Cycling two abreast....agree or not?
Discussion
Ares said:
Slow said:
My house is 10 miles of single track lane to town without wide overtaking bits other than the passing places. You might not see a car the entire time down the road, other times you see one every mile or so to give you an idea of how busy it is.
Regular people always pull in to let you past, I dont mind these people even when stuck behind for a minute or so till the next passing place (even sometimes they just stop and go on the grass).
The lycra terrorists however are a nightmare even more so when 2 abreast, think they are going the speed of light at 30 mph downhill for miles on end so refuse to let people past. They wont pull over going up hill either despite some seriously slow speeds. Makes you want to own a paintball gun to nail them or a stick in the spokes.
They act like they are on the tour de france with their heads buried into the handlebars flying around corners on whatever is the quickest way round.
You almost get hit by atleast 1-2 a week in the summer with them going round blind bends in the middle of the road and they just dont react like a car would do. You can see the panic on their faces when they look up mid corner and see a car blocking the racing line. Even the school bus that drives the road daily has been hit by a few over the years and its a slow moving big white b
d.
Then you get the ones that weave into the passing place expecting you to nip past but you dont and the same again at the next one, so at the next they weave in and wave you past... Ok then just get flattened by my plant trailer you stupid bd. The shock as they see a trailer coming past with the space rapidly shrinking and they have slam on and stop is most enjoyable.
As you can tell I fking hate the s on these roads. I dont care on roads with 2 lanes as you can overtake but a 15 minute drive can become 40 minutes if you get a tt in front who purposly cycles in the middle to block overtaking in the small passing places. You fairly often see them in the grass off the road with broke bikes/tyres, much more frquently than you see cars smashed up in the ditches so kind of sums up their cycling style on this road as they think it is a empty time trial track or something as it works as part of a loop they try to do.
Road got closed for a few hours in the summer this year so can only assume a few got hit at once as there was multiple ambulances in attendance and no breakdown trucks so was probably involving a tractor.
Lycra terrorists!! Are they above or below in the pecking order compared to the Lycra Mob and the Lycra Nazis? (sorry Lycra Nazi's)Regular people always pull in to let you past, I dont mind these people even when stuck behind for a minute or so till the next passing place (even sometimes they just stop and go on the grass).
The lycra terrorists however are a nightmare even more so when 2 abreast, think they are going the speed of light at 30 mph downhill for miles on end so refuse to let people past. They wont pull over going up hill either despite some seriously slow speeds. Makes you want to own a paintball gun to nail them or a stick in the spokes.
They act like they are on the tour de france with their heads buried into the handlebars flying around corners on whatever is the quickest way round.
You almost get hit by atleast 1-2 a week in the summer with them going round blind bends in the middle of the road and they just dont react like a car would do. You can see the panic on their faces when they look up mid corner and see a car blocking the racing line. Even the school bus that drives the road daily has been hit by a few over the years and its a slow moving big white b
d.Then you get the ones that weave into the passing place expecting you to nip past but you dont and the same again at the next one, so at the next they weave in and wave you past... Ok then just get flattened by my plant trailer you stupid b
d. The shock as they see a trailer coming past with the space rapidly shrinking and they have slam on and stop is most enjoyable.As you can tell I f
king hate the s on these roads. I dont care on roads with 2 lanes as you can overtake but a 15 minute drive can become 40 minutes if you get a tt in front who purposly cycles in the middle to block overtaking in the small passing places. You fairly often see them in the grass off the road with broke bikes/tyres, much more frquently than you see cars smashed up in the ditches so kind of sums up their cycling style on this road as they think it is a empty time trial track or something as it works as part of a loop they try to do.Road got closed for a few hours in the summer this year so can only assume a few got hit at once as there was multiple ambulances in attendance and no breakdown trucks so was probably involving a tractor.
As for 40 minutes..... You need a better grip on time dear
TimoMak said:
Single file is much safer. The point about "ah but it takes twice as long" is complete nonsense.
There is one major problem with the suggested changes. Cyclists are militant tts. Giving the overtakee (in their deranged minds) some kind of a say in whether or not they are overtaken will probably not result in harmonious interactions, particularly since most people never read the HC anyway.
