was me. approached the busy pedestrian crossing at Barnton Gardens/Cramond Rd south and casually hugged the 1/2 height pole with the push-button on it waiting for the traffic to stop. Maybe i'm out of practice having been off the bike for 2 weeks but my front wheel started to turn on me and I realised I was a gonner...couldn't detach from the SPDs in time so I slid down the pole (still hugging it) to sniggers from all the school kids. whilst lying on the ground I managed to unclip and get back on the bike just as the lights turned red. What a plonker I felt but I chuckled away to myself as I crossed knowing i'd probably made a few peoples commute that little bit brighter.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
Today's rubbish cycling
(4503 posts)-
Posted 9 years ago #
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Me, in rubbish-berating-of-another-cyclist mode: shouted at a cyclist who appeared to be about to run a (temporary) red light. Cyclist then turned left completely legally.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@Beano - properly made my day there mate, thanks! I use that route and do the same thing, trying to save precious seconds by not unclipping at the lights! I did a not dissimilar thing after a training ride a couple of weeks ago. Arrived outside my house, turned into the path up to my front door at about 2mph, rear wheel just gives way and I keeled over, clipped in right in front of my neighbours (after what was an incident free 60 mile ride!)
Posted 9 years ago # -
me… forgot to switch my lights on this morning at around 8:15 after nursery drop-off….
Posted 9 years ago # -
Me this morning. After checking the FRB twitter feed around 6.45 this morning and checking the bridge was open, decided to brave it on the bike. Approached the bridge but one of the FETA vans was at the layby, guy tells me bridge is closed but radios for another driver to give a me lift (brilliant service and very generous!).
Other guy arrives, I put bike in the rear and hop in the cab. It was only halfway across the bridge when I realised I'd left my rucksack in the other van whilst I'd been chatting waiting on my lift!!
Poor guy had to take me all the way back over to collect it and bring me back across the bridge for the second time whilst I sat sheepishly!!
Hats off to them though, I always find them helpful, very chatty and often interested in where all the cyclists are going on their daily commutes.
Posted 9 years ago # -
My trip along the towpath was most enjoyable and only ruined slightly by some numpty in a flouro jacket and MTB. He must have been very important as he was forcing his way past the parents and kids on their way to Craiglockhart Primary and muttered some abuse at one lady with a kid sitting on her pannier rack on a bike who was in front of me and had the temerity to cause him to slow down a tad. Utter w@nker!
Posted 9 years ago # -
Rushing numpty turning right (illegally) from South Charlotte Street into Rose Street, who came within a couple of inches of my back wheel as I waited, well clear of the junction-boxing, for the light into Princes Street.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Rubbish maintenance was me. On Monday night I didn't have sufficient braking when coming down on the B800 to the Tesco Roundabout in South Queensferry - had to use the foot brakes. Rode home much more carefully and made a few adjustments to the cables and cycled in the next day without incident. However, coming home last night had exactly the same issue. More maintenance required and new brake pads fitted.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Me, last night. I thought the gent coming towards me on the canal was being overly dramatic shielding his eyes from my light. Turns out I had accidentally left it on full 250 lumen mode. Apologies. Mea culpa.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Too-bright-light-and-sometimes-a-too-bright-pulsing-front-blinky-bearded-man on the Chancelot path yesterday evening. Haven't seen him for a while as I've not been commuting on the NEPN much but he's still too bright.
Posted 9 years ago # -
This morning about 9am. I'm sitting at the front right (right in the corner) of the ASL at Gilmore Place opposite the KIng's Theatre. The lights change to go and as soon as I go to move a cyclist buzzes right past my right elbow and into the piece of road I was just about to use. I caught up with him on Valleyfield Road and mentioned that it's not a great place to overtake, as that junction is bad at the best of times. I'm not sure he heard or understood what I meant as he had an iPod on. Gave me a right fright — idiot!
Posted 9 years ago # -
The guy on the mountain bike last night 6:10pm at Scottish Widows / Fountainbridge/ canal who had his eye-searing Cree light intentionally pointed up at eye level for anyone coming towards him. Photos below don't really show how bright it was. If he was coming towards me then I'd feel obliged to shout "Blinder!"
Posted 9 years ago # -
Both the last couple of evenings I've found myself behind cyclists with obnoxiously bright lights and felt compelled to overtake ASAP. Yesterday's one was so bright that I couldn't really see anything (not even really the cyclist) when it "went off".
On the flipside, I was entertained this morning when someone shouted at me to dip my front light, even though it was a) daylight and b) I know it's pointed well down since I calibrate it every day against the stud lights on the canal (cut-off beam hits the ground next-but-one stud in front of me). Would have blown him a raspberry if I wasn't already past.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Apologies to the cyclist who I apparently confused last night as I slowed and moved to the right of the towpath to weave around the edge of an icy puddle before moving back into the usual position. I hadn't realised that he had caught me up again so quickly after I had overtaken him a while previously, although I should have shoulder checked before starting the odd manoeuvre in any case...
Posted 9 years ago # -
(Sorry, this is a long one).
An entertaining evening's commute home to Musselburgh, with 'comedy' provided by a fellow cyclist.
Coming onto Porty prom from Seafield this evening I was concious of a Super-Blinky light behind me (I caught the reflection on the edge of my glasses). Noting that the guy was moving at some pace (the reflectives on his longs were moving quickly, so I assumed he was spinning at high cadence), I duly moved over to the left, offering a clear run past. Super-Blinky didn't go flying past me but was in fact right behind me. I moved a little further left, further opening up a way past, assuming he'd noticed something on the path (ice, broken tarmac, ninja-hound etc). Nope, Super-Blinky sat resolutely on my wheel.
