Cycling two abreast....agree or not?

[MiseryStreak]

jakesmith said:

Right we have got to the nub of the matter and are in broad agreement on the principle. Thank you for being a decent and open minded person unlike some others & not being blinded by tribal dogma. I am certain you are a considerate and legitimate rider conforming to the applicable rules. Just as I am (apart from when I use my electric scooter.)

I simply believe this behavior is more common than you and in fairness our experiences are anecdotal and insufficient to make genralisations from no matter how much you ride your bike. I have seen it take place several times even if it is a minority of riders, and it is infuriating and I'm afraid being a human it is easy to then make broader judgments based on this for right or wrong.

Chatting with a friend whilst cycling two abreast - legal.

Riding an electric scooter on the road, not chatting with a friend, and sporting some lovely fluffy ear defenders - illegal.

But you carry on defending the moral high ground, as it is occasionally amusing.

[jakesmith]

MiseryStreak said:

jakesmith said:

Right we have got to the nub of the matter and are in broad agreement on the principle. Thank you for being a decent and open minded person unlike some others & not being blinded by tribal dogma. I am certain you are a considerate and legitimate rider conforming to the applicable rules. Just as I am (apart from when I use my electric scooter.)

I simply believe this behavior is more common than you and in fairness our experiences are anecdotal and insufficient to make genralisations from no matter how much you ride your bike. I have seen it take place several times even if it is a minority of riders, and it is infuriating and I'm afraid being a human it is easy to then make broader judgments based on this for right or wrong.

Chatting with a friend whilst cycling two abreast - legal.

Riding an electric scooter on the road, not chatting with a friend, and sporting some lovely fluffy ear defenders - illegal.

But you carry on defending the moral high ground, as it is occasionally amusing.

Why are you intent on misrepresenting what I have said - is it the only way you can convince yourself that you are right?
I have no issue with 2 cyclists riding next to each other chatting
I have issue with when their doing that is holding up traffic
Why do you have an issue with an illegally ridden scooter on the road? It is not causing you a problem any more than a cyclist would . You're just prejudiced against us e-riders. We follow almost all of the highway code apart from the bit that is stupid.

[jakesmith]

nickfrog said:

jakesmith said:

You've had a break haven't you? Been away?

Not as far as I know (?)

I was thinking of NickGnome!! Touche maybe!?

[ddom]

Jakesmith, you know when more than 2 or 3 posters point out you’re the issue....

[jakesmith]

ddom said:

Jakesmith, you know when more than 2 or 3 posters point out you’re the issue....

Yes I have a different view to 2 or 3 others on this thread. You do very much come across as someone who can't comprehend (or deal very well with the emotions of) someone disagreeing with you.

Anyway, we are going in circles (much like how you do in your local park on your BMX) so not much value in going over the same points again, especially when the thrust of you & some of your fairly nasty pals seems to be to ignore what I actually write and respond as though I have written something different.

Anyway I wish you well - and be safe - there will always be a helmet on your bike.

[b80]

a lot of people's mentalities change when behind the wheel of a car ie get more aggressive,quick to anger worked up over things they wouldn't when walking and can't see it changing in the modern, fast paced world we live in.

[jakesmith]

b80 said:

a lot of people's mentalities change when behind the wheel of a car ie get more aggressive,quick to anger worked up over things they wouldn't when walking and can't see it changing in the modern, fast paced world we live in.

Spot on and one of the best posts on here. Similarly a lot of (possibly) fairly normal people, when they get in a group of others, act like entitled selfish narcissists who's enjoyment is more important than anything that anyone else might want to do in the same space that day, due to the pack mentality.

[ddom]

jakesmith said:

Yes I have a different view to 2 or 3 others on this thread. You do very much come across as someone who can't comprehend (or deal very well with the emotions of) someone disagreeing with you.

Anyway, we are going in circles (much like how you do in your local park on your BMX) so not much value in going over the same points again, especially when the thrust of you & some of your fairly nasty pals seems to be to ignore what I actually write and respond as though I have written something different.

Anyway I wish you well - and be safe - there will always be a helmet on your bike.

You began by calling cyclists ‘parasites’ and have been going backwards ever since.

Just goes to show there are wkers on bicycles as well as every other form of transport.

