Your rants here.

roger_merriman

Had training in town yesterday, quite a lot of impatient driving and riding, the worse was a young woman who came quite close to being crushed by bus off lambeth roundabout.

She undertook me so close on the roundabout that she clipped my hand (I was indicating) and then attempted to undertake the bus Westminster bound which as it was pulling off the roundabout it's rear closed the gap between it and the kerb.

Luckily she did a emergency stop, but it really was such a dumb aggressive move.

Broonster

I don't normally rant - more of a rant reader on here.

I commute on an (mainly) unlit cycle path that runs alongside a railway, out in the middle of nowhere for stretches (takes about an hour). Needless to say a good front light is essential on the evening commute. I have a 550 lumen front light, but on some of the open stretches, or on a decent clear night, I turn it to medium or low power, as you just don't need the full whack. It's more than adequate.

Anyway, I've passed a couple of guys coming the opposite way the past few nights now, both of whom use gazzilion lumen MTB/trail front lights and never, ever turn the light down when coming towards me, or even tip the light unit forward. Bugs the utter crap out of me, particularly when I turn down & tip my modest light for them, plus for other pedestrians (Note: it's not exactly a busy path). It's like driving your car at night and having someone drive towards you with full beam on!

Needless to say, I strongly 'advised' them as they passed to turn it down (while shielding my eyes with one hand).

fat daddy

Gah .... the Fairy visited me AGAIN on the way home last night, mind you I did hit every single soaking wet, glass strewn thorny pot hole there was.

Tempted by Gatorskins ... but I think I might just change my route home and get off the main road, the back roads are smoother and have less crap in them .... down side is ther is no one to race

Anonymous

Schwalbe durano raceguard are your man

tangled_metal

Whilst overtaking me a driver had the choice of crossing double white centre lines for 3 points on license or 3 points on the driver's scorecard for close pass intimidation of a cyclist. Guess which he took?!

Yes! He's 3 points up on the driver's form of silly commuter racing that some city cycle commuters take part in

BobMcbob

To the imbecile jogger. A sign with a red circle is an order, the one with a person inside means no pedestrians, and yes that includes joggers....
if you jog down the ramp on CS3 (the bit where it joins horse-ferry road/narrow street) then it is at your OWN risk, try opening your eyes rather than swearing at those having to slow down/dodge your fat hulk.

What is the penalty for a pedestrian ignoring a prohibition sign?

MrSweary

BobMcbob wrote:

What is the penalty for a pedestrian ignoring a prohibition sign?

Death by a thousand toothless chihuahuas.

roger_merriman

BobMcbob wrote:

To the imbecile jogger. A sign with a red circle is an order, the one with a person inside means no pedestrians, and yes that includes joggers....
if you jog down the ramp on CS3 (the bit where it joins horse-ferry road/narrow street) then it is at your OWN risk, try opening your eyes rather than swearing at those having to slow down/dodge your fat hulk.

What is the penalty for a pedestrian ignoring a prohibition sign?

I'd assume the sign is a request to the best of my knowledge you can't ban peds from bike lanes, you can ban certain types of traffic from roads but not sure that CS3 sign would have any law behind it.

BobMcbob

roger merriman wrote:

BobMcbob wrote:

To the imbecile jogger. A sign with a red circle is an order, the one with a person inside means no pedestrians, and yes that includes joggers....
if you jog down the ramp on CS3 (the bit where it joins horse-ferry road/narrow street) then it is at your OWN risk, try opening your eyes rather than swearing at those having to slow down/dodge your fat hulk.

What is the penalty for a pedestrian ignoring a prohibition sign?

I'd assume the sign is a request to the best of my knowledge you can't ban peds from bike lanes, you can ban certain types of traffic from roads but not sure that CS3 sign would have any law behind it.

you're probably right...but I thought a sign with a red circle is an order not a request!

wolfsbane2k

Lunch time test ride of the mtb with new slx disc brakes.
After a year of rim brakes I'd forgotten how good discs can be and ended up throwing myself off.
Edjit

tangled_metal

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Lunch time test ride of the mtb with new slx disc brakes.
After a year of rim brakes I'd forgotten how good discs can be and ended up throwing myself off.
Edjit

I went from an old rim braked road bike to a hydraulic disc braked hybrid a few years back. Never having used disc brakes I squeezed the brake levers as hard as I needed to on an equivalent hill on the road bike. Out was a steep, gravelly descent leading to a main road. Plus my road bike had really needed new brake pads for quite some time, indeed new wheels since the braking surface wasn't very good neither.

