"Oh Shit" moments...

I went past at 6:20 and there was no grey hoody there :'(

It was probably well-disguised against the generally grey urban environment.

oh shit moment when riding behind a dialAride van with the rear glass window today close enough to see myself in the reflection and looking at how awesome a photo in the mirror image the glass gives off would be before I notice the brake lights start to come on and almost run into the bus

Vanity aredeath?

Heading up the one-way Great Windmill St already late for work and in primary, approaching the bit with construction works, when a really fast taxi is approaching from behind. There is a huge cement lorry parked on the left (no hazards on and no engine running so presumed parked and unoccupied) but I really hate going anywhere near those things even on foot. The taxi was getting close so I pulled over to the left to let him pass, when suddenly the driver's door of the lorry flings open and I can literally feel the breeze as it swipes over my head, missing me by cms. HOLY SHIT all I can say is I'm glad for once that I am small and that I lowered my seat last week. I pulled over in a daze and I was about to turn around and yell at him but all the other builders were doing it for me before asking me if I was ok. I usually dread riding past that lot every morning but now I think they're alright (Y).

That coulda been really bad, glad you're ok Lettie!

Ah Lettie ): glad your okay!

Vanity aredeath?

Pretty much , still convinced it would be a great photo though

Pretty much , still convinced it would be a great photo though

im always admiring myself in the back of buses or white man vans thinking i look pretty darn good. I am now on my 3rd bike.

Pretty much , still convinced it would be a great photo though

maybe find a parked one eh?

maybe find a parked one eh?

Ended up playing around with a mate sitting out the back of a land rover defender and taking some photos looks pretty good too

Dropped my chain going downhill so i had to foot jam to bring it to a stop about 30ft from the light.

felt really out of synch switching back to toe clips'n double straps from velcro straps

annywho, at least none of the spokes were damaged unlike the last time it happened

so weird how just the slightest gear change can make such a difference with timing

have been riding 47/17 most recently but went back up to 52/19 because it was a dry sunny day

Why not use a brake?

My wife very kindly washed my bike on Sunday while I was out doing other stuff. Classed that as a big win until I finally got on the bike on Tuesday evening to head to polo.

Started headed down the hill I live on and see the lights are green for a right turn I need to make. Give it a bit of a spin to get through but as I feather the brakes to scrub a bit of pace to I can make the corner there's nothing there. My wife hasn't done the front brake up.

In a panic that I won't make the corner I yank the bike back onto the line to go down the hill and manage to pop my right foot out of the cleats at the same time. Nice big steep, winding Sheffield hill, one footed, accelerating. A hundred or so very frightening metres later I manage to get my right foot back in the pedal but I'm going to fast to be able to start braking much. I'm trying to decide if I should just accept the inevitable and fall over now to stop or hope for a way out of this at the bottom of the road which is a light controlled T-junction.

I decide to stay on and try to engage SuperHumanBrakingEffort (TM) but it does next to fuck all until I get to a turn off that isn't too sharp and levels out. Once I finally come to a stop I catch my breath, have an almost crying moment and then set off again without doing my brakes up. WAC

So the moral of the story is that if your wife cleans your bike for you, she wants to kill you.

"My wife hasn't done the front brake up."

I'd start removing sharp objects from near her.. and having her try any meals she cooks first..

Dropped my chain going downhill so i had to foot jam to bring it to a stop about 30ft from the light.

My chain break when descending Coombe Lane at 30+mph.

I came to a full stop? how, you ask? because I got two fucking brakes.

#brakearedeath

#nobrakesaresoonerdeath

#brookssarsedeath

This morning I was going down a hill quite quickly. The light turned red in front of me, so I braked and came to a stop comfortably and safely. I sat at the lights and waited for them to change and started off again.

You fucking maverick.

Cool story bro.

This morning I was going down a hill quite quickly. The light turned red in front of me, so I braked and came to a stop comfortably and safely. I sat at the lights and waited for them to change and started off again.

I hope that you pulled into the curb a few meters up the road in order to punch a nun and restore balance.

Dropped my chain going downhill so i had to foot jam to bring it to a stop about 30ft from the light.

felt really out of synch switching back to toe clips'n double straps from velcro straps

annywho, at least none of the spokes were damaged unlike the last time it happened

so weird how just the slightest gear change can make such a difference with timing

have been riding 47/17 most recently but went back up to 52/19 because it was a dry sunny day

You realise there is a 1 GI difference between to those ratios?

Indra, don't you know? they're seasons ratios! pfft, bloody newbies.

Kids these days, I swear.

You realise there is a 1 GI difference between to those ratios?

Not so fast. How do you know his wheels aren't the size of the moon? The difference then would be many inches. Many inches.