@gembo thanks for the info. Luckily my head didn't go under. It would a bit tricky to get out on my own -- there are not many handholds there!
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting
Confessions of a Cycle Commuter
(1669 posts)-
Posted 7 years ago #
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Realising 10k from home that you should have been carrying a chain tool.
Still I guess a nice night for it.
Posted 7 years ago # -
If you put a packet of cheese in each of the side pockets of your double panniers, remember to extract them when putting the panniers away for a few days.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Such a beautiful morning, so cycled through Harrison East Park to the canal. That means leaving at Gibson Terrace and going along Dundee Street & Fountainbridge which is one lane only at the moment and a horrible scramble. So instead of carrying along to Quay 2, turned right again onto Gilmore Park back to the canal.
The barge was selling coffees and it occurred to me that the diversion must have hurt their business, as there are far fewer passing cyclists.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Train in the morning, and for second day forgot to pack my cycling top.
Yesterday, I suffered the base layer and goretex jacket combination, and by the time I got home I was a sweaty mess.
Thought can't go through that again, so this morning nipped into Evans for a new cycling top. Interestingly the sales assistant on asking if she could help, then bypassed all the Castelli, and other expensive, and even mid priced gear, and would have been as well saying "here are the cheapest tops we have sir".
Yes, yes, I bought one of the cheap ones.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Earlier this week I passed a cyclist changing his tyre along the canal path. Asked if he had everything and cycled away pleased with myself having Marathon Pluses. Yesterday after work I found my bike with by a flat tyre. Some sort of a karma, I suppose :/ So carrying a spare tube and tools for months "just in case" was worth it.
Posted 7 years ago # -
I finally got a few minutes to poke at the geared bike, which has been awaiting inspection in the shed since something caused the chain to jam between the largest sprocket and the back end of a rack bolt a month ago, throwing me to the ground. It turned out that the cassette lockring had become unlocked, allowing the chain to remain engaged with the largest sprocket which was still engaged with the freehub splines but with the chain a vital couple of millimetres further outwards towards the stays. I shall be adding checking the waggle on the smallest sprocket to my list of regular checks.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Today I chaperoned a friend on her first Meadowbank to Gyle commute.
I was busy extolling the virtues of panniers over rucksacks and in particular how you should get Ortlieb as they are efficient, capacious, waterproof and most importantly nearly indestructible.
10 minutes later mine fell off the bike as the retaining screws for the QR mechanism had rattled loose.
Well that's the first time in 7 years that's happened.
True story.
Posted 7 years ago # -
My committed and regular failure-to-maintain finally got the better of my bike and it's failing to change gear reliably. I am a bad person. Much swearing on the ride in this morning.
Posted 7 years ago # -
A bunnyhop off a kerb (a shared path, constable) resulted in my pannier parting company from the bike at considerable speed. I'd completely forgotten to do up the clips.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"
Claire Miller (@clairehimiller)
27/07/2017, 12:54 pm
Slightly flat tyre. Reinflated. Cycled maybe 1 mile. Sudden VERY LOUD explosion and immediate flat. Oops. Perhaps a bit too much air!"
https://twitter.com/clairehimiller/status/890541012954775553
Posted 7 years ago # -
I got lost on the way into work today. Decided to follow a new route and got completely lost, until I realised I'd arrived somewhere I didn't think I was.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Two nights on the trot cycled home without lights slightly drunk.
Must be mid-August or something?
Posted 7 years ago # -
Soaking wet day a few days back. Running late so thought I'd go along Fountainbridge instead of the canal. How mistaken was I. F'bridge chokka. Stayed with the line of traffic until about Grove Street then had a look along & saw no opposing traffic and pulled out to make a right turn on road under Quay 2. Didn't signal I was doing this nor look behind & was rightly yelled at by cyclist going past me.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Took my main bike in for some TLC, went off across town on the secondary fixed gear steed. Drive-side axle nut was loose, chain jumped ship the first time I used the slightest amount of backpressure on the pedals. Didn't have a spanner to hand so pedalled home slowly with a tyre rubbing the inside of the frame and my finger lightly applying the front brake so there was always some resistance for the chain to tension against. So the moral of the story is, give the backup bike a once-over before stepping bravely into the world.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Feeling very guilty. Got to work. all the covered racks full, plus extra bikes. moved a bike which wasn't actually locked to anything and locked my bike on. and tweeted various people to say we need more racks....
