Is the pandemic cycling craze here to stay?

[Oldhippy]

Bike Nation by Peter Walker is a well written logical look at what, why and how to improve things. Highly recommended if you haven't read it.

 

[mustang1]

You need to remember that the majority on here are also car owners and for some that live in remote communities a car is pretty much a necessity.
The government has banned the sale of fossil fuel cars from 2030. What else could they do? And do you mean an initiative to promote cycling or to discourage the use of cars and how could they do that?

Something like what was done in Amsterdam, a total shake up. I also find it hard to believe fossil fuel cars will be banned from 2030; they might say everything should be hybrid (subjective on my part).

 

[mustang1]

I'd thought that too. There is a penalty in winter if the owner chooses to pre-heat the interior using mains power, but otherwise there is no disincentive to very short trips. It's the same with PHEVs. Mind you, the low mpg and extra pollution don't seem to put people off driving a couple of hundred yards in a petrol car.

The problem with PHEVs is it's very easy to not charge the battery from the mains supply overnight: "Meh, it's too cold out there, I'll charge it another day". Unless one is disciplined to charge the vehicle.

 

[Archie_tect]

Something like what was done in Amsterdam, a total shake up. I also find it hard to believe fossil fuel cars will be banned from 2030; they might say everything should be hybrid (subjective on my part).

I think they've said hybrid cars will be banned in 2035.

 

[matticus]

- " ...And do you mean an initiative to promote cycling or to discourage the use of cars and how could they do that?"

Something like what was done in Amsterdam, a total shake up.

Yup. And if a tin-pot little country like Holland can do it, think what Great Britain must be capable of!!

 

[dodgy]

I think they've said hybrid cars will be banned in 2035.

In reality, hardly any manufacturer is going to design and build hybrids, nobody will want them. Much more to go wrong with them for a start.
Most people will eventually cotton on that Toyota's miraculous 'self charging' marketing words is just pure bollocks and will go full electric.

 

[Archie_tect]

In reality, hardly any manufacturer is going to design and build hybrids, nobody will want them. Much more to go wrong with them for a start.
Most people will eventually cotton on that Toyota's miraculous 'self charging' marketing words is just pure bollocks and will go full electric.

Loads of manufacturers have switched a lot of production to PHEV, so I think they'll become more and more popular [once the price comes down!].

 

[dodgy]

Loads of manufacturers have switched a lot of production to PHEV, so I think they'll become more and more popular [once the price comes down!].

Only because of the fear of change by customers, also easy to slap a small battery under the boot and a crappy electric motor to one of the axles and go "hey, look at our phev" which hasn't required actual innovation or tooling changes. I'll stand by it, PHEVs are dead once the public become educated, and they will.

 

[snorri]

If city-centre working declines, if populations tilt towards larger houses with home offices in rural or semi-rural areas, then the bike becomes the vehicle for the run to the local shop, visits to local friends .

I have my doubts, as long as rural roads have a 60mph NSL, utility cycling is not going to catch on.

 

[dodgy]

My biggest concern with electric was running out of charge and having nowhere to recharge. The petrol aspect is a nice safety blanket in that respect. So for my usage (occasional long trips of one to three hundred miles, sometimes in France. Some trips of around 50 miles. Very few short trips.) I didn't like the idea of full electric.

Youtube is chock-full of people doing 1000 mile drives across Europe, often in a single day. I've done Wirral to Morzine in a single day in a borrowed Tesla Model 3, it's a piece of the proverbial. Your real limit on long drives is your bladder size, how hungry you, and how tired you're getting. You may as well stop for a brew and a pee, meanwhile your car is charging up. We did Wirral to Morzine (or very near it) in 14 hours door to door including stopping at Eurotunnel, charging, etc. In other years it's taken about the same in a normal ICE car.

You just need to relearn how you view long drives.
Anyway, off topic!

 

[matticus]

I have my doubts, as long as rural roads have a 60mph NSL, utility cycling is not going to catch on.

Not all rural roads are NSL; not having driven for a few years, I'd failed to notice that most of our out-of-town local roads are 40mph (with the odd 50 just to confuse everyone!). Sections that are 10 miles between significant villages or towns wouldn't attract much Utliity Cycling anyway, so they don't matter (they're just for us leisure cyclists to worry about!)

Holland and Belgium have plenty of roads still - you can still move a wardrobe when you need to

 

[ianrauk]

It isn't compulsory to go out in a blizzard just wearing a thong to prove you're "a proper cyclist".

Then dont do it

 

[matticus]

...
None of them looked like they would forget the fun. Like most people who cycle, they'll probably do it less in wet and cold weather, but I'm pretty sure they'll be back, and if they don't continue, that's their choice.
It isn't compulsory to go out in a blizzard just wearing a thong to prove you're "a proper cyclist".

https://winterbiketoworkday.org/

 

[Lovacott]

I was out for about two hours yesterday on foot and on bike and I saw one carbon roadie, one hybrid rider, and one youth standing astride a cheap Challenge MTB outside the kebab shop. That was it, so four riders including me on a top of the range Apollo! .

I hadn't seen any road cyclists out on my route since November until the other night when I was delayed home by a bit of overtime followed by a roadside puncture repair.

So instead of hitting the home straight at 5.50pm, it was more like 7.10pm.

There were quite a few people out and about on bikes on my final stretch into town.

I can only assume that they are now back at work in this less than total lockdown and they are going out on their bikes after they got home from work?

Still, it's a hell of a contrast to back in June when the local back lanes seemed to have been taken over by Boardman ADV 8.6's with badly fitted , fully clipped in Lycra riders and little old me on my Apollo, football shorts and workboots.

The important thing is though, is not to make cycling out to be some kind of elitist or exclusive sport.

At the end of the day, a bike is a bike and by extension, anyone who rides one, is a cyclist.

If someone wants to go to Halfords and spend £140 on an entry level bike, they should be encouraged to do so and when they are on the road (even if it is just once a year), they should be acknowledged for their efforts.

 

[Cycleops]

Yup. And if a tin-pot little country like Holland can do it, think what Great Britain must be capable of!!

Agree that Holland is a tin pot country but the topography is rather different to the UK.
Amsterdam is just one city and considerably smaller than London.