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Confessions of a Cycle Commuter

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  1. Mandopicker101
    Member

    Isn't it great that sports wear is (largely) regarded as casual wear? That retro cycling kit from the early 70s has timeless style?

    It is when your family ring you mid commute home suggesting a detour to meet them and a trip to Pizza Express. On the other side of Edinburgh. Of course, had they called a little earlier I might have packed my less-than-fresh-but-still-presentable work clothes a little more carefully. Instead, it was a quick change on the train home and stuff (er....how about 'ram with maximum prejudice') my clothes into the rucksack.

    Lesson learnt - always pack clothes nicely...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  2. Baldcyclist
    Member

    Tonight's X-ray confirmed that I've been riding with a broken pinkie for the last 2 weeks.

    Trying to get that stuck pedal off by taking crank off bike, lying it on the ground and putting 90+kg of me through the pedal spanner before it slips jamming pinkie between crank and pedal spanner.

    Top tip: Take bike to the lbs before breaking bones!

    Posted 8 years ago #

  3. wingpig
    Member

    Eeps. Didn't you once damage yourself or your bike in your kitchen?

    Posted 8 years ago #

  4. dougal
    Member

    Passing this one on for my partner, who somehow grabbed the wrong Kryptonite lock outside the Royal Infirmary after a long shift and unlocked it with her own key. (I think it had been left hanging on a rack but didn't have a bike attached at that moment.)

    Realising her mistake she then couldn't re-lock it so left it sitting on the ground in the best impression of locked that an unlocked lock can have.

    So if you or anyone you know turn up to find your large grey Kryptonite d-lock sitting on the ground, please accept her apologies...

    (Clearly unlocking with the wrong key is easier than locking, which is a disturbing state of affairs.)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  5. wingpig
    Member

    My on-their-way-out cleat-shoes became extremely soggy yesterday afternoon, so I went out a bit later in my new-but-not-used-yet replacement pair, which have fresh cleats in (so that I could visually compare old and new to get the new ones in the right place) so had to do a couple of emergency extra-hard yanks when stopping until I adapted to twisting a little more than previously.

    Going along Rutland Place for the first time since the side they're working on was swapped my elderly lock managed to undo itself and bounce out of the handlebar bracket. It was on the bit which hasn't been recobbled yet but the lock is quite elderly and has possibly been weakened by being kept in a handlebar bracket.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  6. Wilmington's Cow
    Member

    The Escalation of Fettle...

    Popped a couple of spokes on Monday. Tuesday night set about replacing those, and figured I might as well finally put in the new bottom bracket I'd bought a couple of weeks earlier, and tighten up the brakes.

    Then the rebuilt wheel, sitting ready to be remounted, had the tyre blow (I must have caught it putting it back on) as I was removing the old BB.

    Postponed to last night. Finished putting together the BB. Everything dandy. Couple of pedal cranks this morning and the left crank almost fell off.

    My size BB shell was supposed to use a couple of spacers on the BB, which I had diligently used. But I think this is an update of the BB and chainset from when I first got it all a couple of years back. So the spacers make it too wide for the left crank to get a proper grip on the axle, which is attached to the drive side.

    A moments sweariness, back round the back of the house. BB out, spacers removed, BB in, chainset put back together. And still got to my desk before 9 (total morning fettle time was about 8 minutes).

    Next time I'm taking the bike for a post-fettle trundle round the block, as I'd planned but ditched, to make sure it's all together properly.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  7. Mandopicker101
    Member

    Having had a recent spate of mysterious p*nct*res, I thought I was either insanely unlucky hitting potholes or was making false economy in buying cheap inner tubes. Also I'd noted a new, rubbery-squeaky sound emanating from the bike. Not a mechanical sound, but...something.

    Turns out a sizeable crack was slowly running round the sidewall of my tyre (Vittoria Zaffiro). A small hole in the sidewall had developed and was pinching the tube when I hit potholes or other bumps.

    This didn't come to light when I was changing one of three inner tubes recently. Nor did it come to light when I was cleaning my bike in the shed, surrounded by a modest collection of spare tyres. It chose to manifest itself when I was sprinting home on Tuesday at lunchtime for an important meeting back at base. Ran over a very modest lump in the road and suddenly rear wheel went from plenty of PSI to none in about one second. Naturally the repair kit was in my backpack. Under my desk. In the office 5 miles away.

    Cue an emergency trip to the nearest bike shop for a new tyre and inner tube. Spares in the shed have all been closely examined for the merest hint of problems. Sigh...

    The now defunct tyre had about maybe 3000km on the clock.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  8. wingpig
    Member

    The wee wheel-rotation-frequency clicking sound I could hear on the last wee bit of my journey back to the office after an outing yesterday lunchtime (which I thought might have been the combination of a wet rim/stiff brake arm) turned out to be a couple of largish chunks of pointy gravel trapped in the siping of the tyre, whence they could gradually work their way deeper.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  9. gembo
    Member

    Forgot change of shoes (went around in suit and dirty merrell walking shoes til lunchtime, not good combo) also forgot socks and under crackers.

