That was close!

[kamilb1998]

Stuck in traffic coming into school this morning, I stopped alongside a left-hand-drive council pick-up thing which was stationary in a lay-by and as soon as the car in front of me started moving he, presumably having not seen me, started to pull back out into the traffic. I knocked on his window and got out quickly so he noticed me, thankfully no damage caused to anything. I was, however, left slightly shaken.

[Six Fiend]

Glad to hear you're okay young sir! (other than maybe needing a change of underwear)

[swifthobo]

were you in/on your Sinclair c5?

[kamilb1998]

swifthobo said:

were you in/on your Sinclair c5?

Yup.

[swifthobo]

kamilb1998 said:

Yup.

Glad your ok bud you need to get yourself a flag or something.

[kamilb1998]

swifthobo said:

kamilb1998 said:

Yup.

Glad your ok bud you need to get yourself a flag or something.

I am still trying to track down an original mast, but don't think that in this situation even a flag would have got me seen from a LHD truck.

[ROB2828]

How old do you have to be do drive a Sinclair C5 on the road?!? No licences required?

[V8Triumph]

Eeek be careful out there! The world was scary enough as a 16 year old on a 50cc'er when I used to use my little scooter everyday with idiots thinking they had the god given right to do frankly dangerous overtakes but I still enjoyed having transport.

[JQ]

ROB2828 said:

How old do you have to be do drive a Sinclair C5 on the road?!? No licences required?

14.

OP - you're absolutely mad for driving one of those in traffic. We had one many many many years ago which we just used on very quiet suburban roads. There's many reasons why the C5 failed as a concept, but one of the very important ones being that you are at a level on the ground that makes you invisible to anything big - buses, trucks, pick-ups.

There's a Sinclair C5 reflective visibility mast for sale on Ebay now - currently at 99p with £4 postage. Buy it and attached some flashing LED's to it.

[ROB2828]

JQ said:

14.

OP - you're absolutely mad for driving one of those in traffic. We had one many many many years ago which we just used on very quiet suburban roads. There's many reasons why the C5 failed as a concept, but one of the very important ones being that you are at a level on the ground that makes you invisible to anything big - buses, trucks, pick-ups.

There's a Sinclair C5 reflective visibility mast for sale on Ebay now - currently at 99p with £4 postage. Buy it and attached some flashing LED's to it.

Don't C5's come with a horn?!? As well as bidding on the item mentioned above i also recommend you bid on this too....

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270984792879

Good luck in the auction!!!

[kamilb1998]

The mast is currently at 99p but they always go for at least £40, and I'm rather skint at the moment. I've always gone by; if you can see the white lines, you can see a C5. Even having a mast/flag won't have helped in this case as it was a LHD truck.

[JQ]

kamilb1998 said:

The mast is currently at 99p but they always go for at least £40, and I'm rather skint at the moment. I've always gone by; if you can see the white lines, you can see a C5. Even having a mast/flag won't have helped in this case as it was a LHD truck.

I'm afraid there are plenty of dead cyclists who will prove that theory wrong. Having owned a C5 and driven for over 20 years, I am well aware that there is a small proportion of drivers on our roads to whom you will be invisible, whilst you may not have met one yet you will eventually. Get a flag and get covered in lights. I commute on a bicyle and I'm lit up like a Christmas Tree no matter what time of day it is.

Most reclining bicycles I've seen on the road have had a tall flag on them for exactly this reason.

[Chris71]

kamilb1998 said:

swifthobo said:

were you in/on your Sinclair c5?

Yup.

I thought that was some sort of private joke until I toke a nose at your profile, Kamil. Nice work! One of my teachers used to turn up at school on one occasionally (I hasten to add that was in the late '90s, not 1985...)

A flag might not be a bad idea. The somewhat eccentric folk you see pedaling along on recumbent bikes seem to use one normally.

[Cemesis]

kamilb1998 said:

The mast is currently at 99p but they always go for at least £40, and I'm rather skint at the moment. I've always gone by; if you can see the white lines, you can see a C5. Even having a mast/flag won't have helped in this case as it was a LHD truck.

I do find it odd that people put such a low value on safety.

Live on bread and rice for a week. Make a mast. Go read the thread about the biker who got hit by the truck and left his wife and unborn baby.

I'm not saying your mad for using a C5 on the road, but if there is any way of making it safer you should be doing it.

[TheHeretic]

Cemesis said:

I do find it odd that people put such a low value on safety.

Live on bread and rice for a week. Make a mast. Go read the thread about the biker who got hit by the truck and left his wife and unborn baby.

I'm not saying your mad for using a C5 on the road, but if there is any way of making it safer you should be doing it.

Just get a cheap whippy, and put a flag on it. No, it's not the original, but whilst you are waiting for the 40 quid to be saved, you'll be dragged 300 feet down the road, screaming your head off.