Winter 2019/20
Discussion
That time of year ago for a rant at Jack f
king Frost & the shorter days.....
We had weeks of nonstop drizzle/floods/st on the road, now Mr Jack Frost has decided to raise his ugly head, meaning super-strength salty st all over the road, combined with low angle sun. This may be my first winter where the bike stays locked up, barring an unusual warm spell - I'm getting too old for frozen fingers & riding in the dark.
king Frost & the shorter days.....We had weeks of nonstop drizzle/floods/s
t on the road, now Mr Jack Frost has decided to raise his ugly head, meaning super-strength salty st all over the road, combined with low angle sun. This may be my first winter where the bike stays locked up, barring an unusual warm spell - I'm getting too old for frozen fingers & riding in the dark.Stopped riding this time of year a few years ago. The main use of my bikes is commuting and TBH it's just miserable with the cold/wet and then knowing that the bike is getting ruined in the process. It's also dangerous with the low sun and crap all over the roads.
What did it for me was 2 yrs ago riding cross country from the A1 back to my house, i caught sight of a deer by the side of the road. The bike's lights were pretty rubbish so i didn't spot it until i was right on top of it. It didn't move. Luckily. I got home, parked up and SORN'd the bike.
It's a good time of year for doing a thorough clean and checkup though. Fairings off. Give everything a good going over. Touch up bits that have tarnished. Treat it to some new parts.
It's also dangerous for ebay bidding, as i found out the other week by buying a 954 blade by accident!!
What did it for me was 2 yrs ago riding cross country from the A1 back to my house, i caught sight of a deer by the side of the road. The bike's lights were pretty rubbish so i didn't spot it until i was right on top of it. It didn't move. Luckily. I got home, parked up and SORN'd the bike.
It's a good time of year for doing a thorough clean and checkup though. Fairings off. Give everything a good going over. Touch up bits that have tarnished. Treat it to some new parts.
It's also dangerous for ebay bidding, as i found out the other week by buying a 954 blade by accident!!
Ditto, rubbish isn't it. I was actually going to ride mine today as have to go over to Canary Wharf and it's far easier from where I live in Herts to jump on the bike rather than 2 trains and a tube. Anyways woke up and you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, foggy and freezing. As I've got older I hate getting all the kit on etc less and less. Roll on spring
Had a few harder frosts than normal in the last month or two in the south west.
Bikes been in hibernation since Oct and will be until Feb/March if we get double figure temps and dry.
Lucky I don't need to commute on a bike. I have done for years in the past.
Starting to get itchy fingers about missing riding already.
looking at various projects for the winter, the main one to buy a old bike locally when I find one I like and strip it back to it's bare components from frame to engine and rebuild.
Bikes been in hibernation since Oct and will be until Feb/March if we get double figure temps and dry.
Lucky I don't need to commute on a bike. I have done for years in the past.
Starting to get itchy fingers about missing riding already.
looking at various projects for the winter, the main one to buy a old bike locally when I find one I like and strip it back to it's bare components from frame to engine and rebuild.
[quote=PTF]
What did it for me was 2 yrs ago riding cross country from the A1 back to my house, i caught sight of a deer by the side of the road. The bike's lights were pretty rubbish so i didn't spot it until i was right on top of it. It didn't move. Luckily. I got home, parked up and SORN'd the bike.
[quote=PTF]
This is my biggest fear on the roads. Used to have a job with a 25 mile country road commute, starting at 6am, so I'd leave at ~5. I remember doing ~70 in the pitch black, without any caffeine in me, when a deer ran across the carriageway and to this day I still think I clipped it's rearmost body-part by a millimeter or two. st me up big time.
What did it for me was 2 yrs ago riding cross country from the A1 back to my house, i caught sight of a deer by the side of the road. The bike's lights were pretty rubbish so i didn't spot it until i was right on top of it. It didn't move. Luckily. I got home, parked up and SORN'd the bike.
[quote=PTF]
This is my biggest fear on the roads. Used to have a job with a 25 mile country road commute, starting at 6am, so I'd leave at ~5. I remember doing ~70 in the pitch black, without any caffeine in me, when a deer ran across the carriageway and to this day I still think I clipped it's rearmost body-part by a millimeter or two. s
t me up big time.I am....correction, have been up til now an all-year commuter. I'm starting to knock on in years now and it's getting to be less fun every day. But I still utterly abhor the trains and all that goes with them.
I've never been one to suffer with the cold, I've always said that I would much rather be too cold than be to hot, but this year for the first time ever the cold is getting to me.
On top of that, this morning I had a slide. A very small one, not 100 yards from my house, but a slide. Which I haven't had for years. Because I do a lot of offroad riding it doesn't freak me out that much but that said I don't fancy skating around on a slippery road trying to pick 300kg of RT up.
Going to have to have a serious rethink on winter commuting I think.
I've never been one to suffer with the cold, I've always said that I would much rather be too cold than be to hot, but this year for the first time ever the cold is getting to me.
