Spring Return To The Saddle

by Britalian on March 7, 2012

I made a low level return to the saddle yesterday, riding to and from work. I did not find it easy.

My last ride was over 6 weeks ago but it feels like my body went back around two years.

The hills and slopes that I was comfortably taking on with the middle cog (of my triple) now could only be hit with the granny gear and even then it was a struggle.

I am strongly hoping that my fitness will return within a few rides but at least it was a delight to get back on The Cube.

The ride home ended with me losing concentration and managing to ride into some stones at the side of the road, suddenly realising I had hit a kerb and was falling off while desperately trying to unclip my feet from the pedals.

For the fourth time since riding again, I was lucky to unclip a split second before I had to accept the inevitable and prepare to hit the deck.

I still don’t know how I got myself in that pickle but I’ll make sure not to lose concentration just because I am a few metres from home.

 

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A Little Bike Wobble

by Britalian on December 7, 2011

Bike Wobble

This morning was the first day with no torrential rain around 0600 so I took the Cube out of the basement and rode to work.

Weather-wise it was fine, not particularly cold and no fresh rain although there was still some water on the road surface and lots of small debris washed into the cycle lane of the main roads.

On a small downhill section, I was braking for a roundabout, certainly not going fast and the back wheel slid away about ten inches to the side. I straightened out automatically but I am glad it happened there and then and not at a more serious part of my journey.

It reminded me of when I was a new driver in winter. I would slide around as much as I could when I was alone on the road because I didn’t want to feel a slide for the first time when I was headed towards a truck on the wrong side of the road. I still do it in the car if I am alone, just a tiny bit of extra gas to feel the slipping point and then ease off again.

Today’s wobble was a timely reminder that I don’t need to be riding on ice to lock a wheel, just some surface moisture is enough and it means I can tailor my speed accordingly.

The car drivers seemed to be in more of a hurry to get to work and there were some very poor overtaking decisions being made. Some drivers think that they have executed a perfect manoeuvre by skimming past me and then moving out wider once they have passed.

Frankly, I don’t care how wide you go when you are past me. I am only interested in how much space I have when you are alongside me, not how much room you are giving to fresh air.

 

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It’s Easy To Play The Victim But It’s Smarter To Play Defensive

by Britalian on October 27, 2011

I have several reasons for not wanting to be killed on my bike. You may share some of them, I expect.

In the last month or so I have seen a lot of poor behaviour on the road from motorists, bladers, pedestrians and motorists and have probably been involved in some of it myself.

The easy thing, especially when you are a motorist using a bike is to feel like every manoeuvre that you witness is a personal affront to you, designed to disrespect and bother you. After all, you are usually protected in your metal shell and suddenly here you are, all cold, reflective and vulnerable.

It is very easy today to play the victim. It’s probably my default position on many subjects but on the road, it’s not going to save your life and might even get you killed.

The question is “what can I do to make this safer for me?”

Pulling up a little too close to a truck at the traffic light? Well, he is never going to see you so even if he does pinch a couple of inches towards you when he pulls away, he certainly is not going to hear you shout.

My pet peeve here is motorists who overtake you at pedestrian crossings. They choose the part of the road with reduced space available for them and you but because they may have been waiting for ten seconds to get by, they figure their best bet is to floor it and squeeze by.

The best I can do is to make myself and the space I occupy larger with an extended arm to warn the motorist not to make a move.

I always make sure I have some room to move into if I need it. If a car is too close to me and I have no room to work with, it’s looking bad.

Generally I treat each situation from a distance, holding back if I am not sure what lies ahead of the traffic queue or just accepting that some people will always be assholes.

Asshole or not, each situation is met with a thumbs up and whether the other person sees it as sarcastic or not, at least I am still on my bike and on my merry way.

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Moving In To Autumn / Winter Cycling

October 25, 2011

The temperatures have certainly dropped a good ten degrees centigrade in the last fortnight and my climbing ride at the weekend taught me one thing: However cold it is outside, it will be colder on the bike! I did not legislate for chilly wind generated around me by simply moving and when this cracks around [...]

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My 2009 Cube Aerial

October 18, 2011

I spent 6 years using a Carrera 4 hybrid but it was when I bought my first road bike that my enjoyment of cycling really took off. I am delighted with the Cube, even though my tinkering sometimes leaves me thinking I have destroyed it forever. Thankfully I have found a bike shop I like [...]

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Writing About Cycling

October 17, 2011

I decided over the weekend that I would concentrate on something I enjoy on this site. So I will focus my posts on cycling. Reviewing rides, websites, bits of kit I have got my hands on and a few very basic maintenance tips I have found and used. So instead of random moaning and complaining [...]

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Things That Have Happened Since Ryan Giggs’ Super Injunction Was Granted

May 25, 2011

Ryan Giggs was granted his “super injunction” on April 14th, 2011. Here is a list of some of the news events that have taken place since then that would have consigned the story to the dustbin had Giggs been named back then. The Royal Wedding Capture and killing of Osama Bin Laden Ken Clarke argues [...]

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