Let me tell you that brake assisted gravity is painful. A modern stem isn't very forgiving! I think even got hurt braking on the flat. It took me about 4 injuries before I learnt.

dinyull

Rang a LBS chasing an order placed over a week ago. "Can I take your number and order number and we'll get straight back to you" over 3 hours ago.

Also waiting for a call/email from online retailer re. damaged new bike (and a couple of other issued I've since discovered). Only emailed them 2 days ago with pictures and it's been passed onto 3 seperate "teams" now.

wolfsbane2k

Tangled Metal wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Lunch time test ride of the mtb with new slx disc brakes.
After a year of rim brakes I'd forgotten how good discs can be and ended up throwing myself off.
Edjit

I went from an old rim braked road bike to a hydraulic disc braked hybrid a few years back. Never having used disc brakes I squeezed the brake levers as hard as I needed to on an equivalent hill on the road bike. Out was a steep, gravelly descent leading to a main road. Plus my road bike had really needed new brake pads for quite some time, indeed new wheels since the braking surface wasn't very good neither.

Let me tell you that brake assisted gravity is painful. A modern stem isn't very forgiving! I think even got hurt braking on the flat. It took me about 4 injuries before I learnt.

Hehe, we've all done it. Thankfully, it was into a pile of soft leaves I was p1ssing about on testing out the studded tyres.

nich

I'm sure I've ranted about this before, but those stupid speed bumps for cyclists turning left at London Bridge...they are harsh I hate whoever came up with that idea.

tangled_metal

What is the rationale for thinking it's acceptable to close pass a cyclist on a narrow, windy road with double white centre lines and oncoming traffic?

wolfsbane2k

Idiot who didn't see me and came within mm of taking me out this morning because he:
A) didn't pause at the give way sign
b) didn't even look left when approaching said give way sign
c) couldn't have seen anything through his misted side window,
d) had a phone in his hand.
And who then had the audacity to say "I couldn't see you because you weren't wearing hi-vis".

dinyull

Tangled Metal wrote:

What is the rationale for thinking it's acceptable to close pass a cyclist on a narrow, windy road with double white centre lines and oncoming traffic?

Rational sadly gets left at home as soon as the key goes in for some wollopers.

Had an artic patiently wait behind me this morning for the opposite side of the road to clear before passing. He then gave me less than a meter when passing, I could have grabbed the rear as he swung back in he was that close. I'm almost certain it wasn't a punishment pass and he was just absolutely clueless.

Also, had some prick pull out on me last night and then had the cheek of giving me a brake test because I was so close to him. Wanted to strangle the Merc driving little runt.

wolfsbane2k

Tangled Metal wrote:

What is the rationale for thinking it's acceptable to close pass a cyclist on a narrow, windy road with double white centre lines and oncoming traffic?

Because your holding them up, and their more important, innit.... :twisted:

wolfsbane2k

Dinyull wrote:

Also, had some prick pull out on me last night and then had the cheek of giving me a brake test because I was so close to him. Wanted to strangle the Merc driving little runt.

Always amazes me people that do that, had 2 of them today. They seem to ignore that your moving, and something to to be forgotten about the moment the drivers window has passed you.

tangled_metal

I realised on Tuesday, after almost 2 years of cycle commuting, that motorists have an.aversion to going over a set of double white centre lines. They still want to get past but not by going over the line. This results in them playing the squeeze inside the centre lines game. I really like it when they are succeed by pushing me into the edge of the road where the tarmac suddenly ends and the steep overgrown bank of the canal next to the road rises up above my head. I guess I've not got issues with being in confined spaces.

It's just the trucks and buses that try it too!

dinyull

Was expecting a hand up to say sorry, instead got a brake test. Some people are just complete and utter pricks. It's usually the more expensive a car the more twatty they behave.

dinyull

Also, since the clocks changed I'm finding more and more morons wanting to pass me on 2 separate roundabouts. Not talking 2 lane, big roundabouts either - smaller ones. Started riding in a more primary position on both but the amount of people still trying to squeeze past beggars belief.

