White lines

Almost wiped out horribly earlier cuz i got bullied onto the deep left-hand-side of the road by some pyscho in a coach.

In case you're new to road riding, those strips of traffic paint (double yellow lines etc) are fucking darkside when wet/greasy. I should know better as I've been riding motorised 2-wheels in London for donkeys.. still i suppose i forgot and this big ass coach didnt help. From now on I'm riding well into the lane, any asshole behind who feels like he's being held up can overtake when theres room.

all in all,.. dont be bullied into that first foot of asphalt where the traffic paint is, its horrible shit and will take you down.

you're right,i try to avoid the lines if possible.

Lines nearest the curb are grubby greasy fuckers, yeah, but the lines further central like bike lane/bus lane strips can come in well handy on shitty road surfaces. Nice and smooth, like.

yep, Melle Mel had the right idea

+1 for The Grandmaster! :)

-1000 for Duran Duran kicking the shit out of that tune

gatorskins seem to grip them quite well in the wet.

I'm looking forward to the end of tourist season and all their stupid big coaches. I f*cking hate them. If I had a penny for each time a coach tried to overtake me but didn't leave me enough space...

open top coaches are the worst. unfortunately they are going to be here year round

At least this antediluvian, diesel-belching heap is easy to overtake...

I hate the man hole covers, worn smooth over a decade with little bumps that utterly destabilise your traction. It would seem that there is some bylaw that requires that they be placed on tight corners on the riding line.

or those little white bumbs on roundabouts on back streets. they are death if your a bit to drunk.

Damn, wrong thread! :(

@ Robert AJB, just ride three or four foot from the kerb, if there is a bus, coach, van coming don't budge.

i seek out white lines in the wet for tyre friendly friction free skiddy fun. but yep only when going in a straight line.

i seek out white lines in the wet for tyre friendly friction free skiddy fun. but yep only when going in a straight line.

+1 Yesterday was great for that .

I hate the man hole covers, worn smooth over a decade with little bumps that utterly destabilise your traction. It would seem that there is some bylaw that requires that they be placed on tight corners on the riding line.

My only coming off (in recent memory) has been a front skid on just such - the bend on Shaftesbury Avenue just before Monmouth Street, when a cab cut me up and jammed on his brakes to pick up a fare. Every day now I am nervous going over it, especially when wet.

skidding on white lines in the wet? Recently I've pulled some foolhardy skids on wet tarmac, where my back wheel nearly overtakes my front. I'd never ever skid on a wet white line, that spells instant death!

-1000 for Duran Duran kicking the shit out of that tune

Msr Le Bon really has the most amazingly perfect pitch and pure vocal tone.

I've always been astounded every time he's ever opened his mouth.

I've always been astounded every time he's ever opened his mouth.

Too much information... ;-D

I like the bus lane lines for smoothness but maybe not round corners in the wet.

skidding on white lines in the wet? Recently I've pulled some foolhardy skids on wet tarmac, where my back wheel nearly overtakes my front. I'd never ever skid on a wet white line, that spells instant death!

not really. if i see that i'm coming up to a junction and i'm going to have to stop i usually go for the fat white line between the bus lane and the road and sllllllllide gracefully to stop. it's fun, doesn't wear out your tyres and helps give you an idea of just how much or little grip there is. helps with the fear to know just how slipery they are. i don't really seek them out when riding fast in the wet. it's fun trying to stay skidding on the line for as long as possible. because so little back pressure is needed to lock up on them, if you slip off onto that grippy stuff they put before junctions the difference in so marked that it usually forces you straight out of the skid.

not really. if i see that i'm coming up to a junction and i'm going to have to stop i usually go for the fat white line between the bus lane and the road and sllllllllide gracefully to stop. it's fun, doesn't wear out your tyres and helps give you an idea of just how much or little grip there is. helps with the fear to know just how slipery they are. i don't really seek them out when riding fast in the wet. it's fun trying to stay skidding on the line for as long as possible. because so little back pressure is needed to lock up on them, if you slip off onto that grippy stuff they put before junctions the difference in so marked that it usually forces you straight out of the skid.

+1 Sometimes I've managed to backpedal a few rotations in the wet. While slidng up to the lights.
Then I tried it across smooth tiles near southbank (upper ground I think it's called). Before I knew what had hit me (turns out it was the road), I was lying on the tiles and a guy ran over to see if I was ok. Ok but embarrased I was...