@Baldcyclist I would have thought you were pretty aero yourself. Or your head at least?
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish cycling
(4520 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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I won't get close enough to draft generally because I an too fat and unfit, but you could easilly make someone uncomfortable and cause an accident by non agreed 'tailgaiting'
I was passed by two woman (cycling) on my commute home on Friday on the towpath. they then slowed to almost my speed. They were great pacemakers to get me right in to Lochrin basin, but I was conscious they *might* think I was trying to steal a draft.
I was tempted though as their conversation must have been good. Couldn't here it but did hear loads of spontanious laughter from both.
Wished I had heard what they said to an oncoming MTB'r who overtook a ped at the wrong time and almost had a head on with them. Pretty vscious skid by him he did well to almost control ;-)
As he cycled on, he shouted "nae need to f***ing swear though" He wasn't being deliberately ironic.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I create a draft. Must lay off the baked beans...
Posted 11 years ago # -
I often end up accidentally drafting down the Roseburn Path. I catch up with a cyclist in front, and then it becomes pretty unsafe to overtake because of bikes / peds / dogs / bends ahead without a clear line of sight. I'll try and drop back a bit, but as soon as I do and then ease back off the brakes I tend to freewheel quite rapidy (which I put down to my weight) and end up getting closer and closer to the rider in front again!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Generally have no problem with drafting, so long as it is on a turn about share basis, so both riders get some benefit.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@559 fair enough on a road, with a cyclist you know/trust.
with a stranger on a shared path?
Posted 11 years ago # -
@Bikeability Edinburgh, Exactly.
Posted 11 years ago # -
And that's the problem with non-agreed drafting. I told the tale of that a while ago. I was heading towards Melville Drive, looked behind me before indicating left onto North Meadow Walk to see some guy inches of my back wheel. Had I been as careless and selfish as him and just braked without looking, we'd have both been on the deck and risking being run over.
On one of my sportives, I ended up having a guy use me as a tow up the hardest climb of the ride without a word from him. Enough was enough, and at the top I used me descending ability to leave him a mile or more behind me.
If I find myself unintentionally drafting (those times when your speed just happens to match the person in front), I either kick up a gear and get past or back off and match their speed again from a respectful distance. Otherwise it's the cycling equivalent of tailgating.
Is it too much to ask someone to be a "social drafter"?
Posted 11 years ago # -
I have to admit on the Bealach Mor I ended up unintientionally drafting someone up the first climb. Our speeds just seemed to match perfectly. I did try to stay a little behind, always about a metre or two, but I did feel guilty when we went over the top and I obviously had faster rolling wheels (simply freewheeled up to 40mph) and went past.
I was in a rhythm and didn't want to break it by slowing or speeding up, but I can see how it would be viewed as possibly drafting.
Posted 11 years ago # -
A good curry the night before works well for removing uninvited "drafters"
Posted 11 years ago # -
On the rare occasion I find myself in a chaingang, I'll let it be known if I can't help with the drafting up front and I've never had a bad reaction. I'm sure there are cycle snobs (e.g. some club riders)who won't accept that but I haven't encountered them in that situation (but then they are probably at least an hour ahead of me on the route anyway!!).
But if I can help, even for only a few seconds at a time, I'll make the effort, and it's always been appreciated. And I'm talking about complete strangers I've never met before.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Smashed my scapula and clavicle by irresponsible drafting on the Roseburn Path. I'm a little bit more wary about it now
Posted 11 years ago # -
Focus: "I'm sure there are cycle snobs (e.g. some club riders)who won't accept that but I haven't encountered them in that situation"
Neither have I. The only situation I can think of is in a race. But even then a strong rider could drop someone from a group by waiting until they were at the back and he/she is ahead of the other, allowing a gap to open up and then sprinting back onto the group leaving the rider stranded. Pretty nasty thing to do though.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yesterdays silly cyclist. A lady riding on the NEPN with a blinking bright front light at +20 to 30 degrees. I passed (never drafting!!) and looked back to be blinded. I slowed until she nearly caught me, with her holding back, and asked her if she woundn't mind dipping her light down as it was lighting up the trees and blinding others coming towards us. Her reply, "I hope that was a polite question!"
I'm now wondering if encouraging more cycling is a good thing! as it appears to have lost its 'small group = common bond' with eejits taking up cycling and reading every request as an insult/attack.
Posted 11 years ago # -
...was me. Attempted to filter between 2 lines of stationary traffic, bumped my left knuckle off a no. 29 bus which sent me into bumper of a car on the opposite side. The driver was peeved but calm, and rolled his window down to ask if I'd marked his car (I hadn't). Too embarrassing. Think my filtering might be a little less adventurous for a while.
Posted 11 years ago # -
this morning, stopped on the aquaduct and hugged the guardrail to let two oncoming cyclists pass (as had a kindy pedestrian a few yards ahead and the cyclist behind overtakes me!
poor cycling etiquette rather than poor cycling skills, but a twonk nonetheless.
BTW, that wasn't a headwing it was an air brake. My wee powerless leggies are awfy puggled!
Posted 11 years ago # -
What time was that this morning Bikeability? Were you heading towards town? If it was about 7:25 I was one of the oncoming cyclists, and the overtaker was very wobbly coming towards me. Thought I was going for a swim!
