Is cycle sport encouraging uptake of cycling?

I dunno mate, I think it's entirely possible to commute longer distance on a shopping/town bicycles.

As long you don't feel the urge to chase down cyclists when they're baiting you to race them, you'll be fine.

I knew you would say that!

Shopping bike means a lot longer commute, you may have all the time in the world but I don't want to add 15 -20 min to a commute in each direction.

Does LFGSS encourage or discourage people from taking up cycling?

Thanks to LFGSS, I discovered Cycle Training. Now I have been trained and I am hoping my family will be trained soon. This is conclusive proof that LFGSS encourages cycling.

That said, I cannot think that many come on here before cycing. It simply encourages people to cycle more which is a good thing.

What cycle sport does, or at least the absence of any alternative form of effective promotion, is to convince non-cyclists that cycling is both really hard, and dangerous.

"ooh, you cycle to work? gosh! 2 miles? wow!"
"you don't wear a helmet? Are you insane?"

I knew you would say that!

Shopping bike means a lot longer commute, you may have all the time in the world but I don't want to add 15 -20 min to a commute in each direction.

You're just baiting me.

It is true that it take at least that much longer to go home, but the way I see it, an extra 15-20 minutes to enjoy riding my bike.

BlueQuinn, you remind me of my favourite post on the forum;

"Oh I couldn't possibly cycle into work, it's far too dangerous out there these days"
"It's not you I worry about, it's all those drivers"
"It's all main roads, there's no cyclepaths on my route to work"
"The roads will be full of people who can't take the tube today"

Shut up you whinging cunts:

So, in light if Bradley Wiggins' not inconsiderable efforts... does all this 'success' encourage my road-timid beloved want to start using a bicycle to get to work? Has anything changed since I started this thread? Is sport any good?

I'm sure there'll be some clipboard-wavers counting numbers of bikes, post Olympics..

Is travel by bicycle worth the risk? Or should we stick to the track/trail/closed road?

I believe it is worth the risk.. otherwise I wouldn't be doing it. Clearly other people out there think the same. More would be better though... I'd love to see a 'Wiggo effect'.

Let put it this way.

We got all kind of people buying the Wiggo t-shirts and the Sky jersey.

And our store is looking emptier with less bicycles on display for the first time in two years.

(MTB are still almost fill to the brim).

Is travel by bicycle worth the risk? Or should we stick to the track/trail/closed road?
More cyclists equate to lower risk (both perceived and actual).

Is it worth the risk? You would need to quantify that.

I think sport is total shit. Seriously. I'm hoping that not everyone is blinded by a stupid gold medal and a few drugged up overtrained murdoch-sponsored 'sportsmen'. But hey. Maybe I'm just being contrary. RPM thinks I should get out more, but I never trust anyone with pen all over them.

Munty munt munt your name is fucking ace.

If you've been hearing Boardman on TV struggle with the ramifications of the cycling success, then you'll come to only one conclusion, which is it's definitely worth it. Watching and participating in cycling will only gather pace to some point even he can't imagine. Some people, on here especially, will refer to these 'converts' as hipsters, which would be brainless and counter-productive.

I agree with skeletor

I have noticed quite a large increase of cyclists out at the weekend and commuting in the last couple of weeks, I would usually see 1 other commuter in the morning. This last week I have seen near double figures every morning even during the rain, I'd say a 'Wiggo' effect is likely

What does it matter if sport is shit? If it gets more people on bikes that makes it better for everyone (no matter how much you hate nodder dodging).

Cyclescheme more popular than ever in wake of Wiggins win
According to Bike Biz, Cyclescheme has seen its highest number of signups this year in the week following the Englishman's Tour victory, 26 per cent higher than the previous highest week at the start of the cycling season in March.

http://road.cc/content/news/62765-cyclescheme-more-popular-ever-wake-wiggins-win

I have noticed quite a large increase of cyclists out at the weekend and commuting in the last couple of weeks, I would usually see 1 other commuter in the morning. This last week I have seen near double figures every morning even during the rain, I'd say a 'Wiggo' effect is likely

Weather effect is more likely.. but give it some time..

I have definitely noticed motorists giving me more room and thinking twice about pulling out etc, speaking to others they seem to be saying the same.

What does it matter if sport is shit? If it gets more people on bikes that makes it better for everyone (no matter how much you hate nodder dodging).

My op was attempting to ask: is this overtly sport-focussed cycling promoted by shops, mags, and a lot of web actually unintentionally discouraging peoplee from using bikes to, say, pop down to their local cinema, by reinforcing macho, 'proper', expensive, kitted-out, pointless cycling?

I think sport is total shit. Seriously. I'm hoping that not everyone is blinded by a stupid gold medal and a few drugged up overtrained murdoch-sponsored 'sportsmen'. But hey. Maybe I'm just being contrary. RPM thinks I should get out more, but I never trust anyone with pen all over them.
There's probably more peiople on their bikes at the moment because of the 'lympics.

Not becuase they are inspired, but because public transport is shit, and traffic is a nightmare.

yes, I hate these cycle magazines reviewing endless streams of impractical bikes always with the
hint "could race on it". A colleague of mine keeps looking at new road bikes all the time because he "wants
to get back into racing", has been doing it for over a year, instead of just getting on his current bike and
put some pressure on the pedals and commute to work.

I thought the alternative is nodder

My op was attempting to ask: is this overtly sport-focussed cycling promoted by shops, mags, and a lot of web actually unintentionally discouraging peoplee from using bikes to, say, pop down to their local cinema, by reinforcing macho, 'proper', expensive, kitted-out, pointless cycling?

Health benefits from competitive cycling are not pointless but forgetting that.. a person who owns a bike is more likely to use it to ride to the shops to buy smokes than someone who doesn't own a bike, right? If they get all gooey for Wiggles one day and buy a bike they might actually use it.

Not becuase they are inspired, but because public transport is shit, and traffic is a nightmare.

Traffic in the West is actually better. I'm sure half of wesside has gone on holidays or something!