Any cyclists in here?

[LastMagicBean]

Threats of violence and accusations.?????

What is martian on???

All I wanted to do was comment on cyclists.

Good job i'm thick skinned.

 

[Ricardus]

Well, to go off topic here and actually talk about cycling...

Seconded on the cycling glasses - last time I was out I got a midge in my eye as I came down a hill at speed. Had to stop at the bottom to get it out and of course lost all momentum to go up the next hill

DEFINITELY get some hi-vis gear if you're going on public roads - even with lights and reflectors its amazingly easy to lose cyclists in the background. And if you're off road cycling, its still not a bad idea to wear hi-vis, it makes finding your corpse amidst the bushes a bit easier from the air ambulance

Get a good rear light. Flashing lights stand out better, though the law says your cycle should only show a solid red light to the rear, but there's nothing to stop you clipping a flashing light to your clothes. Some cyclists recommend two rear lights, one flashing to attract attention the other a solid light so motorists can judge distance.

For cycle parts and accessories, I find www.chainreactioncycles.com one of the cheapest places online.

 

[LastMagicBean]

But what I didn't get the chance to say earlier, was that every single day I witness cyclists on the roads weaving about like lunatics, holding up miles of traffic behind them, caring not a jot.
Infact they put lives in danger by p*ssed off motorists trying to find room on a busy road to pass them.

Where's the responsibility??? Infact wheres the legislation.?????? Simple answer. None, zero, f*ck all.

If I suddenly felt the need to go to work on a skateboard in busy rushhour traffic, I'd be locked up, and rightly so. So what's the difference.?

Just my point of view ....that's all.

 

[joe-90]

I was once cycling out Martians way a few years ago down the Tissington trail. It was all downhill so I thought I'd see how fast I could go. I went through a swarm of midges and got them in both eyes at the same time. Couldn't see a bloody thing and skidded to a stop totally blind.

The thing that ****es me off with cyclists in the city is they ride two abreast and block the world, they ride on the road when there's a cycle track at the side of the road, and at traffic lights they sneak up the inside while you wait for the lights to change so you have to overtake the same prat time after time.

 

[LooPrEvil]

Have you noticed recently the 'new breed' of cyclists who attach a camera to themselves to record motorists behaviour and then pass the footage on to the police to prosecute?

These cyclists never seem to provide the footage that shows their own provocation that makes the motorist retaliate though.

I am thinking of fitting a camera into my car in case I need a defence in the future.

 

[cantaloup63]

The trouble is that, like taxi drivers, it is too easy to tar all cyclists with the same brush and assume "guilt". We're not all like that and it drives me mad when I'm driving and see exactly the same sort of poor road manners/behaviour from cyclists as those mentioned.

The biggest gripe I have is seeing cyclists wearing little to no protective clothes, with hardly anything hi vis (dark clothes, no lights, no significant reflector). There is a lack of understanding on these people's part in that being in a car does partly reduce visibility in comparison to being a pedestrian on wheels, and that a driver's eyes has to keep scanning a wider number of parameters in a shorter amount of time. Personally, I'd like to see the dibble confiscate the bike of any cyclist who does not protect him/herself adequately (a basic helmet!) and make themselves high-vis to other road users, and only return the bike when the cyclist attends the police station with the necessary clothing.

I'd also be more than happy to pay say £50 per year in a cyclist's road tax to enable more protected cycle routes and paths to be developed. They are in everybody's interest.

 

[LooPrEvil]

Dont get me wrong, it is not all cyclists who ignore the rules of the road. But those who disobey red lights deserve all the slagging they get, and they are actually being provocative with that behaviour. That said, only last night me and three mates were crossing the road at a pelican crossing and had to stop halfway across because a MOTORIST drove through on the red light, fortunately one of our party realised the car was not going to stop, otherwise no doubt he would have ploughed into us. We had had a few beers, and so it seems, had the driver of that car.

But motorists also need to realise that a cyclist only has two wheels and that when they see a pot hole they have to avoid it otherwise they will be on their r's, and they may not see it until the last moment. The same goes for glass and litter etc in the gutter. So the motorist should give the cyclist a wide berth in case of such a situation.

I always recall one motorist saying to me that when you over take a cyclist or motor bike you should treat them as if they occupied the same road space as a motorist, as that gives a safe zone in the event of them having to avoid an obstruction - I think that is very good advice.

 

[cajar]

Cyclists are a menace on the roads.

At least if you overtake a slow car, once you're past it, it waits BEHIND you at traffic lights.

And if a motorcycle filters past you in the queue, once the lights change it is GONE and out everyone's way.

