Anti-rants Here

marchant

It's so easy to get all wound up by the annoying things we experience, so I thought I'd start a thread for amusing/happy tales. To get the ball rolling; on my way home today I was walking my bike to the garage near work (would've taken longer to ride) to get some odds 'n' sods, when 2 lads on a BMX/kids MTB pull up next to me & compliment me on my bike, then ask if I'm pushing my bike because I've got a puncture (I didn't). I congratulated them on their taste, told them I was pushing 'cause I was headed to the garage and thanked them for their concern and they rode off. Oh, and there was "a bit of a do" in the town centre for the start of Bike Week too.

Anyone else with a story?

biondino

In Richmond Park this morning, I had to decide whether to try and nip across a roundabout in front of a troupe of horses, or stop and let them through (I had right of way fwiw). I stopped, and the lead rider smiled at me and said to her charges "now, cars, usually stop for horses at roundabouts, but bikes usually don't". I felt a little swell of pride/smugness at my considerate behaviour

Crapaud

Yaaaayyyy, a happy thread!

This is an old one, but it still makes me smile when I think about it:

I'd had a bust up with he boss, he'd got my hackles up somehow or other, and I was belting down the road in that mental, stress busting kind of way. My route home at that time had a 2 mile downhill stretch where I could really open the throttle and give it some welly. It's a 60 mph limit, I'm doing 40+ and cars are hurtling by at 60+. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I notice a car creep into view and keep pace with me. It's unusual, but not a problem; it's a 2 lane road, I'm well out from the kerb and the car's giving me plenty of room, but what the hell are they doing?

After a moment, I glanced over, half expecting it to be some idiot on a mobile, only to see a wee girl of around 6 with both hands and her face pressed up against the passenger window, like a Garfield, staring at me wide-eyed. Her mother's saying something and, even thought the wee lass can't see, pointing at the speedo. She glances at her daughter, smiles, then looks directly at me gesturing for me to go ahead of them, so, putting on a extra burst of speed, I gave the wee girl a wave and her jaw dropped open.

They paced me to the end of the road, the wee girl still wide-eyed, and waved 'cheerio' to each other.

My description doesn't do the look on the girl's face justice; it was a pure 'Kodak moment' though.

NB2

On my way to work the other day I got a puncture about 2 miles from the office. As I was fixing it( weather was wet and cold) every single cyclist who passed stopped to make sure I had the gear and offer assistance. That made my day.

ChrisLS

...this thread should be made a "sticky"...

...I have had loads of good things happen whilst riding...recently, almost daily, as I work near a huge Tescos depot I have encounters with artic drivers. These drivers are some of the best on the road. They wait until it is safe to pass, then pass wide and slow. On occasions when I have pulled over to let them by I usually get a toot of thanks...

Last week on a ride with two friends we had an artic behind us and he had no room to pass, it being a narrow road. When we were able we pulled off to let him by and got a thank you from him...

Bassjunkieuk

I think some of my best times whilst out riding my bike are just the times when everything is going just great! There is one particular place I ride back from that usually puts a smile on my face. At the moment I arrive there around 6pm, and if it's sunny you get that lovely orangey glow - it's probably my favourite time of the day!

I remember once on this particular stretch I was fortunate enough to have a mighty tailwnd that helped me cruise along at just under 30 on the flat :-)

Another notable time was when I got caught rather under-dressed for the weather when riding home from London! I got a few confused looks from commuters huddled under umbrella's as I was waiting at the lights in my sleeveless t-shirt and shorts :-) I got utterly soaked but that didn't stop me grinning like the chesire cat, after all once your wet it can't get much worse!

secretsam

ChrisLS wrote:

...this thread should be made a "sticky"...

...I have had loads of good things happen whilst riding...recently, almost daily, as I work near a huge Tescos depot I have encounters with artic drivers. These drivers are some of the best on the road. They wait until it is safe to pass, then pass wide and slow. On occasions when I have pulled over to let them by I usually get a toot of thanks...

