Suicyclist?

[Toff]

Here's my own crazy cyclist experience.

I had just left home this morning, and was driving to work down my street. It is one lane each way, and quite narrow. I soon came up behind a cyclist who was riding hard against the left hand gutter, as is all too common these days.

Anyway, I was in no hurry, so I gave him a few bikelengths of space, and slowed down to his speed. We were approaching a blind verge, and there was a double white line which I would have had to cross to overtake. I'm not in the habit of overtaking anything on a blind hill, with or without double lines marked on the road...

After only a few seconds, this cyclist starts rolling his wrist to indicate that I should overtake him. Of course, I won't as it would be dangerous for both of us, but his gesticulations become more and more frantic.

Eventually, he realises that I won't succumb to his request, so instead, he swings across the double lines, so that he is riding head-on into any oncoming traffic, and now starts gesticulating with his left hand that I should drive past him.

At this point I decided that the best thing to do would be to get in front of him, and sure enough, after I pass, he swings back into his place hard up against the gutter on the left again.

The only thing I can think of is that this guy has some paranoia about cars behind him, but it really doesn't do any of us any good that he was so amazingly erratic, dangerous, and careless of the road rules. Who knows what a less bike-aware driver would have done, or the impression it would have left.

Does anyone have any idea what this guy was thinking?

[mikesbytes]

While I wouldn't of performed his actions, I don't like cars to follow me for too long as occasionally you get a motorist who follows for a while and then gets impatient and then does something stupid. I wave cars past where it is legal and safe for the car to pass me.

Other answer is that he didn't want to be a bother for you and went overboard to share the road.

[christian]

Maybe he's been collected by a car recently and it now a bit paranoid. But riding hard against the gutter is not exactly safe.

[weiyun]

A much better move would have been to just pull over on the side and let the motor vehicle pass. No ideas why anyone would zip across to the other side of the road to let you pass. Weird.

[williamd]

I had a P plate driver behind me and he was really impatient so I let him pass. He was going more than 30 k/h over the speed limit.


It is only natural to feel a bit uncomfortable if some one is behind you for too long.

[Toff]

I would do the same if I had some yahoo on my tail, but I was no yahoo. I was giving him loads of room (several car lengths at ~25km/h). This cyclist was urging me to break road rules for his convenience/comfort, but it would have put both of us in danger, and that's my beef.

I just wonder what he was thinking, and how he justifies this behaviour, or even if he's posting a thread somewhere about my behaviour in my car. If you ride on the road, you do have to expect cars to be there, and I was about the best thing he could have had behind him from a safety point of view...

This all took place over no more than 200m of road distance, so I wasn't stalking the guy for kms. I'm beginning to wonder if he was actually hoping for a draft perhaps...

[weiyun]

I would do the same if I had some yahoo on my tail, but I was no yahoo.

Maybe it's an example of "Once bitten twice shy". Perhaps we can make "Cyclists Friendly Driver" stickers to put on the front of our cars, so that cyclists can see that they are not being threatened.

[mikesbytes]

Weyiun has already seen this one, an excerpt from a driving exam.



Now which is the correct answer?

[Adrian E]

weyuin. where did you get this image from?

[Toff]

Perhaps we can make "Cyclists Friendly Driver" stickers to put on the front of our cars, so that cyclists can see that they are not being threatened.

I have toyed with the idea of putting a sticker on the back of my car which offers cyclists the opportunity to grab my bumper and hang on for a tow. Available to help you over a steep hill or two...

[weiyun]

weyuin. where did you get this image from?

Did you mean Mike?

http://bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic ... highlight=

[Huw]

Perhaps we can make "Cyclists Friendly Driver" stickers to put on the front of our cars, so that cyclists can see that they are not being threatened.

There is the Watch for Cyclists campaign, with the following sticker.

I'd say it's the equivalent of what you're thinking about? Bob at Stanmore Cycles has stacks of them (or used to, at least).

[Simon Llewellyn]

Hey Huw that avatar is pretty funky!!! Though I don't think there are many that will spin at that cadence for too long!!!

[Huw]

Yeah, I can't believe it - that little guy just keeps going and going!
I can't stop watching!!

Because his wheels are smaller, he has to pedal faster to keep up with toff's avatar, except it doesn't matter 'cause they got their directions wrong.

[Simon Llewellyn]

It puts Toff's avatar to shame! I would like to think your little man is sprinting but he just looks like he's on a Sunday morning ride to Waterfall!!!

[weiyun]

Where's the spin? It's more like gym stepping machine. Transmission mechanism must be very peculiar.

[Simon Llewellyn]

I don't know it's going so fast it creates an optical illusion. Could be a perfect pedal stroke!

[Huw]

I think he's running a 3Tx2T. I don't know how many times I've told him to save up for a new 1T cog from Al, but I think his little ears are just too small to hear regular audible noise.

I keep telling him; "they're not that expensive", "they're made in England", "you'd sure save your legs down the hills, little buddy", but do you think he'll listen?! Why don't you guys try, he won't listen to me.

[Simon Llewellyn]

What I really think he needs is a disc wheel and a set of time trial bars. I acquired three new excellent dvds over the weekend & in the final hour, Chris Boardman's attempt on Eddie Merckx's hour record. Boardman actually noticed that with the standard drops in the position Merckx used as opposed to Boardman's newer timetrial postion it actually requires a number of extra muscles near the top of the leg. SO if your little man had time trial bars he wouldn't need to access these muscles....

[Toff]

It puts Toff's avatar to shame!

Maybe, but it kinda looks familiar...

[Toff]

I haven't been on my bike for nearly 2 weeks, thanks to this filthy cold, and the other night when I couldn't sleep, I decided to make a few changes. Totally co-incedentally, here's what I did...

I'm hoping to take this setup out over the weekend to see how she goes...

[Simon Llewellyn]

Maybe, but it kinda looks familiar...

It almost looks like your avatar is in the breakaway slaving away, Randwick Botany has hit the wall and is shooting off the back, while Huw's is on ICE (amphetamines) and has a whole week before it comes down!!!!

[Simon Llewellyn]

I haven't been on my bike for nearly 2 weeks, thanks to this filthy cold, and the other night when I couldn't sleep, I decided to make a few changes. Totally co-incedentally, here's what I did...

I'm hoping to take this setup out over the weekend to see how she goes...

Good wheels?

[mikesbytes]

shooting off the back

You mean "I was the only rider not in the breakaway"

[weiyun]

I haven't been on my bike for nearly 2 weeks, thanks to this filthy cold, and the other night when I couldn't sleep, I decided to make a few changes. Totally co-incedentally, here's what I did...

I'm hoping to take this setup out over the weekend to see how she goes...

OMG! May I ride next to you on Sat in the park?

Good to know that you are willing to run tyres of different colours.

[mikesbytes]

Chris, what kind of cassette do those tri-spoke wheels take?

[Simon Llewellyn]

You mean "I was the only rider not in the breakaway"

Mike your avator is just flying away! No need to be in any break...

[mikesbytes]

Mike your avator is just flying away! No need to be in any break...

Weyiun took the photo just as I went over the handlebars

[Toff]

Simon, I've had these wheels for a couple of years, but never actually put them on a bike. They are early model wheels, and are aluminium not carbon, so pretty light, but not ultra-light. I hope to find out if they are good wheels by taking them for a spin and seeing how fast they are.

Weiyun, I think Centennial Park (Slowies) will be the perfect test track for these wheels. You can sit in my slipstream, but I doubt you'll be able to keep up. (Actually, I'm still pretty sick so I proably won't be going anywhere near top speed.) The rear tyre will be changed to an appropriate colour before then too. I've got my last new one on the front though.

Mike, these wheels were quite difficult to set up with my 8-speed Campy drivetrain. They pre-date cassettes, so they use an 8-speed screw-on cluster re-spaced to match the Campy system. The original cluster was only 7-speed, so the last cog on this 8-speed setup has almost no clearance with the frame. To get a bit of extra clearance, some additional spacers have been added to the rear axle, so it is 135mm instead the standard 130. This means that I have to stretch the frame open to get the wheel in. You could not do this on a carbon/aluminium frame, but it's no problem for my steel frame. The actual freewheel and cassette are made by Sachs.

[williamd]

The style police will not be amused.

[mikesbytes]

I've never heard of 8 speed screw on.

[Toff]

8 speed freewheels here.

[timyone]

feet look faster on hues, but toffs might be in a bigger gear. But yeah hue's looks a bit faster

[timyone]

I haven't been on my bike for nearly 2 weeks, thanks to this filthy cold, and the other night when I couldn't sleep, I decided to make a few changes. Totally co-incedentally, here's what I did...

I'm hoping to take this setup out over the weekend to see how she goes...

nice!!!!
man perfect for saturday slowies
though you know that that bike adds to the amount of points people give them selves for going apst you now