The daily "I cycled to work" thread
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Tailwind + catching all the lights on green + quiet school holiday roads = 20mph average in to work this morning. First in to the office! 
Bike feels much better now I've taken all the winter gubbins off as well. Love riding a "clean" bike. Ordered a new set of transmission bits at weekend, hopefully should come in time for easter weekend so I can get the allen keys out.
Bike feels much better now I've taken all the winter gubbins off as well. Love riding a "clean" bike. Ordered a new set of transmission bits at weekend, hopefully should come in time for easter weekend so I can get the allen keys out.
had to cycle virtually one legged for half my ride!Very nice ride back tonight but with one curious incident. I was nearly sideswiped down by Blackfriars station by a bloke in full winter gear (for me anyway) who had his helmet on back to front. It was one of those urban MTB syle ones. Maybe he didn't read the instructions, wanted the teardrop aero effect or felt like looking like robocop or something. All ire dissolved once I'd seen what the guy was wearing anyway.
It was kinda like this:
It was kinda like this:
Good Morning!
Today I did the Carshalton to Chiswick commute on my single speed.
(Disclaimer - I'm not aHipster Fixie d
head Dipster Hixie Fickhead - it's just an old racer someone gave me, that I took the gears off because they were broken.)
Anyway, it was a little tougher than normal, it seemed that I had more red lights (or "Mini-Hill-Reps" as I call them) but enjoyed the simplicity of it. I reckon its very slightly down hill all the way, so the ride home will be hard
.
Nice sunny day though!
Today I did the Carshalton to Chiswick commute on my single speed.
(Disclaimer - I'm not a
headAnyway, it was a little tougher than normal, it seemed that I had more red lights (or "Mini-Hill-Reps" as I call them) but enjoyed the simplicity of it. I reckon its very slightly down hill all the way, so the ride home will be hard
. Nice sunny day though!
Edited by thepawbroon on Tuesday 15th April 09:47
First one back today, after a long (too long) winter break.
As you might expect, painfully slow, maxxed out heart rate on the climbs, puffing and blowing like a broken steam engine.
Need a few more trips in before I can see an improvement (it's a hilly 20 miles)
I reckon I am about 7kg heavier than when I stopped biking in late September.... so could be two months before I am in any kind of shape.
As you might expect, painfully slow, maxxed out heart rate on the climbs, puffing and blowing like a broken steam engine.
Need a few more trips in before I can see an improvement (it's a hilly 20 miles)
I reckon I am about 7kg heavier than when I stopped biking in late September.... so could be two months before I am in any kind of shape.
Every time I cycle back from work, there is this one stretch of NSL B road that's just a nightmare. It's only half a mile between a 30 and a 40, but every car has to get up to 60, including ones that overtake you on blind corners, forcing you out onto the verge. Today a double decker bus was so close, doing ridiculous mph that I could have reached out and touched it.
Then they don't slow down in the 40 either - Fiesta van was so busy overtaking me at 60+ he forgot to look ahead at a car turning off the road, cue puffs of tyre smoke and a number 11 on the road. And I bet he blamed me for it.
Then coming down Winchester Road into Upper Shirley, Southampton, the cycle lane is blocked with umpteen parked cars. As it's downhill I'm going 25-27 mph (30 limit) in the middle of the lane, leaving a small a door gap as I can. Grandad in his Suzuki Wagon R behind starts beeping me. Must have been about 7-8 beeps before he just leaned on the horn and didn't let up until we got to the roundabout at the bottom. He couldn't manage to work his electric window control, but I heard something about "you have to give way to cars" or some such nonsense from his geriatric foaming mouth.
Then down Upper Shirley Avenue (just so you can streetview these places if you're so inclined) a works Transit pickup thing (you know the sort of thing - always has a ladder, an upside-down wheelbarrow, two solid bags of old cement and a work experience boy strapped to the back with cheap blue twine) thinks there's enough space to overtake me despite parked cars on either side of the road. If I had been sitting up in the saddle he would have hit me with his door mirror.
It's not like I'm invisible - this was bright sunlight at around 1830-1900 this evening, and I had lights front and back (for the sections under tree cover), a bright red jacket with reflective st all over it, a bright white bike, white and bright green helmet etc.
I would do the journey both ways, every day, if it wasn't for idiots in cars. Yes, it's a busy area, and yes, 99% of motorists I encountered were absolutely fine, but these fkwits really do ruin it for the rest of us. I'm trying to do it to get fit, but I'm just going to get killed.
Then they don't slow down in the 40 either - Fiesta van was so busy overtaking me at 60+ he forgot to look ahead at a car turning off the road, cue puffs of tyre smoke and a number 11 on the road. And I bet he blamed me for it.
