lessons learnt

[si_c]

Not to use the idea of disconnecting brake cables when leaving bike outside a shop as a crude anti-theft idea. (I could chase and catch them when they fall off at the first junction). I discovered the downside when leaving the shop and cycling down the hill to a t junction! I'd forgotten to replace cables! That was a sweaty moment!

I did that once when fettling the missus's bike, let us say she was not amused when riding to work the next day... She still doesn't believe it wasn't deliberate.

 

[fimm]

If you ride "too far" to the left* someone will take advantage.
* "too far" depends on the road layout, any parked cars, traffic speed, pinch points, etc. etc.

 

[mjr]

My top tip would be to signal. Lots. Whether or not you think there's another bike behind you. Each year there's more and more people cycling and I've avoided a couple of probably-annoying shunts because someone unseen shouted when I signalled

Second is to signal even when passing oncoming cycles in narrow lanes. Ideally to the left. I usually just extend my left hand leftwards, so it doesn't look like a left-turn signal, and that's enough to work.

Clean your drivetrain in winter. Really, really thoroughly. Otherwise it will become unusable terrifyingly quickly. And expensively. It's not the 1980s any more.

Nah. Encase your drivetrain!

Fit spiked tyres if you're riding when there's any chance of ice, too.

If you attach something to your bike or rack and think 'that looks a bit dodgy but it will stay on, I'm not going far', it will fall off.

Oh yes. It's flaming annoying that.

If you notice a nut being loose, it will fall off before you get home.

Also, if you can hear metal-on-metal, find out what nut is loose before whatever movement it's allowing strips the thread from the bolt.

Pedestrians think shared use bicycle/pedestrian lanes are funny coloured pavements and will wander all over them. If it is marked out as bikes one side and pedestrians the other, more than half the pedestrians will be on the bike side.

Yep (but they're not "shared use bicycle/pedestrian lanes" - they're cycle tracks that people may walk on). When you ride outside a town on quiet roads, walkers will often extend this approach to the entire carriageway. It's often thoughtlessness rather than a desire to be a dick and delay you, so a recognisable bell (a brrring, ding-dong or temple bell, not a shrill pinger) from a respectful distance will often bring a positive response and allow you past.

Not to use the idea of disconnecting brake cables when leaving bike outside a shop as a crude anti-theft idea.

Yeeeeeahh... BTDTGTTS. Instead I now set the shifters to throw the chain (derailleurs) or explode their knees pulling away in top gear (hub gears) because that's only annoying if I forget, rather than lethal.

 

[KneesUp]

Yeeeeeahh... BTDTGTTS. Instead I now set the shifters to throw the chain (derailleurs) or explode their knees pulling away in top gear (hub gears) because that's only annoying if I forget, rather than lethal.

I read somewhere that it's very hard to get going on a bike in bottom gear if it has very low gears because you need to pedal like mad to get any speed. I've not tried it, but I suppose it could delay a thief long enough for you to catch them if you saw them try to ride off.

 

[Julia9054]

If you are going to take all your marking home from school in two mahoosive panniers, don't try and cycle through the narrow gap between the railings to go under the underpass below the level crossing.

You land in a heap on the floor right in full view of all the people who have just got off the train!

 

[mjr]

If you are going to take all your marking home from school in two mahoosive panniers, don't try and cycle through the narrow gap between the railings to go under the underpass below the level crossing.

Aside: if that's meant to be a cycle track, please report it noisily (www.fixmystreet.com or otherwise) if the gap is less than a metre because that's dangerously and discriminatorily substandard.

 

[Julia9054]

Aside: if that's meant to be a cycle track, please report it noisily (www.fixmystreet.com or otherwise) if the gap is less than a metre because that's dangerously and discriminatorily substandard.

I'm supposed to get off and push. It serves me right!

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I learnt about the door zone the hard way.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Lessons learnt? 80% of drivers are competent. 18% are barely able to do anything as complicated as drive a car. The remaining 2%, made up of the criminally incompetent and psychotic, are hard to spot in advance. But spotting them can save you a life.

Oh, and if you're not riding to a deadline, try to always take a detour. You'll find quieter, less red lighty routes, breathe better air, cycle a wee bit further and arrive at your destination more refreshed.