The daily "I cycled to work" thread

[Accelebrate]

I'm not sure if he was deliberately being a tool, or if that was just his natural gormless state.

[louiebaby]

lepetitoeuf said:

Had an incident this morning as a 6 year old girl ran straight into me at a Pelican crossing. The road was clear, it's a bright morning and the lights were green in my favour. She stopped at the side of the road with her dad, then when I was nearly on top of the crossing she legged it into the road. Nothing I could do, we both hit the deck. Luckily she just seemed to have a big graze on her knee, I only had a small one and a twisted brake lever.

Checked all was OK, hung around for a few minutes then went on my way. Was quite shaken up though.

I'd never want to see a child hurt, but it sounds like it was nothing permanent. Hopefully she'll learn from the experience. Kids who are completely wrapped in cotton wool all their life are more dangerous than those that get into the odd scrape.

Maybe I'm rambling, but I think what I'm trying to say is that maybe the small collision you had with her will sharpen her up, and save her from doing something similar with a car, bus or lorry.

(Glad you're OK too.)

[JQ]

Accelebrate said:

Bought a cheap keyfob camera to record other hobbies. I'm not intending to become one of the shouty cyclists who record and catalogue every incident of 'bad' driving, but it's been quite interesting recording my commute since it arrived at the end of last week.

Encountered this guy on the way home tonight...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR-bM-y57w0

How very bizarre. I've encountered some stupid cyclists but that's just odd. No doubt if he was in a car he'd have been speed matching you on an overtake or sitting in the outside lane at 50mph.

I normally get the ones that are going quite slowly, I overtake them, they catch me at some lights and proceed to pull in front of me at the lights so that when they turn green they hold me up again.

[JQ]

Accelebrate said:

Bought a cheap keyfob camera to record other hobbies. I'm not intending to become one of the shouty cyclists who record and catalogue every incident of 'bad' driving, but it's been quite interesting recording my commute since it arrived at the end of last week.

Encountered this guy on the way home tonight...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR-bM-y57w0

How very bizarre. I've encountered some stupid cyclists but that's just odd. No doubt if he was in a car he'd have been speed matching you on an overtake or sitting in the outside lane at 50mph.

I normally get the ones that are going quite slowly, I overtake them, they catch me at some lights and proceed to pull in front of me at the lights so that when they turn green they hold me up again.

[Fartomatic5000]

JQ said:

How very bizarre. I've encountered some stupid cyclists but that's just odd. No doubt if he was in a car he'd have been speed matching you on an overtake or sitting in the outside lane at 50mph.

I normally get the ones that are going quite slowly, I overtake them, they catch me at some lights and proceed to pull in front of me at the lights so that when they turn green they hold me up again.

You can say that again!

[weedram]

Bloody weather forecast!!

Forcast said sunny, so I'll ride in thinks I.

Dry when I left home.

25 miles on the train later.

10 miles riding into a headwind with driving rain the whole way.

I hope everything dries out before the ride back this evening - I'm not even going to look at the forecast!

[LighthouseTrait]

Fartomatic5000 said:

JQ said:

I normally get the ones that are going quite slowly, I overtake them, they catch me at some lights and proceed to pull in front of me at the lights so that when they turn green they hold me up again.

You can say that again!

I get this a few times too when riding in central London. There's no logic to it. I've had it happen with fully lycra'd and just going to the corner shop type cyclists.
If someone overtakes me, I'm quite happy to sit behind them at the lights.

[hurstg01]

z4chris99 said:

For those office workers, does everyone have a suit at work and ride in, shower then suit up there?..

I do; I drive once a week to 'stock up my work wardrobe' and pedal the rest of the week, taking a rucksack for the 'smalls' and any other stuff I need

[miln0039]

hurstg01 said:

z4chris99 said:

For those office workers, does everyone have a suit at work and ride in, shower then suit up there?..

I do; I drive once a week to 'stock up my work wardrobe' and pedal the rest of the week, taking a rucksack for the 'smalls' and any other stuff I need

I have a suit (or two) at work permanently and have the missus drop me a load of shirts off on the first day of the week as she's in the same industrial estate as me.


But yes, supplies at work, cycle in, shower and suit up.

[okgo]

hoyin said:

What route do you go? Going through the park adds another 1.5miles to my route. Trying to keep it as short as possible as I lazy.

If I'm in a rush - http://app.strava.com/rides/20746511

OR if I am not in a rush - http://app.strava.com/rides/20864210

So I'm sure you could use that first route, depending where you are in New Malden, just go up Traps Lane and down Warren Rd into the Park that way.

[Dizeee]

okgo said:

If I'm in a rush - http://app.strava.com/rides/20746511

OR if I am not in a rush - http://app.strava.com/rides/20864210

So I'm sure you could use that first route, depending where you are in New Malden, just go up Traps Lane and down Warren Rd into the Park that way.

Have you got those mixed up? The non rushed one is faster than the rushed one?

Also on the second one why does it say your max speed is 46mph when on the graph your max speed is shown as 27mph?

[JQ]

hurstg01 said:

z4chris99 said:

For those office workers, does everyone have a suit at work and ride in, shower then suit up there?..

I do; I drive once a week to 'stock up my work wardrobe' and pedal the rest of the week, taking a rucksack for the 'smalls' and any other stuff I need

I try not to drive in at all now. I've got a rucksack that's long and thin (climbing rucksack) which perfectly fits 4 rolled up work shirts, which with carefull folding and rolling come out crease free. Then I also bring in some smalls in the same rucksack and have 2 suits, 2 pairs of shoes, belt, winter coat and several ties in the office. When I do drive in I make sure I bring as many shirts as I can into the office as I much prefer not having to carry a rucksack.

