My new helmet

Surely that’s down to opinion ? Just because you think we’re riding badly doesn’t mean we actually ARE ? Just because you think we’re reckless doesn’t mean we actually are ?

As someone who commutes year round on a motorbike, the answer is yes: you are riding badly. I hate this time of year, suddenly Madrid fills up with fair weather bikers who haven’t been on two wheels for the past 6 months, and it shows. They can’t filter, they’re all over the road, no awareness of other bikers, etc. Give it a month or two and it settles down, but the first few weeks are a nightmare.

Owning a fast bike and a 1 piece leathers doesn’t automatically make people incompetent.

I’m sorry, but while not automatic, in a lot of cases it really, really does make them not only incompetent, but bloody dangerous! As evidenced by plenty of people posting on this thread, who’d witnessed the usual first-sunny-sunday bell-endery on display yesterday

to me its like when you watch some urban hipster on his fixie, up and down on the pavement, scattering pedestrians, jumping red lights. Everyone looks at them and says ‘bloody cyclists!’. Rightly or wrongly, everyone gets tarred with the same brush

I have to ask – do you polish your helmet as much as your bikes? 😀

I have to ask – do you polish your helmet as much as your bikes

Doesn’t really need it, i rarely use it !

I’ve driven fairly often on the A65 through autumn/winter, and the vast, vast majority of bikers I’ve experienced at that time of year (even on bone dry roads) are patient, safe, riders, who overtake skilfully, even in small gaps.

If things stay true to form for the next six months, there will be a flood of idiots who’ve been off the road for months, and whose idea of fun is to ride as recklessly as possible from Leeds to Kirkby Lonsdale and back again. The worst ones are those who travel in bunches and can’t bear to be separated, even if it means nearly causing a head-on to get through with their mates.

Drivers may not always appreciate that bikers have a better view of the road ahead around corners, and a lot more power on tap to finish an overtake, but riding incompetence is pretty obvious if you have to brake hard to avoid a massive collision.

Let’s just hope we don’t have an upsurge in casualties over the next couple of weeks.

Drivers may not always appreciate that bikers have a better view of the road ahead around corners, and a lot more power on tap to finish an overtake, but riding incompetence is pretty obvious if you have to brake hard to avoid a massive collision.

I always assumed most could actually see round corners no matter how blind.

I always assumed most could actually see round corners no matter how blind.

What’s blind to a car driver with a (relatively) fixed position within a lane might not be to a bike rider who’s free to move to the edges.