CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
"Will the minister apologise?"
He was doing so around 8 this morning, but the fact that he was blaming the weather forecasters at 11 last night (on Newsnight Scotland) showed how completely out of touch and badly advised he was.
The bit you quote from the BBC might be part of what he said this morning and is therefore a sort of blame shift/part apology.
As Laidback predicted, so begins the blame game and recriminations. I predict some sort of statements along these lines;
Sir Humphrey: The identity of the official whose alleged responsibility for this hypothetical oversight has been the subject of recent discussion is not shrouded in quite such impenetrable obscurity as certain previous disclosures may have led you to assume; but not to put too fine a point on it, the individual in question is, it may surprise you to learn, one whom your present interlocutor is in the habit of defining by means of the perpendicular pronoun.
Hacker: I beg your pardon?
Sir Humphrey: It was... I.
Story at work of a colleague leaving town for Hamilton at 12pm Home at 5am
Friends dad left Cambuslang at 8AM. Back to Cambuslang at 530AM the next day! Never made it past Livingston...
SRD Apologies for focussing on the irrelevant, but
I like the jacket!
Posted 1 hour ago
Ooh not at all, I am loving the jacket! Has coped in all weather so far. :-)
anth at work Look like a maniac???
OI!
ruggtomcat
Thats a great pic, were you having clearance problems by any chance? I saw a big MTB completely lock its back wheel yesterday from accumulated snow...
No, just staying vertical issues! The bike did cope really well considering. I think my tyres were too hard, I should have let them down before venturing out but forgot.
"
They're skating on thin ice now
By Martin Hannan
Right. Enough is enough. The snow just keeps on coming, but certain leaders in our city just have to get going. Out of the door, on to the scrapheap, into retirement for ever.
"
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Martin-Hannan-They39re-skating-on.6652441.jp
Issue here is 'ice tram lines' - how to cross them and whether car behind 'understands' what you're doing!
1. don't
2. they don't
@EEN - oh dear oh dear oh dear... "Snow Joke"? what are we 6 years old now?
1. don't
Like "real" tramlines, sometimes the option not to cross them is taken from you by force!
They're skating on thin ice now
By Martin Hannan
"As we sat in the queue going up the hill towards Mortonhall Crematorium".
Asides from any failings on the part of authorities, how about the failings of the thousands of drivers who just got in their cars - cars that are not prepared for this sort of weather and cars that they are not used to driving in this sort of weather - regardless of the weather and assumed they'd make it and the roads would be magically clear after a week of this.
Mr Hannan probably didn't see a gritter because it probably couldn't get up the road for the gridlock of cars. Of which he was one.
Like "real" tramlines, sometimes the option not to cross them is taken from you by force!
Quite - already fell foul of that last Wednesday
Just did recce of Innocent. Bike parking is easy!
Lovely in daylight but a challenge at night I'd reckon!
LB tours cancelled as compact centre strip is just too narrow plus giant slush fest at Hermit's Croft
Getting really sick of not riding my bike, but although the city's getting there it's still no good out in the sticks.
Think it may be quite hard to get bike into the racks:
The ones you can see are the raised ones :)
It's actually quite pretty, despite being two foot deep.
@Stepdoh - I recognise that photo - old one or same location as last time?
home again! Managed to wangle working from centre of town tomorrow which is a big relief.
The "rumble strips" are now frozen harder than ever and beginning to take on a lethal-looking sheen. Found the entrance to Argyle Place completely blocked by them , had to run the bike across the wrong lane and just crash into the bank of snow on the corner. There's an epic one at the bottom of Marchmont Road. I'll try snap it walking in tomorrow.
Chain broke again today at lunch. Walk of shame home with a broken bike :-( Three different links have died on me this week - very disappointing. Can I blame the snow? Please?
Hmmmm. I think I'll be taking the 'mainer' roads home...
Will let you know how George Street, Regent Road and London Road fare!
@Rosscbrown, i generally take it as a hint if one link fails the chain is goosed ;)
Yep i refuse to get the bus again so mainer routes also, plus the wife hasn't said not to cycle unlike yesterday where i bowed to pester power.
Can I blame the snow? Please?
YES.
My chain nearly broke today, while I was scooting along Princes St. I felt this irregular, faint knock in my chainline while pedalling, hoping it was the chainring, but quickly narrowed it down to the chain itself. On inspection, one of the side plates had torn out and the rivet was only holding the other side on. Fortunately I'd gone canny on the acceleration.
