Leaving Bike At Home ...

"platypus" wrote

Yeah, I love that feeling... ;O)

But one of the (happy!) problems with riding is that
mostimes your mistakes have no consequence, so it can
be difficult to notice them.

Now I'm riding in London there is lots of opportunity
to practice this art. But feeling in the zone, on top
of everything, displaying perfect management of all
possibilities, thinking 7 cars ahead and 3 corners round,
doesn't stop the parked cabby from pulling a U-y and
giving you no time to react..

I think if someone thinks that you fit your description,
then great, maybe you are doing something right. But best
not delude ourselves that we are quite so cool on a bike.

(fascinating sig btw!)

mico
ThunderCat
~peace is a fire~

 

In

*DING*

--
Steve Parry

http://www.gwynfryn.co.uk

http://www.arrivedeprived.org.uk/

K100RS SE
F650
(not forgetting the SK90PY)

 

platypus wrote

I didn't know you had seen me do riding in traffic.

 

You avoid 80% of dangers *before they appear* or you don't avoid them
20% of the time?

Buy some lottery tickets and give up commuting. Now.

 

Yes, that's it really. One has to make a game of it. Traffic is a
giant puzzle. The reward is "ah HA, I knew you were going to do that!"
.... that and the look of utter surprise on his face when the thick
clod actually twists his head around to look and see you there.

 

genuine_froggie wrote:

<snip>

Even when sliding down the road behind an FJR?

--
Dan L (Oldbloke)
My bike 1996 Kawasaki ZR1100 Zephyr
M'boy's bike 2003 Honda NSR125R
Spare Bike 1990 Suzuki TS50X
BOTAFOT #140, DIAABTCOD #26, BOMB#18 (slow)

 

I agree with Mr A and with Platy's later post. The correct mental
attitude and using the experience to improve your skills is the only way
in which you can sensibly approach regular riding in a city environment.
If you can't or won't or are unwilling to do this then you need to go by
public transport or walk.

The only issue is that I can foresee posts from you saying "bloody
morons why do they have be in my metro carriage?" or "stupid arseholes
why do they walk on my bit of the pavement?". The real issue here is
your attitude to those around you and you've said enough times that you
aren't prepared to change that. Get used to dicing with death or being
stressed.

 

Bear wrote

Not 'just' a dance but a dance nonetheless.

 

Is it more effort than riding like a stress queen, gnashing your teeth and
screaming curses at every transgressor? People who are in control live
longer, happier lives - and I'm not just talking about avoiding the roadkill
scenario.

 

Deal with it.

 

Oh yeah, that's another thing that pisses me off, but in their defence,
it's not helped by the government's fucking obsessive 'war on speed', as if
that were the be-all and end-all of this nebulous notion of 'road safety'.
So I'm sitting there at say, 90 km/h, which is the speed limit on the N118.
I occasionally go faster, up to 120 km/h, so it's not a case of clinging to
90, come-what-may. Most of the time, though, I enjoy the 'flying carpet'
feeling of being on the bike, and so sheer speed isn't the reason why I do
it.

So there I am, sitting at 90, and in my mirror, I see a car off my left
shoulder, on my 'seven o'clock', to borrow the fighter pilot parlance.
He's just sitting there, not gaining, nor dropping back. All the while,
i'm gaining on the car in front of me, I'm going to want to pass, but am I
going to pull out in front of this knob who's just behind me ? That's what
I eventually have to do, but it annoys me.

Then you have the twat who, if you're sitting at 129km/h, wants to pass
you, so he'll creep up your outside, at a 1km/h difference, but forbid the
idea that he'll go over the speed limit, oh no ... he might get flashed.

Cunts.

{ snip }

Some bloke reading the paper this morning, at 130km/h ...

 

A fuckwit is a fuckwit whether he's in a car, or a métro carriage, or
walking down the street. What irritates me isn't their driving _per se_,
but their idiocy. I just did a wee shop at my local Monoprix and as it was
relatively early in the morning, there were deliveries getting done, so
cardboard boxes blocking the aisles. Of course, this wasn't helped by
people who left their trollies directly in front of the only bit where
anyone could pass. I mean come on, I don't ask for much; only that fucking
idiots stay out of my way.

Coming onto rue de Sèvres, a bicycle refuses me right of way. Had I not
braked, she'd have been in a bad way. I pull alongside her, and ask if
she's ever heard of 'priorité à droite', she sort of looks and says, 'erm,
vaguely ...'

Walking from the bike to SO's, a guy sort of stepped back and bumped into
me. 'Pardon, m'sieur', he said, turning around. Brilliant .. he bumped
into me, apologised, just as I do when I bump into someone. Case closed.
Is it so hard ?

The other day, in the métro, I was standing (which I normally do anyway),
and there was a bint sitting down with her three children, each in one
seat. An old couple get on, bint doesn't move, so couple have to stand. I
ask the woman who's sitting, 'Do you consider it normal to leave that
couple standing whilst your children are seated ?' She started screaming
about racism etc. (she was black), whereas I really couldn't give a ****
whether she was black, yellow or indigo. When I was a child, my parents
didn't even have to tell me to give up my seat for an adult: I did it
automatically. I mean FFS, what _is_wrong_ with people ?

My 'attitude' ? I'm in fact one of the most polite persons you'll ever
meet. I just don't like idiots, that's all. I'm no different in that
respect from most other people; the only difference being that I support
their being put to the sword.

 

On Sat, 27 Nov 2004 11:06:49 +0000, genuine_froggie

[snip load of self justification bollocks]

You have a simple choice - you either become

a) more tolerant and forgiving of others' foibles because they will
never match the standards that you have set for them. How can they meet
them when they don't know you from Adam?

or

b) you just learn to cope with the feelings that these encounters
generate.

Your carrying round of the feelings that you have repeatedly expressed
on the group will simply affect you and no one else. No one is going to
change as a result of your suppressed "anger" and feelings of
superiority towards "fuckwits" as you so nicely describe them.

 

You forgot Option C:

Take a walk down to Buttes-Chaumont park, and jump off the suicide
bridge.

That'd be so French it's almost untrue.

 

He thinks he's French now ? Whatever next.

 

This explains the self loathing.

 

Next up is when I try to convince myself that I'm witty.

Oh ****, hang on ... someone else got that one first.