Some cycling muppets in the middle of the lane holding everyone up is unlikely to result in friendly and positive behaviour. Cyclists are lemmings really and giving them more ways of committing suicide is not going to improve the accident stats.
We may find in future more are beaten to death at the side of the road than get run over by left turning trucks which also appear to be magnets for them.
Sometimes on a bike, you need to ride defensively, early on in my return to cycling a Peugeot 106 with a blue stripe up the bonnet and over the roof over took me here,There is one major problem with the suggested changes. Cyclists are militant t
ts. Giving the overtakee (in their deranged minds) some kind of a say in whether or not they are overtaken will probably not result in harmonious interactions, particularly since most people never read the HC anyway.Some cycling muppets in the middle of the lane holding everyone up is unlikely to result in friendly and positive behaviour. Cyclists are lemmings really and giving them more ways of committing suicide is not going to improve the accident stats.
We may find in future more are beaten to death at the side of the road than get run over by left turning trucks which also appear to be magnets for them.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.2934757,-2.31473...
They hadnt anticipated that, being a road sometimes things come the other way, and need to occupy the same space as they were in as they were overtaking me, and this time it happened to be a fairly sizable tipper truck, narrow enough when not five feet further out than normal.
The Peugeot driver panicked and swerved back, my handlebars connected with their rear door as I had nowhere to go, well, a bit into the hedge as it happened.
So, I left a bit too much space that gave the driver of the Peugeot the opportunity to chance a pass, therefore I learnt that if I went maybe a metre or so out I could avoid that situation, one that would have probably resulted, in actual fact in the Peugeot driver being badly injured or killed rather than me.
My thinking is pull out to ensure your safety, and in most cases drivers sort of like not having to make the decision and wait the maybe 8 seconds until its back to the very edge, then a cheery wave to show your appreciation for their patience.
Cyclist beaten to death at the side of the road, why is it car drivers think they are super tough and cyclists aren't, I had some lads in a car shout something at me and I caught them up and had a word, they shat themselves, but it was actually just them being silly, plenty of cyclists are super fit and a few are also hard as nails (I am neither), though you are f
ked if wearing road shoes as will end up skating round like Bambi on ice 
Most cyclists are not Lemmings, Lemmings are small furry Rodents with a common misconception regarding their penchant for committing suicide, it would be correct to say **some** cyclists take unnecessary risks but most of us prefer to not clog up A and E or end up dead, I have had one off in the last ten or so years due to a diesel strewn roundabout in the rain. Cycling is dangerous enough without taking extra risk, I personally take it very seriously.
TimoMak said:
Ares said:
TimoMak said:
Single file is much safer. The point about "ah but it takes twice as long" is complete nonsense.
There is one major problem with the suggested changes. Cyclists are militant tts. Giving the overtakee (in their deranged minds) some kind of a say in whether or not they are overtaken will probably not result in harmonious interactions, particularly since most people never read the HC anyway.
Some cycling muppets in the middle of the lane holding everyone up is unlikely to result in friendly and positive behaviour. Cyclists are lemmings really and giving them more ways of committing suicide is not going to improve the accident stats.
We may find in future more are beaten to death at the side of the road than get run over by left turning trucks which also appear to be magnets for them.
You sound like you could use some fresh air to calm down my love.There is one major problem with the suggested changes. Cyclists are militant t
ts. Giving the overtakee (in their deranged minds) some kind of a say in whether or not they are overtaken will probably not result in harmonious interactions, particularly since most people never read the HC anyway.Some cycling muppets in the middle of the lane holding everyone up is unlikely to result in friendly and positive behaviour. Cyclists are lemmings really and giving them more ways of committing suicide is not going to improve the accident stats.
We may find in future more are beaten to death at the side of the road than get run over by left turning trucks which also appear to be magnets for them.
Out of interest, are you over the recommended weight for your height, sport a goaty beard or similar 'trendy' facial hair and have an affinity for heavy metal music? Asking for a Nissan 350Z driver hating friend.
