Your rants here.

tangled_metal

There's so much I hate about driver behaviour when I'm cycling. Each ride I mutter some comments about a driver being a nutter or psychopath. Today was a car day and I met a cyclopath cutting from a side road across two lanes of one easy traffic of which only the near lane was stationary. He also took a slightly dogleg route back on the one way road he was crossing to get into the road that was modified key ten years ago to not be accessible from across the main road. Basically he wasn't looking at the traffic movement on the second lane he needed to cross, he took a route that was not open to him with the design of the road and to top it all he was looking up the one way road away from any oncoming traffic while crossing said traffic. I got a big surprise and opportunity to test my emergency stop. Yes, it's as good as the one I did in my driving test 28 years ago when the guy testing me didn't expect my reaction to be so quick (I had spotted he was about to do the stop signal so was prepared).

As a driver and cyclist can I just say life is such an important thing to preserve. I do all I can to preserve my life when cycling and that of cyclists when driving. When I'm in the car and you're cycling the same roads, help me out keeping you safe by being a safe cyclist. If you're really not bothered about your life think about the driver who will take your life one day and have to live with it despite you giving them no choice.

PS I think on another cycling forum this post would bring a torrent of criticism about how I read not driving safely to the conditions. This site I believe is more sensible. Members accept cyclists and drivers are as irresponsible as each other at times. This one the cyclist's time to be irresponsible.

PPS the cyclist was hidden by a van that he'd slotted up the i inside of before leaving the side road. The inside lane of one traffic to my left had been moving slowly and was continuous which meant traffic on the side road couldn't safely pull out. The second lane of traffic (my lane) had been moving at about 20-30mph and had pulled away from me because I was being unusually cautious this morning. There was no way of seeing the cyclist before he was nose out into my lane. My stop and unusually cautious driving this morning prevented an accident. Most other days of have been with the traffic ahead moving faster. Still safely just a bit faster.

Sorry about my anti-this-one-cyclist-rant. I needed to vent about this cyclopath / psychopath.

smokey_bacon

Wahoo Elemnt Mini....bah!! Works fine when not paired to the phone. When its paired it is incapable of recording a whole ride! All up to date etc etc. 1st world tech problems!!

tangled_metal

I got a new secondhand bike earlier this year for non-commuting use. The only non - commuting use I've had since have all been family rides with a young child on his own bike. Why is it that you never have free time when you really want it?

The only option I now have is to have the selfish argument about how many jobs we have to do, after I get back from a ride! So much going on right now at home that free time only comes late on when it's dark. I don't have the means to attach lights to this bike right now, that'll take me time to bodge something up which I don't have.

Being time poor isn't fun if you've a new toy that's sitting waiting for you.

elbowloh

I sent London Concrete a message via their website about one of their wagons that was spilling concrete all along Wandsworth Road, which left significant pools of the stuff on the road at red lights. No one got back to me, so i've now tweeted it to see if that gets a response

https://twitter.com/elbowloh/status/997058477305532416

dinyull

Rant at myself.

Been going out earlier to extend the commute a couple of days a week - similar situation to TM above.

Anyway, tackled a new route this morning, but the mix of cat 4 climb, narrow road and rush hour traffic made me realise it wasn't suitable.

Should have probably checked it out prior to riding as it was pretty hairy at times. Shame as it's a decent climb and the rest of the route is almost perfect.

tgotb

Bought a patio awning via eBay. Now receiving constant popups and emails: "We see you like patio awnings; can we interest you in buying another one?"

mtb-idle

TGOTB wrote:

Bought a patio awning via eBay. Now receiving constant popups and emails: "We see you like patio awnings; can we interest you in buying another one?"

GDPR should sort some of that out.

I just received an email from a wealthy Nigerian Prince. He told me that he doesn't have any fortune to share with me at the moment but he would appreciate if I could let him know before May 25th if I wish to continue receiving emails.

tgotb

MTB-Idle wrote:

I just received an email from a wealthy Nigerian Prince. He told me that he doesn't have any fortune to share with me at the moment but he would appreciate if I could let him know before May 25th if I wish to continue receiving emails.

wolfsbane2k

Friend was assaulted this morning while on the bike, reversed into by the driver that took umbrage to being called out for a very close pass on a single track lane.

smokey_bacon

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Friend was assaulted this morning while on the bike, reversed into by the driver that took umbrage to being called out for a very close pass on a single track lane.

Shocking! Hope they are ok.

wolfsbane2k

Smokey Bacon wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Friend was assaulted this morning while on the bike, reversed into by the driver that took umbrage to being called out for a very close pass on a single track lane.

Shocking! Hope they are ok.

Shook up, mental damage over physical; considering giving up cycling.