I recognise him from the "spotted" thread a couple of months ago, someone (I think greenroofer) got a picture of a girl cycling in football boots and he was in the picture too, I recognise him because his helmet is still unbuckled. He was on a different bike this time though, it was a wee folder upper before.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I was heading out of town, prob hit the aquaduct about 7:50
I do recall passing someone IIRC about Polwarth with an unbuckled Helmet over his balaclava!
Posted 11 years ago # -
... was the rider travelling east on the Broomhouse path earlier this evening, who sped up to undertake me after I overtook when he slowed down to clip in. Who, further along toward the end of the Carrick Knowe path, slowed down moving across the whole of the path with no indication of what he was doing and only shoulder checked when stopped in the middle of the path at the still fenced off Balgreen Tram stop access.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Cramond Promenade @1000
Parkrun has just finished so there are approx 450 runners close to the finish.
Me walking with my bike east through the crowd gets clipped by a cyclist going west.
Cyclist thought that ringing their bell repeatedly allowed them to cycle through a crowd at approx 15mph.
Dangerous, very selfish and inconsiderate.
Didn't get much time to look but think it was a woman in her 50s on a brown hybrid with mudguards and flat handlebars, which hit me.
Only regret is I should have turned and gone after her.
Posted 11 years ago # -
The idiot rider who shot out the Haymarket Station jug handle around 8 o'clock this morning. Against the red and across all 4 lanes to do an illegal right. He probably thought he made it okay, but both me in the inside lane and the car in the other travelling west had to slow down when he crossed our path.
Further down the way, a rider from Gyle Access and a white van from Gyle Broadway that had exited to Gyle Crescent made contact at the pinch point shortly after.
First, the rider should have given way at the roundabout and to give the driver credit, he did slow when the road narrowed, but for the rider to take the position just inside the van to undertake was just silly.Posted 11 years ago # -
I was stopped by a changing light in the ASL at the end of Melville Drive at Summerhall.
Before the lights changed no fewer than 5 cyclists had broken the law - pavement cycling, jumping red lights, cycling across Pelican (not Toucan) crossings.
The guy who stopped alongside me (on my outside) joined me in sadly shaking our heads and lamenting the rise in scofflaws.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I have been noticing a serial muppet on North Bridge recently. Yesterday morning he was cycling up the chevrons up the middle of the road. He dealt with the traffic islands by lunging leftwards back into the lane without so much as a glance over his shoulder. I daresay he also jumped on to the pavement at the High Street like he did the day before too.
Still, a hi-viz h*lm*t makes him safe and responsible right?
Oh, no lights either of course.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Young woman heading south on N St Andrew St, junction with St Andrew Sq, sails blithely through red light as I start crossing on a green man, and with traffic turning right from St Andrew Sq. I watch her progress to S St Andrew St, and see her sail through that red light too.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Seen that guy a few times Min.
Him and some copycats who make a 'risk averse' (to them!) right turn. This of course is helped by the ramps at pavement crossings.Other night I was intrigued to see two bikes taking children home at around 5pm in the dark. One child seat on back with mum pedalling. Other with dad and child on front. Neither had lights but were using the 20mph zoned roads in a fairly carefree way. Odd but true.
Next night there was heavy rain and was walking along pavement at Roseneath. A very well lit bike with rider in bright yellow with choosed to use pavement for no real reason I could see.Thanks to his bright light people were staying well out the way...
Posted 11 years ago # -
A very well lit bike with rider in bright yellow with choosed to use pavement for no real reason I could see.
Not guilty!Posted 11 years ago # -
This morning on Tipperlinn Rd, heading towards Colinton Road. Very unusually there was a queue of vehicles waiting to enter Colinton Rd including an HGV and vans. No way I'm going up the inside or outside think I. I was also behind the politest toyota yaris, who was driving so patiently that I was happy to wait in the queue. Much to my surprise at least 4 bikes come up behind me and hop onto the pavement and continue towards Colinton Road. More bizarre than dangerous on that stretch, but they were all middle aged + and non racy types, one lady even had her handbag hanging from the handle bars. More my prejudice I suppose, but I thought if i can be bothered to wait and I'm in a hurry, why cant you. I was amused when my polite Toyota slowed to allow one on the pavment riders to hop back onto the road when the queue started clearing. Not exactly rubbish, just weird.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Seen that guy a few times Min.
Ha, interesting that you recognised him from that description! Darwin award in the making.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Me, by Morningside clock.
Some fauxenger extreme filtering caused by poor front brake maintenance, and possibly scaring the bejesus out of the driver whose passenger side front wing I bumped with my pannier as we both passed a parked car.
He or she didn't honk at me, which is odd, but hopefully indicative of a desire to keep both hands on the wheel in the presence of a cyclist with a apparent deathwish.
What I had wished was to brake so that he or she could go first, since I was behind and didn't fancy squeezing through the immenently narrowing gap. What I got was a cognitive delay until I realised that tot all was happening when I pulled the front brake so it was time to stamp down backwards on the upstroke pedal.
My already high level of disbelief at and disapproval of people who ride handbrakeless on purpose through traffic is now ramped up significantly.
Posted 11 years ago # -
The two cyclists (for a change!) that blatently ran a red light turning right from Home Street on to Gilmore Place, following another couple of cyclists who had clearly gone through on amber as it was. Luckily a pedestrian had also decided to run the red (man) and was crossing in front of the opposing queue of traffic, holding them up enough for me to make the right turn quite safely despite the delay.
Posted 11 years ago #
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