Last week on a ride with two friends we had an artic behind us and he had no room to pass, it being a narrow road. When we were able we pulled off to let him by and got a thank you from him...

I think many truckies get a bad press, in general I've found them considerate and careful drivers. Mind you, consider the carnage if they weren't...

dirk_van_gently

brilliant ride in this morning, even an errant dog (off road section) that seemed to at first want to eat me, and then was my best friend (canines are fickle) couldn't upset my demeanor. Now the dilemma of do I put in some extra miles on the way home, or just watch Wimbledon aka fit women in skimpy dresses :-)

Surf-Matt

Very pleasant ride this morning - cool but sunny and left a bit earlier than usual so much less traffic.

Oh and the warm weather is resulting in a pleasing decrease in how much women wear in town

Doing a 25 miler tomorrow after work.

Bassjunkieuk

Went out for a nice long ride after work yesterday as I was working very quite locally (just over 2 miles from home). Had a rough idea of where I wanted to go, with the plan of making a circular route in my local(ish) area. Ended up with a 15 mile loop that I did almost twice last night! Encompasses some nice hills (up and down!) whilst still leaving plenty of room for development and extension!

Ended up doing just over 28 miles and felt like I could have carried on longer if it hadn't been for the wife starting to get dinner ready around 8pm!

ChrisLS

...mornings like this are to be savoured, and remembered when you are battling against wind and driving rain, (but even those mornings have a strange attraction)...light traffic, mild sunny weather...bridle ways for the homeward ride this afternoon to look forward to, I'm on my mountain bike today...bliss 8)

...this thread should be a sticky. The positives of cycle commuting need to be aired a lot more...

El Gordo

A couple of years ago touring in Germany a truck driver stops his 40T artic along side us in a little town, blocking the road. He gets out and heads our way so I'm thinking "hells bells, what have I done to upset him" but in amongst his rapid German I get the word for shorts and realise he is telling us that the shorts I had strapped to the rack to dry had fallen off a mile or so back.

Just as we are heading back to retrieve them a guy coming the other way in a Merc flashes his lights and waves us to a stop. He jumps out and runs across the road holding the (damp) shorts. This guy had actually seen them fall, turned around and picked them up and then chased us down. What a star!

Both of these guys had really gone out of their way for someone else's pair of old damp shorts which left me feeling happy with the world for ages after.

Surf-Matt

So if your shorts fell off, were you cycling with your butt out?!

No wonder they flashed you back.

spen666

Surf-Matt wrote:

So if your shorts fell off, were you cycling with your butt out?!

No wonder they flashed you back.

You also didn't know that Gordo is actually an 18 year old 6' 2" blonde female with a 36GG-24-36 figure

could explain the reaction of the motorists

Surf-Matt

36GG on a bike has got to cause some "issues"

Bassjunkieuk

Surf-Matt wrote:

36GG on a bike has got to cause some "issues"

As if there aren't enough distractions whilst cycling :-)

trisomy21

My employer has just installed a nice bike rack/shelter despite ther only being one person who currently cycles to work (out of about one hundred and twenty)

El Gordo

spen666 wrote:

You also didn't know that Gordo is actually an 18 year old 6' 2" blonde female with a 36GG-24-36 figure

could explain the reaction of the motorists

Well, I may be 6' and blond but am most certainly not 18 and female.

Mind you, I remember the guy in the Merc had really gone to town on the fake-tan so maybe he was the kind of chap who butters his volkornbrot on the other side.

But in case anyone's in doubt, my buttocks were safely inside my other shorts. It wasn't THAT kind of bike tour.

Surf-Matt

So, errrmm does THAT kind iof bike tour exist then?!

