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So - bikers - laid up your bike for the winter?

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  • Koa said:
    Same here, rode it to the garage to have it mot’d and back .....it’s in trickle charge but getting no use summer or winter. For me it’s a time issue and of course the roads are so busy there’s little pleasure in it . What time I do have Id rather cycle and play guitar. And yet I can’t bring myself to sell my Triumph....
    I tend to ride early morning. Wake up - breakfast in the Lakes and be home by 11am...hardly anyone around. :)
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  • hywelg said:
    Koa said:
    Same here, rode it to the garage to have it mot’d and back .....it’s in trickle charge but getting no use summer or winter. For me it’s a time issue and of course the roads are so busy there’s little pleasure in it . What time I do have Id rather cycle and play guitar. And yet I can’t bring myself to sell my Triumph....
    Jeez, are you me?.. .... 5 miles to MOT it on the day of the royal wedding. Then it's been in the garage since. What little time I do have I've been windsurfing and playing guitar, and building a workshop extension. In my defence I've had skips on the drive for a considerable period and the bike can't get by them. And yes mines a Triumph too. 
    Which Triumph you two got? If Triumph do something interesting with that Moto2 engine and put in a properly pretty frame (with a single sided swing arm) then I might consider selling my MV Agusta...
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  • @littlegreenman I bet you don't hear many of those around here either. Do you ever have cause to use it?
    All the time @Phil_aka_Pip ;. On the cyclepaths/ walkways of my local nature reserve where a lot of peeps walk their dogs, I slow down, give them a ping from a ways back to let them know I'm there. Usual response is they give me the room to get by and we both say Good Morning/ Afternoon and thanks.  Same on the country lanes around here with the horsey types.
    Yes, I ride at close to the speed limit when the roads allow and do wear lycra but always share the roads and trails with courtesy. We're not all assholes you know?
    Finally someone who rings their bell!

    Where I live I tend to get eejit hurtling by on the green lanes / woods and then give *me* grief when they startle my dogs!
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12315
    boogieman said:
    My bike has had virtually no use this year, I’ve had no time to ride it. In fact I’ve decided it’s going after Xmas, I really can’t justify having it when it sits there just doing nothing. 
    But do you enjoy owning it? That is the question...if the answer is yes...it is like the question "do you have too many guitars?"
    I don’t think I do anymore tbh. Although I do like my bike, I don’t love it like I did when I bought it. There’s just too many idiots on the road and I’m regularly holding my breath when someone does something stupid in front of me. It takes a lot of the enjoyment of riding away for me.

    One of my mates had a major off last year too: he busted his arm and completely wrecked his wrist. That’s affected my confidence a fair bit. 
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  • ^^yeah. I can understand that for sure.
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  • hywelghywelg Frets: 4302
    hywelg said:
    Koa said:
    Same here, rode it to the garage to have it mot’d and back .....it’s in trickle charge but getting no use summer or winter. For me it’s a time issue and of course the roads are so busy there’s little pleasure in it . What time I do have Id rather cycle and play guitar. And yet I can’t bring myself to sell my Triumph....
    Jeez, are you me?.. .... 5 miles to MOT it on the day of the royal wedding. Then it's been in the garage since. What little time I do have I've been windsurfing and playing guitar, and building a workshop extension. In my defence I've had skips on the drive for a considerable period and the bike can't get by them. And yes mines a Triumph too. 
    Which Triumph you two got? If Triumph do something interesting with that Moto2 engine and put in a properly pretty frame (with a single sided swing arm) then I might consider selling my MV Agusta...
    T'Bird LT. F*****g monster. Amazing torque. Not comfortable over 80 tho'. Thinking of a trade to a ThruxtonR
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  • littlegreenmanlittlegreenman Frets: 4959
    edited December 2018
    @littlegreenman I bet you don't hear many of those around here either. Do you ever have cause to use it?
    All the time @Phil_aka_Pip ;;;. On the cyclepaths/ walkways of my local nature reserve where a lot of peeps walk their dogs, I slow down, give them a ping from a ways back to let them know I'm there. Usual response is they give me the room to get by and we both say Good Morning/ Afternoon and thanks.  Same on the country lanes around here with the horsey types.
    Yes, I ride at close to the speed limit when the roads allow and do wear lycra but always share the roads and trails with courtesy. We're not all assholes you know?
    Finally someone who rings their bell!

    Where I live I tend to get eejit hurtling by on the green lanes / woods and then give *me* grief when they startle my dogs!
    Don't get me wrong @manicguitarist, I do hurtle about a fair bit. But it's not in areas where your average dog walker would be waltzing around, unless you and the pooches enjoy particularly extreme gradients (up and down - up; v. slowly, down; v. fastly). Has to be said though that some dogs are just daft and no matter how slowly I go they'll seemingly gravitate to me front wheel. Hence why I pay them the attention they deserve, they're out for a play, as am I, and we're in the same playground away from traffic so it's all good as far am I'm concerned. I'm no "Tour de France re-enactor" (© @Sporky ) so why cause unnecessary grief?

