Stupid New Years Resolution!

Stupid New Years Resolution!

Author
Discussion

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Tuesday 13th November 2012
quotequote all
Took a slightly different route home this evening. The old A47 is far less muddy, fewer blind bends and a fairly decent surface. It's an extra mile and a half but forty two minutes wasn't bad. I met a solo lycraist called Tom on the way. It took a couple of miles to catch him and we paced each other for the next three. He was scared by my mask and impressed by my lights so all was well. The main problem with this route is the Woolpack, Terrington St John. I resistedstopping for a pint today but had better not risk it any time soon. beer

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Wednesday 14th November 2012
quotequote all
Dear Winter,
Hurry the censored up! Double figure temperatures and constant head winds are getting a little annoying now. rolleyes
Bring on the minus double figures, snow, ice and people moaning please. smile

All the best Liquid Knight.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Wednesday 14th November 2012
quotequote all
That last post has bit me in the bum.

50-100m visibility due to fog and as little as 10m in places. Didn't stop idiots having their main beams on though. rolleyes

The cars coming toward me weren't as issue. I used my front light effectively. It was the ones behind me with their main beams up who failed to see me until the last moment and even though I have four rear lights, I still got a couple of horn blasts simply for being on the road. censored

Still made it in one piece. wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Thursday 15th November 2012
quotequote all
Had a run in with a member of the traveler community today. He was at the side of the road shining his hunting lamp in the eyes of drivers and people on the road. That included me and my front light's strobe setting came in handy. We exchanged opinions (not within section five of the Public Order Act I might add) and a few miles later a van and a car overtook me, pulled over either side of the road and a SAAB 9/3 convertible pulled up along side me and I got a face full of light again.

Still dazzled the passenger got out and did this...



...to kick me off my bike and this...



...while I was down. Knowing that the two vehicles up ahead were related to this I got back on my bike and carried on because I knew If I fought back both of those vehicles would empty and I would have four or more people attacking me from behind as well as the three who got out of the SAAB. The Police will do a grand sum of nothing about it as they are members of the traveling community.

Edited due to calming down a bit and deciding I'm better than taking the law into my own hands.

Edited by Liquid Knight on Thursday 15th November 20:29

blueheron

461 posts

151 months

Friday 16th November 2012
quotequote all
Yikes, sorry to hear that.

Why is it some people will merrily dish it out, 24/7.. yet when confronted upon their behviour, react like this?

Were they out lamping?

Police will probably only send a few patrols down the road and do nothing more, like you said. Ironic this has happened on the day of the PCC elections.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Friday 16th November 2012
quotequote all
Quite a sedate ride home this morning. I was like a bear in a cage all night and took the same route as usual because I'm not going to change my route to avoid a bunch of thugs. The route I took the other day is quicker, fewer blind bends and now the nights have well and truly drawn in I was going to take it but now if I do it will look like they have won. Sod that!

The SAAB involved in the latter part of yesterdays incident was parked on a driveway less than fifty feet from the initial contact. I now know where they live so if anything else does happen I know exactly where to go. The Police obviously (a-hem). cop

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Friday 16th November 2012
quotequote all
The fog was so thick when I left tonight I could barely see ten meters ahead. By the time I'd got home, changed and into the car it had all but lifted and was bucketing down with rain instead. rolleyes

Still at least I'm not wet. wink

I've just been on eBay and have bid on something from the dark side. More on that if it works out. smile

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Saturday 17th November 2012
quotequote all
Just so you know I'm driving to work tonight. My nephews and niece made sure I barely got three hours sleep today and I can't be arsed to cycle. Sorry. rolleyes

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
I woke up this morning at half four this morning and though to myself...

"Idiot waking up this early on a day off".

...then my alarm went off at five. Bugger. rolleyes

Classic catch twenty-two weather. Too hot for waterproofs, too wet for dry stuff. scratchchin

The rain didn't hit me until I was half way and thanks to it being mid-sugar beet season parts of the road were a couple of inches deep in slimy mud. So I've cycled through the Betty Ford clinic again. I'll take the driest route home.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
Lying blasted weather forecast! Supposed to be clear by now with the possibility of Sun shine by evening. Still cacking it down. rolleyes

Just in time for my clothes to dry out I'll be getting wet again.

Gale force winds tomorrow. woohoo

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
The thing about the alternative route home is I have two overpass bridges to deal with. Rather than slow down I'm out of the saddle and wriggle up them. Slowing down is for people with too much time on their hands (said by someone who's taking the time to update an internet forum). So after the first bridge I felt the rear step out a little and the bike vibrated down hill. A couple of miles near flat out and the vibration settles. "Bugger the wheel's buckled again" I thought to myself. The next bridge just as I get to the top...

