Normal distribution says around half the people you meet will be below average intelligence. Even the intelligent ones can be ignorant…

The Dunning Kruger effect says there’s no point debating people’s mistakes with them… read up on it 🙂

+ tbf, shared use paths are rubbish infrastructure with conflict designed in. They’re rarely signed or marked out well enough for non-cyclists to have a scooby where they’re supposed to walk.

IMO you’re better off just holding your tongue in these situations, your day will be better for it

It’s natural to be a coward and run away from harm you’ve caused. Lots of people do it in all kinds of different circumstances.

Unfortunately, being in a car makes it much easier to do this…. you’re shut away from the human being you’ve just hurt in a protective metal box, and you have a powerful motor at your feet which makes running away very easy…

Self-driving cars, the sooner the better

Well I’ve just forwarded this thread and the link to the FB page to the media team at British Cycling, CTC and Carlton Reid and asked them to make a public fuss about it…

On the one hand anyone who starts or joins a page like this clearly has bigger issues in their lives than cyclists and giving them the oxygen of publicity may or may not be helpful… but it is pure hate speech and it only takes one of them to lose all perspective and take the sentiment too far when they’re out driving and we have another dead cyclist.

Sunny autumn days

ahwiles – one the one hand I agree with you re lack of action from councils, central government etc, hence my post.

On the other, cycling doesn’t need an organised push from government – people just have to go into a bike shop and buy a bike – which from the massive increase our club has seen in membership and the sheer numbers leaving South London on Sunday mornings (and numbers of cycling commuters), it’s happening with or without government leadership.

This stuff is so compelling you do wonder quite what’s holding them in power up…

+1 for being put off with all the new standards – esp wheelsize so am sticking with my 26 Soul for as long as I can keep it running.

On a macro level tho, people are skint – wages not rising and mortgage costs due to go up I suspect there’s a lot of people pulling back on non-essential purchases. if Tesco and Sainsbury are having a hard time making a profit then clearly there;s not a lot of ££ in people’s pockets

London’s public transport is ace. PArk as far outside as you can and train/tube in

I’m probably more towards the “Meh” end of the scale these days than I used to be…

Sadly, I think I’ve got so used to lousy driving that I’m trying to ignore it so I can enjoy the ride. If you got upset by every near miss you’d have a breakdown!

But this is also true:

Every study has flaws, but some data is better than no data. Perfection is the enemy of the good and all that..

The more empirical evidence to demonstrate our anecdotal experience, the better to bring about behavioural change/force the legislators to rise above their own prejudices

First ride on the winter bike.
Autumnal colours and hot chocolate at the cafe stop.

I have 2 pairs of Chromoplastics. They do the job very well but they can be a pain to get straight and even.

I just loosen them at all four of the stays, put them in the position I want them and then tighten each bolt a small amount in turn – like you do with the 4 stem bolts. Sometimes the tightening action will move the guard, in which case just slacken off slightly and re-do. It always requires a few goes and some adjustment but once in place, they’re fine.

light, but made of cheese.
I had some V2’s on my Croix De Fer, and was never that gentle. So would politely disagree with such a sweeping statement.

Possibly AH Wiles’ mate’s wheel was made of a lighter kind of cheese than yours? Maybe Philadelphia Light rather than Full Fat?

First ride today on my winter bike with the Hope road wheelset – Mavic Open Pro rims. Very impressed. I assume you can get a disc version too. Merlin did mine for c£320 incl delivery

+1 for Helly Lifa. Got some which are 10+ years old, been worn weekly and still not smelly!

Try it on your mtb for a laugh.

Basic sociology! Different tribe…

Back in the day 2CV owners would acknowledge each other as fellow weird French car owners. But they didn’t wave at every car driver…

Honestly OP, just accept your rules for social engagement aren’t known to strangers coming the other way and give over trying to hold them hostage for it!

If you’re ‘making a sport of it’ it sounds like you’ve decided you don’t like roadies and you’re just collecting evidence to prove your point. Heard of confirmation bias?

