That there Londinium

Kieran_Burns

johngti wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

to KB, welcome to the big smoke. you should have at least grabbed a Boris bike and chanced yer arm. Cycle in Lahndahhhhnnn for a while and you will find yourself redefining the notion of a close pass.

Oh I think I know all about them:

http://youtu.be/V9a_D-B6hFw

Only when you're in the countryside they're generally doing over 50....

Did you get anywhere with the complaint? That was a bit too close :-|

Yarp - all handled very well

Mikey23

Nice account from the op... Makes me want to try it..

itboffin

So lets get this straight, you visited the ancestral home of SCR, the cradle of human civilization "London" and yet you completely FAILED to visit the Morpeth, no more than a few miles from your location

:roll:

Kieran_Burns

itboffin wrote:

So lets get this straight, you visited the ancestral home of SCR, the cradle of human civilization "London" and yet you completely FAILED to visit the Morpeth, no more than a few miles from your location

:roll:

and how the bloody blinking flip was I meant to know that? It's not like I read... this... forum...all...

Shiiiiiit......

Mind you after watching the London lunacy it did make me smile tonight when I pulled up alongside a car at a t-junction on the way home, knocked on his passenger window to let the guy know his off-side rear light wasn't working. Got a big thank you, after which a friendly white van man let us both pull out of the junction

Try THAT in London. You'd get shot/beaten/stabbed/swore at/ridiculed/run over and that's by the Police.

Oh, and just what does FAAAAAAAAKKKK ORRRRRFFFFFF UUUUU WAAAAAAHHHHNNNKKKKAAAAA actually mean? Heard THAT loads

MrSweary

Koncordski wrote:

Next time you come down, we'll lend you a spare and you can get on the racetrack. Just be careful, Taxi's have the same mass as a cow but they change direction faster. :shock:

Don't I know it… :roll:

vimfuego

Raymondo60 wrote:

It IS weird to think that we London cyclists/commuters take all that stuff for granted. Not in the sense that we don't appreciate how mad and dangerous it can be - we forget that at our peril. We do just tend to get on with it though. I had a brief chat with another biker at Tooting High Street last night; the traffic was insane, pedestrians flying everywhere, roadworks narrowing down to one lane southbound - real gridlock stuff. We just looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders and said 'Take care mate' and rode off into the moonlight...............

That may have been me. Had that same experience a couple of times last week on CS7 near Tooting High Street (which is carnage at the best of times with cars left hooking, cars pulling out in front of you, peds RLJing at crossings etc etc) with the roadworks adding to the general chaos. Saw a car nearly wipe out the rider I was following when it tried to pull out in front of him because the cars had all stopped and he wasn't looking for bikes. We had a chat at the lights about the game of Russian Roulette we seem to have to play through Tooting, then wished each other well and got out of Dodge. Similar experience later in the week too (minus the near fatal incident) - I always appreciate that camaraderie. Anyway, if it wasn't me (Red Trek 8000 MTB with slicks) then it may be next time. Stay safe comrade.


"D'you go through Tooting? Nah, I just wind the windows up and stay quiet."

The Rookie

MTB-Idle wrote:

Cycle in Lahndahhhhnnn for a while and you will find yourself redefining the notion of a close pass.

You soft southern pansies (OK so I was born and brought up in Kent), you want to try cycling in India where many truck drivers so hate cyclists they will drive you off the road on purpose!

TheBigBean

All those extra police out and about have a name... Operation Safeway

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25080427

redvee

TheBigBean wrote:

All those extra police out and about have a name... Operation Safeway

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-25080427

Rebranded to Morrisons now

tgotb

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I did confuse a few folks with my polite waves and thank yous though (for slowing / stopping at zebra crossings)

Next you'll be telling us you tried to talk to someone on the tube :shock:

Kieran_Burns

TGOTB wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I did confuse a few folks with my polite waves and thank yous though (for slowing / stopping at zebra crossings)

Next you'll be telling us you tried to talk to someone on the tube :shock:

Now don't laugh but I did actually do that the first time I travelled on the tube

rubertoe

Kieran_Burns wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I did confuse a few folks with my polite waves and thank yous though (for slowing / stopping at zebra crossings)

Next you'll be telling us you tried to talk to someone on the tube :shock:

Now don't laugh but I did actually do that the first time I travelled on the tube

Its official.

Kieran Burns is actually a weirdo.

daviesee

rubertoe wrote:

Its official.

Kieran Burns is actually a weirdo.

Only by London standards.
Makes him okay in my book.

veronese68

daviesee wrote:

rubertoe wrote:

Its official.

Kieran Burns is actually a weirdo.

Only by London standards.
Makes him okay in my book.

I don't think that's what makes him a weirdo.

Kieran_Burns

I am here you know

Gits.

cyclingprop

See, replying when he's not spoken to. Weird.

daviesee

Youngsters these days. Should know not to speak until spoken too and should be seen and not heard.
Some of them shouldnt even be seen.

A message from....

Agent57

TGOTB wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I did confuse a few folks with my polite waves and thank yous though (for slowing / stopping at zebra crossings)

Next you'll be telling us you tried to talk to someone on the tube :shock:

My wife spoke to a random stranger on the tube on Saturday. He even spoke back! The fact that he was dressed as the 10th Doctor, and she was in a TARDIS dress had nothing to do with it, I'm sure.

raymondo60

"vimfuego wrote:

That may have been me. Had that same experience a couple of times last week on CS7 near Tooting High Street (which is carnage at the best of times with cars left hooking, cars pulling out in front of you, peds RLJing at crossings etc etc) with the roadworks adding to the general chaos. Saw a car nearly wipe out the rider I was following when it tried to pull out in front of him because the cars had all stopped and he wasn't looking for bikes. We had a chat at the lights about the game of Russian Roulette we seem to have to play through Tooting, then wished each other well and got out of Dodge. Similar experience later in the week too (minus the near fatal incident) - I always appreciate that camaraderie. Anyway, if it wasn't me (Red Trek 8000 MTB with slicks) then it may be next time. Stay safe comrade.


"D'you go through Tooting? Nah, I just wind the windows up and stay quiet."

I'll look out for you - I have my BR name on a sticker on my backpack (raymondo60)- - please do say hello if you see me.

okgo

Rolf F wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

to KB, welcome to the big smoke. you should have at least grabbed a Boris bike and chanced yer arm. Cycle in Lahndahhhhnnn for a while and you will find yourself redefining the notion of a close pass.

Indeed. It's great sport out accelerating the trendy hipsters on their fixies with a Boris Bike!

Underlines how slow the cycling is in London. Even on the Embankment it's easy enough to keep up with the cycle traffic on a Boris bike. It's fun a few times a year but it would drive me nuts on a regular basis.

It really isn't. You'd not have a hope in hell of keeping up with any half decent commuter on a boris bike!

daviesee

okgo wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

to KB, welcome to the big smoke. you should have at least grabbed a Boris bike and chanced yer arm. Cycle in Lahndahhhhnnn for a while and you will find yourself redefining the notion of a close pass.

Indeed. It's great sport out accelerating the trendy hipsters on their fixies with a Boris Bike!

Underlines how slow the cycling is in London. Even on the Embankment it's easy enough to keep up with the cycle traffic on a Boris bike. It's fun a few times a year but it would drive me nuts on a regular basis.

It really isn't. You'd not have a hope in hell of keeping up with any half decent commuter on a boris bike!

Thats fighting talk.

Kieran_Burns

okgo wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

to KB, welcome to the big smoke. you should have at least grabbed a Boris bike and chanced yer arm. Cycle in Lahndahhhhnnn for a while and you will find yourself redefining the notion of a close pass.

Indeed. It's great sport out accelerating the trendy hipsters on their fixies with a Boris Bike!

Underlines how slow the cycling is in London. Even on the Embankment it's easy enough to keep up with the cycle traffic on a Boris bike. It's fun a few times a year but it would drive me nuts on a regular basis.

It really isn't. You'd not have a hope in hell of keeping up with any half decent commuter on a boris bike!

This is true - they don't allow them out in the countryside

bigmat

okgo wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

to KB, welcome to the big smoke. you should have at least grabbed a Boris bike and chanced yer arm. Cycle in Lahndahhhhnnn for a while and you will find yourself redefining the notion of a close pass.

Indeed. It's great sport out accelerating the trendy hipsters on their fixies with a Boris Bike!

Underlines how slow the cycling is in London. Even on the Embankment it's easy enough to keep up with the cycle traffic on a Boris bike. It's fun a few times a year but it would drive me nuts on a regular basis.

It really isn't. You'd not have a hope in hell of keeping up with any half decent commuter on a boris bike!

True enough with the quicker commuters, but you could probably keep up with the main bunch - wouldn't be much fun though, average cadence would probably be well over 120.

rolf_f

Agent57 wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I did confuse a few folks with my polite waves and thank yous though (for slowing / stopping at zebra crossings)

Next you'll be telling us you tried to talk to someone on the tube :shock:

My wife spoke to a random stranger on the tube on Saturday. He even spoke back! The fact that he was dressed as the 10th Doctor, and she was in a TARDIS dress had nothing to do with it, I'm sure.

Wow - a dress that's smaller on the outside than on the inside - I can see that selling well! To 99.9% of the female population.....

rolf_f

BigMat wrote:

okgo wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

MTB-Idle wrote:

to KB, welcome to the big smoke. you should have at least grabbed a Boris bike and chanced yer arm. Cycle in Lahndahhhhnnn for a while and you will find yourself redefining the notion of a close pass.

Indeed. It's great sport out accelerating the trendy hipsters on their fixies with a Boris Bike!

Underlines how slow the cycling is in London. Even on the Embankment it's easy enough to keep up with the cycle traffic on a Boris bike. It's fun a few times a year but it would drive me nuts on a regular basis.

It really isn't. You'd not have a hope in hell of keeping up with any half decent commuter on a boris bike!

True enough with the quicker commuters, but you could probably keep up with the main bunch - wouldn't be much fun though, average cadence would probably be well over 120.

There's not many quick ones. I was surprised at the slowness of the pace of the London commuter crowd but I suppose after all the stop start coming in to town, once you get onto the Embankment any pace seems comparitively quick even when it isn't in absolute terms. I've also found a folding small wheeled Dahon can be ridden faster than the vast majority of London commuters and that surprised me too. And I was easily out accelerating fixies on the BB - after all, they are low geared (and yes, the cadence does get silly quickly - a longer top gear would make a huge difference). Generally, not quite keeping up at cruising speed but surprisingly marginal. It would drive me nuts after a few days.

rjsterry

Just a thought, but maybe all the quick ones were way out in front of you, and you were stuck with all the slowcoaches

rolf_f

rjsterry wrote:

Just a thought, but maybe all the quick ones were way out in front of you, and you were stuck with all the slowcoaches

Yep - that'll be it!

Gallywomack

All the really fast ones were plying their lonesome trade elsewhere, on the forgotten byways of SE London. Yes, that's it. Ahem.

roger_merriman

Agent57 wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I did confuse a few folks with my polite waves and thank yous though (for slowing / stopping at zebra crossings)

Next you'll be telling us you tried to talk to someone on the tube :shock:

My wife spoke to a random stranger on the tube on Saturday. He even spoke back! The fact that he was dressed as the 10th Doctor, and she was in a TARDIS dress had nothing to do with it, I'm sure.

I quite often chat to or are chatted to by strangers on the tube, I'm mostly working so with a austic lad so I'm probably seen as safe it's mostly women who do.

Mikey23

Yup me too, my chap is autistic too and opens up some in interesting conversations