The "Excuses" Thread

[Mulger bill]

Been a couple weeks off all riding now.
I can't find a Brooks compatible doughnut cushion.

[bychosis]

Upgrades at work. Hot water being commissioned yesterday and today. No hot showers this morning...
And then woke to wet ground and forecast of significant rain...
And hardware run this arvo requiring roof racks

[Mugglechops]

Yesterday it was bucketing rain so I decided to drive.

Only the seventh time this year so I wasn't too upset.

[TheWall]

I don't often ignore the 445am alarm for my Friday rides...BUT...

Yesterday I decided to do some landscaping and tearing down a fence and digging and shovelling a couple of cubic metres of rock/soil meant that more poor office worker body was suffering big time...and I had to back up for for more.

Will I get out tomorrow?

[Mububban]

My kids have an amazing knack of bringing home a cold/flu just as school holidays start. I've been on the edge of succumbing to it for the last fortnight so have stayed off the bike so I don't push myself too hard, especially in the cold mornings.

[fat and old]

Serious lack of time due to work issues, but seeing Whinging Pommy on the road last week has motivated me a bit...

[find_bruce]

Getting soft in my old age - man flu & hosing down rain sees me working from home.

[bychosis]

Rain. Again. Was looking forward to a couple of commutes this week to add some kms to my miserable 2016 total, but rain. Only 4 days left for commuting this year. Maybe next year will be a better total.

[tez001]

Back to the commute tomorrow morning!

I am considering a new ride to celebrate the new year

[Baalzamon]

I was a field engineer. Notice the word was..... Start a new job tomorrow and yep I can be back on the bike when things settle down in the new job

[Mububban]

Too hot. Back on the bike tomorrow is the plan.

[bychosis]

It's just too hot.

[Lizzy]

Today was going to be "ride home day" but I rolled my ankle and wiped out into bushes on the way to the traino this morning. Ow

[jools]

Really struggling at the moment to do more than one ride a week.. I've changed jobs a few times and the previous commute was too good - mostly flat on bike paths and bike lanes so no tangles with traffic and the shower facilities were in the office so I left all my clothes and washing gear at work.

First job change - working in the CBD, no facilities so no riding. Just changed jobs again, still in the CBD but now with showers and bike lockers. However, the new route is nothing but hills, some of them steep and long, so instead of an easy cruise its a major effort.

There's no lockers at work so I have to carry everything, every day, which is also a major pain packing and unpacking two pannier bags..

I used to work in a small private office, so I could take some time to cool down before the shower, but not at the new place, so when I get out of the shower I'm still dripping with sweat and look like a total mess for 40 mins or so before the aircon cools down

I'm really not enjoying the new ride and getting public transport is actually preferable.

The mechanic at the lbs (which is an e-bike dealer) suggests getting a e-bike to flatten out the hills and I'm starting to think he makes a valid point, but it's hard to justify the expense..

[Mububban]

The mechanic at the lbs (which is an e-bike dealer) suggests getting a e-bike to flatten out the hills and I'm starting to think he makes a valid point, but it's hard to justify the expense..

Do you have a bike you could put a conversion kit on?

[jools]

Do you have a bike you could put a conversion kit on?

Not really.. I have two bikes set up for commuting, a late model Malvern Star Oppy S1 and a circa-2000 model Dawes Audax, which is a superb commuter. But the whole e-bike conversation started when I took the Audax to the LBS to get some parts upgraded and a crack in the paintwork inspected. Turns out the crack is a seat stay coming apart from the seat tube, so that's basically the end of the frame..

We discussed a bunch of options for repairing the frame, or getting a new frame and transferring the parts, or just getting a whole new bike and they threw the e-bike into the discussion as a good option for flattening the hills and making the ride more enjoyable. They've offered a great deal on an excellent bike (basically cost plus GST) as well as the offer of taking it for a test ride for a week.

The only way I'll know for sure is to take them up on the offer to see if the e-bike will make the ride more fun, but I'll still be dealing with the shower hassles at the end of the ride, so my worry is that I spend the money on a new bike but don't end up using it for other reasons..

[Mububban]

We discussed a bunch of options for repairing the frame, or getting a new frame and transferring the parts, or just getting a whole new bike and they threw the e-bike into the discussion as a good option for flattening the hills and making the ride more enjoyable. They've offered a great deal on an excellent bike (basically cost plus GST) as well as the offer of taking it for a test ride for a week.

