Cycle RAGE!!!!!
- Thread starter Tek81
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hahaYes, but the guy on the bike wasn't her husband
It's almost as if the cycle lanes aren't fit for purpose
These ones are. They are in better condition than the roads.
Not sorted a dashcam yet for my latest vehicle - I've been thinking about it.
Not so much the roads are packed but these days way more fast drivers, way more drivers with poor ability*, way more HGVs and especially a lot more big vehicles with the rise in popularity of SUVs and pickups in the last few years which leaves less room for cyclists - the reality is the roads are a lot more hostile for cycling and their presence causes more disruption on many major routes.
* I think modern life and demands of work is forcing a lot more people to drive who wouldn't choose to - increasing numbers of people who drive everywhere at 40mph, etc.
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Practically every cycle path and road side in the entire UK is fine for cycling, even going over drain covers is absolutely fine - if you ride a mountain bike or something with some decent width tyres.
The problem is you've got guys on bikes that are the equivalent of delicate sports cars not wanting to go over the slightest bump, so they take the prime part of the road, at least two feet from the kerb, causing even more dangerous overtakes by cars.
I was on a cycling holiday recently and saw numerous racer bike riders ignoring massive width cycle paths to go on the road instead as the cycle path had a slight bit of gravel on it. This was on thin country roads with low visibility and plenty of hedge row turns. Maybe doing 22-25mph, but still holding up traffic and clearly infuriating drivers putting themselves and everyone else on the road at risk.
Unfortunately the guy who kicked your wing mirror is one of those selfish types of rider. I'm on a mountain bike every day riding London roads, never wear lycra, never doing anything unsafe, try show as much respect to motorists and I ride close to the kerb or a cycle path whenever possible.
I'm sorry you encountered this kind of rider that gives us all a bad name, believe me I see bad cycling every day, usually on guys in lycra riding expensive and delicate sports bikes on roads entirely not suited to them.
The problem is you've got guys on bikes that are the equivalent of delicate sports cars not wanting to go over the slightest bump, so they take the prime part of the road, at least two feet from the kerb, causing even more dangerous overtakes by cars.
I was on a cycling holiday recently and saw numerous racer bike riders ignoring massive width cycle paths to go on the road instead as the cycle path had a slight bit of gravel on it. This was on thin country roads with low visibility and plenty of hedge row turns. Maybe doing 22-25mph, but still holding up traffic and clearly infuriating drivers putting themselves and everyone else on the road at risk.
Unfortunately the guy who kicked your wing mirror is one of those selfish types of rider. I'm on a mountain bike every day riding London roads, never wear lycra, never doing anything unsafe, try show as much respect to motorists and I ride close to the kerb or a cycle path whenever possible.
I'm sorry you encountered this kind of rider that gives us all a bad name, believe me I see bad cycling every day, usually on guys in lycra riding expensive and delicate sports bikes on roads entirely not suited to them.
Caporegime
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Sums it up well.
Soldato
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What happened to sharing the road? If we take mr pc777 post as an example, you get rid of these horrible racing bikes which hold people up 
But then there’s those horrid tractors once we’ve got rid of them, there’s those horrid lorry’s which hold everyone up
where does it end ?
Here’s an idea why not just try to be courteous to other road users? Not just cyclists but merge in turn, let people out of junctions you know just generally don’t be that knob on the road. Things go wrong pretty quickly not the road, I think it’s fair to say nobody wants a serious accident on their conscious.
But then there’s those horrid tractors once we’ve got rid of them, there’s those horrid lorry’s which hold everyone up where does it end ?Here’s an idea why not just try to be courteous to other road users? Not just cyclists but merge in turn, let people out of junctions you know just generally don’t be that knob on the road. Things go wrong pretty quickly not the road, I think it’s fair to say nobody wants a serious accident on their conscious.
Perhaps roads are getting too busy to share with selfish private car drivers making unnecessary car journeys and taking driving two abreast (generally single person car journeys, no passengers). I ride a lot in London where it will be common to overtake hundreds of cars in minutes... now who is slowing down the roads - the cyclists or the car drivers?
How many parents drive their kids less than 1 mile to school in a huge 4x4? Far too many. It's ridiculous.