? Only asking as there seem to be quite a few of them on this thread.t? You sound like one...TimoMak said:
Ares said:
TimoMak said:
Single file is much safer. The point about "ah but it takes twice as long" is complete nonsense.
There is one major problem with the suggested changes. Cyclists are militant tts. Giving the overtakee (in their deranged minds) some kind of a say in whether or not they are overtaken will probably not result in harmonious interactions, particularly since most people never read the HC anyway.
Some cycling muppets in the middle of the lane holding everyone up is unlikely to result in friendly and positive behaviour. Cyclists are lemmings really and giving them more ways of committing suicide is not going to improve the accident stats.
We may find in future more are beaten to death at the side of the road than get run over by left turning trucks which also appear to be magnets for them.
You sound like you could use some fresh air to calm down my love.There is one major problem with the suggested changes. Cyclists are militant t
ts. Giving the overtakee (in their deranged minds) some kind of a say in whether or not they are overtaken will probably not result in harmonious interactions, particularly since most people never read the HC anyway.Some cycling muppets in the middle of the lane holding everyone up is unlikely to result in friendly and positive behaviour. Cyclists are lemmings really and giving them more ways of committing suicide is not going to improve the accident stats.
We may find in future more are beaten to death at the side of the road than get run over by left turning trucks which also appear to be magnets for them.
Out of interest, are you over the recommended weight for your height, sport a goaty beard or similar 'trendy' facial hair and have an affinity for heavy metal music? Asking for a Nissan 350Z driver hating friend.
? Only asking as there seem to be quite a few of them on this thread.And out of interest, what is a cycling
? Cyclists usually need legs, and I don't know if you are still living with mummy, and haven't had much sexual experience, but of all the s I've seen, none are really equipped to ride a bike. Although paradoxically, any woman clearly has hers very close to the action when cycling. I'm sure you've seen photos of them on your bookmarked websites and Daddy's special magazines.Or is a cycling
, a sad fat lonely man with a Nissan 350Z (because he couldn't afford a skyline?) Speaking as a cyclist who pays over £700 in "road tax" each year.
My cycling is done instead of a car journey.
I ride alone (or with my other half) so don't tend to hold up traffic, especially as I plan most of my riding to avoid busy roads with no cycle lane and it's in suburban/urban areas.
We ride side by side when there is no traffic around, but never on any sort of a busy road or when vehicles are in the vicinty because it's sefish to do so. I'm happy for a car to pass me with traffic coming in the opposite direction on a relatively wide road. Ther is no need for them to cross right over.
Here's interesting:
Note the cycle lanes on each side. I ride this road often and cars passing that close is no problem whatsoever - no need for them to cross right over.
FWIW I have never encountered any deliberate hostility from drivers (inadvertent crappy driving is another matter). But then I try to ride defensively and consiserately.
Anyway, I do have a problem with packs of cyclists riding for no reason other than leisure and causing others to be held up - it's a bit selfish, really. Horse boxes are pretty simlar, tractors less so.
My cycling is done instead of a car journey.
I ride alone (or with my other half) so don't tend to hold up traffic, especially as I plan most of my riding to avoid busy roads with no cycle lane and it's in suburban/urban areas.
We ride side by side when there is no traffic around, but never on any sort of a busy road or when vehicles are in the vicinty because it's sefish to do so. I'm happy for a car to pass me with traffic coming in the opposite direction on a relatively wide road. Ther is no need for them to cross right over.
Here's interesting:
Note the cycle lanes on each side. I ride this road often and cars passing that close is no problem whatsoever - no need for them to cross right over.
FWIW I have never encountered any deliberate hostility from drivers (inadvertent crappy driving is another matter). But then I try to ride defensively and consiserately.
Anyway, I do have a problem with packs of cyclists riding for no reason other than leisure and causing others to be held up - it's a bit selfish, really. Horse boxes are pretty simlar, tractors less so.
LG9k said:
FWIW I have never encountered any deliberate hostility from drivers (inadvertent crappy driving is another matter). But then I try to ride defensively and consiserately.
Anyway, I do have a problem with packs of cyclists riding for no reason other than leisure and causing others to be held up - it's a bit selfish, really. Horse boxes are pretty simlar, tractors less so.
