Alcohol and Cycling ?

[Downward]

I see a motorised Scooter outside our local most nights on a different note.

 

[albal]

have been cycling to same pub for 19 yrs.....( about 3 miles) I dont agree with taxis
4 pints would be my limit,never been in an accident, fallen off, .......yet....
All important factor is LIGHTS.
I don't drink & drive ever.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I rode home from a stag do once, on my fixie. As it happened, I was just in the mood for a long ride, so I went out along the lanes from Wolverhampton towards Bridgnorth. 20 odd miles later, I got home and felt absolutely great for it, even though I'd had a skinful earlier in the evening.
Personally, I've never had a problem cycling while drunk ... oh, apart from once in Bahrain where I was caught out by the Continental brake setup on my dad's mountain bike and faceplanted the tarmac as a result.

 

[hackbike 666]

Oh yeah the continental brake setup,nearly got caught out in the fish market in Thailand with that.The tour guide thought I was an amateur.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I got my own back on the bike later that evening by riding it into a swimming pool. Now I really was drunk then.

 

[Keith Oates]

If I'm just going to the local for a quiet drink then I take the pub bike, but if I'm going out to have a session the bike stays home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Pip]

I will ride the bike after a couple, but certainly not when pished. I will not drive a car after any at all.

Re the points debate - I was under the impression that if you had a drivers licence you could have points put on it for offences committed on a bike, but if you didn't you couldn't. That always struck me as remarkably unfair, so if it is an urban myth then I'm more than happy to stand corrected!

 

[thomas]

Re the points debate - I was under the impression that if you had a drivers licence you could have points put on it for offences committed on a bike, but if you didn't you couldn't. That always struck me as remarkably unfair, so if it is an urban myth then I'm more than happy to stand corrected!

That has to be a complete urban myth! Justice has to be fair and equal - that wouldn't be.

 

[Origamist]

You can get points on your licence for motoring offences, which may or may not involve actually driving at the time. So, for example, if you got drunk enough to steal a car and rode your bike to get there ... I know. it's weak.

Quite, but if you're riding you're bike whilst drunk and you're not using it for the purpose of stealing for example, you will not get points on your licence:

http://www.astounding.org.uk/ian/cyclelaw/licence_points.html

 

[Plax]

One of my golden oldies worked out that he'd cycled approximately 20,000 miles just to and from the pub so far in his life.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I've rode home before after a having a few drinks, but never tried riding when I'm completely pissed - I'd be on my arse within the first 100 yards.

It's easier than you might think ... the worst that ever happened to me (apart from the continental brakes incident) was falling asleep on top of a grit bin at the bottom of a big hill.

 

[CotterPin]

Once got completely blathered after a spontaneous night out after work. Went to the pub - had a couple of beers; had a bite to eat - had a couple more beers (and some wine); went back to the pub - had a couple more beers.

Returned to my bike and started the ride home. This was through the West End, Camden and up the Archway Road in North London. Everything seemed to be going ticketyboo although I was having to focus reeeeaaaaaalllly hard. Then I entered a strange dream that seemed to involve a bus and some railings which I only just came out of upright.

"Okay," I thought (very slowly 'cos it hurt). "I should leave the bike here and take public transport home. I can pick the bike up in the morning."

"But," I thought, after a few moments' pondering, "I am so drunk that if I do that I will probably not remember where I have left the bike in the morning. So it is probably best to keep riding."

Which is what I did. And I can recall nothing more of the journey up Shaftesbury Avenue, Tottenham Court Road, Hampstead Road, Camden Town, Kentish Town, Archway and the rest of the eight mile journey home.

It was not sensible. I have never done it again and these days I tend to feel very uncomfortable on the bike if I have had just one drink. I don't have an inflated sense of confidence in my ability - more a feeling that I am having to work harder to concentrate on keeping the bike moving and on what's going on around me.

 

[lech]

I broke my nose last year cycling pissed. Very, very silly, I have a Stephen Fry-style kink in my nose now after deciding to ride three miles after Polish vodka.

years ago a copper stopped me by Liverpool St and said, entirely reasonably, that i was a danger to myself and others for riding after some beer.

 

[c2c]

i used to work at the evening post in bristol, there was a big drinking culture at the time not helped by early finishes.....anyhows i used to go for a drink after work and quite often stay til it was dark and then ride home pissed, using the ole bristol bath cycle path.............one night id had too many blackthorns and i chose to fall off at a place on the track which was flanked by deep inky stagnant troughs of filthy water, they attracted me like a magnet, and needless to say i arose from said trough looking like the creature from the black lagoon. i have to say though that it wasnt very clever, cycling and booze do not great partners make........infact boozy cyclist do not make great partners.least thats what she said that night.......!!

 

[Bman]

Ive only really riden after two or maybe three beers. If i've had any more, I'm more likely to walk home pushing the bike!

Like someone previously mentioned; its scary how much difference just one beer can have. I notice my awareness is much lower and it takes much more effort to "read the road". For this reason, I avoid riding on roads even after one beer and would never drive a car!