned a silver wald, worked fine, even had some nice beausage as it inevitably wore off and the silver poked through