On top of that, this morning I had a slide. A very small one, not 100 yards from my house, but a slide. Which I haven't had for years. Because I do a lot of offroad riding it doesn't freak me out that much but that said I don't fancy skating around on a slippery road trying to pick 300kg of RT up.
Going to have to have a serious rethink on winter commuting I think.
CAPP0 said:
I am....correction, have been up til now an all-year commuter. I'm starting to knock on in years now and it's getting to be less fun every day. But I still utterly abhor the trains and all that goes with them.
I've never been one to suffer with the cold, I've always said that I would much rather be too cold than be to hot, but this year for the first time ever the cold is getting to me.
On top of that, this morning I had a slide. A very small one, not 100 yards from my house, but a slide. Which I haven't had for years. Because I do a lot of offroad riding it doesn't freak me out that much but that said I don't fancy skating around on a slippery road trying to pick 300kg of RT up.
Going to have to have a serious rethink on winter commuting I think.
Funny you should say that. I've always been similar - never minded cold weather too much. I've always preferred the heating turned down and wearing some more layers than living in a 20+ degrees house.I've never been one to suffer with the cold, I've always said that I would much rather be too cold than be to hot, but this year for the first time ever the cold is getting to me.
On top of that, this morning I had a slide. A very small one, not 100 yards from my house, but a slide. Which I haven't had for years. Because I do a lot of offroad riding it doesn't freak me out that much but that said I don't fancy skating around on a slippery road trying to pick 300kg of RT up.
Going to have to have a serious rethink on winter commuting I think.
But since i turned 40 i'm much more inclined to go for a warm cosy house than be outside in the cold.
So for me biking ceases to be fun once the temp drops below double-digits. Which is made worse by my commute being so long, so my riding year is getting shorter all the time
Sliding about six feet sideways across the road on a familiar corner and partly down the following hill on Monday put me off for the rest of the day but then I came to my senses on Tuesday morning when I considered how awful being sat in traffic or on a train is.
The completely unpredictable weather doesn't help.
The completely unpredictable weather doesn't help.
All year round commuting and riding, been there done that.
It’s not the cold, that doesn’t bother me with the right kit but the slimy, greasy roads and all the mud. It’s no fun to ride on, and it’s no fun trying to keep a bike pristine when every time you ride it it comes back filthy.
Both of mine parked up in the garage and suspect will stay that way until Feb unless there’s somewhere I really need to go on them.
A combination of mountain biking and road cycling will keep me sane until then. It’s not the same but mountain bikes are actually more fun the worse the weather, and the road bikes can be stripped and cleaned a lot easier than a motorbike...
It’s not the cold, that doesn’t bother me with the right kit but the slimy, greasy roads and all the mud. It’s no fun to ride on, and it’s no fun trying to keep a bike pristine when every time you ride it it comes back filthy.
Both of mine parked up in the garage and suspect will stay that way until Feb unless there’s somewhere I really need to go on them.
A combination of mountain biking and road cycling will keep me sane until then. It’s not the same but mountain bikes are actually more fun the worse the weather, and the road bikes can be stripped and cleaned a lot easier than a motorbike...
I did the winter of 1993 on a bike as my only transport. This was on that most suitable of winter bikes - A Zephyr 550.
I imagine I did nothing to stop it dissolving.
Fortunately only 5 miles or so to work and back, but still thoroughly unpleasant.
Having had a slither around at the beginning of last month on wet roads I have remade my commitment to be a dry use only pussy - any journey between now and the day when that is possible again I will to get my phone out and preheat the inside of my car, defrosting the outside at the same time.
I salute you all, although I think there is something nice about getting on a nice warm train home in winter. Just me?
I imagine I did nothing to stop it dissolving.
Fortunately only 5 miles or so to work and back, but still thoroughly unpleasant.
Having had a slither around at the beginning of last month on wet roads I have remade my commitment to be a dry use only pussy - any journey between now and the day when that is possible again I will to get my phone out and preheat the inside of my car, defrosting the outside at the same time.
I salute you all, although I think there is something nice about getting on a nice warm train home in winter. Just me?
This time of year sorts the men from the boys.
Hardly any bikes on the commute into central London now. In the summer it's comedy with 10+ bike skakes filtering.
Bit of sun and it's like the tour de France down the old Kent road though. Best bit of commuting in the winter is less lycra clad Bradley wiggings types.
Hardly any bikes on the commute into central London now. In the summer it's comedy with 10+ bike skakes filtering.
Bit of sun and it's like the tour de France down the old Kent road though. Best bit of commuting in the winter is less lycra clad Bradley wiggings types.
Headlight got so caked it was giving off less light than a candle. Treated her to a quick rinse when i go home.Biker's Nemesis said:
HairyMaclary said:
This time of year sorts the men from the boys.
Can you quantify "men from the boys".To be quite frank, if it was as mild as it is down south in winter I'd never SORN my bikes, the fact that last weekend was -5 up here in town......I wouldn't take my f
king bobsleigh out in that. 
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