I am a cyclist - ask me anything

[Iamacyclist]

I am a cyclist. Road, mountain biking and commuting.

Ask me anything.

Do you think SirJames is really as much of a twat as they appear to be based on this thread?

Do you think SirJames is really as much of a twat as they appear to be based on this thread?

I think Sir James is a wonderful person.

Maybe Sir James drives in London and sees that the vast majority of cyclists go through red lights, which is illegal?

Do you find car drivers annoying? Do they tend to drive recklessly around you or are they usually courteous

I think Sir James is a wonderful person.

Yeah, we can tell.

Come on ErrolTheDragon I am hardly going to say I hate myself, am I?

I must confess that I am surprised by how reasonable the OP is on this thread.

IRL and on other cycling threads I have sometimes found cyclists to be intransigent and immovable.

No, but you weren't being asked the question so you could have retained a dignified silence.

SirJames asking about red light jumping cyclists might be seen as a purely dispassionate question if they then hadn't also asked about the attractiveness of lycra, or "causing endless traffic jams" (somewhat ironically for someone who claims to drive in London).

And of course they didn't ask about red light jumping cyclists in general, but asked the OP to justify them going through red lights.

Yes, SirJames, the OP is being reasonable. You however are quite clearly showing how unreasonable you are.

Bah. For all you know I am also a cyclist.

Have you any recommendations for a front bike light? I've got some knog blinders which are great to be "seen with" but am planning to cycle to work earlier from September so could do with a light that will pick out any lumps and bumps in the road better.

Starling, are you cycling on roads with streetlights or not?

Yes, there are street lights.

SirJamesTalbot you can't possibly say most cyclists go through red lights. Unless of course you are able to see all the red lights on the country. Some do but equally some car drivers do too.. I am a very considerate cyclist and have never ever cycled through a red light. I have however come across many dreadful drivers. But I am not going to therefore state that most drivers are dreadful and shouldn't be in the road. I wonder if you live in London or a city. Cyclists are very different in my area to how cyclists are reported as being like in London.

OP I don't have a question but we'll done on managing to be calm and respectful despite some idiotic posts.

I can and I do say that most cyclists go through red lights when cycling in London, because I've seen them.

Look, I am not saying that car drivers (or other vehicle drivers) do not disobey the Highway Code. Of course they do.

And I have personally witnessed many, many vehicle drivers, mostly black cab drivers actually, doing their utmost to make it difficult and dangerous for cyclists to get about in the rush hour.

I have taken the number of one black cab driver who was clearly trying to run a cyclist off the road. I stopped to make sure that cyclist was okay and to offer the number I had memorised. That was on the Embankment and it happens on that stretch of road frequently.

I drove in London years ago, before there were so many cyclists. It is obviously better for everyone on the planet if more and more people cycle. But the infrastructure in cities is not designed to cope with cyclists yet.

I have moved to a very remote area in Scotland now so I don't have the hassle of driving through London any more, thank heavens.

But I stand by my remark that the vast majority of cyclists do in fact go through red lights. And that annoys me.

I am not for a moment suggesting that drivers of vehicles do not also infringe the Highway Code.

I would like to see a situation where it is safer and easier for cyclists to take to the roads more. As things stand, the fact that there are so many of them means that traffic has to slow down and try to avoid causing accidents. That can lead to more vehicle drivers getting even more frustrated and breaking the law as a result.

On a streetlit road bike lights won't make much difference in terms of what you are able to see on the road. You can get some very bright lights but they are potentially dazzling to other road users, and I think the problem is that they reduce your peripheral vision and what you can see outside of the area lit by the lights. But if there are sections where you think you want that extra boost then something like the Cateye Volt 800 is very good.

SirJames, your initial question was :

How do you justify going through red lights every time you approach them?

Doesn't the Highway Code apply to you?

Nothing about cyclists in general, but directed specifically at the OP. So I refer you to my first post on this thread.

Thanks for the recommendation whatsthecomingoverthehill, I'll take a look. Definitely don't want to be dazzling anyone but find I'm struggling in lower light conditions sometimes.

cinnamoned

Do you find car drivers annoying? Do they tend to drive recklessly around you or are they usually courteous

Car drivers are mixed some are courteous but a significant number are dangerous. I think some of them genuinely don’t realise they are passing too close and some are just downright reckless.

Of course I don’t mind safe, sensible car drivers

I commute through London daily and 9/10 have found cabbies and bus drivers pretty courteous.

I do not think that London cabbies are very tolerant of cyclists. I have seen more than one driving dangerously on purpose when they are near a group of cyclists - especially going round Parliament Square, which I used to drive round every day for work.

When I drove home on Sunday mornings it took me twenty minutes less than it took me on weekday mornings.

Motor vehicle drivers are definitely slowed down by cyclists and they become very annoyed as a result which leads to road rage incidents.

Starlings I have a Lezyne front light it goes really bright which I need for unlit country lanes but it has different settings eg less bright or flashing etc. Can’t remember the exact model.

Iamacyclist You’re doing a great job answering the questions in a dignified, calm manner.

I think the hatred is unfounded; yes there are inconsiderate cyclists. However being an idiot and not paying attention isn’t constricted to one mode of transport. Then you have the Daily Mail and other similar ‘newspapers’ that insist on making a meal out of every cycling related incident. Like the idiot with the fixie. Btw fixies are great fun and good training. On top of that, there isn’t a real cycling culture, compared to the traditional cycling countries. So there’s less respect.

I do concede that cycling is an easy way to get away from your family. I know a few guys that picked up the sport when their wife just had a baby. Wouldn’t blame cycling for that though, as you said. Sometimes it’s also natural evolution; you’re no longer able to do sport X because of your failing/ageing body so you buy a bike and from there things get out of hand and before you know it you’re in a wind tunnel.

Thanks Molteni
Hopefully this thread might help even just one or two cyclist haters to realise that most cyclists are normal, decent people.

It just scares me that some people actually hate cyclists so much that they drive dangerously around them, with the attitude that if an accident happened it would be the cyclist’s fault for “being in their way” . So many drivers have a “get out my way cyclist” attitude.

It must be wonderful to live in a cycling friendly country💚🚲💚
I hate the way that cyclists and motorists have been pitted against each other by a government that hasn't made proper provision for the fantastic energy-efficient activity that is cycling 💚🚲💚
I love bikes I've always loved bikes, I've been thinking about getting a gravel bike but I already have three bikes in my tiny flat and something has to give 😳