The Cycling Chat Thread
- Thread starter ChrisFilter
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iamwithnail
Well-Known Member
No tool, but if you go up Portland street from the middle of the park it's quieter and has some cycle lanes on it, and integrates with the cycle lane / crossing for OKR at Rodney Road into Falmouth and across.
On that route that it's given you, if you dip across to Glengall Rd, it'll take you round coopers Rd, and on a cycle route along Willow Walk which is better.
ETA: I realise now that you might know this and wanted something to do it on the fly
On that route that it's given you, if you dip across to Glengall Rd, it'll take you round coopers Rd, and on a cycle route along Willow Walk which is better.
ETA: I realise now that you might know this and wanted something to do it on the fly
BigTom
Well-Known Member
Edie seeing you are in Leeds (I thought you were but couldn't remember before), you might be interested in the following:
leedsbikemill.org
Leeds Bike Mill offer a free basic cycle maintenance course where they will show you how to change a puncture and clean your chain which you might prefer to learning from youtube videos.
These are funded by Cycle North: Adult training | United Kingdom | Cycle North
They also offer on road adult cycle training, you might want to do the advanced course if you're not sure about how best to use certain types of roads or situations (like I remember you said earlier you weren't sure about filtering past traffic, the advanced course will cover that).
Training Courses
Basic and Improver (Intermediate) courses We are currently delivering bike maintenance courses in partnership with Cycle North, with funding from CityConnect. These are all free of charge and open …
leedsbikemill.org
Leeds Bike Mill offer a free basic cycle maintenance course where they will show you how to change a puncture and clean your chain which you might prefer to learning from youtube videos.
These are funded by Cycle North: Adult training | United Kingdom | Cycle North
They also offer on road adult cycle training, you might want to do the advanced course if you're not sure about how best to use certain types of roads or situations (like I remember you said earlier you weren't sure about filtering past traffic, the advanced course will cover that).
Cid
Proper break this time
It's hopefully obvious, but always worth repeating and just occurred to me:
- Never, ever pass on the left hand side of a large vehicle.
- Always be aware of the blind spots of large vehicles. This includes even smaller vans, e.g on a narrow road they might back up to allow oncoming traffic to pass (whether they should or not is very little consolation). Ideally you shouldn't be anywhere near an HGV, but if you are, make yourself visible, give a wave etc.
Winot
I wholeheartedley agree with your viewpoint
That’s useful thanks - I don’t know that area well.No tool, but if you go up Portland street from the middle of the park it's quieter and has some cycle lanes on it, and integrates with the cycle lane / crossing for OKR at Rodney Road into Falmouth and across.
On that route that it's given you, if you dip across to Glengall Rd, it'll take you round coopers Rd, and on a cycle route along Willow Walk which is better.
ETA: I realise now that you might know this and wanted something to do it on the fly
The general point though is that cycle route apps for London don’t seem to know about safe routes. This is just an illustration of how bad they are. The route it’s given (which is the same as Citymapper’s) is fucking terrifying.
The best route I’ve found is out of the way but via good segregated paths (The Cut > Union St > Newcomen St > Tooley St).
Excellent, thanks so much. I’ve booked on to the Basic Bike Maintenence for tonight at 6:30 after my ride!Edie seeing you are in Leeds (I thought you were but couldn't remember before), you might be interested in the following:
Training Courses
Basic and Improver (Intermediate) courses We are currently delivering bike maintenance courses in partnership with Cycle North, with funding from CityConnect. These are all free of charge and open …
Leeds Bike Mill offer a free basic cycle maintenance course where they will show you how to change a puncture and clean your chain which you might prefer to learning from youtube videos.
These are funded by Cycle North: Adult training | United Kingdom | Cycle North
They also offer on road adult cycle training, you might want to do the advanced course if you're not sure about how best to use certain types of roads or situations (like I remember you said earlier you weren't sure about filtering past traffic, the advanced course will cover that).
beesonthewhatnow I have looked at my local cycling club (CLUB RIDES | Alba Rosa ), but their easiest social rides are 30-50 miles with a lowest speed of 14mph. This is definitely not my level, I’m more 10-12mph.
(There is another club that caters for a slow coach like me, Valley Striders, but they leave from Roundhay which would add 8-10 miles on to the ride getting there/back). So maybe the club option is just above my grade rn.
