Don't mind me as I overtake you for the fourth time!

GEPC

If you have made the decision cycle most days I tend to think you are probably a fairly decent person with your head on the right way. I also think it doesn't really matter what sort of bike you ride, road, mountain, hybrid of folding. It doesn't bother me when couriers (or would be couriers) on fixies jump the lights, its what they do and its part of what defines that type of cyclist and the cycling world is richer for it. Personally I stop at the lights (the only exception being pedestrian crossings when there are no pedestrians in sight).

However if there is one thing that pisses me off it is having to overtake the same slow cyclist 4 times on the same commute. If you commute in London I am sure you have know the type I mean. There will be a group of you waiting for the lights in the green area at the front and then one person will ride around the side of you and and then stop in front of you all. When the lights change they are in pole positoon but then set off at a snails pace meaning we all have to overtake them, sometime for the second or third time.

If you are riding that slowly you can't be in a rush. if you are not in a rush then wait. You wouldn't walk to the front of a queue anywhere else. What makes you think you can do it just because you are on a bike!

pst88

Yes, this really gets on my wick too.

Gussio

Most annoying aspect about this all too common scenario is that the overtaking cyclists are forced out into the flow of traffic unnecessarily. This becomes dangerous when motorbikes and cars have encroached into the green box and are itching to get away from the lights as quickly as possible.

I share your pain.

jstutters

Yep, that drives me nuts as well. Only thing worse is when the slow cyclist RLJs.

el_presidente

Clearly we need to start some vigilante action

a hefty push as you pass should suffice and ensure they will not bother you again for the duration of the commute. Or at the very least some robust Abdoujaparov-style sprinting with flailing elbows and uncertain bike control.

Clever Pun

might I suggest talking to them and letting them realise unless you're going to go off at 20mph sit at the back of the queue

I'll go to the front (mainly as I filter on the right of cars) but once I set off I don't see any of that queue again unless there are some proper cyclists there who'll make the break away group with me

ChrisLS

...not enough of us down my way...only me and two others... ...all say ahhhhhhh...if you've got afew spares in London send 'em down here to make the numbers up...even the slow ones would do, then I would have someone to overtake

cupofteacp

I'm sorry but I've got so annoyed with slow cyclist that I now move to the front of the que.

The only good thing about this is that it usually flames someone into a race, and I can then sit on their wheel until they run out of puff and I can pull away having got a free ride

I'm sorry but most cyclist are just so slow

Matteeboy

I'm so surprised if I see another cyclist that I usually just say hello!

Always overtake people of hills, not always on the flat.

damo_d_b

I've found about the only way to stay calm whilst cycling in London is to do my best to ignore the actions of my fellow cyclists. If I got wound up everytime I see someone jump a red light, push in front of a queue at traffic lights, jump on the pavement to avoid a red light, ring their bell at a pedestrian who was only simply trying to cross the road/get to work/survive like everybody else, then I'm sure I'd just give up, ditch the bike, and get the tube like most normal people.

However last week, after barely surviving some idiotic actions of a Fluro Brompton-ite in the morning, I decided to offer some choice words of advice on my journey home that evening. I was waiting at some lights just behind a black cab (he was in turn behind two cyclists) deciding that there was little point squeezing through the 30cm gap between cab and pavement as there was no room in front of it and the lights were probably only a few seconds from changining anyway. However, just as the lights began to change and I was preparing to push off, one lady (panniers, fluro jacket) was obviously in far too much of a hurry so squeezed past me on the inside. Taken aback, I overtook her and asked "Couldn't you have waited for just one second?". Her indignant cry of "Oh come on!" led me to believe pursuing the matter further wouldn't have got me far.

So, with the weather getting brighter and milder, and with the roads begining to flood with cyclists, has anyone noticed a distinct lowering of cycling standards? I'm finding it harder and harder to ignore my fellow two-wheeled commuters.

PS CupOfTea - those people aren't racing you, they're just trying to get as far away from you as possible. Hitching a 'free ride' may well be ill-advised.

beesneez

Jeeze, it gets on my t1ts too! They deserve a big glob of snot as you pass them! :twisted:

I also hate the numpties that you see ahead dawdling along, you maintain a consistent speed ie. don't have to speed up to overtake, but when you do over take them, 30 seconds later they've sped up and pass you at mach 2 then blow a foo-foo valve 50 m up the road and you have to pass them again...then repeat process 3 times!