[Johnnytheboy]

I was quite disappointed by the reaction of PH's usual cycling suspects to this thread initially.

But equilibrium has been restored.

Though we are missing yellowjack's traditional picture of the crying baby after a half page rant full of censored swear words.

[jakesmith]

ddom said:

You began by calling cyclists ‘parasites’ and have been going backwards ever since.

Just goes to show there are wkers on bicycles as well as every other form of transport.

But I didn’t call all cyclists parasites, (hardly a surprise You said that though as all you’ve done is deliberately and unpleasantly misrepresented what I’ve written all afternoon). I only decried those who exhibit a specific behaviour which you’re intent on defending for some reason, probably so you don’t have to consider or accept that your behaviour is selfish, antisocial and negatively impacts many other people going about their day.

And ‘wkers’ really? You have absolutely zero class.

[ddom]

jakesmith said:

But I didn’t call all cyclists parasites, (hardly a surprise You said that though as all you’ve done is deliberately and unpleasantly misrepresented what I’ve written all afternoon). I only decried those who exhibit a specific behaviour which you’re intent on defending for some reason, probably so you don’t have to consider or accept that your behaviour is selfish, antisocial and negatively impacts many other people going about their day.

And ‘wkers’ really? You have absolutely zero class.

keep on digging.

Those beastly people taking your post in context about 'parasites' and making you look daft.

[amgmcqueen]

Gweeds said:

amgmcqueen said:

Sick of arrogant, scumbag cyclists not moving over to let cars overtake.

Bane of Britain.

Learn how to drive then, you absolute melt.

How do you overtake two cyclists taking up the whole width of a narrow country lane? Run them over...?

Pull your head out of your arse. Muppet.

[yellowjack]

Johnnytheboy said:

I was quite disappointed by the reaction of PH's usual cycling suspects to this thread initially.

But equilibrium has been restored.

Though we are missing yellowjack's traditional picture of the crying baby after a half page rant full of censored swear words.

Meh. I was too busy "holding up" traffic today for a LOT more than 30 seconds. And tough titty, really, to the driver "stuck" behind me. It was a narrow single-track road between two hamlets in rural Hampshire. Up hill. No passing places. I'm not going to hang myself on a barbed wire fence (offside), nor am I going to fling myself into a nettle patch (nearside). So whoever was behind me was going to have to wait until we reached the farm gate at the top of the hill before I could reasonably, and safely, pull over to let them pass. Which, of course, I did as soon as I could.

FFWD to the end of the ride, and I was trundling through Stockbridge at about 20 mph. All good, nearly back at the car. Then some moron in a Passat decides it's a good time to pull out in front of me. Not a problem, usually. Most drivers then get going and there's no issue. But not this cod-head. Before he could accelerate he had to fasten his seat belt. Obviously. Because why would you do that before setting off? So I'd caught him by now, but couldn't overtake due to a) oncoming traffic, and b) his swerving around all over the road while he fished about for something in the centre console. Never mind the fact that any of the many cars parked along the street could have pulled out (reversed in most cases) in front of him. Never mind the pedestrians variously trying to cross the road or loading their cars with shopping. Never mind that I'm now "stuck behind him for ages" having caught him on a bicycle. No, this self absorbed onanist was quite happy crawling along in his own little bubble, oblivious to me, and to the growing queue of cars behind me. Unless, of course, he wasn't "oblivious" at all, and he'd deliberately pulled out in front of me, and was deliberately driving like Hoke Colburn just to piss me off/try to provoke a reaction...?

And speaking of the restoration of equilibrium? All ride long I'd been impressed by the patience of, and space afforded to me by overtaking truckers. They were, quite frankly, far better at getting fully over into the opposite lane when overtaking than most car/van/pickup drivers. But then, passing Danebury Hill Fort on the way into Stockbridge, the driver of an articulated grain tipper brought things back to earth again. Passing too close, the wall of air pressure created by the truck slammed into me like I'd been tackled by Owen Farrell, causing a pretty worrying wobble. Probably my own fault for riding too close to the nearside verge. It just seems to encourage dheads to close-pass. Mental note to self... "be sure to cycle much further from the nearside verge, closer to the centre white line, and at a minimum in the centre of the lane"

[Gweeds]

amgmcqueen said:

How do you overtake two cyclists taking up the whole width of a narrow country lane? Run them over...?

