Ineos Grenadier gives cyclists a Toot

I think we can all probably accept that sometimes <1.5m is still perfectly safe.

Nope - anything less than 1.5 m is automatically dangerous. Thats why its the minimum safe passing width

Switches on the roof.

I'm in.

Seems a good idea, the motoring equivalent of ringing your bell for walkers

But with just a moments consideration and thought, you can tell it's not going to be used for that...A big red button with a bicycle on it in a car interior that's been designed to look like a military jet or helicopter...C'mon.

Have they got it placed in the next Bond film?

Those overhead controls would be awesome for launching heat-seeking missiles or deploying smokescreens etc.

Are there two horns? A full fat one for attracting the attentions of motorists and a friendlier toot one for attracting the attention of cyclists/pedestrians?

Garmin's radar doofer seems popular for riders wanting a heads up that a vehicle is approaching and this would seem to have a similar function.

Not to me its not. to me its a “get out of my way pleb” signal and I know exactly where every car is around me without anyone using a horn

Using the horn behind every cyclist is not in accordance with the highway code IMO and is dangerous ( scares folk and they wobble) and frankly unpleasant ( hurts my ears)

Anyone who toots their horn behind my is a nasty barsteward

If only there was a "toot" button rather than a "nasty barsteward horn".

Nope – anything less than 1.5 m is automatically dangerous. Thats why its the minimum safe passing width

Flying past at 60 on an A-road, yes, and still terifying.

Queenie (or more likely the groundskeepers or polo horse lorries) coming past at 15mph on the narrow estate roads in Windsor Park, not in the slightest bit scary or "close" feeling.

and I know exactly where every car is around me without anyone using a horn

Yes, but you're a ninja. The rest of us with more average spatial awareness still sometimes even get surprised by a HGV overtaking if it's a windy day or busy road.

How many road rage incidents will be triggered by inadvertently 'tooting' when all you wanted to do was turn up your favourite Coldplay track?

You need to concentrate more and work on your awareness tinas if you are being surprised by HGVs passing. I look behind me every 20 - 30 seconds

On the continent used quite alot when I’ve been out on my bike.

I have ridden my bike on the mainland a fair bit and never been “tooted~” at and i am very unsure of the legality of tooting at cyclists

A pass at low speed, when both driver and rider are alert, can be way less than 1.5M and also safe.
Riding twisty narrow roads in the Spanish mountains, expect to be close passed all the time, with a toot, not an aggressive blast. It's normal.
In the UK, maybe not so much...
Different mentality towards bikes in general though innit.

That centre panel is clearly supposed to give off military aircraft vibes…Christ that’s so blatant, it’s pathetic. A pretend airplane for fat business cows and golfists to pretend to be fighter pilots so they can get a hard on for a **** car.

Spot on, actually. That really is what it is. An affirmation-mobile for insecurity and inadequacy. Unsurprising then, that it’ll appeal to quite a few on this forum then…

Toot! If you’re Gammon

**** me, what a couple of fun sponges.

A pass at low speed, when both driver and rider are alert, can be way less than 1.5M and also safe.

Nope - its never safe Hit a pothole and wobble when a car is passing you need that i.5 metres. Its a buffer for unexpected events

Riding twisty narrow roads in the Spanish mountains, expect to be close passed all the time,

never been close passed in a lot of european riding - but then I ride assertively, claim my space on the road and I control when someone passes on narrow twisty roads

Riding twisty narrow roads in the Spanish mountains, expect to be close passed all the time,

Nope - the vast majority of drivers I've ever met while riding in Spain (and France) have been super courteous. Way more polite and considerate than all but the absolute best of British drivers.

Partly, they just know how to drive around cyclists. Partly, the laws there are actually enforced and cyclists are (a) better protected under law and (b) not seen as some sort of sub-human scum. The roads are far better too.

I have ridden my bike on the mainland a fair bit and never been “tooted~” at and i am very unsure of the legality of tooting at cyclists

Seriously? It's pretty common in France IME - a quick pip on the horn from drivers approaching from behind. Once I mentally adjust to not thinking that they're being aggressive, I think it works quite well.

**** me, what a couple of fun sponges.

What reason then to design your car to look like a military plane's cockpit, other to appeal to section of men, who don't, quite frankly, need any more encouragement to drive like entitled bell-ends, but now sub-consciously will, because they're having Tom Clancy fantasies.

