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Keith
Veteran
Veteran

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Joined: 12 Aug 2008
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Posts: 2,321
Location: East Sussex, UK

17 Aug 2008, 9:43 pm

I started life out on the roads with a bicycle. I learnt the rules of the road. I got my license and I still use the road the same way as I do as though I were on a bike.

Many cyclists have the habit of thinking, traffic lights and road markings do not apply to them, they are wrong. Jumping red lights, as they cross a road with a car that could wipe them out easily.

That got me thinking, with all the new cycle lanes being put up, so many are being wasted because cars now have to stop further back, I completely ignore them (unless there is a reason against this). They use double yellow lines as though they were a cycle path designated to them forcing them to be VERY close to the pavement. I used the rule of being about 1 metre away from it.

Didn't bother with safety gear, never have. Sometimes wear a seat-belt, hardly wore a cycle helmet. And yes, I've been involved in some bike crashes (pedestrian skimming, bus skimming) and wasn't wearing any safety gear. I've been involved in a couple crashes with cars - weren't wearing a seat-belt then either. One of them I was doing about 60Mph when I was turned 180 degrees. ( wasn't speeding )

Up-keep with a bike would be expensive as I am a power cyclist. Chain stretching, rear spindle bending, crank loosening. Would cost about the same price of a used old car for a decent one, except one being new. Both would need fuel, and I would be tired by the time I reached my destination - like I said - power cyclist and obsessed with getting up the gears quickly and efficiently.