Your rants here.

thistle_

More f*n idiots riding with multiple excessively bright lights, now in groups 3 abreast and shouting abuse when you have to stop because you're completely blinded.

Watching Strava to try and call them out, suspect they are members of a local club.

itboffin

Cruff wrote:

Flu

Off the bike for five days now (longest for three years). Just starting to feel vaguely human again, after three days last week where I literally felt like I was dying. F***ing typical that last weekend was the first without rain up here for about three months...

dont push it matey rest up, trust me i've been pretty much dying for almost two months mostly because i tried to do the festive500 full of manflu, very very unwise.

i'm down to an annoying cough and very firmly OFF z bike until its gone for good

like you said its the worst i've had in years

elbowloh

Is it cycle like a cnut day?

Was waiting at somelights on Wandsworth Road, with a lady cyclist to my right. As soon as the lights go green some try-hard on a boris bike smashes between us, out of the saddle giving if full beans. Could have taken one or both of us out.

Next, turning right onto to Millbank from Vauxhall Bridge, signalling right. As i turn (as it's clear) some tw@t ovetakes me on my right. I might have shouted at him.

elbowloh

Oh and btw, when the feck are the council going to do something about the road surface on Tottenham Court Road? It's disgraceful, rutted, broken, potholed, cracked for most of the way along and has been for some time.

jgsi

ok, on the shared cycle path with 2 way traffic on it.. I only use when the adjoining road when mullered with gutter hogging cars.... please .. fellow cyclists of the , I think dayglo at 6pm in pitch black is great brigade, please go get some proper fckin lights...instead of xmas cracker Twinkies I dont see until your 4 yards away.. doing your 20 mph 'cos its downhill for u.. jeez.. 2 near misses that I have had to report to the civil aviation authority this week.

msmancunia

First ride for three months due to new (but great) boss working me like a dog, and a bloke in a BMW cuts across two lanes as I'm cornering and tries to push me into the curb. Traffic is really bad as Northern Rail are all on strike so we end up stationary next to each other, and as I turn to have a word, I notice the phone in his hand. :evil:

dinyull

viewtopic.php?p=20279501#p20279161

Funnily after recounting my mates story from yesterday I received a VERY close pass this morning.

Road splits into 2 lanes coming up to a roundabout, left lane is left turn only, so start to move across to right lane (to carry on straight ahead) and branded work van passes so closely I could have rested my shoulder on the van. I have no idea how the wing mirror missed me.

Whats worse is, he didn't complete the move before he had to stop for the roundabout. Stupid pr*ck.

Now, should I email his work or not?

joenobody

Dinyull wrote:

Now, should I email his work or not?

Of course.

rick_chasey

Don't email.

Call.

kleinstroker

Rick Chasey wrote:

Don't email.

Call.

Even worse...

Don't message me on Facebook , don't message me on Whats's App

Call

I mean who apart from teenagers does that??

redvee

Looking at replacing the bartape on one of the bikes so did a trawl of Cycle Republic and Evans, CR had cheap stuff but not in black and the same with Evans but had their own FWE bartape at £18 :shock: Current bartape cost less than a tenner.

tincaman

redvee wrote:

Looking at replacing the bartape on one of the bikes so did a trawl of Cycle Republic and Evans, CR had cheap stuff but not in black and the same with Evans but had their own FWE bartape at £18 :shock: Current bartape cost less than a tenner.

