Things I've seen when riding my bike

[brumbrew]

Plenty of a-holes as put, the idestructable ones will only be the 'hardest' person in the graveyard.

I'm guilty of 'commanding' road space at junctions etc. By cycling in The middle of the lane.

Biggest problem here is that dedicated cycle lanes are blocked by poorly parked cars, or filled with glass and left over car accident.

Punctures galore!

 

[terrym]

That's awfully pessimistic. Thing people forget is that cycling and getting heart healthy saves an awful lot of lives each year. Too many avoidable cyclists deaths for sure [and even as a cyclist I'll admit they're ofetn at least partly rider fault, passing vehicles on the left is a big problem, especially where inexperienced riders are concerned], but the way to fix that isn't to just stop cycling and give up the roads.

Pessimistic, maybe but true.
The healthiest heart, the strongest legs etc, do not affect your vulnerability on our roads as a cyclist.
As to the debate about giving up, that's entirely personal. I made my decision about my cycling risk about twenty five years ago when an RAC van (no doubt on a really really urgent call out to a stranded motorist) nearly hit me.
And for me gardening is infinitely more safe than wobbling two abreast down a busy narrow A road on a Saturday afternoon.

 

[Dutto]

................

Biggest problem here is that dedicated cycle lanes are blocked by poorly parked cars, or filled with glass and left over car accident.

Punctures galore!

The French have a lovely way of requesting people not to park in their cycle lanes ...

... the cyclists just gouge the side of the vehicle with a screwdriver as they ride past! :thumb: :thumb:

 

[dad_of_jon]

With cycles the thing i found uncomfortable was the saddle not my clothes, give me one of these -

Over one of these any day -

Or even better -

ahh,

the harley davidson of pushbikes a nice easy rider style.

I had a claud butler windemere 2008 then swapped it for this....

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/apollo-belmont-mens-hybrid-bike

which was a bad mistake

 

[ElChemist]

us Mountain Bikers never wear lycra and usually go out of our way to be
as scruffy as possible.
I'm lucky in that I'm in the countryside and have watership down on my
doorstep, so don't come into contact with many cars. Although dogs/squirrels seem to have a magnetic attraction to my front
wheel (although haven't run a dog over yet).
BG

I wear lycra undershorts with those lovely gel inserts because monkeybutt is a real thing and I mostly ride a hardtail...

I do find it amusing reading about the adventures of the Lycraists. Most car bods found it advantageous to get out of my way. While cycling in London, specifically the Elephant and Castle/Old Kent/New Cross/Lewisham area I got seriously pissed off with constantly being cut up and knocked off by morons who wanted that extra 10 feet of forward motion so badly that I must have had upwards of 2-300 confrontations.

I got knocked off and hospitalised by some idiot on a recumbant who was checking his phone while doing 30 down Brockley Hill one crisp January morning... I suffered a broken collarbone due to the actions of a BMW 7 series driver trying to impress a girl on the pavement (wonder how expensive his replacement heated electric door mirror was?) and last but certainly not least I ended up with a pin and a plate in my right arm when I was driven over by an Audi RS4 Avant who was so oblivious to the collision due to the extremely loud music and girl he was finger banging that he didnt even stop... Luckily a bystander got the plate and I sued him for damages as well as him getting done by the cops.

I could understand it if I was a 5'6" normal person, but I'm a 20 stone 6'2" former prop forward with legs like tree trunks and a dayglo green Fox helmet and highvis tshirts... I might as well ride round with a siren blasting constantly...

 

[Cwrw666]

If that is the case and you are racing I can understand why you would wear it, if you are a fifty year old lard arse what is the point.

Peddling round town - not much point - but if you live and cycle outside of town then the main joy of cycling is whizzing along in the countryside under your own steam. In streamlined clothing you whiz along. In ordinary clothes you slog along. It has nothing to do with racing.

ps. Personal best - 52mph on the B4329 dropping down from the top of the Preseli hills.

 

[pms67]

Not much chance of this guy getting run over.

Even if he did,chance of survival rate would be quite high i image

 

[IainM]

Even if he did,chance of survival rate would be quite high i image

I'd feel sorry for the car. :lol:

 

[Halfacrem]

One Winter, during one of my once-a-decade resolutions to get fit, I decided to cycle the equivalent distance of the 2012 Tour de France, on a Mountain Bike attached to a Turbo trainer set up in my Garage (no hills, so not exactly a direct simulation, granted :) ). I dubbed it, Le Tour de Farce.

