# Can you take your bike with you into shops?



## Anonymous1502 (14 Aug 2020)

Are you allowed to take your bike with you inside shops with you such as Tesco, Starbucks, small caffees, shopping centres? Or do you have to leave it outside? I just don't like leaving my bike outside because Im scared of thieves stealing it, even though I do have a good lock.


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## PeteXXX (14 Aug 2020)

Some you can, some you can't. I usually ask at the door if it's OK.


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## RoMeR (14 Aug 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> Are you allowed to take your bike with you inside shops with you such as Tesco, Starbucks, small caffees, shopping centres? Or do you have to leave it outside? I just don't like leaving my bike outside because Im scared of thieves stealing it, even though I do have a good lock.


None of the places you mention will allow bikes inside, Tesco & shopping centres usually have a bike stand nearby. Make sure you have at least a Silver rated D lock and keep your fingers crossed, works for me, so far.


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## ianrauk (14 Aug 2020)

Just ask.


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## winjim (14 Aug 2020)

I once got told not to bring my bike into a bike shop.


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## vickster (14 Aug 2020)

Right now, I expect there’ll be less willingness to allow due to social distancing, one way etc. It was always variable
Assume you won’t be able to and Just carry a lock and lock somewhere obvious. I’ve never had any concerns about a D locked bike outside a shop for 15 minutes (indeed I often leave expensive bikes for an hour or more). Make sure it’s insured and your lock complies with the Ts & Cs


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## cougie uk (14 Aug 2020)

I take my folded Brompton into all the shops I go to.


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## Drago (14 Aug 2020)

Probelem is, ifnyou take it into a shop you have nothing to lock it to and staff can't guarantee theyll be able to babysit it for you. 2 decent locks of 2 different types, and secure it to something solid for as short a time as possible.


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## Cycleops (14 Aug 2020)

cougie uk said:


> I take my folded Brompton into all the shops I go to.


Doesn’t have to be a Brompton, any folder will do . You can also take them on the tram or bus.


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## All uphill (14 Aug 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> Are you allowed to take your bike with you inside shops with you such as Tesco, Starbucks, small caffees, shopping centres? Or do you have to leave it outside? I just don't like leaving my bike outside because Im scared of thieves stealing it, even though I do have a good lock.


As above, only if it's a Brompton.

What bike do you have @Anonymous1502 ?


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## vickster (14 Aug 2020)

I’ve wheeled my bike into and around plenty of shops although I’d rather lock up. Most recently a milk purchase in Sainsburys local, grabbed milk, wheeled to self check out, paid, left.
There was another cyclist in there, astride the top bar, scooting the bike around, wtf. An adult male with a road bike, not a BMX yoof, what a muppet 

Also a corner shop to drop off / collect a parcel.

I’ve been refused entry in the past at a Little Waitrose, a Tesco petrol station and got told off at a Shell Little Waitrose. 
I’ll only take bike in if for a matter of minutes, not a full shop!! So no need to lock up bike in shop


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## Brandane (14 Aug 2020)

It all depends....
Don't leave a bike anywhere in Edinburgh without a good lock and several armed guards.
Leave it forever and a day on the Isle of Muck and you should be ok..


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## winjim (14 Aug 2020)

Dogtrousers said:


> I once took my Brompton into a branch of Evans Cycles to be sniffily told "there's a bike rack outside".
> Admittedly I hadn't folded it up first.


To be fair, the shop in question was having some refurbishment done so their workshop was closed. I only wanted to buy a tube and borrow a pump, so I fixed a flat outside the front of the shop.


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## Dwn (14 Aug 2020)

Brompton yes (half folded) but I've only taken my full sized bike into bike shops. I've never seen anyone in a supermarket with bike, and wouldn't do it myself.


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## Profpointy (14 Aug 2020)

It's a bit of a ridiculous thing to try and do, unless there is some very specific reason


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## raleighnut (14 Aug 2020)

I've posted before about my Sainsbury 'escapade' buying a bottle of Whisky first thing in a morning after a 12hr nightshift but here goes. It involved a 'security guard' chasing me to the far end of the shop where they keep the booze calling out 'hey' behind me but I had headphones on (no music but I still had em on my head) I got to the aisle with the spirits in, grabbed a bottle and carried on to the end of the aisle (with him in tepid pursuit) and then returned down the long walk to the checkout nearest the entrance that was 'manned' (well womaned actually) She'd scanned the bottle and I'd given her a £20 by the time he got there he said "You can't bring bikes in here" so I removed the headphones and replied "what" so he repeated himself by this time I'd got my change so I just said OK and left. I'll bet that was the most exercise he'd had in months, it was a big Sainsbury.

