Bicycles - your thoughts

[Rave]

Sometimes I cycle on the pavement, for example when on a dual carraigeway, but only for safety reasons and I always take care and never cycle too fast. Besides, people don't normally walk down the paths of dual carraigeways so there's not many people about.

Oh quite, I do the same. I'm talking about the rude boys on their badly maintained Halfords 'Mountain' bikes weaving down the pavements, with one hand on the bars and a mobile (or spliff) in the other, expecting everyone to jump out of their way. A couple of months ago I'd just got off the train, and the commuter crowd was moving on masse into town. A couple of teenagers went weaving through the crowd, and inevitably one of them ran into a guy. When he had the temerity to complain, the other rider got right in the guy's face asking what his problem was! If that had been me I'd have decked the rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbish, and put my foot through his wheels for good measure.

At the end of the day, it's perfectly possible to bend the rules by riding on the pavement or riding through red lights if you're sensible and have good judgement. In a lot of places riding up an empty pavement is far safer than mixing it with busy traffic; and there are junctions where a quick trip past the red, onto the pavement, across the pedestrian crossing and then rejoining is also faster and safer. In more than 10 years of being a fairly serious cyclist I never once frightened a pedestrian or even came close to causing an accident with a car (although I got cut up numerous times obviously).

[noah]

i used to commute on my bike all the time, day in day out rain or sun and the ammount of times i was almost run over or hit by 4x4s turning left drives me nuts. i like to think im a reasonable resonsible cyclist, though like rave i think its ok to bend the rules a little, i mean do we all follow every rule when driving? (indicators, speeding?)

but there are those few idiots that ruin it for the rest of us as always and get too agressive or are just plain daft. on my commuting bie every possible point on contact was metal, so when i was diven into there would be a reminder left. (and i stress 'driven into' not me trying to cause damage). the thing is that i learnt to ride to survive the way to work, which involved riding down the middle of busy streets not the left of the left lane or you get doors opened on you or someone turning left on you, even pedestrians stepping out without looking.

i loved commuting on a bike, it woke me up, kept me fit and was usuallly more entertaining than the car, shame it's too far usually now.

[Beck]

i used to commute on my bike all the time, day in day out rain or sun and the ammount of times i was almost run over or hit by 4x4s turning left drives me nuts. i like to think im a reasonable resonsible cyclist, though like rave i think its ok to bend the rules a little, i mean do we all follow every rule when driving? (indicators, speeding?)

but there are those few idiots that ruin it for the rest of us as always and get too agressive or are just plain daft. on my commuting bie every possible point on contact was metal, so when i was diven into there would be a reminder left. (and i stress 'driven into' not me trying to cause damage). the thing is that i learnt to ride to survive the way to work, which involved riding down the middle of busy streets not the left of the left lane or you get doors opened on you or someone turning left on you, even pedestrians stepping out without looking.

i loved commuting on a bike, it woke me up, kept me fit and was usuallly more entertaining than the car, shame it's too far usually now.

Normally when cars are parked down both sides of the street and there is traffic behind you, I take up the whole lane as you know when there isn't space for them to overtake you safely without forcing you into wing mirrors/other peoples cars, etc. You really wake up on the road to things around you when you don't have a metal shell protecting you.
And no commute is too long, you just have to set out earlier in the morning

[noah]

And no commute is too long, you just have to set out earlier in the morning

normally i'd agree but have you tried 50 miles on a bmx? lol

i know it's not sensible, but im at uni and there's no room for a bmx, mtb and a roadbike in my house, so i picked to one i can play on and commute shorter distances (5 miles tops)

You really wake up on the road to things around you when you don't have a metal shell protecting you.

definately, i think your road awareness goes right up after a few months commuting on a bike.