CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

Confessions of a Cycle Commuter

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  1. Uberuce
    Member

    Got to office bike shelter and discovered a lack of keys in pocket. This was at 6.48 after a gentle pootle on the old iron horse under this morning's gorgeous sunrise. I then remember leaving the keys on the bed after changing trousers due to chainstain. Nonetheless, I keep a wary eye on the road as I head back home. 7.08, wake sister up, get buzzed in, and retrieve keys after a conversation of sorry and grunt.

    Get to reception, approach the security gate and flexi clock and discovered a lack of wallet in jeans. Texts to now-officially-woken sister reveal that wallet in the discarded greasy breeks.

    How I failed to notice the lack of wallet pressing in my beauttock* is testament to how poorly I function before coffee.

    Today I am not Bruce MacDonald, I am Temporary #775. I am not a number. I am an idiot.

    *bit like a normal person buttock, but as a cyclist: beautiful.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  2. SRD
    Moderator

    good one uberuce. i thought one good laugh this morning (funny obama/putin/sarkozy thing on FB) was lucky, but this made me laugh too :)

    Posted 12 years ago #
  3. That Obama/Putin/Sarkozy thing was indeed very good. But I'm afraid, sorry #775, this is funnier...

    Posted 12 years ago #
  4. wingpig
    Member

    You've described yourself as a hipster once or twice - does that mean your wallet and keys are attached to your jeans via a chain*? Simply lock your trousers to your bicycle when discarding the trousers at the end of the day so that everything you need is attached to everything else in the same place.

    *This may be like so ten years ago by now and may be applicable only to skaties rather than hipsters.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  5. Uberuce
    Member

    Hard to say; like all hipsters, I'm in denial about it, so I strenuously avoid knowing these things so it seems like my idea when I join the trend.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  6. Now in poetry form...

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Plugin

    Posted 12 years ago #
  7. Tom
    Member

    Oh dear god where is this going? <edit> okay you stopped. Good. BTW that's not cycling anth, that's just old age ;)

    Posted 12 years ago #
  8. Smudge
    Member

    lol, glad it's not just me! :-)

    Posted 12 years ago #
  9. Thanks for that Tom. No really... :P

    Posted 12 years ago #
  10. Tulyar
    Member

    Pu my phone on charge hanging on front door knob, and left it behind - 450 miles later realised where it was, but thought "I may be due a free upgrade in the contract", and I was - so I got Samsung android phone with replacement SIM card - free.

    Got home and found that after putting card in the drop & drown phone, the android continued to work for messaging and internet features via the wifi link - a win win?

    Posted 12 years ago #
  11. SRD
    Moderator

    Skirt, top, underclothes, check, check, check...where are my shooooes?

    Posted 12 years ago #
  12. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Managed to lose BOTH the bolts affixing my mudguards and pannier rack to the dropouts this morning. But that seems like an odd co-incidence.

    I'm of another mind that they may have been removed at some point on Saturday when the bike was parked in Nicholson Square, either to steal the rack or because someone thought the bike was locked through the rack, rather than the frame?

    Either that or one of the POP team playing an hilarious practical joke on me!

    Posted 12 years ago #
  13. Darkerside
    Member

    I hear the click of SPD cleats is the in sound this year.

    Posted 12 years ago #
  14. @kaputnik

    You may also find you're down a pair of gloves... Which wasn't intended as a hilarious practical joke, but can be taken as one if you want...

    Posted 12 years ago #
  15. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Shirt forgotten. Fortunately a colleague with similar shirt size had an emergency shirt I could borrow, negating a trip home or to M&S for a replacement.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  16. Uberuce
    Member

    Office changing roomful of delycring commuters with suit'n'breeks in glass case. In Case of Fail, Break Glass.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  17. MeepMeep
    Member

    I forgot my towel a couple of weeks ago. I reguarly catch myself walking to the front door without one packed in my bag on a Monday morning but this particular I failed.

    It was a rather humid morning and a sprint in too so a shower was definitely required. Cue some strategic drying using the non-sweaty part of my teeshirt...

    Posted 11 years ago #
  18. Bruce
    Member

    I carry my road bike over puddles on the Roseburn path, its my precious.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  19. chdot
    Admin

    Welcome

    That's not a puddle! (At Craigleith Station)

    Leak/bad drainage, worse in winter...

    I keep reporting it.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  20. Bruce
    Member

    I have also wondered about that, it does seem to have got worse, last summer it did dry out after about 5 days without rain ( that did happen)

    At present it's awful and one of the reasons I avoid the path on some days

    Posted 11 years ago #
  21. amir
    Member

    Not something that I forgot but a confession of commuting incompetence.

    This morning I was unlucky to pick a p***e. However I was near to work so I just wheeled into my office. A quick inspection showed potential damage from a wee bit of glass - bad news as my Mich KC tyres are new and have just been advertising how great they are. I decided to fix it at lunchtime.

    So I took the tube out finding a hole where I expected to. However on putting the repaired tube back in I found a great big (1.5 cm) wooden spike. Perhaps my tyres can be forgiven after all. I don't know how I missed it the first time.

    So I extract this spike and put the tube in. On reaching 100 psi I hear loud hissing. Further inspection showed that the spike must have gone through both halves of the tube.

    Lesson of the day - be even more methodical when repairing punctures (I already take hours). Lesson number two - get a supply of wet wipes for the office.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  22. steveo
    Member

    Lesson 3, take a spare tube to the office and fix holes at home whilst drinking tea and watching TV.
    Lesson 4, check repaired tube before relying on it as a back up having been distracted by watching tea and drinking TV.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  23. amir
    Member

    Lesson 3 <- I am not allowed to mend tubes in the lounge so I mend them in the office.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  24. amir
    Member

    Oh dear - my tyre is flat again - definitely not smug!

    Posted 11 years ago #
  25. amir
    Member

    That was one of those instant stick on patches. Perhaps the hole was too big or my sticking on process flawed. Anyway a new tube cured that.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  26. ARobComp
    Member

    unfortunately in my experience anything pumping up to 100PSI (road bike) needs a new tube. Patches just aint gonna work.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  27. amir
    Member

    I usually have success with proper old fashioned patches (though some are better than others). I wish they'd sell the glue and patches in bigger, better value packs though.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  28. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I've had no issues with 23 or 25 tyres and 3 or 4 patches on tubes, so long as it's properly repaired with olde fangled patches and vulcanising solution.

    Amir - one of the few things I ever go specifically to Halfords for is patches / vulcanising solution. They sell them in large own brand packs for not much money, and you can (I think) also get a big strip of "cut your own" tape. I prefer to have more, smaller tubes of the solution, rather than a big one, as they're prone to dry up inbetween uses.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  29. Snowy
    Member

    Punctured just before getting home last night. I suspect glass around Bruntsfield, par for the course.
    While changing the tube I became engrossed in conversation with OH, and failed to check that the tyre had grabbed the rim all the way round on both sides.
    Once it hit 70psi, it let go with a bang that left me mostly deaf in one ear for about half an hour and had 2 neighbours stick their heads out to see what it was!
    Note to self - pay attention!

    Posted 11 years ago #
  30. Min
    Member

    Today I have contrived to be wearing a white t-shirt and - I don't wish to be indelicate - an undergarment which does not match. Go me!

    Posted 11 years ago #

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