Your rants here.

rower63

vpnikolov wrote:

Tube today for me as attending a pilates class after work and can't be bothered to cycle back after.

On my way to the tube station and crossing a ped light on green when I see some lady approaching the lights on a hybrid, decent speed and no intention to stop. Intentionally start walking slower and shouted - IT'S A RED LIGHT.

"I can see" is all I got as a response while swerving around me and continuing along.

C*nt. No shame at all.

I must admit I did something similar myself last night. From Chelsea Bridge I'd decided to cane it for that minute or so stretch with the strong tailwind. I was doing 32-33 mph on the drops in clear traffic when I saw a car seeming to slow for the ped crossing a few tens of yards ahead. Enough time for me to stop, but as I started to brake I hit a bump and my fingers slipped off the front brake lever. Amazing how far you travel while adjusting finger position at that speed. By the time I'd re-adjusted I realized there was no way I was going to be able to stop safely in time and I judged that I could in fact make it through but 2 peds would be on the crossing at the same time. I flashed through in front of them shouting "sorry! sorry!". Bit of a brown-shorts moment :oops:

sketchley

A very very close left hook this morning, I was doing 20 mph and they turned no more than 2m in front of me using the classic maneuver, signal, mirror technique. Emergency stop and shouty Oi from me. How they couldn't have seen me having literally just overtaken. Anyway they stopped when I shouted but then decided to drive off as I move up to have a word. Tried to chase them down but they started doing what appeared to be random left and rights and rapid accelerations. Guess they didn't want to talk to me.

Seriously I've had a few of these which you see happening a way off and whilst annoying you're already ready to react. This one came from nowhere, indicator was not on as car passed me and the first I knew about was instinctively hitting the breaks without thinking. I didn't even shout out until I'd stopped and had to take a moment once I had. Very close especially as no exit to the right.

vpnikolov

rower63 wrote:

I must admit I did something similar myself last night. From Chelsea Bridge I'd decided to cane it for that minute or so stretch with the strong tailwind. I was doing 32-33 mph on the drops in clear traffic when I saw a car seeming to slow for the ped crossing a few tens of yards ahead. Enough time for me to stop, but as I started to brake I hit a bump and my fingers slipped off the front brake lever. Amazing how far you travel while adjusting finger position at that speed. By the time I'd re-adjusted I realized there was no way I was going to be able to stop safely in time and I judged that I could in fact make it through but 2 peds would be on the crossing at the same time. I flashed through in front of them shouting "sorry! sorry!". Bit of a brown-shorts moment :oops:

I can understand that. At least you apologised, while she deliberately jumped and when called out about it, she couldn't have been less bothered. There is a special place in hell for people like this.

I am now sick and tired of all the campaigns to protect cyclists, raise awareness, and bla bla bla bla bla... The coin has two sides.

Would be great to see people fined for jumping red lights and the news spreading around. But I guess the popos have bigger fish to fry. :?

dinyull

vpnikolov wrote:

Would be great to see people fined for jumping red lights and the news spreading around. But I guess the popos have bigger fish to fry. :?

Lad at work knocked over a pedestrian in his car yesterday (admittedly, the peds fault not looking as he walked into the road).

It took the police 3 hours to turn up to take statement, breath test etc. long after the ped was whisked off to hospital.

RLJ's are way way down the list of priorities.

sketchley

vpnikolov wrote:

Would be great to see people fined for jumping red lights and the news spreading around. But I guess the popos have bigger fish to fry. :?

It does happen :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: . The police have crackdowns every now and again.

Mine was in 2009 £30, shortly after I started cycling. It stopped me from doing it again as immediately after the fine I stopped doing it then realised I was arriving at work around the same time. Also stopping for red lights helped me improve acceleration some what.

What I have noticed since just starting to cycle to London again is how the a lot of the new infrastructure
(since say 2013) has resulted in longer waits at lights as there is now a new phase for cyclists. This morning at Ludgate circus being an example.

rick_chasey

vpnikolov wrote:

rower63 wrote:

I must admit I did something similar myself last night. From Chelsea Bridge I'd decided to cane it for that minute or so stretch with the strong tailwind. I was doing 32-33 mph on the drops in clear traffic when I saw a car seeming to slow for the ped crossing a few tens of yards ahead. Enough time for me to stop, but as I started to brake I hit a bump and my fingers slipped off the front brake lever. Amazing how far you travel while adjusting finger position at that speed. By the time I'd re-adjusted I realized there was no way I was going to be able to stop safely in time and I judged that I could in fact make it through but 2 peds would be on the crossing at the same time. I flashed through in front of them shouting "sorry! sorry!". Bit of a brown-shorts moment :oops:

I can understand that. At least you apologised, while she deliberately jumped and when called out about it, she couldn't have been less bothered. There is a special place in hell for people like this.

