Wibbly Wobbly

[rmurphy195]

It isn't just car drivers that cut too close - I've had my elbows "brushed" by several cyclists recently, and been told off twice for wobbling!

It's the faster guys on quicker bikes riding quickly - so please guys if you are overtaking, give as much room to the cyclist your are passing as you would expect a car/van/lorry driver to give you!

The wobbles - well, one was on my first outing with my new bike and its unfamiliar STI gearchanges, around an island. Where at the time I was swerving a bit to avoid a car coming onto the island from my left ...

The other was having just swopped onto my Brompton. Now anyone who rides such a bike, especially if you've just swopped from a relatively stable Tourer, will know how "jittery" these can be ... (and when you first get back on the tourer it just won't go around corners!)

So to reiterate, cyclists need to give other cyclists room. Set an example?

Thankyou kindly - Richard

[Phil Fouracre]

Just goes to show, just as many cretins on bikes as in cars! You can't fix stupid.

[MikeF]

My copy of The Highway Code printed 1946 states " Do not wobble about the road"

[Guy951]

I think it's just the good weather bringing them out. I've noticed locally over the past few weeks an increase in the number of "lycra-louts" on shiny carbon-fibre confections, wearing all the "correct" kit, and riding their bikes in the same fashion as they drive their SUVs*. It has been quite scarey on several occasions.


*ie with an almost-total lack of awareness of what's going on around them and showing no consideration for any other road-user.

[Jon Lucas]

Quite agree Richard. I've had a few people undertake me on bikes, brushing my elbow as they do, which is even more disconcerting. This mainly happens when starting off from traffic lights, and my concentration is on what the vehicles behind me are about to do, when suddenly a cyclist flashes past between me and the kerb.

Incidentally, when I worked at the post office many years ago, one of my colleagues who drove one of the Royal Mail vans came up to me one day to say they often found themselves driving behind me when I was cycling off to my round, and could never get past because I was wobbling too much. I didn't tell him that was the point. (not that I was deliberately wobbling, but I wasn't going to make efforts at not doing so just to appease him)

[Phil Fouracre]

Now we're back in the realm of cultivating a deliberate wobble, and, wearing a blonde wig

[mjr]

It's the faster guys on quicker bikes riding quickly - so please guys if you are overtaking, give as much room to the cyclist your are passing as you would expect a car/van/lorry driver to give you!

Please ring your flaming bell and pass on the right with caution if you're passing within 1.5m!

[[XAP]Bob]

If your bell is flaming then please stop and extinguish it before continuing...

[Phil Fouracre]

Dunno, maybe a flaming bell would be a good idea. Thinking again about putting a version of one of those reflectors on an arm on the bike. Moved onto a very sharp pointy stick! So perhaps further mod with a flame coming out would work wonders!

[tykeboy2003]

I had a good idea for close overtakes.

Mount a proximity sensor linked to a can of spray paint (florescent green would be nice) so that any cyclist or vehicle coming too close would get a nice go-fast stripe.

However, the inevitability of accidentally decorating other things and people makes it impractical.

[rmurphy195]

Re MJR's suggestion - when I used to cycle with a club, we'd have a few key phrases to say to people we were passing , or to communicate - one of which was "On your Right" (or left as the case may be) just before passing another cyclist. Even "Good morning" will do!

[pyruse]

I much prefer someone approaching from behind to ring their bell than shout 'on your right' or whatever.
A bell means 'bike' and I then expect a bike to pass.
A shout is just a shout - by the time I've registered what has been said I've usually got a shock from a bike whizzing past.