Fairweather brigade

Jay dubbleU

BoardinBob wrote:

I had one this morning. Words cant even describe what kind of bike she was on.

Wasn't a hybrid, wasn't a roadie, wasn't a mtb, wasn't a brompton etc. It looked like something an 8 year old girl would ride.

I saw her in the distance trundling along at 2mph and when i caught her I held back then overtook her when the road was clear giving her plenty of space then put the foot down on a long straight. I then arrived at a red light at a busy junction and the lights remain on red for ages so she caught up. I was in the ASL box and when she arrived she went past me and stopped in front of me :?

Never mind. Lights go green, she wobbles off and I overtook her again. Short distance to the next set of lights and again she does the same

Lights to green and again I overtake her. We arrive at the next set of lights at a crossroads and she rides onto the pavement and stops at the green man crossing. She waits for the green man to appear and then sets off. At the same time my lights have went green so I set off too. Half way across the pedestrian crossing she swerves right and re-joins the road and again I have to overtake her.

I'm all for novice cyclists taking up the sport and we were all novices once but displaying a complete disregard for all other road users is not on!

Totally agree - but we get RLJers and pavement rider all the year round here who are obviously experienced cyclists and should know better :roll:

gtvlusso

biondino wrote:

gtvlusso off on one again :roll:

Lol! You have me pinned!

gtvlusso

It makes for good reading at 11pm still at work!! People defending themselves because they feel they have to justify it to themselves - love a good argument!

It is simple really - if you can do it in summer, why not do it in the winter? It would shut the likes of me up (for a start) and you may see the benefits of costs, fitness and your abilities.

mitchell_inman has given the best answer yet - simply does not want to, what's it to me?

fair enough!!!:-)

Cycling Dave

Lusso did you have a word with said fairweatherer regarding his RLJing? Some newbie cyclists genuinely don't know that they shouldn't jump lights. I had a guy stop next to me and ask me "can we jump lights? Why not?"
He was asking me because he wanted to obey proper etiquette (he felt that I was the man to ask on account of my racer, lycra team kit and the look of a "serious" cyclist).
The fairweatherers and newbies need to be encouraged and welcomed on the roads by those of us who are "die hards". RLJers need to be told in a nice way that this is not an acceptable way to behave, and why it isn't ("it's against the law" is an argument that doesn't have enough weight to it).
Engage them in conversation, talk about how easy it is to ride in the winter (no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes).

I can't wait until the day where I see a large peloton going to work.

itboffin

Whilst in Bristol last week I was surprised & amazed at the number of cyclists out and about but gob smacked at the number of cyclist riding on the pavement, like it was perfectly normal, I think we genuinely need a cyclist awareness campaign.

gtvlusso

itboffin wrote:

Whilst in Bristol last week I was surprised & amazed at the number of cyclists out and about but gob smacked at the number of cyclist riding on the pavement, like it was perfectly normal, I think we genuinely need a cyclist awareness campaign.

Bristol is pretty bad for it - part of my irritation is simple manners at lights and so on and then dawdling along in heavy traffic or not going through gaps (as their bike is clearly the size of an airliner.....).
I just wanna make progress and be home as quick as I can.

sarajoy

gtvlusso wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Whilst in Bristol last week I was surprised & amazed at the number of cyclists out and about but gob smacked at the number of cyclist riding on the pavement, like it was perfectly normal, I think we genuinely need a cyclist awareness campaign.

Bristol is pretty bad for it - part of my irritation is simple manners at lights and so on and then dawdling along in heavy traffic or not going through gaps (as their bike is clearly the size of an airliner.....).
I just wanna make progress and be home as quick as I can.

Depends what the gaps are like, I'm not squeezing past a bus because the guy behind me is impatient

A lot of it is due to annoyingly stop-start cycle lanes, in odd/not useful places, covered by tons of parked cars. Drivers don't give you much room (and Brizzle is often near-gridlocked at rush hour), so the pavement is often the best bet!

I do tend to stick to the road but I don't deny that occasionally doing some bits on the pavement is probably a lot safer...! Plus also in Bristol there are several areas where the pavement is /supposed/ to be ridden on, like a section of the A37 through Totterdown, the roads leading up to and past Temple Meads southbound, the A38 northbound from the Filton Roundabout (no such provision southbound, so it's dual carriageway, or pavements, or attempting the northbound cycle paths backwards).

Mixed messages don't help anyone, so I don't blame the more casual cycling for nipping onto pavements.

roger_merriman

itboffin wrote:

Whilst in Bristol last week I was surprised & amazed at the number of cyclists out and about but gob smacked at the number of cyclist riding on the pavement, like it was perfectly normal, I think we genuinely need a cyclist awareness campaign.

does depend a lot on the area, some areas seem to be full of cheap MTb's going/road to pavement with no warning etc, and the ever present light jumpers, this all said i'm not sure they are that much worse than other forms of traffic, more noticable for sure, worse i'm not sure.

kevinharley

Sorry - slight tangent here - what is MTFU an abbreviation of / acronym for? I get most of the abbrev's / acronym's on here, but this is one I've never worked out, its never been explained to me, and I haven't dared ask before for fearing I would look a FOOL! :oops: However, with it having been used with such enthusiasm by the OP (Original Post(er) - yeah?) ... I NEED to know!! :?

il_principe

kevinharley wrote:

Sorry - slight tangent here - what is MTFU an abbreviation of / acronym for? I get most of the abbrev's / acronym's on here, but this is one I've never worked out, its never been explained to me, and I haven't dared ask before for fearing I would look a FOOL! :oops: However, with it having been used with such enthusiasm by the OP (Original Post(er) - yeah?) ... I NEED to know!! :?

Man The Fcuk Up!

Kieran_Burns

MTFU = Man the Flip Up (ish)

itboffin

Where do I sign up to this fairweather club i'm sick and f**king tired of rain and wind grrrrr FCUK arrhhhhh! :evil:

lost_in_thought

Cycling Dave wrote:

I can't wait until the day where I see a large peloton going to work.

Having spent this week in Europe, specifically Amsterdam, Copenhagen (and Germany), I kind of hope cycling in London never reaches the levels it has there.

I cycle because I enjoy it, mostly, but also appreciate that I can cut through traffic. In Copenhagen particularly, I saw several bike traffic jams, huge groups waiting at lights, people going at walking pace holding up a whole peloton because people could only pass one at a time.

Sure, it's great that there's a cycling culture, but selfishly I hope London never gets there.

DonDaddyD

I'm torn on the subject of fairweather commuters. They are a hinderence and some are bloddy dangerous but then everyone has to start somewhere!

gtvlusso

DonDaddyD wrote:

I'm torn on the subject of fairweather commuters. They are a hinderence and some are bloddy dangerous but then everyone has to start somewhere!

In all reality, I agree with you DDD. Once again you are the voice of calm in a world (forum) of turmoil and rant.

Had a bad day wenever I wrote this - but it did annoy me. What really annoyed me though, was that it rained in the afternoon - bikeshed remained full and I was one of only 3 that rode home from about 30 bikes that came into work in the morning sun.......ah well...!

C'est la vie....

Everybody starts somewhere.....somehow...and may carry on, but may not....blah!

wantaway

This thread seems to demonstrate all I dislike about bike riders. It is bad enough having car drivers intimidate new cyclists back into their cars.

I personally don't give a monkeys if you ride every day or once a year.

Jay dubbleU

MTFU = Man The F*** Up - the unofficial motto of the SCR club - the official motto is 'Be kind to children and small animals' :twisted:

pintoo

Thought you might enjoy this... especially the all-to predictable motorists' responses:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 897592.ece?

commuterconvert

I have to confess that I've indulged in a bit of fairweather baiting a couple of times in the last fortnight...

Basically once I clock someone who fits the profile: arrogant fairweather, reasonable FCN maybe even a SS with rolled up trouser, thinking he's king of the road racing off the lights hell for leather, possibly even knees asplay, in short, clearly trying to punch above his weight.

I then proceed to reel them in and rather than passing them straight off, match their speed alongside for a bit, wait til they start to accelerate thinking they're going to teach me a lesson for daring to overtake at which point I hammer down & drop them on my skinnied mtb.
Then of course typically they RLJ shortly thereafter .
Childish I know, but sometimes you just can't resist, and they're easy to spot. Obviously wouldn't do that with a serious, genuine, just getting started commuter. Nor with a seasoned SCR, clearly.