Came down these evening and friend/colleague was complaining (rightly!) about the numpty who had moved her bike!
waited until she'd left before I unlocked my bike....
now consumed by guilt.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"(rightly!)"
Why?
In what way was she disadvantaged?
Posted 7 years ago # -
she thought her spokes were at risk from my pedals.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Whilst manoeuvring in the queue of parked cars by George Heriot's parents that is Lauriston Place at school pick-up time, and being very late to pick up my own offspring, I discovered I had a p****red front tyre. As luck would have it I was away on a trip last week so had taken the emergency pump out of the bag and forgot to put it back in. The p****re seemed to be quite slow and I was running out of time so I chanced Lauriston-Shandon-Murrayfield (for ice skating lessons) and then back home (it was just my luck that the lift bridge was up when I came so for lack of time I had to do the first leg on the road including the downhill bit from Polwarth). There was still some air inside when we got back but that pump is never leaving my bag again (even though it was once confiscated by security at Holyrood).
Posted 7 years ago # -
"it was just my luck that the lift bridge was up when I came so for lack of time I had to do the first leg on the road"
Bike too heavy to carry up steps?
Posted 7 years ago # -
darkening evenings have forced the change-out of the shaded lenses on my glasses to the clear ones. On the plus side, I can now see where I am going in the Innocent tunnel.
Winter is coming.
Also the spare tube I had been carrying for +4 years, turns out have the wrong value, so couldn't have used it if I'd wanted to. Not as prepared as I thought I was.
Posted 7 years ago # -
"Bike too heavy to carry up steps?"
Fair. Someone was there already and I was in such a rush that I wasn't thinking straight. I think my reasoning was that I wanted to avoid the cobbles under the bridges.
Posted 7 years ago # -
My waterproof kit wasn't proof enough tonight and the motorists seemed to be blind and on drugs.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Similar experiences to IWRATS tonight.
Also I forgot to mention, but on a forgetful note I left the house on Tuesday morning completely without my backpack which contained my days work clothes, laptop, everything but my keys.
Only realised heading out the end of my street wondering at how light I was feeling.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Bit drier later on, did not bother with waterproofs need lights though, I have too many USB ones with different cables. Prefer the ones you plug straight in I have still got several of them
Posted 7 years ago # -
I arrived home in a very drowned rat-alike condition.
the motorists seemed to be blind and on drugs
Especially downhill on The Mound, where the surface was more like a river than a road. That was no fun...
Posted 7 years ago # -
Can I confess that I am inordinately pleased with these waterproof trousers that I bought from Decathlon last week: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/900-urban-waterproof-cycling-trousers-black-lime-id_8354732.html
The ridiculous things that go over your feet are actually rather good at keeping the water out of your shoes. They pack away into their own little pouch and are really rather good.
It's a bit depressing, nevertheless, that I've worn them three times in the week since I got them.
Posted 7 years ago # -
@Greenroofer: at least we now know who to blame for this foul weather.
Posted 7 years ago # -
This year I am experimenting without waterproofs. Commute is about an hour.
Early days, but coming home it doesn't matter if I'm soaked to the bone and in the office its easy enough to get changed.
I'm quite enjoying the freedom / getting wet - although not sure how I'll feel when its 3 degs and blowing.
Posted 7 years ago # -
Definitely autumn - I was wishing I'd put gloves on earlier.
@Greenroofer - how are they lengthwise? I generally find waterproof trousers aren't long enough for cycling. Bigger sizes just seem to get wider, rather than longer.
Posted 7 years ago #
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