Shouted at TWICE Damn Pedestrians

[Trevrev]

Can't do it then?

Never tried to do it, never wanted to do it, don't see the point in doing it, and everyone i do see doing it looks totally uncool and Twatish!

 

[hennbell]

Ah, OK then - and I thought I was pedantic Let me qualify my assertion:

Riding as fast as you want to, whilst abiding by the law and taking account of the conditions (be they weather, road, pedestrians or any of the other 1001 things that one needs to be aware of) isn't antisocial.

Anyway, I'm off to the pub. Any of my responses after 10pm will be under the influence of several pints of this:

Cheers

Send some to Canada I could use a drink!

 

[Smurfy]

don't see the point in doing it

Because it improves bike handling, and so makes a better rider.

They'll be lots of times, especially when commuting, that it's useful to be able to balance well at extremely low speed, which is very similar to the skill required to do a trackstand.

For riding MTB it's also useful to have good balance skills, for example, when struggling uphill on single-track, at a very low speed, with the backwheel losing traction over tree roots and rocks.

Surfers also require good balance, and have a dry-land exercise for improving their balance, it looks like this.

 

[Trevrev]

Because it improves bike handling, and so makes a better rider.

They'll be lots of times, especially when commuting, that it's useful to be able to balance well at extremely low speed, which is very similar to the skill required to do a trackstand.

For riding MTB it's also useful to have good balance skills, for example, when struggling uphill on single-track, at a very low speed, with the backwheel losing traction over tree roots and rocks.

Surfers also require good balance, and have a dry-land exercise for improving their balance, it looks like this.

Still don't see the point! I'm very good at putting my foot down and staying very still.
There's a place for things, and in rush hour traffic thats not the place for showing off. And lets be perfectly honest, it is just showing off.
As long as you're moving, regardless of how fast, you are able to balance. If you stop put your foot down. No real skill involved and you don't look a knob.

 

[Smurfy]

Still don't see the point! I'm very good at putting my foot down and staying very still.
There's a place for things, and in rush hour traffic thats not the place for showing off. And lets be perfectly honest, it is just showing off.
As long as you're moving, regardless of how fast, you are able to balance. If you stop put your foot down. No real skill involved and you don't look a knob.

If you want to filter in traffic then putting a foot down isn't much help, but being able to negotiate wing mirrors, and turn 90 degrees between the bumpers of queuing cars to take a better route through the traffic will help a lot. You need good balance to do that, or you'll scrape cars. Trackstanding is an opportunity (when you would otherwise be doing nothing) to practice the skill of keeping your bike upright without any help from gyroscopic forces.

Also, if I'm at the front of a queue of cars, it gives me a headstart to get across the junction. As soon as the lights change I can move forward just as quickly as I can turn my handlebars straight (which is very quick). I don't have to worry about getting my other foot clipped in.

Whether anyone looks like a knob while doing it is subjective.

 

[400bhp]

Err...I cant

err
err
err

 

[paulw1969]

i think (and i am yet to return to commuting) that being able to balance at low speeds is a neccessary skill and shows that you can handle your bike. Dont motorcyclists have show that they can control their bikes at lower speeds?
I have only just returned to cycling after a long break however already i have several times found it easier to slow down early (and twatstand as a last resort) than unclip and put my foot down due to knowing the lights are about to change. I know that due to being new to road shoes i am slow off the mark while i generally faff about getting my foot clipped back in so if safe to do so i will try and stay clipped in.
Having seen plenty of the videos (Gaz's for instance) of people jumping ped crossings whilst people are crossing i am of the mind that i will stop altogether so as not to intimidate and also not take the risk of an accident due to the actions of unpredictable peds.

 

[paulw1969]

Also, if I'm at the front of a queue of cars, it gives me a headstart to get across the junction. As soon as the lights change I can move forward just as quickly as I can turn my handlebars straight (which is very quick). I don't have to worry about getting my other foot clipped in

Whether anyone looks like a knob while doing it is subjective.

beat me to it

 

[400bhp]

There's a difference doing what you suggest, and practicing this in rush hour commute, generally seen at the head of and in front of red traffic lights.

 

[paulw1969]

There's a difference doing what you suggest, and practicing this in rush hour commute, generally seen at the head of and in front of red traffic lights.

sorry not with you ...can you explain for a newbie (soon to be return commuter)?

 

[Trevrev]

If you want to filter in traffic then putting a foot down isn't much help, but being able to negotiate wing mirrors, and turn 90 degrees between the bumpers of queuing cars to take a better route through the traffic will help a lot. You need good balance to do that, or you'll scrape cars. Trackstanding is an opportunity (when you would otherwise be doing nothing) to practice the skill of keeping your bike upright without any help from gyroscopic forces.

Also, if I'm at the front of a queue of cars, it gives me a headstart to get across the junction. As soon as the lights change I can move forward just as quickly as I can turn my handlebars straight (which is very quick). I don't have to worry about getting my other foot clipped in.

Whether anyone looks like a knob while doing it is subjective.

Why would you want to put you foot down while filtering? I only put my foot down when i've stopped.
As for negotiating wing mirrors while filtering, thats just basic slow cycling. Nothing flash about that.
So, are you telling me, that to filter correctly i need to be able to Trackstand?
I thought you needed to be stationary to trackstand.
As for you practicing a skill in front of shed loads of traffic, rather you than me.

 

[caimg]

I'm just popping in to say 'he jesters at the lights' was definitely the highlight of the OP.

 

[Dan B]

As for you practicing a skill in front of shed loads of traffic

Sounds reasonable to me. Worst case is you fall over and they have to wait before moving off while you get up and rub your elbow, but usually it's easy enough to get a foot down if you think you're going over.

 

[Trevrev]

. Worst case is you fall over and they have to wait before moving off while......Pissing themselves laughing!

 

[Smurfy]

Why would you want to put you foot down while filtering?

You wouldn't want to. And if you can trackstand then it's less likely that you'll have to.

As for negotiating wing mirrors while filtering, thats just basic slow cycling. Nothing flash about that.

I've seen a lot of commuters who can't do 'basic slow cycling'. Their balance is too poor, so they have to put their foot/feet down.

So, are you telling me, that to filter correctly i need to be able to Trackstand?

No, I said that practicing a trackstand will improve your balance and bike handling skills, which can never be a bad thing when filtering.

I thought you needed to be stationary to trackstand.

You do, and it's harder than cycling slowly, so it's a more highly developed skill. If you can trackstand then filtering slowly through traffic will be easier.

As for you practicing a skill in front of shed loads of traffic, rather you than me.

Drivers only notice cyclists when they think they're being held up, I'm already more than halfway across the junction by the time they've started moving. Last Sunday when I did a trackstand at the traffic lights in the centre of Otley, I was 100 yards down the road before the first driver caught up with me.