Your rants here.

ansbaradigeidfran

Having driven Mrs Bran to work and caught the train in, I realise that I've left my gloves at home. Cold knuckles on the 5 mile ride home then...

But on my way back to the train, I realise that I've managed to shear the bolt of the screw-tightened quick release on my seatpost. Riding BMX-style to the train station was not successful: I walked it. On the upshot, it meant that I couldn't drive home gloveless, and I drove the 'patient' to Halfords for some late night shopping. £3 or so later, I'm back on the road, with a proper QR clip this time!

girv73

Running late this morning so it was after 8am when I hit the road. Seemed like a lovely autumnal morning, not too cold. Nice day for it etc., you know.

But OMFG the traffic! All stop start and too tightly packed to filter much (narrow, yokel land roads). I got stuck behind an annoyingly slow bus for a few miles too and couldn't get a decent rhythm going. The road seemed very greasy too with a few back wheel slideys under pretty normal braking. I have to either get up earlier or take a different route.

Grumble grumble grumble. I'm becoming a grumpy old man :roll:

I do like my new Shimano shoes though, such a difference compared to the normal trainers I'd been using!

chromehoof

This happened yesterday when cycling home from work. Theres a stretch of road where it opens out into 2 lanes, one bus lane, one for general traffic. Bikes are expected to be in the bus lane, and fair enough. I overtook a cyclist when just entering the bus lane when I noticed a moped behind me (I know scooter owners go mad when you call them mopeds, so mopeds it is). He was pretty aggressive, trying to get by. He went to take me on the left so I swerved slightly (I was determined at this point not to let him by). Eventually I pulled in and let him go, when I noticed a motorbike cop behind. He pulled up beside me and said something, which I couldn't make out as it was all muffled through his helmet. I looked at him, looked away and kept going. I think he took exception to that so he told me to pull in. He pulled in, turned on the flashing blue lights, which is kind of embarrassing when you've done little enough wrong and theres a lane of gridlocked traffic staring at you (though it was dark thankfully).

Anyway, he told me I need to be '3 feet' from the kerb. I know that to be rubbish, but I wasn't going to question it (cyclist can legally cycle 2 abreast so I don't know where he got his figures from). I told him that I didn't expect motorbikes in the bus lane (they can't legally use them here). Thats when I had him. His first response was, 'yeah, fair enough, but they always use.....'. He stopped mid-sentence, perhaps realising this was tantamount to an admission they were neglecting to police traffic very well in that area. His next comment was, '..I completely accept what you're saying. He was wrong to be in the bus lane.Very wrong in fact....'. 1-0 me. I was going to ask him was he going to pursue the moped (seeing as he was stopped at lights ahead - and I'm sure his noticing us both looking at him replaced his smirk with a look of sudden worry). I didn't push it though. We left it at that, and I cycled off. The cop seemed embarrassed. I was embarrassed, but at least managed a moral victory by the time it was done.

I considered making a complaint to that particular cop shop, but I've thought better of it. Not a complaint about that particular cop, but more in general terms about the way cyclists are treated there. A couple of days before at pretty much the same spot a cop had a cyclist pulled in, presumably for no lights (which I wouldn't defend at all). 5 feet further up the road there was a car parked in the cycle lane. When passing I shouted at the cop to make sure she dealt with the car when she was done. She didn't like that, and I could hear her calling after me. I didn't stop though.

I'll end up behind bars yet. 10 years for insubordination for fighting the corner of downtrodden and oppressed cyclists in Dublin city!!!

girv73

chromehoof it's the same up north regarding cars parked in bus/cycle lanes Theres a bus lane that goes right past a cop shop on my way home. It's near a Tesco so you pretty often get cars waiting in it, right outside the cop shop, in the bus lane, in rush hour :roll:

chromehoof

girv73 wrote:

chromehoof it's the same up north regarding cars parked in bus/cycle lanes Theres a bus lane that goes right past a cop shop on my way home. It's near a Tesco so you pretty often get cars waiting in it, right outside the cop shop, in the bus lane, in rush hour :roll:

its infuriating enough that people do this in the first place. Its even worse that the cops won't do anything about it. It just encourages it. It angers the blood

2tired2ride

Why do car drivers (not generlising but the blond women who did it to me and all the others) think just because I'm not a car I don't have priorty! :evil:

There is a sigh that says very clearly that people come this way have priorty. So why do they do it.