EDIT BTW it was 7:15 AM and there was virtually nobody else in the shop, I wouldn't do it on a Saturday afternoon when it was rammed full.


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## vickster (14 Aug 2020)

raleighnut said:


> I've posted before about my Sainsbury 'escapade' buying a bottle of Whisky first thing in a morning after a 12hr nightshift but here goes. It involved a 'security guard' chasing me to the far end of the shop where they keep the booze calling out 'hey' behind me but I had headphones on (no music but I still had em on my head) I got to the aisle with the spirits in, grabbed a bottle and carried on to the end of the aisle (with him in tepid pursuit) and then returned down the long walk to the checkout nearest the entrance that was 'manned' (well womaned actually) She'd scanned the bottle and I'd given her a £20 by the time he got there he said "You can't bring bikes in here" so I removed the headphones and replied "what" so he repeated himself by this time I'd got my change so I just said OK and left. I'll bet that was the most exercise he'd had in months, it was a big Sainsbury.
> 
> EDIT BTW it was 7:15 AM and there was virtually nobody else in the shop, I wouldn't do it on a Saturday afternoon when it was rammed full.


Didn’t think you could buy booze that early?


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## vickster (14 Aug 2020)

Profpointy said:


> It's a bit of a ridiculous thing to try and do, unless there is some very specific reason


My reason is usually I need milk and don’t have a lock!

I’ve taken my bike into many a cafe but wouldn’t do now with Covid. Just because if the extra stress it may cause to staff (even though with SD, there’s more space often)


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## si_c (14 Aug 2020)

A couple of times on the way home from work I've stopped at a super market and asked the security guard if I could leave the bike inside as I didn't have a lock - I was usually only getting a couple of small things and they were fine with it.

Wouldn't wander around the shop generally though tbh, not without asking anyway.


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## slowmotion (14 Aug 2020)

Just ask nicely. It's their shop. They can make up the rules as they wish.


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## Low Gear Guy (14 Aug 2020)

It would not be a physical possibility in our corner shop. The shelf spacing is cosy.


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## vickster (14 Aug 2020)

Low Gear Guy said:


> It would not be a physical possibility in our corner shop. The shelf spacing is cosy.


Corner shops seem to mostly have the counter by the door round here so parcel drop off / chocolate purchase is feasible. 
They do have awkward heavy doors often though so can be hard to avoid chopping the bike in half or losing an arm


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## raleighnut (14 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> Didn’t think you could buy booze that early?


They changed the law years ago same time as when they changed the 11 O'clock closing for pubs, brought it into line with the rest of the EU


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## vickster (14 Aug 2020)

raleighnut said:


> They changed the law years ago same time as when they changed the 11 O'clock closing for pubs, brought it into line with the rest of the EU


Fair enough, I don't buy much booze and certainly not at that time!


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## raleighnut (14 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> Fair enough, I don't buy much booze and certainly not at that time!


Like I said I'd just finished a 12hr nightshift (last one of the week) and I passed the Sainsbury on the way home but saying that I worked nights for years and the best way for me to deal with it was flip the clock half a day, I had my evenings when I got home. went to bed around 11 to mid day then got up around 6 and went to work, so much better than getting home and going straight to bed then waking around 1 and having to sit around for 5hrs with nowt on the telly (I'm not into 'Kilroy Silk' and his cronies or watching 'Last Of The Summer Wine' re-runs) so I'd get home, make a coffee, pour out a glass. put some music on loud, roll a big one and chill for 3-4 hours before bed.


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## gavroche (14 Aug 2020)

I never go shopping with my bike, I either walk there or take the car. Apparently you can't take your car in the shop but that doesn't bother me.


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## Milkfloat (14 Aug 2020)

gavroche said:


> Apparently you can't take your car in the shop but that doesn't bother me.



Oh yes you can


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## mjr (14 Aug 2020)

gavroche said:


> I never go shopping with my bike, I either walk there or take the car. Apparently you can't take your car in the shop but that doesn't bother me.


Tesco and others have opened "drive-through" supermarkets since 2010. They can't manage bike racks that you can't park an adult bike in securely, but they can manage that. 