The only way I'll know for sure is to take them up on the offer to see if the e-bike will make the ride more fun, but I'll still be dealing with the shower hassles at the end of the ride, so my worry is that I spend the money on a new bike but don't end up using it for other reasons..

They are amazing. I've not ridden a modern crank-motor ebike, I just got a 200W front wheel conversion kit for my old MTB commuter, but it was an amazing difference. Your average speed is a true average - it just doesn't dip down when you go uphill, but you also don't go very fast pedalling a 20kg bike once the assistance cuts out
Only quite steep hills would ever slow me down. And I could push hard and arrive at work hot, sweaty and puffing (but not totally destroyed), or I could tootle along and let the motor do most of the work. But of course, we usually want to go faster when commuting, not easier....

That said, I did ride the ebike in jeans and a hoodie to the train station when I had to attend a training course, and being able to coast along without sweating, whilst still moving at a good speed, was another advantage.

[Lizzy]

Went to work without my keys on ride-home-day. I have spare keys in the office to two of the three bike locks I own. Guess which lock I actually use!

[mikesbytes]

Really struggling at the moment to do more than one ride a week.. I've changed jobs a few times and the previous commute was too good - mostly flat on bike paths and bike lanes so no tangles with traffic and the shower facilities were in the office so I left all my clothes and washing gear at work.

First job change - working in the CBD, no facilities so no riding. Just changed jobs again, still in the CBD but now with showers and bike lockers. However, the new route is nothing but hills, some of them steep and long, so instead of an easy cruise its a major effort.

There's no lockers at work so I have to carry everything, every day, which is also a major pain packing and unpacking two pannier bags..

I used to work in a small private office, so I could take some time to cool down before the shower, but not at the new place, so when I get out of the shower I'm still dripping with sweat and look like a total mess for 40 mins or so before the aircon cools down

I'm really not enjoying the new ride and getting public transport is actually preferable.

The mechanic at the lbs (which is an e-bike dealer) suggests getting a e-bike to flatten out the hills and I'm starting to think he makes a valid point, but it's hard to justify the expense..

I joined a gym to use the shower facilities.

If you want some cool down time before you work you could do breakfast in the CBD, ie leave say 1/2 earlier rather than spending 1/2 at home having breakfast prior.

Inner West? I'm assuming your in Sydney, what suburb are you commuting from?

[Mububban]

Minor hand surgery and waiting for stitches to heal and grip strength to return meant 3 weeks off the bike. I can ride the road bike so have resumed commuting, but MTB grips are still not quite comfortable for weekend off road riding. Soon....

[mikesbytes]

One of my indoor cycling peps had her hair straightened and wasn't allowed to sweat for 24 hours

[jasonc]

One of my indoor cycling peps had her hair straightened and wasn't allowed to sweat for 24 hours

[Lizzy]

One of my indoor cycling peps had her hair straightened and wasn't allowed to sweat for 24 hours

There really is an entire parallel universe out there that I'll never ever comprehend

BOM called 90% chance of showers, temp was pleasantly warm and muggy, clouds were black and menacing. Packed a jacket, even put my phone in a ziplock bag. Not a drop the entire way. Perth, you're welcome.

Wet enough roads/path & enough puddles though to remind me I really need to change my brake pads. Really really. The Grand Quorum of the Internet is telling me Swisstop Salmon, although I think nearly anything will be better than the room-temperature Camembert ones I'm currently using.

[Lizzy]

^Hmm, wonder what thread I thought I was in back there.

::sheepishly waves hello:: I fell off the proverbial horse big time, you guys. I haven't ridden to work or anywhere else in months, and a couple of you've apparently noticed I haven't been around much which was pretty nice. I've missed you all too

It went to custard last year when my dad had a stroke, and a complicated & difficult recovery. At the very moment I felt able to ease back in - main roads WA rudely dug up half my route and put in a detour that, combined with the total loss of bike fitness, made it literally a bridge too far. (See WA forum).

Thanks V17L for the nudge - bike's coming out of the shed real soon.

[V17L]

Earlier this year I over did it on the bike on a Saturday ride and even thought the bike fits me, I had dropped off my fitness and pulled my back out of alignment with other muscles being so taut. It took a good two months to get upright without pain. I am a bit fearful of doing my back again, and so have not been riding. I have been doing Pilates to become more flexible, and build core strength.
Added to the shyness of riding, is the onset of the Canberra winter. Having just moved here, it is somewhat of an adjustment.
I think Lizzy's resolve might just rub off on me, and I will start doing some gentle rides on the weekend to get the ball rolling again.