This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Nice that you got a reply. Doubt that it will change anything though. I still treat Addison Lee cabs like tipper lorries - i.e. vehicles to keep well clear of!

In fact, I had one AL driver overtake me at a pinch point only yesterday evening. I banged on his front wing as he attempted to pass. That made him pull back, but he still overtook with inches to spare once the pinch point was passed. At least I'll always know to ride in primary at that point from now on......

Maybe try going via Kennington Road and Milkwood Road to HH?

Changed my life.

Google mapping now, thanks :)

yeah but, what font did they use?

Comic sans?

Clanking from cranks/bottom bracket area for the last couple of weeks. Finally looked at it as it was starting to skip between gears under RAW POWER.

Cranks off and the drive side BB cup needed tightening. MiniGB was helping with disassembly.

MiniGB then lost it and threw a big tired tantrum. Park CCP22C crank extractor does not extract crankiness from small children sadly.

Bike reassembled and no clanking.

Hairy drunk guy staggered out in front of me when I was exiting the Vauxhall pedestrian/cycle tunnel this morning and gave me an earful when I had to lean a shoulder in to him in order to miss completely t-boning him. I was only crawling along at 3 or 4 mph and it was entirely his fault for shambling across the flow of foot and bike traffic completely oblivious to his surroundings, but he still gave me an earful and shouted 'Fackin cyclists!" after me.

Bike reassembled and no clanking.

11km into the commute a click has returned. Need a bigger hammer (and some threadlock).

This morning was unexceptional, other than two separate instances of people getting weirdly and uncomfortably close at the lights.

Needy guy number 1 suggested it was because I was too close to the stop line.

Snugglebunny number 2 suggested that riding between me and the kerb was necessary, because I was track standing, and I should put my feet down.

He then said that I wasn't a ballerina.

I cry evry teim, dreams of the Bolshoi shattered.

He then said that I wasn't a ballerina.

Someone from dance class, perhaps?

I wedged a tent between the top of my rack and my saddlebag today.

Only fell off twice but that was on Trafalgar Square and some other busy-ass junction at the bottom of Westminster Bridge.

Must buy bungees.

Someone from dance class, perhaps?
They see me dancin', they hatin'.

Relatively stress and numpty free ride in this morning...

Apart from that dodgy overtaking manoeuvre by the RMS tipper truck on The Highway... FFS, mate!

RMS trucks in London - YouTube

Relatively stress and numpty free ride in this morning...

Apart from that dodgy overtaking manoeuvre by the RMS tipper truck on The Highway... FFS, mate!

City Airport to Tower Gateway. Absolute nightmare when RMS decide they're driving in convoy no matter what. Dicks.

Waitrose lorries on the other hand. Gents.

This morning was unexceptional, other than two separate instances of people getting weirdly and uncomfortably close at the lights.

Needy guy number 1 suggested it was because I was too close to the stop line.

Snugglebunny number 2 suggested that riding between me and the kerb was necessary, because I was track standing, and I should put my feet down.

He then said that I wasn't a ballerina.

I cry evry teim, dreams of the Bolshoi shattered.
lol

doesnt he know that youre princess tiswas?

City Airport to Tower Gateway. Absolute nightmare when RMS decide they're driving in convoy no matter what. Dicks.

Waitrose lorries on the other hand. Gents.

I was penned in the left hand lane by four huge tippers on Tuesday... One in front, one behind and two to my right... Quite unnerving to have that amount of tonnage around you...

I saw the aftermath of a motorcyclist being hit by a car this morning, I've been thinking about the poor dude all day.

The puncture fairy has been rife in our house. Simon got 4 on the way to Dunwich, a 3 inch nail in his tyre last night then I got one on the way in to work outside Queenie's House this morning.

Epic fast ride into work today, running late so left at 8:35 and still made it for 9.

Shift your weight back, it's really hard to go over the bars if you try not to, even if you grab a massive handful of brake. My polo bike only has a front hydraulic and I grab a load of that as hard as I can all the time, only gone over the bars when I'm concentrating on other stuff, like not passing under any circumstances or running down pensioner poloista.

ftfy

Ha.

11km into the commute a click has returned. Need a bigger hammer (and some threadlock).

BB removed, cleaned, threads greased and tightened (with big wrench) with added threadlock.

Chainset nearing end of its life and so replacement needs to be ordered.

Luckily the hackbike dines on inexpensive components, and I get a good 30,000km out of them, so it's only £40 total for a new chainset (Shimano M171), HG41 11-34 cassette and a SRAM 8 speed chain.

Got pished up after lunch yesterday, decided ride home unsafe last night, dark glasses and closed-eye tube trip this morning. Nothing more to report. Over and out.

Hard going this morning with all that smog. Found it hard to get air into my lungs

Yeah it was visibly hanging in the air around Shepherd's Bush. Foul.

A couple of poor sods got taken down by an over-zealous idiot this morning on Rye Lane. Everyone stops behind a bus because there is another one oncoming through the gap; he doesn't react quickly enough (or at all, seemingly) and ends up skidding awkwardly into the back/side of one cyclist, who then falls into another. They all ended up laying on top of each other on the road.

Couldn't help but wonder what the outcome would have been if the chap with a toddler on the back of his bike next to me had been the one on the receiving end of the crash.