If they want to pretend to be a rescue helo pilot on a dangerous mission to land on a carrier in the middle of the Atlantic, there's always the X-box. Rather than the unlit  B783668 which I might have to unfortunately share with them

<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">This more your thing then NickC?

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nickc
Full Member

What reason then to design your car to look like a military plane’s cockpit, other to appeal to section of men, who don’t, quite frankly, need any more encouragement to drive like entitled bell-ends, but now sub-consciously will, because they’re having Tom Clancy fantasies.

If they want to pretend to be a rescue helo pilot on a dangerous mission to land on a carrier in the middle of the Atlantic, there’s always the X-box. Rather than the unlit B783668 which I might have to unfortunately share with them

Doubled down on it as well, nice.

Lemon sucking fun sponge.

Are there two horns? A full fat one for attracting the attentions of motorists and a friendlier toot one for attracting the attention of cyclists/pedestrians?

What if the toot button is the same horn that TdF vehicles use - that weird multi-toned klaxon thing?

Or maybe it just blasts out Tour de France by Kraftwerk.

I look behind me every 20 – 30 seconds

At 60mph that's still half a mile.

You need to concentrate more and work on your awareness tinas

And I find this hard to reconcile with your dislike/inability to ride in groups on the road because you don't like other riders in close proximity.

Also the fact that calling out "car back" is a thing in groups suggests I'm not the only one in the world that can't hear a vehicle a long way back over the noise of the wind/bikes.

Oh dear, I gave some cyclists a little warning toot on a road they may not have expected cars to frequent when I was going through the peak district last weekend.

I gave them a toot toot and of encouragement as they were labouring away uphill once I'd safely passed too. I must be a complete arse.

Maybe it is a very friendly little toot?

They seem quite cycle friendly?
https://ineosgrenadier.com/en-gb/explore/ineos-grenadier-partners

And I find this hard to reconcile with your dislike/inability to ride in groups on the road because you don’t like other riders in close proximity.

Its a part of the same thing. the only person that is responsible for my safety is me. never rely on anyone else.

I don't expect to hear them. I look behind every 20 - 30 seconds and at every obstacle like junctions, parked cars etc.

What if the toot button is the same horn that TdF vehicles use – that weird multi-toned klaxon thing?

FIAMM manufacture them, unfortunately, they don't pass the MOT

https://www.hornwarehouse.com/tourhorns/Tour-horn-12v

Nope – its never safe Hit a pothole and wobble when a car is passing you need that i.5 metres. Its a buffer for unexpected events

The other issue with your black and white worldview is most road* lanes aren't 3m wide (IIRC the 'standard' for a white line dividing the center is 2.4m in each direction but I can't find a reference for that). So if you're adopting a primary position then there aren't 1.5m of clearance to the other lane on most UK roads unless the cyclist moves into the gutter.

*of the types you'd actually want to ride on, excluding modern, fast, purpose-built A-roads.

I do hope the toot button sounds like noddy or post man pat's horn.

FIAMM manufacture them, unfortunately, they don’t pass the MOT

I don't suppose it's a problem if its separate from the horn though.

I look behind every 20 – 30 seconds and at every obstacle like junctions, parked cars etc.

You must have the most supple of necks, almost owl like.😉😊🦉
Me, I would be getting a bar mirror and save on all that swivel action.

No person on a bike would fail to realise that there's a massive brick of a vehicle behind them - therefore this is not helpful to the average bike rider, I bet not one single person at Ineos has actually though to ask someone like ChrisBoardman or Will Norman if this is a good idea or not

Its got a handbrake. How quaint

No person on a bike would fail to realise that there’s a massive brick of a vehicle behind them

And yet I regularly see cyclists pull out into traffic with not the slightest glance behind them.

They posted their first profit recently of $700m. well done….but it was off the back of $35 BILLION of revenues. Ah, not quite so good then. Must try harder Mr Musk

Now why on earth would they be wanting to make a profit ? You have to pay taxes on them, don't you know..... Grrr

Better to have massive reinvestment and make your money off of the share price increase ... also see Amazon !!

There's so much rambling, impotent hostility in this thread.

If I don't know better I'd say some people didn't approve of a 50 grand, 2.5 tonne, fossil fuel powered, 4x4 which will doubtless be piloted* by aggro man children.

Let and let live dudes.

*deliberate use of the word pilot

No person on a bike would fail to realise that there’s a massive brick of a vehicle behind them

Assume you must be a fair weather rider that never rides when it's a tad windy then, personally I don't mind a warning toot & am quite happy to give a toot in the right situation.

