Camsters

[gaz]

I like to think I have less 'incidents' then most due to my cycling style.

laid back?
on the new bike anyway

 

[Cyclist33]

I did!

I cant yet see why any motorist would be angry with you unless you either had a go at him first or you have done something to cause him concern.

Maybe Ive just been lucky!

1. Because some motorists believe that cyclists should not be on the roads, period. Eg, Jeremy Clarkson and my mate Chris.
2. Because different drivers have different ideas about what constitutes good cycling and bad, and good driving and bad, therefore some will have a go at you for doing nothing wrong if it doesn't concur with their understanding of the road.
3. Because some people in cars are just plain c**ts and revel in trying to distract cyclists off their bikes.

None of this is to say there aren't bad cyclists out their, either because they're poor or overly arrogant about their own behaviour. But I'm staggered that you yourself can't think of some of the things that have been mentioned.

Stu

 

[derrick]

Am going to strap a Go Pro to my helmet on saturday, have found a nice route through Epping forest, a bit of down hill and single track, looking forward to watching it already, lol

 

[fimm]

However I do think there cammers out there who do a great job, (of which I can honestly say have helped me become a better commuting cyclist) and there are cammers out there that are pretty rubbish and play up to the cam.

This is the point, isn't it? There are good and bad road users in all kinds of vehicles. Just as not all WVM/taxi/insert stereotype here driver is a bad/careless/inconsiderate driver, there are different personalities using helmet cams. Tarring them all with the same brush does no one any favours.

 

[ianrauk]

This is the point, isn't it? There are good and bad road users in all kinds of vehicles. Just as not all WVM/taxi/insert stereotype here driver is a bad/careless/inconsiderate driver, there are different personalities using helmet cams. Tarring them all with the same brush does no one any favours.

Indeed.
And it's the same in all walks of life, people only really pick up on the bad ones.

 

[jonny jeez]

I am sorry but I dont agree.

If you choose to challange people on the quality of their driving you are likely to get a negative response. If you challange them with raised voices and hand gestures you are likely to get thumped.

If you really think that it is a good use of your time and energy to report drivers to the police for poor driving you are are free to do so. I just feel I have better things to do.

I honestly feel that bad driving is usually a mistake or an error of judgement and we can all be guilty of those. I just prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt and hope that the next time i make an error they will do like wise. I would like to think that the quality of my driving has enabled them to make a mistake and to avoid what could have been a far worse outcome.

That's the nice kind of guy I am

Why do you automatically correlate those that film rides with those that get into (start arguments) the two are not diametrically linked and frankly I find this insulting, it shows a lack of understanding of the topic and worse still, suggests a bigoted position.

So do all bike riders jump reds, all ride on pavements, all swear or ring bells at slow moving peds on shared paths? Surely they must because I've seen some that do...

There seems to be two types of cyclist on the forum.

Those who seem to cycle fairly incident free and those who seem to be a target for enraged drivers.

Perhaps those who are always being "targetted" by irate motorists are doing something different to the rest of us.

Just a thought.

I agree with that.

 

[BentMikey]

I disagree with the second quote from Montyboy about "those who cycle incident free". I suspect that some people might well create incidents and conflict, but that by far the larger part of this is that those who claim not to have any incidents are actually just hiding their heads in the sand. Of course they get people pulling out on them and overtaking too closely, but they then dismiss them as nothing, and do nothing about them.

 

[mr_hippo]

I disagree with the second quote from Montyboy about "those who cycle incident free". I suspect that some people might well create incidents and conflict, but that by far the larger part of this is that those who claim not to have any incidents are actually just hiding their heads in the sand. Of course they get people pulling out on them and overtaking too closely, but they then dismiss them as nothing, and do nothing about them.

It all depends what you class as an ‘incident’! Neither you nor any other road user has a God given right to maintain your chosen speed and course on the highway, there has to be some ‘give and take’. Use your eyes, ears and brain to read the road ahead, think what is happening, what may happenand plan an ‘escape route’. People do dismiss these ‘incidents’ as ‘nothing because that it just what they are - nothing!

There’s a car at a junction ahead, is he going to pull out,wait or nudge forward a bit to get a better view? I don’t know because I am not a mind reader! What I do know is what traffic is behind me, what’s in front and how far away from the junction I am. Whatever the driver choses the do, I am prepared for it; I can adjust my speed and course. He’s pulled out, OK; I’ll just adjust speed and direction and continue my ride. Was that an ‘incident’? A few seconds later and a few yards up the road, that ‘incident’ is out of my mind. Nothing to spoil my ride but some ‘cyclists’ will be seething, letting it spoil their ride and later posting their video on the internet claiming ‘SMIDSY’, ‘deliberate attack’ or even ‘attempted murder’.

