The daily "I cycled to work" thread
Discussion
Hoddo said:
Completed my first ever commute this morning. 10.2 miles of rural Cheshire countryside, lovely. Also, it was the first time I have properly used Strava - Here is my ride..
What low cost GPS cycling units can you recommend. Would like the data to link with Strava.
Etiquette question. Toward the end of my ride, as I approach the A50 from the B5081, traffic starts to build as cars wait to join the A50. This morning I would guess there were approximately 30 cars queuing. This part of the B5081 is a narrow two lane road and there is no space to cycle on the inside. What is recommended to pass this traffic? I slowly rode past the cars in the wrong lane, looking well ahead and pulling into gaps as and when cars came the opposite direction. Is this acceptable or would you wait with the traffic?
i still use a Garmin 200, the breadcrumb trail is very good for following routes and it has all the info you need until you start using a heart rate monitor or power meter. I dont use my phone because I like to see distance, avg speed etc and dont want bulky things mounted on my stem.What low cost GPS cycling units can you recommend. Would like the data to link with Strava.
Etiquette question. Toward the end of my ride, as I approach the A50 from the B5081, traffic starts to build as cars wait to join the A50. This morning I would guess there were approximately 30 cars queuing. This part of the B5081 is a narrow two lane road and there is no space to cycle on the inside. What is recommended to pass this traffic? I slowly rode past the cars in the wrong lane, looking well ahead and pulling into gaps as and when cars came the opposite direction. Is this acceptable or would you wait with the traffic?
as for the filtering, i'd use the right hand side too, but keep an eye out ahead for good gaps to avoid oncoming traffic and acknowledge motorists who let you in. Nothing pisses them off more than going the wrong way round traffic islands too...
my legs were proper heavy this morning and I got a massive three hours sleep last night but i got invovled in some silly commuter racing on the ring road so now they are in pieces, the main thing is, i dropped him....at the third attempt... on a climb... with just one 84" gear...
Edited by anonymous-user on Thursday 15th May 10:39
Thanks everyone. Sounds like I am filtering in the right manner.
I was surprised just how considerate drivers were being this AM. Only one car caused concern by passing incredibly close to my right hand side.
All in all I can see this becoming rather addictive. Feel great, except for tired legs.
I was surprised just how considerate drivers were being this AM. Only one car caused concern by passing incredibly close to my right hand side.
All in all I can see this becoming rather addictive. Feel great, except for tired legs.
lepetitoeuf said:
Silly commuter racing stories always the same.
"I happened to freewheel past some guy on a £10k road bike in team kit, he dropped a load of gears and sprinted his arse off to catch up with me, then hung on my wheel for ages. Then at the next red light I stopped and he sailed straight through"
I had a proper commuter race last week: A sprint up the last bit of a hill we'd been climbing. I managed to stay with him for a while, but couldn't keep it up and was forced to concede defeat "I happened to freewheel past some guy on a £10k road bike in team kit, he dropped a load of gears and sprinted his arse off to catch up with me, then hung on my wheel for ages. Then at the next red light I stopped and he sailed straight through"
Later on, I found him using the Strava Fly-By thingy, and we engaged in some good natured banter. Turns out he and I have the exact same PB time on the hill segment (sitting 3rd equal out of 50), so we're looking forward to the inevitable rematch next time our commutes coincide
(Oh, and he was on a grubby mountain bike and I was on the hybrid. No 10K bikes and team kit here).
lepetitoeuf said:
Silly commuter racing stories always the same.
"I happened to freewheel past some guy on a £10k road bike in team kit, he dropped a load of gears and sprinted his arse off to catch up with me, then hung on my wheel for ages. Then at the next red light I stopped and he sailed straight through"
Indeed. And you never hear "There I was on my knackered old alloy singlespeed and I happened across some bloke on a top of the range carbon Pinarello, wearing full Team Sky Kit. I revved up for the inevitable pass, and then he shot off like a rocket and dropped me like a f"I happened to freewheel past some guy on a £10k road bike in team kit, he dropped a load of gears and sprinted his arse off to catch up with me, then hung on my wheel for ages. Then at the next red light I stopped and he sailed straight through"
king stone. Jesus Christ he was quick."Edited by Joey Ramone on Thursday 15th May 11:03
Joey Ramone said:
lepetitoeuf said:
Silly commuter racing stories always the same.
"I happened to freewheel past some guy on a £10k road bike in team kit, he dropped a load of gears and sprinted his arse off to catch up with me, then hung on my wheel for ages. Then at the next red light I stopped and he sailed straight through"
Indeed. And you never hear "There I was on my knackered old alloy singlespeed and I happened across some bloke on a top of the range carbon Pinarello, wearing full Team Sky Kit. I revved up for the inevitable pass, and then he shot off like a rocket and dropped me like a f"I happened to freewheel past some guy on a £10k road bike in team kit, he dropped a load of gears and sprinted his arse off to catch up with me, then hung on my wheel for ages. Then at the next red light I stopped and he sailed straight through"
king stone. Jesus Christ he was quick."Edited by Joey Ramone on Thursday 15th May 11:03
TBF every rider in the last couple of months I come up behind (grand total of 4!) on a nice bike has completely blanked and ignored me when I said Hi or tried to start a convo , I leave my nice bikes at home and am on a second hand MTB in Sports Directs finest.
