I'm a cyclist.

[Jameshow]

That is so relatable to woodworkers, I think we all have tried at some point to up our game by trying different tools only to discover the problem is yourself.

With bikes they will all get you from A to B with maybe differing levels of effort required but you don't buy a full blown race car for the daily commute.

Thanks you've just burst my aero bike bubble!

 

[paulrbarnard]

Given that most cyclists are doing it for the exercise rather than to win races, cutting weight becomes counterproductive. You just have to cycle further to get the same benefits. But a smooth running, quiet bike with a slick gear change and good brakes is much more enjoyable to ride

I live in a very hilly area. With a heavier bike I was not able to ride up the hills so it was an excuse not to go out. I live in one of the highest villages in the Mendips so I have an up hill finish to every ride.
The reality is that you cycle to the energy level you can produce. A lighter/better bike simply converts that energy better into more forwards motion. For sure you could put pedals on a Harley and cycle 100m and get all the exercise you need or you can do a 30 mile loop taking in some fantastic scenery on quite country roads, stop for a coffee at a cafe half way and still be able to crest all the climbs on the way home.
For sure it is diminishing returns and a cost benifit trade off but I certainly wouldn’t have been capable of or motivated to cycle as much as I have without a decent light bike.

 

[Jacob]

Yes lighter weight, plus comfort, better gears etc just makes for a nicer ride, higher hills, longer distances, more fun and satisfaction.
Also you discover the landscape in a very different way from walking or motoring.
Looking forwards to getting out myself, following recent hip op. Probably be April. Snake Pass here I come

 

[Rodpr]

For sure it is diminishing returns and a cost benifit trade off but I certainly wouldn’t have been capable of or motivated to cycle as much as I have without a decent light bike.

I agree, Paul, it should be about what makes riding more enjoyable. I don't go along with the 'if it isn't hurting it isn't working' school of cyclo-masochism!

Also, I have bad arthritis in one knee which makes walking any distance very uncomfortable and I live in a part of Devon which has some really beautiful scenery, cycle paths and quiet lanes. You can't beat being out on a bike as a way to enjoy all of this.

 

[doctor Bob]

Also you discover the landscape in a very different way from walking or motoring.

I hope when you're stopped, rather than riding, when admiring these views, you mentioned earlier, if your not concentrating 100% on the road as a motorist you should be disqualified (or something similar) I assume these principles should apply to cyclists as well, in case a pedestrian was to step out.
So I can't see how a view changes whether you're stopped on a bike or walking or stopped in a car / motorbike.

P.S. Jacob has me on ignore so the silly sausage may not respond

 

[TRITON]

I think I've went the other way. From a full on mtb i built with weight a consideration, as in high end componentry but not so it impacted on ability of the bike to take the rough stuff, to a bike that weighs nearly 52lbs and has an electric motor on it
Admittedly the ebike has similar and for the important parts, a higher spec but its still heavy. And the run into town,despite being electric I was dog tired when i got home. Maybe not as much as doing the same run on the non ebike, but less of a slog and more of an enjoyable potter. Probably a 20 mile round trip culminating in a long climb homeward.

Not too stealth stealth ad
I've got a shed load of high end kit im needing to sell. (Sawstop festool saw benches dont come cheap)
Lots of Hope tech kit, pro2,pro4, new tech 3,E4 brakes(£400 inc rotors, all in purple) 26" hope wheelsets, Shimano XT, new hope hubs, mavic rims(26") and a host of other parts too numerous to mention. Loads of new ano parts for Hope brakes, dressage etc etc

Example of the type of kit im talking about, and yes im a complete tart

 

[Spectric]

and I live in a part of Devon which has some really beautiful scenery,

You also have Porlock hill within easy distance if you are in North Devon on which to test the stamina!

 

[Terry - Somerset]

Slightly tongue in cheek - when did you last see a jogger or cyclist smiling when jogging or cycling. The wide grins and smiles of relief usually come when they stop.

 

[doctor Bob]

Slightly tongue in cheek - when did you last see a jogger or cyclist smiling when jogging or cycling. The wide grins and smiles of relief usually come when they stop.

I'd agree, makes them less safe as well, exhaustion affects concentration. When I run it's all about times, luckily I can run away from traffic off road.

