WoL path was dry last night so might chance it today
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish cycling
(4503 posts)-
Posted 9 years ago #
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My bell has developed an automatic ding which occurs whenever I go over rough ground which in Edinburgh is virtually all the time. So I am riding around like the worlds angriest cyclist.
DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING!!!!!!
Posted 9 years ago # -
@Min, not sure if you've got a clamp which will allow this, but mounting it vertically e.g. on the stem or headtube rather than horizontally on the bars often cures this.
Posted 9 years ago # -
If it's a jingling spring-returned back-and-forth lever sort of bell then could be either a duff return spring or the wee rattling washer-clapper things are getting too loose.
If it's a simple pinging-clapper-on-a-spring then mount the bell at 45° to the vertical or horizontal and the pinger-clapper at 45° to any of the bike's standard orthogonal axes. With several layers of old inner tube between handlebars and bell. And increase the width of your tyres a few mm. And never go along the Shore ever again.
Posted 9 years ago # -
It is spring returned. I could try a wee squirt of oil to see if it helps the spring along.
Posted 9 years ago # -
My simple ping bell did that a few years ago when it came loose on it's stalk. The simple application of a rubber band cured it.
Posted 9 years ago # -
My (spring-returned) bell did that too. I left it until after the festival, during which it was actually quite a handy feature, then took it apart, sprayed a bit of WD40 in it and put it back together again. Cured!
Posted 9 years ago # -
Today's rubbish cyclist was the guy who didn't stop at the red light at the junction of London Road / Easter Road forcing myself (running to work) and a lady with her young daughter (walking to school) to jump back on to the pavement.
A couple of pedestrians (myself included) shouted "it's a red light", or similar, as the cyclist continued on his way across the junction with traffic travelling in the other direction.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Blatant red light jumping at the traffic lights coming out of Musselburgh this morning.
Guy on a smart white road bike and equally good looking kit sailed on through the lights and powered on up the hill towards Brunstane. Must've saved him, oooh, all of two minutes?
Posted 9 years ago # -
@Mandopicker101 that's an example of where it's probably safe and practical to run the light (as long as no peds crossing). I don't think I would, but I can see why it's tempting.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Following on from the drafting debate above
I've generally been of the opinion that I don't mind people drafting me, but today I have to say I wasn't best pleased about it. On the NEPN, as I struggled into the headwind between fiveways and the red bridge, I turned around to shoulder check before overtaking someone to discover another cyclist quite literally right up my arse. He could not have been closer without actually touching wheels.
After the overtake, I waited to see what would happen; would he overtake? Would he stay where he was? I was too tired to be bothered trying to drop him (if only this had happened on Tuesday), so I just plodded along, and he clung to my wheel to the red bridge, at which point he departed.
I suppose he wasn't drafting too long. From Strava flyby I can see he arrived behind me at fiveways, so it was probably all of 5 minutes total. The fact he was so ludicrously close was the issue. So when I've read people moaning about it before now, I've always wondered what the harm was. Well, I can now see what you mean.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Was the guy on the Mountain bike in front of me on the new cycle path that runs alongside the tram lines. Approaching the newly installed (yep that is rubbish) chicane , he starts dinging his bell at about 20m away as a pedestrian is mid chicane without slowing down. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, pedestrian upon exiting the chicane then has to physically jump onto the grass at the side of path to get out of his way.
Mr mountain bike guy, you are a prize numpty!
Posted 9 years ago # -
Two to report today.. Coming up to the double roundabout at Inverkeithing this morning(slight drag upwards) and overtook another rider who was travelling slower than me. Was then shouted at 'f**ks sake mate, I was just about to turn right!'. He was obviously startled when I overtook him but given he neither shoulder checked nor signalled or had even started the move, I can't really see what his issue was. I pointed out he may want to be more aware of his surroundings and that removing his headphones would help! On arrving into St Andrew Sq with what was a decent ride after that incident, witnessed a guy on hybrid sale through a red light (with headphones again) and proceed the wrong way up the one way section of St Andrew Sq where they're demolishing the former ScotProv building. *sigh*.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Incident #2 (of those captured on camera): I'm negotiating my way around school children, then am confronted by a bicycle coming down the off-ramp. I had about 0.2 seconds to decide how to avoid a head-on collision. Thankfully I decided to go right, as did they. Phew. Looking back at the video, it doesn't look anything like as bad as it seemed - maybe I just got a fright from the cyclist "suddenly" appearing. It's certainly the least troubling of all the incidents, since I think it was probably just unfortunate timing on all sides.
[+] Embed the video | Video Download Get the Flash Video Posted 9 years ago # -
Video cameras can distort perception of distance and speeds, but in this clip and your encounter with the dog you do appear to be going very fast for a shared use path.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Hawaiian shorts guy excelled himself today. Sailed straight through a longstanding red light at junction of cowgate and pleasance, completely mental, even for his standards
Posted 9 years ago # -
Opinion sought:
Cycling home last night North on the Roseburn path, as I am approaching the bridge which crosses the water near Coates Terrace etc.
I decide to hang back as it is not safe to overtake for various reasons, peds up ahead, junction on the left and stairs on the right. Also there is chap in front on a Genesis appearing to slow as well, he is probably turning left I think.I approach and decide not to ring bell or say passing as it is not safe to do so.
I sit behind him as he slows and wait to see what he is doing and what the peds are doing.
As I guessed he wants to turn left and indicates to do so at this point he says " Get off my arse" and then moves right as the peds are on the left, I follow as it would be the correct thing to do. Not doing so would create two bikes blocking the path. "Stop following me" he then shouts, I retort "I am not drafting you, just waiting to overtake when it is safe and polite to do so"
Genesis man then proceeds to slap his arse as he pulls left, bemused I return fire with a sweary.
