Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

Chevrons on your bag, cheap orange fixiebike with untaped drops jumping every light from Atlantic road to Vauxhall gyratory.

I've seen this guy, absolute turd of a cyclist! He's seen one youtube video of couriers in NYC and suddenly thinks he is invincible.

can't wait to laugh in his face when I pass him and he is on the floor

I just read this wrong, Im not even sure if he has watched any of those fixie videos as his cycling is beyond belief.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1DnYZDtyK4&list=UUrPXKL_eBOc1LRBS4sd4ilQ&index=4&feature=plcp"]Fixed
&v=U1DnYZDtyK4 gear london,oxford street, fixed gear oxford - YouTube[/ame]

"riding my mash down oxford street"

red lights at 45", 1'45" wtf was oxford street one way? 2'55" pedestrians in the way

nice filtering between buses 3'55"

^ doesn't read The Times.

^^I will not watch this but it sounds like he is RLJing and riding like a twat and still takes 5 minutes to ride down Oxford St

I just don't understand why he's riding down the one way part when the road works were there. If you went one street parallel you could ride normally.

training for this http://www.lfgss.com/thread28208.html

I just don't understand why he's riding down the one way part when the road works were there. If you went one street parallel you could ride normally.

He obviously got the train down from oxford especially for that video. Every black cab, pedestrian, bus was an anathema to him. He'd be damned if a one way system would stop him.

Wonder what he listened to to get him so pumped? Radiohead turned up to 10 on tinny apple earphones. Fuck yeah

Undertaking me at lights. Is it:

1. acceptable
   
   

or

1. legal?
   
   

It is definitely not 1 to me, partly because you wouldn't do that in a car, would you?

And there's a clue in the word *overtaking *I think, also.

I ask because I told someone off for this on the way to work this morning, turned out he works in my building so I was forced to continue the discussion. I explained that I leave that space to the left of me for a reason, that we use the word overtaking for a reason, and he would be hard pushed to find any authority on safe road usage who would advocate undertaking, ever.

Meh, I know I'm right, I just think I could have it explained it better. Probably wasn't helped by the fact some muppet Addy Lee driver had reversed into me earlier on my commute so I wasn't really in the best of moods.

While waiting at lights? Or while moving through an intersection? Everyone bunches up at the front on a red light (except the RLJ crew) but undertaking while moving in a junction is very very dumb.

It's annoying. It bugs me because if I'm turning left I'll park up a few yards away from the left curb to stop the car behind me getting all cosy as we go round the bend. So if someone plonks themselves to my left, they'd better be going left too or I'm going to be all up in their gubbins as we pull away.

What amazes me is that I often see another cyclist arriving, turn and indicate to them / tell them that I intend to go left and they look at me as if to say "why you telling me?" only to attempt to cycle through me when the light changes. More often than not I compensate for this by clipping in and creeping forward before the light changes which sparks a bout of lemming style light jumping... Can't win!

Some bellend t'other day was attempting to draft me in rush hour traffic on Great Eastern st to the point where he was clipping my rear tire regularly. There were plenty of opportunities to overtake, nevertheless he decided to sit on my back wheel all the way to Clerkenwell. Was so tempted to take him out with a little speed check, I'm sure his face would have done a better job of stopping him than his SS rear brake only arrangement!

Some bellend t'other day was attempting to draft me in rush hour traffic on Great Eastern st to the point where he was clipping my rear tire regularly. There were plenty of opportunities to overtake, nevertheless he decided to sit on my back wheel all the way to Clerkenwell. Was so tempted to take him out with a little speed check, I'm sure his face would have done a better job of stopping him than his SS rear brake only arrangement!

Clipping your rear tyre regularly? In traffic?

I'd have had words. It's stupid. Dangerous and rude.

Rode to work just behind an older gent on a gold MTB this morning. He was on his best behaviour and a model cyclist. All safety checks and letting other road users pass and remaining calm and collected at all times and not swearing or shaking his fists at anybody, even when he was almost cut up by a car (I saw "almost" because he anticipated what the driver was about to do and modified his speed accordingly) and when some other dude zoomed through the foot-wide gap between us as we were stopping at a RED to let some pedestrians across a crossing.

When I grow up that's who I want to be. Why don't we have a thread for calling out good cyclists?

Because other road users don't tend to notice the good ones. When asking/demanding for better conditions it's the bad ones that are held as a reason to give ALL of us the chevrons.

Fox, my understanding on your point 2. is that it isn't strictly illegal.
You calling it overtaking or undertaking is just pejorative, the correct phrase would be "passing on the left" or "passing on the right".
This is important particularly in a case of filtering though traffic where you are both overtaking and undertaking.
This is perfectly legal.

I think people bunching up in the ASL or at the front at lights is perfectly acceptable.

If you are in primary at the front of the queue there are going to be an inevitable bunch of numpties who will "pass you on the left" and sit on your inside or more usually beyond the while line right where the pedestrians want to cross.