And personally;
Wiped out on a corner due to sand on the road, bashed helmet, broke phone, broke camera, bit of road rash.
:roll:

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Smokey Bacon wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Friend was assaulted this morning while on the bike, reversed into by the driver that took umbrage to being called out for a very close pass on a single track lane.

Shocking! Hope they are ok.

Shook up, mental damage over physical; considering giving up cycling.

And personally;
Wiped out on a corner due to sand on the road, bashed helmet, broke phone, broke camera, bit of road rash.
:roll:

That is rubbish, you and a mate having an incident on same day. Hopefully both bikes ok and police are interested at least in your mate's incident.

wolfsbane2k

NitrousOxide wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Smokey Bacon wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Friend was assaulted this morning while on the bike, reversed into by the driver that took umbrage to being called out for a very close pass on a single track lane.

Shocking! Hope they are ok.

Shook up, mental damage over physical; considering giving up cycling.

And personally;
Wiped out on a corner due to sand on the road, bashed helmet, broke phone, broke camera, bit of road rash.
:roll:

That is rubbish, you and a mate having an incident on same day. Hopefully both bikes ok and police are interested at least in your mate's incident.

Aye, but i'd rather have mine than his. Mine is "expected/predictable". Idiots using vehicles as weapons... predictable that it will happen, but a lot more unpredictable in behaviour, making it a heck of a lot more dangerous.

smokey_bacon

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Smokey Bacon wrote:

Wolfsbane2k wrote:

Friend was assaulted this morning while on the bike, reversed into by the driver that took umbrage to being called out for a very close pass on a single track lane.

Shocking! Hope they are ok.

Shook up, mental damage over physical; considering giving up cycling.

And personally;
Wiped out on a corner due to sand on the road, bashed helmet, broke phone, broke camera, bit of road rash.
:roll:

Damn, hope you both heal up quick.

Ben6899

Blimey, awful. Echoing others' sentiments, Wolfsbane and I hope you heal quickly.

Take your mate out on the bike, this weekend if you can!

awavey

was today freaky friday and I didnt get the memo or something, everyone just seemed to be out trying to drive into me today, no-one was giving an inch or a moment just to wait for a better place to overtake, I even had a left hook whilst I was turning right and already in the centre of the flipping road, then on the way home a nodder riding on the pavement decided to just ride cross the road without even looking my way, Im not sure if I felt luckier I managed to stop without hitting him, not just falling off by emergency stopping, or not having any of the traffic behind me pile into me regardless.

j_mcd

Drove through Richmond Park yesterday for the first time ever (Kingston Gate to Richmond Gate). I've got a reasonable sized SUV and the bloody bikes everywhere made it a proper annoying journey.




Only kidding, I drove through to show the wife and kids how I get to work and the thing that struck me most is, why the hell isn't it closed to traffic at the weekend. There was no needfor me to go through there, there are ample other routes and the number of people who could enjoy the park would be massively bigger if there weren't loads of cars in there. They could just open the roads to the nearest car park and that would be fine (close Ham gate entirely). Seems like a no brainer to me.

hopkinb

J_MCD wrote:

Drove through Richmond Park yesterday for the first time ever (Kingston Gate to Richmond Gate). I've got a reasonable sized SUV and the bloody bikes everywhere made it a proper annoying journey.




Only kidding, I drove through to show the wife and kids how I get to work and the thing that struck me most is, why the hell isn't it closed to traffic at the weekend. There was no needfor me to go through there, there are ample other routes and the number of people who could enjoy the park would be massively bigger if there weren't loads of cars in there. They could just open the roads to the nearest car park and that would be fine (close Ham gate entirely). Seems like a no brainer to me.

It's a nice idea, but it would just be an even bigger chopper fest on the perimeter road though wouldn't it? The cars moderate speed a bit, even if they're annoying. I reckon it would turn into an insane version of the segregated superhighway on the embankment.

kingstongraham

It was lovely last weekend when it was still closed to traffic after the 10 mile run had finished. The whole place smelt better, as much as anything.

sgt.pepper

KingstonGraham wrote:

It was lovely last weekend when it was still closed to traffic after the 10 mile run had finished. The whole place smelt better, as much as anything.

Worth petitioning to councils, or even setting one up online? Can't hurt surely.

sgt.pepper

My Halfords floor pump that's lasted me 12 years and flown across the world with me has started letting all the air OUT of tyres. Miffed, as well as annoyed.

wolfsbane2k

Cycle republic/Halfords

Took them a 3 weeks to tell me they couldn't get a 520 hrm bundle in store, after a number of failed attempts to get it in store, despite it being marked as click and collect and available within an hour.

And now I'm stuck with a 150 halfords voucher that I don't have anything else to spend on.

veronese68

hopkinb wrote:

J_MCD wrote:

Drove through Richmond Park yesterday...why the hell isn't it closed to traffic at the weekend.