I purchased a pair of lycra cycling shorts with a padded arse, and one of those trip computer things to attach to my handle bars and started slogging away with only Spotify to keep me Company. For the first few weeks I struggled, but it was amazing how quickly the legs and cardio got into shape and I went from struggling to get through 20 minutes, to reeling off an hour or so of reasonably high cadence (relatively), interspersed with some full on sprinting. For hard core enthusiasts, my 20 odd miles a day, 4 days a week, might be insignificant, but I was feeling the burn!

I never got to the end of my goal though. Mainly because, attached to a Turbo trainer, I had no benefit from suspension and bits of me started going, well, a bit numb.. Sometimes they'd stay numb for 5 minutes after I'd detached myself, all red faced, sweaty and feeling good about myself. I was concerned I might be damaging parts of myself...

Must get back into it, but not for prolonged periods..

 

[Cwrw666]

I never got to the end of my goal though. Mainly because, attached to a Turbo trainer, I had no benefit from suspension and bits of me started going, well, a bit numb.. Sometimes they'd stay numb for 5 minutes after I'd detached myself, all red faced, sweaty and feeling good about myself. I was concerned I might be damaging parts of myself...

Must get back into it, but not for prolonged periods..

That's basically why I quit cycling - although in my case it was because it gave me prostatitis which took several years to clear up.
I'd love to get cycling again but every time I sit on a saddle...
By the way I tried one of those fancy saddles that are meant to avoid this but just couldn't get on with it.

 

[terrym]

it gave me prostatitis

Nagging miserable affliction that is. No real help from the medics either. Pleased to hear you are now free of it.

 

[Robin54]

Nagging miserable affliction that is. No real help from the medics either. Pleased to hear you are now free of it.

Nasty affliction...hope you now feel better

 

[MyQul]

That's basically why I quit cycling - although in my case it was because it gave me prostatitis which took several years to clear up.
I'd love to get cycling again but every time I sit on a saddle...
By the way I tried one of those fancy saddles that are meant to avoid this but just couldn't get on with it.

Get a recumbent (like me ) No problems with your knackers/ prostate/ etc gettting squashed

 

[Chippy_Tea]

i meant to ask this earlier in the thread, why did you decide to buy a recumbent?

 

[MyQul]

I do find it amusing reading about the adventures of the Lycraists. Most car bods found it advantageous to get out of my way. While cycling in London, specifically the Elephant and Castle/Old Kent/New Cross/Lewisham...

Your crazy going round the Elephant round about on a bike :shock:. I've done it a couple of times and it's a totally hair raising experience. Cyclists regularly get knocked of there. Now they''ve rebuild it it's even worse as from what I've read the bike lane filters you into the path of traffic.
I go round the back streets. LOADS safer and adds maybe 5 mins onto your journey

 

[MyQul]

i meant to ask this earlier in the thread, why did you decide to buy a recumbent?

You can hire them in Dulwich park (which is just near me). I really liked it when I had a go so I bought one

 

[Chippy_Tea]

They look hard to ride, how long did it take to get used to the riding position?

I like this.

Electric Recumbent Bike

 

[brumbrew]

They look hard to ride, how long did it take to get used to the riding position?

I like this.

Electric Recumbent Bike

So do you ride it with your head stuck out the side?

 

[MyQul]

This. Lycra has no belts or straps or seams, nothing to pinch or scratch or rub. When you're sat cramped up for a long time all you care about is comfort. I'm sure everyone here will agree when I say that what's best in any situation, for any of us, is that it's what makes you comfortable and to hell with what other people might think. And when I say a long time, a typical Saturday or Sunday club run is 60-80 miles, try doing that in jogging bottoms and trainers, you'll soon know every stitch and seam by the way it rubs.

I think this must be for when you have a regular saddle rather than the seat I have on my recumbent. I just wear normal shorts (although I did buy them from a bike clothing shop as their made from extra durable fabric as I dont think normal fabrics would be up to the job, the amount my recumbent seat gets polished by my arse) and I can ride for hours in comfort

 

[MyQul]

They look hard to ride, how long did it take to get used to the riding position?

I like this.

Electric Recumbent Bike

That's a trike and I wouldn't ride anything that low in London traffic.

It took me about 20 mins to learn how to ride it, after that it's like anything - practice