Now readers, I have to confess that being shod with Schwalbe Winters my cross bike ain't exactly swift. Super-Blinky ought to have been able to swoop past. It certainly wasn't windy and the slipstream I'd create must've been negligible.
Well I slowed my pace right down thinking Super-Blinky would have to go past. Super-Blinky didn't. Evidently Super-Blinky liked looking at my ravaged rear mudguard. Hmmm. At last I touched my brake giving a dramatic squeal and I think Super-Blinky got the message and finally went past me.
Fast-forward to Joppa and somehow I've caught up to Super-Blinky. Rather than sit behind the guy, I put the foot down and go past. As dinner's on the table at 5:30 tonight I put my head down and went for it. Super-Blinky is some way behind...before catching me up as I roll into Musselburgh. Ok fine.
Except Super-Blinky sits on my wheel again. Rolling past Fisherrow Harbour I slow right down. Super-Blinky is still there. I slow down even more, thinking I'll have to unclip and walk at this rate. Super-Blinky finally tires and goes past, catches up to another guy in front. Amazingly he scorches past and rides off at pace.
I dislike wheelsuckers intensely, mainly because it just ain't safe for anyone. Fine if you're riding in close formation on a Wednesday evening chaingang with your experienced clubmates. Inflicting yourself on other commuters ain't cool. Personally I have to work hard to maintain a decent level of perception when riding (I'm hard of hearing - having another rider up my jaxxy is just a little distracting).
Posted 9 years ago # -
Going northwards through Craigleith junction on the way home last night I had someone take advantage of me slowing down (for safety and courtesy) to pull right up to my mudguard (for danger and rudeness). Fortunately their light announced their presence, enabling me to shout at them to go away or past. They then continued along the path very slightly more slowly than I had been going, with the crucial difference that they didn't slow down to pass pedestrians, resulting in them still being ahead at Five Ways.
Also last night: three turnips pretending to be an Important Bicycle Racing Team going through the wee path-wiggle at the bottom of the slope up to the bridge over to the fancy school well over the middle of the path and several overbrighters.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Last night a guy riding a Dutch postcode lottery bike jumped a succession of red lights down Newington Rd/South Clerk St heading towards town. These were while pedestrians had right of way and were crossing in all directions and several had to take evasive action.
Not wishing to get into a blanket RLJ debate but IMO the junctions were far too busy to be trying it.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Guy on a yellow moulton-esque bike, weaving through peds on ped side of MMW - including someone sweeping one of those very long and visible white canes from side to side.
eventually headed over to bike side.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Properly kitted-up commuter bloke who got disgruntled with me for stopping at the temporary red light going north on Buccleuch Street. Didn't delay him for long - he hopped onto the very narrow pavement full of pedestrians and went on his way.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Someone else turning right into Rose Street from South Charlotte Street without giving my back wheel much clearance.
Posted 9 years ago # -
South Edinburgh appears to have a wheelsucker too. Cervelo with timetrial/tri bar extensions and the mistaken belief I've ever met him, know his bike handling skills and invited him six inches off my rear mudguard.
After he'd gone his separate ways, saw a perfectly good cyclist cycling perfectly goodly, but he had a smallish rucksack under one of those dayglo hump thingmies, despite have a perfectly good pannier rack. Huh? I thought to myself.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@Uberuce - props for having the raw speed to have a time triallist, on the (IMHO, although I'm admittedly biased) world's best time trial bike, needing to use you as a wind break to keep up a reasonable speed.
Or maybe he's all the gear, no idea... ;)
Posted 9 years ago # -
I believe the technical term is "SUCK Training" - you suck at riding - so you wheel suck.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Today's rubbish cycling was the chap in front of me, heading down the hill towards Morningside clock. Big rear facing reflector attached to his pannier rack, but it was a white reflector. No rear light on his bike. But at least he had juryrigged a light squinty-ways to the back of his helmet, which would've been OK(ish) if it hadn't been a front light!
I turned and looked as I overtook, expecting to see a red front light, but I don't think he had a front light on his bike at all.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Wheel-sucker trying it on as I made my way to work this am, almost certainly the Super-Blinky person I encountered last week.
I just steered over to the side of the road (Super Blinky following my wheel) until it was blindingly apparent I was going to stop right behind a parked car. Super Blinky rode on into the wind. I was almost tempted to ride on their back wheel for a minute or two, but I reckoned that wasn't exactly a mature response...
Posted 9 years ago # -
@arellcat - I've seen that chap before on that road, a few sundays ago. But he had white on the front and on the back. Very odd!
Posted 9 years ago # -
The Brompton bag bag goes on the back and has a white reflective patch.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Was parked at temp traffic light in Shandon. Never saw the guy but felt him whoosh by to my left which was into the bit of street being re-laid. Black bike, black hair, black clothes, no lights. I would have said something but up at Freewheelin cycle junction he swung across two lanes to go down robertson ave. with large cans on his ears. He Might have been touchy, no idea what he smelt like nor what he tasted of.
Question how many senses do you need to be able to cycle, e.g. In the dark.
Posted 9 years ago # -
If you're going to wear a helmet, at least do it up. Jus Sayin random cyclist today.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Not sure if this is rubbish or excellent...
Youthful newspaper delivery operative on a mountain bike with the saddle too low cycling along Meggetland Wynd (which was a sheet of ice) with no gloves on.
"So what?" you ask. Well, he was keeping his hands warm by rubbing them together. While cycling. On ice.
Posted 9 years ago #
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