Forum Replies Created
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It’s something I should
It’s something I should probably re-learn, as it’s how I used to ride (dropping forward from the nose of the saddle)
Not sitting on the top tube.
Not sitting on the top tube. If I have my saddle height set for the most efficient pedalling position I can’t easily reach the ground whilst sitting on the saddle. Usually when stopping I’ll unclip non drive-side, stand on that foot, and leave the drive side clipped in ready to launch. Slight tilt to the non-drive side to do that but it means that I’m riding with my saddle probably 1.5-2cm lower than it should be. Perhaps I’ve been doing it wrong all these years…
Watching Strade Bianchi today
Watching Strade Bianchi today with them all doing the tuck off the front of the saddle and not pedalling made me think, surely it would be easier if they could just drop their saddle? Given how light World Tour bikes are these days there wouldn’t be a weight penalty – I guess the only issue is building one to cope with non-round seatposts on aero bikes.
British Cycling were running
British Cycling were running a promotion on 6 months membership (which includes 3rd party liability insurance) at the start of lockdown, don’t know if that’s still available. I’ve been meaning to take it out for years and have finally done so mainly because during lockdown there were loads more cyclists and people exercising on foot. I’m also probably covered under my house insurance but wanted the cycling-specific expertise offered by the BC scheme.
I like that in general the
I like that in general the fun I have on a MTB (and any risk of injury) is entirely down to my own skill level and bravery/foolhardiness. Also a more intense workout than a road ride. Will improve my road driving no end once I get my confidence back to head out into traffic againCalibre Two Cubed, soon to be
Calibre Two Cubed, soon to be resplendent in DMR deathgrips in tango, and probably an orange Alpkit Possum frame bag
Oh and seatposts. Anything
Oh and seatposts. Anything from 27.2 to 34.9. and shallow seat angles that put too much weight over the rear wheelGenerally say hello, nod, or
Generally say hello, nod, or wave to oncoming cyclists and yell “ON YOUR RIGHT” at people I’m overtaking*
*this literally never happens
Take them, ride off with them
Take them, ride off with them, hand them in at the nearest police station along with your statement and any camera footageHaving been through the
Having been through the process previously of trying to engage with my local force, give statements, and so on I just don’t have the time. There’s no evidence beyond he said/he said. They don’t prioritise road crimes without evidence or serious injury – all I’ve got is some minor cuts and bruises. All I’ll end up doing is escalating the situation and I don’t want him involved in my life – it’s rural and sparsely populated around here and easy to bump into people. Don’t need that hassle particularly with everything else that’s going on. It would be easy enough for me to find him, just park up on that road and wait for him to head off to work, but what’s that going to achieve?
This was basically the gist
This was basically the gist of the argument in my incident. Treating the speed limit as a target, not a maximum. “Road’s wide enough for my car at that speed, I don’t care about you”. All this despite the fact that there’s no pavements, high verges and it’s a popular walking route.
Over lockdown cyclists have
Over lockdown cyclists have undoubtedly become a more common sight on the roads around here. And by cyclists I mean everyone from the lycra brigade (guilty m’lud) to families on BSOs with no helmets to Doreen out on her ’70s vintage Raleigh Shopper. Overall, I’ve seen improved driver behaviour around cyclists too – to the point I’ve resorted to waving people through, and getting thumbs ups and indicator flashes to say thank you. As someone said in this thread there are drivers, cyclists, and wankers and my perception is that there has been far less of the latter. Which makes what happened to me all the more disappointing. There are moments in your life and your riding where you think “wow, if I’d left 5 seconds earlier, or pushed harder up that hill, I’d be dead now” and that’s what this incident was like. In fact, if I hadn’t slowed down further up the descent to give way to some other road users I’d have met this guy on a much narrower section and the outcome might have been different. Likewise, if I hadn’t taken a drinks break earlier than expected I would never have met him. Small margins sometimes. And I’ve known that throughout my life and riding – I recall a motorcyclist friend of mine who died in a classic wrong place, wrong time incident the odds for which were so vanishingly tiny it made no sense.
This is the worrying thing,
This is the worrying thing, isn’t it? As I said below I’m a big powerful guy and I’m conscious that if I lamped him I could have done serious damage. Too many one punch stories out there. But by being passive and trying to disengage I ended up down a bank in a ditch. The only solution is to not provoke the response in the first place.
Thank you everyone for your
Thank you everyone for your responses to this, it’s really helped me acknowledge that I’m the victim, and that sadly it’s not uncommon. Will be off the roads for a while (mainly until my partner is less worried about me riding on the road – best I don’t tell her about hurling the MTB down singletrack then đ
I’m also going to experiment with only acknowledging positive behaviours. That was working really well for the previous two hours of the ride. It will be tough to control an involuntary/adrenaline-fuelled reaction but lets see if it’s possible.
Sadly no point. No evidence
Sadly no point. No evidence of the whole incident as I’m not one to whip out my phone and start filming people. My local force don’t prosecute without video or independent third parties and even though I was assaulted they’d still treat it as a driving offence. Given how rural it is where it happened (the only reason to drive that road is if you live there) it will be dead easy to find him – there’s about ten houses up the end of the road before it turns into farm tracks. Which proves how much of an idiot he is – for all he knew I could have been as much of a psycho as him.