Hoy gel bar tape £3.99 from Evans

https://www.evanscycles.com/hoy-gel-bar-tape-EV211872

ricky_h-2

Anyone else coming across more "no light ninjas" on their commute these days? Seems to be a marked increase in South West London and for the sake of a 10 quid pair of strobing lights from Amazon is beginning to get on my nerves. Aside from the danger, it's just downright inconsiderate

Tashman

Ricky h wrote:

Anyone else coming across more "no light ninjas" on their commute these days? Seems to be a marked increase in South West London and for the sake of a 10 quid pair of strobing lights from Amazon is beginning to get on my nerves. Aside from the danger, it's just downright inconsiderate

Not so much no lights, but the number with no front and the weakest rear is amazing. We're obviously supposed to just feel their prescence as they approach a junction!

ricky_h-2

Seeing plenty of weak lights but I can forgive that as at least the intention is there. If I get a moment I do try and politely point out that their light set up is about as useful as an ashtray on their bike and if I found it hard to see them, white van man really couldn't give a monkey's.

dizzydane

Ricky h wrote:

Anyone else coming across more "no light ninjas" on their commute these days? Seems to be a marked increase in South West London and for the sake of a 10 quid pair of strobing lights from Amazon is beginning to get on my nerves. Aside from the danger, it's just downright inconsiderate

Ah yes... No lights, but fluro jackets, back pack covers or booties... Thanks, now I can only see you when I'm just about to hit you.

wolfsbane2k

You have to be careful when pointing out weak rears - if you consider that the rear light standard hasn't changed since 1986..

wolfsbane2k

An edjit who thought the pavement was cycle path - despite riding over a section that had "END OF CYCLE PATH" written on the pavement, who then ranted profusely when someone called them out on it.
That was of course after he'd hopped from the pavement to the roadway without checking his shoulder just as I was going past, thank god I was riding primary, only to pop back onto the pavement while I waited at traffic lights

Didn't take it too well when I highlighted that the ped who'd called him out was right..

tgotb

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

An edjit who thought the pavement was cycle path - despite riding over a section that had "END OF CYCLE PATH" written on the pavement, who then ranted profusely when someone called them out on it.
That was of course after he'd hopped from the pavement to the roadway without checking his shoulder just as I was going past, thank god I was riding primary, only to pop back onto the pavement while I waited at traffic lights

Didn't take it too well when I highlighted that the ped who'd called him out was right..

Sounds a bit like the guy who cut across a zebra crossing (on a bike) from the pavement on the other side of the road this morning, and then had a go at me for not giving him enough space. By way of justification, he claimed he was a pedestrian. If that's right, then I'm a pedestrian too. And so is my wife.
He had a GoPro, so it'll probably appear on YouTube in due course...

milemuncher1

Ricky h wrote:

Anyone else coming across more "no light ninjas" on their commute these days? Seems to be a marked increase in South West London and for the sake of a 10 quid pair of strobing lights from Amazon is beginning to get on my nerves. Aside from the danger, it's just downright inconsiderate

I was heading out towards Barnes, a while back, and there was a no light ninja in front. There were 2 big problems, I couldn’t see him unless he moved across the path of car headlights, and the disturbance alerted anyone behind to his presence, and people coming towards, saw my light, but didn’t notice him, which caused them to instinctively jump out of his way, and straight into my path.

fat_tail

Milemuncher1 wrote:

Ricky h wrote:

Anyone else coming across more "no light ninjas" on their commute these days? Seems to be a marked increase in South West London and for the sake of a 10 quid pair of strobing lights from Amazon is beginning to get on my nerves. Aside from the danger, it's just downright inconsiderate

I was heading out towards Barnes, a while back, and there was a no light ninja in front. There were 2 big problems, I couldn’t see him unless he moved across the path of car headlights, and the disturbance alerted anyone behind to his presence, and people coming towards, saw my light, but didn’t notice him, which caused them to instinctively jump out of his way, and straight into my path.

i have had hem all - cyclists with no lights, cyclists with too bright lights, cyclists with a white light at the back (so you really have no idea what is going on) .... I find it baffling that as cyclist you are putting the onus on other people to avoid you...

dinyull

In the past week I've had 2 close/punishment passes so bad that I'm seriously considering a couple of camera's.

The 1st incident was already noted on here. This morning an MPV almost cut me in half going round a left hand dog leg. Hand signal was made, which she obviously saw as at the red traffic lights 100 yards ahead she was nervously waiting for me to arrive.