I did get owned the other day by a guy on a TT bike, I did catch him on a climb but he was flying on the straight at double my pace!!
pablo said:
I am declaring tomorrow "Ride your best bike to work because its going to be a sunny day and I am sick of riding a clunker when I have a far superior bike sat in the garage looking unloved day"...
Would love to but it would be hard to do From the middle of the North SeaSteve
pablo said:
I am declaring tomorrow "Ride your best bike to work because its going to be a sunny day and I am sick of riding a clunker when I have a far superior bike sat in the garage looking unloved day"...
I've upgraded to my training bike today. Scott CR1 Pro with Ultegra Di2 after my unfortunate game-stopper mechanical yesterday. batbuilder92 said:
Could not get a PB this morning as I stopped to help a guy with a snapped chain and I had a chain tool. I would always try to help when I can, if I see a stranded commuter in the hope that if it ever happened to me my "karma bank" would be full, but in reality how many people would stop and risk being late for work/ not getting their Strava segment completed? I commute around Sheffield, there are lots of hills and not that many cycle commuters, would this happen in larger cities?
Not a larger city (Swansea) but usually stop if I can see someone's stuck. Carry two tubes so have given one to a stranded cyclist in the past. The Karma has been cashed in too...j4ckos mate said:
Friendly lovely people as we are (iam anyway)
you've just told the world where you live and where you work mate
I presume that was aimed at Hoddo, and the link in his post?you've just told the world where you live and where you work mate
If so, I've PM'd him, and he's sorted some privacy settings on his Strava profile now. Well spotted
uncinqsix said:
I had a proper commuter race last week: A sprint up the last bit of a hill we'd been climbing. I managed to stay with him for a while, but couldn't keep it up and was forced to concede defeat
Later on, I found him using the Strava Fly-By thingy, and we engaged in some good natured banter. Turns out he and I have the exact same PB time on the hill segment (sitting 3rd equal out of 50), so we're looking forward to the inevitable rematch next time our commutes coincide
(Oh, and he was on a grubby mountain bike and I was on the hybrid. No 10K bikes and team kit here).
That fly-by feature is great! I never knew Strava Labs existed, thanks for mentioning it!Later on, I found him using the Strava Fly-By thingy, and we engaged in some good natured banter. Turns out he and I have the exact same PB time on the hill segment (sitting 3rd equal out of 50), so we're looking forward to the inevitable rematch next time our commutes coincide
(Oh, and he was on a grubby mountain bike and I was on the hybrid. No 10K bikes and team kit here).
Strange thing that happened before cyling to the gym. I went to unscrew the cap for the front tube, at the same time the inner part of the valve was unscrewing aswell. at 90psi it wanted to fly off. I screwed it back it and its seemed fine.
I still get paranoid whenever I up my tires. I know it says the reccomended is 100psi but I chicken out at around 90.
I still get paranoid whenever I up my tires. I know it says the reccomended is 100psi but I chicken out at around 90.
Rocksteadyeddie said:
pablo said:
I am declaring tomorrow "Ride your best bike to work because its going to be a sunny day and I am sick of riding a clunker when I have a far superior bike sat in the garage looking unloved day"...
I've upgraded to my training bike today. Scott CR1 Pro with Ultegra Di2 after my unfortunate game-stopper mechanical yesterday. Except with force 22.Did you take the Cervélo today Paul?
I was considering taking my best (or training
) bike as I am shooting off shortly and thought about extending my commute 
On Thursday i escorted one of my workmates into and back out of work it was her first time riding in.
no traffic in the morning, so all was fine.
but on the evening, I was forced to ride halfway between secondary and primary whilst she, due to lack of confidence was pretty close to the gutter.
I did this because of the endless stream of people passing with zero space whilst the opposing lane was totally empty and devoid of traffic; and that it was intimidating her quite alot to the point that i didn't want her first ride to be her last.
After a short while of doing this, with people buzzing me, but not her due to our respective road positions.. i get big dick mc wker in his van, swerving around behind us, blaring his horn for a min or 2 and then finally squeezing past at the worst possible time nearly hitting me with the rear of the van as he squeezed me back over to the left.
totally unneeded response to a delay that he'll be able to make up on the next expressway.
moron.
on the plus side, there's another converted cyclist in the world
no traffic in the morning, so all was fine.
but on the evening, I was forced to ride halfway between secondary and primary whilst she, due to lack of confidence was pretty close to the gutter.
I did this because of the endless stream of people passing with zero space whilst the opposing lane was totally empty and devoid of traffic; and that it was intimidating her quite alot to the point that i didn't want her first ride to be her last.
After a short while of doing this, with people buzzing me, but not her due to our respective road positions.. i get big dick mc w
ker in his van, swerving around behind us, blaring his horn for a min or 2 and then finally squeezing past at the worst possible time nearly hitting me with the rear of the van as he squeezed me back over to the left.totally unneeded response to a delay that he'll be able to make up on the next expressway.
moron.
on the plus side, there's another converted cyclist in the world
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