Likewise, as said above. I know a few people that talk about pushing cyclists off, the fun they have.....but it's all bravado. I was out with a group of guys for an all-day sesh on Saturday, we got to talking about cycling, a good pal shocked me slightly by saying he sometimes gets his mate to just nudge a cyclist into the hedge as he drives past too closely. I pulled him to one side and pointed out that the only time I'd heard of that being done, the cyclist suffered a broken collarbone and wrist and £3k+ worth of damage to his bike.Anyway, I do have a problem with packs of cyclists riding for no reason other than leisure and causing others to be held up - it's a bit selfish, really. Horse boxes are pretty simlar, tractors less so.
My pal admitted he hadn't, and doesn't, it was just banter. Still makes be think less of him though, but at least he'll think about the outcome if he ever really is tempted.
I suspect, and hope the same for the angrier anti-cyclists on here.
Wombat3 said:
If you are delaying other people by cycling 2 abreast then its just bloody rude not to fall into single file; and far too many of them do it round here & plainly don't give a st about being considerate to other road users.
It may be quicker to pass them than 2 in line but if there is any oncoming traffic then often you can't pass them safely at all (whereas you could if they were not side by side).
First rule of being a considerate road user (IMO): don't hold anyone else up if you don't have to.
If theres not enough room to pass them whilst side by side, there's not enough room to pass. t about being considerate to other road users. It may be quicker to pass them than 2 in line but if there is any oncoming traffic then often you can't pass them safely at all (whereas you could if they were not side by side).
First rule of being a considerate road user (IMO): don't hold anyone else up if you don't have to.
Ares said:
LG9k said:
FWIW I have never encountered any deliberate hostility from drivers (inadvertent crappy driving is another matter). But then I try to ride defensively and consiserately.
Anyway, I do have a problem with packs of cyclists riding for no reason other than leisure and causing others to be held up - it's a bit selfish, really. Horse boxes are pretty simlar, tractors less so.
Likewise, as said above. I know a few people that talk about pushing cyclists off, the fun they have.....but it's all bravado. I was out with a group of guys for an all-day sesh on Saturday, we got to talking about cycling, a good pal shocked me slightly by saying he sometimes gets his mate to just nudge a cyclist into the hedge as he drives past too closely. I pulled him to one side and pointed out that the only time I'd heard of that being done, the cyclist suffered a broken collarbone and wrist and £3k+ worth of damage to his bike.Anyway, I do have a problem with packs of cyclists riding for no reason other than leisure and causing others to be held up - it's a bit selfish, really. Horse boxes are pretty simlar, tractors less so.
My pal admitted he hadn't, and doesn't, it was just banter. Still makes be think less of him though, but at least he'll think about the outcome if he ever really is tempted.
I suspect, and hope the same for the angrier anti-cyclists on here.
t and there is a lovely hi definition video of it all.Also, piss someone off on a bike, then drive off and forget about it, there is always the chance that the cyclist catches up with you for a word, when not sporting two tons of car.
Not on my bike, had a local bloke cut me up really badly, he had a private reg which was very easy to spot, I saw him pull up outside Blockbusters and come in (While ago) and I reminded him of his driving, initially quite defensive and aggressive he saw my side of the argument, we shook hands and off he went, still drove like a
though.I don't post often on here but this subject makes me a bit upset.
I like to think of myself as a 'pistonhead' and I enjoy efficient driving.
I am most certainly a cyclist, I wear lycra and I ride on the road so you can fit me into whatever category works for that.
I cycle approximately 7-8k miles a year and drive approximately 10-12k. The cycling is almost all 'training' and the driving is occasionally spirited.
I would like to think of myself as a generally considerate person and I will try to let people through, let people out, indicate my intentions to bikers (motor-) and try to pass cyclists with as much room as is humanely possible without endangering anyone else.
I am also a husband, a brother, a son, a best friend, a teacher, a doctor etc etc
What upsets me is the lack of patience and consideration for a vulnerable road user who is just trying to stay fit/improve their mental health/save the planet so we can run V8s etc etc
What I would genuinely like to know is why do some people on here get so hot and bothered about me just being on a road? So hot and bothered that they cannot wait patiently for up to several minutes (but more realistically a few seconds) whilst I grind my way up a climb in agony.
