Doubling Up On Road

[benb]

There seems to be some spelling mistake in the above

To polarise the argument in the hope of creating a divisions that don't really exist.

There we go, I corrected it for you!

You were wrong about the two opinions, there are many more than two.

And as far as I can tell, no-one holds the second one.
I haven't seen a single post, not even by Claud, suggesting that they would deliberately hold up other road users just for the hell of it.

 

[lukesdad]

A car like a bicycle is a tool, a method to get from A to B. They can t think and they don t have personalities. Im afraid if you think they do, or give them stupid names, its time to pay the shrink a visit.

 

[GilesM]

That's because you're extremely prosaic. A quick browse of car ads over the years should give you a clue.

Most of us don't take ads to seriously, I think they're just for the dull who lack imagination, and want interest free credit.

 

[Dan B]

To me you lose all sense when you talk of the fantasy of liberation, it's nothing more than a pretty good way of getting from A to B

Maybe to you. To many drivers it's an extension of their personal space - accidentally knock their wing mirror and they'll react more violently than if you accidentally spill their pint

 

[benb]

Maybe to you. To many drivers it's an extension of their personal space - accidentally knock their wing mirror and they'll react more violently than if you accidentally spill their pint

Sometimes you can do both at once.

 

[lukesdad]

Maybe to you. To many drivers it's an extension of their personal space - accidentally knock their wing mirror and they'll react more violently than if you accidentally spill their pint

Which seems to be less space than some cyclists want

 

[dellzeqq]

To me you lose all sense when you talk of the fantasy of liberation, it's nothing more than a pretty good way of getting from A to B (unless you're now going to tell me that you're impressed by certain cars as a babe magnet), and depending where your A and B are, it can also be a lot of fun, I've never seen the purpose of a motor vehicle frustrated, just a few sad wound up drivers over the years.

I'm sorry, but it seems to me to be self-evident that a culture based on 'freedom of movement' sees going from place to place, unhindered, as liberating. Heckamighty - the number one reason why very many of us cycle is for the sense of freedom. And it's a fantasy, because changing the scenery doesn't (often) make you free, you're racking up bills and damage every time you get in the car, and the exercise of your freedom very often curtails the freedom of the cars behind. These muppets stuck in a traffic jam in Tooting High Street, a traffic jam that is pretty much the same as the one they went through the day before, are clawing their way to an imaginary freedom.

What's so difficult about that?

(I'm biased, but it does seem to me odd that people who are so very intent on moving at a fast pace then confine themselves to a tin box and sit in traffic)

 

[dellzeqq]

6. However, I do think that dawdling cyclists who ride 2-abreast when they could easily tuck in and passing is tricky are not showing a massive amount of consideration for other road users. I also have an issue with lycra missiles on posh wheels who double up to chat between pieces of work if that doubling up inconveniences other road users. These are the points you first baulked at and I am constant in my views.

If it's safe, and not putting people out overmuch, doubling up is sociable, and therefore adds to the fund of human enjoyment.

Driving a car is a choice*. There can be no presumption that everything that is slower than you should get out of the way.

I rather like being thought of as a lycra missile. Thankyou

(*personally I'm very quick to get out of the way of commercial vehicles - not just because they consume so much fuel when dawdling, but because the person behind the wheel has a job to do)

 

[Bicycle]

That's because you're extremely prosaic. A quick browse of car ads over the years should give you a clue.

You really did just write that another member of the forum was extremely prosaic, didn't you? Crikey! You really did!

My favourite car ad: A schoolboy standing by the grille of a Giulietta saloon (1980s?) and grinning from ear to ear.

The tagline? Just one short sentence: "My dad's got an Alfa Romeo". They didn't sell, but I loved the ad. I drive a Vauxhall, which probably means I hate my children. And my wife. Probably the cat too.

Car marketing is just like that used for frozen peas or kitchen paper. I think everyone really knows that the imagery of car ads is largely BS. That's how marketing works. I find it quite beguiling anf sometimes very funny.