And I know just wait til they've been commuting for 3 months & are match fit, ready for SCR, chances are they'll have their revenge or at least try.

Anyone else?

il_principe

pintoo wrote:

Thought you might enjoy this... especially the all-to predictable motorists' responses:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 897592.ece?

The plain fact is that if bicycles had been invented yesterday they wouldn't be allowed on the road - along with skate boards and roller blades. Count yourself lucky (and carry a donor card).

Ken Leyland, Liverpool, U.K

What a C*NT. Sorry, but what is wrong with these people.

simple_salmon

+1 In fact if cars were invented tomorrow you could probably say the same thing.

Cycling Dave

Yeah LiT, I suppose that would happen, but seeing as I live in the heart attack/obesity capital of Europe (Glasgow) it would be a very happy problem to have.

Also, there aint as many traffic lights in my commute to the les hautes alps of East Kilbride, so congestion would be limited.

But in my ideal vision the only vehicles permitted in the city would be trolley busses/trams and emergency vehicles. It'll happen one day.

pintoo

People who start any point with "the fact is..." usually aren't stating facts. Only the implicit fact that they are d*cks.

itboffin

Cycling can be very calming.
Some of the stuff on the Internet is NOT true, I know it's hard to believe.

:roll:

laughingboy

lost_in_thought wrote:

Having spent this week in Europe, specifically Amsterdam, Copenhagen (and Germany), I kind of hope cycling in London never reaches the levels it has there.

I cycle because I enjoy it, mostly, but also appreciate that I can cut through traffic. In Copenhagen particularly, I saw several bike traffic jams, huge groups waiting at lights, people going at walking pace holding up a whole peloton because people could only pass one at a time.

Sure, it's great that there's a cycling culture, but selfishly I hope London never gets there.

My take on this? I say, 'Welcome, Fair Weather Cyclist; I hope you too enjoy your journey to work.'

The more the merrier.

I mean, the roads are a collective/taxpayer resource, so you have to accept sharing them. Personally, out of all the options, I'd prefer sharing them with fellow cyclists.

The more cyclists there are, the safer the roads become for cyclists, the cleaner the air, the quieter the streets, the more likely it becomes that workplaces provide cycle facilities, that kids cycle to school, the more likely it is that fatties don't crush the NHS, etc.

So, if a few FWCs slow me up a little, I can live with it. We are all travelling in the same direction.

chuckcork

kevinharley wrote:

Sorry - slight tangent here - what is MTFU an abbreviation of / acronym for? I get most of the abbrev's / acronym's on here, but this is one I've never worked out, its never been explained to me, and I haven't dared ask before for fearing I would look a FOOL! :oops: However, with it having been used with such enthusiasm by the OP (Original Post(er) - yeah?) ... I NEED to know!! :?

MTFU = Man the F*ck Up I believe....

crankycrank

Also, HTFU as seen here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unkIVvjZc9Y

whyamihere

FWCs don't bother me in the slightest. Takes me a few seconds to overtake them, and as I'm generally at or close to the speed of cars on my commute, nobody's bothered about me pulling out to overtake someone.

One or two will occasionally come past me in traffic and go through a red light. That actually works out pretty well, because any motorists around will have seen that I was waiting for the lights to change properly and so treat me courteously. I also tend to really go for it when overtaking a RLJer, and make sure I'll never see them again...

Beeblebrox

I only get to commute for three months of the year (just so happen to be the nicest three)...

and my leg is still broken and in cast.

emdeef

My take on this? I say, 'Welcome, Fair Weather Cyclist; I hope you too enjoy your journey to work.'

The more the merrier.

I mean, the roads are a collective/taxpayer resource, so you have to accept sharing them. Personally, out of all the options, I'd prefer sharing them with fellow cyclists.

The more cyclists there are, the safer the roads become for cyclists, the cleaner the air, the quieter the streets, the more likely it becomes that workplaces provide cycle facilities, that kids cycle to school, the more likely it is that fatties don't crush the NHS, etc.

So, if a few FWCs slow me up a little, I can live with it. We are all travelling in the same direction.

I agree laughingboy - I was a fair weather cyclist when I started. The more cyclists, the fewer cars, and possibly the safer my journey.