[Kermit power]

LighthouseTrait said:

Fartomatic5000 said:

JQ said:

I normally get the ones that are going quite slowly, I overtake them, they catch me at some lights and proceed to pull in front of me at the lights so that when they turn green they hold me up again.

You can say that again!

I get this a few times too when riding in central London. There's no logic to it. I've had it happen with fully lycra'd and just going to the corner shop type cyclists.
If someone overtakes me, I'm quite happy to sit behind them at the lights.

I don't have a problem with people pulling in front of me and stopping at lights, as if I'm going to be going faster than them, I'll usually drop back in front of them pulling off the lights anyway, and if I've not made it in front of them by the end of the junction, then they're not going to be moving slowly enough to hold me up much before the next junction.

The ones who really fk me off are the ones who ride everywhere at 10mph, including straight through red lights, so by the time I catch back up to them they're off the junction and back in to the limited width of the cycle lane where it's harder to pass them.

[otolith]

JQ said:

How very bizarre. I've encountered some stupid cyclists but that's just odd. No doubt if he was in a car he'd have been speed matching you on an overtake or sitting in the outside lane at 50mph.

I normally get the ones that are going quite slowly, I overtake them, they catch me at some lights and proceed to pull in front of me at the lights so that when they turn green they hold me up again.

We caught up with someone on Sunday, cruising along with his kid in a child seat - pedalled hell for leather as soon as my mrs pulled out to overtake him (this is on a wide cycle/foot path). Weirdo.

[okgo]

@ Diziee No, one is 1.5 miles shorter than the other, and generally takes less time.

Dunno, I don't really pay any attention to the commute strava files, just upload them so I have a record of the mileage.

The max speed on the graph isn't always accurate anyway, for example if you zoom in on the area where it shows the max as 30 mph, it actually says I got to 35 at some point. Which may or may not be right, as I said, max speed is not of interest.

@ z4 Chris - Regarding clothing, leave a pair of shoes and jeans at work, and take a different shirt/polo in each day.

Edited by okgo on Wednesday 12th September 12:05

Edited by okgo on Wednesday 12th September 12:05

[TonyHetherington]

Accelebrate said:

Bought a cheap keyfob camera to record other hobbies. I'm not intending to become one of the shouty cyclists who record and catalogue every incident of 'bad' driving, but it's been quite interesting recording my commute since it arrived at the end of last week.

Encountered this guy on the way home tonight...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kR-bM-y57w0

How wonderfully, terrifyingly random.

What a prat! I fully endorse your approach; leave him to it.

[Accelebrate]

TonyHetherington said:

How wonderfully, terrifyingly random.

What a prat! I fully endorse your approach; leave him to it.

Thanks. I'm not sure I've ever managed to successfully reason with another road user.

[hurstg01]

So I popped into my LBS to drop off my rear wheel to get it re-spoked and unbuckled this lunch time and got chatting to the guy behind the counter. At the moment I use Maxxis Ardent knobblies all the time on my Hardtail MTB be it on the 6.25 mile on-road commute [VERY draggy but great for getting me fit] or 25+ mile off-road weekend blat with my mates [great all-round tyre] however I want to go quicker on my commute, and no matter how hard I try I cant get a new PB, it's just not happening. The guy at the LBS reckons 2 wheel sets will resolve my problem - 1 on-road with a less draggy tyre for speed, as I will go quicker and one for off-road; I'm sure it will, however my wallets refusing to open enough to opt for this. I am thinking of buying some less draggy tyres and swapping them depending on what ride I am due to go on, which will often me swapping them every weekend or so from on-road to off-road and back again, not ideal but not a deal-breaker....

So, any of you have the same problem, and if so how did you resolve it? Buy 2 sets of wheels, or opt for the cheaper option of another set of tyres to swap over every so often? If the cheaper option was chosen, which tyres did you go for?

[okgo]

lepetitoeuf said:

On your route you go from Hammersmith and Bayswater, up Shepherd's Bush road and across to Holland Park Avenue. Have you ever gone Hammersmith then along Kensington High Street and then up Kensington Palace Gardens? Wondering if your route is quicker from experience, or if it's just what you know.

FWIW, if you've never cycled up Kensington Palace Gardens then you should at least once, just so you can dream. Private road with gaurds and barriers each end so no traffic and the most expensive road in the country by a very long way.

I've not tried that, I might give it a go. I only go the way I do because its quite short, and reasonably quick.

But I like the idea of going up Billionaires Row (I've been down there before, but its quite something!)

[Kermit power]

hurstg01]So I popped into my LBS to drop off my rear wheel to get it re-spoked and unbuckled this lunch time and got chatting to the guy behind the counter. At the moment I use Maxxis Ardent knobblies all the time on my Hardtail MTB be it on the 6.25 mile on-road commute [VERY draggy but great for getting me fit] or 25+ mile off-road weekend blat with my mates [great all-round tyre said:

however I want to go quicker on my commute, and no matter how hard I try I cant get a new PB, it's just not happening. The guy at the LBS reckons 2 wheel sets will resolve my problem - 1 on-road with a less draggy tyre for speed, as I will go quicker and one for off-road; I'm sure it will, however my wallets refusing to open enough to opt for this. I am thinking of buying some less draggy tyres and swapping them depending on what ride I am due to go on, which will often me swapping them every weekend or so from on-road to off-road and back again, not ideal but not a deal-breaker....

So, any of you have the same problem, and if so how did you resolve it? Buy 2 sets of wheels, or opt for the cheaper option of another set of tyres to swap over every so often? If the cheaper option was chosen, which tyres did you go for?

There is only one acceptable answer to this. You currently have n bikes. The number of bikes you need is n+1.