Cycling UK Forum

What speeds/distances does slip streaming actually help. I find I get a decent boost from the pacesetting of another rider...

/me goes off to google...

I had a lovely gentle cycle into* and out of work today - Just glorious weather, birds and bunnys out in force.

Kestrel perched nicely on a power line, rather beautiful bird

Bob

* Just couldn't be bothered to go, and the ride was fun... Although it still only took 40 minutes (my fastest is ~32 minutes - so you don't lose that much time if you sit up and smell the verges)

Flinders wrote:A mate of mine pays a fortune at the gym. At the end of 18 months, in comparison, I'll have saved a fortune in gym fees, bus fares and petrol- more than enough to pay for my nice new bike. I'll still have the bike, and she'll still have more gym bills. And I'll be fitter (how many times do most people really go to the gym, on average? Once a week, maybe twice, from what I see).

24 times - 3 per week in january (12), 2 per week in feb (20) 1 per week in mar (24) then not until the renewal comes through next year...

Tim Cox wrote:As a frequent user of the Higher Ferry at Dartmouth I always (along with motor cyclists) jump the queue in order to get to the special recesses at the side away from the cars. The other side I let the cars out first and with luck enjoy a relatively quiet couple of miles of climbing before being caught by the next batch of traffic,

Separate queue for a separate resource, then waiting a few minutes the other side - seems like a good plan to me - and a nice commute?

Si wrote:Indeed, I also don't like the term BSO (even through I carelessly use it my self sometimes)

Still use the term of my own BSO
Even though it's definitely more bike and less BSO that it once was

Flinders wrote:Yes- and you don't always see them. Out yesterday there were huge puddles on the minor rural roads. It's anyone's guess which are thin depressions in the road and which are concealing 2" deep potholes. Some very minor roads, of which there's miles and miles round here, are so bad with potholes and grass growing up the middle that it would take years to sort them all out even if the money was there. In a few more winters some will be impassable by bike- some are nearly impassable now.

Always dodge puddles, not only do you get wet, but you can't see the potholes, stones or broken glass they contain...

Flinders wrote:Presumably motorists are still breathing, so they emit CO2 as well.

Not as much as we do - Although they do then drive to the gym

drossall wrote:Anyway, back to what we were supposed to be talking about...

What was that then - Oh, Queuing, right.

Um - I'd filter past unless it's a genuine queue - where the vehicle occupants and cyclists are queuing for the same thing (excluding traffic signals).
Mind you I'm struggling to think of many things which are actually genuine queues. A drive through at your favoured fast food chain

And I would probably skip that queue if it was raining hard (at least to a covered section)

EdinburghFixed wrote:It's possible, but it doesn't happen. People in the UK live in terror of cycling because it seems so dangerous.

I think they live in terror of doing any activity that isn't in a gym, after all they might sweat - in public! or get rained on! or get tired and not be able to drive home...

The number of people who I used to watch (from the jacuzzi, after a decent swim) taking 10 minutes searching for a parking space by the lifts at the gym rather than parking in the swathes of open space and walking up the stairs is absurd.
Clearly exercise is only to be done in the gym!

Yeah - my decision would probably be based on the limited interaction at the gate, because I know it's a "directions to car park" queue I'd jump it to go and park outside skyline and walk to the information points inside...

As a frequent driver in said queue I'd certainly not mind a cyclist skimming through and waving at the stewards...

drossall wrote:I faced this riding to an event at Butlins in Skegness. It was a right turn into the camp, so the queue proper was only the length of the right turn lane (quite long, but only maybe 20 or so cars, can't recall exactly). It didn't feel right jumping that queue, so I waited. No such scruples with regular traffic queues on the approaches, which were a mixture of event and through traffic.

Mind you, it was a Christian event, so had to be on best behaviour

Spring Harvest? - If you're on a bike filter past the queue as you would any other queue - Especially as all the stewards are doing at that point is pointing you to a car park...

I have the magnet from my old relay based speedo at the end of one of my spokes on the front wheel.

A moving magnet is the most effective trigger for the sensor.

I occasionally weave at low speed to make sure that the magnet is "bottom dead centre" over the sensor - which you can see outlined - the whole pad is sensitive (and some distance outside as well)

A couple of them on the front wheel - would provide excellent coverage - at least one trigger every 18-24 inches...

EdinburghFixed wrote:The problem with this is, where does it stop? .

It stops as a matter of personal preference/opinion. Lights at night should be obligatory, as they are for all vehicles.

I'm happy to wear gloves, helmet and high vis - I don't think any of them are particularly arduous, and I feel that they confer some advantages.

The people with whom I've had "near misses" have mostly been coming out of side roads, so they don't necessarily get 1000 yards approach, I can be coming through dappled shade on the road and, unless EVERY driver is being particularly vigilant for cycles (which they should be, but let's face it - I'm not always, so why should assume they will be?) it's easy for them to miss me completely if I wear camouflage gear.

pioneer wrote:Good. But the point is drivers shouldn't need constant reminders (like infants in a play school), to do what they should be doing anyway.

It's not a reminder - it's an aid.

I'm easier to see when wearing a high vis top than I would be in all matt black.

As a driver I can honestly say that a high proportion of cyclists round here are virtually invisible - and don't think I'm not looking for them, but small dark objects in dappled shade are just hard to spot.
Why make life hard for the drivers - it doesn't cost much to get a high vis top - and costs nothing to wear it.

The aim of wearing one isn't to remind drivers that you're there, but to help them see you - the same purpose as lights at night.

Have to say I thoroughly enjoyed my time on a rented tandem in the states. No way that my wife (who used to have ME) could have kept up on her own bike, but a tandem is great.