Cycle lanes almost definitely not fit for purpose. Most are shared use and have driveways / junctions every 5 seconds. Chances are drivers coming out of driveways and junctions will not look so you end up having to cycle along at 10mph just in case. Also there's further challenges - avoiding the pedestrians, dogs not on leads, on retractable leads, glass, debris, and then... BAM the cycle lane just suddenly finishes after 20 yards but the council don't care. They've ticked the "Cycle provision" box!
Check the cycle lanes in Central London. Segregated from traffic, check how many cyclists use those. Thousands a day, because they're good.
I'm curious. How did you define yourself as a cyclist? How often do you cycle?
Some of them aren't fit for cars let alone bicycles.
This is advisable, because idiotic drivers will come along and give you zero room. Then you at least have a bit of breathing room to move left. Why should it matter even if you're in the centre of the road? Drivers are supposed to give at least 1.5m of space.
Thin country roads with a wide cycle path? Hmm.
Where are the mountains in London? Do you also drive a huge SUV round London?
It is about adapting to the conditions - there might not be mountains in London but the roads generally aren't in amazing condition.
That is as maybe but it doesn't change the reality that increasingly a lot of roads just aren't a good place for a cyclist to be. My perspective is more rural with smaller towns and villages - when in London I rarely drive other than getting in and out.
Basically cars are harder than people so if the two of them collide then the cyclist is going to come off much worse. For this reason only the cyclists need to be more careful and give more respect to cars by ensuring that they do not cause drivers to make unnecessary or dangerous overtakes due to cyclists holding up traffic on busy roads.
Thats just the way it is and its these basics that get riders killed every year. I personally think that its madness to travel some main roads at the speeds of 30mph wearing the sports cyclist gear that they enthusiast cyclists wear as if they are in some sort of world record attempt.
Actively putting yourself in harms way to such an extent is only going to end badly.
Thats just the way it is and its these basics that get riders killed every year. I personally think that its madness to travel some main roads at the speeds of 30mph wearing the sports cyclist gear that they enthusiast cyclists wear as if they are in some sort of world record attempt.
Actively putting yourself in harms way to such an extent is only going to end badly.
Wearing normal clothes at 30 wouldn't be much help either. Are you suggesting motorbike gears on a push bike? Even a bike helmet won't save your brain at 30mph.
However I suggest wearing highly visible Clothing and properly angled lights.
Over the years of commuting i find you will be asking for trouble if you ride passively, not saying you should take a huge chunk of the road or ride dangerously. But try to show your intent when turning or take position early etc.
Everyone is trying to get to a to b as quickly as possible nowadays and forget that the travel Inbetween is much more important than 2 min early to your destination.
In this particular case it looks like the cyclist was harder than the car, the car came off worse and to make matters even worse the car couldn't even catch the cyclist. (Probably because of other car drivers in the way!)
Not really the thread for it but this - I regularly encounter the same two cyclists on my way to work that I'm amazed are still alive - one has no lights, not high viz, etc. and I've seen them nearly run down before in the gloom under the same overhanging trees late in the day and the other is the complete opposite but has a strobing front light that is angled straight at driver eye level and when you come around a corner and confronted by it it just dazzles you and delays reaction - amazingly still going around the same narrow bend at speed despite several near misses and dismounts to avoid collision but I guess they just blame the car driver and won't take onboard the need to adjust their approach. (I'm actually stunned this one is still alive).
I've been driving this lately and not just for LOLs and to be honest it has been souring my perception of cyclists considerably for some reason compared to driving a smaller vehicle and some of the replies in this thread certainly aren't helping to change that.
Too many cyclists that seem too obstinate to understand the conditions around them and adapt to what works best for both themselves and other road users. I understand the desire and even need to impose their presence on the road especially with so many heedless drivers but not infrequently I need their cooperation to be able to safely pass them and far less do that than do.
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Yea I think that is part of the problem. It's not that cycle lanes aren't fit for purpose, it's that the cycles they are using aren't.
There is a reason no sane person uses a car set up for a track on the road, same principal.
I own one old bike and it's a mountain bike. It's comfortable and I can literally bike over anything in it. It's never had a puncture or buckled wheel. I don't see the issue.
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no need to split hairs. Generally speaking the cyclist is going to come off worse.
Not that I do much if any cycling these days but I own a Carrera Kraken (not by choice) and wouldn't ride on the roads with anything less wheels wise - used to have a racing bike years back that I rode to work and came off worse with a wet curb - divider between road and work drive not pavement, which wasn't even that tall, once and stopped cycling after that.
I use my bike more than my car and cycle every day.
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