Cycling in Copenhagen is...

[GrumpyGregry]

Don't you also pull over to the right of others who are continuing straight on?

In theory, yes, in practise if there are dozens of left turning riders the straight one riders get forced out to the left. It's ok this month as most of cph is on holiday but in early May in some places it was carnage. I saw two cases of cyclists on cyclist road rage caused by left turners not being able to get out of the way...

For 20 years or more now, Norwich has had what was briefly called a Copenhagen turn around 2012, from Newmarket Road into Grove Road - https://goo.gl/maps/op6r5 shows the area where we used to wait on the left. It's not great but it's a movement that motorists aren't even allowed to make.

Is it because they're used to coaster brakes? If you brake with your feet at 12 and 6, you can use both feet to brake instead of only the back one, then there's a brief section until the top foot crosses 1 o'clock where it's in neutral before the drive engages again.

I can lock up my back wheel on my coaster with one foot at 3 o'clock and have never seen or felt the need to brake with both. I actually think it is because they re used to riding alone or in pairs and not in close proximity to dozens of other riders. The scoot and wobble doesn't matter out in the burbs but on say Amagerbrogade peak hours in the spring when the riders are packed five and six abreast at the lights and eight to ten rows deep, scoot and wobble just makes you a hazard. Most of the time nothing goes wrong but when it does (I've seen it once in three months) the domino effect is pretty funny. Unless you are a part of it. 40 year ago cph was choked with cars, now its cycling infrastructure is choked with bikes and the riders have yet to adapt to that density and the stress it causes. Add a lyrca clad nobber undertaking or jumping a red into the mix and the effect of chilled riding in cph is somewhat spoiled.

running reds on two wheels is endemic, as is amber gambling.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Yesterday morning I witnessed up close, just by the office, a cyclist getting taken out by a car, they were both turning right, I was behind the car. I can only suppose the cyclist swerved away from the kerb to get around the pedestrians crossing the road (yep- cph have green lights for traffic and green "men" for pedestrians on at the same time; traffic then has to give way to the pedestrians - highly counter-intuitive - and they nearly always do), and the car seemed to me to be was trying to get across the pedestrian crossing befre the pedestrians blocked their path (failry common driver behaviour).

Front of car hit cyclist, at fairly low speed, but she hit the deck with a sickening thump and a very loud (stomach turning) crack as her collar bone broke. The front wheel of her bike ended up under the cars front wheel and was trashed. Driver stopped and their body language suggested they felt at fault and wanted to help the stricken lass. Ambulance arrived in two minutes and the police within a few seconds of that. They blockaded the junction; took some names, including mine. Gave driver quite a stern talking to. I then departed.

Not nice.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Yesterday on the way home my bike broke. Crank came off. Hmmm. The shop I bought it from went bust two weekends ago. Hmmm.

Returned it to work and locked it up, grabbed a city bike, cycled it to the docking station nearest my hotel, mortified by the "self-destruct Imminent" noises coming from the bottom bracket, and walked the rest of the way home. Lovely walk as it happens.

This morning I hired a bike from the hotel; a proper sit-up-and-beg three speed complete with basket on the front. Probably the wobbliest commute I've done in years; coaster brake means you can't back pedal, loaded basket means low speed wobbliness, and the riding position on a saddle about a foot wide, or so it feels, is "stately" to say the least. Hmmm.

 

[mjr]

This morning I hired a bike from the hotel; a proper sit-up-and-beg three speed complete with basket on the front. Probably the wobbliest commute I've done in years; coaster brake means you can't back pedal, loaded basket means low speed wobbliness, and the riding position on a saddle about a foot wide, or so it feels, is "stately" to say the least. Hmmm.

Except that I use the rear rack instead of a basket, that sounds like my favourite bike! My tip with the coaster brake is to brake with the foot on the outside of the next turn, most of the time... then you can restart by pushing the inside pedal past bottom before you turn... oh and on Nexus hubs, the coaster brake activates less easily accidentally in top gear if you want to freewheel.

It feels stately, but you can still get a move on by resting your hands near the stem and leaning forwards: and even though your hands are not near the brakes or shifters, you've backpedal braking and standing shift, so it's easier than on a derailleur city bike. I did replace the huge saddle with a narrower sprung one, though!