Is it time to start calling out bad cyclists?

It's a faux pas to deafen nearby riders with your sonic boom. Not only that but then you go on to obscure their vision with your vapour cone. Is it time to start calling out bad Hippies?

John Lydon did years ago.

They should be thankful the roads are free of motor vehicles for a good 30min after I've passed by...

Gooch Booms

Sonic Bums

They should be thankful the roads are full of flattened motor vehicles for a good two days after I've passed by...

Fixed.

Have you considered fitting a cow catcher?

I have a built in one.

Told a guy to fuck off after he kept creeping up the inside of my back wheel today; he wasn't trying to overtake but just one of those fair weather pricks that try to draft you but does it real shitly and dangerously even though there is loads of space and no need for it. So many times I had to speed up to so I could turn without him chopping my back wheel out. I'd already politely asked him to not do and explained it was dangerous/unnecessary it so when he kept doing it I had to be less nice: "fuck off trying to undertake me, if you wanna go faster please just overtake me properly". I hope I wasn't being a dick.

I hope I wasn't being a dick.

Don't feel bad. Like you said, you already asked him politely to stop, that should've been enough.

I hope I wasn't being a dick.

Similarly, I made contact with a rider who tried to go between myself and another rider on Blackfriar's cycle lane today when we were setting off from the lights. AIMBU to hold my line and not move into oncoming traffic so this prick can try and undertake me?

^ Pffft. Nah you're fine.
Hold your hand out with palm facing backwards to tell the rider that you aren't letting him through. Takes the guesswork out.

I'm going to open myself up to abuse and most likely my opinion is the opposite of others, but here goes:

Yesterday I unintentionally rode close behind someone else. I was not intending on drafting, I wasn't really close enough to be drafting, I was just away in my own thoughts and pedalling. I suddenly realised the guy in front had slowed down massively and I jumped on the brakes, did a little skid, but no biggie, didn't get that close to him, but hearing the skid probably shook him up a bit so I shouted an apology, and then at the next lights I pulled up next to him and apologised again. He didn't look at me, but just said, "shouldn't be riding so close" while staring straight ahead. It took me a while but after playing it back in my head while at the lights, I realised eventually that there had been no hazard, no reason to jam the brakes on for him, he'd basically "brake checked" me because he felt I was riding too close to him.

Brake checks are for cunts. If you feel like brake checking someone, just think, "what if the person behind doesn't slow down in time?" It's fucking dangerous and a dick move. Don't like someone's riding? Say something, slow down gently and let them past so you don't have to be near them, turn off and stop for a minute and then carry on, slamming the brakes on is likely to cause an accident. If you both get tangled up, you'll both be in pain, with broken bikes, and based on my experience providing evidence as a witness in court, the brake checker will be the one paying for the damage, not the brake checkee, for intentionally causing an accident.

Currently debating on whether to fire an email off to his cycling club.

Not sure which part you think people will disagree with you over.
Dude sounds like a dick.

The bit where it sounds like I was riding too close to him, which I admit, I was closer than I'd like to have been, but I wouldn't say I was properly on his wheel.

Everyone's concentration lapses on the bike

Heat makes people crazy I swear. Some guy in a rapha neon pink jersey was giving it some mega beanz at every opportunity yesterday evening down the embankment from Vauxhall Bridge to putney. Looked a little ragged and with so many cyclists and a fair bit of traffic, a touch on the irresponsible side - I gave him plenty room.

Anyway, we keep catching him at junctions and as we move off from the lights at parsons green, some guy who appeared to be wearing a woolly hat under his helmet!?, slides in to the left leaving old pink shirt a bit boxed in. He starts having a go, saying he's too close, "let me out" and then the swearing starts. In no time, while they both try and over take a bus, they're trying to slap each other while riding along. I'm just sat behind watching it all unfold. Eventually pink shirt wriggles free and gives a final "get fucked mutherfucker" and rides off leaving what must have been sweatiest commuter in London waving his fist in futile frustration

Each to their own.

That was @rpm and me. He feels the cold and I love pink shirts.

Well commuter drafting is maybe a bit silly (not that you were doing).
It’s different when you’re riding with someone you know and you can trust them to hold a line and not make sudden changes to speed.
But people still gonna do it on their way to work, it’s totally unreasonable to expect people to ride 2 bikes lengths from each other. Either pedal harder and drop them, slow down and let them past or just put up with people riding behind you, let them know when you’re slowing etc. No excuse for brake checking.

TransAm has done wonders for your figure if so.

a bit boxed in

Devil Takes the Hindmost can be a bit frustrating if you're not paying attention.

This sun is all well and good, but there are a lot of wobblers out. The concentration of people I’d like to suggest cycle training to has increased exponentially.

Saw a kiddo, teen i suppose, bombing along and weaving in and out of peds before hitting the pedestrian-only high street the other day. I was too busy practically track standing every 3ft avoiding peds on the road that I failed to catch him and throw piss at him.

Yesterday a chavtastic on his widebar mtb came bombing up the path across the center around a blind corner and narrowly passed me, was glad my brakes work.

On the way back also a late teen on a roadie hugging the drain covers before weak signalling and crossing two lanes to get across a central res and onto the bike path (that I was cruising along on).

Waiting to leave and get today’s quota.

Nah, it's just shaving the beard off makes me look 20 years younger and 20kg lighter.

Loved that exercise at HHV