Pull your head out of your arse. Muppet.

You wait. Weirdly you don’t have automatic priority over every other road user.

Not tricky is it. So again, learn how to fking drive.

[fastraxx]

yellowjack said:

Meh. I was too busy "holding up" traffic today for a LOT more than 30 seconds. And tough titty, really, to the driver "stuck" behind me. It was a narrow single-track road between two hamlets in rural Hampshire. Up hill. No passing places. I'm not going to hang myself on a barbed wire fence (offside), nor am I going to fling myself into a nettle patch (nearside). So whoever was behind me was going to have to wait until we reached the farm gate at the top of the hill before I could reasonably, and safely, pull over to let them pass. Which, of course, I did as soon as I could.

FFWD to the end of the ride, and I was trundling through Stockbridge at about 20 mph. All good, nearly back at the car. Then some moron in a Passat decides it's a good time to pull out in front of me. Not a problem, usually. Most drivers then get going and there's no issue. But not this cod-head. Before he could accelerate he had to fasten his seat belt. Obviously. Because why would you do that before setting off? So I'd caught him by now, but couldn't overtake due to a) oncoming traffic, and b) his swerving around all over the road while he fished about for something in the centre console. Never mind the fact that any of the many cars parked along the street could have pulled out (reversed in most cases) in front of him. Never mind the pedestrians variously trying to cross the road or loading their cars with shopping. Never mind that I'm now "stuck behind him for ages" having caught him on a bicycle. No, this self absorbed onanist was quite happy crawling along in his own little bubble, oblivious to me, and to the growing queue of cars behind me. Unless, of course, he wasn't "oblivious" at all, and he'd deliberately pulled out in front of me, and was deliberately driving like Hoke Colburn just to piss me off/try to provoke a reaction...?

And speaking of the restoration of equilibrium? All ride long I'd been impressed by the patience of, and space afforded to me by overtaking truckers. They were, quite frankly, far better at getting fully over into the opposite lane when overtaking than most car/van/pickup drivers. But then, passing Danebury Hill Fort on the way into Stockbridge, the driver of an articulated grain tipper brought things back to earth again. Passing too close, the wall of air pressure created by the truck slammed into me like I'd been tackled by Owen Farrell, causing a pretty worrying wobble. Probably my own fault for riding too close to the nearside verge. It just seems to encourage dheads to close-pass. Mental note to self... "be sure to cycle much further from the nearside verge, closer to the centre white line, and at a minimum in the centre of the lane"

As usual
TLDR

[80sMatchbox]

aeropilot said:

I'm a cyclist myself

[A1VDY]

Plenty of lycra clad with white plastic Oakley glasses bellends through our village on a Sunday. They seem to think they're doing the Tour de France. Nothing at all wrong with the genuine ones who do it for commuting but the multi coloured swop shop ones dressed like tts two abreast who refuse to use the purpose built cycle path I've little time for. Want to keep fit, get an exercise bike..

[fastraxx]

A1VDY said:

Plenty of lycra clad with white plastic Oakley glasses bellends through our village on a Sunday. They seem to think they're doing the Tour de France. Nothing at all wrong with the genuine ones who do it for commuting but the multi coloured swop shop ones dressed like tts two abreast who refuse to use the purpose built cycle path I've little time for. Want to keep fit, get an exercise bike..

Quite an angry man aren’t you? All that time on the doors? PTSD?

[Foss62]

A1VDY said:

Plenty of lycra clad with white plastic Oakley glasses bellends through our village on a Sunday. They seem to think they're doing the Tour de France. Nothing at all wrong with the genuine ones who do it for commuting but the multi coloured swop shop ones dressed like tts two abreast who refuse to use the purpose built cycle path I've little time for. Want to keep fit, get an exercise bike..

I assume you only use your car for commuting? Honda Jazz? How did you catch VD on the A1?

[billbring]

I really can't get my head round the fact that so many of you find it difficult to overtake two cyclists.

I've been driving for twenty years and I genuinely can't recall of a single occasion where they've caused me anything but the mildest inconvenience.
I mean they're very rarely traveling at more than 20mph. An average car can easily and safely get past them in, at a guess, 3 seconds.

I think anyone who gets angered at cyclists to the extent that many are displaying on this thread should perhaps consider some additional driver training.