And today's commuting highlight is...
Discussion
Well, this morning's key highlight had to be a 4-bike full-on emergency stop, in formation. Commercial Rd, several bikes at the front at a set of lights, lights went green, we all pulled away, but then some woman running her spawn to school decided that red lights didn't apply to her and her oh-so-precious little princeling, and ran the light. Thank you BMW for servo assistance and ABS. Best bit was, she got a load of grief from everyone, but gave it back, like it wasn't her at fault.
Then I caught up with Gibbon Boy on his Hawg. Scruffy plaited pony tail right down to his waist, and he had these f
king ridiculous ape hangers on the bike which were so wide that I imagine he has to do warm-up exercises before he rides, just to be able to open his arms that wide. Feet just the same. Anyway, we weren't supposed to mess with him, mofoes, but we could get through gaps he could only dream of. That made him keep showing a wheel up the inside of gaps he still couldn't fit through. Quite amusing, in a "would you just fk off and let me ride to work" sort of way.
Then I caught up with Gibbon Boy on his Hawg. Scruffy plaited pony tail right down to his waist, and he had these f
king ridiculous ape hangers on the bike which were so wide that I imagine he has to do warm-up exercises before he rides, just to be able to open his arms that wide. Feet just the same. Anyway, we weren't supposed to mess with him, mofoes, but we could get through gaps he could only dream of. That made him keep showing a wheel up the inside of gaps he still couldn't fit through. Quite amusing, in a "would you just fk off and let me ride to work" sort of way.E36GUY said:
wjb said:
I suppose this morning's highlight is gonna have to be me sliding on my ass down the street in the ice!
sorry to hear that Got back on it today and rode in, got a funny feeling my stomach when I approached the same corner that I crashed on, but no dramas this time
Back on the bike after a week in the car, even if the next couple of days look wet. Any way a new sighting recently is a chap on what I think is a 2009ish fireblade with his plate seemingly either pinned to the hugger or shock housing underneath the subframe. I'm not sure why he bothers, that's got to be a bunch more hassle if he gets a tug then just removing the plate and claiming it fell off? Certainly doesn't bother slowing for the cameras on the a40 but I'm not sure his cunning plan is going to pay off in the long term!
My commute takes me six junctions down a motorway / dual carriage way.
3/4 of those junctions are pretty stacked each morning.
Three miles between lets say junction One and Two
For no other reason than boredom I decided to count the cars to my right as I filtered through this three mile stretch. 200 I got too, double that to account for the inside lane. 400 cars either sat or crawling in a three mile stretch.
And the people in the office still think I'm mad for commuting on a bike - halving my time and fuel costs…
Yes I was bored this morning.
3/4 of those junctions are pretty stacked each morning.
Three miles between lets say junction One and Two
For no other reason than boredom I decided to count the cars to my right as I filtered through this three mile stretch. 200 I got too, double that to account for the inside lane. 400 cars either sat or crawling in a three mile stretch.
And the people in the office still think I'm mad for commuting on a bike - halving my time and fuel costs…
Yes I was bored this morning.
kiethton said:
Heavens opened when I was 5 minutes away from work....knew I shouldn't have stopped for fuel....
Separately I hope the poor sod knocked off on the OKR is ok, didn't look to be in a good way tbh - maybe on a green Kwak?
OKR was closed in both directions when I came down about 8amSeparately I hope the poor sod knocked off on the OKR is ok, didn't look to be in a good way tbh - maybe on a green Kwak?
Sea Demon said:
kiethton said:
Heavens opened when I was 5 minutes away from work....knew I shouldn't have stopped for fuel....
Separately I hope the poor sod knocked off on the OKR is ok, didn't look to be in a good way tbh - maybe on a green Kwak?
OKR was closed in both directions when I came down about 8amSeparately I hope the poor sod knocked off on the OKR is ok, didn't look to be in a good way tbh - maybe on a green Kwak?
I passed as ambulances and police had just arrived at ~6:35am, don't know if he was thrown by the raised traffic island that is completely unmarked, has no keep left bollard and is completely invisible in the dark as the incident was about 15m past that
Fairly normal commute this morning with the car drone doing their usual random stuff while queuing in the Limehouse link, stuck behind matey two up with panniers on what looked like a versys (helmets only and no proper bike gear, hoodies and trainers all round) and zero ability due to the width of filtering - bloke saw me and others following behind but simply refused to move over so eventually I had to force the issue.
Highlight - I smelled that nasty burning oil smell coming the whole way through the tunnel but the cause I just couldn't work out, however I caught the culprit up by the Wapping area BP filling station on the highway.. van van with an absolutely f**ked engine billowing out smoke -seriously if you are riding something thats dumping out that much oil and you haven't noticed you need a smack with the clue stick!
Oh and second highlight and had to dig out my old HG Gortex jacket (I knew I was justified keeping spares by not dumping old kit despite what my wife wanted) as my current one decided to have the main zip fail the other evening.
So looks like I'll be trying to get new gear even sooner than I intended, esp when this old jacket reminds me where it isn't waterproof again!
Highlight - I smelled that nasty burning oil smell coming the whole way through the tunnel but the cause I just couldn't work out, however I caught the culprit up by the Wapping area BP filling station on the highway.. van van with an absolutely f**ked engine billowing out smoke -seriously if you are riding something thats dumping out that much oil and you haven't noticed you need a smack with the clue stick!
