The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[warthog1]

I like the giordana bibs. I used to buy their silverline goers. Comfy as and quite durable but out of my price range now.

[g-boaf]

My favourite bibs at the moment are Rapha Brevet - I took a chance on those with some recommendations and they are indeed very good. Useful pockets on them as well.

Now, back to the dumb part - I had to avoid a SMIDGAF rider going my side in the opposite direction. He was obviously with his riding buddies and grinning away wasn't going to move over, prefer to be riding side-by-side with them.

So not just motorists do the SMIDGAF thing.

[ningnangnong]

Posted this in the 10k thread, but may as well post it here as a reminder of how quickly things can go wrong, even when nothing goes wrong! And to milk the shame.

I'm the dumb cyclist. Out for a ride on Friday, plugging along at 40 km/h, did a quick shoulder check and when I brought my head back to face forward, I was heading into the gutter.

Down I went, all of my own doing. One ambo trip later, and I've got a fractured clavicle. A painful and expensive lesson, as it appears my bike has suffered a bit of damage too. At least it was non-drive side that took the brunt of the impact!

Front video - https://i.imgur.com/7xeNQGY.mp4
Rear video - https://i.imgur.com/HRjQ4YT.mp4

Absolutely spewing about it. Such a simple loss of concentration. Already going a bit mad not being able to ride - going for walks just doesn't cut it, I'm finding!

Take care out there, folks.

[Mr Purple]

Ouch! Easy mistake to make, lucky you landed on the grass rather than the tarmac.

Amazing how innocuous the footage always looks - mine looks about the same and I was in hospital for three days.

Best of luck with your recovery!

[ningnangnong]

Ouch! Easy mistake to make, lucky you landed on the grass rather than the tarmac.

Amazing how innocuous the footage always looks - mine looks about the same and I was in hospital for three days.

Best of luck with your recovery!

Ta mate, I've got it easy compared to you though!

Can't believe you're already back into it and making progress on the trainer! Hope it's going well.

[elantra]

Ouch! Easy mistake to make, lucky you landed on the grass rather than the tarmac.

Amazing how innocuous the footage always looks - mine looks about the same and I was in hospital for three days.

Best of luck with your recovery!

How does that old proverb go :
“There but for the grace of God go I”

No doubt that anyone here who has been on bicycles long enough has either done it or almost done it.

And as they say experience is a great teacher, and not necessarily your own experience, people can usually learn from the experience of others.

I remember one of those unpleasant moments where your gaze returns to the road ahead, only to see the kerb approaching fast !
But on that occasion, not too fast to avoid it - thankfully.
Another time, long ago in the era of hopeless weak bicycle lights, I was going quite fast down a long gradual hill on a dark cold night.
It was a major road, not busy but the cars were going too fast for (my) comfort.
So when the road seemed to widen out I moved to the left.
All of a sudden, I realised that it was actually the slip lane exit -only when the concrete kerbing was just in front of my handlebars.
Fortunately I landed in a soft patch of long wet grass and sustained no significant injuries.
But it was the end of that bike.

[Retrobyte]

Going fairly rapid too! Imagine the comments on Facebook if the ute driver behind you had a dashcam

Glad you aren't too badly banged up

[Retrobyte]

Not sure that a shared path is the best place to train your dog not to attack people. Here's the same little yapper, three times in less than a week ....

I tried a silent rear approach and the little bugger still went me

[find_bruce]

Riding into Halliday Park today & saw a large group coming the other way on a narrow path which had my senses on full alert, heard the call "bike up", saw all in single file on the left side & relaxed just a little when some knucklehead about 2/3 back looks over his shoulder & swings straight across the path. Fortunately I was able to bail out stopping on the grass & missed him be cm. Not so much as a sorry mate - couple of riders at the back looked suitably concerned

[vbplease]

Down I went, all of my own doing. One ambo trip later, and I've got a fractured clavicle. A painful and expensive lesson, as it appears my bike has suffered a bit of damage too. At least it was non-drive side that took the brunt of the impact!

Ouch!
I hope you heal up soon.

I agree, a crash like that can happen to any of us at anytime.. I've had many close calls on the straightest of boring bike paths from a lapse in concentration.

[jasonc]

Not sure that a shared path is the best place to train your dog not to attack people. Here's the same little yapper, three times in less than a week ....

I tried a silent rear approach and the little bugger still went me

i would airzound the owners

[vbplease]

Not sure that a shared path is the best place to train your dog not to attack people. Here's the same little yapper, three times in less than a week ....

