And today's commuting highlight is...
Discussion
Riding down the A3, around Raynes Park area, bike in front doing about 50mph has spectacular rear suspension failure, whole bike drops onto the rear wheel, tonnes of smoke, bits of plastic and rubber flying off towards me.
He eventually decides to slow down and pull to the side after the speed cameras.
Hope he gets it sorted, I slowed down to see if he needed help but he waved me on.
Think was a Honda NC750 or something similar.
He eventually decides to slow down and pull to the side after the speed cameras.
Hope he gets it sorted, I slowed down to see if he needed help but he waved me on.
Think was a Honda NC750 or something similar.
dibblecorse said:
Dakkon said:
In the interest of moving the conversation on from panniers, which is all very interesting....
Yet another jam packed M4, miles an miles of filtering today, still the weather is nice.
Caught up with a right pair at the Chiswick flyover, new gear and new bikes but not confident filterers and between the pair of them, no one could get past them as they waited for enormous gaps to even attempt to filter past. Still, I get off at junction 2, so did not have to put up with the shambles for long.
Where do you get on ?? Hopefully wasn't me ...... I do 8/9 to Paddington using the M4 ....Yet another jam packed M4, miles an miles of filtering today, still the weather is nice.
Caught up with a right pair at the Chiswick flyover, new gear and new bikes but not confident filterers and between the pair of them, no one could get past them as they waited for enormous gaps to even attempt to filter past. Still, I get off at junction 2, so did not have to put up with the shambles for long.
The city was a clusterf
k all day, not once was i out of the office without the roads surrounding being a complete traffic jam.
Going home I was riding around the bank junction at ~7pm, st for brains delivery driver parked on the narrowest bit of Threadneedle Street to load/unload from a building, on DYL's and parked in such a way that no buses etc could get past...not helpful when king William street, gracechurch street and most other roads in the vicinity are closed
k all day, not once was i out of the office without the roads surrounding being a complete traffic jam.Going home I was riding around the bank junction at ~7pm, s
t for brains delivery driver parked on the narrowest bit of Threadneedle Street to load/unload from a building, on DYL's and parked in such a way that no buses etc could get past...not helpful when king William street, gracechurch street and most other roads in the vicinity are closedCommuting 'highlight' today was filtering as normal heading into town on the A40, two bikes catch up to me and sit close to my rear wheel so I pull into a gap and let them through (one is a Honda with integrated panniers, second one of those Yamaha 3 wheeler things). Biker waves a thank you, Yamaha thing nothing and both blast on up ahead. I'm thinking, they're filtering pretty bloody quickly and the traffic isn't that well spaced. Not 20 seconds later I've caught up with them both. Both looking a bit sheepish with the remnants of wing mirror scattered across two lanes of traffic and a very angry man having a go at them from inside his now more 'aerodynamic' BMW 6 series. Not sure which of the two caused it or if they both contributed but judging by the speed at which they re-overtook me and the manner of their riding I would take a guess that they didn't exchange details with the driver and promptly foxtrot oscared into the distance knowing a car couldn't keep up. Felt quite sorry for the chap in the car actually so I do hope they did offer to repair it.
Bumblebee7 said:
Commuting 'highlight' today was filtering as normal heading into town on the A40, two bikes catch up to me and sit close to my rear wheel so I pull into a gap and let them through (one is a Honda with integrated panniers, second one of those Yamaha 3 wheeler things). Biker waves a thank you, Yamaha thing nothing and both blast on up ahead. I'm thinking, they're filtering pretty bloody quickly and the traffic isn't that well spaced. Not 20 seconds later I've caught up with them both. Both looking a bit sheepish with the remnants of wing mirror scattered across two lanes of traffic and a very angry man having a go at them from inside his now more 'aerodynamic' BMW 6 series. Not sure which of the two caused it or if they both contributed but judging by the speed at which they re-overtook me and the manner of their riding I would take a guess that they didn't exchange details with the driver and promptly foxtrot oscared into the distance knowing a car couldn't keep up. Felt quite sorry for the chap in the car actually so I do hope they did offer to repair it.
Wing mirror interactions with cars and vans do happen occasionally and accidentally but you'd have to be going way too fast and/or useless at judging gaps to take one off a car and destroy it. Its normally a lower speed tap. Its normally my mirrors that interact with the other vehicles mirrors but mine are cheap and ultimately replaceable and they take the energy out of low speed impacts by just moving - its always accidental or the driver has pulled over and reduced the gap without using said mirror.anonymous said:
[redacted]
Must be the roads/drivers you use/encounter or could just be your riding style per chance? 
Guessing from your profile you don't hang/ride around east /SE london much?I can count on one hand the significant mirror interaction occurrences over 18 years.. yes 18 years of commuting in the central zones of London.
Edited by sjtscott on Wednesday 23 May 16:22
sjtscott said:
Wing mirror interactions with cars and vans do happen occasionally and accidentally but you'd have to be going way too fast and/or useless at judging gaps to take one off a car and destroy it. Its normally a lower speed tap. Its normally my mirrors that interact with the other vehicles mirrors but mine are cheap and ultimately replaceable and they take the energy out of low speed impacts by just moving - its always accidental or the driver has pulled over and reduced the gap without using said mirror.
I have had two wing mirror interactions in 7 months of riding, in my defence I've only been riding 7 months and both of these I was traveling at less than 3mph. On both occasions my mirror took the 'impact' and moved a bit. No damage caused at all, and no issues with either driver.With the example I witnessed today the wing mirror really was obliterated, mirror detached, wiring gone and casing in pieces over two lanes (L2 & L3 of the A40, eastbound just before Gypsy corner.
Very quick ride back this evening, every light was either green or went green within a few seconds of arrival/approach.
