The Velotard Thread.

[lemonjelly]

more new infrastructure - one of the routes is close to my home so sounds really good;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy9l1jz9xzdo

edit, however the below is a little sad (and relates to some discussions we've had on other threads about walking at night time too);
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm27x5klxxlo

 

[lemonjelly]

https://www.theguardian.com/news/20...y-safety-fears-and-intimidating-drivers-study

Although not entirely inevitable, I was a bit surprised to read how the post covid interest in cycling is waning. It has felt round here that I am seeing more people on bikes more often?

I totally get the peoples fears though - had my own fair share of deliberate "near misses" (including by huge fuck off trucks, the bastards). Sickening that some drivers are more likely to do this to female cyclists.

 

[Keef]

You might be seeing more cyclists because as a cyclist yourself you notice them, whereas lots of drivers don’t look any further ahead than their phone.
The near miss shit is because you’re perceived as holding them up and making them late so it’s a sort of punishment to you, yet 200 yds down the road you pass them as they’re sitting in a queue of traffic with no anger issues, because the traffics always bad here this time of the day

 

[EpsomWolf]

Just feels like everyone is under such pressure and there’s no time for patience anymore. The reactions to getting held up are at times ridiculous, but you see that in the huffing that goes on when some old dear is fannying about with her change at the till as you do someone not standing on the right on a tube escalator, or a cyclist holding you up when they’re grinding away up a hill and just about everything else in between.

Noticable in the two clubs I’m in the road riders are haemorrhaging numbers to the off-road sections with many saying road riding just isn’t worth the risk and not enjoyable anymore. We occasionally have short road sections nipping between lanes and trails and often have barney’s with drivers doing dodgy overtakes, but I think if I was driving a van doing 250 drops I’d probably be guilty of the same thing from time to time too.

The consequences of those pressures and bad behaviours when a cyclist and vehicle come together are pretty terrifying so it’s no wonder some people think in the end it’s just not worth the bother.

 

[Tredman]

Just feels like everyone is under such pressure and there’s no time for patience anymore. The reactions to getting held up are at times ridiculous, but you see that in the huffing that goes on when some old dear is fannying about with her change at the till as you do someone not standing on the right on a tube escalator, or a cyclist holding you up when they’re grinding away up a hill and just about everything else in between.

Noticable in the two clubs I’m in the road riders are haemorrhaging numbers to the off-road sections with many saying road riding just isn’t worth the risk and not enjoyable anymore. We occasionally have short road sections nipping between lanes and trails and often have barney’s with drivers doing dodgy overtakes, but I think if I was driving a van doing 250 drops I’d probably be guilty of the same thing from time to time too.

The consequences of those pressures and bad behaviours when a cyclist and vehicle come together are pretty terrifying so it’s no wonder some people think in the end it’s just not worth the bother.

That sounds very familiar to the complaints trail runners have about off-road cyclists

 

[EpsomWolf]

That sounds very familiar to the complaints trail runners have about off-road cyclists

I can just imagine that is the case to be fair.

Funnily enough I’ll be group cycling across Epsom common in the morning moaning about dog walkers, then as soon as back will head straight out to walk the dog on Epsom common moaning about cyclists. It’s just the way of the world.

I’m not really one for pitching different groups against others and pretty much just despair at our inability to get on in shared spaces generally, however, if I had to dig one group out it’d be gravel bike cyclists. Road riders do their thing and we do ours but those bellends are the worst of all worlds as they hurtle round at road racing speeds on tight paths, with kids, dogs, buggies and god knows what else running about in all directions, and all done while giving you a gobfull for not jumping out of the way fast enough too.

Someone told me Richmond Park is like a death match on a weekend morning with that sort of thing going on. Only a matter of time til someone’s seriously hurt and surprised it’s still allowed tbh.

