The daily "I cycled to work" thread
Discussion
My first day on the bike after 12 days of no cycling due to a pesky cold/chest infection. Felt great to be back in (on?) the saddle, just a shame it was gale force headwinds most of the way in! Still, the ride home should be fun!
Went for the winter tights today, instead of the usual shorts and leg warmers. Merino base layer, SS jersey and my eBay-special Wolfbike softshell and Planet X summer socks, and I was plenty warm enough. I did go for the fleecy headband under the helmet, and my Altura Night vision windproof gloves, which have been great. I haven't had a single ride where they haven't been up to the job. I tend to run hot while riding anyway, and I find I overheat if I use my Altura Night vision waterproof jacket.
Went for the winter tights today, instead of the usual shorts and leg warmers. Merino base layer, SS jersey and my eBay-special Wolfbike softshell and Planet X summer socks, and I was plenty warm enough. I did go for the fleecy headband under the helmet, and my Altura Night vision windproof gloves, which have been great. I haven't had a single ride where they haven't been up to the job. I tend to run hot while riding anyway, and I find I overheat if I use my Altura Night vision waterproof jacket.
Update on the off - not cycled in since, no broken bones but severely reduced use of left arm. This has improved a lot over the last day or so and as such is pointing towards muscular rotator cuff damage rather than tendons which is good. The improvement in mobility is an indicator of this. Still on a lot of medication, co codamol and voltarol.
I had just over a week off and in that time I went back to the scene of the crash in daylight. It was signposted, see below, but at the time in the dark at 20mph I didn't see the alternate path. No marked up shared path either which is disappointing. However, it was marked so only myself to blame, time to ruminate on rule 5 and get back on the saddle in January.
Needed new shifters, and bar tape so the bill was a shade over £200.00. My friendly neighbourhood bike shop are replacing the helmet free of charge and didn't charge me labour for the work. They are a really nice bunch of guys. Overall a painful and expensive lesson but I don't aim to repeat in future!
Approach:
Exit where I went flying:
Where the cycle path becomes: something not very clear?
I had just over a week off and in that time I went back to the scene of the crash in daylight. It was signposted, see below, but at the time in the dark at 20mph I didn't see the alternate path. No marked up shared path either which is disappointing. However, it was marked so only myself to blame, time to ruminate on rule 5 and get back on the saddle in January.
Needed new shifters, and bar tape so the bill was a shade over £200.00. My friendly neighbourhood bike shop are replacing the helmet free of charge and didn't charge me labour for the work. They are a really nice bunch of guys. Overall a painful and expensive lesson but I don't aim to repeat in future!
Approach:
Exit where I went flying:
Where the cycle path becomes: something not very clear?
Which total idiot designed that lethal excuse of road?
99% of the time I'll ignore cycle paths because frankly they are useless (long list of reasons covered many times on this forum and others). The fact that it's there doesn't mean the road cant be used or is unsafe to use.
I don't see any adequate warning of the road becoming unusably dangerous for bikes....
Especially in the dark with poor visibility I'd have gone over in exactly the same place, in exactly the same way.
99% of the time I'll ignore cycle paths because frankly they are useless (long list of reasons covered many times on this forum and others). The fact that it's there doesn't mean the road cant be used or is unsafe to use.
I don't see any adequate warning of the road becoming unusably dangerous for bikes....
Especially in the dark with poor visibility I'd have gone over in exactly the same place, in exactly the same way.
Discovered this week that the brand new cyclepath installed by the council this autumn didn't have any grit bins located along it, nor was it gritted at all.
So I've gone back to riding on the road, in the dark, with all the traffic, while the cycling infrastructure that the council are so proud of sits there slippy as fu*k.
So I've gone back to riding on the road, in the dark, with all the traffic, while the cycling infrastructure that the council are so proud of sits there slippy as fu*k.
GuinnessMK said:
Discovered this week that the brand new cyclepath installed by the council this autumn didn't have any grit bins located along it, nor was it gritted at all.
So I've gone back to riding on the road, in the dark, with all the traffic, while the cycling infrastructure that the council are so proud of sits there slippy as fu*k.
This is the reason I'm now glad that a good proportion of my route is a compacted gravel path. I've seen no evidence of the tarmac sections of the (shared) cycle path being gritted.So I've gone back to riding on the road, in the dark, with all the traffic, while the cycling infrastructure that the council are so proud of sits there slippy as fu*k.
Going to cycle a few times again this week and next with the idea being that I'll do it every day from the New Year. While it's only a round trip of 14 miles a day it should add up over a year.
Yesterday, partly prompted by an Xmas do which meant a train home I cycled to work for the first time. It's still mild down here, and although there was heavy rain overnight it was quite clear and improving as I made my way in.
