Cyclists' rant thread - Page 10 - Triathlon

Trinirunner

15/10/2008 at 14:20

You wanna try cycling in Trinidad or Jamaica!

My philosphy that is most effective is to take my space and guard it. In emergency I have a place to go. I ride towards the centre of the road/lane and only move in if I have to. I assume all cars and trucks are out to kill me and have't seen me. I wear bright, loud cycling gear and red gloves. I have a top of the range helmet which I replace if I so much as drop it! When I ride in the dark (more likely very early morning) I use flashing rather than steady back lights. Been wing mirrored 3 times, but never knocked off. Closest call was actually one of the many dogs that we get out in the country, damn thing actually got it's teeth onto my shoe, managed to kick it off after I unclipped.

Happy riding

Tom Tom T. Barrow

15/10/2008 at 14:53

I once had a cat trying to race me down a hill. I wasn't sure what I should do I slowed down a little and it cut infront of me and stoped.

My front wheel when straight over it. I panicked and jammed on the breaks unfortunalty this just resulted in it get trapped beneth my locked rear wheel and ground into the road surface. When I finally can to a stop i rolled back to let it out, I have never seen a cat move so fast in my life whilst i sat there in shock. A little old lady marched up to me and started telling me off for attacking a harmless cat!

greenpanda

19/01/2011 at 13:05

I know this is an old thread but I wanted to give my opinion on this.
It is not illegal to ride a bike on the right of traffic. I have a hill that I have to get down on my way to work. The hill is for two lanes of traffic one going straight on and left and the other lane to turn right, I need the lane to turn right. So i use the middle of the lanes to navigate down the left and side of the right lane and the right hand side of the left lane. The amount of cars that have pulled out in front of me from the left lane trying to tun right is into the hundreds now. Not one of them look for a cyclist coming down, even though i use that road at the same time every day. I either have to stop and wait for the car to complete its inconsiderate move or as i sometimes do I squeeze myself through the gap and give the driver a very dirty look.
I also drive and am very aware and considerate to both cyclists and drivers, When turning left if there is a cyclist there I will slow down and let them pass before turning, once while I was letting a cyclist get past me so i could turn into the supermarket carpark another driver behind me decided that i was robbing him of 30 seconds of his life and decided to overtake me and then turn left in front of me into the carpark almost hitting the cyclist. I had a go at the driver who said that the cyclist should have stopped for us to turn in.
Can you imagine how long the commute by bike would be if we gave way to every car on the road who wanted to turn in front of us.
So annoyed.

AndrewSmith pirate

pirate

19/01/2011 at 13:14

Cyclists who feel the rules of the road do not apply such as going through red lights. And cyclists who insist on riding two or more abreast on narrow roads causing unnecessary hold ups to the traffic behind them.

I cycle and am sympathetic to cyclists and it pisses me off so what do you think non cycling drivers make of your antics!

And don't get me started on horse riders!!

Edited: 19/01/2011 at 13:15

cougie

pirate

19/01/2011 at 13:18

Round by me it seems that its new cyclists that dont seem to stop at red lights. And we're not talking about riding through 'for safetys sake' - they just seem to think that the rules of the road dont apply. Muppets !

fat buddha

19/01/2011 at 13:42

gp - there really is no simple answer to your question as whatever you do will piss some drivers off as they have no concept of cycling, or the needs of cyclists. we are an inconvenience to them and we just get in the way of their little lives.

I've learnt over the years to stop taking shit from drivers and just do things safely and legally, and show intent in what I'm doing using hand signals, looking behind etc. if that means pissing a driver off so be it. confidence in what you are doing and having the confidence to hold your own counts for a lot irrespective of any abuse you may get.

Iron Pingu pirate

pirate

19/01/2011 at 14:11

It should be illegal to cycle in the dark without lights and bright clothing. Nearly knocked some b*gger of his bike yesterday because he was playing the invisible man on a roundabout.

LIVERBIRD

pirate

19/01/2011 at 14:27

I got BEEPED by the car behind me today on Smithdown Road because I was giving the cyclist in front of me sufficient room and time to move off from the lights. He was helmet-clad, in full cycle gear with lights and hi viz and everything. Not even an invisible man!

Lit up like a Christmas tree but the dick behind me clearly thought I should plough him down.

cougie

pirate

19/01/2011 at 15:16

Er Pingu - it IS illegal to ride at night without lights.

(as for bright clothing - you can be as bright as you want in the dark and you're still not very visible - I'd much rather have reflective than bright)

runnerman

19/01/2011 at 15:30

cougie is right. Illegal without lights at night-time. Only the police couldn't give two hoots
because stopping a cyclist with no lights or even on a footpath is a waste of police time.

cougie

pirate

19/01/2011 at 15:36

Anyone riding after dark without lights isnt really needed in the gene pool anyway.

Iron Pingu pirate

pirate

19/01/2011 at 15:52

Darwin awards anyone?

LIVERBIRD

pirate

19/01/2011 at 18:56

I LOVE natural selection!

Womble

17/08/2012 at 18:06

And yesterday I was stopped at a junction and a car drove straight into the back of me. Broad daylight, good visibility, wearing hi-vis 'builders vest' and a hi-vis cover to my rucsac (and helmet). I went into the air and landed on my backside. Fortunately, nothing broken except my bike. And the windscreen, bonnet and number plate of the car. How I escaped with multiple bruises and grazes lord only knows. The police attended and I have all the details. My solicitor now has two ongoing cases with my name on them.......

Wilkie

17/08/2012 at 18:33

Womble, don't you think there might be a message in there somewhere?

Blisters

17/08/2012 at 21:42

Oh Womble, I do hope that the dick head gets a right shafting before having their insurance refused for renewal. I think that they might appreciate it a little more if they fell down a full flight of stairs on their coccyx before smacking their wrist on something expensive and hard.

Let me guess "I didn't see you"?

Sympathy to Womble =1, driver = 0.

Womble

17/08/2012 at 23:16

Wilkie, first incident pedestrian ran across London Bridge without seeing me. Result: fracture dislocation of my left elbow. Second incident, me waiting at a give way line, heard car coming up behind me too fast presuming he was going to use right hand line and zoom around me (junction is on to a roundabout). That was until I heard braking with a screech just before the car hit me.

The message might be that cycling is too dangerous if you always wear hi-vis and cycle sensibly.

Blisters, I think he was almost as shocked as I was. There's no excuse for "not seeing" but he made no attempt to even start to find one. Seeing the dent in his windscreen I am completely amazed at how unbroken I am. Although there's a very long list of all my injuries now on my GP's computer system.

cougie

pirate

18/08/2012 at 00:57

Poor womble - hope it all works out for you today.

I did enjoy the self inflicted crash I saw tonight.
Drunk man on mtb on wrong side of the road with no lights wiped out avoiding a car coming towards him round a corner. Hilllarious.

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