Standard tts in Catford trying to kill me however, turning left across the bus lane I was in and an Uber Prius pulling out but you learn to anticipate it after a while...
Standard t
ts in Catford trying to kill me however, turning left across the bus lane I was in and an Uber Prius pulling out but you learn to anticipate it after a while...
Started a new job this week, very slightly further too commute, based in the maze between City Rd and Great Eastern Street. The commute in is quite easy, I just use Commercial Rd form the Blackwall then up past Aldgate and Spitalfields. Coming home less so, there are so many one-way and no-entry roads that you have to do a big loop to get out. Anyone got any better routes around there? I've tried going up into Hackney and past Vic Park a couple of times but it gets a bit narrow and not much room to filter. Been told that's a good way in in the morning so might give that a go.
Other highlights this week - a full-on emergency stop from blahdy-blah mph on the M20 on Monday, the two cars in front of me just stood on the brakes (the Audi in front was skipping all over the road) and then put their foot down and pissed off at obvious 3-figure speeds. Don't think it was aimed at me but it certainly woke me up.
Then tonight, coming out of the Blackwall, the traffic was terrible (as it was yesterday) and I reached a point where I couldn't get through between two cars. Cue Mr Race Pipe behind me bouncing it off the limiter. Tit. I don't know whether it was aimed at me or the cars, but once the gap opened, I carried on and looked back a little later to see him miles behind me struggling with the gaps I'd just ridden through. Double tit.
Other highlights this week - a full-on emergency stop from blahdy-blah mph on the M20 on Monday, the two cars in front of me just stood on the brakes (the Audi in front was skipping all over the road) and then put their foot down and pissed off at obvious 3-figure speeds. Don't think it was aimed at me but it certainly woke me up.
Then tonight, coming out of the Blackwall, the traffic was terrible (as it was yesterday) and I reached a point where I couldn't get through between two cars. Cue Mr Race Pipe behind me bouncing it off the limiter. Tit. I don't know whether it was aimed at me or the cars, but once the gap opened, I carried on and looked back a little later to see him miles behind me struggling with the gaps I'd just ridden through. Double tit.
EazyDuz said:
308mate said:
The only justification I can see for them being on all the time is that when not on your bike, they take up a lot of space. Other than that, they're just a way to show people how adventurous you are. Like a dating profile for Road Captains.
What an idiotic thing to say. I keep mine on my bike. Why? Because bikes get stolen easily, so they carry my disc lock, thick chain and padlock, emergency items like tape, pliars, puncture repair kit etc, and the other pannier is empty for, you know, carrying things like shopping. Drip.
Been a good week of commuting with few incidents bar a few of the 40mph everywhere brigade making it difficult to make progress at times. London has seemed just a bit more considerate this week which is shocking! Had lots of people make room, had a couple of good chats with other bikers at traffic lights, and not been stuck behind any summertime wobblers all week! Even some of the potholes on my commute seem to have been filled in! A good week for a change, well chuffed!
supercommuter said:
I have other things going on in my day to day life to get annoyed with somebody who wants to carry some additional storage with them on their motorcycle.
One thing i will ask - when you are filtering your mobile luggage wagon through traffic, do you move over and let the thinner more unpractical motorcycles through?
Never need to, its surprisingly not very wide. The bags are long but only expand out when full.One thing i will ask - when you are filtering your mobile luggage wagon through traffic, do you move over and let the thinner more unpractical motorcycles through?
Pothole said:
Emergency tape? Pliers? Puncture repair kits are for pushbikes! (there's some pliers in my bike tool kit, never needed any in the last 30+ years on bikes, though) I have a tyre plug kit but I don't take it with me, that's what breakdown cover is for! How often do you actually get "shopping" and how much more do you need to have two panniers fitted full time than a top box?
puncture repair kit/plug kit, thats what I meant, those sticky rubber strips you push in after 'sawing' into the puncture. I rarely need more luggage space than what the panniers provide but if I know i'll be buying something big, I have a 50 litre roll bag that can either be rok strapped onto the rear luggage rack or on the passenger seat but only really use that for camping. It can hold the tent, sleeping bag, inflatable bed, pillows and clothes and the rest goes in panniers.
Cbull said:
Loving the weather. The journey is so much more enjoyable.
Pedestrians must think they're invincible though, plenty walking across the road with headphones on and they don't even checking for oncoming traffic. Madness.
yeah, thats normal the closer I get to Paddo ....Pedestrians must think they're invincible though, plenty walking across the road with headphones on and they don't even checking for oncoming traffic. Madness.
Left home at 14 degrees today, perfect commuting temp for getting in without getting warm, no drama and with half term etc ... a nice easy 56 minute run from Reading to Paddo .... I'll take that ....
Pretty good half term commute in today in the rain. Summer wobbler/shiny count low this morning.
Highlight 'stuck' behind a bike cop on his beemer on the highway heading into town making proper progress but still ensuring he kept the correct side of every traffic island. Some 'riders' on the highway should take this as a lesson on how to make correct rapid progress legally - which is what I always 'try' to do. Followed him all the way to lower thames street after the current useless doing nothing road works at tower hill where he clearly backed off and let me past with me dead on 30 All I can say is they know who knows what they're doing - so thanks!
Highlight 'stuck' behind a bike cop on his beemer on the highway heading into town making proper progress but still ensuring he kept the correct side of every traffic island. Some 'riders' on the highway should take this as a lesson on how to make correct rapid progress legally - which is what I always 'try' to do. Followed him all the way to lower thames street after the current useless doing nothing road works at tower hill where he clearly backed off and let me past with me dead on 30
All I can say is they know who knows what they're doing - so thanks!Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff