Journal Entries
The Joys Of Cycle Commuting - 8
Posted Jan 17, 2003
Friday 17th January, 2003
Once again the weather girlie has warned of impending doom and gloom and once again I decided that getting all dressed up in lycra, followed by a strong possibility of being soaked and blown off my bike just wasn't worth it, so I walked again. Shame really 'cause the weather wasn't as bad as predicted.
No jury service on Monday, so I will be cycling to work regardless. I bet it pees down all day.
Weather Report:
Very windy. Dry at commuting periods, wet at times during the day. Really cloudy and dull all day.
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Latest reply: Jan 17, 2003
The Joys Of Cycle Commuting - 7
Posted Jan 16, 2003
Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th January, 2003
The weather girlie promised high winds and lots of rain yesterday, so I walked into town rather than get blown off my bike into a puddle. She was wrong in as much as the wind was not as strong as expected and it was not raining at all at the times when I should have been pedalling to or from town.
I caught a glimpse of my stomach profile in a mirror last night. This is something I have been avoiding on the grounds that I know that Christmas has not been altogether kind to it this year. Having frightened myself visually in this way I then went on to complete the scary moment and stood on the scales, there is almost a stone of me that wasn't there when I started my Christmas shopping. This is due, in part to the fact that since becoming a juror at a court which is only at most three miles from home I have not done as much cycling as I normally would (typically 110 miles per week) I have also been stuffing myself with chocolate and crisps at a somewhat alarming rate. I shall attempt to cut out the chocs and crisps and will also try to ensure that when I do cycle to and from court I include the unneccesary five mile loop to create a daily total of about 16 miles. It is difficult to keep doing this as it is not needed for the actual journey, only for the exercise. I have to keep reminding myself that this is the reason why I began cycling to work in the first place.
Weather Report:
Quite bright for most of the day. Dry.
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Latest reply: Jan 16, 2003
The Joys Of Cycle Commuting - 6
Posted Jan 14, 2003
Tuesday 14th January, 2003
Another dull day weatherwise, but nothing to stop me from getting out on the bike. Still in court so I'm still doing an extra 5 mile loop in the morning and in the evening. The wind is about the same as yesterday so I got a good workout for at least half the route. One or two of those 'Klingon Moments' where your cloaking device kicks in and the tin cans get a bit closer than you would like, but nothing really serious. Let's hope it stays that way.
I adjusted the new front light tonight to get the beam a bit further out. I can now report that the beam pattern on a properly adjusted Busch & Muller Lumotec Oval Plus is excellent. For the first time since I stopped using the car I can see both the road ahead and the edge of the footpath at the same time even on those dark country roads where the edge of the road and the edge of the footpath are the same dingy, indistinct colour. Both front and rear lamps are of the 'Standlicht' variety which means that they remain lit for about 4 minutes after the wheels stop rotating, this is most definitely worth the extra money. It's just a pity that the tin can drivers can't see them.... or the reflectors on my panniers.... or my dayglo yellow jacket. What do car drivers actually look at when they are driving?
Weather Report:
Overcast. Warm for the time of year. Strongish wind from the South West. Dry.
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Latest reply: Jan 14, 2003
The Joys Of Cycle Commuting - 5
Posted Jan 13, 2003
Monday, 13th January 2003
Hooray, weather has improved heaps and I was able to get the bike out for the first time in several days. I didn't give it the usual weekend service, but you couldn't tell because it was still clean from the last one. I might throw some fresh oil at it tomorrow. Although it was warmer today it was still quite cool and necessitated the wearing of leggings and a long sleeved jacket over the lycra top and shorts. If this were Skegness it would have been called 'bracing'. Still doing jury service so I had to put in the extra loop to maintain the exercise level. The weather girlie on the BBC this morning said the wind would be stronger and from the west, she was spot on with that one, hard work going out, but downhill all the way coming back.
Spotted a problem when getting the bike out this morning, the computer thing was dying. It turns out that the battery has conked out and I will have to get a replacement tomorrow. I managed to read off the current total mileage so I shall be able to keep track of chain replacement intervals, I try to replace chains at 1500 to 2000 mile intervals to reduce wear on the block and the chainwheels. They would probably go on for a while longer, but how do you know when they are about to start causing trouble? Better safe than sorry I think.
On the way home from court I received a not-quite-friendly greeting from a fellow road user, "Blaaaaaaaah, Blaaah Dih Blaaaaaaah" on the horn of his BMW (It was dark so I may be wrong here.) I returned his greeting in the usual way by indicating that he only had one rear lamp working 
, in this instance I was actually right! I do hope he/she enjoyed his/her ride home tonight, I know I did.
Weather Report:
Strong wind from the west. Quite warm for the time of year. Very dull start and cloudy later, but NO RAIN. 
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Latest reply: Jan 13, 2003
The Joys Of Cycle Commuting - 4
Posted Jan 9, 2003
Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 January.
Twice more I have taken the easy route and have walked to and from town. The pavements are like glass and some of the lesser used roads are still snow covered. Rumour has it that it should warm up during tomorrow and the snow will be gone by weekend. My bike thinks it has been abandoned, I must remember to pop out and say goodnight to it or something.
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Latest reply: Jan 9, 2003
Born-again Cyclist
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