Same approach as your average cyclist-hater who claims ALL cyclists ride through red lights…

OP: if you want a ‘sensible’ answer I suspect it’s that as road riding has grown massively in the last few years, by definition most of the roadies you ride past will be new to the sport.
The ‘rules’ of road riding are not well-publicised so unless you join a club then you won’t know them.
Acknowledging other people who belong to the same sub-culture as you is established practice in a lot of minority groups.

However many of the new roadies do not see themselves as part of a sub-culture practiced by a minority group. They’re just enjoying riding a bike – it’s not a part of their identity as it is to many roadies (me included, although to confuse things I also drive and ride an MTB too!)

So they don’t see someone else on a bike as anyone special who is ‘part of the same club as me’ so just as they don’t wave at people they walk past or drive past, they don’t wave at people they ride past either.

To me, this is what we’ve wanted all these years – normalise cycling – something to celebrate and I hope it holds.

STW: back to your banter 😀

This graph shows you why stamp duty bands are not being changed and, I suspect, a key reason why Gideon threw a bunch of cash at the housing market last year. He got an awful lot more properties through the £250k mark.

Gideon has missed his deficit reduction target by c 50% with an election next year and economic growth slowing. Even more reason to try and find alternative sources of tax revenue…

By creating a bubble he’s probably created a crash which otherwise would have just been a flat market. Unfortunately for him it looks like he went too early and prices are dropping whilst the Tories are in power rather than next year when they are not, and the crash would have been on Labour’s watch.

OP, on behalf of all people riding on the road that you’ve ever felt slighted by. I’m sorry, I apologise for your hurt.

Is that what you want? 😯

I never get how people can get so upset because someone else has broken their personal, inexpressed rules for social engagement…

Do you apply the same rules to strangers when you’re taking other forms of transport/leisure activity?

all the reflective, flourescent, bright garish flashing gizmos in the world don’t help if people don’t see you.

Agreed. But it will help your lawyers if the tit who hits you tries to claim they’re not guilty and try and blame you…

And people can see my flashing lights – they moan at me for it 😯

To be fair, trying to cover a Beach Boys song and come out of it looking better than the original is not a sensible thing to try and achieve – you’re going to lose…

I love the original but this was too bland – everyone just repeated the same line. Not sure why Dave Grohl felt the need to clench his fist for emotional effect?

S’funny how anyone who comes out with anything anti-cyclist never seems to be able to rationally back up their views with data or factual evidence… or any kind of sensible, well-thought-through argument at all…

If you’re in a solid metal box, a cyclist simply doesn’t represent a danger to you… you can drive how you like and you won’t be the one who gets hurt. People often act more carelessly when they feel safe from the impact of any mistake or poor behaviour…

Interestingly, the government put out a press release today stating that many drivers are failing to anticipate possible dangers… my main thought was that any regular cyclist can tell you this… it’s endemic and feels like it’s getting worse. I think modern cars protect the driver too well and insulate them from the outside world… put more people on bikes in fast and heavy traffic and get them to feel the fear. Then they might learn.

’UK drivers are mindless’ shocker!

Prevention is better than cure. But you knew that already didn’t you? 😀

My Dad used to run his train round the garage floor. Not sure what was in that solid fuel but you could only stay in there for so long!

Can’t find them on CRC or Wiggle?

This is why stamp duty bands are not being changed.
Gideon has missed his deficit reduction target by c 50% with an election next year and economic growth slowing. Even more reason to try and find alternative sources of tax revenue…

Everyone who works in any kind of customer service role will tell you that the Great British Public are not that great. Passive aggression, bullying and tantrums quite normal.

I think it’s worse when it’s something they don’t understand and can’t do anything about e.g. IT, cars, public transport etc. Plus there’s a fair degree of existential stress around at the moment.

I remember when I started work (mid-90s) people would be less pleasant down the phone than face to face. So much communication now is non-face to face… there’s a real lack of empathy. I don’t think people realise they’re ruining another human being’s day…

I think the driver/cyclist thing is similar – a total lack of empathy and understanding that the ‘other’ that you’re ranting and raving at and attacking, is actually a real-life human being with flesh, feelings, family and friends etc…

If your job is to post fake reviews on Amazon, do you get a Licence to Shill?

