Is the way you're treated by other road users dependant on what bike you're riding?

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Jon George

Mamil and couldn't care less
Location
Suffolk an' Good
At the beginning of the year, I bought a lightweight Brompton to use on train excursions. (It arrived a week before Lockdown - oh, the irony!) I have noticed however, that even though I still maintain my riding in Primary/Secondary approach to road use when on it, I've been cut up more, and beeped at far more for not 'being where I should be', than when on my road bikes.
This only really occurred to me as a possible issue today when I took a donated BSO with wide tyres out for a test ride and was afforded a seemingly excessive number of close passes.
I know research has been done on this (in particular regard to what clothing/protection a cyclist is wearing), but has anyone else been aware of anything similar? Or should I just reach for the anti-paranoid tablets? :whistle:
 

KiterStu

Active Member
Location
Rickmansworth
Yep, when I rode a CCM R30 650 single with a straight through exhaust that rattled windows and set car alarms off, the general public tended to give me a very wide berth. Plod showed an unwelcome interest though 🤔
 
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I seem to get the impression its more as a class war as to what you are wearing, what you are riding and what side of the social spectrum you seem to come come from .

Dressed as a "proper" cyclist in all lycra, you are a silly twat playing on the roads , dressed in a business suit on anything then you are a middle class knob who deserves pushing into the gutter .
However dressed in Civvies, in particular a hoodie, looking like a builder on a ancient BSO, or a youngster pulling wheelies at them then they will leave well alone.
I do seem to notice however that women get treated a bit different, either given a huge wide berth or "scared" with a close path not caring what they look like or what they are on.
 

steveindenmark

Legendary Member
It makes no difference what I ride. I get very few close passes🇩🇰
 

rivers

How far can I go?
Location
Bristol
If the dog is in her trailer, we get very few close passes. And last year, on our annual club fancy dress/run what ya brung ride, 99% of motorists gave us loads of space and we're incredibly patient. Even though we ended up as one massive group.
 
I once cycled home with 2 very large compost bins (one inside the other) on a single wheeled trailer. Not only did they give me lots of room they slowed down to look at me as they passed. The same with car drivers coming in the other direction.
 
If the dog is in her trailer, we get very few close passes. And last year, on our annual club fancy dress/run what ya brung ride, 99% of motorists gave us loads of space and we're incredibly patient. Even though we ended up as one massive group.


If you have a dog trailer you should have sign on the back saying "puppies on board"
 
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