Cid
Proper break this time
Yes, they're based on the official routes I think. The advantage of something like komoot is that it uses user input. The disadvantage is that it's largely targeted at outdoorsy types (Komoot is an Austrian dialect word meaning something like 'practical', nothing to do with commute). Something like that for cities would help (I mean technically you could use Komoot I suppose, just needs people to do it). I don't use strava, maybe that has some functionality.
BigTom
Well-Known Member
Community Cycling Clubs may be the kind of club you want: Community Cycle Clubs | Cycling UK
They have a bunch listed within 5 miles of Leeds so hopefully one that is active near you.
Breeze Rides have a mix of different types/lengths/speeds of rides and I'm sure you'll find some slower or more social ones. They are women only which you may appreciate. Worth having a look to see if anyone is organising any near you: HSBC UK Breeze
I would also suggest asking tonight as the Cycle North project looks very much setup towards non-sporty cycling and they may well have some suggestions for you to find some slower or more social rides.
That said, I would expect community cycling clubs to be going on shorter rides than you are (the ones near me tend towards 5-10 mile rides as their normal/scheduled stuff, with a stop at a cafe or somewhere of interest) but there's no expectation of speed at all.
Leafster
.
sleaterkinney
Well-Known Member
Be careful if you select the quietest route on cyclestreets, it will send you down a muddy bridlepath. I have a search on the net for routes or i use my phone. Avoid A and most B roads as much as you can.
nick
Pleomorphic Adenomas R us
not exactly an answer to the question you asked, but I tend to go Albany road -> Thurlow St -> East St and then left onto old Kent road for a short sprint up to the roundabout. It is bus lane along that bit of (big road) and there seem to be enough gaps in the traffic to cut across to middle lane in time for the roundabout
nick
Pleomorphic Adenomas R us
Oh yeah - even google maps is quite good now for bike routes, but does tend to have the odd brain fart when it thinks that riding along the A4 elevated section is a sound idea.
It did however find a rather nice ferry crossing in Hampton / west Molesey of which I had never previously heard: 4 seater, £2.5 each way plus £1 for the bike. you have to ring a bell to summon the ferry if it is on the other side
It did however find a rather nice ferry crossing in Hampton / west Molesey of which I had never previously heard: 4 seater, £2.5 each way plus £1 for the bike. you have to ring a bell to summon the ferry if it is on the other side
Orang Utan
Psychick Worrier Ov Geyoor
i just use google maps for planning routes. works for me.
han
love is the answer
I'm still feeling guilty about the dogshit on your beautiful carbon road bike
sleaterkinney
Well-Known Member
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
There's one in Shepperton too, takes you from the towpath by Weybridge tennis club over to Ferry Lane in Shepperton, by the Thames Court pub.
nick
Pleomorphic Adenomas R us
Nice one - will try next time. It was a part of a very pleasant pootle from Brixton to Pennyhill Park for an overnighter and an agreeable tasting menu, before the return journey the next day.
David Clapson
Well-Known Member
Edie, how do you deal with the questions of how far to cycle from the kerb, and primary position, and whether to use a too-narrow cycle lane? I reckon this is at the root of most of the aggro between cyclists and British drivers.
This is what the filth are now recommending:
But a lot of drivers won't wear it. They want to muscle in. Then you get ugly stories like this one, when a driver who claimed to be ex-police rammed a cyclist. Her insurers said she was fully to blame. The police said they'd take no action against her, so the dispute is slowly worming its way through the police complaints process:
Driver knocks cyclist off bike on purpose – then claims she used to be police officer
This is what the filth are now recommending:
But a lot of drivers won't wear it. They want to muscle in. Then you get ugly stories like this one, when a driver who claimed to be ex-police rammed a cyclist. Her insurers said she was fully to blame. The police said they'd take no action against her, so the dispute is slowly worming its way through the police complaints process:
Driver knocks cyclist off bike on purpose – then claims she used to be police officer
BigTom
Well-Known Member
Edie, how do you deal with the questions of how far to cycle from the kerb, and primary position, and whether to use a too-narrow cycle lane? I reckon this is at the root of most of the aggro between cyclists and British drivers.
