This morning's commute and other commuting stories

RIP the Vito

Some of these guys

I'll get you a picture when I get home. I can't remember how good condition they're in, haven't worn them in quite some time. They were always a bit big for me. I'll see if they're still looking good and get you a price

Thanks

-2 today. Enthusiasm low!

I'm interested if you don't get another taker - and they fit my 9.5UK-ish feet

I have given up riding when temps are below/hovering around zero. I have come off too many times on black ice and am getting too old for that shit!

same, especially after a pal came off on the ride home yesterday and is still in A&E this morning awaiting a CT scan and face xrays. :/

It's fine this morning, one of those icy mornings where the roads are generally dry (they dried just in time last night before it hit freezing) but there are clearly visible frozen puddles at the edge of paths/roads. I reckon it'll be fine the rest of this week unless it rains.

Don't get me wrong though, I'm also cautious these days but have the advantage of a partner who starts at 8am in town, so I get intelligence reports :)

I know what you’re saying. But on 35c marathons, going a gentlemanly pace, not leaning at all, and on a route with gritted roads and paths that are easy to tootle along, it genuinely feels alright. Apart from my face freezing off.

Yeah, roads were fine this morning. Took it carefully on the corners and had no trouble getting in. Still quite a few other riders.

it's probably ok this morning, it's the ride home after the thaw / re-freeze that i'm not so keen on.
it was really sketchy round here last night.
i'm not in london's though. maybe we had a bit more snow in the midlands.

One for https://www.tesla-fire.com/ ?

wow, that's a lot of tesla fires!

I am in the south west and the roads were not good this morning. Flowing water has washed a lot of the road salt off and then ice has formed. Saw 2 cars in fields on the drive in. My commute by bike involves lanes and cycle track, neither of which get treated.

it's the ride home after the thaw / re-freeze that i'm not so keen on

There's not enough ice to cause a problem when it thaws in East London, but there's always less ice in London because it's a giant heat island. It's very unusual for it to get cold enough for ice to form in zone 1-3 normally, this winter is unusual!

The ice scares me too, but I'm also phobic of the train. Took the monster gravel machine with 2.2 tyres and availed myself of the off-road loop through Richmond Park. One bit of flooded section was ice side to side, but managed to straight-line it while simultaneously lining my pants. Otherwise uneventful. Will be interesting in the pitch black later.

Really fallen out with cycling recebtly.
Other day I got pushed along by a double decker. He didnt leave much room in the bike box and as I entered the lights changed. He didnt see me for a while. I was on his right cos Im not insane.

Followed a bus through a diversion and the lights arent timed right, got drove into, somehow twice by the same taxi. Im sat on the drivers headlight here, pushed me into oncoming traffic into a transit. The transit was very polite. Blames the junction.

Also got a bike nicked and the police are fucking useless. 10 minute window but still told to do my own investigating (wtf??)

Had more arguments with other cyclists on their mopeds fitted with lighthouses talking about 'we drive on left' while we are on a pavement or going wrong way on cycleways. Or dinging peds on a pavement. The excuse of 'thats a roubdabout I cant go on there" doesnt wash.

All the bright lights make it very dangerous too,windshields have anti glare. Its insane. Foglights are never needed.
Yes I have lights and reflective gear, Im fixing up my brighg white bike now too.
Doubt anything will change.

I know this is extremely elitist but I hate how shit people have given reasons for more hate towards the decent guy on a bike. Yes, me.

Sorry I dont mean to vent but Im at the end of my rag, there was a really bad accident this week in Leeds and considering my recent run it really hit home.

I got the bus today.

The ice scares me too,

This for me. I took the car today, 90% of route is fine, but it's ankle deep flooding getting out of the village and it was -4, not a happy combo.

Took me over an hour though in the car. Hate commuting in a car. Genuinely don't know how people do this day in day out, but further and longer. Soul destroying.

i quite enjoyed getting the bus yesterday. gives me a chance to do a bit of reading.

Ah damn. Big hugs over the internet, dude.

Other cyclists with insane flashing lights and delivery workers on e-bike conversions riding like maniacs are probably my main pet peeve when commuting tbh.

And yeah, temporary lights, especially at roundabouts, often seem v dangerous and badly timed. Twice at the same roundabout here I’ve almost had my car written off because of people flying through. Would be suicide to try and cycle it tbh.

sorry to hear that. winter can be a particularly shit time for commute rides.
can you get out for some leisure rides away from all of the dickheads?
hopefully as the weather improves you'll get back into it.

as long as it's safe and there are no peds around, i sometimes hop onto the pavement rather than risk a close pass through roadworks. (no doubt the drivers are shaking their heads at me, but they'd likely be doing the same for 'holding them up' if i was on the road 😂)

I can never work out how to get away from Brompton riders, they speed off in front at every light then the next thing i know they're behind me on my back wheel looking furious. Rinse, repeat.

It's like eating an ice cream whilst being chased by a wasp.

Och I just have to accept that I do some bastard manoeuvres to stay safe with traffic. Hopefully I earn enough good traffic karma by waiting at the vast majority of lights even with clear junctions (bare minimum I know, but still).