Some cyclists don't help themselves, do they!

[E65Ross]

As you know, I'm a cyclist, and this is not an anti-cyclist bashing....but driving into work this morning, I left home at 0715, so it was still very dark....cyclist, on the road, no helmet, no rear or front light. They also went through a couple of red lights.

The no-lights issue (and no helmet) is just really, really asking for trouble. I can't believe some people! I run an Exposure Blaze rear light, as well as a Moon LX70 as I like to be very visible....front light is an Exposure Race...I appreciate people don't want to spend that sort of money, but at least get SOME lighting FFS!

Rant over.

[964Cup]

I keep having to restrain myself from telling them off as I cycle past them. I particularly liked the chap in dark clothing, with headphones in, with no lights or helmet, on a fixie skidder at about 22:00 in dark suburban streets. Darwin award candidate, I felt.

I'm not a Nightvision and seventeen lights merchant, but I do fit dynamo lights (E3 Pure front and rear, driven off a Son Deluxe) from the 1st of October. I like not having to think about it day or night.

[LordHaveMurci]

964Cup said:

I keep having to restrain myself from telling them off as I cycle past them. I particularly liked the chap in dark clothing, with headphones in, with no lights or helmet, on a fixie skidder at about 22:00 in dark suburban streets.

Have been known to wind the window down & yell at them before, pointless though. Main beamed some kids on BMX's with no lights the other day, cycling right at me on the road, 2 up, the rather charming young female sat on the bars flicked me the V's & screamed words my 13yr old lad shouldn't have heard.

[ian996]

964Cup said:

I keep having to restrain myself from telling them off as I cycle past them. I particularly liked the chap in dark clothing, with headphones in, with no lights or helmet, on a fixie skidder at about 22:00 in dark suburban streets. Darwin award candidate, I felt.

Yeah - I think there is sometimes a degree of confusion over being able to see where you are going and being visible....."I can see you, so you must be able to see me."

Either that, or they are so certain that car drivers are out to get them, that they feel being invisible is the safer option.

[heebeegeetee]

Funnily enough I was thinking much the same about most pedestrians I saw this morning...

[Andy JB]

I think we are confusing bicycle users with cyclists - two different animals. Yes this behaviour is very frustrating which tars us all with the same brush and gives us a bad name!

Similarly we are all 'car drivers' but as we know some are considerate, take pride in their driving, maintain them & enjoy them but not all are enthusiasts. Dare i suggest we are also grouped with 'drivers' who are the antithesis of this with poorly maintained cars, drive permanently attached to a mobile, with minimum attention, and little or no regard for anyone else on the road.

I'm not sure shouting at them makes any difference as they won't hear & this will only cause more friction, they probably will pay attention once they are in casualty.

[Europa1]

E65Ross said:

As you know, I'm a cyclist, and this is not an anti-cyclist bashing....but driving into work this morning, I left home at 0715, so it was still very dark....cyclist, on the road, no helmet, no rear or front light. They also went through a couple of red lights.

The no-lights issue (and no helmet) is just really, really asking for trouble. I can't believe some people! I run an Exposure Blaze rear light, as well as a Moon LX70 as I like to be very visible....front light is an Exposure Race...I appreciate people don't want to spend that sort of money, but at least get SOME lighting FFS!

Rant over.

Don't ever come to Cambridge. You'll be overcome by apoplectic rage.

[louiebaby]

When I lived near Brixton, spotting a "full Ninja" was a black person, on a black bike, in black clothing, with no lights or helmet, wearing headphones.

I didn't see many, but that's probably because Ninja's have years of training.

[Agent XXX]

louiebaby said:

When I lived near Brixton, spotting a "full Ninja" was a black person, on a black bike, in black clothing, with no lights or helmet, wearing headphones.

I didn't see many, but that's probably because Ninja's have years of training.

I looked up the word 'ninja' in an online dictionary. Came back as 'Ninja could not be found'...................Good work ninja. Good work.

