Guardian Article
- Thread starter magnatom
- Start date
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Riding in Circles
Veteran
- Location
- EDINBURGH
magnatom said:Now remember folks, if you buy you cameras, don't forget to say magnatom sent you.
And don't forget to buy them from me.
Riding in Circles
Veteran
- Location
- EDINBURGH
magnatom said:So how many sales do you need before I get a free one?
(Am I trying just a little bit too hard....)
A free what? Get your mind out of the gutter man!
simon l& and a half
New Member
- Location
- Streatham Hill
congratulations! I saw that and your nom-de-forum leapt off the page.
Greetings Non-Entities!
I can't claim a profile like Magnatom's, I'm like Lisa Scott-Lee to his Madonna. 39 is my press age by the way.
Fiona Russell edited the stuff I sent her (anyone seeing my latest post here will appreciate why) but I went into a fair bit of detail about why I have the camera. Instead of going into it all again, here's a selection of my answers to her questions........
why did you start using it?
A couple of reasons –firstly as a reaction to some of the casual carelessness that anyone who cycles regularly tends to suffer, although I’ve not encountered that much active aggression. Second, I drop my little girl off at school in the morning. This is a very short walk, but after dropping off I jump on the bike to get to the station. The school is in a cul-de-sac within a small estate. Like a lot of school runs, there are more cars than space, and some of the driving gets ‘hasty’. There are a number of concerned local residents and parents (I’m both) who see this as an accident waiting to happen, so I use the cam to push the case for better alternatives. The third reason may be a bit of a surprise, but it’s to cover my own back for accidents with pedestrians. Although I’m a reasonably experienced and ‘correct’ cyclist (no RLJing for me), the ‘out’ status of cycling means that its very easy to get blamed for things that just aren’t your fault. I can give the odd example of this, but I don’t want to moan on too much. Lastly – male - gadget! J
do yo know many others who use the cameras? is it a rising trend?
If you hang around on the cycling forums there seems to be a growing trend, probably encouraged by dropping prices. Camera use does present a paradox and causes some debate. While we’re busy telling people cycling is safe, we’re also busy filming (and moaning) about all the near-death experiences we seem to suffer on a daily basis. I know Magnatom (Dave) has been accused of ‘looking for trouble’ with his cam. I don’t think that’s true in his case, he just has a particularly cr@ppy commute. However, its easy to get even more self-righteous (if that were possible for cyclists) when you’re cammed-up.
I can't claim a profile like Magnatom's, I'm like Lisa Scott-Lee to his Madonna. 39 is my press age by the way.
Fiona Russell edited the stuff I sent her (anyone seeing my latest post here will appreciate why) but I went into a fair bit of detail about why I have the camera. Instead of going into it all again, here's a selection of my answers to her questions........
why did you start using it?
A couple of reasons –firstly as a reaction to some of the casual carelessness that anyone who cycles regularly tends to suffer, although I’ve not encountered that much active aggression. Second, I drop my little girl off at school in the morning. This is a very short walk, but after dropping off I jump on the bike to get to the station. The school is in a cul-de-sac within a small estate. Like a lot of school runs, there are more cars than space, and some of the driving gets ‘hasty’. There are a number of concerned local residents and parents (I’m both) who see this as an accident waiting to happen, so I use the cam to push the case for better alternatives. The third reason may be a bit of a surprise, but it’s to cover my own back for accidents with pedestrians. Although I’m a reasonably experienced and ‘correct’ cyclist (no RLJing for me), the ‘out’ status of cycling means that its very easy to get blamed for things that just aren’t your fault. I can give the odd example of this, but I don’t want to moan on too much. Lastly – male - gadget! J
do yo know many others who use the cameras? is it a rising trend?
If you hang around on the cycling forums there seems to be a growing trend, probably encouraged by dropping prices. Camera use does present a paradox and causes some debate. While we’re busy telling people cycling is safe, we’re also busy filming (and moaning) about all the near-death experiences we seem to suffer on a daily basis. I know Magnatom (Dave) has been accused of ‘looking for trouble’ with his cam. I don’t think that’s true in his case, he just has a particularly cr@ppy commute. However, its easy to get even more self-righteous (if that were possible for cyclists) when you’re cammed-up.
Kaipaith said:
Yeay, Winchester Massive! Whereabouts are you? If you see a stout gentleman riding a yellow kiddyback tandem with his daughter on the back, s'me! Give a wave!
If you look at the vids, I've only had the one exceptional and serious incident over the year that I've had the camera. There are two other majorly annoying ones (the head-on chicken with the driver outside the school and the close taxi overtake). The other couple are 'moans' and 'Little Ms Sunshine' is just funny. Compared with some others, I'll live with those odds.
Despite the 'reputation', I find that Basingstoke is generally an easier cycle than Winch. Winch's hills, narrow roads, traffic and cycling-unfriendly central one-way system can make it hard work.
swee'pea99
Squire
Does that work? I'm interested in this carrying a camera business, but don't wear a helmet, so I've been wondering whether you can get usable pics with a camera actually fixed to the bike.ChrisKH said:
Bollo said:
Hey Bollo!
We will have to meet up for a pint some time. Our lifelines seem to have become irrevocably entwined.....
Actually I would never have said 'clocked it'. I put that down to a little journalistic licence. However, I think the piece did what it set out to do nicely.