I am now sick and tired of all the campaigns to protect cyclists, raise awareness, and bla bla bla bla bla... The coin has two sides.

Would be great to see people fined for jumping red lights and the news spreading around. But I guess the popos have bigger fish to fry. :?

I've had pedestrians stop in the middle of the road and swing a punch at me (more than once). In both instances, the line of cars had gone through the lights, and I was steaming in a number of seconds afterwards, with the light still on green.

tgotb

Sketchley wrote:

What I have noticed since just starting to cycle to London again is how the a lot of the new infrastructure
(since say 2013) has resulted in longer waits at lights as there is now a new phase for cyclists. This morning at Ludgate circus being an example.

You need to figure out when to be a cyclist, and when to be a generic vehicle. Round Parliament Square, for instance, most cyclists mix it with the cars and buses, it's much quicker.

On the whole, I reckon my commute has become fractionally quicker. It's now the norm to get a clear run (on the bike path) all the way from Westminster Bridge to Blackfriars; in the old days that was unheard of. Keep an eye out as you approach Blackfriars; if bikes are already crossing the road and you're not going to make it, swing left onto the road and rejoin the traffic. And don't follow the bike lanes through all the lights and junctions to Ludgate Circus; it's much quicker to ride up Temple Avenue to Fleet St and then turn right.

sketchley

TGOTB wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

What I have noticed since just starting to cycle to London again is how the a lot of the new infrastructure
(since say 2013) has resulted in longer waits at lights as there is now a new phase for cyclists. This morning at Ludgate circus being an example.

You need to figure out when to be a cyclist, and when to be a generic vehicle. Round Parliament Square, for instance, most cyclists mix it with the cars and buses, it's much quicker.

On the whole, I reckon my commute has become fractionally quicker. It's now the norm to get a clear run (on the bike path) all the way from Westminster Bridge to Blackfriars; in the old days that was unheard of. Keep an eye out as you approach Blackfriars; if bikes are already crossing the road and you're not going to make it, swing left onto the road and rejoin the traffic. And don't follow the bike lanes through all the lights and junctions to Ludgate Circus; it's much quicker to ride up Temple Avenue to Fleet St and then turn right.

Makes sense, guess I'm still trying to work out quickest way given I'm encountering some of this for first time. Instinct is go with whichever option is moving quicker, including pretending to be a car..... Ludgate isn't my "normal" route, I'd normally be trying to turn right and go across the front of blackfriers station but having come over the bridge that's not that easy to work out, playing with the traffic might be better option.

thistle_

vpnikolov wrote:

rower63 wrote:

Would be great to see people fined for jumping red lights and the news spreading around. But I guess the popos have bigger fish to fry. :?

I can't believe that we don't have the technology to integrate cameras onto the backs of traffic lights when they are replaced. Ones that come on when the lights turn to red - you have the whole of the amber phase to stop.

You could catch every car RLJ (an automated letter from plod without a fine/points would probably stop a lot of people doing it again). You wouldn't be able to track down cyclists jumping the lights, but it would detect when it happens and highlight problem areas where spot checks can be set up.

You could probably blu tak a gopro to the traffic lights viewing the traffic and another traffic light, and with some clever software work out which vehicles jumped the lights.

wolfsbane2k

thistle (MBNW) wrote:

You could probably blu tak a gopro to the traffic lights viewing the traffic and another traffic light, and with some clever software work out which vehicles jumped the lights.

http://hackaday.com/2017/04/12/detect-c ... -the-roof/
£30 plus battery/solar charger.

wolfsbane2k

Snapped another pedal.
These things are just made of cheese.

vpnikolov

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Snapped another pedal.
These things are just made of cheese.

Or the power is just too much.

wolfsbane2k

vpnikolov wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Snapped another pedal.
These things are just made of cheese.

Or the power is just too much.

Nah, definately not that.
Just poor seals against all weather riding ;-)

mudcovered

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Nah, definitely not that.
Just poor seals against all weather riding ;-)

What sort of pedal is this? Just so I can avoid buying any.

Mike

dhope

Fell off the bike on the way in. Hands a bit light on the bars. Repaired bit of road that had ended up very lumpy because weather/traffic. Didn't notice how lumpy it was. Found out when I was on the deck. Must've done that bit of road a couple of thousand times. Shiny new shifters a bit scuffed now, along with my elbow, knee, wrist and left arris cheek. Idiot :roll:

elbowloh

dhope wrote:

Fell off the bike on the way in. Hands a bit light on the bars. Repaired bit of road that had ended up very lumpy because weather/traffic. Didn't notice how lumpy it was. Found out when I was on the deck. Must've done that bit of road a couple of thousand times. Shiny new shifters a bit scuffed now, along with my elbow, knee, wrist and left arris cheek. Idiot :roll:

Sorry about the shifters...

elbowloh

Rapha full-kit f#cking w@anker.

Sat in the bike box, waiting to turn right onto Victoria Street (after following the diversion before Parliament Square, from Millbank). There's a gap of about a foot and a half between me and the cyclist to my left. Tw@t decided he's going to squeeze in so he can be at the front of the box, pushing his way in (it was only brush not a barge, but still). I involuntarily said "jesus" as he squeezed in and then muttered "tw@t", but he didn't turn round.

Just have a little bit of patience ffs. It's not like you're quick anyway.

dhope

elbowloh wrote:

dhope wrote:

Fell off the bike on the way in. Hands a bit light on the bars. Repaired bit of road that had ended up very lumpy because weather/traffic. Didn't notice how lumpy it was. Found out when I was on the deck. Must've done that bit of road a couple of thousand times. Shiny new shifters a bit scuffed now, along with my elbow, knee, wrist and left arris cheek. Idiot :roll:

Sorry about the shifters...

Indeed. It wasn't their fault.
#pray4shifters

hopkinb

elbowloh wrote:

Rapha full-kit f#cking w@anker.

Sat in the bike box, waiting to turn right onto Victoria Street (after following the diversion before Parliament Square, from Millbank). There's a gap of about a foot and a half between me and the cyclist to my left. Tw@t decided he's going to squeeze in so he can be at the front of the box, pushing his way in (it was only brush not a barge, but still). I involuntarily said "jesus" as he squeezed in and then muttered "tw@t", but he didn't turn round.

Just have a little bit of patience ffs. It's not like you're quick anyway.

This happens quite a lot if you leave a gap, even quite a small one, fcukers barge through, then wobble off at a glacial pace. Better than that is when they barge through so they can jump the red light.

j_mcd

Took the bike to the LBS yesterday, got a new front ring, new cassette, new chain, full service and everything. It was gleaming when I took it home. Today's weather has pretty much put it straight back in to the crappy state it was in before.

elbowloh

J_MCD wrote:

Took the bike to the LBS yesterday, got a new front ring, new cassette, new chain, full service and everything. It was gleaming when I took it home. Today's weather has pretty much put it straight back in to the crappy state it was in before.

look on the bright side, it's less attractive to bike thieves now than it was yesterday.

vpnikolov

Sketchley wrote:

vpnikolov wrote:

Would be great to see people fined for jumping red lights and the news spreading around. But I guess the popos have bigger fish to fry. :?

It does happen :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: . The police have crackdowns every now and again.

Mine was in 2009 £30, shortly after I started cycling. It stopped me from doing it again as immediately after the fine I stopped doing it then realised I was arriving at work around the same time. Also stopping for red lights helped me improve acceleration some what.

What I have noticed since just starting to cycle to London again is how the a lot of the new infrastructure
(since say 2013) has resulted in longer waits at lights as there is now a new phase for cyclists. This morning at Ludgate circus being an example.

http://road.cc/content/news/226401-poli ... er-cyclist

Silly to drive off, but I don't feel sorry even one bit for this tw*t on the bike for running a red light. You get what you are looking for. :?

