Bikes, two days the same

Ah well. I have had a bike just under a year. Various setups. It does not work. It has all the add ons i wanted, sadly with its dogs body drop outs it was designed solely for single speed. Nightmares turning corners. The rear wheel slips back in the drop out, now matter the set up, Erk. imho.

Twodays

The same two days.
Raced in, hooned it. Sadly the bike is rubbish. Designed for single speed. I serviced evert
y

racing

If this country had cycle paths as good as continental neighbours I'd use them and the racer every day. But no. Never smooth, too many drop offs, uneven ground. erk. Just as bad as the roads, but they have more space to avoid the damn things. If only didging pot holes was not live threatening as motorists never look to see if other users need to avoid something. Thye'll just cut you up.

driving

I drove to work last week, I worked in manchester for a good part. The company gave me a car, a van as the were no cars left. The smacking of rain on the roof, driving the van was like being in a tin cabin. Not the soaking i'd get on a bike ;-)
I cycled the rest if the week, just a horrible week at work. Nothing about cycling.

I watched the prologue and and start of the tour de france. What an atmosphere. Superb!
Missed being on Alp d'huez last year (lost passport:-{ ). I will climb it this year, maybe more.

no excuse but 4 days cycling in one go

Well, this blog is theraputic.
3 days of lack of sleep mean I failed from laziness to blog.
Monday, well, i did not what to be annoyed. I cycled in and out. I was really knackered, due to massive amount of coffee the night before. Completly mad.
tuesday - drove, half day and had to pick up some goods. so boring
weds. - lovely ride in, rained like mad on way back. Really kanckered.
thurs. Lovely ride in and out. kanckered still
Friday. Chucked it down on way in, 95% dry when I got in. Love cycling in the rain. To top it off on way home a motorist let me out onto a main road! Thank You, however you are.

being pushy

Today was my turn for being pushy. Pedestrian traffic lights kept on turning against me on the way home. I went through them as soon as the pedestrians had cleared the crossing. To make this worse, on the way in a couple of people waved me by before crossing the road. Shamed.

Taxi drivers

I think I ought to start phoning the numbers on back of cabs. Yet would it do any thing?

I was unladen this eves. sitting at 25-30mph behind a slow car. Taxi driver, kept on trying to overtake. This is no main road, this a suburban road filled with houses and parked cars. Barely wide enough for two cars in most places. Where was the taxi to go? past the car in front of me, who I sat literally on the tail of. When the opposing traffic was sufficient to make such a move impossible. What would a non confident cyclist make of this taxi drivers moves. Reminded me of London cabbies, some a good, some really are not. I just pulled further off the kerb, counter to all those instruction lessons that a doled out by qualified instructors. Its the life saver move to make. Entirely block the route forward of trouble behind. They can honk if the is a route ahead and I ought not to be there.
You guess what this taxi driver tried at the right hand junction. Tried to cut me to shreds, I had signalled right. idiot. Whats the point, I filtered in bus and cycle lane, taxi into main car lane. Off taxi goes.
To me that's it really. Time to see what these complaint phone numbers are all about. If the is something to make point with, I think its got to be made.

late weds

nothing to say, cycled outside of rush hour. Its okay then, poeple are less pushy.

nothin to say

cycled in. Worked hard. Blown nearly back to work, but i hurled myself into the wind and struggled home. keeps me fit.

why do it.

Why, in rush hour do cars over take a cyclist?
Then to add spice, pull right in and close out the route ahead. When only metres ahead they have to stop or hit the car ahead. Not too mention that they overtook at speed, forcing an oncoming car to slow down.

It happens. It happened to me today, again. Business As Usual. Just why? Specsavers would welcome the custom, I suspect.
Well, i'll try and avoid the worst of rush hour tomorrow. Its too much hassle. Me me, rat race, rat runs and stupidity.

Oh, the guy in the red nova, this morning. You are a good and polite driver. Thanks for giving me the space, and watching out. Cheers.

late

Yup, its a late post.
I had a need to drive on friday(putting together a new mountain bike).
But thursday. The thing is its easy to stop, pull over and look around on a bike. You don't need a parking space. Simply somewhere to lock the bike up to, heavily. This is the UK, anything not locked down will be taken. Bit depressing. Some kids nearly took the railing from the front of the house a fortnight ago. All in the hope of taking a bike.
I stopped slipped into the bakers for fresh bread, better than the expanded air that the large supermarkets sell. The way home, was a damp hack, as summer in england arrived in traditional pre global warming style. At least motorists seem to pity cyclist more in the wet.

nought

nought to say,
another lovely ride in.
I was beeped at on the way home for jumping some lights. Obvioulsy someone who does not understand cycling incident statistics. Would they have let me turn right, after I legally filtered past them to the head of the queue? Doubt it, or am I being too negative.
Its rained all evening so it'll be fun tomorrow. ;-)

sunny evenings

Another cycle to work, one of those lucky days when the lights went green on my approach. Shame about work.