    Was walking along princes street to buy said items, was approached by young lad working as a charity mugger and the following pleasant conversation ensued

    CM - hello sir are yu on day off today or lunchtime?
    G: lunchtime
    CM: what are you up to?
    G: going shopping
    CM: ah, what re you buying?
    G: underpants
    CM: for yourself or a present?
    G: for myself I am currently going commando
    CM: (slightly lost for words and 100per cent sure he was not getting my direct debit) ah having a relaxed day
    G: very loose, see you later

    Posted 8 years ago #

  10. Baldcyclist
    Member

    I hate insects.

    I hate it when they go in your mouth. I hate it when they go in your eye. I think I mostly hate it when they are crawling about (what's left of) your hair, or to get stuck on the sweat on your brow.

    I hate insects.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  11. jonty
    Member

    Ah yes. Insects. Off-topic in almost every conceivable way, but I was kayaking down an Alpine slalom course in France last week and, on taking a big open-mouthed breath following an unexpected capsize & roll, managed to inhale what I swear could only have been a whole butterfly.

    Urgh.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  12. unhurt
    Member

    Oh dear! Though I suspect the butterfly enjoyed it even less...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  13. Baldcyclist
    Member

    Decided I'd only cycle home as far as Dalmeny tonight, got on the train to discover I've left my wallet at work.

    Embarrassingly kicked of the train at North Queensferry.

    Well I need the miles anyway.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  14. HankChief
    Member

    Managed to leave the eldest Chieflet's jacket balanced on top of the rear pannier rack when I dropped them off.

    Only found out about it 2 1/2 miles later when it fell off and a following cyclist alerted me.

    I didn't go back with it... Hope it doesn't rain

    Posted 8 years ago #

  15. wingpig
    Member

    I saw when I got to work that I'd had an aphid stuck in my beard the whole time I'd been at not-PY this morning.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  16. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Someone had left their damp, sweaty and rather smelly cycling gear hanging in the changing room at work, which is poorly ventilated and as a result had caused the whole room to take on a rather fragrant atmosphere. I was so busy composing a sarcastic note to pin on it reminding them to use the drying room next door that I forgot to pick up my own damp, sweaty (though hopefully less smelly) cycling kit to take it through and left it hanging offensively in the changing room too.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  17. HankChief
    Member

    My ortliebs are waterproof inside and out...

    Chieflet's water bottle not closed properly = mini swimming pool at bottom of pannier that had to be poured out :-(

    But in good news I found 2 locks I thought I'd lost on 2 different bike hoops at work that I have no recollection of using :-)

    Posted 8 years ago #

  18. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @Hankchief now try that waterproofness experiment with salad dressing...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  19. steveo
    Member

    Works with a Carradice too...

    Posted 8 years ago #

  20. biketrain
    Member

    Left shoelace got caught a round pedal while approaching Roseburn via park diversion. When I stop I always use my left foot for balance. Should really practice stopping on right foot. Anyway back to the stuck lace prevented me pedal forward or removing my foot from pdeal. With my speed slowing I had to choose a convenient wall to stop against. Once I was against to the wall and stopped I was able to pedal back and untangle the lace. So no loss of lace, blood or dignity. Result.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  21. gembo
    Member

    @biketrain, excellent save from being 'laced' in.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  22. panyagua
    Member

    Arrived at work to discover I had both sets of back door keys in my pocket and a set of increasingly panicked voicemail messages from Mrs Panyagua who had been unable to lock up before heading out to work.

    So... kit back on, the 26km ride home (no harm done - phew) and now working from home.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  23. wingpig
    Member

    Whatever you do, don't try and clean your chain. I gave mine a cursory wipe and a re-oiling last week and today it snapped, forcing me to spend ten grimy minutes taking out a couple of links and trying to re-couple the fresh ends before eventually noticing that I had a spare pair of whatever SRAM call their wuick-linky things in my tool bag.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  24. wingpig
    Member

    Also, do not buy any SRAM 971 cassettes. This post says "6 months ago" and the largest sprocket of the replacement cassette I installed has just done the same thing, except with a larger missing chunk and after considerably less use as this bike spent at least a month in the shed around April. Unfortunately I'll have to replace the cassette with the identical one I bought at the same time.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  25. wingpig
    Member

    PG950, in fact. 971 is the chain which broke earlier in the week.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  26. steveo
    Member

    Too much awesome power mate, I've run them for years with no problems.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  27. wingpig
    Member

    Whilst it was jammed into the cassette, a crack on the broken side allowed it to be peeled off in chunks with a pair of pliers. I thought I'd escaped this week's chain and cassette events with no further damage but there's a spoke kinked and my jockey wheels aren't quite in line.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  28. gembo
    Member

    Always great to get brand new chain set / rear mech just before winter, snow only five weeks away now. My drive train is wearing out slowly just in time for the winter as per usual

    Posted 8 years ago #

  29. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @wingpig

    That is scandalous. I give that brand a total bodyswerve.

    Posted 8 years ago #

  30. gembo
    Member

    I have an attaché case thing that attached to rack. Use t when travelling. Packed bag a bit tight and went to clip to bike. Turns out attachment left at work that I would need to clip it to rack, it slides in and out.

    So attaché case went in big rucksack and I cycled to work like that. Not my favourite, little shoulder check possible but quite a bit of increase forward momentum

    Happy to report I am now crossing Firth of Forth for third time in two days, rice by bike and once by train.

    The two bridges route also got over the river carron and takes in stunning views of the Keies and new bridge. Should be called the fiiv bridges route?

    Posted 8 years ago #

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