The daily "I cycled to work" thread

[WinstonWolf]

Damn, I said five and then changed it to six to be charitable

[Justin Cyder]

I was going for 10 for even more philanthropy. The good news is unless you're riding a penny farthing, you'll chop a good bit off that if you stick with it.

[littleandy0410]

Huntsman - similar story to me back in February. After 8 years of commuting 40 miles each way across the, fens, I moved jobs, I now have a 35 mile drive, or an 11 mile bike ride broken up with a 25 minute train journey. Costs £10 a day on the train, so not much cheaper than driving, but it did allow me to get rid of the diesel and buy a Civic Type R, due to the reduced mileage! (Man maths at work!)

My first ride in today using my new Aftershokz Bluez 2 headphones. (Birthday present.) I've never cycled with headphoes in before, but these allow me to hear the traffic around me. I'm impressed!

[GarryDK]

Huntsman said:

About 5 miles. Mostly along water front so flat. One big bridge to go over.

I put that strava thing on my phone, had a smart phone 2 years and never loaded and app before, didn't get it to work, will try again on the way home.

Itchen Bridge? I cycle it every day. give us a wave next time you spot a PH jersey

[Huntsman]

Justin Cyder said:

I was going for 10 for even more philanthropy. The good news is unless you're riding a penny farthing, you'll chop a good bit off that if you stick with it.

Bugger off you lot, I am 18 stone and chronically unfit.

I'll be doing it everyday.

[Justin Cyder]

You won't be unfit for long, cycling rewards quickly if you keep going.

[Huntsman]

Justin Cyder said:

You won't be unfit for long, cycling rewards quickly if you keep going.

I'm definitely keeping going, if for no other reason that the Gordon Keeble could be my daily driver if I did so few miles, or sell it and buy a Corniche, always fancied a Cornice, in white, with purple leather and a leopard print head lining.

[AC43]

v15ben said:

Total failure for me this week.
Days of commuting - 4
Days of commuting by bike - 0
The bike hasn't even moved since Sunday!

I've managed only one cycle commute this week.

Been working mental hours too.

As a result am grumpy.

I think I need a minumum of two a week, preferably three.

[v15ben]

Definitely agree, doesn't feel good being stuck in traffic in the car every day!

[simonrockman]

I've been cycling to and from work 8 miles each way with a very steep hill for a couple of months now and I'm just getting on top of it. Today I'm borrowing http://www.thebicycleman.co.uk/vanmoof-electrified... for the weekend.

The ride home will be so much easier.

Simon

[loudlashadjuster]

Came across this little bugger this morning, forced a detour via a fairly busy road.



Then, about half a mile from work as I turned sharply to join the canal I heard a metallic 'ping!' from the beck of my bike. I turned round to look, as you do, but saw nothing untoward and assumed it was just a bit of metal on the towpath hitting a spoke. Ho hum.

Felt a wobble from the rear as I neared the office and thought "Great. Another puncture" but when I hopped up the kerb to the bike shed the bloody back wheel fell off!

Turns out the thread on the rear axle on the side that the quick-release attached looks to have been damaged last time I had the wheel off (a couple of weeks ago to change a tyre). When I assembled it that time it's only caught the first thread or two and then just spun the axle through the nut on the other side.

I obviously didn't spot this at the time (it was only flush with the outside of the nut) and amazingly this held for at least 100 miles, but pinged off when I made the sharp turn onto the towpath.

I went back to retrieve it, luckily it was still there, and I was also fortunate that the thread and pin in the quick-release wasn't too badly mangled and I eventually managed to get it back on without a die.

Something for me to be aware of next time!

[Huntsman]

GarryDK said:

Itchen Bridge? I cycle it every day. give us a wave next time you spot a PH jersey

Yep, Itchen Bridge.

Cycled home. Got the Strava thing to work, 5.5 miles, 29 mins, 11mph...room for improvement.

[WinstonWolf]

You'll halve that on a good day if you keep at it

[Vocal Minority]

Vocal Minority said:

Probably sensible.

My ride home scuppered by yet another mystery flat (front tyres have been spontaneously deflating on me recently after periods of the bike being parked up)

Bit of post tea mechanical sleuthing for me

Update - small piece of swarf and a shard of glass embedded deep in the tyre and poking through to the inside. That'll do it....

(not exactly a hyperdermic needle...but still)

[WarrenG]

Huntsman said:

Yep, Itchen Bridge.

Cycled home. Got the Strava thing to work, 5.5 miles, 29 mins, 11mph...room for improvement.

I know that one - close to home, as was, live bloody miles away now except for family visits.

[Vocal Minority]

6 miles in and the rear ones gone now, and I don't have my kit.

What a sodding sod.

[Liquid Knight]

Bar mounted cameras are a force for good as well as evil.

[Gizmoish]

Think there's a few Southampton/New Forest folk in here?

http://road.cc/content/news/133052-neck-high-strin...

Take care, guys.

[HereBeMonsters]

Gizmoish said:

Think there's a few Southampton/New Forest folk in here?

http://road.cc/content/news/133052-neck-high-strin...

Take care, guys.

Cheers, sadly NIMBYs abound when it comes to cycling.

As a teenager I used to rag it around the local woods on my MTB, came across some piano wire between two trees on the singletrack at neck height more than once.
Dog walkers apparently, their st beasts more important than local kids having some fun...

[Hell27]

Finally finished reading the whole thread, very good read. One thing I did notice was that there seem to have been a fair number of crashes or almost left hooks (myself included) involving Peugeot 206's. Is this the default car choice for the biggest muppets on the roads?