On Yer Bike

Sorry if this thread is deemed to have been posted in the wrong area of the Forum. I think this is a newsworthy & topical subject that I hope will create some interest & debate.
The thread title is a little tongue in cheek nod to the Norman Tebbit quote, as he urge people to be more like Eastern Europeans & get on your bike to find work.

For different reasons the government are now appealing to the masses to avoid public transport & walk or cycle to work. This is something I've done off & on over the years & is full of pitfalls. It will be interesting to see if the proposed cycle lanes & bike maintenance voucher scheme encourage people away from public transport & cars.

For those who have made this change already, what have your experiences been ? good & bad. How have regular commuters & or leisure cyclists found this period in comparison to before ? What are your concerns about making the switch to two wheels ?

If this is the future of bike riding, I'm in

I'll start the countdown to some moaning old cunt mentioning "road tax", insurance, riding 2 abreast etc shall I?

I sometimes cycled to work before the lockdown, but -- to be honest -- I was turned off by other cyclists.

The 'incidents' with cars were pretty few and far between and I found drivers to be generally less obnoxious than those twats who dress head-to-toe in lycra, ride expensive bikes with their head down, bombing along cycle paths as if they are training for the Tour de France.

They don't seem to understand that there is a difference between cycling as an alternative form of transportation and cycling-for-sport.

Hopefully, with more 'amateur' cyclists on the road, the balance will shift and those idiots will be outnumbered. They can take their Lance Armstrong fixation to Box Hill and Richmond Park, leaving the cycle lanes to regular people with baskets, banana seats and little bells on their handlebars.

Me if I try to ride a bike

(23-06-2020 10:52 )Cheesy Grin Wrote:  [snip]

Please do not do this. It is very unsafe.
Please can someone give these girls a hard helmet.

(23-06-2020 11:00 )Tumble_Drier Wrote:  I'll start the countdown to some moaning old cunt mentioning "road tax", insurance, riding 2 abreast etc shall I?

Apparently Road Tax was abolished in 1937 & replaced by Vehicle Excise Duty, which is a tax on cars not roads, with the money going straight to the general treasury fund. It is argued that it should be renamed Pollution Tax, as it is based on engine size emissions. Ultra-low emission vehicles are exempt.

I would advise anyone who intends to cycle on open roads to get some insurance, well worth the peace of mind & fairly cheap, as a regular golfer I'd give the same advice.

I will ride 2 abreast for a short time, for a chat etc. but I would only do this on quiet rural roads on a straight section with good visibility. Just common sense, which sadly some lack.

The car versus cyclist argument is about learning to live in the same space, safely. There are equally as many bad cyclists as ther are motor vehicle drivers.

^I think you've missed the point a bit old son, the winking smiley was there for a reason.

I'm proud to be one one those "Lycra clad cunts with expensive bikes" (3 in fact) mentioned above. As a British Cycling member I'm well covered by insurance and as I'm also an Advanced Driver I think I've passed enough tests to be safe on the roads

Lol, Nah, point not missed at all. I just chose to ride past it, like you were punctured roadside.no doubt a domestique will come to your aid real soon.
I'll bow down to your superior knowledge in future, had know idea you were a roadie, nice one.
Did you just call me old ? cheek They do advanced driving test for push bikes ? Judging by some of the sights I've these past months a beginners course wouldn't do any harm.

Domestique? She's at home chained to the kitchen sink, i'm fully self-sufficient when i'm on the bike . I've got a Road Bike, Cyclocross Bike and an MTB....i like a bit of everything.

One thing i never claim is superior knowledge as there's enough Smart-arses on here already