[55palfers]

No, they don't do they.

"A wealthy investment banker has been fined almost £2,500 after leading police on a 20-minute chase through London after cutting up a patrol car with his bicycle."

French, cyclist, banker - Full house.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3874468/In...

[tuffer]

I use lights all year, day and night.

[Big Rod]

tuffer said:

I use lights all year, day and night.

Me too.

[Dannbodge]

Big Rod said:

Me too.

Snap

[troc]

tuffer said:

I use lights all year, day and night.

Ditto. Dynamo and no off switch.

[MadDad]

Andy JB said:

I think we are confusing bicycle users with cyclists - two different animals. Yes this behaviour is very frustrating which tars us all with the same brush and gives us a bad name!

Similarly we are all 'car drivers' but as we know some are considerate, take pride in their driving, maintain them & enjoy them but not all are enthusiasts.

^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^

I get totally pi@@ed off with the frequent 'I got stuck behind one of your lot', or ' one of your lot ran a red light', or 'your lot should be more careful' from family, friends, and work colleagues (your lot being any member of the human race who decides to ride a bike of any shape, size, quality or description).....

Lets get one thing straight then park the whole 'all cyclists are tree hugging, inconsiderate wan@ers who don't follow the rule of the roads' - if you put an idiot on a bike they are an idiot on a bike - an idiot in a car is an idiot in a car - an idiot is an idiot regardless of their chosen mode of transport, lets just accept that the world has a high proportion of idiots who use the roads! They might be recognised by the masses as 'a cyclist', 'a motorist', 'a trucker' etc etc etc - but really they are just an idiot and can usually be recognised by their utter lack of respect for everyone else with whom they share the planet, and a blatant (but not self recognised) lack of respect for their own safety!

[anonymous-user]

When I was a lad, police would have pulled you over to be 'educated'.
Shame there are none about anymore.

[Robertj21a]

troc said:

Ditto. Dynamo and no off switch.

As a car driver I just wish more cyclists used lights. I don't want to injure anybody, and I try very hard to drive carefully, but a cyclist with no lights, in the dark, is simply stupid.

[yellowjack]

I stopped beside one of these 'Ninjas' at a roundabout recently. Buzzed down the window to tell him he had no rear light showing. All I got from him in response was a raised middle finger and a "fk you". I'd genuinely thought he might have had a light but it was switched off, or had run low on juice, but as I pulled away from him, it was clear that he had no front light either. Then I realised that he'd got no reflectors that I could see either. In hindsight I'm probably lucky he didn't give my door a kick, given his contemptible attitude to the law and more importantly his own safety.

I'm not saying I'm perfect. I've been out before when a rear lamp clipped to a pocket or saddle bag has dropped off and gotten lost, or when a rechargeable lamp has died and I've not noticed, to switch on the spare/back-up light. But even just a couple of 'slap-wraps' or velcro wrist/ankle bands would be a start for these twonks. It could be the difference between getting seen or getting squashed, FFS!

[Batfink]

Best one I've seen is someone riding along with only one light. A red light strapped to his chest, shining forward.

London at night is pretty terrible and so is coventry. There are a lot of riders who seem to be unaware of their own mortality. Red lights jumpers, wrong way down one way streets, no lights etc. Certainly on some of the big junctions in London I'm surprised more are not seriously injured. I can only assume most drivers are pretty switched on to avoid them daily.

[Kell]

As a cyclist, I pride myself on looking out for cyclists when I'm in the car, but recently I'd picked up my daughter after school and was driving home when this guy on a bike cycled across the road in front of me. It was dusk but not fully dark, but as he was dressed in greys and blacks, had no reflectors or lights on his bike and was invisible until I was about 10ft away and had to slam the brakes on.

There was no turning or any reason why he should have appeared on the road in front of me, but he then hopped onto the pavement out of the way. I genuinely can't believe the mentality of people that ride at night with no lights.