Is this the most moderate cycling forum?

Is this the most moderate cycling forum?

Author
Discussion

IroningMan

10,154 posts

245 months

Friday 16th November 2012
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Steve vRS said:
Without sounding boastful, we are probably better road users than the bulk of the population.

We like cars and bikes and so when we ride, we can empathise with the cars around us and behave accordingly and when we drive, empathise with the cyclists.

Steve
Bothers me just how small a minority 'we' are in that respect.

paranoid airbag

2,679 posts

158 months

Friday 16th November 2012
quotequote all
Yup. As far as road.cc goes - it has a nicely designed front page, and I get the feeling the reviews are more honest than elsewhere, and perhaps a little less dull and conventional. But every single piece of news is twisted to fit a (for want of a better term) victim mentality. Swap 'cyclists' with 'middle class families' and 'drivers' with 'labour', and I'm pretty certain you get old Daily Telegraph articles.

Clearly, everyone on here likes cars and therefore drives. A common thing to say is 'it's not about cyclists vs drivers', but I think there's a little truth in saying a lot of it is noncyclists vs nondrivers - if you have no knowledge or experience of a topic, you're more likely to be wrong about it. If you've no idea what riding in a glass-strewn, 4-inch wide cycle lane with car doors on one side and HGVs thundering past with inches to spare on the other, then demanding cyclists use the facilities put down specially for them sounds entirely reasonable. If you've never been put into an emergency situation whilst driving by a cyclist acting like a knob, you'd think drivers complaining about cyclists were shirking their responsibility and putting their car ahead of other's lives, rather than genuinely wanting to not kill someone whilst being aware there's only so much you can do. Of course, some people are just knobs rather than being ignorant - though I have a little difficulty believing there are many cyclists out there who actively enjoy picking a fight with someone who can kill them with a flick of the wrist or ankle. It's a wide world though.

That said, I also get a feeling that this forum has a higher proportion of recreational riders rather than commuters than most, and clearly having to deal with semi-murderous WVM everyday in order to get to work is going to give you a different viewpoint to someone spinning through the Cotswolds on a sunday morning or driving down to the local trail centre.

burriana

16,556 posts

253 months

Friday 16th November 2012
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prand said:
Agree with this - there's a real lean towards cars on this site, so it tempers any radical thoughts against motorists.
NSS! hehe

fastcaterham

420 posts

193 months

Friday 16th November 2012
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I think paranoid airbag hit the nail on the head with regards to differences between commuters and recreational cyclists.

I work a day a week in a bike shop on one of the main cycle commute routes in the area and its always the hybrid riding hi viz brigade who are constantly moaning about almost being killed on a daily basis. I have to hold my tongue a lot of the time!

On the contrary a lot of the roadie/mtb types we get in are into their cars and driving.

I have to admit I see my bike totally as a toy so have no intention of ever commuting by bike so all my rides are generally out in the country on reasonably quiet roads. On the odd occasion I do see a cyclist doing something silly though they are almost always without fail on a hybrid in a hi viz!

Slaav

4,240 posts

209 months

Friday 16th November 2012
quotequote all
Steve vRS said:
Without sounding boastful, we are probably better road users than the bulk of the population.

We like cars and bikes and so when we ride, we can empathise with the cars around us and behave accordingly and when we drive, empathise with the cyclists.

Steve
This is simply the best post I have read on here or CC for ages....

And reminds me of John Niven's Second coming book - 'be nice'!

beer

Sods Law

3,280 posts

224 months

Friday 16th November 2012
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Depends if your deciding on wearing a helmet or not......

joe58

711 posts

150 months

Friday 16th November 2012
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fastcaterham said:
I think paranoid airbag hit the nail on the head with regards to differences between commuters and recreational cyclists.

I work a day a week in a bike shop on one of the main cycle commute routes in the area and its always the hybrid riding hi viz brigade who are constantly moaning about almost being killed on a daily basis. I have to hold my tongue a lot of the time!

On the contrary a lot of the roadie/mtb types we get in are into their cars and driving.

I have to admit I see my bike totally as a toy so have no intention of ever commuting by bike so all my rides are generally out in the country on reasonably quiet roads. On the odd occasion I do see a cyclist doing something silly though they are almost always without fail on a hybrid in a hi viz!
Amusing the other day walking home though the terrace streets it was a hi viz-ed up to the neck cyclist who just went straight out onto the next road, considering you can't see if anything is coming. Pretty lucky, but oh so ironic.

2volvos

660 posts

200 months

Sunday 18th November 2012
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Dunno about being the most moderate cycling forum, but this is definitely the most moderate bit of PH. Don't dare dip your toe into the News and Politics bit, you'll come out feeling that you need a shower.

Oh and Paranoid is totally right.

SkinnyBoy

4,635 posts

257 months

Sunday 18th November 2012
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Most muppets are in the "ride a bike to work and that's it" camp. The rest of us fall in to the " we are cyclists" camp. The difference is night and day IMHO. We buy into the lifestyle and strive to a certain level within that choice with kit, demeanour and the ethos. These other mongs be it fixie hipster s or wobbly old dears on BSO's or the hi vis car baiter fkwits just ride a bike.