 

[Keef]

I see it on our local canal path a lot, plodders like me taking it easy, enjoying the fresh air, bird song being polite with the dog walkers, then some prick on a gravel bike going for king of the mountain on strava being really angry he’s held up for 2 seconds barging through, then catching him up because he’s decided to go full mental at someone in a wheelchair further down the towpath

 

[sycophantia]

I see it on our local canal path a lot, plodders like me taking it easy, enjoying the fresh air, bird song being polite with the dog walkers, then some prick on a gravel bike going for king of the mountain on strava being really angry he’s held up for 2 seconds barging through, then catching him up because he’s decided to go full mental at someone in a wheelchair further down the towpath

Are you tempted to chuck those types in the cut?

 

[Keef]

Yes, and the pricks on electric and normal engined motorbikes going way too fast

 

[jlo]

Someone told me Richmond Park is like a death match on a weekend morning with that sort of thing going on. Only a matter of time til someone’s seriously hurt and surprised it’s still allowed tbh.

Nah Richmond is fine, a bit less car traffic would be nice but the thing that worries me around there is the stories of violent bike thefts (mid ride!)

 

[EpsomWolf]

Nah Richmond is fine, a bit less car traffic would be nice but the thing that worries me around there is the stories of violent bike thefts (mid ride!)

There were a few warnings in the club about that sort of thing going on around the Box Hill area a couple of years ago but not something that really played on the mind. I just had a quick google of ‘bike jacking’ and bloody hell, it’s absolutely rampant in some of those parks apparently

The rampant bike-jacking gangs terrorising London’s parks

Violent gangs on mopeds are increasingly targeting cyclists’ expensive racing bikes. Robbie Griffiths reports

www.standard.co.uk

 

[jlo]

There were a few warnings in the club about that sort of thing going on around the Box Hill area a couple of years ago but not something that really played on the mind. I just had a quick google of ‘bike jacking’ and bloody hell, it’s absolutely rampant in some of those parks apparently

The rampant bike-jacking gangs terrorising London’s parks

Violent gangs on mopeds are increasingly targeting cyclists’ expensive racing bikes. Robbie Griffiths reports

www.standard.co.uk

Yeah I was a part of a large cycle/tri club that used Richmond a lot and when you see it, you realise how rampant it is. I don't have an expensive bike, that's my saving grace!

 

[Keef]

Need your thoughts and a bit of help, if I did give the mobile bike repair a go properly what sort of things would you as a customer expect repairs wise when you phoned up and price wise happy to pay?
I wouldn’t be doing e bikes, because that puts my liability insurance up from £600pa to £2800! Lots of insurers don’t want the hassle.
I’m looking at it two ways,

1. £10 call out charge for assessment on what needs doing, then a price per job plus parts, like brake pad replacement V brake £20+ £5 pads (2.50 each) so £35 all in.
Gear adjustment £15+ call out=£25.
Bottom bracket replacement £25+ £20 parts+ call out =£55.

2. Free assessment then £50ph + parts, £20 per half hour, so the pads would be done around the half hour mark =£25.
Gear adjustment =£25 for the half hour.
Stuff like chains and tube replacements would be more expensive this way as they’d be the half hours work plus parts £30-35 for a tube is ridiculous tbh, double the price Halfords do it for, I could throw the tube in for free, or just quote £20 for it.

So fire away gents, keep it polite with the annoyance over the piss taking prices.

 

[jlo]

I would look at the Fettle business model, I don't really know what costs what but their service was clear and great. I'd package up jobs into a level of service rather than one off bits and bobs.

 

[Keef]

Just had a look, and they’re double the price of Halfords, Evans cycles, leisure lakes bikes for the same service, guess thats Kwik fit ( the owners) bringing car pricing to bikes

 

[lemonjelly]

sent you a pm mate

 

[jlo]

Just had a look, and they’re double the price of Halfords, Evans cycles, leisure lakes bikes for the same service, guess thats Kwik fit ( the owners) bringing car pricing to bikes

Yeah I wasn't particularly referring to the costs, which to be fair their target market is London. But the user experience and the way work can be packaged up. Hadn't clocked the Kwik Fit link, think that must be more recent then.