Annoying things other cyclists do

[paulrockliffe]

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.

[anonymous-user]

just a few...

I totally agree about the litter thing that really hacks me off, the number of gel wrappers in the countryside is a terrible indictment on cyclists. its no use taking a holier than thou "i am cycling in my leisure time so i am better than you" attitude if you throw crap all over the roadside...

roadies wearing mtb helmets with a peak on. at least take the peak off....

wearing team colours is fine providing its not the green/yellow/polka version but national kit or a rainbow jersey is a unacceptable unless you have earnt it. I know you see no difference between this and the fat bloke in the england football shirt but there just is.

lead riders who fail to call pot holes, parked cars or other such obstacles

cyclists who can not maintain a steady pace whilst in cycle lanes, speeding up, slowing down, speeding up....

then there is a whole load of really petty stuff like cyclists who have dust caps missing; cyclists who have one tyre a different colour to the other; cyclists who cant hold a line around a corner; cyclists ride around with a rear mech out of sync....

[Antony Moxey]

Cyclists not wearing helmets. Dunno why, perhaps it should be in the 'things that annoy you beyond reason' thread! Especially mountain bikers, the amount I see on the trails at Haldon Forest - with their kids helmetless too - astounds me, probably even more so since a friend of mine had a heavy fall there recently and took a fairly hefty blow to the head on a rock as well.

[Fer]

Magic919 said:

What are we meant to do with all the dead people?

Good question.

[madbadger]

pablo said:

just a few...

I totally agree about the litter thing that really hacks me off, the number of gel wrappers in the countryside is a terrible indictment on cyclists. its no use taking a holier than thou "i am cycling in my leisure time so i am better than you" attitude if you throw crap all over the roadside...

Completely agree.

pablo said:

roadies wearing mtb helmets with a peak on. at least take the peak off....

No.

I hate roadies who want 'multi skilled cyclists' to buy two sets of gear just to conform to some daft image.

I bet you don't like me wearing baggy MTB shorts and SPDs on the road bike either?

[walm]

paulrockliffe said:

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.

I 100% agree with you on avoiding the left-hook risk, but I find in 99% of the situations the muppets I am talking about push to the front and then hang about in the gutter on the left.

If I am at the front I am always going to be slap bang in the middle of the lane (if going straight on). There should be plenty of room either side of me, come and say hi!

[BliarOut]

Still being fast enough to hurt me when they're 57

[walm]

pablo said:

just a few...

I totally agree about the litter thing that really hacks me off, the number of gel wrappers in the countryside is a terrible indictment on cyclists. its no use taking a holier than thou "i am cycling in my leisure time so i am better than you" attitude if you throw crap all over the roadside...

roadies wearing mtb helmets with a peak on. at least take the peak off....

wearing team colours is fine providing its not the green/yellow/polka version but national kit or a rainbow jersey is a unacceptable unless you have earnt it. I know you see no difference between this and the fat bloke in the england football shirt but there just is.

lead riders who fail to call pot holes, parked cars or other such obstacles

cyclists who can not maintain a steady pace whilst in cycle lanes, speeding up, slowing down, speeding up....

then there is a whole load of really petty stuff like cyclists who have dust caps missing; cyclists who have one tyre a different colour to the other; cyclists who cant hold a line around a corner; cyclists ride around with a rear mech out of sync....

Pablo, I think you missed a bit in your post.
The whole thing is here... http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/

One thing I am puzzled by is that MTB helmet thing.
That peak thing is INCREDIBLY useful for my (road bike ridden) commute which is easterly in the morning and westerly in the evening.
Without the peak I am mostly blinded at some point on the commute in the months May-July.
With the peak, I can SEE THINGS!!

Sorry to be, you know, practical and all...

[CooperS]

walm said:

pablo said:

just a few...

I totally agree about the litter thing that really hacks me off, the number of gel wrappers in the countryside is a terrible indictment on cyclists. its no use taking a holier than thou "i am cycling in my leisure time so i am better than you" attitude if you throw crap all over the roadside...

roadies wearing mtb helmets with a peak on. at least take the peak off....

wearing team colours is fine providing its not the green/yellow/polka version but national kit or a rainbow jersey is a unacceptable unless you have earnt it. I know you see no difference between this and the fat bloke in the england football shirt but there just is.

lead riders who fail to call pot holes, parked cars or other such obstacles

cyclists who can not maintain a steady pace whilst in cycle lanes, speeding up, slowing down, speeding up....

then there is a whole load of really petty stuff like cyclists who have dust caps missing; cyclists who have one tyre a different colour to the other; cyclists who cant hold a line around a corner; cyclists ride around with a rear mech out of sync....

Pablo, I think you missed a bit in your post.
The whole thing is here... http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/

One thing I am puzzled by is that MTB helmet thing.
That peak thing is INCREDIBLY useful for my (road bike ridden) commute which is easterly in the morning and westerly in the evening.
Without the peak I am mostly blinded at some point on the commute in the months May-July.
With the peak, I can SEE THINGS!!

