Sadly loosing interest in cycling

[S.Giles]

Am I unusual in having very few problems? I cycle commute in London (23m round trip 4-5 times a week) plus weekend country rides. There are a few careless people but abuse, I cannot think of any at all in the past few years..... I cycle about 5000km a year, so out a lot

Take S.Yorks out of the equation and I would agree with you. I think there must be a geographical factor to this. Cycling style and luck will also play a part, I'd imagine.

 

[swee'pea99]

Am I unusual in having very few problems? I cycle commute in London (23m round trip 4-5 times a week) plus weekend country rides. There are a few careless people but abuse, I cannot think of any at all in the past few years..... I cycle about 5000km a year, so out a lot

Don't know if you're unusual, but without wishing to tempt fate, my experience resembles yours: daily riding in London, very few problems, abuse all but unknown. (Having said which, it does change in the suburbs...a few miles out into Essex or Herts and you do encounter the occasional psycho...stupidly close/fast passes, 100% unnecessarily.)

 

[jnrmczip]

As I live in glasgow yep I've experiance abuse on occasions but I find it works best to just smile give a little wave seems to frustrate them more. Don't get me wrong I've also encountered full blown arguments but I save them for the mega numpty driver who thinks it's nice to endanger your life because they can't really drive in the first place. I don't let it put me off cycling that would make me feel like they have won and why should they put me off something I love because of their stinking attitude. At the end of the day I'm the one who is happy and healthy they are stressed lazy and are having a worse time than me

 

[jdtate101]

What about giving MTBing a go...no cars and you still get some exercise.

 

[Bazzer]

May be I have been lucky, at least so far, in that apart from two incidents, both when I was cycling with one of my daughters, I have been unaware of abuse coming my way. Being hit by cars had more of impact on me, pardon the pun, than the abuse.
I suspect that drivers who get angry with cyclists are also likely to be the same with other road users. If someone gets angry over someone going slow, or taking up road space they consider "theirs", they are going to get angry whether it is a cyclist, moped rider, bus whatever. Eventually they get their come upance, although unfortunately in some instances, it takes someone being injured or losing a life before they are brought to book.
It's a hard attitude to adopt sometimes, but I consider I have a much right to use the roads as others. And if I stop using the roads with my bike, then the dick heads have won.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Am I unusual in having very few problems? I cycle commute in London (23m round trip 4-5 times a week) plus weekend country rides. There are a few careless people but abuse, I cannot think of any at all in the past few years..... I cycle about 5000km a year, so out a lot

Don't know if you're unusual, but without wishing to tempt fate, my experience resembles yours: daily riding in London, very few problems, abuse all but unknown. (Having said which, it does change in the suburbs...a few miles out into Essex or Herts and you do encounter the occasional psycho...stupidly close/fast passes, 100% unnecessarily.)

I'm with you guys, I ride assertively and use friendly body language and positive reinforcement with drivers, particularly on my commute riding when I'll likely see/be seen by many of the same people day in day out, building up a rapport with waves of thanks, clear gestures to wait, go by etc being sensible and predictable in my own riding all seems to help get me leeway and no bother from 99.99% of my fellow road users. I have more problems with pedestrians not paying attention as they step out and the odd moronic school kid showing off to their pals by shouting something dumb, than motor vehicles.

 

[RitchieJoe]

Used to be a great cyclist, but over the past year I have been going out less and less and summer arriving doesn't excite me anymore. I'm 24 and cycled mainly to help my anxiety disorder and depression and did 55 plus mile cycles a day sometimes.

However now I'm just fed up with the abuse from car drivers and I no longer want to go out on my bike which is making me feel worse. Lately finishing a cycle brings relief I haven't been killed or knocked off my bike due to a mad person who hates cyclists. People shout obscenities at me on frequent occasions or think its funny to beep the horn at cyclists. I have had it with some car drivers and sadly cycling doesn't appeal the same way it used to.

Has anyone else experienced a lot of abuse to make you think whats the point?

Please pardon the expression but...... f**k them.

Do not let some ignorant lousy bastards chase you away from something which you have enjoyed and also reaped health benefits from, I am waiting for my bike to be delivered and I am beginning to cycle for the exact same reasons you did.... don't let them win and give anybody with previously stated behavior a nice salute as they go by

 

[Drago]

Not a problem for me, though for many potential abusers it's a case of self preservation as I'm rather bigger than most of them

I.find.I'm the butt end of more abuse and discourtesy from other drivers when I'm out in the wife's Prius than on the bike. When I'm in my own armoured personnel carrier they leave me well alone.

 

[Accy cyclist]

If you want verbal abuse while out cycling come to east Lancashire! There are plenty of thickos here who see someone dressed in lycra as a "puff" because you're doing something they are incapable of. The nicest place i've ridden in is Norfolk. I went there 2 years ago for a holiday,no close passes,plenty of giving way to me,no dumbo chavs on mountain bikes thinking they've beat you because they can overtake you when you've just done 50 miles while they've just got out of bed!

