Riding drunk

I don't normally ride drunk, but then I don't normally get drunk...when I did recently and rode home back from Old Street, I had a scare when, on near empty road, I narrowly missed the kerb of some random traffic island thing just before the roundabout going west...scared the hell out of me as I was rinsing it at the time with the buzz of riding and the flow of alcohol in my system...would have fucked my wheel and probably my face if I had hit it...

can you get breathalysed on a bicycle?

Frank Glass I don't normally ride drunk, but then I don't normally get drunk...when I did recently and rode home back from Old Street, I had a scare when, on near empty road, I narrowly missed the kerb of some random traffic island thing just before the roundabout going west...scared the hell out of me as I was rinsing it at the time with the buzz of riding and the flow of alcohol in my system...would have fucked my wheel and probably my face if I had hit it...

can you get breathalysed on a bicycle?
yup, and i hear you can get points on your driving licence if you have one ;)

Can't get points on your license, as its not a "motoring" offence. At worst you could be fined or taken in custody I guess.

Been covered before....

Section 30 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, as amended by the Road Traffic Act 1991, provides the offence of cycling on a road or public place whilst under the influence of drink or drugs. It states:
30(1) A person who, when riding a cycle on a road or other public place, is unfit to ride through drink or drugs (that is to say, is under the influence of drink or a drug to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of the cycle) is guilty of an offence.

NOTES

(i) The evidence of the extent to which a person is affected must be measured by means other than the provision of a specimen of breath, blood or urine, as there is no power to require such a specimen in these circumstances. However, if such a specimen was offered, it is probable that the evidence obtained by analysis of the specimen would be admissible.
(ii) In Scotland a constable may arrest without warrant a person committing an offence.
(iii) In England and Wales a constable may only arrest without warrant in accordance with the powers of arrest set out in section 24 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. In such an instance, that power might be exercised where a satisfactory address has not been furnished, or the constable has reasonable grounds for believing that arrest is necessary to prevent such a person causing physical injury to himself or any other person (see also other conditions in s24 of PACE).
(iv) The absence of a specific power of arrest in England and Wales affects the ability of the police to present any form of medical evidence of the accused's condition.
(v) There is no offence of 'being in charge' of a cycle under the Road Traffic Acts, but such conduct may well be an offence of drunk in charge of a carriage under section 12 of the Licensing Act 1872. A bicycle or tricycle is a carriage for the purpose of that section.

i rode very drunk from stoke newington to herne hill at 2.00am it was really qiuet so i peddled furiously the whole way, when i got to the bottom of the hill coming from loughborough junc, its a quiet, steep way up the hill, (poplar ave). By this time i was knackered and got off the bike for quick breather behind a van...Got woken up by a rude boy, shaking me "bruv, bruv you alright? did you come down the hill and smack into that van?" Obvs i jumped straight up. "nah just wanted a rest" I'd been asleep for about 20mins, I looked across the street to see his mate and his dog laughing his arse off. Thanked the kind rude boy for waking me, (middle of winter) and went up the hill and home to bed.

i have on occasion ridden home hammered. Usually i'm rock solid on the bike,and absolutely fly up holloway road, but as soon as i get off the bike when i get home, i realise that i'm absolutely fuckeyed and really shouldn't have been riding.

no accidents yet, though.

Scrapper couple of years ago i remember dragging my bike down shaftsbury cause i was to drunk to ride or wheel it.
next thing i remember is being on my bike at old st round about.
then waking up with my bad brains t-shirt covered in spew.

fucking amazing story. it's the bad brains t shirt that tops it off.

i rode home drunk and fell off, fucked up my face. had the foresight to not ride the last bit along the canal, a sort of, i might be a bit too drunk to do this, kind of moment.

the drunkest i ever road was a few years back and i lived on the other side of town from every one and at this party on nigh got hammered... woke up the next morning with my legs in the hall, my upper body in the flat bag on my back and bike on top of me, with my nextell squawking. got up, saw the road rash, and though fuck it back to the east side, came into the cafe and poured my self a bloody marry. then got to work

i see you edited it, but clearly not for spelling or sense.

kept falling off at 2mph, actually feel asleep at one point lying on the pavement still stradling the bike.
hahahahahahahahahaha

I rode from old st to brockley so drunk I couldnt even look ahead (looking at peddles most of the way) got home in one piece (a miracle I'm still alive).

Christ.If I woke up with broken teeth and couldn't remember how it'd happened I'd be straight on the wagon.

