After 5-6 bland months of barely being able to lean the bike, because of road salt, rain or even a touch of snow, the tarmac is dry…ahhhhhh.
Try as I might, I can’t say I hate riding through the worst of UK weather, I like the variety and would dislike living in a country that was pretty much the same every day. I’d never notice the time passing or appreciating ‘the moment’, whether that’s good or bad. When that first day happens when I don’t have to put waterproofs on, or make sure inner linings are zipped in, it’s a real treat. Suddenly I can wear Kevlar jeans instead of bulky trousers. I have less to put on when I go to and leave work. I like it.
Well nnot quite motorcycles, but I took advantage of the hot weather and no meetings to cycle to work yesterday. 44km/28 miles each way with approx. 400m of climbing. It was my first cycling in 8 weeks after a spill on country lane (too fast into a bend & front wheel washed out) and a seperated shoulder…
…TBH if I rode motor bikes someone else would have my liver and kidneys by now!
The thing that i don’t understand is why cyclists go on road with other cars. It is stupid since there is no frame surrounding your body and also you can’t keep up with the speed of cars. I always cycle on the pavement wherever possible.
I know it pisses people off but I would rather not end up in hospital with broken legs or being paralysed.
I can’t answer your question. I feel sorry that you live in a country, state or city that has infrastructure and a car culture that makes you feel that way.
In the UK cycling on pavements/sidewalks is usually illegal and they don’t exist out in the countryside anyway. Assertive positioning and signalling is usually enough to keep you safe.
Motorcycle or Cycle, it makes no difference around these parts I reckon Hope you enjoyed that ride, sounds good to me!
Do you know, one of the things I’ve heard a lot over the years, is that when motorcycling is raised as a topic, about a 1/4 of the people say they’d end up killing themselves on it if they rode. I find it quite interesting, does this mean they have no control? Does it mean they are completely irresponsible and ‘mad’. Some of those that have said this, have been successful (i.e. sensible) in business - this, I’m assuming, would require forward planning. Forward planning as a skill, is invaluable and life saving on 2 wheels.
Haha, it’s just my ability over the years to have come off my bicycle (road and off road). I was mostly joking but I’ve had a few good friend s seriously injured after getting a bit to carried away on their motorbikes (too much speed, not enough reading the road). My dad unfortunately lost a few mates in the 70’s in bike accidents and had a couple of near misses himself and then only road on tracks after that, so I suppose I grew up with that too…
You are correct on forward planning. I used to cycle to work in London and did so for 5 years without incident. Riding defensively and thinking about what others around you are doing is essential
Just wish to clarify, I wasn’t asked to contribute my opinion, just felt like it
There is certainly a gamble with cycling on a road and I’ve seen a number of ‘close calls’. I suppose we have to respect a persons right to taking some form of risk, as soon as you step out your front door, it starts. I guess if I was a world overlord, I might prefer people to get out and cycle instead of staying at home eating junk food as an internet connection distracts from the potential real reality outside.
There are counties that do it a hell of a lot better than the UK (as I’m sure you know), in some places they don’t wear helmets because the risk is so low.
There was another cyclist killed by a lorry turning left, promoting a huge campaign of stickers on the back of large vehicles, warning cyclists not to pass on the inside.
I think if the infrastructure is there, both vehicles can, on average, live together. The greater risk is when cyclists use roads that have a high amount of use. I saw a cyclist on a dual carriage way only last week, my immediate thought was, “Are you crazy being next to 70mph 2+ tonne vehicles???”. But then I reflected and re-thought my reaction…we all need to do that from time to time. If I was cycling and an alternative safe route took me 2-4 additional miles, I’d take the risk. I guess we all have an inner barometer with a preference for levels of risk, some don’t risk leaving their home, others happily jump out of a perfectly functional aeroplane!
Bike awareness was almost non-existent in the 70’s, up until the 90’s I would say. The history of motorcycling (only speaking for the UK) was quite interesting. It began with only curious engineers, who were interested more in the technical aspects. Then the evolution of motorcycles made it easier to ride them, requiring far less technical knowledge. They seemed dangerous (and they were), bearing in mind crash helmets if they were worn, were made of leather! So the cool gang got involved, followed by a mixture of passionate bikers, then it became an occasional hobby. Quite interesting stuff. My Dad (who never rode) also had friends that died on a bike, people were loony and it was considered the norm’. Much like the original Formula 1 racing had casualties and it was considered normal for people to die and have spectators watching the whole thing for entertainment. I do wonder if WW2 had an effect on people from a risk point of view? If you were a war baby, you might have grown up hearing, “oh Simon who lived there, he died in the war”. Hearing that might have been a precursor to people literally ‘living to the max’…before Pepsi came along
In over 20+ years of riding, I’ve had some unpleasant experiences (which I may allude to in other posts if anyone’s interested), but I’ve also had some great ones with like-minded individuals. If riding a bike became over night 100% safe, I’d still do it as oddly I don’t like risk (never used the stock exchange for example, or gambled). I enjoy the efficiency, ease of parking, passing (safely) static traffic and that’s time saved that others cannot. Of course it’s also taken time from me as well, hey ho!
I was a motorcycle dispatch rider for a while in the mid-late 90’s. I actually used to spread my knees out as far as possible, so I could feel a car pull in the side of me, before they hit the bike. Crazy thinking back, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Sorry about the length of this response by the way…avoiding work
Over here on the continent I started riding a month ago. Right now I think it’s 27C outside CRAZY!. I’ve done all the maintenance. The lower throttle response is poor i guess clogged carbs. It jerks while i do fine hand movements on the throttle. Other than that it’s great so far. Looking forward riding somewhere and getting lost :D. Also be safe out there.
I work quite a bit in Copenhagen and The Hague, the Danish and Dutch have a much better attitude to more vulnerable road users and ensuring that infrastructure is in place for vechiles other than cars. The UK is very hit and miss in comparison.
Plenty of motorcyclists out on the A413 south of Silverstone this morning, I was jealous
Having a motorbike for work would actually make a lot of sense for me
Quite right, the Danish and Dutch do seem to have perfected cycling and made it the preferred method of inner city travel…although do they have better weather on average than us?
Yeah, plenty of bikes out today…I’m out, but in the office for some necessary work, it isn’t right!
Well, if you don’t have to carry much, a motorbike could be handy for you If you can get any sort of post-training after a test, I’d strongly recommend it. Any advanced tuition is better than nothing, RoSPA is the highest one, which I did a good while ago. Normally Police or Ex-Police Riders, well worth listening too.
Hope you enjoyed that ride, sounds good to me!