A women drove at me when I had prioty on a single lane! If I hadn't moved to the side she would of hit me! (I'm not saying It's always women drivers at all but I'm just describing what happened today) It wasn't as if I had sped up so she would pass at the same time. It happens too often!

prj45

On the Embankment this morning, heading east, just past [edit BEFORE (I pass it every day, you'd think I'd know it by now)] the Walkabout at the traffic light that ALWAYS goes red for me (and it's a horrible light too as it's very narrow and there's a filter lane on the right).

Light went green, we were off. Heard somebody leaning on their horn behind me , and lady in a g-whizz was still sitting at the green (doing her makeup, as she had been going round trafalger square) with an X5 behind her.

I carry on and the next thing I hear is massive acceleration. The guy in the X5 had undertaken the lady (who had moved) with foot right to the floor, I'm guessing he got up to 50, maybe 60. He swerved from lane two into lane one, undertook a few cars, and I think he had to swerve to avoid me judging by the way his back was swinging.

Naturally, he got stopped at the next light so his speed was short lived, so I went up and leaned over his bonnet but he was looking the other way. Girl in the passenger seat poked him and he looked at me. A couple of dickhead signs later and she'd wound her window down.

"You're going to kill somebody driving like that down here" I said.

"Well, you'd better get a helmet then" he said.

Then the lights were green again and that was it.

Things I would have liked to have said:

"And exactly what do you think a cycle hemlet's going to do for me if you rear end me at 50mph?"

"Death by dangerous driving, 14 years maximum, probably get five, is it worth it to get to the next light at the same time as everybody else?"

downfader

PRJ45 that sounds like a selfish driver. Shame you couldnt lob a smoke bomb in his car.

On the bus in to work this morning there was a police car blocking our side of the road on shirley road. Bus goes around and we all see two cars on the wrong side of the road, car behind is corsentinered (sp? the squishy musical instrument) right up the bum of the car in front and both drivers are standing by the side of the road looking REALLY sheepish and at their feet.

No idea what went on there.

Then an hour ago on the bus home the driver stops and runs out of the cab and a red van pulls up parallel and also runs out with road- danger warning signs. Looked like someone had tried to walk over the crossroads and had been hit. They didnt look in a good way.

I've seen atleast an accident a day, or rather the results of.

AndyManc

downfader wrote:

car behind is corsentinered (sp? the squishy musical instrument) .

Concertina ...... unless it was a Corsa , in which case you might be right. :roll:

Kieran_Burns

So you've admitted to cycling on the pavement while listening to an MP3 player and assaulting someone who questioned you?

Nice one.

Scum like you should be banned from these forums and I hope to God the mods report this to the Police.

So all we have to do is check the news for a middle aged couple being attacked by a cyclist on Saturday night and we'll know who to report. You are aware of just how easy it is to trace someone don't you?

whyamihere

And unlocked again. Sorry for the inconvenience.

MoonCircuit

Kieran_Burns wrote:

So you've admitted to cycling on the pavement while listening to an MP3 player and assaulting someone who questioned you?

Nice one.

Scum like you should be banned from these forums and I hope to God the mods report this to the Police.

So all we have to do is check the news for a middle aged couple being attacked by a cyclist on Saturday night and we'll know who to report. You are aware of just how easy it is to trace someone don't you?

Someone pushing a drunk away who is in his face and being threatening will really make the newspaper will it? I won't answer any of Mr Numpty, Scotland's Amateur Beaucracrat's points, it doesn't say in my profile "Will indulge nitwits", but I will say his previous posts are much the same jobsworthiness:

"It's rare I am genuinely shocked by peoples actions - on reading THAT article I had my mouth hanging open and truly had a shiver go down my spine. Utterly despicable actions."[

Which side of a cyclepath do you cycle on?
"Ahem. I usually bellow something like: "We're not bloody American!!!" just before the point of no return"

"If you check the signs on bridleways it clearly states that you should stick to the left."

"You completely did the wrong thing. Are you not aware that you not to get involved and leave all such actions to the PCSO's and Police officers? If you see something like that happening again."

Jen J

MoonCircuit wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

So you've admitted to cycling on the pavement while listening to an MP3 player and assaulting someone who questioned you?

Nice one.

Scum like you should be banned from these forums and I hope to God the mods report this to the Police.

So all we have to do is check the news for a middle aged couple being attacked by a cyclist on Saturday night and we'll know who to report. You are aware of just how easy it is to trace someone don't you?

Someone pushing a drunk away who is in his face will really make the newspaper will it? I won't answer any of Mr Numpty, Scotland's Beaucracrat's points, it doesn't say in my profile "Will indulge nitwits", but I will say his previous posts are much the same pedantry:

"It's rare I am genuinely shocked by peoples actions - on reading THAT article I had my mouth hanging open and truly had a shiver go down my spine. Utterly despicable actions."

