The daily "I cycled to work" thread
Discussion
JQ said:
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.
N+1?JQ said:
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.
Yea I don't get this. Had one a little while ago when a fat girl in a corsa wound the window down and shouted "streamlined" at me 
I wasn't even in lycra.
louiebaby said:
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.
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!
Blimey, that'll work!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!
I used to know a chap in Preston who'd drive down from the lakes once a month just to experience a bit of flat cycling!
Oddly I don't mind going up hills but to then lose all that hard earned height straight away going down tother side knowing I'll then have to win it back up another hill just gets frustrating!
Gizmoish said:
If in doubt always hold back. Anything else is a risk that you need to calculate.
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
Cheers 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
I took a day off today, but will cycle tomorrow and I'm going to see how far I can manage out of town (along a locally famous PH route along the "Lang Wang", a potentially 80 mile round trip but it is fairly straight, not too much pain ahead!
I'm missing it today but my legs needed a break!
Martyboy84 said:
Gizmoish said:
If in doubt always hold back. Anything else is a risk that you need to calculate.
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
Cheers 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
I took a day off today, but will cycle tomorrow and I'm going to see how far I can manage out of town (along a locally famous PH route along the "Lang Wang", a potentially 80 mile round trip but it is fairly straight, not too much pain ahead!
I'm missing it today but my legs needed a break!
It's very exposed too so if the wind is up I hope you are going the right way!
Get yourself over to Beecraigs country park also (maybe not the same ride as the lang whang though) as on Strava the hills round that are called the Linlithgow and Bathgate Alps, all cat 3 and 4 climbs!
So today as I'm coming home, completely apropos of nothing, I was called a w
ker by a chav family in a fked Astra.
I was cycling up a fairly steep little incline (blue arrow) and was there ages before this stbox came haring down the hill. I was in the middle of the road, due to parked cars on both sides, but had two lights on the front in the twilight - a bright solid one, and a little flasher. Astra flies down the hill toward me. I have nowhere to go. Eventually chav woman driving sees me, and dives into space on her left (red box - I think it's a marked disabled parking space?)
I put my hand up to say thanks, notice two kids in the back, chav Dad in front seat leans over and shouts "wkAAHAH!!!" as loud as he can as I pass. I was so tempted to go back and kick the wing mirror off...luckily the rage subsided when 200 m up the road a drunk man wandered out of co-op and fell over into a group of "youths" who were hanging out outside the shop. "Gerrof me you old peedo!" lol.
ker by a chav family in a fked Astra.I was cycling up a fairly steep little incline (blue arrow) and was there ages before this s
tbox came haring down the hill. I was in the middle of the road, due to parked cars on both sides, but had two lights on the front in the twilight - a bright solid one, and a little flasher. Astra flies down the hill toward me. I have nowhere to go. Eventually chav woman driving sees me, and dives into space on her left (red box - I think it's a marked disabled parking space?)I put my hand up to say thanks, notice two kids in the back, chav Dad in front seat leans over and shouts "w
kAAHAH!!!" as loud as he can as I pass. I was so tempted to go back and kick the wing mirror off...luckily the rage subsided when 200 m up the road a drunk man wandered out of co-op and fell over into a group of "youths" who were hanging out outside the shop. "Gerrof me you old peedo!" lol.HereBeMonsters said:
So today as I'm coming home, completely apropos of nothing, I was called a wker by a chav family in a fked Astra...
What a lovely area you ride through... ker by a chav family in a fked Astra...
I've just done my first day on the new CTW bike - Specialized Crosstrail. Lovely bike, but the saddle is apparently made of granite judging by my arse's complaining.
thelittleegg said:
Saw a cyclist flat out on the floor in the middle of the Marylebone Road with paramedics putting a neck brace on hime and stretcher next to them. It feels like I've seen too many recently.
Coming up for the time of year when there was the flurry of casualties last year. Ride safe everyone. HereBeMonsters said:
So today as I'm coming home, completely apropos of nothing, I was called a wker by a chav family in a fked Astra.
I was cycling up a fairly steep little incline (blue arrow) and was there ages before this stbox came haring down the hill. I was in the middle of the road, due to parked cars on both sides, but had two lights on the front in the twilight - a bright solid one, and a little flasher. Astra flies down the hill toward me. I have nowhere to go. Eventually chav woman driving sees me, and dives into space on her left (red box - I think it's a marked disabled parking space?)
I put my hand up to say thanks, notice two kids in the back, chav Dad in front seat leans over and shouts "wkAAHAH!!!" as loud as he can as I pass. I was so tempted to go back and kick the wing mirror off...luckily the rage subsided when 200 m up the road a drunk man wandered out of co-op and fell over into a group of "youths" who were hanging out outside the shop. "Gerrof me you old peedo!" lol.