It's a nice idea, but it would just be an even bigger chopper fest on the perimeter road though wouldn't it? The cars moderate speed a bit, even if they're annoying. I reckon it would turn into an insane version of the segregated superhighway on the embankment.

Have to agree with H³ there. The cars keep the roads relatively clear. Without the cars you'd have people weaving all over the place, kids learning to ride or on scooters, runnists with headphones on and all sorts of others with fast cyclists either finding it impossible to ride if they try to be careful of others or ignoring other users resulting in more accidents.
It would be lovely without cars in theory, I suspect the reality would be very different.

tgotb

Veronese68 wrote:

hopkinb wrote:

J_MCD wrote:

Drove through Richmond Park yesterday...why the hell isn't it closed to traffic at the weekend.

It's a nice idea, but it would just be an even bigger chopper fest on the perimeter road though wouldn't it? The cars moderate speed a bit, even if they're annoying. I reckon it would turn into an insane version of the segregated superhighway on the embankment.

Have to agree with H³ there. The cars keep the roads relatively clear. Without the cars you'd have people weaving all over the place, kids learning to ride or on scooters, runnists with headphones on and all sorts of others with fast cyclists either finding it impossible to ride if they try to be careful of others or ignoring other users resulting in more accidents.
It would be lovely without cars in theory, I suspect the reality would be very different.

It's also totally miserable trying to get through Petersham when the park's closed. When they're digging the road up at Petersham (which seems to be a pretty regular occurrence) and you want to drive between Ham and Richmond, the only alternative to the park is a huge diversion via Kingston, Teddington and Twickenham.

I'd be far less opposed if there were some magical way to create a Petersham bypass!

rower63

Veronese68 wrote:

hopkinb wrote:

J_MCD wrote:

Drove through Richmond Park yesterday...why the hell isn't it closed to traffic at the weekend.

It's a nice idea, but it would just be an even bigger chopper fest on the perimeter road though wouldn't it? The cars moderate speed a bit, even if they're annoying. I reckon it would turn into an insane version of the segregated superhighway on the embankment.

Have to agree with H³ there. The cars keep the roads relatively clear. Without the cars you'd have people weaving all over the place, kids learning to ride or on scooters, runnists with headphones on and all sorts of others with fast cyclists either finding it impossible to ride if they try to be careful of others or ignoring other users resulting in more accidents.
It would be lovely without cars in theory, I suspect the reality would be very different.

5 years ago I used to be a member of RPBRG and Friends of Richmond Park: they've considered all those things, including making it one-way. In those groups there was more prejudice against cyclists than cars.

veronese68

TGOTB wrote:

I'd be far less opposed if there were some magical way to create a Petersham bypass!

There is that
The park is fine if people don't act like selfish, entitled fucknuggets. So basically it's not the system it's some of the people using it that are the problem. That can only be solved by a selective cull of something other than deer. I'm going home via the park tonight if I can get some sort of deadly lasers fitted in time I will start the process.

veronese68

rower63 wrote:

5 years ago I used to be a member of RPBRG and Friends of Richmond Park: they've considered all those things, including making it one-way. In those groups there was more prejudice against cyclists than cars.

Doesn't surprise me, that's why I should decide who to cull. Although cyclists acting like selfish, entitled fucknuggets will be included.

drhaggis

Veronese68 wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

I'd be far less opposed if there were some magical way to create a Petersham bypass!

There is that
The park is fine if people don't act like selfish, entitled fucknuggets. So basically it's not the system it's some of the people using it that are the problem. That can only be solved by a selective cull of something other than deer. I'm going home via the park tonight if I can get some sort of deadly lasers fitted in time I will start the process.

A system that works only if people don't act like selfish, entitled fucknuggets is doomed to fail. Pepole are selfish, entitled fucknuggets.

That possibly includes me in some guise.

awavey

Veronese68 wrote:

hopkinb wrote:

J_MCD wrote:

Drove through Richmond Park yesterday...why the hell isn't it closed to traffic at the weekend.

It's a nice idea, but it would just be an even bigger chopper fest on the perimeter road though wouldn't it? The cars moderate speed a bit, even if they're annoying. I reckon it would turn into an insane version of the segregated superhighway on the embankment.

Have to agree with H³ there. The cars keep the roads relatively clear. Without the cars you'd have people weaving all over the place, kids learning to ride or on scooters, runnists with headphones on and all sorts of others with fast cyclists either finding it impossible to ride if they try to be careful of others or ignoring other users resulting in more accidents.
It would be lovely without cars in theory, I suspect the reality would be very different.

basically like a massive shared cycle path then, yeah no thanks Ill take my chances with the cars

redvee

Found out how waterproof my Ortlieb pannier was today when my can of drink punctured in the bag. Was getting stuff out of the bag when I got into work and trying to work out why things were wet.