The daily "I cycled to work" thread
Discussion
Not a great ride in this morning - 2 miles into my commute my pedals quite literally stopped working. They'd rotate along with my chain and rear cog, but the wheel just wouldn't move. Walked 2 miles back home and jumped onto my MTB only to remember the gears were a bit buggered and could only use the smallest cog and so my ride in this morning was like a spin class.
Anyway, MTB booked in for a big service tomorrow whilst in the office and road bike will be dropped off at the LBS tonight for them to sort out the freewheel issue.
Anyway, MTB booked in for a big service tomorrow whilst in the office and road bike will be dropped off at the LBS tonight for them to sort out the freewheel issue.
Had an odd ride in today. Got just outside of the village and my quads started to really really hurt, struggled on a usual 20+mph sector to crack 10mph. Decided that it would work itself off on the way but it didn't, 30 minutes slower ride than usual. Really looking forward to riding home now.
lepetitoeuf said:
I have to admit I'm quite surprised that you guys are condoning adult cyclists riding bikes on busy high street pavements (High Street Kensington - 6pm), to avoid red lights 
I'm not condoning people cycling fast down busy pavements to save a few seconds.It's just that there are times when hopping on an off kerbs makes perfect sense. The deserted traffic island in High Holburn for example. I can either get wedged between a bus and a taxi, neither of whom know I'm there, breathing in all the filthy diesel fumes wondering which of the Carlos Fandangos behind revving their engines me are going to floor it when the lights change and take me out. Or I can use the deserted island and hop up it along it and then down into the bike box at the front.
Like wise there are sometimes traffic lights where it makes zero difference. Turning left off Regents Park for example where you can see 200 yds in all directions and there are usually zero pedestrians.
I often resist as it obviously sends some motorists in apoplectic rage but, really, I can't see the harm in going through at walking pace from time to time.
Back on the cycle commute in the new home of Shropshire, it would appear that some greater force has filled it full of rolling hills, not big ones just up n down n up n down.
Oop North in Preston it was flat, if you wanted a hill then 5 miles inland and go up a pennine.
Not sure I like this midland hilllets business, good exercise mind.
Oop North in Preston it was flat, if you wanted a hill then 5 miles inland and go up a pennine.
Not sure I like this midland hilllets business, good exercise mind.
Had a great cycle home earlier. Did the traffic island thing and one red light as a point of principal.
Doing it on my pub bike tomorrow as need to lock it up on Kilburn High Road for a while after work.
Not looking forward to going back to V brakes after eight months of Avid Elixirs. Discs make such a massive difference in traffic. Looking forward to the novelty though.
Doing it on my pub bike tomorrow as need to lock it up on Kilburn High Road for a while after work.
Not looking forward to going back to V brakes after eight months of Avid Elixirs. Discs make such a massive difference in traffic. Looking forward to the novelty though.
nagsheadwarrior said:
Back on the cycle commute in the new home of Shropshire, it would appear that some greater force has filled it full of rolling hills, not big ones just up n down n up n down.
Oop North in Preston it was flat, if you wanted a hill then 5 miles inland and go up a pennine.
Not sure I like this midland hilllets business, good exercise mind.
My commute is about 1100 vertical feet if I take the least hilly route, round trip. Tonight I purposefully went the lumpiest way I could and it was 13 miles and 1027 vertical feet.Oop North in Preston it was flat, if you wanted a hill then 5 miles inland and go up a pennine.
Not sure I like this midland hilllets business, good exercise mind.
Looking trough Strava, I noticed a pal had done 65 odd miles around London and Surrey, to have clocked up only 1900 vertical feet.
The hills here in Devon might explain me losing 15 odd kgs in about 10 months, and the odd top ten on real hills on Strava. I love hills now! Stick with it!
Lovely ride home again. Vicky Park, bit of canal path, Lizzy Park, bit of road, Wanstead Flats, up to the forest. Making the most of the nice evenings.
Is it me though - I keep cruising along behind people, moving up to take my turn and then 100 yards on I look round and I've dropped them. Oops.
Is it me though - I keep cruising along behind people, moving up to take my turn and then 100 yards on I look round and I've dropped them. Oops.
Pub bike was great. I'd forgotten how much fun a 26er is for weaving in and out of London traffic queues. Whippet-like compared to my 29er.
Canti brakes surprisingly effective (but then again they usually are immediately after being properly set up.
Satisfying to cross London on something I built up myself.
PS Traffic island in St John's Wood. But no red lights.
Canti brakes surprisingly effective (but then again they usually are immediately after being properly set up.
Satisfying to cross London on something I built up myself.
PS Traffic island in St John's Wood. But no red lights.
nagsheadwarrior said:
Back on the cycle commute in the new home of Shropshire, it would appear that some greater force has filled it full of rolling hills, not big ones just up n down n up n down.
Oop North in Preston it was flat, if you wanted a hill then 5 miles inland and go up a pennine.
Not sure I like this midland hilllets business, good exercise mind.
