Annoying things other cyclists do

[oyster]

Of course the list is endless, but at least it's not me having a whinge about lorry drivers this time.

- Not changing gear when stopping at red lights and then getting in my way as I try and accelerate away from the lights.

- Indicating by way of pointing at the ground some where near your rear wheel (especially road bikes for some reason - too much drag to hold your arm straight out?!)

- Nailing it on the straight bits and then going at snails pace round corners and junctions, even in the dry.

- Claiming you can ride from A to B in 10 minutes when there's at least 10 minutes spend stuck at traffic lights or junctions.

- Riding the same route day after day and still not knowing the sequence of traffic lights.

- Going past the stop lines at red lights so far that you can't even see the lights when they go green. I always overtake you because I can actually see when the lights change. (this one I find particularly idiotic)

- Going out for a training ride and using drafting - what's the point of this? It's like swim training with fins on. Isn't traing about trying to improve yourself?

- Wearing TdF team colours on the commute to Blackfriars. Especially so when you get passed by the Boris bike by the guy in a suit.

[oyster]

paulrockliffe said:

oyster said:

- Going past the stop lines at red lights so far that you can't even see the lights when they go green. I always overtake you because I can actually see when the lights change. (this one I find particularly idiotic)

What happens here is that the council couldn't afford to put the repeater in. The cyclist is concentrating on whether he'll need to unclip, how far forward he needs to be to see when the other lights go red and what gear he needs to be in, so that when the lights change he can get up to speed before the traffic gets to him.

He stops and realises there's no repeater and is very sorry. You could rev your engine and delay releasing the clutch a fraction to give him fair warning rather than trying to squash him into the traffic bollards.

We do learn where the council's have been lazy and modify our behaviour to suit, but sometimes it takes us by surprise. Sorry about that.

You know, if you weren't all in your cars getting fat, there wouldn't be too much need for traffic lights

Errrr.
Did you read the thread title? I am a cyclist!

Where's that parrot smilie?!

[oyster]

paulrockliffe said:

ShampooEfficient said:

itsnotarace said:

walm said:

What on earth is a "repeater"?

One of those small traffic lights underneath the main lights. At cyclist height

the one half way up the post here:

I have never seen one of those in my life.

I assumed he meant another set of lights on the other side of the junction.

I did, they're at 95% of traffic light junctions in Manchester, so you usually expect there to be one. Because the repeaters are there it doesn't matter that the white line is inline with the main set of traffic lights. Except where they haven't put the repeaters in and the stop line is still too far forward. There are junctions where you can't see any lights from a car if you stop at the line and you have to really crane your neck on a bike. And that catches drivers out too, not just cyclists.

The rest of the rant, I see your point of view, but respectfully disagree. It's a philosophical disagreement that I don't have time for today, but if you want to continue it, either others will be along, or your could just read any of the other similar threads that pop up every week. At the end of the day I'm always going to position myself so that I'm across the junction as quickly as possible because it significantly reduces the chances of someone turning left and taking me off. My safety is more important to me than your convenience. Sorry.

Are you deliberately assuming anyone who disagrees with you on this thread is not a cyclist?

Did you not read my thread? When you stop so far past the stop line then you will not get across the junction faster than someone who stops on the line because they will see the light go green and accelerate away.
In fact the only way you know when you're on green is when bikes/cars etc start to overtake you, which surely puts you at more risk?

[oyster]

XitUp said:

Raoul Duke said:

Another hater of those that discard gel wrappers in the hedges, you lazy bds put it back in your jersey pocket.
The other thing that i dont get is roadies who are clearly experienced, and often much quicker than myself that wont wear helmets. I know that there are arguments for and against helmets - you'd rather be finished quickly than paralysed from the waist down etc etc. But there are too many gormless car drivers out there, watching their sat nav rather than the road, who'd knock you off at a slow speed where you may otherwise dust yourself down and walk away from for me to want to take the risk. It seems that unless i'm missing something they think it also makes them more "hard core"?! Ah well each to their own.

Find me a study that shows wearing a helmet reduces the chance of getting hit and injured. All the ones I've seen say otherwise.

If that was the case why do all events involving bikes require a helmet to be worn? Are you seriously suggesting the Tour de France is putting riders at risk? Deliberately?