Oh and second highlight and had to dig out my old HG Gortex jacket (I knew I was justified keeping spares by not dumping old kit despite what my wife wanted) as my current one decided to have the main zip fail the other evening.
So looks like I'll be trying to get new gear even sooner than I intended, esp when this old jacket reminds me where it isn't waterproof again!
SteelerSE said:
Does anyone use the Finsbury Circus bike bays? Just wondering when they usually top up by as I may need to use the bike to get in to London from time to time.
Yes, although typically when my normal one on Moor Lane is closed for building works/full. I typically target the larger bay outside the old Bloomberg Building and used to get a space ok (but one of the last ones) when arriving after physio appointments last autumn at ~9:20am. I'm normally parked and at the desk at 7am so one of the first in the bays however so only in late as one-off'skiethton said:
Yes, although typically when my normal one on Moor Lane is closed for building works/full. I typically target the larger bay outside the old Bloomberg Building and used to get a space ok (but one of the last ones) when arriving after physio appointments last autumn at ~9:20am. I'm normally parked and at the desk at 7am so one of the first in the bays however so only in late as one-off's
Thank you - useful to know that you don;t necessarily have to be there at the crack of dawn like some of the other bays.Bikesalot said:
My commute takes me six junctions down a motorway / dual carriage way.
3/4 of those junctions are pretty stacked each morning.
Three miles between lets say junction One and Two
For no other reason than boredom I decided to count the cars to my right as I filtered through this three mile stretch. 200 I got too, double that to account for the inside lane. 400 cars either sat or crawling in a three mile stretch.
And the people in the office still think I'm mad for commuting on a bike - halving my time and fuel costs…
Yes I was bored this morning.
This 1000000%3/4 of those junctions are pretty stacked each morning.
Three miles between lets say junction One and Two
For no other reason than boredom I decided to count the cars to my right as I filtered through this three mile stretch. 200 I got too, double that to account for the inside lane. 400 cars either sat or crawling in a three mile stretch.
And the people in the office still think I'm mad for commuting on a bike - halving my time and fuel costs…
Yes I was bored this morning.
I work in a big open plan office, and the general unsaid feeling is that I am mad and will be killed for taking a bike to work, yet day after day after day, I filter past miles of standing traffic on the M4, and yet as you say they think I am the mad one.
Dakkon said:
This 1000000%
I work in a big open plan office, and the general unsaid feeling is that I am mad and will be killed for taking a bike to work, yet day after day after day, I filter past miles of standing traffic on the M4, and yet as you say they think I am the mad one.
I waste enough of my time commuting the distance i do, without my life dwindling away sat in a car, doing nothing.I work in a big open plan office, and the general unsaid feeling is that I am mad and will be killed for taking a bike to work, yet day after day after day, I filter past miles of standing traffic on the M4, and yet as you say they think I am the mad one.
supercommuter said:
Dakkon said:
This 1000000%
I work in a big open plan office, and the general unsaid feeling is that I am mad and will be killed for taking a bike to work, yet day after day after day, I filter past miles of standing traffic on the M4, and yet as you say they think I am the mad one.
I waste enough of my time commuting the distance i do, without my life dwindling away sat in a car, doing nothing.I work in a big open plan office, and the general unsaid feeling is that I am mad and will be killed for taking a bike to work, yet day after day after day, I filter past miles of standing traffic on the M4, and yet as you say they think I am the mad one.
k for that. It is definitely crazier to spend hours stuck in a jam or on the tube then ride, I wish more people got to experience riding and realise how much better they would feel arriving at work if they rode. Somewhat naughtily went round the outside of a traffic island filtering up to temporary traffic lights this morning and got pulled over by the waiting Trafpol office I hadn't spotted.
Oh dear, I thought - I know that's a particularly unnecessary offence. I didn't know it was an automatic driving/riding without due care and attention. Luckily for me I was offered a rider awareness course in lieu of points so I gratefully accepted. I didn't know that was an option so I'll report back in due course.
Copper was thoroughly decent about it as I think he could I see I wasn't being reckless. It is hard to ride 100% inside the law in London all the time though...
Oh dear, I thought - I know that's a particularly unnecessary offence. I didn't know it was an automatic driving/riding without due care and attention. Luckily for me I was offered a rider awareness course in lieu of points so I gratefully accepted. I didn't know that was an option so I'll report back in due course.
Copper was thoroughly decent about it as I think he could I see I wasn't being reckless. It is hard to ride 100% inside the law in London all the time though...
GM182 said:
Somewhat naughtily went round the outside of a traffic island filtering up to temporary traffic lights this morning and got pulled over by the waiting Trafpol office I hadn't spotted.
Oh dear, I thought - I know that's a particularly unnecessary offence. I didn't know it was an automatic driving/riding without due care and attention. Luckily for me I was offered a rider awareness course in lieu of points so I gratefully accepted. I didn't know that was an option so I'll report back in due course.
Copper was thoroughly decent about it as I think he could I see I wasn't being reckless. It is hard to ride 100% inside the law in London all the time though...
where was this out of interest?Oh dear, I thought - I know that's a particularly unnecessary offence. I didn't know it was an automatic driving/riding without due care and attention. Luckily for me I was offered a rider awareness course in lieu of points so I gratefully accepted. I didn't know that was an option so I'll report back in due course.
Copper was thoroughly decent about it as I think he could I see I wasn't being reckless. It is hard to ride 100% inside the law in London all the time though...
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