Special shout out for Lakeland as the only store ever to tell me I couldn't take a folded bike into, not even bagged and in a trolley. Morons.


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## gavroche (14 Aug 2020)

mjr said:


> *Tesco and others have opened "drive-through" supermarkets since 2010*. They can't manage bike racks that you can't park an adult bike in securely, but they can manage that.
> 
> Special shout out for Lakeland as the only store ever to tell me I couldn't take a folded bike into, not even bagged and in a trolley. Morons.


Not in North Wales they haven't and even if they had, I wouldn't be that lazy.


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## alicat (14 Aug 2020)

I put my Brompton in a shopping trolley if I go to a supermarket in high-risk areas. The only place they objected was a small Tesco. The security guard offered to look after it. I was nervous until I got back to it - what if he had had to chase a shoplifter?


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## mjr (14 Aug 2020)

gavroche said:


> Not in North Wales they haven't and even if they had, I wouldn't be that lazy.


Did the one in Llandudno close, then?


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Aug 2020)

How old are you and how many times have you seen people wandering round shops with a bike?


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (14 Aug 2020)

My local big tesco let us take bikes in, told to tuck them out of the way by security but still in full view of staff.

Also taken bikes through a garden centre en route to the cafe.

Don't be a d1ck about it and it's not a problem


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## MontyVeda (14 Aug 2020)

The local Tesco Express lets me park my bike by the till whilst i nip to get milk, bread or beer. One of their security guards recently said I couldn't, but i told him that the other security guards all let me bring my bike in and he conceded. I do shop there almost daily, which probably helps.


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## glasgowcyclist (14 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> Didn’t think you could buy booze that early?



Must be different in England, in Scotland we can’t buy alcohol in shops except between the hours of 10:00 and 22:00hrs.


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## vickster (14 Aug 2020)

glasgowcyclist said:


> Must be different in England, in Scotland we can’t buy alcohol in shops except between the hours of 10:00 and 22:00hrs.


That’s what I thought it was here too


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> That’s what I thought it was here too



24 hours in England apart from when Sunday trading laws apply.


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## gavroche (14 Aug 2020)

mjr said:


> Did the one in Llandudno close, then?


I don't think there was ever one in Llandudno.


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## Littgull (14 Aug 2020)

Profpointy said:


> It's a bit of a ridiculous thing to try and do, unless there is some very specific reason


Why is it? On that basis, do you also think it's ridiculous for parents with children in pushchairs or wheelchair users to be inside the shops? Or come to that, the actual supermarket trolley! All could be viewed as possible obstructions and safety hazards. What's the difference? It's really down to the users behaving responsibly. If they do that's fine. If they don't then fair enough for them being asked to leave the shop.


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## Drago (14 Aug 2020)

MontyVeda said:


> The local Tesco Express lets me park my bike by the till whilst i nip to get milk, bread or beer.


Interesting bread pudding recipe!


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## mjr (14 Aug 2020)

gavroche said:


> I don't think there was ever one in Llandudno.


They must have put up a cardboard cutout to fool Street view then!


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## classic33 (14 Aug 2020)

mjr said:


> They must have put up a cardboard cutout to fool Street view then!


Tesco don't list it as a drive thru.

If you believe what Tesco say...


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Aug 2020)

Twas bryllyg, and ye slythy toves
Did gyre and gymble in ye wabe:
All mimsy were ye borogoves;
And ye mome raths outgrabe.


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## gavgav (15 Aug 2020)

Anonymous1502 said:


> Are you allowed to take your bike with you inside shops with you such as Tesco, Starbucks, small caffees, shopping centres? Or do you have to leave it outside? I just don't like leaving my bike outside because Im scared of thieves stealing it, even though I do have a good lock.


I can’t imagine they’d be too keen on it, with the current situation.....but I guess it might keep people 2 metres away from you! Best bet is to ask the shop concerned, as I can’t imagine they will all answer in the same way.


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## gavroche (15 Aug 2020)

mjr said:


> They must have put up a cardboard cutout to fool Street view then!


I asked around and nobody has ever heard of it. Do you dream a lot?


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## MontyVeda (15 Aug 2020)

it's got bugger all to do with this thread, but the concept of 'Tesco drive through' is a bit of a misnomer... order online and collect from the car park. It's not quite 'drive through', more, park-up.