Why do people not know the unwritten code!

dirk_van_gently

Not much "love in the room' today!

Any non cyclists reading this thread could think cyclists are bunch of lycra clad self righteous vigilantes. :?

beesneez

Why do people not know the unwritten code!

That may be because it's unwritten

Matteeboy

Us "normal" clothes wearing MTB commuters are so much more friendly...

beesneez

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

Not much "love in the room' today!

Any non cyclists reading this thread could think cyclists are bunch of lycra clad self righteous vigilantes. :?

I don't think it's a matter of being self righteous, just an expectation that cyclists (including the lycra clad) should be courteous and considerate to others. But I know that's too much to ask...

cupofteacp

I think the problem is that some of us cycle everyday week in, week out, sun, rain, storm, snow, whatever, and cycle more than 4 miles, I'm just going to work, through London, so what.

Every spring you get the flood of new cyclists on their clean new bikes that haven’t got a clue, like lemmings to the cliff’s edge.

I try not to get angry, and I try to remember we’re all numpties at some point; it takes years and thousands of miles to change us into sensible cyclists.

secretsam

There's one in particular. He's middle aged, works in "Design" (you can tell by what he wears) and rides one of those modern US-Cruiser things.

He's slow, doesn't give a sh17 about anyone else on the road and jumps all reds.

Whoever you are... :evil:

Other than that, the slowies don't bother me too much, I'm sort of middle speed myself, and the lycra thrusty-monkeys (all carbon skinny tyres brand names and shaven) can be a little tiresome, zooming past like they own the road, coo look at me, aren't I quick.

I don't like being sneered at, frankly, so I can cope with the slow and silly better than the fast and showy.

Apart from that one guy, he's a...(explodes into ranting fireball)

dirk_van_gently

lemmings don't run over cliffs, it's an urban legend, or whatever you want to call it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemmings

Lambs to the slaughter may be a better analogy.

andrewc3142

It's sometimes surprising to read posts like these and realise there are cyclists as well as car drivers bursting with rage, full of apoplectic ranting against perceived injustices, etc.

On the comment about the "more than 4 miles", personally I often find that the self-annointed speedy ones are only riding about 15 miles or so. Not surprising they're fresh. Each to their own - I put in the main effort before London and traffic - after that it's just settle down to a nice, steady 20-25 on the clearer bits, smoothly but not too fast through the traffic and enjoy it. If someone wants to go slower or faster, road bike or Pashley, then fine by me.

I'll keep an look out at the lights in future and if a cyclist looks close to breaking blood vessels in rage at slower riders around him, I'll steer well clear.

Stay cool and smile while you're riding.

beesneez

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

lemmings don't run over cliffs, it's an urban legend, or whatever you want to call it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemmings

Lambs to the slaughter may be a better analogy.

Slaughter isn't very nice, but sometimes I do wish...

How about "If they had a brain it would be lonely"?

damo_d_b

I don't think the intial post on this thread was really about how quickly people choose to cycle, but more about common courtesy whilst on the road.

And if a thrusty-monkey overtakes you, so what? Do you get irritated when overtaken by mopeds, motorbikes, cars, etc? Trust me, those thrusty-monkies couldn't give a monkeys about who might or might not be looking at them.

It would be nice to feel more comradery with other cyclists, and at times I do feel proud to be part of the cycling community in London. If we all play by the rules and give each other a bit of space then those "breaking blood vessels" will surely be cured.

secretsam

andrewc3142 wrote:

It's sometimes surprising to read posts like these and realise there are cyclists as well as car drivers bursting with rage, full of apoplectic ranting against perceived injustices, etc.

On the comment about the "more than 4 miles", personally I often find that the self-annointed speedy ones are only riding about 15 miles or so. Not surprising they're fresh. Each to their own - I put in the main effort before London and traffic - after that it's just settle down to a nice, steady 20-25 on the clearer bits, smoothly but not too fast through the traffic and enjoy it. If someone wants to go slower or faster, road bike or Pashley, then fine by me.