What is quite so important an engagement that me holding you up is so enraging that you feel abuse is required or even a 'close pass'?
All I want to do is improve my fitness, burn enough calories to eat my weight in biscuits and keep my mental health in good condition. Does that really necessitate risking my life by passing me by at about 50mph, so close I can touch the wing mirror of your shiny SUV?
It has been worse recently, so bad that on busier roads I will tend to ride towards the middle of the side I am on and move gradually towards the NS as the car passes. Over and over. I regularly thank drivers for overtaking in a considerate and reasonable way - thanking people for not endangering my life; they're the minority and just the concept of thanking someone for a good overtake is crazy. Would you even consider this in a car? (Although maybe that's what all these people flashing overtakers are actually doing)
For the record I cycle alone, I try to be considerate when cycling and pull over when safe to do so. Occasionally I am hammering it up a climb, I want to reach the top and I'm sorry but you'll have to wait an extra 10 seconds. I'm going faster than the tractor though so why are you rushing past.
All I want to do is cycle and stay alive.
Rant over.
PS I pay 'road' tax x 3. Yes I have insurance. Yes it's third party. Yes I look sexy in lycra.
I like to think of myself as a 'pistonhead' and I enjoy efficient driving.
I am most certainly a cyclist, I wear lycra and I ride on the road so you can fit me into whatever category works for that.
I cycle approximately 7-8k miles a year and drive approximately 10-12k. The cycling is almost all 'training' and the driving is occasionally spirited.
I would like to think of myself as a generally considerate person and I will try to let people through, let people out, indicate my intentions to bikers (motor-) and try to pass cyclists with as much room as is humanely possible without endangering anyone else.
I am also a husband, a brother, a son, a best friend, a teacher, a doctor etc etc
What upsets me is the lack of patience and consideration for a vulnerable road user who is just trying to stay fit/improve their mental health/save the planet so we can run V8s etc etc
What I would genuinely like to know is why do some people on here get so hot and bothered about me just being on a road? So hot and bothered that they cannot wait patiently for up to several minutes (but more realistically a few seconds) whilst I grind my way up a climb in agony.
What is quite so important an engagement that me holding you up is so enraging that you feel abuse is required or even a 'close pass'?
All I want to do is improve my fitness, burn enough calories to eat my weight in biscuits and keep my mental health in good condition. Does that really necessitate risking my life by passing me by at about 50mph, so close I can touch the wing mirror of your shiny SUV?
It has been worse recently, so bad that on busier roads I will tend to ride towards the middle of the side I am on and move gradually towards the NS as the car passes. Over and over. I regularly thank drivers for overtaking in a considerate and reasonable way - thanking people for not endangering my life; they're the minority and just the concept of thanking someone for a good overtake is crazy. Would you even consider this in a car? (Although maybe that's what all these people flashing overtakers are actually doing)
For the record I cycle alone, I try to be considerate when cycling and pull over when safe to do so. Occasionally I am hammering it up a climb, I want to reach the top and I'm sorry but you'll have to wait an extra 10 seconds. I'm going faster than the tractor though so why are you rushing past.
All I want to do is cycle and stay alive.
Rant over.
PS I pay 'road' tax x 3. Yes I have insurance. Yes it's third party. Yes I look sexy in lycra.
I see no problem in side by side cycling assuming it doesn't change the possibility to safely overtake. Few roads are wide enough for a safe and considerate overtake whilst someone is coming the other way and most are wide enough to overtake two cyclists abreast when nobody is coming the other way. When it comes to large groups I would even rather they rode abreast as if the group is wider it should be shorter and hence easier to overtake. Every form of road user has a right to be there but should also take reasonable measures not to impede others.
I get more annoyed by groups of cyclists all in a row spaced just too close to be able to overtake them one by one and far enough apart that the group is so long as to be extremely difficult to overtake in one go. Either bunch up or properly space out! Really though cyclists are fairly far down the list of annoyances on the road and being held up for a minute isn't going to cause anybody any harm.