Have cycled home after a few before, got a lot more careful after slipping on a nasty corner in very wet weather and falling very heavily on my side in the middle of fast traffic. Had a huge bruise and was scared shitless I'd be squashed before I got back to my feet.

Generally I don't like riding fast pissed - my heart rate feels much faster than it should if I do, and it's unnerving and makes me slow down again.

just over a week ago i spent 16hrs drinking. When at 4am i finally decided to ride home i found i'd lost my cycling shoes but hopped on and rode home anyway. I don't remember anything from about 100 yards after setting offuntil i arrived back in my street about 30 mins later. I was closing in on my front door when i glanced down at my front wheel through my frame i must have zoned out a bit because as i looked up i was about to collide with a parked car was i hit it head on at just over walking speed and didn't fall off.
The next morning i woke up with blood stains all over my bed sheets and bruises all over my arms and legs..
A few days later i discovered my frame was cent at the lugs on the top tube and down tube.
Fuck knows what happened that night but i must have looked a right tit.
Didn't stop me looking an even bigger tit the following weekend with my shitback and colony of wizards.

mobile phone post = punctuation fail.

Merlin status...

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I think the key with riding whilst drunk is to find that critical point where it seems like a lot of fun but you haven't lost enough motor skill to want to try silly shit. Due to a bit of a crap liver I can manage that in about two pints or six vodkas.

I usually try to give myself a 4 pint limit. Any more than that I am usually in the danger zone. doesn't usually stop me, just gives me a bigger grin when i'm cycling and know that I'm being stupid.

got away with cycling central london to Putney after a healthy 8 hour session last friday. not much recollection of the journey but realise that it was probably unwise

Since cycling is alot of muscle memory and if you know where you're going you'll usually end up there at some point. That's how I see it.

I loved riding stoned back when I used to smoke.

+1

I ride really well when stoned

i've done it a lot this year although after getting the serious fear recently i've been practicing moderation.

i agree that a couple of drinks seems to increase stamina and confidence without really decreasing awareness or motor skills (i'm sure it doesn't really - but it feels that way). anything over three of four and i reckon i'm seriously impaired. any more than that and it's ipod on and SINGING MY ASS OFF all the way.

last time i had to have a serious re-think about drunk riding ,i was riding from old street to kilburn and for some reason the full effect of the pissedness didn't hit me until about maidia vale. i found myself wobbling along the edge of the buslane with tears of terror in my eyes and a monkey death grip on the twitching bars. i was unable to maintain a straight line and was nearly knocked down by the breeze from every passing bus. of course i could have got off and walked but that would have taken longer.

"back in the day" when i used to pedicab we used to finish working at 4 or 5am then back to the garage on blackfriars via the all night offy. i'd often find myself weaving over blackfrianrs bridge absolutely shitfaced at 10am trying to avoid the communters swarming in the opposite direction. one time i came across my mate zero fully asleep, sitting on on his bike leaning up against the railings of the bridge.

Reason: grandma fail

Lovely

The worst time I cycled drunk was many moons ago. I was at a house party until 4am drinking all sorts of concoctions. As the party was dead I helped myself to a nice bottle of champagne. I cafefully placed the bottle in my puffer jacket to keep them safe.

A few minutes on the raod and I cycle down a street which seems to have a Police car pulled up outside a house and some officers chatting. So I say to myself "steady now, act natural", as soon as I get near the Police my hand slipped off the handel bars and I subsequently landed on my face. The police are on there way over to me as a bottle of champs roll out from under my jacket. "Oh shit, the cops are going to take my night cap". No The two cops pick me up, put me on my bike, hand me the bottle and said "cycle home safely".

?

i agree that a couple of drinks seems to increase stamina and confidence without really decreasing awareness or motor skills (i'm sure it doesn't really - but it feels that way)

If I have I couple of pints of ESB from the Ship on Wardour St, I cycle home like a demon possessed. Although maybe it's just something that's in it, it is the strongest ale I can find in central, 5.5%. Mmmmmmn.

I used to love my stoned trips home in Brighton at 3 or 4 in the morning.

5am in 2005, me and a friend test ride his home made tandem welded from two dumped mountain bikes. It wasn't so much us being pissed as we'd pretty much sobered up by then. It was the other Belfast revellers' reactions to two large bearded men in not a limited stock of tweed spinning past at 5am on a lime green tandem, not a sight seen regularly in Belfast. "Fookin'.......TANDEM!"