Decided against remonstrating, other than the death stare, as her passenger seemed pi$$ed and ready to go I assume because I had the cheek to flick them off.

Don't really want camera's, because I think it could lead me down a path of reviewing everything. But drivers won't learn without a good bo11ocking from the police.

dizzydane

I've learnt that if you survive a crash, the police are not interested. However, there is a cyclist on youtube who lists his vids of bad driving by the cars registration plate. Now if someone could publish a website for that type of footage, insurers, police and other 3rd party members could access more accurate info on vehicles...

Too much?

dinyull

Even if it's just to put the $hitters up people.

Point out after the event I'll be sending the video to the police in as least confrontational way as possible I'd like to think more room will be given to cyclist from that person now on...

But yes, I tried to report a lorry to the police last year via a "Operation Cadence" scheme they were running. But seems it was only a PR event lasting a month or so and weren't interested in the slightest after it was finished.

tgotb

dizzydane wrote:

I've learnt that if you survive a crash, the police are not interested. However, there is a cyclist on youtube who lists his vids of bad driving by the cars registration plate. Now if someone could publish a website for that type of footage, insurers, police and other 3rd party members could access more accurate info on vehicles...

Too much?

I see where you're coming from, but would be a massive can of worms.

The reason the Police don't follow up on more of these incidents is because they don't have the resources. If you create another organisation to do that work, you somehow have to fund it, and if you can do that you might aswell direct those funds straight to the Police in the first place. Without appropriate oversight (eg you crowdsource it) it's a recipe for widespread abuse and the worst sort of vigilantism.

thistle_

Dinyull wrote:

Don't really want camera's, because I think it could lead me down a path of reviewing everything. But drivers won't learn without a good bo11ocking from the police.

I was the same but to be honest the only thing I've used my camera for is pinpointing pothole locations so I can report them (or to save my sanity when the highway authority reply with "there is no pothole").

I went out for my first non commute "ride" for ages at the weekend and there was some truly shocking driving, most of which affected other cars rather than me but my rear facing camera wouldn't have picked it up anyway as all the fun was in front of me.

hopkinb

thistle (MBNW) wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

Don't really want camera's, because I think it could lead me down a path of reviewing everything. But drivers won't learn without a good bo11ocking from the police.

I was the same but to be honest the only thing I've used my camera for is pinpointing pothole locations so I can report them (or to save my sanity when the highway authority reply with "there is no pothole").

I went out for my first non commute "ride" for ages at the weekend and there was some truly shocking driving, most of which affected other cars rather than me but my rear facing camera wouldn't have picked it up anyway as all the fun was in front of me.

I only have a front facing camera, so am waiting to be rear-ended.

For what it's worth, I've had the camera (Cycliq Fly12) for about 6 weeks now, and have only bothered to look at footage twice. Once to see how it works, and once (perhaps somewhat shamefully) to watch some guy fall off his bike on an icy road. :oops:

anonymousblackfg

The dorris was asking me about them if only as 'would drivers not be more careful around you if they knew they were on camera'.

I've been asked by the met on twitter to report my left hook from this morning, I've told them I can't be arsed as everyone knows, and I know from past experience, nothing will happen.

n.b. you can get address details from the DVLA if you claim they were parked illegally on your land but i've always wondered could you create a log of where cars are regularly parked/spotted with ANPR software and everyone's commuting videos.

mattsaw

I suspect the drivers who are observant enough to notice a camera generally aren't the ones we have to worry about.

wolfsbane2k

anonymousblackfg wrote:

could you create a log of where cars are regularly parked/spotted with ANPR software and everyone's commuting videos.

yes.

But the processing & bandwidth demand is massive. I run ANPR on my video's sometimes out of curiosity for automated stats on who's got an MOT/TAX... quite interesting results sometimes. Sometimes very useful for the police if they ask for car details. Takes overnight on 2 hours of video on an old laptop.

But it was primarily as an offshoot from a project to learn OpenCV for a bike counting project.