About 11/12 miles avoiding the main roads, going from Narberth to Wiseman's bridge, along the coast to Saundersfoot, and the pleasure of 'heartbreak hill' climbing out of Saundersfoot to Tenby. (To be honest, it isn't that long, nor that bad with mountain bike gearing)
Rubbish phone pics:
Stepaside
Wiseman's bridge
Coast path
Tenby
It will certainly be repeated again soon.
About 11/12 miles avoiding the main roads, going from Narberth to Wiseman's bridge, along the coast to Saundersfoot, and the pleasure of 'heartbreak hill' climbing out of Saundersfoot to Tenby. (To be honest, it isn't that long, nor that bad with mountain bike gearing)
Rubbish phone pics:
Stepaside
Wiseman's bridge
Coast path
Tenby
It will certainly be repeated again soon.
Well the last week has been eventful.
Got hit by a taxi on Wednesday - luckily at low speed as I saw him pull out of the junction without looking. Unfortunately I couldn't avoid him completely as there was line of parked cars on the left, he pulled out from the right, directly into me. I ended up on his bonnet, bike under his car. Weirdly only a small amount of damage to both me and the bike.
Then today I was half-overtaken by a large man in a small car. He wanted to turn left at the junction I was approaching, but he also couldn't be held up for a single second. It was only when he realised that he was already at the junction that he aborted the overtake, and decided to lean on his horn as I had the temerity to cycle straight on, blocking his left turn for all of 3 seconds. He must have been very important, I hope he wasn't late.
Got hit by a taxi on Wednesday - luckily at low speed as I saw him pull out of the junction without looking. Unfortunately I couldn't avoid him completely as there was line of parked cars on the left, he pulled out from the right, directly into me. I ended up on his bonnet, bike under his car. Weirdly only a small amount of damage to both me and the bike.
Then today I was half-overtaken by a large man in a small car. He wanted to turn left at the junction I was approaching, but he also couldn't be held up for a single second. It was only when he realised that he was already at the junction that he aborted the overtake, and decided to lean on his horn as I had the temerity to cycle straight on, blocking his left turn for all of 3 seconds. He must have been very important, I hope he wasn't late.
DeuxCentCinq said:
Got hit by a taxi on Wednesday - luckily at low speed as I saw him pull out of the junction without looking. Unfortunately I couldn't avoid him completely as there was line of parked cars on the left, he pulled out from the right, directly into me. I ended up on his bonnet, bike under his car. Weirdly only a small amount of damage to both me and the bike.
Holys
t. hope you are alright! It dawned on me when I woke up at 5:45 that cycling in meant I could go back to bed until 7:30 and not feel guilty for having done no exercise. I'm liking this cycle commuting more and more. If only I could stop my Race Blades from rubbing 'somewhere' on my front wheel for more than the first bump.
Stupid me!
As I arrived at work this morning, both of my front lights had the red LED lit meaning they needed a charge.
As I set off this evening, I switched my main light on, rode about 300m and the red light came on! I'd forgotten to charge them.
I then had to race home before both lights cut out! I had a good average speed and made it home on one half power light
Steve
As I arrived at work this morning, both of my front lights had the red LED lit meaning they needed a charge.
As I set off this evening, I switched my main light on, rode about 300m and the red light came on! I'd forgotten to charge them.
I then had to race home before both lights cut out! I had a good average speed and made it home on one half power light
Steve
Steve vRS said:
Stupid me!
As I arrived at work this morning, both of my front lights had the red LED lit meaning they needed a charge.
As I set off this evening, I switched my main light on, rode about 300m and the red light came on! I'd forgotten to charge them.
I then had to race home before both lights cut out! I had a good average speed and made it home on one half power light
Steve
Ha! Been there! It's the cyclist's equivalent of seeing how far you can drive with the fuel light on, isn't it!? (I did 6 miles in my Civic Type R on Saturday with the trip computer saying "0 miles" and my 2 year old and 4 year old in the back. Very stressful!)As I arrived at work this morning, both of my front lights had the red LED lit meaning they needed a charge.
As I set off this evening, I switched my main light on, rode about 300m and the red light came on! I'd forgotten to charge them.
I then had to race home before both lights cut out! I had a good average speed and made it home on one half power light
Steve
m444ttb said:
It dawned on me when I woke up at 5:45 that cycling in meant I could go back to bed until 7:30 and not feel guilty for having done no exercise. I'm liking this cycle commuting more and more. If only I could stop my Race Blades from rubbing 'somewhere' on my front wheel for more than the first bump.
As tempting as it is - don't try adjusting them while riding along. I thought it would be a good idea at around 20mph, my glove caught a spike and hand/arm was sucked into the front wheel and I stopped the bike dead with my arm against the fork, flew over the bars and landed on my shoulder, somehow now free from the bike. It hurt a lot. 
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