How was your commute?

A.C.P.Crawshaw

Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your commute?

I woke 20 minutes earlier than normal so the initial two mile stretch of main road was
less busy than normal. I then turn off and can follow quiet lanes into the centre of
Bangor and the office. There's a marked difference in driver attitudes on the minor
roads, possibly because the traffic is local and I see the same cars every day - a kind
of mutual consideration develops even though I never speak to any of them.

Swallows, jackdaws and magpies swooped over hedges or sang perched on telegraph wires
while the sheep, cattle and horses munched grass. Elderflower starting to blossom as the
spring flowers fade, I passed the "Alan Ball RIP" graffiti on a derelict building then
dropped down the steep narrow road into the centre of town. The bin lorry was blocking
the road for motor vehicles, drivers trying to reverse up the steep hill but there was
plenty of room for my bike to pass - always brings a smile to my face when that happens

Beats driving!

POHB

On 4 Jun, 13:32, "A.C.P.Crawshaw" <iss...@bangor.ac.uk> wrote:
> Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your commute?

A tricky morning with the weather. Didn't think it was raining enough
to need a jacket but changed my mind after I got the bike from the
shed, having got soaked yesterday. Of course by Hyde Park I was
dripping with sweat and stopped to take it off. Surprisingly and very
pleasantly a rather attractive cyclist slowed down and asked me if
everything was OK, which was nice.

Apart from that, same old same old. No particularly bad driving to
report, no near misses, just ordinary folks going about their
business. Still...

> Beats driving!

big time

Just zis Guy, you know?

On Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:32:47 +0100, "A.C.P.Crawshaw"
<iss02b@bangor.ac.uk> said in <g26217$bpi$1@south.jnrs.ja.net>:

>Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your commute?

Particularly easy today: got out of bed, walked downstairs, fired up
laptop, and there I was at work.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

Roger Merriman

A.C.P.Crawshaw <iss02b@bangor.ac.uk> wrote:

> Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your
> commute?
>
> I woke 20 minutes earlier than normal so the initial two mile stretch of
> main road was less busy than normal. I then turn off and can follow quiet
> lanes into the centre of Bangor and the office. There's a marked
> difference in driver attitudes on the minor roads, possibly because the
> traffic is local and I see the same cars every day - a kind of mutual
> consideration develops even though I never speak to any of them.
>
> Swallows, jackdaws and magpies swooped over hedges or sang perched on
> telegraph wires while the sheep, cattle and horses munched grass.
> Elderflower starting to blossom as the spring flowers fade, I passed the
> "Alan Ball RIP" graffiti on a derelict building then dropped down the
> steep narrow road into the centre of town. The bin lorry was blocking the
> road for motor vehicles, drivers trying to reverse up the steep hill but
> there was plenty of room for my bike to pass - always brings a smile to my
> face when that happens
>
> Beats driving!

i had a pleasent ride though Bushy Park, sun was out kids on bikes far
more than yesturday. nice short pleasent ride.

picking Sa up later on so be taking the car for the afternoon, hence the
folder thread i started.
--
www.rogermerriman.com

spindrift

On Jun 4, 1:56*pm, N...@wodger.demon.co.uk (Roger Merriman) wrote:
> A.C.P.Crawshaw <iss...@bangor.ac.uk> wrote:
> > Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your
> > commute?
>
> > I woke 20 minutes earlier than normal so the initial two mile stretch of
> > main road was less busy than normal. I then turn off and can follow quiet
> > lanes into the centre of Bangor and the office. There's a marked
> > difference in driver attitudes on the minor roads, possibly because the
> > traffic is local and I see the same cars every day - a kind of mutual
> > consideration develops even though I never speak to any of them.
>
> > Swallows, jackdaws and magpies swooped over hedges or sang perched on
> > telegraph wires while the sheep, cattle and horses munched grass.
> > Elderflower starting to blossom as the spring flowers fade, I passed the
> > "Alan Ball RIP" graffiti on a derelict building then dropped down the
> > steep narrow road into the centre of town. The bin lorry was blocking the
> > road for motor vehicles, drivers trying to reverse up the steep hill but
> > there was plenty of room for my bike to pass - always brings a smile to my
> > face when that happens
>
> > Beats driving!
>
> i had a pleasent ride though Bushy Park, sun was out kids on bikes far
> more than yesturday. nice short pleasent ride.
>
> picking Sa up later on so be taking the car for the afternoon, hence the
> folder thread i started.
> --www.rogermerriman.com- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Lovely ride in after two days tubing.



Lots of surface water that sprayed into my face but the air was clean
and fresh.

Curious, on Shoreditch High Street i saw a seagull carrying a pigeon
flapping weakly in its claws. Talons. Feet.


Three bods on London Bridge tried to race me so I did that thing where
you utterly ignore them, bang down the gears and hammer away. Beat the
lot. Ok, a bloke on a fixie overtook me on the downward stretch but I
beat him to the apex so technically won the race.

Peter Clinch

A.C.P.Crawshaw wrote:
> Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your
> commute?

Same as usual, 10 minute walk, mostly along small back streets until I
get to the hospital grounds.

> Beats driving!

Absolutely!

In today's email, I see we now have pool bikes available. Next time I'd
due down at the UoD campus (next few days, I'd guess) I'll see what
they've got and how many cheers out of 3 they get...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net p.j.clinch@dundee.ac.uk http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

PoB

Absolutely beautiful here, so I sent a text to my boss (be 20 mins late),
shorts and sandals (Shimano), got the 'bent out - its a tad heavy, so not
brilliant for a 12 minute commute, but what the hell, I took a tad of a
detour to justify it, (about 8 miles), including Braid Hills and Arthurs
Seat.