I would definitely report that dog to the local council as a nuisance dog..

I've got a kelpie that lunges at any passing bike and I make sure that I'm always in between my dog and a passing bike so it can't lunge.. at least greatly minimise the lunge distance.. even when I restrain my dog and it tries to lunge, but doesn't really get anywhere near a bike, it can still startle the rider.. to not restrain the dog at all, is a nasty accident waiting to happen.

[Mububban]

I'm the dumb cyclist. Out for a ride on Friday, plugging along at 40 km/h, did a quick shoulder check and when I brought my head back to face forward, I was heading into the gutter.

Yeah, I've been there. Riding my (at the time) brand new road bike, did the shoulder check, drifted into the kerb and clip-stacked right at a roundabout. Gave great amusement to several drivers around me I only lost a little bit of blood, and pride, but I mildly scuffed my tyre sidewall!

Wishing you a speedy and full recovery.

[Mububban]

I'll never understand cyclists riding on road pre-dawn, or at dusk, in all black kit, with a black helmet, and no lights on your bike....

[zebee]

I'll never understand cyclists riding on road pre-dawn, or at dusk, in all black kit, with a black helmet, and no lights on your bike....

Because they can see and don't realise that people looking through headlight lights can't.

Go out on foot at night. Can you see things? bet when your eyes have adjusted you can see quite well.

[warthog1]

I'll never understand cyclists riding on road pre-dawn, or at dusk, in all black kit, with a black helmet, and no lights on your bike....

Ditto. I'll extent the black kit and helmet to all hours of the day.
On road the background, being the road itself, is black. I want to contrast and stand out from that. More chance of our drivers, when they briefly glance away from their phones and entertainment consoles, seeing me.

[g-boaf]

I'll extend that to pedestrians as well in the dark in all black, impossible to see them.

I have seen some very early morning walkers with lights, that's a good idea - you can easily spot them.

While we are on the topic of hi-viz, how about we extend that requirement to car drivers?

[warthog1]

I'll extend that to pedestrians as well in the dark in all black, impossible to see them.

I have seen some very early morning walkers with lights, that's a good idea - you can easily spot them.

While we are on the topic of hi-viz, how about we extend that requirement to car drivers?

Pedestrians would be hard to see. Have seen the occaisional walker with lights too.
They generally aren't walking on the road though.
I don't support mandating anything.
It just makes sense as a cyclist to be visible imo as I have a very low opinion of both the competence of our driving public and the level of attention they pay to the job at hand. I therefore dont see dark colours as a sensible choice as it does not contrast well with the background, being the road.

[jasonc]

Warthog1- despite most of the roads here having 1, a lot 2, footpaths, they walk on the road around here

[warthog1]

If they are on roads in dark clothing they have not given alot of thought to the standard of our drivers imo.

[jasonc]

If they are on roads in dark clothing they have not given alot of thought to the standard of our drivers imo.

Oh I agree. There's a reason i run 2 cameras

[Cyclophiliac]

Lighting is more important than colours. I don't think cyclists in Australia should be pressured into always wearing hi-vis, and I don't think it makes any difference: motorists won't see us if they're not looking for anything smaller than another car-sized object.

[warthog1]

I do not agree with legislating or pressuring anyone into wearing any particular colour or using lights. For those reading make your own decision as to what makes you more visible.
Hopefully we dont get hit. That is my motivation.

[Andy01]

Lighting is more important than colours. I don't think cyclists in Australia should be pressured into always wearing hi-vis, and I don't think it makes any difference: motorists won't see us if they're not looking for anything smaller than another car-sized object.

I think it is important to have both (and cameras). If you get hit and can show that you had bright lights, brightly coloured clothing and have the camera footage, your chances of a decent CTP claim is better, if not a police case consequence. Wearing dark clothes but having bright lights isn't going to help the case.

I think that we as cyclists need to apply some self-preservation thinking and do everything we can (out of choice) to make it as hard for drivers to miss us as possible. Relying on drivers to keep us safe is a very flawed concept

[g-boaf]

I think that we as cyclists need to apply some self-preservation thinking and do everything we can (out of choice) to make it as hard for drivers to miss us as possible. Relying on drivers to keep us safe is a very flawed concept

Yep, geroff the road!!

And also geroff the paths. In fact geroff anything. Bicycles just shouldn’t exist at all in this country.

Someone will read comments such as those before and take that to mean that you shouldn’t be on any road at all no matter what, no excuses, nothing.

I prefer bright lights, colours aren’t enough.