Why do some cyclists think just because you are behind them, you are drafting them?
Posted 9 years ago # -
"Why do some cyclists think just because you are behind them, you are drafting them?"
Possibly because they over/under read bits on here!
It's always a problem if people 'do the right thing' and other people misinterpret it (not just cycling).
Worse if others overreact.
Posted 9 years ago # -
What's the problem with being drafted anyway? And if it is a problem to you for whatever reason, wouldn't you just slow till the drafter passes?
Posted 9 years ago # -
@chdot
Nail on the head. I was doing the right thing and got called out, his reaction is what got to me.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I do find this whole drafting issue a bit bemusing. I never even realised it was a 'thing' until being on this forum. Prior to that, I would have been baffled if someone came up behind me, overtook, and then didn't just pull away. It would have felt a bit odd, as if they were proving that they were faster than me, but then not been able to keep up the pace. And I might well have hung back behind someone if I wasn't much faster than them to avoid the demoralisation of an overtake, especially by a woman on a poorly maintained steel bike (I'd never be right on their wheel though). This is all a hangover from swimming pool etiquette where it is a real pain in the neck being overtaken by someone who isn't as fast as they think they are, leaving you tapping their toes for the rest of the session - but there's no drafting effect in a pool, if anything it's harder if someone's churning up the water ahead of you.
If I did encounter someone who was roughly my speed and was going my way, my instinct would be to ride up beside them and exchange a few words, and if they were up for a chat, ride alongside them and I've had a couple of very enjoyable rides that way. Probably not practical in the more confined space of Edinburgh's roads and cycle paths though. However if they want to play leapfrog instead, I will at least understand what they're doing. It sounds quite hard work though - I'd rather chat!
Posted 9 years ago # -
The being-far-too-close-behind of unwanted drafting is related to the being-too-close-to-someone-who-is-slowing-down-for-safety-around-obstacles. Someone following far too closely behind for safe stopping even at a low obstacle-considering speed is very offputting as you don't know whether they're going to stay behind you through the obstacles or try and whizz rudely past, as is unfortunately quite popular on the NEPN.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Ah so it's the too-closeness, rather than the behindness that's the problem?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Prior to that, I would have been baffled if someone came up behind me, overtook, and then didn't just pull away.
Drafters do not overtake, that is the problem. They just sit a few mm away from your back wheel causing a hazard to both of you.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I appreciate that, what I meant was I'd have been baffled by someone doing the 'right thing' by *not* drafting and taking their turn on the front (and would probably then have unwittingly offended them by not taking my turn on the front because I had no idea I was supposed to do so). Of course the point is moot because I undoubtedly cycle much slower than someone for whom wind resistance is an issue.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I have never drafted anyone on the cycle path or road in a car or on a bike.
I would consider 3-5ft ft or so away not drafting but somebody else might
Posted 9 years ago # -
@bruce (my opinion only) on the NEPN I'd consider 3ft too close, especially given the need to stop at short notice. I tend to hang back about 10ft while waiting for an overtake though this does mean I'm often waiting for one of the long straight bits to be clear before attempting the manouevre. Also, I think if I'd been asked to get off someone's arse I'd drop back further, just in case the person in front decided to "teach me a lesson" by braking very sharply.
I may have enountered the (or at least a) NEPN wheelsucker back in late June; definitely recall being drafted very closely from just after the Russell Road bridge to Ainslie Park (where I got off). Oddly though I was slowing down anyway for pedestrians etc (and slowed down even more when I realised I was being drafted too close) he wouldn't overtake. Altogether a mildly troubling experience especially as I had to brake sharply for a small dog at the multi-way junction (is this "Fiveways"?) near the big sainsbury's and as I did so was wondering "is this guy paying attention" (he was). Not exactly rubbish cycling though.
I never saw the guy again in the 2 months I did that route and I probably won't have the opportunity until the next time the Commie shuts down for an event.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I did have a chap riding very close behind me on the NEPN recently, and was finding it a bit disconcerting especially when *he* started ringing *his* bell in a 'get out of my way' manner as I approached pedestrians from behind. This happened a couple of times. When I slowed for the next set of pedestrians, I motioned to him to pass, at which point he freely owned up "I was enjoying getting pulled along" or something. It wasn't so much the drafting I obected to as the bell ringing, as the peds would have assumed it was *my* bell.
Then again, I've been accused of wheelsucking on the NEPN myself, even though from my viewpoint I was merely riding (several feet) behind a similarly-paced rider. So there are clearly different levels of tolerance and perceived risk.
Posted 9 years ago # -
The chap with the replica gear and red dropped handlebars on the Blackhall path just after the junction for Craigleith yesterday around 5.40pm. He overtook me at speed giving me plenty of room but didn't consider that the lady and the ~8 year old boy cycling a little ahead on the blind left bend would need to move out to pass two pedestrians. He had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting the little boy but still bullied his way past him rather than letting the boy overtake the pedestrians.
If you need to go that fast, please use the roads.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I recently (well, July!) had the same person drafting me on the NEPN between Wester Coates and Warriston. No matter how much I sped up or slowed down, he stayed a few inches from my back wheel. It was pretty anoying as there was a headwind each time, so he was getting a free and easy ride from my slog! The third time it happened, I got fed up and slowed right down, trying to wave him by. Even then it took an exasperated, "Come on - I'm letting you get past!" before he finally took a hint and overtook.
Now - I'm used to having people reasonably close behind me and other than a fear of being rear-ended if I have to stop suddenly, I'm fine with that. But this guy was in another league. Inches away for quite some distance.
Wonder if it was the same bloke we've all been troubled by?
Posted 9 years ago #
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