    There are "some" dog owners though who allow their dogs off the lead where local bye-laws don't permit it, and then get all uppity about it when it's mentioned. That's one that does boil the pee a tad.
    littlegreenman < My tunes here...
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  • @littlegreenman I bet you don't hear many of those around here either. Do you ever have cause to use it?
    All the time @Phil_aka_Pip ;. On the cyclepaths/ walkways of my local nature reserve where a lot of peeps walk their dogs, I slow down, give them a ping from a ways back to let them know I'm there. Usual response is they give me the room to get by and we both say Good Morning/ Afternoon and thanks.  Same on the country lanes around here with the horsey types.
    Yes, I ride at close to the speed limit when the roads allow and do wear lycra but always share the roads and trails with courtesy. We're not all assholes you know?
    I know you are not. I have little ( ie no ) experience of the environment you mention, but it strikes me you know how to behave in it :)
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • @littlegreenman I bet you don't hear many of those around here either. Do you ever have cause to use it?
    All the time @Phil_aka_Pip ;;;. On the cyclepaths/ walkways of my local nature reserve where a lot of peeps walk their dogs, I slow down, give them a ping from a ways back to let them know I'm there. Usual response is they give me the room to get by and we both say Good Morning/ Afternoon and thanks.  Same on the country lanes around here with the horsey types.
    Yes, I ride at close to the speed limit when the roads allow and do wear lycra but always share the roads and trails with courtesy. We're not all assholes you know?
    Finally someone who rings their bell!

    Where I live I tend to get eejit hurtling by on the green lanes / woods and then give *me* grief when they startle my dogs!
    Don't get me wrong @manicguitarist, I do hurtle about a fair bit. But it's not in areas where your average dog walker would be waltzing around, unless you and the pooches enjoy particularly extreme gradients (up and down - up; v. slowly, down; v. fastly). Has to be said though that some dogs are just daft and no matter how slowly I go they'll seemingly gravitate to me front wheel. Hence why I pay them the attention they deserve, they're out for a play, as am I, and we're in the same playground away from traffic so it's all good as far am I'm concerned. I'm no "Tour de France re-enactor" (© @Sporky ) so why cause unnecessary grief?

    There are "some" dog owners though who allow their dogs off the lead where local bye-laws don't permit it, and then get all uppity about it when it's mentioned. That's one that does boil the pee a tad.
    I rather suspect we’d get on if we met in the woods. Wait...what?! Erm....cos yeah,  one of my dogs is an idiot and I will rush to apologise if he causes unsuspected mayhem. :) 

    The main issue I have with cyclists is riding 2 (or more) abreast on 60mph country lanes with blind bends...esp after deaths of both cyclists and motorcyclists this summer caused by such.
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  • DominicDominic Frets: 16014
    Yeah cyclists who don't stay in single file .......complete wankers
    I haven't been out on my bike for 3 weeks although there have been days when I should have been - last time was a cold snap 3 weeks ago when I got so bloody cold I thought ok that's it til March
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27590
    littlegreenman said:

     Has to be said though that some dogs are just daft and no matter how slowly I go they'll seemingly gravitate to me front wheel. Hence why I pay them the attention they deserve, they're out for a play, as am I, and we're in the same playground away from traffic so it's all good as far am I'm concerned. I'm no "Tour de France re-enactor" (© @Sporky ) so why cause unnecessary grief?
    Sprocket likes to make sure cyclists know she's there. Usually by going full ramming speed at them, peeling off at the last minute, then barking. A lot. 

    Thankfully she looks daft enough that most cyclists just ignore her, which works fine. I think she just doesn't want to get run over. 
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • Sporky said:
    littlegreenman said:

     Has to be said though that some dogs are just daft and no matter how slowly I go they'll seemingly gravitate to me front wheel. Hence why I pay them the attention they deserve, they're out for a play, as am I, and we're in the same playground away from traffic so it's all good as far am I'm concerned. I'm no "Tour de France re-enactor" (© @Sporky ) so why cause unnecessary grief?
    Sprocket likes to make sure cyclists know she's there. Usually by going full ramming speed at them, peeling off at the last minute, then barking. A lot. 

    Thankfully she looks daft enough that most cyclists just ignore her, which works fine. I think she just doesn't want to get run over. 
    GiantWuff once got ran into. I won’t say “ran over” because he was massive. How the rider didn’t see an 8stone half pyranean mountain of a dog that would only ever trundle and not run I dunno. What I do know is that he was mighty pissed off at his bent forks. 
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  • When I was a kid I was taught to allow bigger faster vehicles to overtake. These days they ride as obstructively as possible. I get the reason for it - so that drivers know they are there and can't ignore them - but IMO those zeebs that refuse to let you pass deserve to get knocked off.
    "Working" software has only unobserved bugs. (Parroty Error: Pieces of Nine! Pieces of Nine!)
    Seriously: If you value it, take/fetch it yourself
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  • When I was a kid I was taught to allow bigger faster vehicles to overtake. These days they ride as obstructively as possible. I get the reason for it - so that drivers know they are there and can't ignore them - but IMO those zeebs that refuse to let you pass deserve to get knocked off.
    I've had a few "spirited" discussions with cyclists about the sanity of riding 2 or more abreast - especially on destricted roads with blind bends. There seemed to be a total lack of awareness of "defensive riding" - and were more "we are allowed to ride 2 abreast so if someone hits us that is their fault"...and didn't take onboard that "right of way" is decided in court and isn't much consolation as you wake up in A&E...

