Don’t forget bookies and funeral homes too!
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Chester is okay - but loads of eating places closed.
Generally, it’s as you describe.
Manchester is full is “Spice” zombies (the legal high thing) paving is shit.
Derby is pretty much as you describe.
Crewe is fricking awful.
COVID has accelerated the decline of town centres and the Rise of The Internet (Roti)
There’ll only be Amazon before long.
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Have they, can’t say I’ve noticed.
I agree that getting useful stuff from city centres is tough though. Electronics is the thing I’ve really noticed disappearing from shops, all on-line now apart from shopping estates.
Our local shops (which won small high street of the year not long ago) has about 4 turkish barbers which are mostly empty, the only thing they’ve been useful for is that one sells ‘Dapper Dan’ - I had always assumed the Coen brothers made that brand up so made me chuckle when I saw it (I don’t have enough hair to need it).
However, there are 3 bike shops between my house and the city centre so wouldn’t have trouble getting lube. Having said that, I got mine from the bike shop in Kelsall
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Out for a ride this morning. Had to take glasses off as they were steaming up. They ended up with a layer of ice on them and I had ice on my eye lashes. 
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Hardcore.
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I’ve used a Lezyne Macro since 2016.
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Any bargains on Gatorskins at the moment? I need a rear tyre for the winter commute.
Wintermute. Just made the connection. Brilliant. That’s my commuter bikes name now.
——
Edit £34.99 at Decathlon for a 28mm is the best I can find.
One cheap 23mm at wiggle for £26, but I’m not sure about putting a 23mm tyre on a wide rim. I only know the maximum is 35mm, not the minimum. Came with 28s on.
There’s a local 50 mile reliability ride this weekend. If it’s dry all week, is it bad form to turn up on a bike without mud guards? I can’t fit them on mine.
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Random facebook memory about biking home from work some 14 years ago, so into my 15th year at least.
15 years
1 accident
3 primary bikes (MTB first 9 months till parked it into back of milk float, Focus cyclocross and current Norco adventure).
Reckon pre-covid I was riding 80% of the time for 5 day commute.
No wonder I’m bored of the roads tho!
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Came off this morning on my way home from work. Been dry here but the road had a greasy coating on it.
Went down quite hard but luckily escaped with gravel rash and a hole in a decent pair of bib tights.
My new Galibier Jacket escaped any damage which is testament to the quality of it I guess.
The irony is I picked up a 29er for winter commuting as its safer and the first time I use it I bin it… 
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I was given a Galibier insulated gilet at Christmas & it’s been a touch of luxury the cold mornings we’ve had this year. I’ve got a decent bad weather gilet, but this worn underneath a softshell winter top it’s like a wearable, warm hug.
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First commute in 3 years and 51 weeks this morning.
Fun getting access to secure basement at 8am 
Showers were nice 
Not happy with -2° on the way in 
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8° when I left work 
3° when I got home fifty minutes later 
Survived 
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A gilet has no arms, so a ‘bad weather gilet’ is an oxymoron surely?
I really need someone to explain the point of them, of many pieces of pointless kit, the gilet seems particularly unnecessary. I got given one after an event (Longest Day I think) and it just sat in a drawer for years until I eventually gave it to a charity shop.
Maybe it just boils down to the fact that, for me, all the cold weather jeopardy is in fingers and toes?
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I don’t need one right now, but back home spent most of the year from October through to May wearing a gilet. Warms the core nicely without restricting the arms too much.
had one for the bike too but Zwift stopped that getting much use🙄
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A gilet is a great piece of kit, but it’s not a “bad weather” piece of kit, it’s an extra windproof layer over your core, that is small and easy to take on and off whilst riding due to the lack of arms - it’s for marginal days particularly when riding fast sometimes (as it’s effective against the wind cooling). As you say, when the weather’s bad enough for hands, it’s a pretty pointless layer.
Marginal days are of course, most of spring and summer in the UK, so therefore, for me, it’s an essential piece of kit.
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On marginal days, I wear arm warmers. Wearing more on my torso would just lead to overheating
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I would definitely go with gilet and arm warmers in spring and autumn or for an early morning start. It gives you that versatility to be able to take it off and stow away easily as you warm up.
Riding in the mountains I’d usually throw on a gilet before starting a long descent, just to give some protection from the wind. I’d probably go with a gilet in light rain too because it gives some warmth without the “boil in a bag” effect of a full rain jacket. My gilets get much more use than my rain jackets.
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You’re not a gilet wearer 
, how do you survive? I’ve got three cycling ones - the insulated one, the softshell one & the pertex one - & 2 running ones 
. Each have enhanced the comfort of many rides & runs.
Next you’ll be telling me there’s no place for cycling bib knickers or running 3/4 tights 
.
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I think you already know the answer to this 
I wear bib-longs for the shortest possible period of time each winter and shorts in the summer
3/4 tights for running are fine, I did have a couple of pairs before I had to stop
I did my last ride in shorts in 2022 in mid November. I reckon shorts days are not very far away this year
You may recall that this was in the spring last year, in shorts (World’s End)
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