Foot danglers!!
Discussion
It's probably just me, but I find it strangely irritating when a biker, or more usually a scooterist, dangles their foot whilst riding along. Picturing it now is giving me that base and rather unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach that I need to keep buried.
They tend to pull away from the lights or junction and then just leave their f
king foot hanging there like a useless piece of meat. Are they so lacking in confidence that they dare not lift their foot whilst riding slowly? Are they just trying to air their toes? Are they just s? Or does it look cool and I need to try to appreciate their stylistic nuances?
They tend to pull away from the lights or junction and then just leave their f
king foot hanging there like a useless piece of meat. Are they so lacking in confidence that they dare not lift their foot whilst riding slowly? Are they just trying to air their toes? Are they just s? Or does it look cool and I need to try to appreciate their stylistic nuances?I quite often even drag the sole of my left along the road for a bit when I'm pulling away from the lights.
2 main reasons:
1) If I'm just going from red light to red light, it's less effort than putting it up and back down again.
2) I used to do it on my bike as a kid and always liked the feeling of it.
2 main reasons:
1) If I'm just going from red light to red light, it's less effort than putting it up and back down again.
2) I used to do it on my bike as a kid and always liked the feeling of it.
Edited by Disastrous on Monday 30th November 11:06
It's a sign of riding incompetance. If your foot isn't on the peg 2 seconds after you start moving, hand in your man card and get the fking bus!!
Wibbly wobbling along with appendages dangling!!! Shameful!
As for being a comfort, it actually destabilises you more!! It's why Scotterists are a lower order of Humanity than ISIS (no exceptions) and Australians (one or two exceptions) and should be strangled at birth, or at anytime in following 90 years.
king bus!! Wibbly wobbling along with appendages dangling!!! Shameful!
As for being a comfort, it actually destabilises you more!! It's why Scotterists are a lower order of Humanity than ISIS (no exceptions) and Australians (one or two exceptions) and should be strangled at birth, or at anytime in following 90 years.
I was once told that if you don’t have both feet on the pegs then you are not in control of your bike. While a little extreme, there is a fair degree of truth in that. (Try making a quick change of direction with your feet off the pegs!) It also makes gear changing and braking less smooth/controlled.
Like you I don’t like it but if others want to ride that way then that’s up to them.
Like you I don’t like it but if others want to ride that way then that’s up to them.
I only dangle when I'm backing it in and dropping 3 gears ready to get my knee down on the one clear stretch of the North Circular every morning.
Joking aside I do dangle sometimes while filtering or leaving the lights. Not even sure why I do it as I'm more than confident to crawl along at low speeds. Think it's just a bad habit I've picked up.
ETA: sometimes I dangle my foot because it sits right in front of the underbelly 'zorst. So if I'm freezing my toes off it's a great way to thaw them out.
Joking aside I do dangle sometimes while filtering or leaving the lights. Not even sure why I do it as I'm more than confident to crawl along at low speeds. Think it's just a bad habit I've picked up.
ETA: sometimes I dangle my foot because it sits right in front of the underbelly 'zorst. So if I'm freezing my toes off it's a great way to thaw them out.
Edited by lindrup119 on Monday 30th November 12:48
No, you are definitely not the only person to get annoyed by the foot danglers. For me the habit first came to notice when despatch riding became all the rage in London in the late 70s. I have images in my mind of Mercury Despatch riders taking off from the lights on their Suzuki GT250s and dangling their left foot all the way through first gear, only to reluctantly bring it up to the peg to change into second.
We have five points of contact with a bike and not having a foot on the peg reduces the ability to control the machine. Anyone who does this when moving off needs a slap.
We have five points of contact with a bike and not having a foot on the peg reduces the ability to control the machine. Anyone who does this when moving off needs a slap.
xpc316e said:
No, you are definitely not the only person to get annoyed by the foot danglers. For me the habit first came to notice when despatch riding became all the rage in London in the late 70s. I have images in my mind of Mercury Despatch riders taking off from the lights on their Suzuki GT250s and dangling their left foot all the way through first gear, only to reluctantly bring it up to the peg to change into second.
We have five points of contact with a bike and not having a foot on the peg reduces the ability to control the machine. Anyone who does this when moving off needs a slap.
I only dangle with the right but I get your point.We have five points of contact with a bike and not having a foot on the peg reduces the ability to control the machine. Anyone who does this when moving off needs a slap.
I know this topic has also been done to death fairly comprehensively but what foot do most people put down? I'm always resting on my right unless it's a hill start.
I remember sat in the briefing room at the Niall Mackenzie bike school. Niall asked if there was anymore questions, a arm goes up and "I see Rossi and others dangling their leg, should I do this".
I swear to God it was like watching The Office, I hid behind my hands and slumped in my seat.
I swear to God it was like watching The Office, I hid behind my hands and slumped in my seat.
I've recently noticed a number of 'L'-plate riders scooting themselves up to junctions by pushing the bike along with their feet like a toddler on one of those bicycles with no pedals. These, coupled with the nervous looking foot draggers and my own experience of taking up riding with a CBT, convinces me of the following;
The CBT must be done away with and some actual rider training and assessment should be required before the rider can ride any two or three wheeled vehicle with an engine on the road.
I felt so woefully underprepared to ride a bike after my CBT and I was amazed that it was legal to ride a bike with so little preparation.
The CBT must be done away with and some actual rider training and assessment should be required before the rider can ride any two or three wheeled vehicle with an engine on the road.
I felt so woefully underprepared to ride a bike after my CBT and I was amazed that it was legal to ride a bike with so little preparation.
HustleRussell said:
The CBT must be done away with and some actual rider training and assessment should be required before the rider can ride any two or three wheeled vehicle with an engine on the road.
I felt so woefully underprepared to ride a bike after my CBT and I was amazed that it was legal to ride a bike with so little preparation.
I don't think you even need to do a CBT for the three wheeled scooters...a recipe for disaster.I felt so woefully underprepared to ride a bike after my CBT and I was amazed that it was legal to ride a bike with so little preparation.
moanthebairns said:
I remember sat in the briefing room at the Niall Mackenzie bike school. Niall asked if there was anymore questions, a arm goes up and "I see Rossi and others dangling their leg, should I do this".
I swear to God it was like watching The Office, I hid behind my hands and slumped in my seat.
Cheers for that I just laughed so hard I snorted & spat my cuppa tea all over my desk I swear to God it was like watching The Office, I hid behind my hands and slumped in my seat.
xpc316e said:
We have five points of contact with a bike and not having a foot on the peg reduces the ability to control the machine. Anyone who does this when moving off needs a slap.
I've never really felt the need for 5 points of contact with the bike, just to roll 100 yards in a straight line to another set of traffic lights. Each to their own though - you should definitely do what you need to in order to feel safe and in control.Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff