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AWOL

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I'm Back Shadowfax and I took a break from blogging for a short while and from the commute, too although this is a permanent break while I re-align the career to something more vocational in the education sectors. Thanks to those concerned that we'd stumbled in the snow - we were fine, but everything got leary at work at the same time, is all. That's not to say we've not been out and about or up to anything useful but life has been enjoyably slower with time to catch up on some DIY (squanderd on alternative distractions) and learning new softwares and brushing up on XHTML, CSS2, and JavaScript while introducing a look-see at iPhone applications, database solutions, and Flash applications (translate, I bought some books I might read). The next handful of posts will act as a catch-up and then we'll get back into some regular swing although I don't see us riding 100-miles every day any more. There's bitter sweetness in that. Sure, the commute could be a bind...

10 Reasons I'm Alive

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Day 2 Commuter Mayhem (Yawn). It was morning and although the snow had lingered overnight and had crisped up the Sun broke through the stormy-hued clouds and broke the cold snap's grip on the hedgerows and trees. It presented a steady thawing trickle of water droplets splattering noisily onto the steeled ground and gave hope to all creatures fancying a trip out to earn a crust, or two. "I'm riding", I thought. I got the long-johns ready. It began to snow; just a flurry but it heralded the end of the Sun's brief influence in time to see the kids off to school (miserable every other bloody school in the Land had closed except theirs). I swapped Shadowfax's keys back for the Lanny. My enthusiasm was low; this was going to be a long and slow trip and I was bound to see bikers left, right, and front as I became ever more steeped in bloody traffic. I dug the Lanny out of this latest smattering of snow flakes. On the road the latest snow layer had already turned to a...

Good Call

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Bikeless Commute The view out of the bedroom window at 1am was well lit; snow lay all across the back gardens in an iridescent-seeming blanket that captured every nuance of noise presenting a silent still life suited best to a European Christmas card. ("Hrmf!") At 7am my boss called describing the difficulty shed have on the trains from Devon to Surrey; should I even attempt the commute myself? I looked out front; more snow and a snowy-icy road but the main throughfare looked clear. A cyclist crossed the scene to confirm movement on two wheels not only probable but possible. Shadowfax remained under his cover and made no comment. ("Hrmf!") Morning snow The online and TV news were saturated with snow. Google Map's Traffic Layer showed red (stopped traffic) across the region from Southampton with its closed airport to Portsmouth with its cancelled bus services. The A31 at Farnham was described as being at 20mph and the A31 at Hogsback was closed. I began to realis...

Snow Joke

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Weather Warnings I've ignored most weather warnings this winter but there's something unsettling about the ones being issued tonight. It snowed (briefly) today and large flakes settled without a problem; some even staying settled long enough to consider checking their Russian papers for a work permit. Worse, there are videos of snow-COVERED motorways and descriptions of the gritting crews expecting to break out ploughs - down here in Hampshire! Even the Motorways may not be safe? I'll leave my final decision on whether to ride, or not, to the morning but I am acutely aware the weather changes dramatically on entering and exiting the Meon Valley: just those few miles' difference can result in my being stranded at work if the snow continues throughout the day, or worse stuck on the side of the road incapable of maintaining forward progress. (I've put the Mrs on stand-by to come collect me (with the snatty new trailer if I come unstuck, or stuck depending on your point...

Flippin Flashers!

What's The Point? Okay, so I made a late overtake in the dark – it was measured; I know the road and I had the right gears and I knew I’d be in in time enough not to endanger the approaching cars. It just needed a little accuracy through the road studs on re-entry and care to miss the grate on the close of the bend while keeping out of where the deep puddles would be. I had good vision through a clean visor and excellent road picture from Shadowfax’s extraordinarily effective HID front lamp; my timing was spot on. So, why did the oncoming car feel compelled to flash me? All they did was rob me of my night vision and dazzle out my views of the known hazards I was so far avoiding in a measured and planned manner. Tosser.

Prophylactic Rubbers

Footloose Shadowfax’s front foot rubbers were mightily worn, which bothered me cosmetically if not on the grounds of safety so I ordered a set off (you guessed it) eBay. Fitting them was straight forward and surprisingly “engineered” in their design. The ride is unaffected but certainly more sure footed!

Top Box!

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Posh Backrest Ebay has a steady flow of Hondaline top boxes passing through it. Having a white bike presents the problem of whether to buy any top box in any colour and then re-spray it or get a red, black, or grey one that could just as easily sit on the bike without looking too odd. The normal price range is £160 to £230 second hand; David Silver Spares will set you back £275 for a new one. List is a little higher, of course. We bought ours at £160 BRAND NEW in the box and plastic bags!!! (See below - rough and upside down but at least it's complete!) The top box might have been brand new but the outer box was past its prime! This was an excellent deal but Ka still gave me a length of scorn over the price paid. It was a delight to see a second hand one go this week for £196 second hand from a bloke with a kitchen in his garage. The box was not the easiest farkle to fit; the instructions are a technical diagram with notes 1-5, which do not correlate with the order of fitting t...