6 comments by 2 or more people

1. Steve Rumsby

   I think if you’d have stuck with it you’d have got used to it. Maybe try cycling once or twice a week to keep the momentum up so there’s less of a barrier to starting properly again in the Spring?

   What lights do you have? Maybe try more (I have 2 each, front and back) or brighter ones to make you more visible? Were your close shaves with traffic from behind or in front?

   14 Nov 2008, 12:35

2. I think my lights are ok. The close shaves were from the side while going round the roundabout on the A45. I guess I’m a weakling. I have been thinking of trying to cycle once a week to keep my hand in and maybe just going by the crossings to avoid injury/death as much as poss :)

   14 Nov 2008, 13:16

3. Steve Rumsby

   I get that occasionally even in the brightness of summer. Cars just mis-estimate my speed and think they can nip out in front of me onto the roundabout, and we end up side-by-side. A mixture of assertiveness – claiming my piece of road and not letting them have it – and discretion – knowing when to give up before being squashed – is how I approach these situations.

   At night, when visibility might be a contributing factor, you need good front lights. Hi-vis clothing doesn’t help because their lights aren’t pointing at you. This situation, along with the similar “people pulling out of side roads in front of me” scenario, is why I started using a flashing white front light along with my bright steady light. I think it helps – it makes you’re presence much more obvious.

   14 Nov 2008, 13:30

4. Sue

   I was really pleased with myself today. I took my car in for a service and they’d arranged to loan me a car while it was being done. When I got there this morning they said there was only one car available and that was a huge estate car. The irony is that my partner’s got the same car (though not in estate form) and he’s always said that I’d better not drive it because it’s too big for me! Well, I’ve driven it round a multi storey car park and parked it three times with no problem. The handbrake took a bit of getting used to because it’s just a button on the dashboard but apart from stalling a couple of times at first I managed very well. I did take out extra insurance for six pounds which gave me a £250 excess whereas if I’d used the garages own insurance my excess would have been £1,000. The man in the garage said that it was a very wise move although in retrospect I didn’t really need it. I’ll still be glad to get my own car back though because it’s more nifty. My partner isn’t into big cars either and only had the one he’s got because he had no choice, he’s looking forward to getting a smaller car next time.

   14 Nov 2008, 17:09

5. sarah

   Hi there, just bumped into your blog when searching about bromptons. Will get mine in 6 weeks, hope I can manage to start during the winter! Keep posting when you come back, it’s great reading your blog.

   07 Jan 2009, 14:56

6. You will love it. i am really missing mine but I am too scared to ride on black ice (such a wimp…). As soon as it starts to thaw i will be back on the wheels with a vengeance. good luck with it. i keep meaning to post a pic of me on mine so i will do it once i get back in the saddle

   07 Jan 2009, 15:30