People have been commenting on how cheerful I am today...

pOB

David Damerell

Quoting A.C.P.Crawshaw <iss02b@bangor.ac.uk>:
>Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding.
>So how was your commute?

Fine - got out of bed, donned dressing gown, walked across the landing,
sat down in study. Scenery uninteresting and familiar, though.
--
David Damerell <damerell@chiark.greenend.org.uk> Distortion Field!
Today is Sunday, June - a weekend.

Graham Harrison

"A.C.P.Crawshaw" <iss02b@bangor.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:g26217$bpi$1@south.jnrs.ja.net...
> Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your
> commute?
>
> I woke 20 minutes earlier than normal so the initial two mile stretch of
> main road was less busy than normal. I then turn off and can follow quiet
> lanes into the centre of Bangor and the office. There's a marked
> difference in driver attitudes on the minor roads, possibly because the
> traffic is local and I see the same cars every day - a kind of mutual
> consideration develops even though I never speak to any of them.
>
> Swallows, jackdaws and magpies swooped over hedges or sang perched on
> telegraph wires while the sheep, cattle and horses munched grass.
> Elderflower starting to blossom as the spring flowers fade, I passed the
> "Alan Ball RIP" graffiti on a derelict building then dropped down the
> steep narrow road into the centre of town. The bin lorry was blocking the
> road for motor vehicles, drivers trying to reverse up the steep hill but
> there was plenty of room for my bike to pass - always brings a smile to my
> face when that happens
>
> Beats driving!

Wandered (not quite all downhill so not a complete freewheel) the mile down
the hill into the village. Had a haircut, did a little shopping, sat in
the sun waiting for the music shop to open, ordered an XLR cable and rode
back up the hill.

Failed to run over the baby rabbits that wouldn't move until the last
moment.

One loony tune tried to overtake me on the double bend by the church coming
back up only to discover the car coming the other way. Most drivers are
sensible around here but that double bend with a cyclist riding slowly up
brings out the stupidness in them all.

Beats commuting any day.

Rob Oldfield

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <uce@ftc.gov> wrote in message
news:ve3d44he2udnfjds7cfnhfci02v5c2d4m6@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:32:47 +0100, "A.C.P.Crawshaw"
> <iss02b@bangor.ac.uk> said in <g26217$bpi$1@south.jnrs.ja.net>:
>
>>Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your
>>commute?
>
> Particularly easy today: got out of bed, walked downstairs, fired up
> laptop, and there I was at work.
>
> Guy
> --

No unicycle to get downstairs? I hate f*cking part-timers.

naked_draughtsman

On Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:32:47 +0100, A.C.P.Crawshaw wrote:

> Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your commute?

I've managed to find a quieter alternative route to the first few miles of
my trip to avoid a road where cars overtake on blind bends then threaten to
kill you next time because you were in their way etc. The new route is
generally quieter and the other road users it attracts seem a lot
friendlier.

A smashed caravan in a ditch at the bottom of the hill looked like maybe
someone was relying too much on the sat nav rather than looking at the
'unsuitable for HGVs' signs which might've hinted that they may struggle
up the twisty hill.

The little bit of rain we had yesterday made the off road part of my trip
very slippery and when I almost fell off due to wheelspin my feet got
rather damp and muddy but never mind, it soon dried.

Only downside was a Hovis liveried wagon who decided to pull out of a
junction and completely block half the road (forcing me and all the other
cars to stop) in order to wait for a gap to turn right. There weren't any
cars queuing behind him so I don't think he had been wating long either.

Overall though it was very good, and much more enjoyable than it has been
of late!

peter

Danny Colyer

On 04/06/2008 20:06, Rob Oldfield wrote:
> No unicycle to get downstairs? I hate f*cking part-timers.

Don't f*ck them then.

Hey, Guy, did you ever learn to ride that unicycle?

--
Danny Colyer <http://www.redpedals.co.uk>
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"The plural of anecdote is not data" - Frank Kotsonis

Just zis Guy, you know?

On Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:57:10 +0100, Danny Colyer
<danny_colyer@hotmail.com> said in
<aaudnZXWYsQkktrVnZ2dnUVZ8qydnZ2d@posted.plusnet>:

>Hey, Guy, did you ever learn to ride that unicycle?

Ahem, ah, well, where did I put that tuit?

My friend Tanya teaches circus skills, she has offered to help me.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

Adam Lea

"A.C.P.Crawshaw" <iss02b@bangor.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:g26217$bpi$1@south.jnrs.ja.net...
> Plenty of gear talk in here but not much about riding. So how was your
> commute?
>

Not my typical day today as I had to go into London for a business meeting.
I cycled to Horsham station (two miles) noting that it seemed rather quiet
around the town centre for that time of the morning (8:30am). Folded bike,
boarded train, off at three bridges, on next train to London Bridge,
discovered there had been an incident and the train was diverted to
Blackfriars. Spent several minutes trying to memorise new cycle route to
meeting. Off at Blackfriars, unfold bike, cycled to Fenchurch St (why do I
always end up stuck behind a large vehicle).

Tomorrow it will be the usual commute up Holmbury hill via Rowhook and
Ewhurst, then over Leith hill to Dorking bridge club in the evening.

Adam