Oh, bother.

Jumped on the B'bird tonight to come home.

Key in, start, clutch in, into first, and off we go.

Rather more quickly than I'd hoped.

I'm sure I should have let the clutch out again by now, too.

The clutch hose has split, where it goes from flexy rubber tube to
solid metal pipe.

The journey home, with *no* clutch, was hilarious.

Ho hum.

To do list:

1. Fit new clutch hose - a proper, braided, jobby, I suppose.
2. Get the ultimate commuting machine ready for the morning. Hopefully
it'll run on all six pots. If not, it'll have to be the Wing.

 

<applause>
that's quite some undertaking through London.

 

I wouldn't want to do it often.

Each time I stopped, I had to start with the starter, in gear, and
hope it'd catch. Mostly it was a case of coasting up to lights in
neutral, and hoofing it into gear as they changed.

The smell of the fluid on hot exhaust pipes didn't add to the
experience.

 

Sterrrrrrrike 3

Indeed, respec'

 

At least I've been cheered up a bit - one retailer was only offering
the clutch line in a "brake and clutch line - complete"

For £195!

 

Much easier in a car.

 

You do know there are ELEVEN brake lines on a Blackbird, yes?

I went straight to Goodridge, which might not be a good idea[1], as
the usual suspects were less than helpful re: clutch lines.

[1] It isn't. "Please allow 10-14 days" appears *after* you submit the
order. I'll give them a ring in the morning. I'm not sure how the CBX
will stand up to two weeks' commuting.

 

Being a Londoner I guess you've still got the fallback of public
transport, we could have 2 weeks of you being grumpy at Mr Corfield.

 

I can't imagine anyone being grumpy at Mr C, besides, I don't believe
the DLR is within his remit, bicbw.

Oh, and I'm not a fucking Londoner, tyvm.

 

Aye, but only sold as a set by this particular bunch of shysters

 

Got to admit, I don't know either.. I just group anything an oyster card
works on as the same thing. "Foreign travel"

I do hope the People's Republic of Tower Hamlets will forgive me for my
geographical oversight.

 

I had to use the Met. Line last night. Since I've stopped working in
London, this is now a fairly rare occurrence. TFFT, is all I can say.

And obviously it's all Corfield's fault, the ****. Or maybe it's that
Fitzgerald bloke.

 

kentish, innit?

 

I don't think I've ever knowingly used the Met. Line.

Fitzgerald can really only be held accountable for fun-and-games on
the Piccadilly, IIRC.

But sure, blame Corfield for everything else.

Personally, although I work in London for the time being, I tend to
avoid using the Tube, and walk to St.Pauls from Liverpool St. or
Moorgate.

 

Occupational hazard when you live in Harrow.

I prefer using the Chiltern Line into Marylebone, but I'd just missed a
train and CBA to wait nearly half an hour for the next one.

"Guilty by association"

Yes, for short hops (as it were) getting out and walking is far quicker
and more pleasant (weather permittin) than changing tube trains.

 

It takes around 15 minutes to walk from Liverpool St. to St.Pauls. In
a perfect scenario i.e. talk to the tube platform at Liverpool St.,
and get on a tube straight away, the equivalent journey takes around
7-8 minutes. More typically in the rush hour, you might be kept at the
top of the escalators for 5 minutes, then have to wait for 3-4 trains
to come and go before you can get on one, and the process can take 25
minutes. It's no contest really, plus a "Enfield Stations to London
Terminals" monthly is ~55 quid cheaper than the equivalent travelcard
(I use Oyster for "absolutely no choice" tube journeys).

I used to only walk in the summer, but I've walked in pretty much
every day since last April. I find the cold and wet actually
preferable to the mank and overcrowding on the central line.

 

I've seen people like you on the Tube. You know, there is help available, but
you have to want to help yourself first.

 

I think it's Bill Bryson, in one of his books, that mentions about
tourists wanting to get from Regents Park to Great Portland Street and
going on the tube via Baker Street.

Quite. Public transport sucks.

 

heh. LTSTPU.

 

heh. I can imagine it. Actually, central London's a lot smaller than
it looks, particularly on the tube map - I tend to walk almost
everywhere. Even walking from St.Pauls to Soho or King's Cross only
takes 25-35 minutes.

some of it's not so bad - the Waterloo & City line of the tube is
fairly civilised, though I don't foresee ever needing to use it again
now the Eurostar runs out of St.Pancras International.