Still feet up in the garden, sunny evening.

daft manouver

back on the bike,
Overtook a bus today on a down hill, I thought it was slowing to stop next to a bus stop, but no. it was stopping for some lights. The usual UK joined up thinking when it comes to roads. Buses and all non cars must stop and let cars by. The bus has to wait at lights while cars/trucks go by. I'd prefer give way lines and better educated and prepared motorists. thats the way to reduce road traffic and encourage other uses. I wondered why the bus had hung around when it first pulled over when i caught it up. To let me by, I go faster than the bus. My opinion any way. Still it was good to hang in the drag of the bus, being pulled along

Did a lot of cycling over the days off. Realised that bedforshire, which is a pretty flat county in England has lousy cycle paths. They try. oh they try. But have you ever tried at 30mph to attempt a 90 degree hairpin onto cycle track. English planners think you can do it. I know continental planners know its dumb. Mind you they make sure the cycle paths don't break up, subside, become covered in junnk, become overgrown, etc.
Noticed the guardian was running a good write of places to cycle. The UK luckily did not feature much.

At last.

At last I was offended by a motorist. Six posts and nothing. Cycling along at about 20mph into a stiff head wind coming up to a road about. Lo and behold a car overtakes and cuts me up forcing me to brake to a stop. Middle aged woman in control, really I do not understand why she did that. Really.
I admit that I break the highway code, but I do not put others lives at risk. I filter left and jump lights. That's all. She just ignored me. I am bitter(horrible head wind and only 100 metres from home when cut up) but I am on holiday till next week. Hoping the driver of a mettalic sky blue Metro does no harm to anyone.

rush hour

Rush hour, with everyone back to work after a school break. Nightmare. Your not going anywhere, let me through. I'll be a few hundred yards down the road, perhaps a different road by the time to reach me. Took me a few extra minutes. Humougous tail back due to an artic doing a 3 point turn and ejits in cars thinking than slip by probably meant any one in a car would have taken twenty minutes longer. No one is patient in this me first country.
Still the weather is still great. The way home just one long grind against a strong head wind. Just a great day to out and about, not too hot.

Two days

What can I say. I have had a great week on a bike. I broke the highway code more often than normal as well. Writing this blog makes me feel more guilty about it. I suspect if more cycled I would. At the moment i rarely overtake or am held up by a cyclist. I feel alone out there.
Probably do a 100k on week, as mates are warming up to do the Tour de France etape. I just want to see how well they ae doing. One month to go.

great day

The way in no trouble, is it a school holiday? Work late. To much to do. Cycle home, sunshine and tail wind. Coast down the hill at 35. Duck onto cycle path, avoid the pedestrians on it. Then cycle along by the river, avoid the ducks, geese, pigeons and squirrels. Loiter in the sun. Evenings like today are why I cycle.

Hi,
Todays a bank holiday - no work, its raining still, has been for near thirty hours. It will still be wet tomorrow. I'll cycle with water proofs, gaiters and boots. Dry feet rule.
I'd planned to go for a 100k ride today, to be honest, in the rain and wind, thats unlikely. I think I'll go for a run.

straight off

Straight off. A quick overview of me.

I am placing this here a simple diary of my commute to work, by bike and by car.
I cycle nearly every day.
I don't cycle far, only 6 miles each day. Nothing. Sometimes i will do 20-50 miles, I know and have known many people who do that distance daily.
I am one of those cyclists, I filter to the front of queue's.
I will watch opposing traffic lights and jump when those lights turn.
I will filter left on a red light in the UK.
I have commuted by bike for over a decade, I started off with the highway code, I evolved the ways I break the highway code.
All recent studies report that those who stick to the highway code put there lives at the mercy of others.
You place your live at the hands of others if you cycle on roads in UK. As this simple blog will show; I'd say a fortnight does not go past where I haven't, with full legal right of way, not had to come to a stop from full speed or make an emergency maneuver.
The above is not including all the usual issues you come across driving, riding cycling to work. Just the mad things motorists/cyclist/pedestrians do.
I obey the highway code otherwise. I reread the highway code at least once a year.
I pull over for emergency services, I stop at most red lights.
I will sit in traffic if the is no viable way ahead.
I prefer decent cycle paths.
The cycle routes in general in the UK are the worst in Western Europe. Except some of the leisure routes, which can be superb.
I am not a old lady, a mid thirties, fit cyclist, riding a bike I put together.
Its a fast bike 11-27 ratio at rear, 50-34 compact at the front. I have the strength to run 50-13 easily on the flat without pushing myself.
I reach over 30mph on mild downhills, I will be over 20mph on the flat in still conditions. unladen.
I still get overtaken, downhill in 30mph limits. I am not slow up hill.
I keep to the side of the road where safe.
So I thought I'd place my experience on the net, the are many others.
I hope though that something can be done to improve cycle commuting. At the moment its more danger and hassle than a car commute, you have to be dedicated.