24 hours in London - now I know why cyclists are so hated!

[srw]

Why are central London riders on their own bikes so ruddy po-faced* these days?

Because they're serious cyclists. And pissed off that the traffic lights mean that they can't get a real jump on the rest of us. A few days ago I overtook a fixie MAMIL away from the lights at Bank. And at St Pauls. And at Holborn Circus. He finally got away from me at Chancery Lane. Boy, was he serious.

(The summer seems to have brought out the MAMIL brigade - who are mostly male, but can be of any age. In the poorer weather there were many fewer of them, and much more than a sprinkling of Joe and Jane Bloggses, wearing ordinary clothes and pootling - usually not much slower than the MAMILs.)

 

[BentMikey]

There are quite obviously good riders (me for one ) but are large minority are twats, same with drivers (except black cab drivers who are all w@nkers) and pedestrians

*Cough* Bullsh1t. This post says most about your own attitudes. I find the vast majority of road users to be generally lovely. A few are a little too impatient, and a small minority behave badly.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

*Cough* Bullsh1t. This post says most about your own attitudes. I find the vast majority of road users to be generally lovely. A few are a little too impatient, and a small minority behave badly.

Yebbut were that true then it would be something like a hideous pustule on the face of a well loved and attractive friend. The only thing you see is the spot. The tiny minority behave in such an egregiously endangering manner, and the consequence of their behaviour as potentially so catastrophic, that all most of us care about, and notice, are the wrong 'uns who stick out like sore thumbs.

My experience (albeit largely gained outside large urban centres) is that the majority of drivers are, frankly, just a little bit rubbish at driving, particularly rubbish at driving near cyclists, a little bit impatient when driving, and highly impatient when 'delayed' by cyclists. They drive in a manner which is mainly unconsidered and are triggered into ill-considered decisions by any deviation from the norm, or their expectation of what the norm should be. And the vast majority are happy to take risks with my safety for their convenience. The lovelies are present in the general road user population in about equal proportion to the outright ejits but the bell curve in the middle are plain mediocre and inconsiderate.

(IAM on two- and four- wheels, and I still make mistakes that endanger myself and others when driving)

 

[Dan B]

*Cough* Bullsh1t. This post says most about your own attitudes. I find the vast majority of road users to be generally lovely. A few are a little too impatient, and a small minority behave badly.

The difficulty is that when using the road without a protective safety cage you pretty much have to assume that everyone else out there is part of that small minority until they demonstrate otherwise, because the risk of a false negative is so much greater than a false positive. And this itself tends to engenders defensive (maybe 'hostile' is a better word) riding so the vicious cycle repeats

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Because they're serious cyclists. And ****ed off that the traffic lights mean that they can't get a real jump on the rest of us. A few days ago I overtook a fixie MAMIL away from the lights at Bank. And at St Pauls. And at Holborn Circus. He finally got away from me at Chancery Lane. Boy, was he serious.

(The summer seems to have brought out the MAMIL brigade - who are mostly male, but can be of any age. In the poorer weather there were many fewer of them, and much more than a sprinkling of Joe and Jane Bloggses, wearing ordinary clothes and pootling - usually not much slower than the MAMILs.)

Aha. I see. I was mistaking their seriousness for them being po-faced. It all makes sense now. It's all intense and purposeful, and big gears and straining sinews and off to do important things. Now it makes sense. They are on a mission whilst I am merely on a bummel.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

The difficulty is that when using the road without a protective safety cage you pretty much have to assume that everyone else out there is part of that small minority until they demonstrate otherwise, because the risk of a false negative is so much greater than a false positive. And this itself tends to engenders defensive (maybe 'hostile' is a better word) riding so the vicious cycle repeats

I prefer assertive. The trouble is that most folk can't deal with assertiveness. Especially not when they have a sense of entitlement.

 

[Dan B]

I also would prefer assertive. But it's very difficult to convey 'I have priority along here but am slowing to let you out because I want us both to be happy' in a way that isn't misinterpreted by the badly behaving minority as 'I cower before the might and authority of your Road Tax disc and tinted windows, please take your rightful place ahead of lowly me in the traffic', which makes it too easy to fall into a 'give no quarter' mindset.

I was out on Saturday with child in the trailer (the first time I've ridden with it) and despite pulling over at pretty much every available opportunity to let following cars past I got an attempted close pass from a cabbie who couldn't be arsed to wait the fifty feet distance until the line of parked cars on the left hand side ended. Next time I use that contraption I think I shall be swapping the fluttery pennant thing for a garden rake at a rakish angle.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I also would prefer assertive. But it's very difficult to convey 'I have priority along here but am slowing to let you out because I want us both to be happy' in a way that isn't misinterpreted by the badly behaving minority as 'I cower before the might and authority of your Road Tax disc and tinted windows, please take your rightful place ahead of lowly me in the traffic', which makes it too easy to fall into a 'give no quarter' mindset.

I was out on Saturday with child in the trailer (the first time I've ridden with it) and despite pulling over at pretty much every available opportunity to let following cars past I got an attempted close pass from a cabbie who couldn't be arsed to wait the fifty feet distance until the line of parked cars on the left hand side ended. Next time I use that contraption I think I shall be swapping the fluttery pennant thing for a garden rake at a rakish angle.

I want an automatic repeater CO2 powered paintball gun, with a remote trigger unit, mounted on my rear rack... a sort of Schräge Musik for cyclists.

 

[gaz]

There are quite obviously good riders (me for one ) but are large minority are twats, same with drivers (except black cab drivers who are all w@nkers) and pedestrians

Large minority?

 

[gaz]

[QUOTE 2560138, member: 1314"]and @ttcycle who rides with an expression of zen pacificity; @ianrauk who rides with a haughty aloofness; @Mice who rides with bags of mustard a Chelsea chicness; @Sittingduck who does actually now actually ride like Froome; and @gaz who rides like a TV Licence Van.[/quote]
lol wtf?

 

[Sittingduck]

 

[ttcycle]

User you sod...

 

[ianrauk]

 

[martint235]

[QUOTE 2560138, member: 1314"]and @ttcycle who rides with an expression of zen pacificity; @ianrauk who rides with a haughty aloofness; @Mice who rides with bags of mustard a Chelsea chicness; @Sittingduck who does actually now actually ride like Froome; and @gaz who rides like a TV Licence Van.[/quote]
I'm feeling extremely hurt.

 

[BentMikey]

I'm feeling extremely hurt.

Even me!!

I'm more chilled out and laid back than a deckchair, mostly.