@Dougal - actually I did do a bit of weaving, but not by design. The Schwalbe Winters seem less sure-footed on wet cobbles (maybe decrease pressure). Great on paths liberally slicked with leaf-jam though.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
Confessions of a Cycle Commuter
(1669 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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I thought I'd protectively oiled the proper bike before it went for a couple of weeks in the shed whilst I desnagged the singlespeed. Fifteen minutes' work with some oil and some kitchen roll were required to make the chain all bendy again this morning.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Not exactly a commute tale but I had to go somewhere this afternoon that was just on my walk threshold (1.5 miles) I swithered about whether to walk or cycle but decided to cycle.
When I got there I found that I had lifted my husbands keys and could not lock my bike. I had to stand in the doorway (luckily it as a glass one) like an idiot to keep an eye on my bike. It got extremely dark during the 5 mins I was there and started chucking down with rain. This is when I discovered the front light I was sure I had put in my bag wasn't there and so I ended up walking home anyway. When I got home I found I had put my front light in my backpack ie. my walking bag..
Posted 8 years ago # -
Subconciously you really wanted to walk? :-)
.
Having too many bags with locks and lights is always a hazard. That's maybe why some wear a headtorch and one of these Altura jackets with a built in rear light! (Not me).When you find yourself walking along bike lanes then it's time to review that strategy.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Subconciously you really wanted to walk? :-)
I think next time I will! the worst part was that because of the lock problem I couldn't even stop at the cake shop on the way back.
Posted 8 years ago # -
That really does make it worse!
I have finally remembered to install an emergency underwear stash in the drawer of my desk after some recent work clothing packing issues. Wearing a slightly sweaty old sports bra all day is one thing, but forgetting to stick a pair of knickers in my pannier is not...
Posted 8 years ago # -
I realised this morning that I was riding with odd gloves. One Sealskins and one Lidl. I suspect that I have been doing this since taking them out the draw at the start of winter so my long term test conclusion is that apart from appearance there isn't much to choose between them.
Posted 8 years ago # -
That slightly guilty feeling when, in - 1 degrees and with tired body, you opt for the bus, accentuated by seeing a surprisingly large number of cyclists braving it. Next time....
Posted 8 years ago # -
If you had cycled you'd definitely be lying on your back in an icy patch by now feeling even more embarrassed!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Thing about choosing/being able to cycle is that it adds significant flexibility.
No longer 'must use my car every day, cos it depreciates every day anyway and I've paid tax & insurance'/'must use my bus pass every day to get maximum value'.
If your journey involves challenges - ice, side-winds etc. - the risk assessment is yours.
SO many people assess the risk as 'too dangerous to cycle (ever)'.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Actually my choice today was more to do with being tired and not wanting that cold finger feeling on top than the ice. I (think I) have started to recognise that point where I start to get run-down due to wee bugs or over-training.
Actually the roads I would have travelled on seemed okay apart from the margins. The traffic was surprisingly light, so much so that the bus had to wait at stops so as not to be ahead of schedule.
Posted 8 years ago # -
A confession about a trip to the shops rather than a commute...
For years I've managed to transport boxes of eggs in my pannier without any breakages. Today that clean run ended. Had to wipe raw egg off of keys, a book, glasses case, waterproof etc.
Because of the way my pannier is constructed, I'm pretty sure there is still some raw egg lurking in the bits I can't get to.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@friskiffla I managed to rupture a milk in my pannier a few weeks back. No option but to immerse, scrub and then rinse through when the bath was next full, as all the wee bits of dust and whatnot would have absorbed enough to start smelling a great deal.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@ wingpig I think the lesson learned is that I should always put them in a plastic bag, just in case
Posted 8 years ago # -
Chain snapped off today twixt Evans and old macdonald cycles. Could not find it. Had to lock up and wait for eVans to open. They did not have time to put cassette on too as I felt would need both.
Was not best start
Posted 8 years ago # -
So that's two people I know who have lost a chain.
The other was a cow-orker who lost it outside Billy Bilsland's in the Saltmarket but the shop was shut and he had to be in school by kick off time. He locked it and got the train.
Posted 8 years ago # -
How does one ork a cow?
Posted 8 years ago # -
With a combination of weariness, frustration and cynicism.
Posted 8 years ago # -
No, no, no. One orks a cow with joy and a cheery version of Night Boat to Cairo in ones heart.
Just got shoved off the piano by number 2 son. He did comment that it was warm.
Night Boat to Cairo does lack something without the sax. This morning I tried it on church organ sound. Different.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@weefoldingbike, is it the same cow-Orker that has started cycling in a couple of times a week? Or are there two cow-orkers cycling now at the bannerman?
Posted 8 years ago # -
The chain loser is now an ex cow-orker. Has been for 5 years. At one point there were three of us every day in science.
I forgot to check if the current cow-orker had cycled yesterday. I think he did Wednesday and Thursday. Not that I'm the cycling police or anything.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I'd had a couple of pannier-wiggling-brushing-spokes moments over the past couple of days but assumed it was just the back panel of the pannier stretching or the hook disengaging, not the bolt on the opposite side disappearing:
Posted 8 years ago # -
Just a reminder (for all) -
"
when you clean your bike you’ll notice things that need tightening up or adjusting and you help to stop it getting rusty or corroded and also stop bits from actually failing off!
"
https://bikebase.wordpress.com/basic-basics/beginners-guide-to-living-with-a-bike
Posted 8 years ago # -
I used to lose mine fairly regularly until I eventually discovered that greasing the bolt beforehand seems to keep it in place. No doubt you already do this Wingpig but I just thought I would mention it.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I usually stick a Nyloc nut on the other side, but as this is the singlespeed with the floppity-fliphub there's not much space, so I'll have to put a low-profile bolt in from the back and put the nut on the front.
Posted 8 years ago # -
wash kit... again....
Posted 8 years ago # -
I'll have to put a low-profile bolt in from the back and put the nut on the front.
This is the workshop-approved technique, because it lets you tighten the bolt fully against the frame. Then, if the Nylok nut were ever to come off, the pannier rack's springiness would tend to keep it in place.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Another option is to get a bolt, cut the head off (after screwing into frame if it can't be screwed in by hand) screw a nut on and tighten. Then add mudguard stay and nyloc.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"This is the workshop-approved technique"
Hmm. I try to avoid that on the driveside as it means that the smaller and more delicate Allen-hole of the lower-profile-headed bolt (if the lack of space requires one) is closer to a source of gunge. I use decent A2 nuts and bolts but unfondly recall having to saw, file, drill and chip away the bits of corroded BZP gunge which were on my first secondhand rack.
Posted 8 years ago # -
That's what annual bike maintenance and liberal amounts of grease is for. :)
Posted 8 years ago #
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