Cycling UK Forum

On a Sunday, fairly pleasant.
I use it a fair bit - it can get busy around 5-6.30-ish around Hartley Wintney, but that is on weekdays.
Good chippy in Hartley Wintney too, and the Wagon and Horses is a good pub.

However the nearest station to Blackbushe Pedal Circuit is Fleet (change at Basingstoke) - its an easy potter 3.5 miles to the course - and it saves the hard killer slog up Star Hill from Hartford Bridge.

There is a blog thread developing here;

http://bit.ly/fGg6hb

Does scaring children by smashing eggs on classroom floors reduce cycling?

As already said it is illegal at all if you remain on public land.
It is how material is used where the legal issues can come into play.

Some years back I was filtering up a left hand lane in a queue of very slow moving traffic when a passenger threw a lighted cigarette butt out of the window.
It bounced off my leg and fell to the road.
I stopped, picked it up, then rode back up to the car that by now had moved forward a half-a-dozen lengths.

I politely told the passenger through the open window that they had dropped something, showed them the lighted cigarette end, smiled, and then dropped it in their lap before riding off with a wave.
The look of horror and the scramble into their groin was a joy to behold.

Not that I would ever condone such actions again should the opportunity arise.
Oh no. Never.

gaz wrote:Please remember that our local South Eastern trains have one of the most flexible cycle policies in the UK .

My experiences of SWT are very limited and from many, many years ago. Whilst I got my bike on unbooked the guard did not make it a pleasant experience, even though there was space.

Salisbury is not served by South Eastern trains.

I agree that much of SWT can be difficult especially in the suburban areas but the line through Salisbury seems to have a different character to the rest.

jan19 wrote:
Does anyone have experience of the local trains in this part of the world and would this be a sensible option?

Jan

I travel on these trains 1-2 times a week.

All trains have limited space, but I've never had a problem.
The FGW towards Bath/Bristol or Southampton/Portsmouth are the worst, but mainly because they are only two/three carriages and often get pretty full of passengers.

The SWT to Romsey/Southampton are rarely full and as they all start from Salisbury it is very easy to get spaces.
The other SWT lines east and west are usually fine. There are officially two spaces per three cars, but more can usually be accommodated.
Trains towards London are often 6 or 9 carriages.
The guards rarely ever say anything at all, so don't worry. Just turn up and you'll be fine.

Hope this helps. Its a nice area to ride in.

gilesjuk wrote:Halfords are realising that people are buying cheap tatt from supermarkets and their own stuff costs more.

It's all about making money, it's not about providing a decent service to the customer and providing a bike for life. They would sooner it came back every few months for repairs as that makes them even more money.

The cost of repairs though, will often outstrip the bike's value, so they may simply sell another BSO.

But what often happens is that the pile of garbage on wheels is so wrongly sized and uncomfortable that the owner gets fed up, leaves it at the back of the garage to rust away and never touches a bike again.

Edwards wrote:If in the proper bike compartment then as this is somewhere designed for bikes. I feel it would be unreasonable to want bikes bagged.
Wheelchairs still desperate. One is a life style choice the other is not.

Dead easy to put wheel covers on wheelchairs.
http://www.newdisability.com/wheelchairslippers.htm

Edwards wrote:Wheelchairs boy is that desperate . As Si said they do not have such dirty bits normally.

Correct, not "normally".

Edwards wrote:There is also the stain that is left behind sometimes. Who should pay for the removal of such?

So no bikes on trains then, unless bagged?

Fair enough. Each to their own views.

Edwards wrote:Do people on this forum think it reasonable for train companies and offices to require that folding bikes be put in some sort of bag? When on the train or in the building...
Am I wrong in this?

Do you think it reasonable that push chairs, wheelchairs, and those cases with wheels should be similarly treated?

Oldest kit (other than bike parts) in regular use - probably Mafac tyre levers, bought 39 years ago and always in my tool kit.

[XAP]Bob wrote:I did this at a shop once as a kid - I stood (smiling and nodding to each person) holding the door for about 15 minutes (really) and got one thanks (from a young mum) and nothing from the remainder of the hordes - mostly somewhat elderly...

Sometimes, just sometimes, if a grump (usually elderly) passed through without a word, while I hold a door open for them, I will politely call after them "Sorry, did you say something?"

They usually turn and answer "No".

So I then respond...

"Oh sorry, I thought you had said thank you".

The put down works every time.

horizon wrote:Otherwise just book your own.

Or find edge of a field, unroll plastic sheet, crawl into sleeping bags, drink wine, pull hat over eyes and kip until sunrise.
Did this with family and four children near some years back near Orange.
Worked fine.

Fleetfut wrote:Off topic. I'm planning a little tour to the Isle of Wight and wondered if anyone can recommend and nice camp site on the island. Quiet and close to Yarmouth would be ideal.

Not that far from Yarmouth, but I've used Comforts Farm nearer Cowes a fair bit.
It's a basic large field site, but good for solo cyclists. £5 a night.
Poor website though, but details are here:
COMFORTS FARM

There is a fantastic pub nearby too - the Travellers Joy
TRAVELLERS JOY
Their home made steak and kidney pie is worth a visit to the island for that alone.

I may have posted this before as it was a couple of years back:

During a cycle-training session I was outside a school teaching five young riders the folly of pavement riding, when, yes, two cycling bobbies came along - on the pavement.

They pulled up showing genuine interest in the cycle-training, and offered to help at any future sessions.

Some banter ensued when I politely pointed out that perhaps they should have been riding on the road and not the pavement.

"Ah, we have dispensation so we can chase criminals." "That's Our Job", they proudly told the youngsters, puffing out their chests and patting their equipment pouches.

We all looked around, and I asked my trainees if they could see any 'criminals'. There were none to be seen, so I suggested that the two policemen seemed to have lost their quarry, much to the amusement of the children.

This caused them to change tack, with...
"Ah, but it is best to ride on the pavement when there is so much dangerous traffic".

So I asked my trainees, who were now clearly enjoying the exchange, if they could see any 'dangerous' traffic.
We all looked up and down the near deserted road.
"Yes, there is a parked car over there" said one, - and that was it.
Nothing else, zilch, not even the local vicar with a shopping basket.

There followed a sheepish, "We must be on our way; lots of baddies to catch" from PC Senior Bobby, and I wished them a pleasant and safe ride. His junior, gave a knowing wink back at us as they left.

As the two set off, we stood and watched with jaws hanging, as one went along the road, while the other bunny-hopped onto the .....pavement.

It didn't take me long to decide whether they could indeed help with any future training.