 

[Accy cyclist]

Please pardon the expression but...... f**k them.

Do not let some ignorant lousy bastards chase you away from something which you have enjoyed and also reaped health benefits from, I am waiting for my bike to be delivered and I am beginning to cycle for the exact same reasons you did.... don't let them win and give anybody with previously stated behavior a nice salute as they go by

Like the bloke who waited till i got round that roundabout yesterday when i was signalling left. I signalled my thanks, he then gave me a 6ft gap as he overtook and flashed his hazard lights in appreciation of my signalling, Small things like that remind you that not every driver is a get there before you wonker!

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

South Yorkshire has the Trans Pennine Trail
One arm of it runs straight past Stairfoot roundabout. I've been running around on it on my mountain bike for years. Maps are available from book shops.
I'm a former Rotherham resident and now live in Penistone and work in Barnsley, and I've got to agree they contain some of the most monumental shoots ever to take to four wheels.
We just have to take care of ourselves and hope that one day the police are allowed to enforce road laws again.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Around here I'm lucky to have a network of off road routes that, bizzarely for this wretched country, actually get you where you want to go without ending abruptly. The sooner we have more routes like that the better .

I make extensive use of the local cycletracks in my area, and yes, I can cycle right into the centre of Glasgow on them, so why would I take the road (during the day at least)??
As such, I have had very little problems over the years.

What annoys me probably more than motons though are the local 'cycletrack snobs'. I am not saying the tracks are always perfect, and granted, parts of it are canal towpath, which, depending on my tyres, I do avoid (certainly the 3 or so miles between Bowling and Clydebank before I can cut off onto the tarmaced southern path to Glasgow and beyond) due to the surface of tiny stones, BUT, when compared to the alternative, certainly where I live, they are the best and a lot of the other non canal routes are paved with tarmac, so are just like small roads (Dumbarton to Bowling is like a racetrack to me)!
I certainly have talked to people who just look at me like I am something they have just scraped off their shoe at the subject, so, if you want to go all the time on the roads like the A82 or even needlessly the back roads, due to some sort of massochistic urge or whatever, then don't come moaning to me about abuse!

As I live in glasgow yep I've experiance abuse on occasions

I have to say I have experienced very, very little in the middle of Glasgow. About the worst I have had on the streets there was a taxi doing a U - Turn on me under the 'Heilanman's Umbrella', but I was able to slow down in time, and anyway, @Pat "5mph" told me that is common there because it is so dark compared to everything else in daylight, or something, so I didn't take it personally.

May be I have been lucky, at least so far, in that apart from two incidents, both when I was cycling with one of my daughters, I have been unaware of abuse coming my way. Being hit by cars had more of impact on me, pardon the pun, than the abuse.

That is it right there - I might have had more abuse than I realise, but I haven't seen or heard it, so I will never know.

I remember marshalling a Triathalon a few years back, and watching as a cyclist came along to the junction to cut off the main road, whilst a coach full of tourists followed behind. The driver was practically bouncing in his seat at all the hand gestures and gesticulations he was doing.

I doubt the cyclist in front saw ANY of it, which made the coach driver look like an even sadder idiot, and I really wish I had seen him after the cyclist had turned off!!

 

[RitchieJoe]

South Yorkshire has the Trans Pennine Trail
One arm of it runs straight past Stairfoot roundabout. I've been running around on it on my mountain bike for years. Maps are available from book shops.
I'm a former Rotherham resident and now live in Penistone and work in Barnsley, and I've got to agree they contain some of the most monumental shoots ever to take to four wheels.
We just have to take care of ourselves and hope that one day the police are allowed to enforce road laws again.

I live in barnsley so that sounds ominous for when I get my bike delivered. Perhaps I should of purchased a cyclocross.....

 

[Cyclist33]

Yes I have considered a club before and may end up joining one. Think I will give cycling a bit of a break for now. Shame I have given in to bullying car motorists.

get a mountain bike, saddle up and get riding trails. no cars!

 

[Racing roadkill]

Used to be a great cyclist, but over the past year I have been going out less and less and summer arriving doesn't excite me anymore. I'm 24 and cycled mainly to help my anxiety disorder and depression and did 55 plus mile cycles a day sometimes.

However now I'm just fed up with the abuse from car drivers and I no longer want to go out on my bike which is making me feel worse. Lately finishing a cycle brings relief I haven't been killed or knocked off my bike due to a mad person who hates cyclists. People shout obscenities at me on frequent occasions or think its funny to beep the horn at cyclists. I have had it with some car drivers and sadly cycling doesn't appeal the same way it used to.

Has anyone else experienced a lot of abuse to make you think whats the point?

Yep, it gets extremely tiresome, but as long as I still get out onto the quiet roads, it makes getting grief from the occasional fanny, water under the bridge. Don't let idiots stop you doing something you enjoy. I'd say you may just need to adjust your routes a little bit, to avoid the busier roads, or maybe switch to mainly off road / MTB type riding for the most part, that may help.