 

[John Brown]

Given that most cyclists are doing it for the exercise rather than to win races, cutting weight becomes counterproductive. You just have to cycle further to get the same benefits. But a smooth running, quiet bike with a slick gear change and good brakes is much more enjoyable to ride

That's been my professed excuse for sticking with my rusty old Dawes Countryman.
The real reason is that I'm a giant cheapskate.

 

[Jacob]

Slightly tongue in cheek - when did you last see a jogger or cyclist smiling when jogging or cycling. The wide grins and smiles of relief usually come when they stop.

So many people dedicated to persuading themselves that cycling/running is self punishment for maniacs and masochists!
Don't knock it if you haven't tried it - you just don't know what you are missing and we feel sorry for you!
In fact we really enjoy it and yes can be seen smiling - as well as the pleasures of the outdoors there's the bonus of endorphin release. Usually starts to kick in after about 10 minutes of cycling and somebody may comment "It's nicer out today than it looked earlier"!

 

[ian33a]

It looks like we have a house move on the cards - swapping Surrey for mid Devon - a whole load of new hills to explore on my bike - can't wait!

 

[clogs]

Triton,
pls tell, do u have to wear the same coloured underwear as the bling on ur bike....?...lol...
just jokin....
wish my knees could take the strain of bikin again......

have to say I've done the Snake on a Harley FLH and a super bike.....both made me smile in different ways...
lastly after years of non m/cycle riding other than veteran bikes I found the Advanced Riding Course a life saver which every one should take that and make it compulsary for ***** car drivers to have a few hours driving a HGV....

 

[TRITON]

wish my knees could take the strain of bikin again......

Ebike Up to 340% assistance for whatever effort you put in. I've a vascular prob, and long standing Achilles tendon issue, none of which is now noticeable thanks to my electric motor propelled mtb.

 

[rafezetter]

Really? Why? He says he finds it extremely difficult to drive safely where there are pedestrians. Maybe he should either pack it in or just stick to motorways. Have I missed something?

That isn't what I said and you know it - what I said was it's IMPOSSIBLE to drive down a road, busy with pedestrians, some of whom now seem to feel they have been given carte blanch to just "step out" into the road - without coasting along at 5mph with your right foot hovering over the brake pedal, ready to do an emergency stop AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT, thus actually causing an obstruction of sorts and not driving at a speed commensurate with the limit, which iirc is also something the police don't like.

So I either do that or, drive at a reasonable speed for the traffic and the limit, say 28mph as per the limit for Gloucester Road which has about a 3 mile stretch with lots of smaller independant shops on both sides, plus a dozen at least of pubs and general eateries, prolly a couple of dozen takeaways, it's almost always full with parked cars, so delivery vans double park etc etc so it's busy with pedestrians all day, every day until late in the evening, basically it's already a PITA to drive down, and now we'll have phone zombies just stepping out.

If some **** steps out from behind a van or bus without looking because, he, she or whatever identifier they prefer believes they can now "because the new highway code says a road vehicle HAS to give way" and said person also willfully decides to ignore basic physics principles like inertia, then that person WILL get a free ride over my bonnet, no matter how hard I stand on the brakes. It's that simple; there WILL be fatalities, it's inevitable and under the new legislation I will be the one who gets crucified for it, because the law will want to be seen taking "affirmative action", even if I can PROVE that there was absolutely now way in hell I could have stopped in time, or otherwise avoided it without crashing into oncoming traffic.

Yes I'm aware of "hazard recognition", but hazard recognition at least assumes that, and this is the crucial bit, everyone else is also aware and paying attention.

Damned if I do, damned if I don't.

 

[rafezetter]

You said it yourself:
"it's simply not possible to pay heed to EVERY.SINGLE.PEDESTRIAN. who may step out in front of you without driving at 5 miles an hour."
Hmm, maybe time you handed in your keys? Hope that helps.

You know Jacob I'm going to offer a challenge. I offer to pay your expenses to come to Bristol, and drive up and down the full length of Gloucester Road at several different times of the day over 3 days, friday saturday and sunday. I will pay for TWO independant adjudicators to sit in the car and COUNT how many pedestrians we pass, one per side. I will also count and YOU as the driver will also count. At the end of each run you will be asked to tell them how many YOU counted.