For reference I do cycle on the road but I'm a flip flops, T-shirt and hardtail mountain bike type rider rather than a hardcore angry lycra carbon helmet cam type.
I get more annoyed by groups of cyclists all in a row spaced just too close to be able to overtake them one by one and far enough apart that the group is so long as to be extremely difficult to overtake in one go. Either bunch up or properly space out! Really though cyclists are fairly far down the list of annoyances on the road and being held up for a minute isn't going to cause anybody any harm.
For reference I do cycle on the road but I'm a flip flops, T-shirt and hardtail mountain bike type rider rather than a hardcore angry lycra carbon helmet cam type.
I’m a cyclist. Funnily enough there are good and bad ones, just like drivers.
I do feel riders, head to toe in black, on black bikes with no lights or hi viz are just asking for their organs to be donated though.
A driver, catching you up at speed has little chance to see you and react.
But as for being held up. There’s no way a car driver is being held up by a decent cyclist on any average city commute. Entirely the opposite: I’m sick of being held up by cars.
I do feel riders, head to toe in black, on black bikes with no lights or hi viz are just asking for their organs to be donated though.
A driver, catching you up at speed has little chance to see you and react.
But as for being held up. There’s no way a car driver is being held up by a decent cyclist on any average city commute. Entirely the opposite: I’m sick of being held up by cars.
Court_S said:
Ares said:
Slow said:
My house is 10 miles of single track lane to town without wide overtaking bits other than the passing places. You might not see a car the entire time down the road, other times you see one every mile or so to give you an idea of how busy it is.
Regular people always pull in to let you past, I dont mind these people even when stuck behind for a minute or so till the next passing place (even sometimes they just stop and go on the grass).
The lycra terrorists however are a nightmare even more so when 2 abreast, think they are going the speed of light at 30 mph downhill for miles on end so refuse to let people past. They wont pull over going up hill either despite some seriously slow speeds. Makes you want to own a paintball gun to nail them or a stick in the spokes.
They act like they are on the tour de france with their heads buried into the handlebars flying around corners on whatever is the quickest way round.
You almost get hit by atleast 1-2 a week in the summer with them going round blind bends in the middle of the road and they just dont react like a car would do. You can see the panic on their faces when they look up mid corner and see a car blocking the racing line. Even the school bus that drives the road daily has been hit by a few over the years and its a slow moving big white bd.
Then you get the ones that weave into the passing place expecting you to nip past but you dont and the same again at the next one, so at the next they weave in and wave you past... Ok then just get flattened by my plant trailer you stupid bd. The shock as they see a trailer coming past with the space rapidly shrinking and they have slam on and stop is most enjoyable.
As you can tell I fking hate the s on these roads. I dont care on roads with 2 lanes as you can overtake but a 15 minute drive can become 40 minutes if you get a tt in front who purposly cycles in the middle to block overtaking in the small passing places. You fairly often see them in the grass off the road with broke bikes/tyres, much more frquently than you see cars smashed up in the ditches so kind of sums up their cycling style on this road as they think it is a empty time trial track or something as it works as part of a loop they try to do.
Road got closed for a few hours in the summer this year so can only assume a few got hit at once as there was multiple ambulances in attendance and no breakdown trucks so was probably involving a tractor.
Lycra terrorists!! Are they above or below in the pecking order compared to the Lycra Mob and the Lycra Nazis? (sorry Lycra Nazi's)Regular people always pull in to let you past, I dont mind these people even when stuck behind for a minute or so till the next passing place (even sometimes they just stop and go on the grass).
The lycra terrorists however are a nightmare even more so when 2 abreast, think they are going the speed of light at 30 mph downhill for miles on end so refuse to let people past. They wont pull over going up hill either despite some seriously slow speeds. Makes you want to own a paintball gun to nail them or a stick in the spokes.
They act like they are on the tour de france with their heads buried into the handlebars flying around corners on whatever is the quickest way round.