BANG!

rolleyes

At least it was at the top of the hill and not going at a rate down hill.

The usual suspect...



...the side wall had been ripped open after contact with salt.



The last time it happened a few days after going to the beach and this one has gone a week after the gritters were last out.

Still 3,106 miles on a £6.00 tyre can't be bad. smile

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Wednesday 21st November 2012
quotequote all
Had a quick look around on eBay there are so many slick tyres for 26 Inch wheels compared to last year I'm spoiled for choice now. smile

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Thursday 22nd November 2012
quotequote all
I just noticed how muddy my rear mech' looks in the photo. Believe it or not my bike was clean when I left that morning. See what I mean about sugar beet season?

Anyway this morning I left ten minutes early and got to work two minutes late. Nothing annoys me more than being tardy. Having said that today I'm not that fussed as I was dealing with flooded roads, idiot drivers and the usual whatever direction I'm facing head wind you get round here. Not quite as strong as forecast but enough to hold me up. Grrrr!

Today's forecast is a months worth of rain in a couple of hours and 50mph winds. Yeah! rolleyes

patmahe

5,835 posts

210 months

Thursday 22nd November 2012
quotequote all
Hey LiquidKnight,

Just happened upon this thread today, I read page one, and then skipped to the last page thinking you'd have given up after about a month. 4000 miles is very impressive. Makes me realise what a sissy I am, my bike has been in the shed since October frown must man up and get back out there smile

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Thursday 22nd November 2012
quotequote all
Double figure temperatures so I'll be in shorts again tomorrow. wink

I'm lucky in a way because my commute is country lanes so I don't have a Magnatom amount of traffic to contend with; but I'm also cursed in a way because I have muddy exposed roads with several blind bends and members of the travelling community to contend with instead.

Edited by Liquid Knight on Thursday 22 November 09:44

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Thursday 22nd November 2012
quotequote all
Well that was fun. Head wind for the first part, side wind, three quarter wind and finally a tailwind as I was on my way up blow out bridge (that's what I call the bridge from yesterday). A tail wind uphill is an interesting prospect. I was close to flat out before the gradient steepened and the momentum carried me the rest of the way. Down hill with a tail wind meant flat out, top gear head down and sprint pace without the resistance.

Blinked through the next village and as I approached a three mile long straight called Harlequin road I noticed a flashing red LED light ahead. It was about BMX height. I knew the straight would be a tail wind so I thought I'd blitz it, catch the BMX and fly past. wink

As I turned on to the straight the light was about a third of the way ahead so I clicked down and went for it. Half way I noticed I was barely catching up and I was going as fast as humanly possible. BMX with a sail? Nope, as he passed a driveway I could see it was a Velocomobile. It's the first time I've ever met one on the road and the guy was amazed a common mountain bike managed to catch him. Aerodynamic advantage is only an advantage when the wind is against you I guess. I covered the three miles in five minutes thirty nine seconds. bow

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Friday 23rd November 2012
quotequote all
Not so much fun this morning. It didn't feel like I was making much progress at all but I was very surprised that I was early instead of on time.

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Saturday 24th November 2012
quotequote all
Very little to report (moan about) from my journey home last night. There were a few idiots, typical Friday night traffic, the weather was okay and I set an average time.

The forecast for tonight is absolute crap followed by cack, so I'm driving. smile

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Saturday 1st December 2012
quotequote all
-4'C when I set out this morning.
+3'C after the first two miles.
Snow for the next three miles.
Rain for the last five miles.

This was fun because the salt grit was washed away by the rain leaving a sheet of ice. I let a few PSI out of my tyres to try and get grip but as soon as it got warm (+5'C) by the time I was at work I was dragging the bike along instead of riding it. rolleyes

The rain is set for the morning now and will be colder tonight according to the forecast. Tomorrow's going to be just as much fun. smile

In non-weather related news I've finally fixed my back brake. New fluid. I used a fuel line non-return valve, length of clear pipe and a couple of cable ties to bleed it through. The old fluid was yellow and the new stuff is green so that made life even easier. My back brake worked but never very well, I hardly used it on the road anyway so as I didn't need it I didn't fix it. While I'm looking at a more road related commuter bike (to get my times down a bit more) and the suggestion of snow (back to the weather again) this weekend I thought a back brake could be handy, especially if I need my noblies. I may even get muddy and airsick at some point (DT Swizz crap wheels depending). wink

Liquid Knight

Original Poster:

15,754 posts

189 months

Saturday 1st December 2012
quotequote all
Wet ride home earlier just had a look outside and it's -6'C.

Looking forward to the morning already. smile