Which side of a cyclepath do you cycle on?

"Ahem. I usually bellow something like: "We're not bloody American!!!" just before the point of no return"

"If you check the signs on bridleways it clearly states that you should stick to the left."

"You completely did the wrong thing. Are you not aware that you not to get involved and leave all such actions to the PCSO's and Police officers? If you see something like that happening again."

It's hardly pedantic to point out that you were completely in the wrong.

Kieran_Burns

ROFL!!!

My my - I have a stalker.. and not to mention a mis-guided one. Oh, and mis-quoting.

Have you been sitting there waiting to post that?

MoonCircuit

Jen J wrote:

It's hardly pedantic to point out that you were completely in the wrong.

You were there were you?

MoonCircuit

Kieran_Burns wrote:

ROFL!!!

My my - I have a stalker.. and not to mention a mis-guided one. Oh, and mis-quoting.

Have you been sitting there waiting to post that?

and if I stalked you what excitement would come into my life?

Jen J

MoonCircuit wrote:

Jen J wrote:

It's hardly pedantic to point out that you were completely in the wrong.

You were there were you?

No. You told us what happened.

always_tyred

Come on people, I'm sure we've all assaulted elderly people from time to time... nothing to get annoyed about.

No?

A suggestion - just possibly the original "Mooncircuit rant" was a slightly over exuberant and polarized rendition of an event. It may or may not have been avoidable and it may or may not have been justified. It may have been somewhere in between. If the old bloke had been (a) driving and (b) not inebriated, then it is far more likely that the rant would have been regarded as "one back for the cyclist".

So, Mooncircuit, why don't you "Re-Rant" in light of the possibility that said rant might be misinterpreted and see how it goes.

But - please lets not have a rant thread locking incident. I have been so pent up with unranted rants that I've been ranting all over the place.

ansbaradigeidfran

Always Tyred wrote:

But - please lets not have a rant thread locking incident. I have been so pent up with unranted rants that I've been ranting all over the place.

And the poor result can be seen in your current avatar!

<rant>Honestly, some of you change your avatars as if they were socks. How often have you seen my (non-existent) one change? eh?</rant>

BoardinBob

MoonCircuit wrote:

Pulled one out for the cyclists tonight.

I was bored, skint and pissed off tonight so I thought I'd go for a ten mile jaunt on a dark, rainy Saturday night to let off steam. I was riding through this tiny backwater town and two wee-wee heads blocked me on the pavement between a transit van and a row of terraces and made me stop. So this drunk bloke about 50 with his fat wife coming back from the pub is babbling something at me so I turned my mp3 player off, I thought it's two pissheads I'll get them out of the way and then we can move on. Turns out he was a bit of a jack the lad, being nasty, telling me to get on the ******* road and being abusive and he wasn't moving anywhere so OK, I growled at him into his face "Have you got a ******* problem" he looked a bit shocked and his wife started pulling away so I'm waiting for him to get his hands up and he moved out the way a bit and he said "Yeah" so I shoved him out of the way with my left hand and him and his wife stumbled down the pavement and fell backwards over sombodys front wall, she was on her back on the wall grabbing hold of his coat and he was on top of her on his back like a beached whale, they were pissed up, I said "Yeah you f*****g have you c**t" and I got off my bike to hit him but he didn't look like he wanted any trouble. That one got more than he bargained for, he'll wave at the next bike that rides past him . Two people over a wall with my left hand! I can't half generate some power after riding this bike. I might add I have got a punchbag and I can throw a punch if I had to so I don't recommened being that forthright is wise for everybody.

Quoted for posterity in the hope that the people you assaulted find this and use it to help the police track you down.

What an absolute fud.

itboffin

Why would someone change directions on road sign? in particular but i'm sure not exclusively the villages around Ham, Inkpen, Shalbourne (Wiltshire/Hampshire) its stupid and childish.

iain_j

I got ao obnoxious blast on the horn and two-fingers this morning from a car behind me, for having the unbelievable cheek to overtake the bus which had stopped in front of me, causing said car to wait ooh 5 seconds. I know, i know, i should have bowed down to those who pay road tax, insurance and all that. Behaviour like his usually winds me up and i was going to have a rant about it. Until i saw the driver of the said car- i couldn't help but laugh when he went past... i swear i've never seen such a fat b*****d! I swear he was wider than his car seat. It cheered me up no end, content that although i was holding him up, i'd probably live a good few decades longer i was smiling about it the rest of the way to work, and still am now!

lost_in_thought

Dear Cyclists.