Now probably the driver will be fully blamed.

redvee

Spent two days in Londonium earlier this week and ventured out to Essex on Tuesday night and missed the last tube back to Earls Court by 3 minutes. The LU woman at the station says go out to Upminster and get a mainline train back into London, get out to Upminster and had missed that train again by a few minutes. Station bod at Upminster says go to Romford on bus and get night bus back to London. I've got my Oyster card, my mate hasn't so it seems he's buggered but then the driver of the next bus along tells us contactless credit or debit cards are accepted but there isn't a bus to Romford now so a black cab takes us to Romford and drops us at the closest point of the nightbus route and we wait a few minutes and jump on the bus. Two hours later our tour of Essex by night is over and we alight into a thunderstorm and wait for another nightbus to Earls Court which we get off at Kensington High Street and walk the last mile and get back to the hotel just on 3am. Looking at the route of the nightbus and it crossed the route we took to get back to our original tube station.

rjsterry

vpnikolov wrote:

Sketchley wrote:

vpnikolov wrote:

Would be great to see people fined for jumping red lights and the news spreading around. But I guess the popos have bigger fish to fry. :?

It does happen :oops: :oops: :oops: :oops: . The police have crackdowns every now and again.

Mine was in 2009 £30, shortly after I started cycling. It stopped me from doing it again as immediately after the fine I stopped doing it then realised I was arriving at work around the same time. Also stopping for red lights helped me improve acceleration some what.

What I have noticed since just starting to cycle to London again is how the a lot of the new infrastructure
(since say 2013) has resulted in longer waits at lights as there is now a new phase for cyclists. This morning at Ludgate circus being an example.

http://road.cc/content/news/226401-poli ... er-cyclist

Silly to drive off, but I don't feel sorry even one bit for this tw*t on the bike for running a red light. You get what you are looking for. :?

Now probably the driver will be fully blamed.

Riding like an idiot in no way mitigates leaving the scene of an accident, regardless of who was at fault in the first place.

asprilla

It's still July and so I shouldnt be commuting in a Gabba and Nanoflex bob's.

Also, I should have pulled my finger out to get the CX up and running again.

elbowloh

redvee wrote:

Spent two days in Londonium earlier this week and ventured out to Essex on Tuesday night and missed the last tube back to Earls Court by 3 minutes. The LU woman at the station says go out to Upminster and get a mainline train back into London, get out to Upminster and had missed that train again by a few minutes. Station bod at Upminster says go to Romford on bus and get night bus back to London. I've got my Oyster card, my mate hasn't so it seems he's buggered but then the driver of the next bus along tells us contactless credit or debit cards are accepted but there isn't a bus to Romford now so a black cab takes us to Romford and drops us at the closest point of the nightbus route and we wait a few minutes and jump on the bus. Two hours later our tour of Essex by night is over and we alight into a thunderstorm and wait for another nightbus to Earls Court which we get off at Kensington High Street and walk the last mile and get back to the hotel just on 3am. Looking at the route of the nightbus and it crossed the route we took to get back to our original tube station.

Where's the rant? All I can see is evidence of varied, interconnected London transport system...

vpnikolov

rjsterry wrote:

Riding like an idiot in no way mitigates leaving the scene of an accident, regardless of who was at fault in the first place.

I agree. Probably he didn't have tax/insurance. Might have been drunk as well.

anonymousblackfg

Pissing useless Neighbours, no idea what they are doing with their extension, me trying to get them to do things competently and deciding to bill them for using the party wall (only to try and use this as leverage to get them to do other things properly) I paid for now means they've mistakenly started pushing that i've built on their land and are jeopardising our house sale.

kingstonian

elbowloh wrote:

Rapha full-kit f#cking w@anker.

Sat in the bike box, waiting to turn right onto Victoria Street (after following the diversion before Parliament Square, from Millbank). There's a gap of about a foot and a half between me and the cyclist to my left. Tw@t decided he's going to squeeze in so he can be at the front of the box, pushing his way in (it was only brush not a barge, but still). I involuntarily said "jesus" as he squeezed in and then muttered "tw@t", but he didn't turn round.

Just have a little bit of patience ffs. It's not like you're quick anyway.

I wonder if that was the tw@t stuck on my back wheel a couple of weeks ago. Full Rapha drafting a bloke on a cx bike is not a good look.

Ben6899

anonymousblackfg wrote:

Pissing useless Neighbours, no idea what they are doing with their extension, me trying to get them to do things competently and deciding to bill them for using the party wall (only to try and use this as leverage to get them to do other things properly) I paid for now means they've mistakenly started pushing that i've built on their land and are jeopardising our house sale.

This puts my neighbour rant into perspective. For dinner, they either have - what smells like - deep fried babies' nappies or a barbecue. Barbecues are antisocial as f***, IMO.