Riding in the city...

Matt.K
Matt.K Posts: 105
edited September 2009 in Commuting chat
...my god it's scary! :shock:

My normal commute is 9 miles from small market town to country village along rural roads, only ever see one other cyclist and he's going the other way!

Anyway, I had to head in to York the other night after work, first time I've ridden there at rush hour.
I don't know how you city commuters do it, by the time I'd sat at every set of traffic lights and weaved through traffic I must have averaged about 5mph compared to my usual 18mph.

Any to those of you who manage all this while staying clipped in to pedals, I take my hat off to you, for you are a very brave person.

Comments

  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    practice makes perfect, once you're used to it it doesn't really faze you
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  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Riding in the country is terrifying. There are no streetlights, wtf? Sheep wander randomly across the road, deer leap out at you, and you can't brake fast enough to avoid them because all the roads are lined with a couple of inches of horse dung.

    And the roads are all about 18 inches wide, they meander like a particularly bloody-minded river, and they haven't been re-tarmaced since the Crimean war. And other road users? I've been combine harvested half a dozen times! All the cars you see are either going at 60mph or feel they *should* be going at 60mph, while the motorbikes aim for double that. It's insanity, I tell you!
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  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    :lol: I was waiting for a response from a City-dweller. Do you come out in hives when you venture into the countryside? :)
    FCN 2-4.

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    "It stays down, Daddy."
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  • Citizen Smith
    Citizen Smith Posts: 336
    There's cyclists in dem der hedges.*

    *Ask Bass.
    "Come at the king, you best not miss." - Omar, The Wire

    FCN 4: Willier Izoard XP
    FCN 7: GT Legato 4.0

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  • squired
    squired Posts: 1,153
    I've been lucky enough to enjoy 3 very different commutes in recent years. South London to the square mile. South London to Knightsbridge. South London, due south almost as far as the M25.

    The ride to the square mile was just too overloaded with bikes/cars/buses/taxis and included over 100 sets of traffic lights. On average I think I was having to stop at about 40 reds on the way home.

    The ride to Knightsbridge was far more civilised. Some emptier roads, fewer dangers, a massive reduction in the number of lights, separate cycle paths (such as across Clapham Common) and just a more relaxed ambiance.

    The ride I have now is brilliant. The whole route includes 5 sets of lights, so I can actually put in good extended efforts. On the whole the country lanes are pretty quiet, although some of the road surfaces do worry me with winter approaching. Having said that, the most worrying surface is on the part of my route that is infested with traffic.

    On reflection I wouldn't mind having to do the Knightsbridge route again, but I really wouldn't want to go into the Square Mile again. That ride was taking away the pleasure I got from cycling, whereas my ride now has helped me to regain my passion again. I respect the people who ride into city centres, but more rural rides are far more enjoyable.

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