Road Cycling Essentials

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Stupid car drivers. Can't believe how many will shout at an injured person and then drive off!

Had a slightly similar thing happen to me yesterday, old man decided he just had to overtake me, just as we were approaching a stretch of road with cars parked along one side and a truck coming towards us, so of course he slams on the brakes as soon as he gets in front of me.

Thankfully I was able to just shoot down the side of his car and continue as there was room next to the truck for a cyclist to pass.
 
Vonhelmet said:
Driving behind a cyclist for any distance makes your willy shrink.
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I had this issue riding some friends the other day. One of them has a license, the other's had driving lessons, both of them said how scary it was overtaking a cyclist. Possibly as a result of which they were petrified of riding on the road, had the hardest time trying to explain to them why cutting onto the pavement at every opportunity was actually more dangerous...
 
PermaBanned said:
I had this issue riding some friends the other day. One of them has a license, the other's had driving lessons, both of them said how scary it was overtaking a cyclist. Possibly as a result of which they were petrified of riding on the road, had the hardest time trying to explain to them why cutting onto the pavement at every opportunity was actually more dangerous...
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I've definitely gone through the "pavement, or at least hugging it, is safest" phase previously. I realise how bad an idea it is now but trying to explain it to others is surprisingly hard.
 
Russinating said:
Came off today! First time in about 4 years. Car pulled out in front of me at a double mini roundabout and then slammed on their brakes for a zebra crossing. Slammed on my brakes but no chance so accepted my fate and did the best I could to avoid most of it. I was only going maybe about 10-15mph when I hit it, smashed her rear passenger side light housing in pretty bad and I went flying and landed by the front wheel.

Grazed arm and a cut finger, wheel buckled slightly in the quick release (but wheel not damaged fortunately) and handlebars twisted off angle.

Stupid **** got out, exchanged a few angry words whilst a nice pedestrian was helping me and my bike up and then she basically drove off. Didn't apologies and didn't have chance to catch her plate either.

First time in all my cycling I wish I had a helmet cam!
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Although I'm glad you're ok you can't lay all the blame on the car, what was she meant to do ignore the person using the crossing? I'd be grateful you got off realtivley unscathed.

My crash was only 2 mph faster and look how I ended up :eek:
 
FrenchTart said:
I've definitely gone through the "pavement, or at least hugging it, is safest" phase previously. I realise how bad an idea it is now but trying to explain it to others is surprisingly hard.
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I know. I mean, i suppose it's a natural consequence of riding frequently, and you can't really expect or want people that aren't confident on the road to be there all the time. But all that highlights to me is the lack of cycle education in this country. Sure there's cycling proficiency classes in primary school that teach you how to indicate, but a lot of the time when a rider is first starting out they're not going to have much of a clue what they're doing.

With a car or motorbike you go through weeks or months of lessons and tests, but when you step out of the house for the first time on your bike it really is just you and your intuition. Even if you have driving experience, you're still probably going to make mistakes and do dangerous things. Because the only real way to learn correct procedure on a bicycle is to see others doing it, delve insanely deep into cycling communities, or to learn from your own mistakes. We should definitely have systems in place for more and easier education for both cyclists and motorists on the topic of cycling, whether it be weekend courses or government sponsored youtube videos/PSAs on topics like safety, right to the road, roundabouts, lane changing, when and how to overtake/let yourself be overtaken and the highway code in general.
 
I did it, although i think they changed the name that year. It was just very basic stuff like, as i say, indicating, and we didn't go onto the roads at all. Just chalk "roads" in the school yard. I think it was an optional after school thing.
 
So my first foray into Chinese shopping hasn't got off to the best of starts. Paid extra for DHL shipping as anything that doesn't track properly in Dubai has a 50/50 chance of never reaching the main sorting office. Had an email Friday saying the items had been shipped, and got a tracking number for China Air Mail...

Not impressed, and what happened to the extra money i paid for the DHL shipping is a highly pertanent question currently. :rolleyes:
 
[DOD]Asprilla;26726255 said:
I tend to pump mine up to about 100 once a week so I have no idea what they average out at.

Just went to change my cleats and noticed that I'd completely worn away pard if the carbon sole on my shoes. I'm going to be riding the 100 in brand new shoes. What could possibly go wrong?
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So meet you at the starting line hopefully? I'll be wearing this...

FnK2bWDl.jpg


Unless it's chucking it down, in which case it'll be under a jacket. Deciding how to dress tomorrow will be difficult!
 
Hi all we ordered my wife's cycle from planet x and it was delivered last Saturday and my wife has been on it twice the first time the chain kept coming and the second time she went out on it, it has done this in the picture.

e02cc691-b6c3-447f-b603-5f32fc75d343_zps1972cd56.jpg


The derailleur has jammed up against the cassette and will not come back down! At first i thought the b tension screw needed adjusting but that does nothing.
Any thoughts on what the problem is chaps? looks to me like there is not enough chain!
 
FrenchTart said:
I've definitely gone through the "pavement, or at least hugging it, is safest" phase previously. I realise how bad an idea it is now but trying to explain it to others is surprisingly hard.
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yea people leave you as little room as you let them.
the hugging the pavement is crazy you need to at least be far enough across that you won't be riding over drains and I've seen a few with the slits parallel to the kerb, I can only imagine the front wheel getting stuck and the rider flying over the bars
 
burtie said:
Hi all we ordered my wife's cycle from planet x and it was delivered last Saturday and my wife has been on it twice the first time the chain kept coming and the second time she went out on it, it has done this in the picture.

e02cc691-b6c3-447f-b603-5f32fc75d343_zps1972cd56.jpg


The derailleur has jammed up against the cassette and will not come back down! At first i thought the b tension screw needed adjusting but that does nothing.
Any thoughts on what the problem is chaps? looks to me like there is not enough chain!
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Sure looks like the chain is too short, is it cross-chained at the mo?

to release the chain I'd try to roll the chain onto a smaller chainring, or off the bottom if needed
 
Shamrock said:
So meet you at the starting line hopefully? I'll be wearing this...

FnK2bWDl.jpg


Unless it's chucking it down, in which case it'll be under a jacket. Deciding how to dress tomorrow will be difficult!
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I've changed my mind so many times.

I even considered my Gabba. Taking my race cape but I think I'll be wearing my Gabba Fawesome gillet if it's terrible. What bike are you riding?

I'll be on the Cervelo with a couple of bottles behind the saddle.
 
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