You almost get hit by atleast 1-2 a week in the summer with them going round blind bends in the middle of the road and they just dont react like a car would do. You can see the panic on their faces when they look up mid corner and see a car blocking the racing line. Even the school bus that drives the road daily has been hit by a few over the years and its a slow moving big white b
d.Then you get the ones that weave into the passing place expecting you to nip past but you dont and the same again at the next one, so at the next they weave in and wave you past... Ok then just get flattened by my plant trailer you stupid b
d. The shock as they see a trailer coming past with the space rapidly shrinking and they have slam on and stop is most enjoyable.As you can tell I f
king hate the s on these roads. I dont care on roads with 2 lanes as you can overtake but a 15 minute drive can become 40 minutes if you get a tt in front who purposly cycles in the middle to block overtaking in the small passing places. You fairly often see them in the grass off the road with broke bikes/tyres, much more frquently than you see cars smashed up in the ditches so kind of sums up their cycling style on this road as they think it is a empty time trial track or something as it works as part of a loop they try to do.Road got closed for a few hours in the summer this year so can only assume a few got hit at once as there was multiple ambulances in attendance and no breakdown trucks so was probably involving a tractor.
As for 40 minutes..... You need a better grip on time dear
Luckily the cyclists arent out early in the morning!
TurboHatchback said:
I see no problem in side by side cycling assuming it doesn't change the possibility to safely overtake. Few roads are wide enough for a safe and considerate overtake whilst someone is coming the other way and most are wide enough to overtake two cyclists abreast when nobody is coming the other way. When it comes to large groups I would even rather they rode abreast as if the group is wider it should be shorter and hence easier to overtake. Every form of road user has a right to be there but should also take reasonable measures not to impede others.
I get more annoyed by groups of cyclists all in a row spaced just too close to be able to overtake them one by one and far enough apart that the group is so long as to be extremely difficult to overtake in one go. Either bunch up or properly space out! Really though cyclists are fairly far down the list of annoyances on the road and being held up for a minute isn't going to cause anybody any harm.
For reference I do cycle on the road but I'm a flip flops, T-shirt and hardtail mountain bike type rider rather than a hardcore angry lycra carbon helmet cam type.
Do you need to overtake 1.5m long bikes doing 15/20mph one by one? How do you cope with a 5m long car doing twice that?I get more annoyed by groups of cyclists all in a row spaced just too close to be able to overtake them one by one and far enough apart that the group is so long as to be extremely difficult to overtake in one go. Either bunch up or properly space out! Really though cyclists are fairly far down the list of annoyances on the road and being held up for a minute isn't going to cause anybody any harm.
For reference I do cycle on the road but I'm a flip flops, T-shirt and hardtail mountain bike type rider rather than a hardcore angry lycra carbon helmet cam type.
If there are 6 (3x2) or even 8 (4x2) bikes, would you find it difficult to overtake some 6m (or 8m) long doing 20mph? How do you cope with a small truck to overtake?
And for reference.....do you think a flip-flop wearing mountain biker is better or worse than a 'hardcore angry lycra carbon helmet cam type'?
And more importantly, in the list of importance, where does the 'hardcore angry lycra carbon helmet cam type*' sit compared to the Lycra Nazis (sorry, Nazi's), Lycra Terrorists, Lycra Warriors and 'serious Lycra clad mob'
(* Point of order, the more serious road cyclist seldom has a helmet cam, or any cam. That is usually the preserve of the commuter, or the 'riding with the kids' (flip flips, or no flip flops) 'brigade'. Road cyclists are all about weight, and aero. Cameras work against that.)
smiley_boy2501 said:
I don't post often on here but this subject makes me a bit upset.
I like to think of myself as a 'pistonhead' and I enjoy efficient driving.
I am most certainly a cyclist, I wear lycra and I ride on the road so you can fit me into whatever category works for that.
I cycle approximately 7-8k miles a year and drive approximately 10-12k. The cycling is almost all 'training' and the driving is occasionally spirited.
I would like to think of myself as a generally considerate person and I will try to let people through, let people out, indicate my intentions to bikers (motor-) and try to pass cyclists with as much room as is humanely possible without endangering anyone else.