Then coming down Winchester Road into Upper Shirley, Southampton, the cycle lane is blocked with umpteen parked cars. As it's downhill I'm going 25-27 mph (30 limit) in the middle of the lane, leaving a small a door gap as I can. Grandad in his Suzuki Wagon R behind starts beeping me. Must have been about 7-8 beeps before he just leaned on the horn and didn't let up until we got to the roundabout at the bottom. He couldn't manage to work his electric window control, but I heard something about "you have to give way to cars" or some such nonsense from his geriatric foaming mouth.
Then down Upper Shirley Avenue (just so you can streetview these places if you're so inclined) a works Transit pickup thing (you know the sort of thing - always has a ladder, an upside-down wheelbarrow, two solid bags of old cement and a work experience boy strapped to the back with cheap blue twine) thinks there's enough space to overtake me despite parked cars on either side of the road. If I had been sitting up in the saddle he would have hit me with his door mirror.
It's not like I'm invisible - this was bright sunlight at around 1830-1900 this evening, and I had lights front and back (for the sections under tree cover), a bright red jacket with reflective s
t all over it, a bright white bike, white and bright green helmet etc.I would do the journey both ways, every day, if it wasn't for idiots in cars. Yes, it's a busy area, and yes, 99% of motorists I encountered were absolutely fine, but these f
kwits really do ruin it for the rest of us. I'm trying to do it to get fit, but I'm just going to get killed.Gizmoish said:
Is it cheating to raise one's average commute speed by moving to a new place on basically the highest point of the route, thereby removing the half-mile 7-ish% climb that the current route starts with...?
New route should be 10 miles dead and all downhill in the morning...
Its a two way average for a true "record" New route should be 10 miles dead and all downhill in the morning...
Rocksteadyeddie said:
Gizmoish said:
Is it cheating to raise one's average commute speed by moving to a new place on basically the highest point of the route, thereby removing the half-mile 7-ish% climb that the current route starts with...?
New route should be 10 miles dead and all downhill in the morning...
Its a two way average for a true "record" New route should be 10 miles dead and all downhill in the morning...
Great ride in this morning, seemed so fast!
10 top 3's including 6 PB's and a 9th place KOM for a short segment in Lee....even with some traffic light delays managed the 14.5 miles in 51 mins, not too bad!
Got my PH shirt again for the way back, hadn't made it through the wash after Monday but I want to wear it again so may have a trailing odor....
10 top 3's including 6 PB's and a 9th place KOM for a short segment in Lee....even with some traffic light delays managed the 14.5 miles in 51 mins, not too bad!
Got my PH shirt again for the way back, hadn't made it through the wash after Monday but I want to wear it again so may have a trailing odor....
New best time for my morning commute today - possibly driven by the elation of our wee dog coming thru a huge op yesterday (haven't cycled this week due to not knowing what was gonna happen).
Anyway, did my 6.7 miles in 22:59, with 10 PBs on Strava - not fast by other folks standards but great for me as i'm just getting back into it - averaged 17.4mph
Part of it was driven by trying to catch some radge student who stopped at a red, went onto the pavement and crossed using the pedestrian crossing then hoppped back onto the road once across the junction - nae wonder us cyclists get a bad name!
I passed him coming up thru Causewayside and didn't let on to him as he is obviously a pleb
Anyway, did my 6.7 miles in 22:59, with 10 PBs on Strava - not fast by other folks standards but great for me as i'm just getting back into it - averaged 17.4mph
Part of it was driven by trying to catch some radge student who stopped at a red, went onto the pavement and crossed using the pedestrian crossing then hoppped back onto the road once across the junction - nae wonder us cyclists get a bad name!
I passed him coming up thru Causewayside and didn't let on to him as he is obviously a pleb
This morning, I pulled up alongside a pretty girl on a Triban 5a at Battersea Bridge traffic lights.
"Snap!" I said, nodding at my own example of Decathlon wonderfulness.
"....." she said, looking at me like I was about to murder her... then realised what I meant and said "Oh yes!" politely.
I think I've thereby proved Item 12 from this list: www.esquire.co.uk/culture/sport/4707/cycling-rules...
"Snap!" I said, nodding at my own example of Decathlon wonderfulness.
"....." she said, looking at me like I was about to murder her... then realised what I meant and said "Oh yes!" politely.
I think I've thereby proved Item 12 from this list: www.esquire.co.uk/culture/sport/4707/cycling-rules...
lepetitoeuf said:
thepawbroon said:
(Disclaimer - I'm not a Hipster Fixie dhead Dipster Hixie Fickhead - it's just an old racer someone gave me, that I took the gears off because they were broken.)
Can I just check, were you wearing skinny jeans with a U lock tucked into your belt?headskinny jeans: I'm 17+ stone so such things do not exist for me!
U-lock: Locks reside at home and at work - prevents me from stopping off at the pub on the way home!
Neither do I have non-prescription tw@t-glasses, a beard, jeans rolled up above socks, "ironic" anything nor a job in the creative sector. I did once live for a few weeks in Clerkenwell, but escaped before I cought hipsteritis.
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