This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Cold one this morning, minus 2 into Manchester. Still mad northerners wearing shorts.

Black ice in Regents this morning - saw a couple who had come down and some other comedy tailwhip skidouts which miraculously held up

My ride in along the waterlink way was a bit sketchy this morning, the back wheel slipped a few times but I managed to stay upright. Had to slow right down though. Might try and stick to more main roads for the next little while.

It should be turning noticeably milder from tomorrow for a bit.

i've given up riding when the temp hits minus - not worth it IMO.
i don't mind the cold, but i'm petrified of falling on the ice, especially as a few kms of my commute are through parks and along shared use / canal paths which are never gritted.

i really fucking hate the bus though.

kudos to those of you still braving it.

Spotted you taking it easy past the little pond before the bridge, rider shortly after you didn't fare so well and hit the deck. Luckily there were loads of off lead dogs that ran over to check he was ok...

but i'm petrified of falling on the ice

I had a slam last winter that mentally i still haven't gotten over. I've done very little riding this year so starting a few weeks back has been rubbish.

I gave up commuting when the temperature hovers around zero or below years ago after a couple of offs.

Just visited Berlin for a weekend and I see people cycling as per normal on streets that are pretty much iced over on regular commuter bikes - what do they know that we don't!?

might buy a trike

Schwalbe Marathon Winters?

i don't doubt ice spikes work well when there's something to dig into, but do they work on really thin black ice on smooth tarmac?

but do they work on really thin black ice on smooth tarmac?

Yes.

Ditto. This is actually what they're great on. Better than on snow, IMHO.

Ah I didn't see you or I would have said hi! Yeah that bit was particularly slippery.

My choices are either a slippery 45 minutes on the bike or an hour stuffed in someone's armpit on the overground and jubilee line. Neither is a great option but one's free and doesn't make me hate everyone in London.

which one is that? ;)

luckily i have the option to WFH if the weather's really crap (and this week i'm actually pretty ill but still working due to stupid deadlines)

my usual cycle commute takes approx 50 mins door to door.
one evening last week i waited 50 mins for a bus that's supposedly due every 20 mins, then 25 mins on the bus and a 15 min walk from the stop to home.

at least it's only for a few days a year though - i really don't know how people do that on the regular. so frustrating.
see also, sitting in a car in rush hour traffic #youarethetraffic

I’m just waiting for my turn.
Last Friday a college got knocked off their bike riding home, badly bruised and a minor cut.
Yesterday a different college had to brake for a driver pulling out on them, skidded on the ice, broke their elbow, driver didn’t stop.
Today yet another college got knocked off, they are in A&E now, think it’s just grazing and bruises. The driver stopped as they were beached on the bike.
All within a mile or so of each other.

FFS!

To the wanker riding up Peckham Rye this evening - your rear light was WAAY too bright, I don't care if you feel safer with it, it's anti social, it was brighter than the sun, no-one behind you could see the road, you will literally get drivers mowing you down because of being blinded because of your safetywakerbeacon. Turn your rear lights fucking down. I'm sat on the sofa at home and I can still see a spot in my eyes from your stupid light.

/rant

i called a guy out on this a while back who i'd been following and caught up with at a traffic light.

he had 2 or 3 really bright flashers on the back of his bike that were horrible to ride behind.
i told him how his rear light setup was really not good for riders and probably drivers, and suggested that when he got to his destination that he tried standing his bike up and looking at it from a few metres behind.

i think his comments were something like, "at least people can see me and it stops me getting run over"

really bright flashy shit lights are better than no lights i guess? 🤷‍♂️

Turns out the person that was knocked off on Thursday finally went to the hospital this morning, because their knee is really painful. It turns out she has a spinal fracture, FFS. They don’t think it’s a bad one etc, but it looks like they’ll be off work for 12 weeks.

shit! how they heal up ok! 12 weeks... 😬

They missed that at A&E at the time? Jeez

Apparently she said she had only hurt her leg and they just gave a quick once over for the rest. No pain and no bruising at the time, so I guess it was easy to miss.
Like the time I had a fractured skull (different hospital) they only treated my broken wrist, because I said I hadn’t hit my head, turns out I’d been unconscious for a while at some point I just didn’t know it. They can only act on what you tell them.

Lea bridge roads full of arseholes as usual. All sorts of idiots parked in the cycle path. Anyway to report these in particular?

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