For each pedestrian I miss counting off the agreed total from the adjudicators I'll give you £10, for each one you miss you'll give me £10 If you have to brake hard or do an emergency stop even once, you pay me £1000, the test is voided and you leave this forum for good.

Do that and we'll see if you change your tune about not being able to pay heed to EVERY.SINGLE. PEDESTRIAN.

I'll bet you're way off by quite a margin every single time, far more than me because you're too busy driving, and I walk away with a very tidy sum of money. I'll even give 50% to charity.

Oh and if you lose, you pay all costs.

Fancy taking that bet? Fancy putting your money where your mouth is? I've got £6k in the bank right now and you've got a house you can leverage, so we can both afford it, and I'm feeling belligerantly optimistic of my chances.

 

[Sporky McGuffin]

If some pineapple steps out from behind a van or bus without looking because, he, she or whatever identifier they prefer believes they can now "because the new highway code says a road vehicle HAS to give way" and said person also willfully decides to ignore basic physics principles like inertia, then that person WILL get a free ride over my bonnet, no matter how hard I stand on the brakes. It's that simple; there WILL be fatalities, it's inevitable and under the new legislation I will be the one who gets crucified for it, because the law will want to be seen taking "affirmative action", even if I can PROVE that there was absolutely now way in hell I could have stopped in time, or otherwise avoided it without crashing into oncoming traffic.

Leaving the gender politics dog-whistle to one side, what you've posted simply isn't true. If someone steps out into the road without due care and attention, and there was no reasonable way you could have avoided hitting them, then you cannot be found guilty. However, if you are driving in an area where you reasonably believe that pedestrians will leap into the path of your car without giving any prior indication then you should be reducing your speed, and as an advanced driver you must be well aware of that.

If you genuinely feel that you can't drive along the road you've mentioned safely and without undue risk to the pedestrians in the area then you have a duty of care to avoid that road - as an advanced driver you should know not to take risks you cannot manage. Out of interest do you have the accident stats for that road?

Your proposed bet with Jacob is ridiculous and counter to all good defensive driving strategies - you are demanding that he drive unsafely by counting pedestrians rather than carrying out correct observation and control.

 

[Spectric]

I think that we will become like many other countries, ie India where they just use there hooters continously so as you approach a corner just start hitting the horn to give advance warning, infact hoot at anybody who you think might be thinking of crossing the road.

Two problems here, one are blind people with a guide dog, the dog will sit until the car has passed which is checkmate if the car has stopped for the pedestrian and what about phone zombies, they already run the gauntlet but now they will just assume right of way and become an even bigger hazzard.

 

[Jacob]

You know Jacob I'm going to offer a challenge. I offer to pay your expenses to come to Bristol, and drive up and down the full length of Gloucester Road at several different times of the day over 3 days, friday saturday and sunday. I will pay for TWO independant adjudicators to sit in the car and COUNT how many pedestrians we pass, one per side. I will also count and YOU as the driver will also count. At the end of each run you will be asked to tell them how many YOU counted.

For each pedestrian I miss counting off the agreed total from the adjudicators I'll give you £10, for each one you miss you'll give me £10 If you have to brake hard or do an emergency stop even once, you pay me £1000, the test is voided and you leave this forum for good.

Do that and we'll see if you change your tune about not being able to pay heed to EVERY.SINGLE. PEDESTRIAN.

I'll bet you're way off by quite a margin every single time, far more than me because you're too busy driving, and I walk away with a very tidy sum of money. I'll even give 50% to charity.

Oh and if you lose, you pay all costs.

Fancy taking that bet? Fancy putting your money where your mouth is? I've got £6k in the bank right now and you've got a house you can leverage, so we can both afford it, and I'm feeling belligerantly optimistic of my chances.

Is that what you do when you are driving?
There's nothing in the highway code about counting pedestrians you know, and you wouldn't get tested on it at any point!
Maybe you need a few top up lessons - raise these issues with an instructor? He'd probably point out for starters that pedestrians DO NOT have carte blanche to dash out recklessly in front of cars, they never did and they never will. Where on earth did you get that silly idea from?

 

[John Brown]

I'm never getting in my car again. In fact I'm never leaving the house. I'm going to sit in a big lead-lined box in a locked room with the lights off and the curtains closed. Let's see how that plays out with those suicidal pedestrians.