This is what the filth are now recommending:
But a lot of drivers won't wear it. They want to muscle in. Then you get ugly stories like this one, when a driver who claimed to be ex-police rammed a cyclist. Her insurers said she was fully to blame. The police said they'd take no action against her, so the dispute is slowly worming its way through the police complaints process:
Driver knocks cyclist off bike on purpose – then claims she used to be police officer
Stuff like this is why I think there should be mandatory theory and hazard perception tests for every driver every 10 years.
I'm looking forward to the highway code being updated with stated passing distances for cyclists. I can't remember if riding positions are properly set out in the new update or not but I'm sure there something being added to explicitly state that cyclists are allowed to be anywhere in the lane.
Of course the highway code already very clearly states that cyclists are not required to use cycle lanes so it won't help too much, unless existing drivers are forced to keep their knowledge up to date.
As for the police, the officers involved in this should be removed from any kind of traffic related duties as they obviously don't know the law and/or are prejudiced against cyclists. I hope their complaint goes through and the driver here gets charged as they should be for the close pass.
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Bahnhof Strasse
Met up with Hannah Courtoy a week next Tuesday
Jesus Christ. Presumably having given a gentle toot the driver of that monstrosity will feel they have carte blanche to steam past and it's up to the cyclist to watch out for them.
DownwardDog
Riding a Brompton with a power meter.
It's the Ineos Grenadier, the ultimate Gammon Wagon. Every single aspect of it is the definition of 'shitty'.
sideboob
Well-Known Member
On my way to work in the rain I get cut off by 3 cars on a narrow road. Being the immature 50yo that I am I chase down the last car, some cunty I`m late for work, looking at my phone, driving recklessly and speeding because I`m important and too fucking lazy to wake up in time to get to work early person. Said cunt pulls into a parking lot with me not far behind, slams his van into reverse to park and I bounce off of the rear quarter; didn`t fall because of excellent cycling skills (luck). Dickhead is getting out of the car, me swearing at him in English (instinct) then switch to Japanese. Dickhead thinks twice, gets back in the car and speeds off. My fault, I know that I need to be more defensive, but fucking cunty drivers seem to bring out the best in me.
I`ve got another story from last week, not as exciting though. Some cunt parked his Prius in the cycling lane, and while squeezing between him and a truck I clipped his side mirror, wasn`t sure if I broke it so I just gave the finger to his dash cam as I rode away.
I`ve got another story from last week, not as exciting though. Some cunt parked his Prius in the cycling lane, and while squeezing between him and a truck I clipped his side mirror, wasn`t sure if I broke it so I just gave the finger to his dash cam as I rode away.
Leafster
.
Some cars used to be fitted with "town & country" horns but I don't think I've ever seen one fitted to a car after the 1930s.
A quick google suggests that some more modern cars (late 20th Century) have had them fitted like Bentleys and Roll-Royce. I guess there may be others.
BigTom
Well-Known Member
Huge growth in number of people including families riding bikes on West London protected cycleway
Chiswick High Road has also seen fewer collisions and improved air quality
Note that the collision stat compares a 6 month period to the preceding 12 month period. This is some poor statistical analysis, they could at least have compared to the same 6 months in the previous year, which would have been better because there's more collisions in winter than summer iirc, and also would only encompass 2-3 months of lockdown rather than 9-10 months. Better still to compare to a 5 year average from 2013/14-2018/19.
And of course 6 months of data isn't enough but we can't do anything about that at the moment obviously.
No surprises in this information of course but always good to see things quantified. 20% of vehicles on the route is a huge modal share, although they choose to compare vehicles rather than people as it gives a higher number for bicycles if there is a bus route along that road. 1 bus might have 50 people. 1 bicycle probably has 1 person. so 50% of the vehicles but 2% of the people (if there is only 1 full bus and 1 bicycle). I know which stat I'd be choosing if I was trying to emphasise the demand for cycling.
iamwithnail
Well-Known Member
Did my longest bike ride this morning, 46km in 2.5 hours including some noodling about when I got back to go get house keys off my other half. Crossness water treatment plant. Such glamour.
And some dickhead had closed and padlocked the gate on quiet way 14 just before that. Wtf.
And some dickhead had closed and padlocked the gate on quiet way 14 just before that. Wtf.
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Cid
Proper break this time
The words 'angle' and 'grinder' spring to mind.
