This morning's commute and other commuting stories

First time the ears needed covering, nose a bit red, fingers a bit tingly by the time I got to work.

Winter is coming #meme

So that you can use valve extenders for deep rim wheels. You can get tubes with very long valves but they cost a lot more than standard tubes in my experience.

I've got a better question:

Why even does the Mehzyne pump have to screw onto the valve? My sks just uses a rubber with a lever to tighten the seal. Works a treat. When I see the Lezyne somewhere where I want to add pressure, I avoid it and make do with comfy tyres.

Have literally never had a problem with my Lezyne pump

Need to review my winter clothing options. Aside from that the usual Monday morning commute. Lots of cars not bothering with the indicating or indicating once then has started to make their turn left.

Oh yeah commute.

Lovely day for riding bicycles innit!?

10/10

No idea why Lezyne think it's a good idea. I've never had a problem with valve heads which use a rubber ring to seal the valve, provided there's some sort of locking mechanism which compresses the o-ring in use. @Cycliste loves Lezyne pumps with their daft hoses, however. It's a strange old world.

First salt on the roads overnight, made a normally moist ride into work become a dirty gritty one. No other bikes out though, guess the "summer" ended so did the summer commuter folk

Lovely day for riding bicycles innit!?

Damn straight. Arrived at work with a big ol' grin on my face. Absolutely nailed the winter gear too.

I spend so much time whinging on here - need to appreciate more often that this really is the best way to travel in London.

Thin merino T, thin merino long-sleeve. Perfect. Chilly fingers. Lovely morning for it.

So you can screw them back in again.

Got a giant sheet of plastic tangled between cog and chain on my way home, fuckity boo. Otherwise all nice and pleasant and had the perfect amount of clothes on me.

Was wearing shorts most of the day between furied spin sessions across town, greasy salted roads making huge high speed skids scary easy. When not on a bike just about every person I came into contact with reminded me I was wearing shorts. 9/10 would wear again.

Fitted tri bars and set up bike to suit for commute. End up 5 mins slower.... wat?!?

This morning was cold enough to break out the breeks, this evening they were s bit warm.

FFS why are people commuting in sub zero temperatures without covering their knees.

Got overtaken by someone this morning in a skimpy pair of football shorts, with a top that didn't cover his back, given a lovely view of his hinterland betwixt arse and back. I pulled up alongside him at the next set of lights, "Bit cold this morning, innit", he said.

I was all Jackie Chan.jpg.

Because we are fucking nails. Or probably just northern, I imagine.

Later I saw someone in jacket, Rapha shorts, no socks and track mitts.

He did have Marathon Plus tyres though, so was probably toasty from the effort to keep those fuckers turning.

The best is when they have spent the money on a high end winter jacket (castelli/Rapha) and yet their knees are nearly blue.

Just like this.

No idea why Lezyne think it's a good idea.

All things equal it reduces the chance of you buggering up the valve stem when pumping up the tyre by reducing the stress on it.

However I've no idea why their track / floor pumps have a screw on head.

^ Post #10,000! Does @Howard get a prize?

Took the chance today to try out my Vulpine winter cap, complete with lovely warm ear covers. It looks ridiculous, but my ears were toasty.

In fact it looks so ridiculous that a ped crossing in front of me at London Bridge stopped in the middle of the road to snap a selfie. Unfortunately I didn't react in time to join in.

10/10 Would embrace the ridiculousness of the hat again.

Got bus in, abandoned near top of Walworth Rd as traffic light going into Elephant is stuck on red so nothing moving. Tried to explain this to some cyclists standing at the light and they assumed I was having a go at them about something. Sadly understandable.

Poxy drizzle. Learnt not to ride to far out in the Bus land as car decide to use it as a quick way to got through the traffic.

Stupid question from Brixton Rd going onto Camberwell New rd heading towards Oval/Kennington Rd which lane do I now need to be in, the near side one or the other, seems drivers are unsure also.

What the hell did they build the superhighway with, bumpy as hell and feels like riding through grit.