In most instances on 1 of the roundabouts they have to speed/squeeze past only to have to slam the brakes on to join the queue of traffic. No foresight at all.

Never had this problem in the daylight so god knows what changes peoples attitudes when it's pitch black and you'd hope they give more care and attention.

wolfsbane2k

Tangled Metal wrote:

I realised on Tuesday, after almost 2 years of cycle commuting, that motorists have an.aversion to going over a set of double white centre lines. They still want to get past but not by going over the line. This results in them playing the squeeze inside the centre lines game. I really like it when they are succeed by pushing me into the edge of the road where the tarmac suddenly ends and the steep overgrown bank of the canal next to the road rises up above my head. I guess I've not got issues with being in confined spaces.

It's just the trucks and buses that try it too!

Well, if your going over 10mph, they aren't allowed to go over the lines, so as a friend put it recently - "a very clear 3 driving points for going over the white line, or 3 wishy washy anti cycling points for a close pass".
And therefore guess which one gets done.

tangled_metal

I'd go even.further than that. I think some motorists are point scoring for how close they can pass without hitting the cyclists.

When I was young and stupid (now just stupid) we used to joke about about scoring points when driving. Hitting someone less mobile gets fewer points than hitting someone who's able to avoid you. We.never actually hit anyone but it was a kind of young lads ongoing joke that came up when you very nearly hit someone. We never would deliberately hit anyone.

Note those conversions usually started when a pedestrian jumped out into the road suddenly to cross having not looked for traffic.

I just think some motorists could be joking to themselves or passengers that a close pass of me counts for 3 points on their own immature drivers scoreboard game,

wolfsbane2k

Just ripped the side pannier on the MTX Quickbag putting a laptop in it.
Guess nows the time to consider a move to a "proper" pannier before the other side splits!

(Anyone got any idea how to repair nylon webbing that topeak use?)

Tashman

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Just ripped the side pannier on the MTX Quickbag putting a laptop in it.
Guess nows the time to consider a move to a "proper" pannier before the other side splits!

(Anyone got any idea how to repair nylon webbing that topeak use?)

Duck Tape!

dinyull

Dinyull wrote:

Rang a LBS chasing an order placed over a week ago. "Can I take your number and order number and we'll get straight back to you" over 3 hours ago.

Rang them back again at lunch, a day after they were going to get back to me. Took my name and number AGAIN and told they'd get back to me. 3 hours later and still waiting. Want to avoid calling to chase again as I'll loose my shoot with them.

wolfsbane2k

Tashman wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Just ripped the side pannier on the MTX Quickbag putting a laptop in it.
Guess nows the time to consider a move to a "proper" pannier before the other side splits!

(Anyone got any idea how to repair nylon webbing that topeak use?)

Duck Tape!

Considered that, unfortunately it's at a weight bearing edge, so the full edge has stripped down. I think I need taffeter tape or similar and a sewing machine.

anonymousblackfg

Dinyull wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Rang a LBS chasing an order placed over a week ago. "Can I take your number and order number and we'll get straight back to you" over 3 hours ago.

Rang them back again at lunch, a day after they were going to get back to me. Took my name and number AGAIN and told they'd get back to me. 3 hours later and still waiting. Want to avoid calling to chase again as I'll loose my shoot with them.

MY favourite was condor where the chap popped out the back to get something for me, after 20 mins wondering where he'd got to, I asked only to be told he'd gone on lunch!

dinyull

anonymousblackfg wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Rang a LBS chasing an order placed over a week ago. "Can I take your number and order number and we'll get straight back to you" over 3 hours ago.

Rang them back again at lunch, a day after they were going to get back to me. Took my name and number AGAIN and told they'd get back to me. 3 hours later and still waiting. Want to avoid calling to chase again as I'll loose my shoot with them.

MY favourite was condor where the chap popped out the back to get something for me, after 20 mins wondering where he'd got to, I asked only to be told he'd gone on lunch!

They finally got back to me late yesterday, all apologetic -mix up at their end and order not sent. It's fine, I'm in no rush for the bits but you expect a more 'personal' service from a lbs. I only rang them in the first place because the email I sent went unanswered.