Repect the courier.

[sammy_bibs]

Spent my day today riding around London (fancied a change from the good old country lanes) following a few of the couriers! These guys are scarry to follow, flying all over the shop like there's no tommorow! Was amusing, looks like a fun jo for those witout fear & love to ride. I think every rider should try his hand at courier work in London one time or another!

Strange place to ride is london, I spent most of my time lost trying to find places that I was not even sure exist! Regardless I made it hom safe, Champion. =)

Sam...

[Silent1]

sammy_bibs said:

Spent my day today riding around London (fancied a change from the good old country lanes) following a few of the couriers! These guys are scarry to follow, flying all over the shop like there's no tommorow! Was amusing, looks like a fun jo for those witout fear & love to ride. I think every rider should try his hand at courier work in London one time or another!

Strange place to ride is london, I spent most of my time lost trying to find places that I was not even sure exist! Regardless I made it hom safe, Champion. =)

Sam...

some couriers i know play a game with sportsbike riders seeing if they can goad you into a crash etc

[remal]

Silent1 said:

sammy_bibs said:

Spent my day today riding around London (fancied a change from the good old country lanes) following a few of the couriers! These guys are scarry to follow, flying all over the shop like there's no tommorow! Was amusing, looks like a fun jo for those witout fear & love to ride. I think every rider should try his hand at courier work in London one time or another!

Strange place to ride is london, I spent most of my time lost trying to find places that I was not even sure exist! Regardless I made it hom safe, Champion. =)

Sam...

some couriers i know play a game with sportsbike riders seeing if they can goad you into a crash etc

Not nice. glad i don't ride in london

[sammy_bibs]

Ahh, there just envious of our lovely bikes! But I will take this into conideration when out & about tommorw! =)

[Mad Dave]

I've never ridden in London, but I love driving there - you get to drive really aggressively, which sounds bad but is loads of fun.

[remal]

Mad Dave said:

I've never ridden in London, but I love driving there - you get to drive really aggressively, which sounds bad but is loads of fun.

You will piss yourself now, But I have not been to London since I was 10 Years old. really want to take the wife to see the sights but had no reason to go in my adult life. Driven many times close to London, Gatwick, Channel tunnel and places inside the M25 but usually stay this side of reaing

[grant.d]

Mad Dave said:

I've never ridden in London, but I love driving there - you get to drive really aggressively, which sounds bad but is loads of fun.

Try Paris

[remal]

grant.d said:

Mad Dave said:

I've never ridden in London, but I love driving there - you get to drive really aggressively, which sounds bad but is loads of fun.

Try Paris

Heard that quite bad?

[scotia_steve74]

Drove a 125 every day in Central London for a year! Loads of fun!!!

[stig]

Welcome to my world....

[rsvmilly]

grant.d said:

Mad Dave said:

I've never ridden in London, but I love driving there - you get to drive really aggressively, which sounds bad but is loads of fun.

Try Paris

'Brisk' filtering around La Peripherique, following local bikers was one of the highlights of my trip to France last year.

[Benni]

rsvmilly said:

grant.d said:

Mad Dave said:

I've never ridden in London, but I love driving there - you get to drive really aggressively, which sounds bad but is loads of fun.

Try Paris

'Brisk' filtering around La Peripherique, following local bikers was one of the highlights of my trip to France last year.

The surprising thing there: car drivers actualy expect bike riders to do filtering,
look in the rearview mirror and move to the side of their lane to let them through !
Just hope that Msr. Petit is not on his phone/having a fag/baguette to distract him,
before pulling out for a lane change,
then it could become very nasty/close/exiting/ugly, if the biker does not react quick.
Cheers,
Benni

[chilli]

Now this is interesting, we were having this conversation the other day. I ride through London (East and City) every day, and I think that the couriers are awful riders. Not just the fact that they are completly unaware of any of the "highway code" but they're slow and appear to have little control over their machines.
I've lost count of the times I've been stiuck behind one, who was wobbling all over the place trying to filter, and holding others up. Get to the lights and they're happy to intimidate the pedestrians by parking across the pedestrian "bit" and scowling with their goaties, behind dark glasses!!
The conversation we were having is that a few years back they seemed far more aggressive riders than they are now. We could only put it down to injuries/insurance costs.

[barry sheene]

sammy_bibs said:

looks like a fun jo for those witout fear & love to ride.
Sam...