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## oldwheels (15 Aug 2020)

Brandane said:


> It all depends....
> Don't leave a bike anywhere in Edinburgh without a good lock and several armed guards.
> Leave it forever and a day on the Isle of Muck and you should be ok..


Not necesarily. Some yachties are not above helping themselves. A rather nice old offertory plate was stolen from Canna Church a few years ago and rubber dinghies were fair game.


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## oldwheels (15 Aug 2020)

glasgowcyclist said:


> Must be different in England, in Scotland we can’t buy alcohol in shops except between the hours of 10:00 and 22:00hrs.


To avoid the plague ridden mobs I shop between 0700 and 0800. Very frustrating sometimes I cannot buy booze.


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## Richard A Thackeray (17 Aug 2020)

I could take it into the local Co-Op (when it was open - now a 'B&M'), & the Lidl
Local ASDA wouldn't let me though

Likewise, my local (now closed...) bank branch would, I take it into the 2 nearest (Wakefield, or Pontefract) with no complaints/requests to leave it outside


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## SkipdiverJohn (17 Aug 2020)

Profpointy said:


> It's a bit of a ridiculous thing to try and do, unless there is some very specific reason



It's a manifestation of the entitled cyclist syndrome, and it doesn't do anything to enhance the perception of cyclists amongst the general population. There could be a car park full of £70k Mercs and Range Rovers, whose owners accept that they have to stay outside, but you'll still get the one occasional muppet on an expensive road bike, who doesn't want to carry the weight of a lock with them, and who think they are a special case. Carry a lock, plan your shopping better, or just ride a cheap hack bike to the shops. 



oldwheels said:


> To avoid the plague ridden mobs I shop between 0700 and 0800. Very frustrating sometimes I cannot buy booze.



Maybe that's because us Englanders didn't vote for Kim Jong Sturgeon to run our government.... We get our booze cheaper than the Scots too, for the same reason.


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## vickster (17 Aug 2020)

Well you can hardly take a 3 tonne Range Rover up the aisles in Tesco


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## oldwheels (17 Aug 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> It's a manifestation of the entitled cyclist syndrome, and it doesn't do anything to enhance the perception of cyclists amongst the general population. There could be a car park full of £70k Mercs and Range Rovers, whose owners accept that they have to stay outside, but you'll still get the one occasional muppet on an expensive road bike, who doesn't want to carry the weight of a lock with them, and who think they are a special case. Carry a lock, plan your shopping better, or just ride a cheap hack bike to the shops.
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe that's because us Englanders didn't vote for Kim Jong Sturgeon to run our government.... We get our booze cheaper than the Scots too, for the same reason.


At least she is competent at what she is doing even if you disagree with her politics. Unlike the clowns you have in charge who could not run a tap even if they knew what a tap was for.


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## raleighnut (17 Aug 2020)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> entitled cyclist syndrome


I've been taking my bikes into shops since 1974, were there no thieves where you live then.


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## straas (17 Aug 2020)

gavroche said:


> I don't think there was ever one in Llandudno.



There's a click&collect at the junction, bangor too.


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## figbat (17 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> Well you can hardly take a 3 tonne Range Rover up the aisles in Tesco


Quite. And nor can you pick one up and throw it in the back of a van, or even just wheel one away following 5 seconds' application of a bolt cropper.

Bicycles are a heady mix of expensive, desirable, saleable and portable, rather like mobile phones, hence making them targets for theft. At least a phone is usually small enough to conceal and includes built-in anti-theft measures. If your bike gets nicked you can't just call your LBS and have them remotely disable it.


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## straas (17 Aug 2020)

vickster said:


> Well you can hardly take a 3 tonne Range Rover up the aisles in Tesco



We went to a DIY place in chicago where you could drive down the 'aisles'


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## rogerzilla (17 Aug 2020)

I imagine trying to take a bike, even a Brompton, into most shops would bring out the inner Stasi in any security officer.


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## rivers (17 Aug 2020)

There is a Sainsbury's local close-ish to me that allows me to take my bike in. Tesco tend to complain. And the premiere close to my house lets me take my bike in.



straas said:


> We went to a DIY place in chicago where you could drive down the 'aisles'


I spent a few summers working in Ohio during my twenties. They have drive-thru liquor stores. Drive in, give your order, pay and get given your goods. It was brilliant


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## straas (17 Aug 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> I imagine trying to take a bike, even a Brompton, into most shops would bring out the inner Stasi in any security officer.