I have, often, reviewed my footage and have seen ‘incidents’that I have forgotten about – even though the ride was a few hours earlier. Are some ‘cyclists’ going home, watching their footage and then reporting‘incidents’ that they have forgot about?

I had a nice ride on Friday of about 90 km, the first 40 km was on one of the main Korat-Bangkok highways; fast moving traffic, artics and heavily laden drawbar trailers; oh and some cows grazing on the central strip! Did I have any incidents? Can’t remember but what I do remember is having to change the last 25 km of my route; it was either 25 km into a headwind or change to 15 km crosswind followed by 10 km downhill into a head wind.

To those ‘cyclists’ who say that they have been ‘deliberately attacked’ and ‘He attempted to run me off the road’, I have some great news for you! Paranoia can be treated successfully these days.

So, please, expect the unexpected, don’t dwell on very minor irritations and enjoy your ride.

 

[gaz]

You see such a limited view point on how people react to certain situations, it's too hard to comment on their mindset, especially after a ride.
I certainly don't get hung up about incidents, in fact i often forget about them and only remember when i look at the footage.

 

[lukesdad]

I think its quite obvious your point of view will depend on what you regard as a incident. This of course may change with some, and not with others. The camera has just been the tool to open the debate as everybody can view the so called incidents. If you decide to make the footage public you should expect comments from across the spectrum of views. What some call an incident others wouldn t bat an eyelid. Camera s are great for personal use they an give a great record of life if thats your thing, Ive found some of the stuff posted quite funny, but mostly the rest are quite tedious to be honest.

Just a thought for commuters using them, if you are using the same route at the same sort of time,do you not think some of the idiots you are encountering have worked out you are using them and actually targeting you.

 

[magnatom]

Just a thought for commuters using them, if you are using the same route at the same sort of time,do you not think some of the idiots you are encountering have worked out you are using them and actually targeting you.

Quite the opposite. Just a couple of days ago the muppet Audi driver, soft top 'Hot Audi' man passed me and gave me a huge amount of room. He is fully aware of my camera an YouTube videos....now there's a story for another day!

I find it changes drivers actions around me for the better.

Good to see you in full rant mode again MrHippo. I'm almost tempted to come back more regularly!

 

[gaz]

Just a thought for commuters using them, if you are using the same route at the same sort of time,do you not think some of the idiots you are encountering have worked out you are using them and actually targeting you.

Far too many cars on my route, i rarely see the same car again.

 

[SheilaH]

I can absolutely see the value in helmet cams on busy commutes, it strikes me that a visual record of incidents can only be a good thing. Well done for being proactive.

That said, of all the camsters I have seen, two people stand out for the wrong reasons. Gaz and BentMikey. BentMikey actively seeks out confrontations, and Gaz... well, the same thing applies to both of you really, you both talk about your cameras influencing driver behaviour but you seem blissfully ignorant that it is affecting YOUR behaviour.

Before you leap up in defence, you need to go away and engage in a bit of honest introspection. That might involve riding without your camera for a couple of months and see if you have fewer incidents.

 

[gaz]

I can absolutely see the value in helmet cams on busy commutes, it strikes me that a visual record of incidents can only be a good thing. Well done for being proactive.

That said, of all the camsters I have seen, two people stand out for the wrong reasons. Gaz and BentMikey. BentMikey actively seeks out confrontations, and Gaz... well, the same thing applies to both of you really, you both talk about your cameras influencing driver behaviour but you seem blissfully ignorant that it is affecting YOUR behaviour.

Before you leap up in defence, you need to go away and engage in a bit of honest introspection. That might involve riding without your camera for a couple of months and see if you have fewer incidents.

You really need to come and ride with me and mikey and see what we are like, you see a very limited selection of us and how we react. I could post hours of footage of me sharing the road with others, reading what they might do before they do it and reacting in a positive way so that nothing happens.

I had a lovely ride home last night, no troubles at all, just the way i like it.

 

[400bhp]

I think its quite obvious your point of view will depend on what you regard as a incident. This of course may change with some, and not with others. The camera has just been the tool to open the debate as everybody can view the so called incidents. If you decide to make the footage public you should expect comments from across the spectrum of views. What some call an incident others wouldn t bat an eyelid. Camera s are great for personal use they an give a great record of life if thats your thing, Ive found some of the stuff posted quite funny, but mostly the rest are quite tedious to be honest.

Just a thought for commuters using them, if you are using the same route at the same sort of time,do you not think some of the idiots you are encountering have worked out you are using them and actually targeting you.

Sensible points and agree, bar the last para-not sure that's true?