Cyclists force people to carry out overtaking to get past them, then filter through to the top and wait at traffic lights, effectively creating a moving obstruction.

Have you ever seen a cyclist look over his shoulder to check traffic before pulling out to avoid a parked car? or do they all just assume its up to other traffic to do their thinking for them? no wonder they end up dead / paralysed so often.

Cyclists cause congestion and should have to pay a tax to fund cycle lanes.

 

[joe-90]

Cyclist should be banned from the roads during peak hours. How can it be 'green' to get in the way of 5,000 cars each morning and then the same on the way back? How many cars have to slow down, change lane and then accelerate again due to cyclists? On our local ring-road they make the left hand lane unusable as you have to endlessly change lanes as they are not wide enough to pass them on. How is that green?

 

[sooey]

Don't even talk about cycle lanes. There's perfectly good two lane roads all over the country reduced to one and a bit lanes to accomodate cycle lanes painted on the road. So now, all of those roads that used to have two lanes of traffic, have longer queues all jammed into one lane. And usually no F*&^ing bikes in sight.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

To go back to the original post - i've had a mountain bike for two months now that i bought (techincally I haven't bought it at all) through the cycle to work scheme and would recommend it to anyone who CAN cycle to work and wants a new bike. Its enabled me to get a decent bike, rather than a cheap Halfords bike and it makes cycling so much easier. Definately a good idea if your employer is happy to sign up to the scheme. My commute is 11.5miles (13miles by car) and takes me around 45mins to work and an hour home but its actually quite nice to cycle there and back rather than sitting in the car!

Whereabouts in derbyshire are you? Theres a great cycle shop in chesterfield and i couldn't find anywhere else either locally or online that could match their prices...

As for equipment, it is definately not worth the risk of riding without a helmet - i hate wearing the things, but just wouldn't risk not doing. Mud guards (and decent ones to - you can get ones that fit to the front stem, but when you turn the wheel, the mudguard stays pointing forwards and therefore does nothing and so is a complete waste of time - mine also detach easily too, so if you ever take off the wheel to put it in the car or shed, you can take of the guards so they don't get snapped off!) Lights also very useful if you're likely to be cycling in darkness or bad weather.

If you go out riding in a bit of drizzle - you'll soon find out what you need in terms of coats, trousers, gloves etc....

 

[Nige F]

Monty python Bicycle Repair Man

 

[Alarm]

Fair play to the bike scheme, and to Andrew glad you like it at the moment. Wait till its peeing down freezing cold and dark, both to and from work.

 

[LooPrEvil]

The Cycle to Work scheme is a salary sacrifice scheme, which means for the period you are in the scheme, you are actually sacrificing some of your salary, which does have some disadvantages. Such as:

if your job is potentially at risk, I would not recommend that you enter into such an arrangement because your redundancy pay will based on your current salary less the amount of salary you sacrificed to the scheme (ie you put £1,000 into the Cycle to Work scheme, then your redundancy pay will be based on your annual salary MINUS £1000). This would probably affect low earners more than higher earners. .

Also if you opt to purchase the bike at the end of the arrangement, I believe the government are considering setting a minimum purchase price (based on a percentage of the bikes / equipments original retail value AND adding VAT to the price you pay).

 

[AndrewSchofield]

What LooPrEvil says is true and worth taking into consideration but it may not be quite as bad as that - the maximum you can spend on the scheme is £1000 inc VAT but (assuming your company is VAT registered and prepared to pass the saving on to you) the maximum salary reduction is around £830 (although that still makes a fair difference to redundnacy payments!!). My employer is also running the scheme over 18 months rather than 12, and so the maximum annual salary reduction at our place would be £555. I spent nearly £600 on my bike and equipment and it reduces my salary by just over £24 a month (about £17 take home) - £288 a year.

The payment at the end of the scheme will be between 3 and 5 % of the original cost so even for a £1000 spend, you're looking at £50 to buy the bike so even if there is VAT on this, you're talking no more than £60. You're still saving a fortune on the bike and you have no obligation to buy the bike at the end of the initial period, in fact, you can 'hire' it for a further three years at the end at no cost whatsoever and still not have to buy it.

I don't use the bike to commute every day so do pick and choose the days i use it based on the weather to a certain extent, but last week I did cycle to work in the rain and high winds - wasn't as nice obviously, but after a nice warm shower at the other end, its no big deal...

I'd definately recommend it if you're looking to buy a bike but as LooPrEvil says, it is worth taking stock of how secure your job position is and take care how much you spend - you do save a lot but you've got to be able to afford it for 12 months or more..