Whereabouts?Oop North in Preston it was flat, if you wanted a hill then 5 miles inland and go up a pennine.
Not sure I like this midland hilllets business, good exercise mind.
Not a great ride in this morning. Watched a girl get taken out by a left hooking car about 5 metres directly in front of me. We were in a stream of 4 bicycles filtering and she was in front of me. She hit the passenger doors with quite some force, looked like her legs and arms took most of the impact but once she was up it transpired her face had also taken quite a hit. Fortunately, her boyfriend was with her so I helped out as best I could then left them to it. Driver stopped and admitted liability.
Have played it over and over in my head, the driver was definitely at fault, but I'm not sure I'd have put myself in the position to be hit. Having had the same happen to me in the past I always slow down massively when filtering past cars at junctions these days.
Be careful out there.
Have played it over and over in my head, the driver was definitely at fault, but I'm not sure I'd have put myself in the position to be hit. Having had the same happen to me in the past I always slow down massively when filtering past cars at junctions these days.
Be careful out there.
Bought a cannondale caad8 the other week and have been cycling to work since....
I have knocked some serious time off and I am averaging just under 15mph at the moment.. Went from zero to biking daily so it's painful!!
I'm finding filtering hard and I'm not sure what to when stuck behind slow moving cars... Go left, hold back near junctions, go right and down the other side of the road then cut back in...
It's a lot of fun! 11k each way commute so probably not a lot to most folks.
Hi!
I have knocked some serious time off and I am averaging just under 15mph at the moment.. Went from zero to biking daily so it's painful!!
I'm finding filtering hard and I'm not sure what to when stuck behind slow moving cars... Go left, hold back near junctions, go right and down the other side of the road then cut back in...
It's a lot of fun! 11k each way commute so probably not a lot to most folks.
Hi!
Martyboy84 said:
Bought a cannondale caad8 the other week and have been cycling to work since....
I have knocked some serious time off and I am averaging just under 15mph at the moment.. Went from zero to biking daily so it's painful!!
I'm finding filtering hard and I'm not sure what to when stuck behind slow moving cars... Go left, hold back near junctions, go right and down the other side of the road then cut back in...
It's a lot of fun! 11k each way commute so probably not a lot to most folks.
If in doubt always hold back. Anything else is a risk that you need to calculate.I have knocked some serious time off and I am averaging just under 15mph at the moment.. Went from zero to biking daily so it's painful!!
I'm finding filtering hard and I'm not sure what to when stuck behind slow moving cars... Go left, hold back near junctions, go right and down the other side of the road then cut back in...
It's a lot of fun! 11k each way commute so probably not a lot to most folks.
Guidance suggests going around the outside, because you're more visible in the driver's side mirror than the passenger side one: but that puts you right in the middle of the road and potentially in the way of oncoming traffic...
11km is a good enough distance - it's easy to make a commute longer by going the long way home, but if you live 20km away you can't just do 15km when you don't feel it!
15mph is a decent enough average in traffic. Some people will do more, some less, and essentially you're only racing yourself. Enjoy it
Bloody terrible ride in for me today. Using the old Scott hybrid, flat bars, locked out suspension. 21.6kph average, even trying quite hard. Felt like I was riding into a headwind all the way (wind was behind me if anything) and having to pedal along stretches I usually just glide along.
Conclusion: hybrids are rubbish.
Conclusion: hybrids are rubbish.
Gizmoish said:
Bloody terrible ride in for me today. Using the old Scott hybrid, flat bars, locked out suspension. 21.6kph average, even trying quite hard. Felt like I was riding into a headwind all the way (wind was behind me if anything) and having to pedal along stretches I usually just glide along.
Conclusion: hybrids are rubbish.
Really, I rather like mine, though it has no suspension to lock out and weighs little over 11kg.Conclusion: hybrids are rubbish.
Another good run on pub bike on way home. Also, left it in the street in Kilburn and it didn't get stolen.
Only downsides are the bars - I am used to 550mm bars so the 600's gave me grief when filtering. And I kept grinding out the pedals when cornering - suspect the higher BB on the 29er is letting me do things I can't on a 26er?
Anyway, fun to use a different bike.
PS pavement, Portland Place, twice. No reds.
Only downsides are the bars - I am used to 550mm bars so the 600's gave me grief when filtering. And I kept grinding out the pedals when cornering - suspect the higher BB on the 29er is letting me do things I can't on a 26er?
Anyway, fun to use a different bike.
PS pavement, Portland Place, twice. No reds.
Weird one on the way home tonight. Cycling out of town on a clear road and the traffic in the other direction was stationary in a jam. As I was cycling past a flatbed Transit van, the driver leaned out of the window and shouted "On Yer Bike". It didn't sound aggressive and I'd had no other interaction with him and I wasn't holding anyone up, I just found it really odd. Was he trying to be funny or taking the piss, I couldn't work it out? Why say "on yer bike" to someone who's obviously already on a bike.
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