Exactly what I thought, but then I tried it for a year and yes, you get to ride every day 10 hours a day, no breaks, no lunch, no messing about just to make ends meet. Then there´s the days when all you do is sit and wait, and wait and wait and not make any money.

There´s a huge difference between having to ride every single day to make ends meet and going out on a weekend for a bit of fun. Worlds apart. I know which I prefer too. I gave it up cos I pulled a back muscle and couldn´t rife for a week, so I did something else instead.

Also, I hated the hospital jobs because invariably it meant having to trapse round wards with the package looking for the right dept. Not something you wanna do in full kit, especially when you want to be on with the next job....

Now , having said that. If it were better paid then I´d probably still be at it, but IT contracting seems to pay a little better

[barry sheene]

rsvmilly said:

grant.d said:

Mad Dave said:

I've never ridden in London, but I love driving there - you get to drive really aggressively, which sounds bad but is loads of fun.

Try Paris

'Brisk' filtering around La Peripherique, following local bikers was one of the highlights of my trip to France last year.

I´ve been round the peripherique a few times on a friday rush hour. Very interesting

Once I was following a line of bikers filtering , we all came upon a stretch that was stopped, an ambulance tries to make it´s way through, we catch it. It´s holding up the bikes, so one of the french bikers gets in front of the ambulance, stops it, lets all the bikers go through then continues on his way. Gobsmacked to say the least......

[rsvmilly]

And top marks to the French biker who saw me struggling with a map in my tankbag, in Paris. He asked where we were headed and led us on our way

Oh what I wouldn't have given for satnav right then...

Edited by rsvmilly on Tuesday 3rd April 08:25

[Andy Oh]

chilli said:

Now this is interesting, we were having this conversation the other day. I ride through London (East and City) every day, and I think that the couriers are awful riders. Not just the fact that they are completly unaware of any of the "highway code" but they're slow and appear to have little control over their machines.
I've lost count of the times I've been stuck behind one, who was wobbling all over the place trying to filter, and holding others up. Get to the lights and they're happy to intimidate the pedestrians by parking across the pedestrian "bit" and scowling with their goaties, behind dark glasses!!
The conversation we were having is that a few years back they seemed far more aggressive riders than they are now. We could only put it down to injuries/insurance costs.

Nick I completely agree with you, the couriers in London are among the worst riders I have seen and some are terrible at filtering and can be quite annoying at times, I do know a couple of guys who use R1's as courier bikes so I suppose they're ok

[sjtscott]

Andy Oh said:

chilli said:

Now this is interesting, we were having this conversation the other day. I ride through London (East and City) every day, and I think that the couriers are awful riders. Not just the fact that they are completly unaware of any of the "highway code" but they're slow and appear to have little control over their machines.
I've lost count of the times I've been stuck behind one, who was wobbling all over the place trying to filter, and holding others up. Get to the lights and they're happy to intimidate the pedestrians by parking across the pedestrian "bit" and scowling with their goaties, behind dark glasses!!
The conversation we were having is that a few years back they seemed far more aggressive riders than they are now. We could only put it down to injuries/insurance costs.

Nick I completely agree with you, the couriers in London are among the worst riders I have seen and some are terrible at filtering and can be quite annoying at times, I do know a couple of guys who use R1's as courier bikes so I suppose they're ok

I have to agree here too.. just over 7 years ago when I started to commute everyday in London couriers did all seem more agreesive mental riders with high levels of skill. Nowadays its the latter generally as both of you suggest. I had a one courier I caught up recent who seemed unable to brake smoothly at all. The front brake seemed to be an on/off switch i.e. he almost hit the back of the truck in front of him when it stopped.. I got round him ASAP unfortunately at the next lights his lack of finesse resulted in him almost hitting me. I then asked him loudly "Are you brakes alright mate, you seem to be having some issues" To which he just turned and ignored me.. t**t!

[SGirl]

Andy Oh said:

Nick I completely agree with you, the couriers in London are among the worst riders I have seen and some are terrible at filtering and can be quite annoying at times, I do know a couple of guys who use R1's as courier bikes so I suppose they're ok

One of them decided to "filter" in stationary traffic and put a 3 foot dent right up the side of my car. And this was only a short while after I'd had the car fixed after a previous courier did something similar. And of course, it didn't occur to him to stop.