I am also a husband, a brother, a son, a best friend, a teacher, a doctor etc etc
What upsets me is the lack of patience and consideration for a vulnerable road user who is just trying to stay fit/improve their mental health/save the planet so we can run V8s etc etc
What I would genuinely like to know is why do some people on here get so hot and bothered about me just being on a road? So hot and bothered that they cannot wait patiently for up to several minutes (but more realistically a few seconds) whilst I grind my way up a climb in agony.
What is quite so important an engagement that me holding you up is so enraging that you feel abuse is required or even a 'close pass'?
All I want to do is improve my fitness, burn enough calories to eat my weight in biscuits and keep my mental health in good condition. Does that really necessitate risking my life by passing me by at about 50mph, so close I can touch the wing mirror of your shiny SUV?
It has been worse recently, so bad that on busier roads I will tend to ride towards the middle of the side I am on and move gradually towards the NS as the car passes. Over and over. I regularly thank drivers for overtaking in a considerate and reasonable way - thanking people for not endangering my life; they're the minority and just the concept of thanking someone for a good overtake is crazy. Would you even consider this in a car? (Although maybe that's what all these people flashing overtakers are actually doing)
For the record I cycle alone, I try to be considerate when cycling and pull over when safe to do so. Occasionally I am hammering it up a climb, I want to reach the top and I'm sorry but you'll have to wait an extra 10 seconds. I'm going faster than the tractor though so why are you rushing past.
All I want to do is cycle and stay alive.
Rant over.
PS I pay 'road' tax x 3. Yes I have insurance. Yes it's third party. Yes I look sexy in lycra.
What this guys says. Twice.I like to think of myself as a 'pistonhead' and I enjoy efficient driving.
I am most certainly a cyclist, I wear lycra and I ride on the road so you can fit me into whatever category works for that.
I cycle approximately 7-8k miles a year and drive approximately 10-12k. The cycling is almost all 'training' and the driving is occasionally spirited.
I would like to think of myself as a generally considerate person and I will try to let people through, let people out, indicate my intentions to bikers (motor-) and try to pass cyclists with as much room as is humanely possible without endangering anyone else.
I am also a husband, a brother, a son, a best friend, a teacher, a doctor etc etc
What upsets me is the lack of patience and consideration for a vulnerable road user who is just trying to stay fit/improve their mental health/save the planet so we can run V8s etc etc
What I would genuinely like to know is why do some people on here get so hot and bothered about me just being on a road? So hot and bothered that they cannot wait patiently for up to several minutes (but more realistically a few seconds) whilst I grind my way up a climb in agony.
What is quite so important an engagement that me holding you up is so enraging that you feel abuse is required or even a 'close pass'?
All I want to do is improve my fitness, burn enough calories to eat my weight in biscuits and keep my mental health in good condition. Does that really necessitate risking my life by passing me by at about 50mph, so close I can touch the wing mirror of your shiny SUV?
It has been worse recently, so bad that on busier roads I will tend to ride towards the middle of the side I am on and move gradually towards the NS as the car passes. Over and over. I regularly thank drivers for overtaking in a considerate and reasonable way - thanking people for not endangering my life; they're the minority and just the concept of thanking someone for a good overtake is crazy. Would you even consider this in a car? (Although maybe that's what all these people flashing overtakers are actually doing)
For the record I cycle alone, I try to be considerate when cycling and pull over when safe to do so. Occasionally I am hammering it up a climb, I want to reach the top and I'm sorry but you'll have to wait an extra 10 seconds. I'm going faster than the tractor though so why are you rushing past.
All I want to do is cycle and stay alive.
Rant over.
PS I pay 'road' tax x 3. Yes I have insurance. Yes it's third party. Yes I look sexy in lycra.
smiley_boy2501 said:
All I want to do is improve my fitness, burn enough calories to eat my weight in biscuits and keep my mental health in good condition. Does that really necessitate risking my life by passing me by at about 50mph, so close I can touch the wing mirror of your shiny SUV?
Take up running instead of cycling. That way you have more chance of staying alive by not getting knocked off your bike, plus you are not a nuisance to other road users either. That is a win win in my eyes. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff