And today's commuting highlight is...

[CAPP0]

sjtscott said:

Some scooter riders without L plates on my route in do seem to really take offence at being passed.. bloke this morning did a full round the outside outbraking manoeuvre on hatching coming up to a set of lights to try to get back past me.

Perhaps he thought you were Fleegle.

[sjtscott]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I'd take the tube over a scooter if that was the only option (and I hate the peak time tube) in fact I'd leave London rather than be forced to ride a scooter lol

[kiethton]

Today's highlight was having to snake though the city, twice in 12 hours owing to totally illogical road closures, lane restrictions and no right turn conditions.

Last night needing to get from the Museum of London Roundabout to the bike bay immediately SW of Cannon St Station - head South toward mansion House, with the intention of going down cannon street eastbound.....except it's closed in that direction. Of course as it was only 6:15pm I couldn't have gone the Cheapside/Bank way......No worries, I'll drop to Embankment, go east and then come up at London Bridge.....no now I can't fking filter past the stationary traffic without going onto inside double lines, fk it they're stationary, I'll be late soon so I just do it anyway....Come to monument and I totally forget that I can only go across the fking bridge! It's past borough market before I can pull a safe U turn, back to cannon street (in the correct direction this time) and after going down a few one way streets (the wrong was as there are no signs) I find the fking bay.......

Then this morning, coming across London bridge to go to my normal bay on Moor Lane....oh the road to bank is still closed for roadworks (before 7am) so I'll go up Gracechurch st and turn onto London Wall......except they've put a no right turn sign on the Moorgate/London wall junction, necessitating a 360* ride around the same fking Museum of London roundabout. After this I can't even turn down fking Wood Street as the Barbican residents have complained so much that there is a fking barrier stopping you turning into Moor Lane before 7am and a CCTV camera watching it......you live in a council estate in the middle of fking London, it won't be quiet the whole fking time - if you want quiet fk off to Siberia!

And breathe.....

In seriousness though, why can't they think the traffic situation through logically!?!?!

[wjb]

kiethton said:

Today's highlight was having to snake though the city, twice in 12 hours owing to totally illogical road closures, lane restrictions and no right turn conditions.

Last night needing to get from the Museum of London Roundabout to the bike bay immediately SW of Cannon St Station - head South toward mansion House, with the intention of going down cannon street eastbound.....except it's closed in that direction. Of course as it was only 6:15pm I couldn't have gone the Cheapside/Bank way......No worries, I'll drop to Embankment, go east and then come up at London Bridge.....no now I can't fking filter past the stationary traffic without going onto inside double lines, fk it they're stationary, I'll be late soon so I just do it anyway....Come to monument and I totally forget that I can only go across the fking bridge! It's past borough market before I can pull a safe U turn, back to cannon street (in the correct direction this time) and after going down a few one way streets (the wrong was as there are no signs) I find the fking bay.......

Then this morning, coming across London bridge to go to my normal bay on Moor Lane....oh the road to bank is still closed for roadworks (before 7am) so I'll go up Gracechurch st and turn onto London Wall......except they've put a no right turn sign on the Moorgate/London wall junction, necessitating a 360* ride around the same fking Museum of London roundabout. After this I can't even turn down fking Wood Street as the Barbican residents have complained so much that there is a fking barrier stopping you turning into Moor Lane before 7am and a CCTV camera watching it......you live in a council estate in the middle of fking London, it won't be quiet the whole fking time - if you want quiet fk off to Siberia!

And breathe.....

In seriousness though, why can't they think the traffic situation through logically!?!?!

Decent rant

Nice ride in this morning, 25 mins door to door, bit windy but clear roads and almost every traffic light was green.

Which makes me think it's gonna be murder on way home.

[Tall_Paul]

The roads the last couple of mornings have been a horrible greasy damp mess, sliding all over the place coming off roundabouts. Roll on dry roads!

[Reg Local]

Todays commuting highlight was...

Commuting.

First ever decent ride into work in the sunshine - set off after 9 so the traffic had subsided a bit. Not too chilly, fresh air, steady away, motorway flowing nicely, a few nice blasts away from traffic lights.

Loved it!

[wjb]

Lovely ride home, best ride I've had since I started riding again back in October.

Few more bikes out today too!

[CoolHands]

I filtered between 2 lorries and caught the brake lever on the strappings of the one on the right Bit of a wobble & whatnot, snapped the brake lever off; carried on like a boss



note to self, don't die on the way to work

[sjtscott]

CoolHands said:

I filtered between 2 lorries and caught the brake lever on the strappings of the one on the right Bit of a wobble & whatnot, snapped the brake lever off; carried on like a boss



note to self, don't die on the way to work

Good work! Any incident like this you stay on and can carry on is good luck.

