"Cyclist" or "Prick on a Bike"?

Had a wonderful altercation at lunch time with some Chav on a BSO…

He comes cack-handedly charging round a corner on the pavement towards my workmate as we’re on our way back to the office, spots my mate and sort of skids past/drags his foot on the edge of the pavement while shouting “Get out the **** way then!”. comes to a halt just past us, plenty more swearing and name calling, to which my mate simply points a foot to is right and says “There’s a Road there” and carries on.

Once we’re well past this socket, my mate say’s “Don’t think I’d fancy living round here with all these Scummy cyclists” (tongue in cheek as he knows I’m a cyclist).

To which my response was “I consider myself a cyclist, that fella was just a prick on a bike”.

But it’s got me thinking, how much is the negative perception of “cyclsts” driven by the behavior of scummers on BSO’s serving their driving ban, and how much is truly down to the conduct of “genuine” cyclists?…
And just what qualifies someone as a “cyclist” rather than simply a prick on a bike…

I suppose within the law, that fella trying to mow down strangers on the pavement is technically a cyclist, but I personally don’t want to be lumped in the same group as him…

Discuss

You’ve already made your mind up, there’s nothing to discuss.

I think he was just a prick. Plenty of proper enthusiasts are too.

Lots I reckon. Most of the breaking of traffic laws I saw when I lived in leeds, or in fact here in the Dales, tends to just be a bloke on a bike, often they can hardly ride it, and its in awful condition. There’s one here who’s american so insists on riding on the wrong side of the road… 😐

cyclists are an outgroup, for joe public any cyclist who is a nob is a prime example of the species, any rider who is ‘nice’ is an exception.
Whereas car driving is very much the norm so nobhead motorists are exceptions and polite civic minded drivers are much more the norm.

it’s all a load of cobblers there’s idiots everywhere doesn’t matter what mode of transport.

sorry went off at a tangent there. No idea on the ratio of POB and enthusiast in idiot terms, RLJ seems 50/50 no lights at night and pavement riding is much more likely to be a pob, IME but just what I see. And of course discerning a pob from an enthusiast on a hack bike will be tricky.

Most anti-cycling sentiment is likely caused by dedicated cycling enthusiasts slowing down the flow of traffic and causing inexperienced drivers to make an overtaking maneuvre that they are not sufficiently trained for or confident about..

Very much more cyclist awareness needs to be introduced in driver training

IMO

yunki
+1

The very worst cycling I see is as the op describes or it is from kids. Proper cyclists may do 2 abreast or RLJ but they tend to not do that.

That said all groups have nobbers within them as stw showsdaily 😉

Let’s be fair it really ain’t that simple. Personally; he’s a P.o.B.
However in many a local rag, assuming he’d ridden into your mate and it went to court, it could well be reported as “cyclist hits pedestrian”. We may know what we mean, Joe Soap doesn’t. Unless anyone riding a bike isn’t a cyclist, in layman’s terms, then it’s down to us , sadly, to make folk realise.

Well it sort of occurred to me that perhaps some of the DM type rant’s about “Lycra Louts” could in fact have been triggered by fella’s like the one we encountered, serving out a driving ban on his son’s bike (yes I’m quite comfortable with my social prejudices)…

Perhaps the RJLing “serious” cyclist is less of a contributing factor to cycling’s bad press that we all assume.

In much the same way that there are polite, thoughtful, careful “Motorists” and there are arsehole “Drivers”, but many cyclist lump them all in together.

Like I said, to my mate (a non-cyclist) anyone on a bicycle, regardless of their conduct, attire or use of roads/pavements, is a cyclist.

I’d dearly love to somehow make the distinction in non-cyclists minds between a genuine and responsible cycling enthusiast as I consider myself (and I presume the majority of STW consider themselves) and some fella wobbling his way to the pub on a Monday lunchtime, tottering into and swearing at strangers…

Like you say the headline would have been “Cyclist Hits Pedestrian” and another bit of Ammunition for the Anti-cyclist brigade.

I suppose you can’t protect the term “Cyclist” but in my own mind there is a distinction…

think you’re talking about the different between cyclist and Cyclist.

unklehomered – Member

think you’re talking about the different between cyclist and Cyclist

Nicely put !

Most anti-cycling sentiment is down to blokes thinking that its socially acceptable to leave the house in garish lycra

Being a cyclist (or Cyclist) doesn’t stop you from also being a prick on a bike.

Not at all, but its whether one has a higher incidence of pricks than the other. I’m inclined to say it does, but i think they also have different kinds.

What size wheels was he riding?

29er = prick on a bike
27.5″/650B = general lout
26er = proper cyclist

😉

Cheers

Danny B

i think there seems to be a growing number of, selfish, ignorant, inconsiderate drivers and cyclists about lately, the ive gotta to get one car infront of you or get otta my way brigade, unfortunately considerate drivers and cylists are a rare breed these days, its a sign of the times im affraid, the i dont give a shit philosophy, seems to take presidence

There’s a bloke called Chris Gilbert who is an ex police officer, he worked mainly on the training of traffic officers.

He’s also a Driving Instructor and taught Wills and Harry to drive.

He produces videos on safe driving under the website driving4tommorow and on his videos when he sees a Cycle, he either says its a cyclist if they are all lycra or baggied up, or they are a bike rider if they are in normal clothes, no helmet etc

Sums it up for me.

There are cyclists and riders of bikes .This bloke is the second sort you see them all the time low seat ,flat tyres riding with their instep ,gears grinding .nearly as bad as 3/4 abreast wanabe racers on sportives

He comes cack-handedly charging round a corner on the pavement towards my workmate as we’re on our way back to the office, spots my mate and sort of skids past/drags his foot on the edge of the pavement while shouting “Get out the **** way then!”. comes to a halt just past us, plenty more swearing and name calling, to which my mate simply points a foot to is right and says “There’s a Road there” and carries on.

He will soon progress to a corsa, then a peugot, then a stolen german car, or perhaps he will get one as a company car, very unlikely his behaviour will alter.

There’s a bloke called Chris Gilbert who is an ex police officer, he worked mainly on the training of traffic officers.

He’s also a Driving Instructor and taught Wills and Harry to drive.

He produces videos on safe driving under the website driving4tommorow and on his videos when he sees a Cycle, he either says its a cyclist if they are all lycra or baggied up, or they are a bike rider if they are in normal clothes, no helmet etc

Still a polis – got a transfer to the Fashion Police.