Cycling UK Forum

Stradageek wrote:Anyone ever counted the number of 'no problem' motorists who pass you every day against the number of 'not so nice' encounters? I intend to try tomorrow. My guess would be that less than 1% of motorists actually fall into the dangerous/inconsiderate/foolish categories - replies awaited with interest

Not a bad guess. I interacted with 107 vehicles on my morning commute (100 overtook me), minimum passing distance 1.5m (average >2m) incidents zero, unless you count the van drivers mate who yelled at me to "get on the cycle path" (there wasn't one!). Could this be the advantage of recumbents, I was riding a Kettwiesel this morning?

Anyone ever counted the number of 'no problem' motorists who pass you every day against the number of 'not so nice' encounters? I intend to try tomorrow. My guess would be that less than 1% of motorists actually fall into the dangerous/inconsiderate/foolish categories - replies awaited with interest

Why are so many of our drivers so aggressive to cyclists ?

I used to get paranoid about this but after pondering the latest incident I came to the simple conclusion that what I was experiencing was 'road rage' pure and simple. Anyone getting in the way of, or going faster that a 'road rage' motorist gets the same treatment, cyclists, slow OAP's, motorcyclists, lorries, pedestrians etc etc. I feel less isolated and far more able to just shrug it off these days.

Happy Cycling

Stradageek

Don't forget the importance of peer pressure, I've been told countless times - "I couldn't possibly ride one of those, it looks too silly".

My protestations that the speed and the comfort are amazing, and that most recumbent riders (like me) pretty soon sell off all their old diamond frame bikes, seem to fall on deaf ears when up against the fact that "it's different - I'll stand out!"

What we probably need is someone famous to take up recumbent riding and make it trendy, that should do the trick.

Shamrock Sean wrote:Forecasted to be a bit of a breezy weekend, does a breeze/wind put many people off going out doing a few miles?

Very difficult not to sound a bit smug but seriously the problem mostly goes away on a recumbent. I moved to recumbents to sort a neck problem and the difference into a headwind was instantly amazing. My liesure rides were always out against the wind and back with it (so my routes got a bit boring against our prevailing south westerlies) now I just choose any route. You still notice the wind on a recumbent and it does slow you a bit but nothing like on an upright, you are never blown to a halt as I have been on an upright.
The other solution (pioneered by a very canny friend of mine) is slick route planning to only ever encounter cross winds.
Happy cycling

PH wrote:The theme is tranquil and most of the photos are from Scotland...
I'll follow the trend with a deserted beach on Iona;



and from the English industrial Midlands, my favorite photo of the year, though I'm not sure why, a couple of fields and some sky;

It might just be a couple of fields and some sky, or, technically a nice demonstration of the rule of thirds, but for me it's just a great photo, one to be proud of.

Cheers

Stradageek (from the Midlands)

Vladimir wrote:hey guys,
what would be a good recumbent bike for a beginner who isn't sure if he can commit a large amount of cash to a recumbent? something that perhaps can be sold on if it is found not to be to one's liking.
alternatively, just recommend a good one! links much welcomed.

Bacchetta do a good range, Giro26 maybe a good starter but nothing beats trying them out. The biggest second hand/new collection (150+ machines) is near Ely Cambs (DTEK cycles) but tracking down Kevin (the owner) is notoriously difficult (phone or email, no website). There is currently a forum thread entitled 'Recumbent riders where are we?" under 'Non Standard Vehicles' if anyone is in your neighbourhood why not message them and see if you can blag a test ride. Most of us recumbent enthusiasts have a variety of machines and we can talk for hours about pros and cons etc.

gilesjuk wrote:

andy63 wrote:I really think car head lights are far to bright , especially those blue ish ones .
I live in a small village , so you have to drive down unlit country roads . When I do drive at night , I never have main beam on I feel dipped lights , light the road adequately .
So many times when on the bike I get blinded by cars .
Why do car head lights need to be brighter ?? So idiots can drive faster ?
In towns and lit roads there is no need for brighter lights .
However did we get around 20/30 years ago ??

It's part of the gradual improvements in car safety that ultimately lead to faster driving, thus eliminating the benefit.

I agree, endless safety improvements (in the USA especially) have seen little reduction in road casualties (despite everyone now driving trucks!)

In Northampton they've turned off loads of street lights (great for amateur astronomers like me) with an unexpected spin-off benefit - on the unlit roads people are sticking to the speed limits because they can't see to drive any faster! If they had brighter headlights I wonder what would happen?

Just when the new breed of bike lights were getting us ahead of the game!
Stupendously unnecessary vehicles (SUV's) with their high headlights are already a problem on a recumbent, I shudder to think how I'll see if the headlights get brighter as well.

It's a very personal thing, but having tried quite a few there is little to beat 'Laphroaig Quarter Cask' a very smooth peaty Islay malt. Pick it up when Tesco have it on offer (£20-ish) or full price at around £30 - Enjoy!

4wils wrote:I have seen a few photos of Kettwiesels with additional foam placed on the seat, presumably for comfort.
I have never needed to add padding to my Ice seat.
Anyone any extended experience of the Kettwiesel seat who might like to comment?
I ask as we (stoker and self) are considering buying Kettwiesels to tandem with.
Thanks

Hi, I can only comment on the old stretched mesh seat. It has taken a little adjusting and tightening to cope with my delicate back but unlike my Bacchetta Euromesh seat I've not added anything, (the Euromesh seat just needed a bit of extra lumbar support).
Just for info, we have a Tandem pair, which we love, though be prepared to have to talk to everyone who see's it. Hill climbing is great (direct drive-no idler and the ability to use different gears are a real boon) and cruising is easy. But just a little caution, if you are a speed merchant you may find the pair a little 'draggy' when trying to go flat out - probably the two sets of toed-in wheels contribute - narrow tyres have much reduced this feeling. However if you just want to go serenely along all day with partner in tow it's hard to better.

I was just about to buy two sets of bar end shifters (at great expense) to replace the awkward 9-speed gripshift changers on our Kettwiesel trikes when an ergonomic thought struck me. The problem is the direction of wrist movement required to change down with a gripshift mounted on a vertical bar (under seat streering) - try twisting a wrist outward whilst gripping a wet gripshift!. Inverting it puts flying cables in inconvenient places so I've just swapped it to the left hand side (Schlumpf drive does the ring changes). The difference is stunning, gear shifts are now a doddle. Why didn't I ask or think about it 6 months ago!
Thought I'd post just in case anyone is of slow a thought as I am.
Cheers all

Northampton, Bacchetta Strada, HP Velotechnik Speedmachine, Hase Kettwiesel, and my mate has a Trice and a Corsa

Hi Guys, points of clarification: it wasn't a professional driving lesson, the driving instructor was the drivers father taking his son out on his first open road drive. As for 'getting it in the neck from my workmates' this was and is, only done playfully. The road is quite wide (I drive or cycle it every day) but it does require cyclists to be in single file to overtake safely. Thanks for all the responses, my favourite, which sums up how I feel about both inconsiderate motorists and the (what I'd consider) inconsiderate cyclists in question is "The world is full of morons, don't be one".
Cheers, Stradageek

snibgo wrote:Hmm. A rival forum has a thread that is locked after 90 tedious pages. Then a new thread on the topic starts here. Well, well, what a coincidence.

Must have missed that one, lets call a halt here then. Can you point me to the other thread, I'm just interested to know the balance of opinion, do the 'confrontationlists' outnumber the 'concilliationists'?

Cheers