I'll keep an look out at the lights in future and if a cyclist looks close to breaking blood vessels in rage at slower riders around him, I'll steer well clear.

Stay cool and smile while you're riding.

1. Apoplectic rage? Nice phrase. That's me NOT on the bike - cycling calms me
2. The comment about more than 4 miles was such a pile of sh17 I ignored it. Personally, I'm pretty forked by the end of my little 3 miler in London, but then I don't wear lycra and hit Mach 1 on my bike, so I'M NOT A PROPER CYCLIST, I'M POND LIFE, AREN'T I? (see? I'm off already)
3. But Pashleys are plain wrong.

andrewc3142

SecretSam: I agree. Anyone riding is good. Doesn't matter how short or long or for what purpose.

BTW, my wife has a Dolce Elite for faster rides (generally the two of us escaping from the kids for an hour or so, and she's pretty fast), a mountain bike for off-roading and, indeed, a Pashley for shopping and carting the kids' roller blades and the like to the park. Good for that, less good at hills.

Perhaps unwisely, I do wear lycra for commuting since it works best, but I'm just as happy toodling around with the kids in jeans ...

Gambatte

SecretSam wrote:

There's one in particular. He's middle aged, works in "Design" (you can tell by what he wears) and rides one of those modern US-Cruiser things.

He's slow, doesn't give a sh17 about anyone else on the road and jumps all reds.

Whoever you are... :evil:

Apart from that one guy, he's a...(explodes into ranting fireball)

Hmm.. I'm middle aged, a 'design' engineer and one of my steeds is a Red, Falcon, Longbeach criser....

Aah.. I don't RLJ, can't be me!

il_principe

I've posted about this before, back in the heady days of the C+ forum. I get so tired of people pulling in front at the lights, and 9 times out of 10 it's someone that I have already overtaken, why do they do it? Are this people just THICK or something. Someone in the lift at work this morning made a comment about dangerous cyclists, jumping reds etc and I had to agree with him, as soon as the days lengthen out come the morons.

doobie919

Same as man. I hate people like that, especially here in Cambridge we get the tourists who have rented bikes just crusiing 2 along in the bike lanes, making me go into traffic to pass them, then they always end up in front at lights as well.

That's what really grinds my gears.

il_principe

Thing is I'm all for encouraging people to cycle commute, I'm forever banging on about it so it saddens me that every day I see so many people cycling so badly. Still, I'd rather they cycled badly than drove badly.

Clever Pun

Matteeboy wrote:

I'm so surprised if I see another cyclist that I usually just say hello!

Always overtake people of hills, not always on the flat.

yeah I love that, it's a complete decimation of their ability check your fingernails for dirt at the same time for added kudos

Clever Pun

Matteeboy wrote:

Us "normal" clothes wearing MTB commuters are so much slower

fixed that for you

BentMikey

andrewc3142 wrote:

On the comment about the "more than 4 miles", personally I often find that the self-annointed speedy ones are only riding about 15 miles or so. Not surprising they're fresh.

LOL, it's easy to make that comment with a commute as long as yours. Funny too! I'll bet that because of your mega mileage you can cruise at a comfortable pace and still be at the same speed many short distance riders are puffed to be at.

andrewc3142 wrote:

carting the kids' roller blades and the like to the park

And no rollerblades for Dad? Tut tut!!!!

secretsam

Gambatte wrote:

Hmm.. I'm middle aged, a 'design' engineer and one of my steeds is a Red, Falcon, Longbeach criser....

Aah.. I don't RLJ, can't be me!

...and you're in the frozen north, this guy's in north Lahdahn, and cycles to Marylebone. And you are an engineer (one assumes that = degree in Engineering?), as opposed to a
(adopts arty voice) "Designer"

secretsam

BentMikey wrote:

andrewc3142 wrote:

carting the kids' roller blades and the like to the park

And no rollerblades for Dad? Tut tut!!!!

BentMikey, the Dark Lord (and I quote: "I find your lack of faith in dark clothes and no helmets disturbing") is a skate dude: it's bizarre but I have this terrifying image of Darth Vader on 'blades...perhaps we ought to have a "show yourself" thread, where we post piccies of US and not our mighty steeds :shock: