Author Topic: DOTD  (Read 210675 times)

Re: DOTD
« Reply #800 on: 27 April, 2019, 04:53:18 pm »
Ah, “fond” memories of the Leicester ring road... 
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

Kim

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Re: DOTD
« Reply #801 on: 28 April, 2019, 06:20:18 pm »
Me, yesterday, for rear-ending a Range Rover.  I failed to anticipate sufficiently given the Brompton braking and the pish conditions, and the final deceleration was achieved by catastrophic failure of the switch ring on my Cyo Premium.  The driver pulled in ahead, inspected his bumper, and drove off while I waited at the traffic lights.

Mitigated slightly by the discovery this morning that, while it was no longer wet, the front brake was still in "lalalala not listening" mode, rather than its usual polite suggestion to slow down.  Closer inspection of the rim revealed some sort of oily contamination, presumably picked up in Northallerton after yesterday's soggy audax, as the brakes had been fine (for Brompton values of fine braking) up to that point.

Bah!


ETA: Fixed the Cyo with a donor ring from a broken one that I was keeping in case it came in useful.  They appear to have changed the design at some point, possibly sacrificing serviceability for improved resistance to splashes from behind.  Having now seen a Cyo with the switch ring removed, I'm 100% sure that I wouldn't want to use one at the fork crown without a front mudguard.

I've also given both rims the IPA[1] treatment.


[1] Not beer.

Re: DOTD
« Reply #802 on: 28 April, 2019, 11:01:39 pm »
Two from today's club ride:

1. A guy in our group who insisted on riding off the front of the group at all times. Sometimes a few bike lengths, sometimes a few hundred metres. He did not have the route. Why did he even come with us?

2. We stopped at a crowded coffee shop. The yard is chocca with bikes. One of our group carefully leant their bike on top of one of the bikes already there (not what I would do, but nevertheless). This guy comes out and goes straight into a full on roid rage shouting match about it. He was the kind of bellend who has one of those vanity nametags on his bike, so I could post his name and club.

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: DOTD
« Reply #803 on: 21 May, 2019, 02:00:52 pm »
The All-the-gear-no-idea clown (I won't mention which club kit he was wearing) today who thought it would be a good idea to undertake me after I had begun my long-signalled left turn. My brakes are better than his anticipation. 

He then proceeded to nearly take out a pedestrian by riding through a zebra crossing on the wrong side of the central refuge.
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

ian

Re: DOTD
« Reply #804 on: 22 May, 2019, 11:13:00 am »
Chap who overtook me at speed and so closely that I felt him brush by. A little more space, I told him at the inevitable next set of lights. I'm in a cycling club, says he, I think I know how to overtake someone. I don't think you do, opine I, as he stares ahead. You know, sometimes a simple sorry is enough.

Special mention to the guy ahead of me through Tooting and Mitcham yesterday. Use your fucking gears rather than getting in my way at each and every traffic light as slow mash away in the hardest gear.

Re: DOTD
« Reply #805 on: 22 May, 2019, 09:21:51 pm »
Chap who overtook me at speed and so closely that I felt him brush by. A little more space, I told him at the inevitable next set of lights. I'm in a cycling club, says he, I think I know how to overtake someone. I don't think you do, opine I, as he stares ahead. You know, sometimes a simple sorry is enough.

Special mention to the guy ahead of me through Tooting and Mitcham yesterday. Use your fucking gears rather than getting in my way at each and every traffic light as slow mash away in the hardest gear.
We could be doppelgangers.
Rust never sleeps

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: DOTD
« Reply #806 on: 25 May, 2019, 08:30:49 pm »
Ely is normally a fairly gentle, pleasant place to live, so I was somewhat disconcerted by a vehicular encounter today.

In the middle of town, there is a staggered cross roads with lights controlling the right-left kink as it's not the main road. On the Giant runabout with panniers for shopping, I come up to that point to find two cars stopped at the red in front of me.  I proceed to the front taking a nice safe position to pull away. First car in the line, I notice is about half a length over the stop line.  As soon as the light turns yellow, he starts revving his engine and hooting his horn. I pull off as usual on th egreen as he tries to overtake me through the right left wiggle (single lane, one way streets) almost taking me out in the process whilst onlookers stare.

Discretion being the better part of "oh no here we go again", I pull into the parkimng zone to the left of the street, only to have Jeep-driving twunt pass me and then swerve in front to block me while he rages through the window mostly seeming to be how dare I go in front of him.  A quick shake of the head and I proceed on my way, which seems to enrage him further. 

On the third iteration I suggest that perhaps he should read the highway code sections on interaction with cyclists, cyclists taking a safe position at traffic lights and perhaps not attempt to use his car as a weapon.  At his response that "i'll do it again next time, you shouldn't go in front of me, I'll fucking have you, what are you going to do about it" etc with added vim, vigour and naughty words, I'd had enough and used a naughty word or two back. 

Clearly I wasn't the only one who noticed his attempts at ramming me as a random passer by asked me if I was OK.  Thinking back on it, I wonder if, given our location I either looked foreign, or had "remain" plastered all over me as I can't see that my initial behaviour deserved the result.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

MsG

  • No hills in Fenland but lots of wind
Re: DOTD
« Reply #807 on: 28 May, 2019, 10:26:43 pm »
@ElyDave if you have a look at the "parking like a twat in Ely" facebook page you'll see a photo taken of a local club ride by an irate driver who seems to have been very upset at having to wait a few seconds to pass their very neat line.
Taking a photo whilst driving?

Sadly I've had a couple of encounters at that junction but not usually as bad you describe. I shall keep a wary eye out for Jeeps, what colour was it?

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: DOTD
« Reply #808 on: 30 May, 2019, 07:04:20 pm »
Waiting in the ASL as first vehicle in lane 1 to get onto the Bearpit roundabout, I was aware a scooter had buzzed up just behind my right shoulder. But I wasn't aware that another cyclist had arrived and was waiting just behind and to the left of me, until the lights changed and as the scooter took off inches away from me, I lurched to my left and almost collided with her. We both got stopped at the Jamaica St lights and that gave me a chance to apologise to her, she didn't seem to find it anything exceptional.  ::-)
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: DOTD
« Reply #809 on: 31 May, 2019, 06:54:04 am »
@ElyDave if you have a look at the "parking like a twat in Ely" facebook page you'll see a photo taken of a local club ride by an irate driver who seems to have been very upset at having to wait a few seconds to pass their very neat line.
Taking a photo whilst driving?

Sadly I've had a couple of encounters at that junction but not usually as bad you describe. I shall keep a wary eye out for Jeeps, what colour was it?

Fore Hill is my personal bugbear, and I've only ever seen traffic wardens there once since I've lived here.  It was a dark blue Jeep, driven by a mature gentleman of a gammony hue.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Re: DOTD
« Reply #810 on: 31 May, 2019, 07:09:32 am »
Usual thing a car that doesn't believe in adjusting speed by easing off accelerator so comes roaring up behind a van then slams on brakes. Then tailgate van till the van actually moves over. Then the car roars off to repeat with next car. The unusual thing was this was a Hurst. Only the idiot driver in it so not even an excuse of getting the deceased somewhere and unfortunately nothing saying the  particular undertaker to complain too.

Oops this should have been in motorised morons

Re: DOTD
« Reply #811 on: 31 May, 2019, 08:06:01 am »
I am cycling along the (wide) cycle path and coming up on a road junction. Oh, good, the crossing lights are green for me. Glance right, left, the cars are actually stopped, so I slow slightly and ride straight across the junction.

And nearly hit the absolute fecking idiot who was riding along the *road* and cycled straight through the red traffic light without looking left.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: DOTD
« Reply #812 on: 05 June, 2019, 11:38:58 am »
Roll off ferry, go round roundabout, notice car overtaking in other lane, think "that's a good overtake" suddenly realise what's happen. Exclaim "Links Fahren!", Cross the road, continue journey on correct size of the road...

Oops

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Kim

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Re: DOTD
« Reply #813 on: 05 June, 2019, 12:39:18 pm »
Well done for doing that straight off the ferry.  Took me three days in ABROAD before I made that mistake.  (Which is approximately the same time it took me from first using clipless pedals to ending up pinned under a bike in a patch of stinging nettles.)

Re: DOTD
« Reply #814 on: 05 June, 2019, 01:34:21 pm »
I did it pretty much straight off the ferry in Hook; at the second road crossing I ended up nearly nose to nose with a guy on a scooter who scowled and pointed at the cycle path on the other side of the road: 'daar!'

Re: DOTD
« Reply #815 on: 05 June, 2019, 01:50:04 pm »
I managed a month in Europe without once getting the side of the road wrong. It was only upon returning to Dover at 3am that it all went wrong at the first roundabout on exiting the port.

First clipless moment ?  That was bizarrely about six years in to using them. My particular moment of embarrassment wasn't a bed of nettles, but slap bang in front of a queue of cars waiting to get on to the Wandsworth Bridge roundabout.
Rust never sleeps

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: DOTD
« Reply #816 on: 05 June, 2019, 02:37:42 pm »
I've never done it while in charge of a vehicle, but once when my sister came to pick me up from LOLZgate airport, I got in her car to find it bizarrely had steering wheel in front of the passenger seat. She said she thought it best if she drove.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

ian

Re: DOTD
« Reply #817 on: 05 June, 2019, 03:19:51 pm »
Chap in front of me in darkest Mitcham (not everyone knows the correct pronunciation is my-cham). Zero cycling skills. The evidence:

Constantly grinding away in the wrongest gear possible? Tick.
Terrible road positioning? Tick.
Zero situational awareness? Tick.
Constant mostly failed attempts to overtake other cyclists, cars, etc? Tick.
Zipping inside of indicating cars and cyclists? Tick.
Wobbling all the way over to the other side of the road while faffing with phone? Tick.

He was certainly a bit special. I don't predict a long career.

Re: DOTD
« Reply #818 on: 28 June, 2019, 09:27:58 am »
Me for remodelling a 207

Stop/start traffic on Kings Rd, the 207 in front moved off, I accelerated while shoulder checking, 207 stopped, failed to avoid and punched the right shifter and hand through the nearside light cluster followed by a  quick lie down in the road.

When the lass got out she looked horrified -I'd wiped my forehead after taking my cap off not realising just how much claret was running out of my finger   :facepalm:

Bonus points to the jag driver who stopped to have a rant about reckless cyclists without h*lm*ts  ::-)
   

essexian

Re: DOTD
« Reply #819 on: 28 June, 2019, 11:10:55 am »
Ouch! I hope you heal well and quickly.

And yes, a plastic hat on your finger would have helped!  :facepalm:

Tim Hall

  • Victoria is my queen
Re: DOTD
« Reply #820 on: 29 June, 2019, 08:59:30 pm »
The bicycle rickshaw driver who came blasting round the corner off Westminster Bridge and through the throng of pedestrians this afternoon. They were crossing after the green man had gone off but his velocity was in excess of R17 and his yelling to part the sea of pedestrians was the mark of a knob jockey.
There are two ways you can get exercise out of a bicycle: you can
"overhaul" it, or you can ride it.  (Jerome K Jerome)

Phil W

Re: DOTD
« Reply #821 on: 07 July, 2019, 02:56:35 pm »
Cycling in the lanes today I came to a turning as the same time as a SUV for a narrow lane.  So I wave them ahead so I wouldn't have them up my backside in a lane with few passing places.  Not 2 mins down the lane we encountered a car coming the other way.  They decided to reverse at quite high speed clearly without checking their rear view mirror as they reversed right into me.  They only stopped as I slapped their rear window and shouted.  To give them credit the passenger did get out to check I was alright.  But seriously they knew I was there I'd waved them ahead not a couple of mins early.  Luckily no harm other than them reversing into my front wheel . I managed to stay upright.

Re: DOTD
« Reply #822 on: 07 July, 2019, 03:26:11 pm »
Riders who instead of going through lights in a straight line, swerves to the left then cuts back in.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: DOTD
« Reply #823 on: 21 July, 2019, 03:01:05 pm »
The rider of this contraption:

https://road.cc/content/news/264274-cyclist-motorised-bike-fuel-tank-attached-string-warned-police

I wonder if the PCSO noticed the lack of rear brake?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Kim

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    • Fediverse
Re: DOTD
« Reply #824 on: 21 July, 2019, 04:07:44 pm »
The problem with those - and their frankenbike electric conversion brethren - is that I find it hard not to admire that the owners have perpetrated such shed-fettle bodgery in the first place.  Presumably using a minimum of barely-adequate tools, and parts likely found in a skip.

Maybe there should be racing events for such things.  Full body armour required, and the last one to break down / catch fire / generally fall to bits wins.  Would keep them off the road.