Defensive Cycling

[Auntie Helen]

p.s. to get major cred on your trike, get it up on two wheels to go through the cones.

I've never had my trike up on three wheels, not in 1500 miles of cycling - I think I'm too risk averse/girlie/nervous for that kind of thing. My husband gets his QNT up on 2 wheels fairly easily but as mine is wider it's much harder, I believe. Plus I don't think I'm ever going to have MUCH cred, except for having such a cool bike!

 

[Cab]

So what you are saying is im a bad cyclist because I use cycle lanes/cycle defensively?
Cycling in traffic is hazardous because of the general morons out there.It can be dangerous.

I'm saying that you mistake being passive for being defensive, and that if you were to cease doing so you'd be a better cyclist than you are.

 

[gbb]

I'm saying that you mistake being passive for being defensive, and that if you were to cease doing so you'd be a better cyclist than you are.

How do you define 'passive' cycling though...to me it infers staying away from traffic where possible, gutter hugging and generally not making your presence felt or being aware of the surroundings.
Three of those points are seemingly dangerous.

Is this how you see yourself Hackbike (i'm sure it's not)? What do you actually define as passive ?
This is where the confusion can set in, Hackbikes passive can be interpreted however the reader decides.

I still think the article is describing assertive, not passive cycling. Once again, interpretation.

Assertive attitude grows with experience. I ride completely differently to how i used to as little as two years ago. Even then, assertive becomes borderline agressive. I'm not averse to cycling on the offside of static traffic to get to the front.

Nothing can stop the occasional fcukwit though. Last night i took primary on a sweeping right hander with a left hand junction halfway round the bend.
There's a car waiting to join from the left junction, and another oncoming car waiting to cross my lane.
I took primary...i'm wearing a bright yellow jacket...and the oncoming car started to cross right in front of me.
At this point i always shout (oy oy oy..or similar)and point at the driver. That usually gets their (and everyone elses) attention. Hopefully, he, and everyone else around will remember how important it is to stay switched on and concentrate.

 

[BentMikey]

Pointing at a driver like that is a good assertive cycling technique! It often freezes them in their tracks.

 

[gbb]

Indecision is a bloody disaster Can you honestly think that dithering about like Gordon Brown on a pushbike is going to make people more forgiving? Of course it won't, it will just encourage people to squeeze past where there is no gap, or get them so wound up they will do something daft

Six and to threes really.
(I hope) i'm assertive and confident in traffic, and hold a good line. I think drivers can pick up on this, and i'm often passed quite close when i'm in the cycle lane...the cars havnt ventured into the cycle lane, but can and do pass quite close. That doesnt phase me at all...but cars being close is moderately dangerous.
So, assertive and confident can bring on its own problems.

FWIW, i think being indecisive is asking for trouble as well.

 

[Origamist]

Indecision is a bloody disaster Can you honestly think that dithering about like Gordon Brown on a pushbike is going to make people more forgiving? Of course it won't, it will just encourage people to squeeze past where there is no gap, or get them so wound up they will do something daft

Yes, because I have seen it happen - many times. When you're driving a car and you see a learner driver dithering, don't you give then more room and time? That's what the majority of drivers do IME. I see the same behaviour frequently accorded to unsteady, dithering cyclists. Most motorists don't want to dent their bodywork.

 

[hackbike 6]

How many times does this have to be said? We all have bad habits, and get away with them because cycling is so safe, and because experience helps a lot too.

So the way I cycle is a bad habit now?

Cycling is safe up to an extreme.It isn't totally safe.

Im really too tired now and im past caring about what people think on this board anymore,being dictated to and patronized all the time is giving me the hump.

 

[Origamist]

Next time you see it happen, just wait and see how long it is until the driver loses his patience and tries to squeeze through where there is no space.

I have done it in a car when behind a learner driver, in fact I was held up a few days ago by a lurching and un-steady learner along a road leaving Cheddar. After 5 miles there is a stretch of road where, if you are quick and have a following wind you can overtake, and I did. Now if that had been a confident and steadily paced driver, even going slowly, I would not have done it. I didn't feel great about it by the way, but I had to get my haircut

All of the above reflects badly on your levels of patience as a driver, Maggot!

You need to accept that there will be different skill levels and vehicle types on our roads and drive accordingly. The difference with a dithering cyclist as opposed to a motorist is that you are not likely to get stuck behind them for 5 miles.

