No confidence riding in traffic

Commuting, Day rides, Audax, Incidents, etc.
dgp1957
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Joined: 22 Jun 2012, 9:58pm

No confidence riding in traffic

Post by dgp1957 »

Hi Folks, Im a 54 year old unfit bloke from Greenock, Scotland. I have just got hold of a bike mainly for getting around th town on, apart from the not fit part I am having trouble with cycling with traffic, I dont have any confidence at all, are there any courses etc locally that I could attend that might help?
Michael R
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Joined: 9 Jul 2008, 10:40pm

Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by Michael R »

Is there a cyclists' map produced by the council. If so that will show quieter routes.

Also look for quiet routes yourself and then gradually build up from there. confidence comes with experience

Keep at it
Malaconotus
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by Malaconotus »

I just had a search for Bikeability courses for adults in Scotland, but it doesn't seem to be as well resourced or developed as in England. I can't see any schemes or instructors local to you listed online, but you can register interest here... http://www.cyclingscotland.org/our-proj ... g-courses/
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Si
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by Si »

If you can't find an instructor then you might benefit from reading Franklin's Cycle Craft: http://www.cyclecraft.co.uk/

Also, if there is a touring/leisure cycling club in your area then doing some group rides might help to improve your confidence and get you some advice from those who've a little more experience.
AlanD
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by AlanD »

Hello dgp1957,
Don't worry, the confidence will increase. You might think from reading this forum that every motorist is a murderous scally that is out to get you. Well that's not the case . The strange paradox is that if you can overcome your natural inclination to cower in the gutter by behaving more confident and pretending that you know what you're doing by claiming the space around you; then motorists do actually start showing some respect and it really does get safer & more enjoyable for you. They don't really want to run you down, looks bad on the insurance claim form.
All the best, Alan
alanesq
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by alanesq »

I agree, if you ride close to the gutter it is startling the difference it makes to how close the cars pass you !
I think it is because if you are close to the side they think they can just squeeze through, if you are further out they have to slow down and overtake rather than just force through?
DougieB
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by DougieB »

I briefly was a motorbike instructor, and one of the main confidence barriers when in traffic was not having intuitive bike handling skills. there's a definite step up in confidence when the rider no longer needs to think about how to handle the bike when under pressure. not sure if this applies (only you will know), but wobbly slow-speed riding, not being able to stop quickly without almost falling off, etc, etc, are all pointers to not being comfortable with basic bike handling.

I don't think you get road skills training (bike handling, rather than traffic handling), but, especially in Scotland, there are lots of off-road handling 'skills courses'. I don't know Greenock (I'm from Edinburgh), but you might want to call the mtb guys at Innerleithen and maybe ask for recommendations for skills courses further West.

cheers
rualexander
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by rualexander »

Some training available in Glasgow from these guys : http://www.thebikestation.org.uk/cycle- ... g-glasgow/
DougieB
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by DougieB »

I've been in the bike station in edinburgh a few times, and they are very helpful.
hashtag
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by hashtag »

I've found that being in 'primary' position i.e. in the centre of the lane forces drivers to see you and slow down rather and barge their way past

i also find that chopping the bars down so they are really narrow helps both mentally and physically
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gentlegreen
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by gentlegreen »

For context, do you have experience as another sort of road user - e.g. car or motorcycle ?
dgp1957
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Joined: 22 Jun 2012, 9:58pm

Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by dgp1957 »

Hi guys sorry for being so long in replying, things have been hectic for the last w while, I am a car driver and over my driving years have driven vans, truck, buses and along time ago motorcycles. I think that it is definitely my confidence, ie not fit lol. Im hoping things will pick up very soon.
Geriatrix
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by Geriatrix »

dgp1957 wrote:I think that it is definitely my confidence, ie not fit lol. Im hoping things will pick up very soon.

I was only a few years younger than you when I started and I had similar reservations. I'm now hooked.
A few things to expect at the start.
Your saddle will bruise you in the beginning. Don't let the soreness stop you, your bum doesn't take long to adapt. Padded shorts help.
Your legs will burn from the continuous exercise but you will learn quickly to pace yourself and that too fades with fitness.
Don't bite off more than you can chew in the beginning because you will become discouraged. I don't know what weight you are carrying but I wouldn't plan any single stretch of more than five miles (that's what I started with). Less of you are overweight or have some serious hills to deal with.
It's important to push though that first week because it gets easier from then.

I have done three cycle tours of Scotland and you have astonishingly beautiful countryside for cycling. Get on your bike. You won't regret it.
For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled - Richard Feynman
Mark1978
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No confidence riding in traffic

Post by Mark1978 »

alanesq wrote:I agree, if you ride close to the gutter it is startling the difference it makes to how close the cars pass you !
I think it is because if you are close to the side they think they can just squeeze through, if you are further out they have to slow down and overtake rather than just force through?


I found that riding further out allows you to move slightly to the left at the moment the car passes you giving more clearance than the driver intended.

Probably more of a reassurance to me than making any real difference.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: No confidence riding in traffic

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Mark1978 wrote:
alanesq wrote:I agree, if you ride close to the gutter it is startling the difference it makes to how close the cars pass you !
I think it is because if you are close to the side they think they can just squeeze through, if you are further out they have to slow down and overtake rather than just force through?


I found that riding further out allows you to move slightly to the left at the moment the car passes you giving more clearance than the driver intended.

Probably more of a reassurance to me than making any real difference.

Beware the lemming overtaker.

I frequently do the opposite, giving myself more space on the left to discourage the lemmings. Lemmings tend to get closer and closer. :(
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
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