Coming home after a quick road ride, i got chatting to another cyclist at the lights. Swapped a few pleasantries etc and went on our seperate ways. He went across two lanes to turn right at the lights, heading into on of those seperated lanes with an island/traffic calmer thing, started trackstanding at the head of the lane waiting for the lights.
I was across the way waiting to turn left.

The car behind him tooted its horn and the passenger leant out of the window and shouted something at him about can he please get out of the way..
Thing is, this bloke then flapped open a wallet and the cyclist moved out of the way. The lights changed and the car drove off.

I can only think it was the police in plaincothes showing their ID – is it legal of them to do that in order to get a cyclist out of their way considering they weren’t using lights/sirens etc?

Mrs deadly calls those cars “plain clothes cars” 😀

Don’t be silly, if it was da police then you do what they ask, obstructing the the law is an offence.

perhaps they both use the same library and share an unspoken rule to yield to whomever produces their card first?

it was a photo of the cyclist and the vicar doing something unholy.

Round here its more likely to be a sheep than the local vicar!

At least they asked nicely.

It’s perfectly legal to inform someone who you are, and perfectly legal to ask someone to move if they’re in your way. For any of us. Lack of lights/sirens (if they were police) doesn’t necessarily mean they weren’t trying to get somewhere ASAP.

chelsea headhunters calling card

Maybe it was due to the cringing embarrassment of seeing someone trackstanding at traffic lights.

It is, after all, the equivalent of an 8 year old doing no-hands to impress all the girls.

Maybe it was due to the cringing embarrassment of seeing someone trackstanding at traffic lights.

It is, after all, the equivalent of an 8 year old doing no-hands to impress all the girls.

Clearly can’t trackstand.

but i track stand at every set of lights i stop at on my 7 mile comute through london everytime 5 days a week !

Used to see this all the time back in the day as a courier in that London. So much wasted effort and energy just to look like an 8 year old.

Laughable.

And yes, I can track stand and do no-hands and wheelies… just not as an adult at traffic lights.

Why does it bother you so much though?

I do trackstands at lights, because it”s a good opportunity to practice balancing skilz dem.

And cos it impresses the gurlz.

I’ve had people clapping my trackstands. 😀

Used to see this all the time back in the day as a courier in that London. So much wasted effort and energy just to look like an 8 year old.

Laughable.

And yes, I can track stand and do no-hands and wheelies… just not as an adult at traffic lights.

What a strange attitude! I find it takes next to no energy to track stand. And I’ve no idea why it would be to impress anyone. Some people are very odd.

MrNutt’s idea makes me grin inside.

Doesn’t bother me in the slightest. It does makes me smirk though.
If you like doing it, then do it.

I just think it looks like showing off and find that behavior slightly embarrassing for an adult.

And are you really suggesting you’ve never once thought about how it might look to others?

Yep. And I know they’re looking on in awe.

All except one miserable jealous sod…

*goes off to practice track stands*

I’m 57 and I always trackstand at lights on my commuter. It’s sometimes a bit harder if I’m coming back from doing the shopping and I have my single pannier loaded down with meat & veg. And get my toe wedged against the front tyre, with the overlap.

But I did get a round of applause from the homeless shelter once…

I trackstand at lights often, because it’s quicker than unclipping and having to re-clip whilst trying to move off from the lights quickly and get out of the way of all the cars.

Especially on the roadie with stupid Look pedals.

Once I stood for a while and a roadie waiting at the same lights to come the other way complimented me on it. Nice, although I hadn’t considered it anything worth of compliment 🙂

It’s much harder on the continent though – being on the other side of the road means the camber is reversed and you have to reverse your stance.

Speaking as an ex courier in London town back in the 80’s I remember enviously watching other couriers track stand. I have tried and failed at it ever since. I always think one day it will magically just happen so if you ever spot a very middle aged lady complete with cycle clips, helmet and bell losing her balance at a traffic light it will be me failing to track stand yet again…….

Thegreatape all true but the cyclist was waiting at a red light I thought police cars ciouldn’t go through red lights unless sirens/blue lights etc.

Why the trackstand hate feefoo? it’s hardly drawing attention to yourself is it? (unless you’re doing it no handed/footed) infact the better you are at it (ie completely motionless) the less people will notice. Clipping back in is a pain and can distract you from other stuff happening on the road and trackstanding is an invaluable mtb skill. If there’s railings or similar to hold onto at a red light I will use that, if not then it’s trackstand practice.

I thought police cars ciouldn’t go through red lights unless sirens/blue lights etc.

The exemption for speed limits certainly doesn’t require this, and I assume it’s the same for red lights.

I track stand at traffic lights. I try and do it casually though (no wobbling), cos otherwise it’s unimpressive (to girls). Not clipped in, so my excuses are that it’s good MTB practice and you get away from the lights marginally quicker. Basically though, as with most things to do with bikes, it’s fun the way fun used to be when you were 8.

Am guessing that as a London courier Feefoo doesn’t do traffic lights anyway.

Oh, and the men in the un marked car…surely everyone knows who they are?

Like Tess I was also a courier back in the 80s and 90s.

I know for a fact that it takes more energy to do (something maybe more important for a courier than a commuter) and gives you, approximately, a 0.002 second advantage getting away from the lights over someone having to clip back in.

The simple fact that people say they’ve been congratulated on it, means they know that they’ve been showing off. I find that cringing as an adult.

The bottom line is, if you enjoy it, keep doing it.
I’ll keep laughing when I see you do it and so we’ll both be happy.

I thought police cars ciouldn’t go through red lights unless sirens/blue lights etc.
The exemption for speed limits certainly doesn’t require this, and I assume it’s the same for red lights.

This is correct. The decision to use lights/sirens is up to the driver, (and for him to justify why he did or didn’t use them if something goes wrong). It’s not obligatory.

thebunk – Member
…..Oh, and the men in the un marked car…surely everyone knows who they are?

Librarians?

The simple fact that people say they’ve been congratulated on it, means they know that they’ve been showing off. I find that cringing as an adult.

Seeing married couples wearing matching cycle outfits and helmets and riding the same model of bike I find cringeworthy as an adult. Seeing someone do a trackstand? Not in the slightest, but then, my intolerance levels are obviously triggered by different things.

Perhaps it was the fashion police, warning another fixie owner.

Jujuuk68 – Member
Perhaps it was the fashion police, warning another fixie owner.

I genuinely laughed at this comment 😉