You'll get them everywhere. ker by a chav family in a fked Astra.I was cycling up a fairly steep little incline (blue arrow) and was there ages before this s
tbox came haring down the hill. I was in the middle of the road, due to parked cars on both sides, but had two lights on the front in the twilight - a bright solid one, and a little flasher. Astra flies down the hill toward me. I have nowhere to go. Eventually chav woman driving sees me, and dives into space on her left (red box - I think it's a marked disabled parking space?)I put my hand up to say thanks, notice two kids in the back, chav Dad in front seat leans over and shouts "w
kAAHAH!!!" as loud as he can as I pass. I was so tempted to go back and kick the wing mirror off...luckily the rage subsided when 200 m up the road a drunk man wandered out of co-op and fell over into a group of "youths" who were hanging out outside the shop. "Gerrof me you old peedo!" lol.
on a 15.8 mile segment I've ridden 88 times (I'm the only person who ever rides it, but even so it's my best performance to datelouiebaby said:
Laid in bed under a Velux window, I'm not liking the sound of the weather out there.
Mountain bike with mud guards it will be today. I've had a good run of dry commutes, so I guess I'm owed a few wet ones.
Right, better go and get some tea and toast on.
I've managed all dry ones just about and my chosen day off was today when it was pouring in the morning!Mountain bike with mud guards it will be today. I've had a good run of dry commutes, so I guess I'm owed a few wet ones.
Right, better go and get some tea and toast on.
Lucky.
Been reading this thread for a while and thought I'd jump to the end and post as I've restarted cycling to work again. I was doing it 7 years ago into Manchester, but then I got a job in Preston / Blackburn which was too far so used to commute in a focus.
New job again in Manchester, so back on the bike! Loving the return and it's been a great month to commute in - great weather. I have a Trek 6000 hard tail, with bontranger hard case semi slicks and it's going really well. It's been about one month riding in, try to do every day, and have already shifted 1/2 a stone - my goal is another 3.5 stone. Commute is 6 miles each way and hilly and am managing 21 minutes in and 26 minutes back. Just glad to be back, and I think I should cancel the gym membership!
New job again in Manchester, so back on the bike! Loving the return and it's been a great month to commute in - great weather. I have a Trek 6000 hard tail, with bontranger hard case semi slicks and it's going really well. It's been about one month riding in, try to do every day, and have already shifted 1/2 a stone - my goal is another 3.5 stone. Commute is 6 miles each way and hilly and am managing 21 minutes in and 26 minutes back. Just glad to be back, and I think I should cancel the gym membership!
Got my proper shoes and pedals today.. Fell of when practicing.. Ouch...I'm a 16 stone bloke..
Afterwards, went for a little route near me for a 15 min sprint... (or at least it used to take me that long) done it a dozen times.. Set PR's and even bagged a KOM on strava.. Being attached to the bike helps, but I am a little worried about my work commute being so attached to my bike.
Never managed to go on my big cycle as by the time I got my old pedals off (Had to go into a shop to have them remove them for me) and the time I fitted them and practiced it would have been too dark for a big ride.
Quite fancy it tomorrow though
Keep safe people.
Afterwards, went for a little route near me for a 15 min sprint... (or at least it used to take me that long) done it a dozen times.. Set PR's and even bagged a KOM on strava.. Being attached to the bike helps, but I am a little worried about my work commute being so attached to my bike.
Never managed to go on my big cycle as by the time I got my old pedals off (Had to go into a shop to have them remove them for me) and the time I fitted them and practiced it would have been too dark for a big ride.
Quite fancy it tomorrow though
Keep safe people.
Martyboy84 said:
Got my proper shoes and pedals today.. Fell of when practicing.. Ouch...I'm a 16 stone bloke..
Afterwards, went for a little route near me for a 15 min sprint... (or at least it used to take me that long) done it a dozen times.. Set PR's and even bagged a KOM on strava.. Being attached to the bike helps, but I am a little worried about my work commute being so attached to my bike.
Never managed to go on my big cycle as by the time I got my old pedals off (Had to go into a shop to have them remove them for me) and the time I fitted them and practiced it would have been too dark for a big ride.
Quite fancy it tomorrow though
Keep safe people.
You get used to being clipped in, and eventually it becomes second nature. It may take a little time though. Afterwards, went for a little route near me for a 15 min sprint... (or at least it used to take me that long) done it a dozen times.. Set PR's and even bagged a KOM on strava.. Being attached to the bike helps, but I am a little worried about my work commute being so attached to my bike.
Never managed to go on my big cycle as by the time I got my old pedals off (Had to go into a shop to have them remove them for me) and the time I fitted them and practiced it would have been too dark for a big ride.
Quite fancy it tomorrow though
Keep safe people.
Front and rear lights on the commute on Friday through the fog and drizzle. Loved it. First full week of the commute next week (13 miles each way, half hilly, half flat), hopefully the new bike will be back in stock by the end of it, so won't have to do it on the old MTB too many more times.
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