Being a London tourist - observations of cyclists

[GrumpyGregry]

Now cycling in London is an option for me (folder or Boris Bike) doing it is a joy. When I used to commute I can say I enjoyed it, 'endured' is a better word.

1. Yah for sure!
2. Distressingly so for a law abiding reformed RLJ-er like me
3. Some very cool fixies and some very not cool ones. I particularly enjoy scalping the uncool ones when on a Boris Bike.
4. Once onboard and provided you disregard 1st gear completely and can adapt to the battle tank handling they are ok. (I carry a map in my pocket of where the stations are. I find the biggest challenge to be route finding/following in town when on 2 wheels but getting lost aka holistic navigation, is cool)
5. (Now the clocks have gone back I actually wonder if bb lights are really up to it) Depends on what the OP means by dubious in context. Manifold and vay bright is my definition of good lights btw.

 

[Tynan]

how fast can you go n Boris bikes? I've rideen them a few times now and given up trying to make them go, bumble along at 10 odd mph is all they seem to do, knackering myself out spinning to do 15mph isn't much fun

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

If you're coming at the weekend then you can park for free on most of the single yellow lines around there. Check the council website for Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ) and their operating hours

During the weekend all parking bays and single yellow here are fine as long as it is not in CPZ A, which is marked in purple here. Generally plenty of spaces are available near the bottom right of the chart.

 

[jimboalee]

how fast can you go n Boris bikes? I've rideen them a few times now and given up trying to make them go, bumble along at 10 odd mph is all they seem to do, knackering myself out spinning to do 15mph isn't much fun

I have this sneaky suspicion Boris Bikes are geared for people who have got hardly any leg muscle.

If they were geared higher, as dimwits on other cycle forums suggest ( because they spin-out easily ), the bikes would become difficult to ride with no leg muscle and end up being used once and disregarded as 'too much like hard work'.

 

[ianrauk]

I have this sneaky suspicion Boris Bikes are geared for people who have got hardly any leg muscle.

If they were geared higher, as dimwits on other cycle forums suggest ( because they spin-out easily ), the bikes would become difficult to ride with no leg muscle and end up being used once and disregarded as 'too much like hard work'.

I wouldn't say suspicion, I would say that you are spot on.

 

[jimboalee]

I wouldn't say suspicion, I would say that you are spot on.

This is the #1 reason MTBs replaced OTP Sturmey geared and road bikes as the choice for mature aged newbies.

 

[martint235]

I have this sneaky suspicion Boris Bikes are geared for people who have got hardly any leg muscle.

If they were geared higher, as dimwits on other cycle forums suggest ( because they spin-out easily ), the bikes would become difficult to ride with no leg muscle and end up being used once and disregarded as 'too much like hard work'.

Plus I think the idea is to pootle on them rather than end up sweaty after zipping around at 20mph on one.

 

[jimboalee]

Plus I think the idea is to pootle on them rather than end up sweaty after zipping around at 20mph on one.

Well you see a wheeled vehicle has a Velocity vs Power curve which is curved up at the rate of P = approx V^2.

A typical bike of this kind of frontal area requires about 60 Watts at 10 mph and nearly 300 Watts at 20 mph.

Now Watts are directly proportional to kCals/minute, and for every 4 kCals used, 1 cm^3 of H2O is the result of the work.

300 Watts is 17 kCals/min which is a little over 4 cm^3 of H2O emitted every minute. After 30 minutes at 300 Watts, the poor office dweller will have between 100 and 120 cm^3 of smelly salt water soaked into her blouse and skirt.

At 60 Watts, just under 1 cm^3 of H2O is produced and this is easily exhaled or taken away to the bladder.

Another reason why Boris bikes wouldn't be used if they were high geared and fast.

 

[slowmotion]

Are the carbon dioxide emissions in line with the H20? My guess is that they are, but maybe an expert could comment.

 

[jimboalee]

C6H12O6 + 6O2 gives 6CO2 + 6H2O

 

[fossyant]

Back on topic.............I'll be an official tourist from Weds to Sun next week, so I'll let you know my views then !!!!

 

[Bman]

I was a tourist in London today.

Well, actually, I was working, so officially I was commuting.

My observations:

Yeah, some of those fixies are really cool!
Roads are mahem (as always). I had to stop to watch the van driver and motorcyclist nearly come to blows over a small incident at some lights.
Those Boris Bikes are crap! Most of them sound worse that the MTB's the chavs ride back home! I also cringed as I saw one of their riders undertake a bus......

Bloody tube stikes, my feet hurt.

 

[Tynan]

I understand the gearing for peds idea but the gearing is so absurd, the first gear must surely be unuseable, the second for hills and the third is as i said only good for trundling, it's a rotten selection even with three to choose from, it serves no-one to them crawling around in London traffic that slowly, I see a lot of people trying to get them going faster and failing miserably, it's a shame because otherwise i think they're really good

 

[slowmotion]

C6H12O6 + 6O2 gives 6CO2 + 6H2O

Is that a "yes, you stupid boy, they track"?

"Looks like two sixes on the right side of the equation, Sir..."

Right. My model says that faster cyclists spew more planet-busting evil CARBON . Peer-reviewers post here.

Thanks.

Edit: All those rotting leaves that cause trouble in Croydon....they turn to methane. That's got to be a tipping point....

 

[zigzag]

from one blog:
"A 39 tooth chain ring and a 23 tooth rear sprocket on a Shimano 3-speed hub gear gives gearing with 32, 44 and 60 gear inches. This means that at 90 pedal revolutions per minute, your top gear will give you a speed of just under 16 miles per hour. If you can spin at a Rollapaluza-level 120 revolutions per minute, you’ll be able to get to 21 mph."

in my view the gearing is chosen quite well. for more experienced cyclists it's a bit low, ideal would be with the top gear at around 70 inches.
for casual cyclists gearing is fine as it is. i've noticed one lady one my way home, she goes at 18-19mph over london bridge on bb. wearing long flappy coat and long boots. looks good.