You’ll be spending your days on internet forums getting into slightly meaningless conversations with people you’ve never met, whilst pretending to be somebody you’re not.
Bit like STW then 🙂

Cheers All,
I’m office-based so not a lot I can screw up really 🙂
Axa and Hiscox have been recommended to me by other office-based types

Those that have a high value property but a relatively low salary find the tax particularly hard to take.

There are many many factors which suggest the market is currently massively overvalued – c 25% against wages and c 30% against rents according to The Economist IIRC. The natural conclusion is that the market will correct itself as that’s what markets do (and what UK housing has done every boom since early 70s…)

But the one you mention clearly demonstrates a big problem with property liquidity – if someone bought a house mid/late 90’s but didn’t really progress in income terms (and most people haven’t since mid noughties) then you have a load of people who’d like to move but can’t afford to because of stamp duty – let alone the other costs. That leads to a stagnant market – no houses for sale.

The only way to get out of this trap is for values to fall back to a level where stamp duty is affordable… When sellers realise this, will they begin to accept below-current price offers?

Get a ride on both. I had a Flyer (2007) and sold it within months. The geometry then was half way to a track bike ie: I was staring down at the road – which is exactly the opposite of what I wanted for London riding when you need to have your wits about you and see everything coming!
FWIW I bought a Cotic Roadrat which was a lovely bike to ride and well-worth the extra ££

Seems to me if any political party wanted a quick win, reforming this ridiculously unfair tax would be a good start.

IIRC Gideon has missed his deficit reduction target by 50% – last year’s dicking about with the housing market by chucking extra ££ at it was IMO a deliberate ploy to get more houses above the £250k mark. I can’t find a source but the amount he took in stamp duty this year is a massive increase on previous years.

I suspect the artificial boost was a) to keep the older generation (homeowners) Tory-happy and b) to increase the tax take cos he was/is massively missing the key thing he’s hung his credibility on – debt reduction…

Be interesting to see what tricks he pulls if today’s news that prices have seen a small fall turns into a longer term fall between now and election day…

Whatever you do, don’t lose it

I prefer trails which come alive

OP – if you can politely thank 15+ people you can politely thank 16+

I know passive aggressive idiocy gets on your nerves but you’d have had a better day if you’d let it go… why let his inability to be polite affect your ability to be polite?

What’s going to happen when interest rates go up?

Mike – whilst the scenario you paint is valid, it’s only a very few people who will benefit from that situation and in any case, it’s to solve a very short term problem for them.

The counterpoint is that BTL is one of the causes of a whole generation being locked out of the housing market, unable to put down roots and provide stability in order to raise a family e.g. can you imagine changing school every 3 years because your parents have been moved out by their landlord – losing continuity of neighbours, school friends, your teachers, education etc – who wins there?

Even people who bought years ago can no longer afford to trade up as their family grows because the price differential to the bigger house (and associated stamp duty) are unaffordable to them.

Massive mortgage repayments from inflated house prices mean less money to pay for pensions or day to day living expenses at a time when we already have a pensions crisis, a cost of living crisis and a need for solid economic growth…

The UK housing market has been mugged by a few for their own enrichment at the expense of the many… BTL is not the whole of the problem but it really really isn’t helping

buy to let is something that helps people move when the housing market is flat and they need too move and rent their house out.

BTL mortgages are often interest only – allowing the BTL ‘investor’ to pay more for a house than a private individual/couple/family. Thus depriving them of the opportunity to buy.

This locks the people out of the market and creates an artificial shortage of houses available to buy, which increases prices.

Note that BTL began in the late 90’s and since then we’ve had the biggest boom in house prices ever… to the point where even wealthy couples with family help can no longer afford to buy.

There’s no need for BTL at all – it skews the market in favour of a very small number of people and makes housing unaffordable for everyone else, whilst not actually creating any wealth, jobs etc. Economists call it ‘rent-seeking’ making money from an existing asset, not creating new assets or new wealth or new jobs – which are what we actually need

I like free-market capitalism – but it’s really not appropriate for housing, which holds together our communities, feeling of stability and happiness. It’s an essential good, not an investment class…

BWD – fair point. I suspect he didn’t like me shaking my head at him cos he didn’t see anything wrong about overtaking into a queue of traffic. Sadly.