Apologies, I appear to be giving us all a bad name.
neil_sheehan2000
Posts: 529
Sorry everyone, but my new bike has turned me into a complete bawbag on the roads.
Today I cut across oncoming traffic far, far too close to some poor sod in a car twice, then filtered between two 4x4s at the lights just as they were changing, and instead of stopping or something proceeded to pour on the gas and overtake the car on the right of me, from the inside.
Then I chased down some bloke, going well out of my way in the process, just so I could overtake him. (Every time I stopped pedalling the freewheel sung out to him like something from a Poe story, and the worried look on his face as he turned round to catch sight of his pursuer made me feel like A Man).
I blame it entirely on the bike: the skinny tyres; the narrow (drop) bars; being clipped in; the ability to, y'know, actually accelerate...
Upon reflection, I am not at all proud, and shall attempt to reign it in in the future before I wind up getting run over.
Do all you roadies feel this mental all the time?
Today I cut across oncoming traffic far, far too close to some poor sod in a car twice, then filtered between two 4x4s at the lights just as they were changing, and instead of stopping or something proceeded to pour on the gas and overtake the car on the right of me, from the inside.
Then I chased down some bloke, going well out of my way in the process, just so I could overtake him. (Every time I stopped pedalling the freewheel sung out to him like something from a Poe story, and the worried look on his face as he turned round to catch sight of his pursuer made me feel like A Man).
I blame it entirely on the bike: the skinny tyres; the narrow (drop) bars; being clipped in; the ability to, y'know, actually accelerate...
Upon reflection, I am not at all proud, and shall attempt to reign it in in the future before I wind up getting run over.
Do all you roadies feel this mental all the time?
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Comments
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neil_sheehan2000 wrote:Do all you roadies feel this mental all the time?
you are on the wrong forum..this is the commuting forum
no roadies here....a few plastic pretend roadies but thats about it0 -
Whisht Doog.
Neil_Sheehan, keep it up! How are your RLJ skillz coming on?0 -
ah! .....detected a degree of irony but you cant tell on here nowadays 0
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Ah go on. I reckon you can be pretty much as rude as you like here unless
1) You recommend a newbie to buy a hybrid
2) You talk about RLJing without CAPITALS
3) You diss a CX bike 0 -
No, no irony intended: I really was acting like a bawbag. Put the post here because I was commuting home from work when it happened. Quite a few folk commute by road bike, no? I had often wondered why, 'til I tried it...
As for RLJing, I actually didn't do that, as I really didn't want to get run over.0 -
Welcome to the club Neil - there are quite a few people on here with road bikes, but whatever you ride commuting is a different game to anything else - bit like playing chess with traffic - sounds as though you're a natural 8)0
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I think the problem is that is just don't feel right riding a road bike slowly ;-) I adore the acceleration on mine and do use it to be a tit sometimes, punching throw closing gaps in traffic and overtaking motorised vehicles coming down hills :-D Yes I know it's dangerous but I need to get my thrills somewhere :twisted:0
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Bassjunkieuk wrote:I think the problem is that is just don't feel right riding a road bike slowly ;-) I adore the acceleration on mine and do use it to be a tit sometimes, punching throw closing gaps in traffic and overtaking motorised vehicles coming down hills :-D Yes I know it's dangerous but I need to get my thrills somewhere :twisted:
That's just it! I mean, I can get up to a fairly decent speed on my slicked MTB but it takes a while and it's a fair bit of effort, but with the (slightly shonky, 2nd hand) road bike it just seems effortless. So effortless that I seem to think I can do things in traffic that I probably shouldn't be attempting, actually.
Something about being hunched over the handlebars just makes me want to go fast as well. It's getting me record times on the commute, I can tell you.0 -
Confession time, I did something a tad silly today coming home.
There is a set of lights near where I live, but only that one set, and it's downhill into them. I was in a real rush tonight as I had to go collect take away menus and get back and have a shower before people started arriving. I've been going hard all the way home, but as come towards these red lights there are about 5 cars there waiting at them, but judging by the cars coming around the corner, they will very soon change to green.
After the last of the turning cars comes past, I pop over into the right hand lane and start overtaking the queueing cars...and the lights change to green. Rather than filtering back across the traffic to the left hand side as I know I should have done, I instead give a very bad impression of Mark Cavendish's lead-out man (it's in no way fast enough to be an impression of Cav himself) and catch and just pass the lead car just as we hit the waiting traffic coming against us. Now in the lead I pop over to the left a bit and keep the power down. Not sure where the cars went after that, the lead car past a little later, but the rest didn't seem to. That lead car wouldn't have even thought about a cyclist appearing until I swept past at 30mph, Not exactly big or clever, but the adrenaline had kicked in, and slowing was the very last thing on my mind.
What is suitable penance for my sin?0 -
Eau Rouge wrote:What is suitable penance for my sin?
A huge fecking pat on the back Overtaking cars is always satisfying and by overtaking I mean at their typical speeds, not just filtering past tons of cars stuck in a jam which just brings about a smug feeling ;-) 0 -
I RLJd today. I was gutted.
Forgive me father for I have sinned. It has been a very long time since my last confession.
Come round the corner, was against a nasty bit of headwind. Looked at the lights, green. Good. Overtake a cyclist who does that ever so greatful swerve all over the place just as you go to overtake them. I give him a wide birth and look back just to check he's ok, as I thought he was about to bin himself on the kerb or somthing. Turn back round and bang, i spot the light just as I go past, RED. Urgh. I think the cyclist behind me, and the car at the junction pulling away from a green realised I was none best pleased, as I thumped my helmet about 3 times and shouted F*CK, rather loudly. :oops:0 -
I think I added to giving us a bad name last week.
I've been commuting on the road bike recently because the old commuter is on its last legs.(or wheels)
On the way home the other night there was thunder and lightning in the skies so I gave it some welly as I turned into the estate where I live. I have to take a sharp left into a narrow street. Now normally I can hear any cars approaching but what with the rain and thunder and the fact that I had my hood fastened tight I didn't hear this one. I nearly had a head on collision. I just managed to swerve to the left. I did manage to clip the wing mirror and then bump off the side of the car with my arse. It was totally my fault but to be fair the lady driver was more concerned that I was ok. She bent the wing mirror back into place and said it was fine.
Actually this was my first commuting "incident".
Mark0 -
Eau Rouge wrote:Confession time, I did something a tad silly today coming home.
There is a set of lights near where I live, but only that one set, and it's downhill into them. I was in a real rush tonight as I had to go collect take away menus and get back and have a shower before people started arriving. I've been going hard all the way home, but as come towards these red lights there are about 5 cars there waiting at them, but judging by the cars coming around the corner, they will very soon change to green.
After the last of the turning cars comes past, I pop over into the right hand lane and start overtaking the queueing cars...and the lights change to green. Rather than filtering back across the traffic to the left hand side as I know I should have done, I instead give a very bad impression of Mark Cavendish's lead-out man (it's in no way fast enough to be an impression of Cav himself) and catch and just pass the lead car just as we hit the waiting traffic coming against us. Now in the lead I pop over to the left a bit and keep the power down. Not sure where the cars went after that, the lead car past a little later, but the rest didn't seem to. That lead car wouldn't have even thought about a cyclist appearing until I swept past at 30mph, Not exactly big or clever, but the adrenaline had kicked in, and slowing was the very last thing on my mind.
What is suitable penance for my sin?
Eau Rouge, if there was no right turn or right lane available for the traffic then as far as I can tell all you committed was a rather faster-than-usual outside filter! Nice work.
My contribution to this thread: I was meeting a friend in Ealing a couple of weeks ago, and I overshot the turn-off I needed to the station. A guy told me where I'd gone wrong, so I trotted over to the other side of the road, pedalled a couple of hundred yards back and saw a sign to the station pointing to the left.
So I took the next left, and somehow missed the fact that a) it was a two-laned, one way street in the other direction and b) that its light was green and there were cars heading towards me intending to turn the way I'd come. Oops. Luckily they weren't close enough to hit me so I pulled over to the kerb sharpish and waved a hand in embarrassed apology.0 -
Deadeye Duck wrote:I thumped my helmet about 3 times and shouted F*CK, rather loudly.
I play football with a lad from Aberdeen and he has Tourettes as well. Must be something in the water. 0 -
tarquin_foxglove wrote:Deadeye Duck wrote:I thumped my helmet about 3 times and shouted F*CK, rather loudly.
I play football with a lad from Aberdeen and he has Tourettes as well. Must be something in the water.
I'm a mackem ye' cheeky blighter!0 -
You're not a real Mackem, I'm sure you used a three syllable word in one of your posts.Deadeye Duck wrote:I'm a mackem ye' cheeky blighter! 0 -
UndercoverElephant wrote:
You're not a real Mackem, I'm sure you used a three syllable word in one of your posts.Deadeye Duck wrote:I'm a mackem ye' cheeky blighter!
You're mistaking us for geordies mate
Actually, no. I think I'd probably agree if someone told me that 75% of The entire population of Tyne & Wear were infact cavemen.0 -
Deadeye Duck wrote:UndercoverElephant wrote:
You're not a real Mackem, I'm sure you used a three syllable word in one of your posts.Deadeye Duck wrote:I'm a mackem ye' cheeky blighter!
You're mistaking us for geordies mate
Actually, no. I think I'd probably agree if someone told me that 75% of The entire population of Tyne & Wear were infact cavemen.
Ugh.. Me hurt by that comment. Ugh. Me will spear mackem on way home Ugh. Me tell wife me out hunting by drawing symbols on wall. Ugh0 -
Allez Mark wrote:Deadeye Duck wrote:UndercoverElephant wrote:
You're not a real Mackem, I'm sure you used a three syllable word in one of your posts.Deadeye Duck wrote:I'm a mackem ye' cheeky blighter!
You're mistaking us for geordies mate
Actually, no. I think I'd probably agree if someone told me that 75% of The entire population of Tyne & Wear were infact cavemen.
Ugh.. Me hurt by that comment. Ugh. Me will spear mackem on way home Ugh. Me tell wife me out hunting by drawing symbols on wall. Ugh
You have to admit there is an abundance of thick people in the north east.
Oh, and also an abundance of gold clown necklaces 0 -
Deadeye Duck wrote:Actually, no. I think I'd probably agree if someone told me that 75% of The entire population of Tyne & Wear were infact cavemen.
Carefull now
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5JV0Fs_GE80