Sorry to be, you know, practical and all...

I did have one helmet for all things and agree with Walm but with my shiney new team sky rep helmet next to me i'm now with Pablo!!

[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?

[anonymous-user]

walm said:

Pablo, I think you missed a bit in your post.
The whole thing is here... http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/

One thing I am puzzled by is that MTB helmet thing.
That peak thing is INCREDIBLY useful for my (road bike ridden) commute which is easterly in the morning and westerly in the evening.
Without the peak I am mostly blinded at some point on the commute in the months May-July.
With the peak, I can SEE THINGS!!

Sorry to be, you know, practical and all...

thats what sunglasses are for.....

[Raoul Duke]

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.

[walm]

pablo said:

that's what sunglasses are for.....

I know, I know.
But let's say you are driving in sunglasses (because it is sunny).
Suddenly you come over a ridge and the sun is blasting right into your eyes.
You drop the visor thing down right?
Or do you say to yourself, "screw that visors are so last season..."

Even in sunnies I prefer shade to no-shade. I also wear baggies and SPDs so perhaps this is a minor infraction.

[TonyHetherington]

Not so much annoying, but puzzling. I'm riding to work at the moment in short sleeve top and baggy shorts (with padded undershorts). I go as quickly as I can, the whole time. I arrive at work/home boiling hot and feel like walking straight into the server room. However, I see other commuters in full wet weather gear (even in the dry though if they have a suit on underneath that's fair enough), multi layers and jackets. I'd boil! Try harder, or something.

[aizvara]

TonyHetherington said:

Not so much annoying, but puzzling. I'm riding to work at the moment in short sleeve top and baggy shorts (with padded undershorts). I go as quickly as I can, the whole time. I arrive at work/home boiling hot and feel like walking straight into the server room. However, I see other commuters in full wet weather gear (even in the dry though if they have a suit on underneath that's fair enough), multi layers and jackets. I'd boil! Try harder, or something.

I notice the same thing; people who put on the whole outer clothing stuff every day, when I'm cycling along with just a t-shirt and lightweight clothes and am still boiling. The bold text is the reason here: a lot of people just go as fast as feels comfortable, which isn't very when you are wearing a load of crap.

Also they probably are of the opinion that they've spent a lot of money on cycling clothes, they are damn well going to show them off.

[TonyHetherington]

I bought a lightweight jacket from Aldis - thought it would cover arms on the less sunny days. Within a mile I was at the side of the road changing it for the short sleeve jersey I had in my bag

[Rouleur]

I know we've done this before, but why can't other roadies or MTBers give a wave or nod? I had a roadie the other day look at me and then have something really interesting on the road in front of him to look at

There's some miserable buggers out there.

[Kermit power]

TonyHetherington said:

Not so much annoying, but puzzling. I'm riding to work at the moment in short sleeve top and baggy shorts (with padded undershorts). I go as quickly as I can, the whole time. I arrive at work/home boiling hot and feel like walking straight into the server room. However, I see other commuters in full wet weather gear (even in the dry though if they have a suit on underneath that's fair enough), multi layers and jackets. I'd boil! Try harder, or something.

Yup. I'm not exactly scrawny, so in most temperatures, I'll have to take the jacket off so quickly (unless it's raining) that I generally don't bother with it any more. I'd rather be a bit chilly for the first mile or two than baking hot for the remainder.

Even in winter, I'll usually just put a T shirt over the top of a long-sleeved base layer, and just can't get on with anything other than shorts on the lower half.

The only exception is overshoes. I'll wear those if there's a risk of rain, simply because I'd rather have over-warm feet than have to put on cold, soaking wet shoes for my commute home.

[Raoul Duke]

Rouleur said:

I know we've done this before, but why can't other roadies or MTBers give a wave or nod? I had a roadie the other day look at me and then have something really interesting on the road in front of him to look at

There's some miserable buggers out there.

+1, i try and acknowledge everybody on the road - doesn't mater if they're on a shopping bike, mtb, carbon superbike etc. You usually get a friendly nod / wave in reply which just makes those that blank you stand out all more. That said, if i cross paths with another cyclists when i'm going flat out on a descent i wont be raising my hand in acknowledgment so i guess i can be guilty occasionally.

[Kermit power]

Raoul Duke said:

Rouleur said:

I know we've done this before, but why can't other roadies or MTBers give a wave or nod? I had a roadie the other day look at me and then have something really interesting on the road in front of him to look at

There's some miserable buggers out there.

+1, i try and acknowledge everybody on the road - doesn't mater if they're on a shopping bike, mtb, carbon superbike etc. You usually get a friendly nod / wave in reply which just makes those that blank you stand out all more. That said, if i cross paths with another cyclists when i'm going flat out on a descent i wont be raising my hand in acknowledgment so i guess i can be guilty occasionally.

I think this rather depends on where you're riding!

There will frequently be 25+ cyclists waiting at some of the sets of lights on my commute to work, so I'd end up getting RSI if I tried waving to all of them!