Set a PB for my route this morning which was nice. Light traffic too.

dirk_van_gently

Apologies, I posted this in the Rant thread, but it is really an Anti-rant.
Couple of months ago had a bit of a contre tant with a big lorry passing too close, tooo close!.
I got the reg and company, went to their website, and complained.
I received a reply that it would be "Looked into" and 2 months passed, nothing.
Last week got a letter from the Head Office, profuse apologies, "our drivers drive to the highest standard" etc Yawn !
Driver was a contractor from an agency not an employee, and I thought here comes the cop out.
Then to my surprise they wrote that they would no longer be using that drivers services.
So don't just Rant, Act, do it, eventually the message may just get through.

secretsam

I think the Toyota Pious -sorry, Prius - is over-rated and less efficient overall than a decent diesel. And I dread to think of the carbon footprint and ecological cost of its construction and disposal...HOWEVER:

One just let me in as I powered down Gower St in London, having turned onto it from a side street, and then waited so I could cross lanes in front of it to turn left...

What a sweetie 8)

secretsam

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

Now the dilemma of do I put in some extra miles on the way home, or just watch Wimbledon aka fit women in skimpy dresses :-)

I sincerely hope that you are not including the highly talented Williams sisters in the above, 'cos frankly - no-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!

dirk_van_gently

SecretSam wrote:

I sincerely hope that you are not including the highly talented Williams sisters in the above, 'cos frankly - no-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!

Errr no!

SecretSam wrote:

I think the Toyota Pious -sorry, Prius - is over-rated and less efficient overall than a decent diesel.

Certainly less efficient than a Honda Jazz, and that's petrol engined.
Top Gear did a very biased test with the Pious V a BMW V6 3ltr beast, the bmw did more MPG, because? they were thrashing them around a circuit.

Surf-Matt

I do bang on about this BUT the "life cycle" cost (resources used) of a Prius is over TWICE that of a Hummer and 2.5 times that of a V8 Range Rover.

The batteries are made in Wales, shipped over to Japan and use horrible chemicals.

The company that also makes the V8 engined Landcruiser and the Lexus IS-F is NOT really very green at all yet seems to have fooled thousands. :roll:

dirk_van_gently

Another anti-rant, good ride in this morning.
it had hammered down with rain overnight, so decided that my off-road route might not be the best option, so took the scenic, and slightly longer road route. I sometimes see a rather eccentric old chap on an old butcher bike, with newspaper bag on the front, doing an early morning round, he always smiles, says morning, and doffs his cap, I of course reciprocate, and it never fails to make to make me smile

Surf-Matt

Pleasant ride this morning on my new tyres

It was even dry too

secretsam

Dirk Van Gently wrote:

SecretSam wrote:

I sincerely hope that you are not including the highly talented Williams sisters in the above, 'cos frankly - no-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!

Errr no!

SecretSam wrote:

I think the Toyota Pious -sorry, Prius - is over-rated and less efficient overall than a decent diesel.

Certainly less efficient than a Honda Jazz, and that's petrol engined.
Top Gear did a very biased test with the Pious V a BMW V6 3ltr beast, the bmw did more MPG, because? they were thrashing them around a circuit.

1. Re-the Williams girls: TFFT
2. TG test: stupid. But other tests by more grown up mags and programmes have shown the Pious is not as holy as Toyota make out - bear in mind that on the open road it's just a very heavy petrol engined car.

Cyclegent

Great idea for a thread! Here's my anti-rants:

1. A gentleman of 'gangsta' appearance was walking slowly along the narrow cyclepath I use on the way home. Little chance of passing him. I pinged my bell and expected the worst, but got an 'oh - sorry' and a move out of the way.

2. When my chain came off at Highbury Corner a lady stopped to give me a wet wipe (no that's not a euphemism).

3. Someone picked up my cap when it blew off on Upper St and gave it back to me at the lights.

4. Bernie at Archway Cycles, Archway Road, London N6, always gives excellent and friendly service.

biondino

Is your name Bernie, Cyclegent?

marchant

Bumping my own thread here (shame on me ), but I've been on the receiving end of some very considerate driving from taxis, both mini- and black cabs. One even pootled along behind me for 50 yards or so until I turned off the main road we were on. It's not a one-off either; I've seen it as a passenger in taxis too

gumball3000

dropped my Oakleys on a climb on the Big G Sportive yesterday. Stopped to turn round, but a Bridlington CC rider had already stopped and picked them up. Saved me a trip down hill.... Hero!