I think this is perfectly legal. It is just annoying since they are always fricking slow and wobbly so get in the way when you start up again.
Nothing to be done. At least they don't RLJ.

Frankly what would you rather? A long single line of cyclists with what a max of 2 in the ASL?

My pet hate is all the morons who just stop in the cycle lane (note often on the left - encouraging "undertaking") rather than going into the ASL box.
USE THE FRICKING BOX - DON'T STOP TO THE LEFT OF OF A VEHICLE IN THEIR BLIND SPOT - YOU CRETINS.

If you're in the primary position, it's inevitable that people undertake you, especially if you're stopped somewhere. Many people aren't used to overtaking another cyclist that far out. This is why you should check on your left in certain situations, e.g. when turning left.

As long as people don't get too close, I don't tend to have an issue with it, and, apart from at lights, it's only happened to me once or twice--once, I was undertaken by a total idiot when I was effectively in the secondary position and slowing down for the traffic lights at Holborn Circus. After having words, I then rode away from him across the junction and aimed to stop shortly afterwards at a shop there. I signalled, slowed down again and moved from the primary position towards the kerb, but without checking behind me, only for him to suddenly undertake me again, having clearly tried to catch up, with millimetres to spare. That manoeuvre was certainly too stupid for me to anticipate.

Some bellend t'other day was attempting to draft me in rush hour traffic on Great Eastern st to the point where he was clipping my rear tire regularly. There were plenty of opportunities to overtake, nevertheless he decided to sit on my back wheel all the way to Clerkenwell. Was so tempted to take him out with a little speed check, I'm sure his face would have done a better job of stopping him than his SS rear brake only arrangement!

I find this situation an ideal opportunity to clear my throat/fire a snot rocket/pass wind. If that all fails I take a drink and squirt a load of the drink over my shoulder.

Seems quite effective.

Don't see why you don't just look him in the eye and tell him to** do one **in no uncertain terms.

^^ & ^^^ once found myself in a combination of the two examples discussed today. Had to draft a guy 'cos everytime I overtook, he'd jump the next red on my left. After 4 times I got fed up of the near misses so sat on the rear wheel until he asked what I was doing... my explanation was met with a shrug of disdain. Ho hum.

Thinking of the sad death of a cyclist reported in Bishopsgate today, I am reminded of a good friend of mine who I saw storming through a red light on an expensive bike today, and of the 14 year old who cycled into the road from the pavement on Saturday without lowering his hood to see what was coming.

I stopped my car to save him from hospital and he literally never even saw me before during or after.

Something in the culture of cycling is contributing to some of the accidents.

You could make your point without the gratuitous reference to the death of someone many of us have known for 20 years and whose death is still very recent and raw and about which there is no suggestion of it being his 'fault'.

^ This. Totally out of order.

There are a few riders I catch/who catch me riding from Pembury Road through to dalston. There's a few who are respectful when drafting and you know they're trust worthy enough not to wipe you out. Having said that, there's a couple who as soon as they get behind me, I back off and let them go ahead so I can see them and where they move in the road. I know I'll pass them at a few points just because of how they ride, but i find for my personal sanity, safety and ride enjoyment having them in front is safer than behind through that section.

Granted I should'nt have to manage it that way, but it works for me right now.

Through the same section, getting passed on the left just happens, I just look where I am in the road and glance right then left before I move. Maybe I should'nt have to, but I do.

A question, Is it just about cycling culture specifically that makes people ride/drive a certain way, or is it more a common culture of must beat/be there first/save a second/ live in my own bubble?

To Quote Jet McDonald in BoneShaker - his particular article refers to RLJ's, but there's a quote that I would cast across the psyche on the roads that seems to make sense to me - 'they (people, don't have the pyscological resources to be themselves, so they're infected with this anxiety, this "I've got to get going". Make of that what you will, to me it seems so very relevant.
(totally accept that's an interpretation of a quote before I'm negged).

Thinking of the sad death of a cyclist reported in Bishopsgate today, I am reminded of a good friend of mine who I saw storming through a red light on an expensive bike today, and of the 14 year old who cycled into the road from the pavement on Saturday without lowering his hood to see what was coming.

I stopped my car to save him from hospital and he literally never even saw me before during or after.

Something in the culture of cycling is contributing to some of the accidents.

You managed to imply that the Bishopsgate fatality is somehow related to your last sentence even though it was one of the most experienced couriers in London.

Words fail to express how much that assumption or the implication is offensive, especially given the timing.

I think most of the Nodder army actually still think they're pedestrians. Just with wheels. How else can you explain their sheer bemusement and afrontery when you tell them, no matter how politely, their road manners and ability stink. In all but the worst cases I've stopped remonstrating/warning/shouting etc, and treat them as any other road hazard I need to avoid. It's done wonders for my mental health,

Also very saddened to read about yet another cyclist dieing on London's roads. RiP. I didn't know him but what a tragic, pointless and horrible way to go out. Condolences to friends and family.