Got a mirror on the tandem, it's great for advance warning instead of having to crane my neck past my stoker to see what's going on behind.

There’s so much rambling, impotent hostility in this thread.

Quite gammon-like I'd have said.

It is a secondary less aggressive horn. One for regular use that is mounted in the steering wheel centre and a 'cyclist-friendly' alternative that lets out a lesser 'toot' when the red button on the steering wheel is pushed.

Think this is a fantastic idea. Particularly as electric (silent) vehicles become more usual so have more capacity to startle with an unexpected (even if safe distanced) overtake.

I...

I rather like that.

All they need now is to ensure that every repair only requires a flat-blade screw driver, an 8mm socket and a 4lb lump hammer, and I'd buy one myself.

To all those getting so hot under the collar, it's just design. They've identified a target market and designed a product to appeal to it. I don't like the look of Orange bikes but plenty do and I don't hate them for it.

I quite like it. Very "Blue Thunder".

No person on a bike would fail to realise that there’s a massive brick of a vehicle behind them – therefore this is not helpful to the average bike rider,

It's happened to me, quite hard to hear a car approaching if there's a headwind. I guess I'll have to live with being worse than average.

It would be nice if it was a short soft toot - like a US car being locked rather than a blast of the horn which in the wrong hands may startle riders more than just overtaking safely!

I don’t suppose it’s a problem if its separate from the horn though.

I've wondered before whether it would be possible to hack something like a Hornit to make a more pleasant horn. The ones on my MG had obviously perished and actually made a pleasant "honk/parp" noise until I fixed them with new Lucas ones and now they sound like every other car again.

It is a secondary less aggressive horn. One for regular use that is mounted in the steering wheel centre and a ‘cyclist-friendly’ alternative that lets out a lesser ‘toot’ when the red button on the steering wheel is pushed.

Think this is a fantastic idea. Particularly as electric (silent) vehicles become more usual so have more capacity to startle with an unexpected (even if safe distanced) overtake.

Has anyone heard it?

All it does is encourage sounding your car horn with the clear inference contrary to the actual facts of who has right of way to get a cycle rider to move over. If you are driving in accordance with the highway code you shouldn't need to sound any horn at person riding a bike

The idea that a little 'toot' button makes a vehicle this size cyclist-friendly in any way is hilarious.

Maybe I'm being a 'fun sponge', but I happen to feel quite strongly that this kind of car makes using road space far less fun for just about every other road user.

I hope it makes a "Poop-Poop" noise like Mr Toad's car in The Wind In The Willows.

All it does is encourage sounding your car horn with the clear inference contrary to the actual facts of who has right of way to get a cycle rider to move over. If you are driving in accordance with the highway code you shouldn’t need to sound any horn at person riding a bike

Doesn't the highway code state that a horn is for use as an audible warning that you are there & nothing more, quite happy to receive an audible but friendly warning myself.

mechanicaldope
Full Member

It is a secondary less aggressive horn. One for regular use that is mounted in the steering wheel centre and a ‘cyclist-friendly’ alternative that lets out a lesser ‘toot’ when the red button on the steering wheel is pushed.

Maybe that's what the engineer/designer thinks. Will that survive contact with the public? Not a chance. In practice, it's a button that says honk at cyclists.

Amazing
Cycle team owning car producer adds a jokey little nod to being polite to cyclists and the utter bellend brigade are outraged.

I really can’t make head nor tail of it.
Are folk really this stupid and bitter ?
The more I read the more amazed I am.

Thanks for the video scotroutes.

Is it just me that thinks this honking and tooting is all a bit Johnny Fartpants?

Cycle team owning car producer adds a jokey little nod to being polite to cyclists and the utter bellend brigade are outraged.

I really can’t make head nor tail of it.
Are folk really this stupid and bitter ?
The more I read the more amazed I am.

Other than "I'm here, move over" would a car driver need to "toot" at a person on a cycle. If you are in front you have right of way, if they sit behind you what danger do they pose? Oncoming, would you hear it and why "toot"? From the side, why "toot"?

When was the last time you sounded your horn at a person on a cycle?

I’m inherently opposed to it because I don’t like the founder, but it is interesting. It seems a bit of an odd mix of retro and modern. I half expect the radio to be set up to only play the band of the Coldstream Guards! 😀

So from Scotroutes video, it appears that the 'secondry' toot horn is indeed a safety feature to let cyclists know youre there without scaring them with a big standard horn - sounds quite a good thoughtful design to me

Probably good for sheep on the road as well.