This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Not today, in the southern half of the UK?!

The trick is to cycle Putney high street / Putney bridge / Fulham during rush hour. Gets your blood and piss boiling nice and evenly, no extra layers required.

#naturalinsulation

Yep and I'm currently riding 32/16 so spinning my dick off just to move forward a pace.

You should try using your feet...

Please tell me you're not that weird guy on a hybrid spinning at 200rpm to get off the line sometimes seen on CS8.

Please tell me you're not that weird guy on a hybrid spinning at 200rpm to get off the line sometimes seen on CS8.

The one in the full face helmet? Haven't seen him for a while (usually see him in Parson's Green.)

The one in the full face helmet?

Yes!! Oh dear, I'd forgotten that detail.

I'm resting them post-crash.

weird guy - check!
hybrid - are you fucking joking?
200rpm - sometimes
CS8 - dafuq is that?

‘Men don't make wider passes at girls who wear glasses.’

Tempted to complain to @WillMelling ’s literary agent. He’s channeling Morrisey & Larkin’s imaginary cycling lovechild again.

London :)

I just go from Victoria into Fitzrovia. Easy peasy really.
I actually have all the layers because I'm up early walking to the train station etc. Still don't really anywhere near as much, but I is always warm.

Woke up with a bit of a sore lower back this morning, thought I’d ride in a bit more gently this morning so kitted up and headed off. 30 minutes and I’m in agony. Stopped for some ibruprofen and made it in to work after 65 minutes, and had to be helped off the bike. Now soaking my lower back in deep heat and trying to move carefully. Gah.

had a lovely one on Monday, mild enough for shorts, saw a kingfisher flying along the canal, had a pleasant chat with a fellow cycle commuter on the way home.
today looking less inviting, might wimp out and get the train...

lower back pain is the worst.
luckily I don't currently feel your pain, but I feel your pain.

Oh Yeah, he's still going. All the way to kingston. The strange thing is, he seems to be getting worse at riding his bike. Much wobble and he's struggling to stop. Still using top gear to try to reach escape velocity as the lights change, quickly hits about 6mph, then does a little stand up/sit down manoeuvre as he changes gear. Remains a regular highlight of my commute. I'm glad winter has come for him as the sight of him wiping the streams of sweat from his brow whilst whilst still wearing full face, fluro jacket and trackies tucked into socks in the heat of summer was difficult to process.

Two visits from the fairy this morning, that's 4 in a week across 3 different bikes. This morning was a big old bit of glass followed by the side wall exploding. walked home for a change of front wheel.

Is there a exorcism ritual I can perform to deal with this shit ?

Still using top gear to try to reach escape velocity as the lights change, quickly hits about 6mph,

Surely the opposite be of Top Gear? Bottom? First? Lowest? Big sprocket?

Ritual exchange of beer vouchers for new tyres?

Whatever makes your legs spin like a blur away from the light. Top gear is at the top of the cassette, not the bottom, no? I've never really known which way to refer this.

I use first - last

If you imagine a cassette lying flat on a table, so that it looks like a very small and pointy metallic hillock, the easiest, spinniest 'bottom gear' is the biggest/widest diameter sprocket at the base of this mini-mountain, before working your way up to the hardest, grindingest 'top gear' at the smallest sprocket. Not sure if that's useful or not but I've seen people go 'oh yeah!' when explained like that before...

And back on topic - classic drencher this morning, although a couple of cars slowed down to avoid knocking me off with a tidal wave of gutter-puddle, so that was appreciated with a cheery wave.

Top/high gear is the hardest gear, not the one closest to the wheel.