    As I said up above somewhere - there was a cyclist and a biker killed this year along with 4 cyclists badly injured when they were riding 3 abreast on a country lane with blind corners and they got plowed into around said blind corner.
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  • When I was a kid I was taught to allow bigger faster vehicles to overtake. These days they ride as obstructively as possible. I get the reason for it - so that drivers know they are there and can't ignore them - but IMO those zeebs that refuse to let you pass deserve to get knocked off.
    It's a moot point. As a driver, I try and give cyclists (and I thought this was a motorcycle thread but it's been hijacked or I just misunderstood) as much room as possible. It's easy to wait until the safe opportunity arises and doesn't really add much to my journey time. In return, I expect cyclists to get into single file and let me by when they can. Both of us should show each other a little respect and be aware of the advice in the Highway Code. 

    Sadly, this little social contract is ignored by many drivers passing cyclists (including me, a non-lycra, casual "for local transport" cyclist) far too closely and being very unaware of road surfaces which means a bicycle needs to be away from the kerb and its unsafe edges. They pass me too fast, too close and seem totally unaware that I might need to move to the right to avoid damaging a wheel in a pothole or even falling off. Equally, too many road cyclists in groups are being a bit bolshie and stay 2 abreast when they could move into single file and let me by safely when I'm driving the car. It's not that they HAVE to, it's that they COULD and don't. 

    In this way, resentment and lack of tolerance continues to grow between both sides. 

    When I'm on my motorcycle, I realise I'm a social pariah to everyone except for HGV drivers and then I'm never disappointed! 
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  • Cycling 2 abreast makes for a shorter group, so that passing takes less time when it is safe to do so.
    It's more conspicuous too, so safer to an extent.

    Arguing about blind bends is laughable. It's a blind bend, by your own definition you shouldn't be driving in a way that means you can't handle the unknown possibilities around the corner.

    Some cyclists are militant about this stuff. When I'm out on a group ride we recognise that our slow speed can be annoying, but that is also our right to be on the road. We try to stay bunched up and where visibility is good we'll single out to let vehicles pass in one move. Where visibility isn't good we'll hold our place until an opportunity does arrive.

    Drivers who get pissed off by cyclists need to calm the fuck down. You might get delayed by a few minutes - big deal. Seriously, where are you going in such a hurry? Communicating from a moving car is difficult, so there's no easy way to find out what the cyclists intend, try having some trust and patience.
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  • Cycling 2 abreast makes for a shorter group, so that passing takes less time when it is safe to do so.
    It's more conspicuous too, so safer to an extent.

    Arguing about blind bends is laughable. It's a blind bend, by your own definition you shouldn't be driving in a way that means you can't handle the unknown possibilities around the corner.

    Some cyclists are militant about this stuff. When I'm out on a group ride we recognise that our slow speed can be annoying, but that is also our right to be on the road. We try to stay bunched up and where visibility is good we'll single out to let vehicles pass in one move. Where visibility isn't good we'll hold our place until an opportunity does arrive.

    Drivers who get pissed off by cyclists need to calm the fuck down. You might get delayed by a few minutes - big deal. Seriously, where are you going in such a hurry? Communicating from a moving car is difficult, so there's no easy way to find out what the cyclists intend, try having some trust and patience.
    Indeed-people *should* drive in a way so they can stop where they can see-however many people don’t hence the need for defensive riding. It is no use eaking up in A&E saying “but I was in the right” if the situation could have been avoided by the cyclists not claiming a right. This is taught as part of motorcycle lessons-we are vulnerable so ride defensively. 
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27590

    Drivers who get pissed off by cyclists need to calm the fuck down. You might get delayed by a few minutes - big deal. Seriously, where are you going in such a hurry? 
    That's the point - you don't know, so some consideration is needed in both directions.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • @Sporky did you lose the more relevant quote there?

    I agree that consideration is needed in both directions. Cyclists riding 2 abreast is a considerate approach - it's faster, shorter and safer. It's also the recommended approach in the highway code. Switching to single file is not an easy manoeuvre and it takes time, so often a group won't do it for a short opportunity simply because it isn't safe for them.

    My point is that people who get frustrated about this need to look at themselves. If you're worried about the cyclists safety, give them the benefit of the doubt that they're doing what they feel is safest. What I saw in this post looked more like anger at being held up, disguised as care for the cyclists.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 27590
    @Sporky did you lose the more relevant quote there?
    Nope. 

    Just pointing out that it's the hobbyists who are causing the inconvenience to others, and your post suggested a lack of empathy. The driver might well be in a legitimate hurry - you cannot tell. 
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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