Never had any issues with the brompty.

I think the issue with full size bikes is that they're cumbersome and unstable. If you lean them somewhere they generally block something (display, fire door etc) 

Trolleys and buggies etc don't tend to fall over when unmanned.


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## figbat (17 Aug 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> I imagine trying to take a bike, even a Brompton, into most shops would bring out the inner Stasi in any security officer.


I tend to agree but then I wonder why? As pointed out up-thread, nobody bats an eyelid at a pram, buggy or shopping trolley which arguably take up the same footprint and are often piloted with little care. What harm is actually being done by a bicycle in a shop, other than being a bit unusual? Perhaps with pro-cycling measures underway there will come a time that there will be too many bicycles at a shop to allow it, but then presumably the measures that put more people on bikes will include appropriate security at your destination that make the perceived need to keep your bike with you redundant.


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## Dwn (17 Aug 2020)

oldwheels said:


> At least she is competent at what she is doing even if you disagree with her politics. Unlike the clowns you have in charge who could not run a tap even if they knew what a tap was for.


I disagree with her politics, but would argue that she's an excellent politician but runs a mediocre government.


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## Tom B (17 Aug 2020)

I've been thrown out of a few shops for having my bike with me. Notably from an absolutely minging newsagents over the road from my house. He complained it was dirty (just cleaned) I agreed with him that it was dirty now it has been on his carpet. 

Got kicked out of lidl not for the bike, but for the bike light. 

But generally I ask and wouldn't do a big shop with it, but if picking up a parcel or getting a bottle of drink I go in with it. My view is it is not different to a pram. 

When I ran a shop I always allowed it or would mind it in the doorway.


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## oldwheels (17 Aug 2020)

Dwn said:


> I disagree with her politics, but would argue that she's an excellent politician but runs a mediocre government.


I do not agree on mediocre. If you listen to the broadcast anti Scottish TV channel then you may have that impression but in practice we are far better off in many respects than England despite being fiddled out of a lot our taxes. This is well off topic so I am not going to pursue any further.


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## Dwn (17 Aug 2020)

As you say, off topic, but to be clear - I don't form my opinions from STV or BBC Scotland, and haven't watched terrestrial TV in years. I'm simply going by my reading of various metrics. Happy to move back on topic.


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## SkipdiverJohn (18 Aug 2020)

figbat said:


> What harm is actually being done by a bicycle in a shop, other than being a bit unusual?



They're a damn nuisance to other customers & shop staff trying to move around for a start and they are also a potential safety hazard - bike falling over whilst owner reaches for something off shelf, pedals sticking out and cracking someone's shins etc. There's no sound reason whatsoever why a cyclist needs to be able to take a bike inside a shop. Many shops have some sort of rack outside, and even if there isn't one there is always a nearby lamp post or road sign a bike can be chained to. It comes down to the "I'm a cyclist, I'm a special case" sense of entitlement. You're not a special case, you're just another customer, and you should leave your bike outside, along with the entitled attitude, and not inconvenience other people inside the shop.


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## Drago (18 Aug 2020)

figbat said:


> I tend to agree but then I wonder why? As pointed out up-thread, nobody bats an eyelid at a pram, buggy or shopping trolley which arguably take up the same footprint and are often piloted with little care. What harm is actually being done by a bicycle in a shop, other than being a bit unusual? Perhaps with pro-cycling measures underway there will come a time that there will be too many bicycles at a shop to allow it, but then presumably the measures that put more people on bikes will include appropriate security at your destination that make the perceived need to keep your bike with you redundant.


Prams and wheelchairs aren't unstable. They do not fall over. They do not have dangerous cogs, sprockets, frayed cable ends, etc, that can cause injury.

Add to that most cyclists do not know how to safely and correctly push a bicycle, simply because they've never been trained to do so and have never bothered to research it for themselves - it is not possible to safely push a cycle _and _have a hand free to lift items from the shelf, put them in a basket, etc. Indeed, the safe method of pushing a bicycle involves having the geartrain facing away from the rider for safety reasons - that exposes the geartrain insteadmto other shoppers in close proximity, which is nasty is something adverse happens.

The only viable alternative presented so far in this thread is a folded Brompton - other folding bicycles are available - either on a leash being pulled, carried in it's own bag, or in a trolley. Bikes are for roads, cyclepaths, bike sheds...not for shops.


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