Ian stealth

[gwr northants]

Well what's your take on cycling on the road !! Does my nut clean in , some Lycra clad Mong trying to go up the inside of me , I'm 44 f Ing ton but oh no mr jolly bloody hockey sticks wants to play game with my trailer lol ,

Should cyclists have to have insurance to go on the road ? What would people do if a cyclist scrapped the side of there car ?

Cycling good , it's healthy , it's fun . But dam there's some bloody idiots out there ???

[-Stealth-]

Yep totally agree.

Just like you get bad drivers, you get bad cyclists too.

I have 3rd party insurance for the road in case I hit or damage someone's car/a pedestrian. Costs me £35 quid a year and believe it should be compulsory as you are a moving obstacle, hazard and member of traffic.

Should cyclists pay tax? No. I'm a firm believer of this and already pay enough on my scoob. More info can be found at http://ipayroadtax.com/

Should cyclists stick to cycle paths and the pavement? Difficult one this. I personally believe it's down to ability and road sense. For novice, beginners, and hobby cyclists who have no road sense and can't maintain a speed greater than 10mph then yes they should. However, for a fit person with a decent bike, speeds averaging 20mph+ are quite easily achievable and this is simply to fast for a pavement. Motorised traffic is restricted to 20mph in some school zones so imagine doing this on a pavement, where the hazards are increased 10 fold. On a pavement/cycle path, you have often have driveways other pedestrians cyclists and various obstacles and junctions to negotiate, and most importantly you are not considered a member of traffic so don't have the right of way.

It is therefore safer to be travelling with traffic on the road where normal rules apply.

I also believe that there should be some sort of cycle proficiency test that should have to be passed before you can qualify to cycle on the road and obtain your 3rd party insurance. This would stop morons cycling on the road that don't have a clue.

On the opposite side, as I see things from both sides of the fence, motorists need to realise just how difficult it is to cycle and a little more patience is required to get past! Not matter how much I try, I cannot accelerate away from traffic lights as quickly as you can!

[gwr northants]

Some very good points made there mate , and I didn't realise you could get insurance ?

Agree with the comment about good bad drivers riders etc , it does worry and scare me though while at work and a cyclist try's to go up my inside trailer , remember the cycling test at school ?? I know I did it , I Also know that my son had never had the chance ,

Good points though Ian '!!

[gwr northants]

Should ban them cycling shorts though. Nearly as bad as Jesus sandles lol

[-Stealth-]

Hahaha. We don't wear them because we think we look good I assure you!

The simplicity behind it, is to simple reduce drag. The biggest factor by far when cycling is wind resistance. You'll be surprised by how much baggy clothing slows you down and you have to work so much harder.

As drag is exponential, I think someone worked out that for every mph above 20 a cyclist has to work 25% harder. So to travel at 24mph you are working twice as hard as what you would be when travelling at 20mph.

It's not necessarily about reaching a higher terminal speed, it's about reducing fatigue. The less resistance there is, the less you have to work so the further you can go without having to be constantly breathing out your arse and needing a shower and a fry up at the other end to recover.