My closest to date on my old Blackbird. .van closed the gap 100% from middle lane on Aspen Way opps Billingsgate market to inside lane but there was a car there with me filtering between the two leaving me with literally the smallest of gaps instantly. Bike went through, I smacked my righthand shoulder hard on the vans nearside mirror (armoured jacket), but I went through, the E55 Maxia3 Topbox didn't and was ripped clean off snapping the ally wingrack at the mounting points!!! Wobbled violently but regained control and parked it safely. Van driver got out shouting blamed me moved my top box to the side of the road and f**ked off while I was composing myself. Was an unmarked refrigerated fish van, in my shock I forgot to take the reg plate as I thought he was stopping. Despite bouncing down the road like a barnes wallis bouncing bomb it was cosmetically challenged but still working fine.. bought a replacement used wingrack2 off ebay quickly got it all fitted and it was as good as new

My commuting highlight today bloody scooters using hazards while uselessly filtering through the limehouse link tunnel today, panic braking for huge gaps. There seems to be a direct correlation to the two wheeled hazard flasher user to the complete bloody lack of competence at filtering through gaps you can get tanks through. These people are also soooo useless they just don't use mirrors either. The other correlation is with high levels of fluro/polite vest use to filtering uselessness in terms of forward progress too.

[pessimal]

my normally reliable scooter wouldn't start, so had to take the world's most unreliable BMW into work (which it managed without having its usual meltdown)

Wife now tells me its snowing at home, and last time the council didnt bother gritting the A19 or the main road into Sunderland, so tonight could get interesting as well!

Edited by pessimal on Monday 5th February 10:41

[E36GUY]

Bike feels nice after a big (and expensive) service last week.

[kiethton]

Bit chilly this morning, a little surreal riding through the snow falling.....thankfully I wasn't too far out, a good few cars had 1/2 inch of cover left on them, even at Lewisham!

[Tall_Paul]

We actually had some snow lying on the ground this morning, a rarity for Kent. Luckily I timed my days off well so no commute in the snow and ice this morning for me!

[sjtscott]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Indeed.. I hate filtering with very narrow gaps between trucks in fact anything big on either side with narrow spaces for very obvious potential crunching/crashing reason

[CAPP0]

sjtscott said:

I hate filtering with very narrow gaps between trucks in fact anything big on either side with narrow spaces

Erm.....

Have to say, not something I would do, I'm not a suicidal pizza delivery jockey. You're lucky this didn't happen.

[tjlazer]

CAPP0 said:

sjtscott said:

I hate filtering with very narrow gaps between trucks in fact anything big on either side with narrow spaces

Erm.....

Have to say, not something I would do, I'm not a suicidal pizza delivery jockey. You're lucky this didn't happen.

Well that could have been a fkload worse indeed. I hate trucks side by side, hang back let them sort it out and move on. Wait and be patient. They can't put you back together if you go under a truck, sadly I know from losing a good friend last year, different circumstances but the result here would be the same.

[sjtscott]

CAPP0 said:

Erm.....

Have to say, not something I would do, I'm not a suicidal pizza delivery jockey. You're lucky this didn't happen.

I quite often hang back I really don't want to get f**ked mid way.. If I'm going for the gap its cos its the only way to make any progress with solid queued traffic which just isn't moving.
On the video he did that way too bloody fast.. idiotic riding, sorry its a LOL moment clearly someone without a clue, thats lack of forward observation and misjudging traffic conditions. Also that road isn't London.. its got a ton of space and the traffic is clearly moving even if slowly - requires a differing more intelligent approach to the one the rider demonstrated.

I wish I had a video to show you guys the kinda situations you get put in on busy central london roads but then I'm not a gopro video w**ker LOL

Edited by sjtscott on Monday 5th February 16:34

[wjb]

Today's highlight I suppose was when it started snowing for no reason halfway to work, it was only a flurry though

Dishonerable mention goes to the bell in a new range rover who decided to actively block me from filtering. Doughnut.

[Sea Demon]

Todays highlight was not getting wet or too cold & actually having a bit of sun for a change!

In 4 weeks time I'm swapping the Fireblade for a bicycle to ride 450km in 6 days through India - yep, I'm looking for sponsorship..

If any of the biker banter lot would like to sponsor me a few quid, I'd really appreciate it - all helps! Thanks

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MarkHall77

[dibblecorse]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Wish i'd ridden in, forecast said it would be -3 first thing so booked a cab and caught a train, was quite mild in the end ..... oh well, at least there was a stunning redhead on the Reading to Paddo train ......