Please stop pushing past me at red lights only to go halfway across them so that you can't see when they turn green, then proceed to cycle at 3mph and make me overtake you.

Many thanks,

Kind Regards

lost_in_thought

downfader

iain_j wrote:

I got ao obnoxious blast on the horn and two-fingers this morning from a car behind me, for having the unbelievable cheek to overtake the bus which had stopped in front of me, causing said car to wait ooh 5 seconds. I know, i know, i should have bowed down to those who pay road tax, insurance and all that. Behaviour like his usually winds me up and i was going to have a rant about it. Until i saw the driver of the said car- i couldn't help but laugh when he went past... i swear i've never seen such a fat b*****d! I swear he was wider than his car seat. It cheered me up no end, content that although i was holding him up, i'd probably live a good few decades longer i was smiling about it the rest of the way to work, and still am now!

I feel sorry for him. His pie was getting cold.

My own rant today. Second time in on the new bike today. Get all the way to the city center and pull over to walk the bike up the precinct, just as I pushed it 3 foot going past some anchor points for locking bikes to and some plank has smashed a load\of glass down there. :evil:

Didnt see it as it was dark. Just got back from having to buy a new innertube. I'll cut me losses with the kendas. They're the most abbyssmal s*** of a tyre.

blackworx

downfader wrote:

I'll cut me losses with the kendas. They're the most abysmal s*** of a tyre.

Too true. 6 punctures in 1 week with those PoS tyres. Changed to bright yellow Vittorias. Ostensibly gay but in reality much more manly - not 1 puncture in 2 years.

downfader

blackworx wrote:

downfader wrote:

I'll cut me losses with the kendas. They're the most abysmal s*** of a tyre.

Too true. 6 punctures in 1 week with those PoS tyres. Changed to bright yellow Vittorias. Ostensibly gay but in reality much more manly - not 1 puncture in 2 years.

Kendas are about 4 quid each so I'm not suprised. I had race lites on me old bike for 2-3 years. Rode over loads of glass and nothing. Not even a small hiss.

The Chingford Skinhead

iain_j wrote:

I got ao obnoxious blast on the horn and two-fingers this morning from a car behind me, for having the unbelievable cheek to overtake the bus which had stopped in front of me, causing said car to wait ooh 5 seconds. I know, i know, i should have bowed down to those who pay road tax, insurance and all that. Behaviour like his usually winds me up and i was going to have a rant about it. Until i saw the driver of the said car- i couldn't help but laugh when he went past... i swear i've never seen such a fat b*****d! I swear he was wider than his car seat. It cheered me up no end, content that although i was holding him up, i'd probably live a good few decades longer i was smiling about it the rest of the way to work, and still am now!

Iain, Never, ever, ever, get between a fat man and his morning "double dozen" donut breakfast from Krispy Kreme

As you say, laugh. You'll live longer than him because you're both fitter and can laugh. He's fat and stressed "would you like a supersize heart attack with that sir?"

downfader

The mornings special at burger king is when they inject the fat intravenously

girv73

Had a run in with an angry Audi (S5 I think, nice) driver last night (before the wheel breaking incident reported in another thread).

Two lanes in to the city, two lanes out. I'm stopped at lights in the out lanes, at a junction where the in lanes can cross mine by way of a filter light. My lights go green and I set off. Sharp-suited Audi driver in the in-lanes turns at the junction and attempts to drive over me, despite the well lit road, my hi-vis and the bike's superbright headlights and auxilliary lights. I loudly express my displeasure at his actions, to which he responds that his lights were green (wrong - his straight ahead lights were green but the filter for turning wasn't on) and, best of all, "bikes have to give way to cars" :shock: I managed a dumfounded "What the hell...?!?" before he drove off! I suspect he really meant: "bikes have to give way to MY CAR".

No harm done in the end, but the incident shows the utter ignorance of some drivers.

blackworx

girv73, coincidentally (ha!) almost the exact same thing happened to me this morning. Similar setup - staggered crossroads with lights, but no filters this time... I'm stopped on a red light at an ASL planning to go straight across. Green light, I set off, but the white van man coming the opposite way and turning right obviously isn't thinking about stopping. Eventually he does stop because he's finally heard my shout, winds his window down shaking his head and points his arm out the window at *his* green light.

Yes mate, that light is green; well done, it means you're not colour blind. It doesn't mean turn right into oncoming traffic. Twatdangle. With any luck the advancing queue of cars behind me might have made him realise the error of his ways. Mind you, white van man - what are the chances?