If honesty worked in marketing, the ads for high-end bicycle gear would say:

"Want to impress your friends and can't be bothered to lose weight? These extremely expensive pedals, seat posts and bottle cages were built with you in mind. Save up to 100 grammes on the weight of your bike and have another pie!"

Do cycle-part ads look like that?

A quick browse of bike ads over the years should give you a clue.

Really, Claud, there is nothing wrong with quite liking cars and driving. It doesn't suddenly render me a control-freak, tarmac-owning road hog.

 

[lukesdad]

I'm sorry, but it seems to me to be self-evident that a culture based on 'freedom of movement' sees going from place to place, unhindered, as liberating. Heckamighty - the number one reason why very many of us cycle is for the sense of freedom. And it's a fantasy, because changing the scenery doesn't (often) make you free, you're racking up bills and damage every time you get in the car, and the exercise of your freedom very often curtails the freedom of the cars behind. These muppets stuck in a traffic jam in Tooting High Street, a traffic jam that is pretty much the same as the one they went through the day before, are clawing their way to an imaginary freedom.

What's so difficult about that?

(I'm biased, but it does seem to me odd that people who are so very intent on moving at a fast pace then confine themselves to a tin box and sit in traffic)

This is not why I cycle on the road, its why I mtb.

 

[lukesdad]

If it's safe, and not putting people out overmuch, doubling up is sociable, and therefore adds to the fund of human enjoyment.

Driving a car is a choice*. There can be no presumption that everything that is slower than you should get out of the way.

I rather like being thought of as a lycra missile. Thankyou

(*personally I'm very quick to get out of the way of commercial vehicles - not just because they consume so much fuel when dawdling, but because the person behind the wheel has a job to do)

Doubling up sociable and safe ? A slight contradiction would nt you say ? Chatting and controlling a moving vehicle at the same time.

 

[dellzeqq]

This is not why I cycle on the road, its why I mtb.

fair do's. If mud's your thing...........but, yes, if I had the skill and the nerve I'd probably be falling off hills as well.

Suffice to say that there are times when I'm trundling along the her maj's highway thinking myself beyond all cares. Now - I can imagine a person driving a 1960s sportscar down the Autostrada del Sol, hood down, tweed cap affixed to head with double sided tape, the love of his or her life in the passenger seat and a case of the local vintage in the boot, feeling as free as a bird. Sadly most motorists experience more frustration than freedom.

 

[dellzeqq]

Doubling up sociable and safe ? A slight contradiction would nt you say ? Chatting and controlling a moving vehicle at the same time.

it is both sociable and safe. Yes.

And group rides are safe. Why do you think the broker only charges the CTC a fiver for 3rd party insurance when a claim can run to millions?

 

[lukesdad]

You may well feel the highway an appropriate place to discuss the meaning of life, I and others would tend to disagree. Cycling is deemed safe in any form hence the low premium, numbers has nothing to do with it.

I have been in group rides club social CC etc. where so much chatting has been going on calls have been missed turnings missed and someone on here actually so busy chatting went off with another group.

You need your wits about you when cycling hence I actually prefer to ride solo. Maybe this is where some of us differ, I ride for the sake of riding its my thing and allways has been, I dont ride to be sociable all though on occaisions this can be a biproduct which I can also enjoy.

Im afraid most cyclists I encounter on the road lack the skillset to be there even when concentrating 100 % let alone riding along gossiping.

 

[Hip Priest]

Suffice to say that there are times when I'm trundling along the her maj's highway thinking myself beyond all cares. Now - I can imagine a person driving a 1960s sportscar down the Autostrada del Sol, hood down, tweed cap affixed to head with double sided tape, the love of his or her life in the passenger seat and a case of the local vintage in the boot, feeling as free as a bird. Sadly most motorists experience more frustration than freedom.

I've always loved the romance of motoring, and the open road. But like you say, unless you're some sort of international playboy blasting down to the south of France in a Ferrari, such thrills don't exist.

It's why I've fallen out of love with cars and motoring, and now find more interest in cycling.

Riding at speed through empty country lanes at dawn feels gives me the feeling of freedom I'd always failed to attain whilst driving. And it poses minimal risk to others and the environment.