[antibard]

hi,

i'm will and i live in london, england.

i really got into cycling about 5 years ago-
i went on a 3 month exchange trip to NW spain- a friend and i got drunk and made an agreement to buy bikes and ride through portugal. we got a couple of basic, steel-frame road bikes from the local pawn brokers and set off on a three week, 1000 mile adventure through some accidentally quite mountainous but magnificent country.

these days 90% of the riding i do is commuting- a 20 mile round trip across the middle of london which i have a sort of love/hate relationship with. i have a bike that is perfect for the purpose. a 1970s reynolds 531db framed woodrup with a real mish-mash of components. it rides like a dream and looks like cr*p so it doesn't get stolen.

i have been very slowly building up my dream bike for the weekends over the past year (as quickly as i could afford). it is 99% complete and i'll be sure to post a picture when its done. i'm off to scotland to give it it's inaugural thrashing next week.

a thread from this site came up in a search and the members that had posted seemed to be really freindly and helpful so here i am.

w

 

[funetical]

Hello and welcome! Can't wait to see the new ride.

 

[Industry_Hack]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[wild]

HI and can't wait to see your new ride. wish I knew enough to build a bike to my likeing.

 

[Biker]

Hello! is London Biker Friendly then?

 

[antibard]

bike friendliness

hello,

thanks for the welcome messages!

london is having it's own little bike boom- getting more bike friendly but it takes a bit of getting used to.

there are some great initiatives to try and entice people onto bikes such as guided rides.

i guess riding is a bit like driving in london- you have to be a bit aggressive. i ride prime a lot of the time, and i ride as fast as i can- partly because i'm overly competitive and partly because my theory is that it is safer to ride as close to the same speed as traffic as possible.

sadly quite a few people have gone under trucks of late. truck drivers just don't see cyclists on their inside- try sitting in an HGV and check out the size of their blind spots. hopefully more will be done to promote mutual understanding (and better mirrors too).

sorry- got a bit carried away there...

 

[Industry_Hack]

Lorries.

 

[antibard]

yes, i mean lorries. sorry

 

[Industry_Hack]

yes, i mean lorries. sorry

I learned your English in 'Stralia. And after the ruthless teasing from my children, I still use trolley, bin, boot, petrol, and a bunch of other words that get me funny looks back in the states.

 

[Xela]

sadly quite a few people have gone under trucks of late. truck drivers just don't see cyclists on their inside- try sitting in an HGV and check out the size of their blind spots. hopefully more will be done to promote mutual understanding (and better mirrors too).

I was just at the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles conference in Stuttgart this past summer. The large blind spots and their dangers to pedestrians and cyclists was one topic addressed. During the presentation, a new mirror design was highlighted and the better visibility was demonstrated. So, hopefully accidents like this will become fewer and fewer.

 

[Smiley]

Hi and welcome! I visited London a few years ago and loved it! Traffic is a bit hectic there. Great job on your commuting everywhere, and on building your dream bike!

 

[funetical]

I learned your English in 'Stralia. And after the ruthless teasing from my children, I still use trolley, bin, boot, petrol, and a bunch of other words that get me funny looks back in the states.

funny looks

 

[Burr]

Welcome Dude.

Keep us posted on your riding.