 

[BentMikey]

So the way I cycle is a bad habit now?

Cycling is safe up to an extreme.It isn't totally safe.

Im really too tired now and im past caring about what people think on this board anymore,being dictated to and patronized all the time is giving me the hump.

Tut tut, stop taking it so personally. All I was saying is that I know I have bad habits, and I'm sure you have a few too, as does everyone on here. No-one's saying you're a bad cyclist, quite the opposite from what I've seen on your videos.

 

[hackbike 6]

Im a knackered (commute 6) gutter hugging cycle lane loving numpty.

 

[J4CKO]

Im with Frank Zappa on this one, i.e. use of a mirror, when I came back to road cycling, as separate and distinct from my occasional off road ventures I loved it but kept looking at an imaginary rear view mirror so I enquired at the local bike shop and got a helmet mounted one, great but very wobbly, I saw a Cateye one in Halfords, much more stable image and wider field of view, plus very little need to adjust it all the time.

I do feel very deliverate movements are required, its all about sending non ambigous signals, I do it in cars but on a bike its much easier due to you not being boxed in, a lot of problems arise from dithering and not making your intentions clear.

I also think sometimes, if you give a driver the option to make a dodgy overtake, they take it and regret or werent happy about the maneuver and most seem to prefer being told what to do, I am having primary so you wait and they are freed from the decision of whether to squeeze through, therefore you have saved them that potential dilema.

However, some are just f*cking animals, like the 100 yd stretch where I rode primary through roadworks the other night to avoid debris, cones and some clown overtaking, guess what the clown went for it, little fat Asian bloke with a tache in a manky E series Merc squeezed through, hit the kerb, nearly hit me, blew his horn, brake tested me and then stopped in the traffic, I stopped and the pussy put his locks down, next time perhaps he will realise the sixteen stone six foot snorting dayglo thing may catch up and is actually rather alarming, much more daunting when separated from large Mercedes.....

There was the local gardener who left hooked me, a beardy old drunkard in his pickup turned left in front of me, no indicators, hit the kerb, he goes in my local, might have a quiet word about his alcohol "enhanced" driving.

Otherwise, most drivers have been good for me, few close overtakes but no actual agression but then I do my best to get out of the way and if someone has done me the courtesy of being patient I raise a hand as they go past which I hope they are taking as a thankyou.

 

[hackbike 6]

Did not have a good ride back tonight.I think I almost spend more time looking behind me then I do looking ahead and sometimes it seems lucky I do.

Loads of boy racers and clowns around tonight and the motorists wern't much better.

Seriously three cyclists to moan about.This is basically what I have to put up with on the roads now.

Cyclist one,we are stopped at traffic lights at Bethnal Green then lights change so he immediately overtakes me and cycles at three miles an hour.I know im frigging 45 now but im no that fking slow.He had no rear light and a filament front light which was crap.Probably cheaper to run L.E.Ds.

Cyclist two a lycra clad johnny who impressed me with his get up and lack of mudguards and the one L.E.D thingy on the back which could probably be seen by someone with a pair of binoculars,so I catch up with him and all he proceeds to do all the way is pedal twice then stop pedalling,so I ditched him.Then cyclist three in courier get-up in Leyton cycles off of the pavement right in front of me without looking,still nothing unusual there.I did wonder what a fixed wheel courier type was doing so far afield as Leyton.Bit out of place.

To go with yet another cycling clown this morning who didn't bother looking behind as he pulled to the right of me,with a bus involved anyway.

It's all gone a bit weird over the last few days,is it a full moon or something?

 

[BentMikey]

Should have given no.3 the horn Hackers! LOL, chuffy?

 

[hackbike 6]

Should have given no.3 the horn Hackers! LOL, chuffy?

Was going quite slow so I didn't really think it was needed.I have used it a few times this week and on peds a few times but the peds have been good in general recently.

It was a ped not seeing me again which made me think up the horn modification.
Effective against motorists and don't really get an aggressive reaction back although I used to with the airzound as it was a bit harsh sometimes.

Im not putting the airzound down for this,very effective,I'd like to modify it so you could use one of those metal bulb thingys which are used for pumping up tyres in an emergency,and modify it so they can be recharged instead of throwing them away.