I've never broken a chain before, not even mangled a side plate. So I had to spend an invigorating 15 minutes taking out two whole links from my chain just so I'd be able to use my bike later on. Just as well I've carried a chain tool all these years, eh? I never thought I'd see the day.
Melville Drive is bloody dangerous. Those ice rumble strips are a real hazard and car drivers simply think we're riding too far out in the road. I've no idea how they've formed, and they're all along Princes St too.
I'm a bit group because I took my chain-tool out of my bag this morning thinking it I would never need it on the road. That's the last time I try thinking!
arellcat On inspection, one of the side plates had torn out and the rivet was only holding the other side on. Fortunately I'd gone canny on the acceleration.
That was close one...! With cold and damp chains are taking a hammering. (so yes rossc you can blame the snow!) Sensible to stop as soon as something seems not quite right - as you say.
what a good prompt for everyone to go clean and inspect theirs :)
phew that was hard work. Hands were so cold. The roads were much worse than i'd expected so very slushy, i think i'm on the autobus tomorrow if that slush freezes it'll be deadly tomorrow.
I think those rumble strips are formed by bus tracks freezing its about the only thing i can see that would cause it. It does seem worse on the main bus roads st johns road was the only place i really came across them at and just after bus stops, but the slightly less busy main routes in Stenhouse were slushy but not as icy. I wonder if its a function of the dual carridge ways not getting as warm as the single roads.
last night I went up the middle of two lanes of buses and articulated lorries from Chesser to W Hailes, every roundabout gridlocked. I recalled last night that I did the same last year and vowed never to do so again. Surface was ok, all traffic standstill. W Hailes Ok then lanark road - slush and fog city. Was on bus today and looks like could be very very slippy tomorrow
Airdrie to Glasgow city centre tomorrow. Edinburgh Rd and the town might be OK but I'll need a trike to get out of N Lanarkshire.
I was being photographed by the populace in Airdrie today. I had to haul some stuff for the memsahib and she was walking so she saw people using their cameras.
"I think those rumble strips are formed by bus tracks freezing"
This is Chambers Street this afternoon.
Obviously not as bad as some 'tramlined' streets.
I think in some places it's caused by packed snow and the unfrozen bits are where vehicles have broken up the ice.
Just spent a happy hour washing my commuting mtb. I was all set to throw a bucket of warm water over it just to wash off all the salt, but decided I ought to do it properly with the shampoo and everything. My hosepipe is, of course, frozen.
This winter weather is really taking its toll on my lovely bike. My Scottoiler has broken its non-return valve, the fluid delivery pipe has fractured, and the Active Fluid has been turning to ice in the wind chill; it was -6C when I set out this morning. My brake blocks are disappearing faster than I've ever seen, and I've temporarily lost 8th gear because my chain is now two inches too short; I have spare chain but didn't feel up to wrenching as well this evening.
It's allegedly -5 out here. Just remember I meant to check over the bike - front AND rear gear changers seemed to have the cable sticking today. Definitely in the changers, and not further down. bit weird, must be something to do with the cold but not sure what.
And chdot, that's not quite the rumble strips I was thinking of - I'll try and remember to get a photo tomorrow if I see any...
Just desalt/crud-ed my chain and cassette, surface rust forming after just a week of this. Restored bottom gear. I installed all new brake KWIK STOP 3-part brake blocks the Friday it started snowing thankfully - they've performed wonderfully, the Aztec blocks from TBW ground down after a couple of hundred miles of just wetness. Difference between front and back blocks is noticeable already. I don't think I've touched the rear lever in over a week. Bike's looking awfully sorry for itself and rear hub feels rough. Still she's not let me down yet, needs plenty hot, soapy care at the weekend and a good lube and polishing.
It's -10.9 out at Gogarbank just now (was -12.something an hour or so ago). There was a perceptible drop in temperature as I left the safety of Corstorphine on the Glasgow Road and over to the Gogar roundabout where it's so much more exposed and there's no real conurbation.
Yep, just done my wee bit of maintenance, with a proper mini-service planned for the weekend. The bike is coping brilliantly really.
Reckon it's a couple of degrees colder here than the thermometer on the house tells me (I'm sure it picks up heat form being sheltered on the windowsill), but -12 would be interesting to ride in. Roads are gonna freeze again, I'm glad the Innocent is rideable again!
I went out to the shed to get some Finish Line this morning and it had solidified in the bottle. So it's not too surprising bike parts are freezing up!
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