Ive moved into my new place now in cardiff, and so im closer to everything, or rather everything is a little less hilly! :D
Been using my bike to scoot around the city every day, and getting some decent urban miles in, quite insane at first, but this is my 2nd day and I think im getting the gist.
Almost got flattened by a bus however. Filtering down through the traffic at the lights in a left hand turn and straight on lane... I want to go straight.... bus wants to go left. Lights turned red about 3 seconds before I got to the bus, I get to the front of the bus, about to put a foot down to stop and the lights go amber so I set off... bus sets off at the same time, driver didnt see me (despite me being INFRONT of his damn bus) he accelerated a smidge faster than me (was in too high a gear doh), and then turned left straight into the back of me. It was only my "OI!!!!" and a slap on the wing mirror that got his attention, he just didnt bother looking out to where he was going, and was infact staring straight ahead (not looking left) when I slapped the wing mirror.
Bloody blind bus drivers.
Wouldnt be surprised it it was intentional, Ive had bus drivers deliberately squash me against curbs because theyre bitter about being beaten away from the lights.
Pepper spray, tbpfh. 8)
lol :D Pepper spray doesnt do much against a windscreen :D lol. But certainly understand the sentiments there. Still dicing it up with traffic in the city isnt that bad, did my first "inter car" filter today :D nervous as hell, didnt want to hit any wingmirrors off, just did it at a comfortable pace and kept my wits about me.
With cars stopped it was just like riding between lampposts or anything else you may ride between.
Also the fact that the traffic moves in spurts means that even on a bike, you can keep up with the traffic with no problem, more cars = slower traffic = feeling fairly safe! :)
Oh.. and Kudos to my conti contact sports, theyve had real abuse the last few days, a "temporary road surface" consisting of bloody rough cut gravel and stone making "pinging" noises against the rubber, and theyve held up to it quite well! *touches wood*.
Quite impressed with the p*nct*re resistance of the tyre. :)
Quote from: funkychicken9000Wouldnt be surprised it it was intentional, Ive had bus drivers deliberately squash me against curbs because theyre bitter about being beaten away from the lights.
I had nowhere to go if this was the case, I had a barrier to the left of me, so Id have been under his wheels if he didnt stop. Bloody thing really shook me up to be honest.
Quote from: maximusotterPepper spray, tbpfh. 8)
Unfortunately while the UK police are perfectly happy giving you a facefull of mace they dont think that anyone else should have it and arrest you with the charge of carrying an offensive weapon.
TBH its always best to be very careful if you go alongside a bus from the rear as they may not notice you and you could end up dead. Best get them out the road before you move off.
Pfff, traffic filtering! Try cycling down the centre of an A road, overtaking the traffic on the left while the cars on the right zip towards you at 30mph. Now thats fun! :twisted:
Cambridge Cycling ftw.
:rock:
Try navigating a double 4 lane roundabout with a bloody forest of trees blocking your view around the side.
FK me... that was a nervous few moments today. 70mph traffic does not make for fun cycling. More like just pedalling whilst screaming "aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
I used to love weaving in & out of the traffic in Cardiff. When i worked for Panasonic i used to get ran over at least once a month. Fook knows how i survived but i evidently lead a charmed life. Thinking about it the last few months have proved that as a certainty.
youre a new comer to this cycling malarky, and im not being patronising...
ive done over 1000 miles this year and thats not alot at all compared to some and nearly every other day ive had a near miss*, its life, you want to cycle, you run the risk... and if you keep on cycling you will come to realise what i mean - Manchester is full of middle class cocks in mercs, BMWs, 4WDs and minis, ive had a dust up with all of them.
Car drivers are awful drivers to be honest, theyre protected by a sh*tload of metal, so if they hit you, its not going to hurt them... it WILL hurt you.
Keep your wits about you.... that said you are going to get knocked off, regardless, at some point.
*i maintain its my winnie the pooh (as a mascot) keyring which i stiched to my messenger bag which saves me, plus experience PLUS the cycle courier (who rides a speccy rockhopper with a trailer on the back! :D), who makes the sign of the cross as i pass him in town - bless him, looking after fellow bikers... in fact i get quite nervous when i dont see him...
:shock:
and here is a tip if you do feel suitably enraged by some dick cutting you up on the roads... or someone gives you grief.
get your bike chain (not the sh*tty pikey D-locks), but one of these:
(http://www.abus.de/images/prod/zweirad/schloesser/1060_dt.jpg)
and ride with it over your shoulder - (i do this because i am scooting about and locking my bike up all over the place) and have your key on a chain around your wrist.
when/if someone confronts you, unlock the chain from around you chest/shoulder and look menacing, no one will screw with you - i know this because i did it when some dick in his toyota cut me up on my way home in the summer... it works and its far more innocent looking than a small knife or pepper spray :D, if you do get into a scrap and the law gets involved, you can plead self defence - you just picked up what was at hand... its hard to prove you just had a baretta or smoke grenade lying about in your messenger bag....
my mate told me that who is a Detective, god bless him! :lol:
i was going to say that.
if not, your shoe :evil:
One of those emergency hammers from a bus/train :D
Quote from: soopahflyOne of those emergency hammers from a bus/train :D
excellent, as you can prove it was an accessory for the car in case of emergency, but on a bike?!? :D
bike lock, adjustable spanner, and in life or death a can of White Lightning Degreaser - but that is pure evil though.
A mini U-lock, like my favored On-guard, is a nice little weapon. :D
(http://images.rei.com/media/227012.jpg)
Alternately, a rapier may be scabbarded down the left chainstay with zip ties if you wanna go ole-skool.
Quote from: maximusotterA mini U-lock, like my favored On-guard, is a nice little weapon. :D
(Image removed from quote.)
Alternately, a rapier may be scabbarded down the left chainstay with zip ties if you wanna go ole-skool.
no reach though and you cant swing it like an unlocked chain, cant you tell ive thought this through?! :shock:
Tbh, I messengered wearing cxshoes with two huge metal spikes in the toe. Now THAT was fierce. :lol: "Like the paint on your Ford..." [glint of shoe] :D
Back in the beforetime when we ran quills, hmmm, it may have been some platforms, anyway, real metal pedals--a driver started to run me off the road with no place to go, so I leaned into the car with my quill, barely missing the curb, and as the driver accelerated, skEEEEEeek". :lol: Cant really be culpable for that one.
lol not worried about a fight, my bike is crap enough that push come to shove, Ill use that as a weapon :D lol.
Im actually getting used to this "biking" malarky, I take the lane a little too early I think, but thats mainly because I dont want to get to the lights and be stuck next to a bus, when I want to turn right, and he wants to go straight. Still only one honk at me, and that was because I was being a twat and forgot where I was heading. Signalled to turn right, then left, and then rode straight on. :D lol.
rich lol how can you forget to go imo
I was heading to a community centre in part of the city to go meet my mates who were just coming out of a Jive dancing class (JIIIIVVVEEEE), I knew what it looked like, and vaguely where it was, but wasnt completely sure how to get there. :D lol.
So got to the end of the road and went "aaahhh tits".