Bus lane rash



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Bob

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Been lurking for a while but James' post prompted me to come out. It's a long one, so settle down
and get comfy!

Started cycling into work a month ago and have had a few close shaves, but I've been good...namely
stopping at red lights, not cutting up buses etc.

With this in mind I pulled up behind a Routemaster bus yesterday (in a bus lane and not near a stop)
at some traffic lights on the Edgware Road close to Paddington. I could have got up the inside of
the bus but I thought no, he's gonna turn left for the station and I'll just p**s him off if I do.
So I stayed behind the bus in full view of the driver.

I've been using straps on the pedals so I was holding on to the adjacent long run of railings for
balance and to give me some speed away from the lights rather than take one foot out and stand over
the bike. Ok, fine, no problem so far until...

Woman decides to get off bus. She looks towards the front and sees the long run of railings, turns,
looks behind me and sees a shorter run and steps off. As I lift my hand off to let her pass I put my
hand out to steady myself against the back grab rail of the bus...just as the lights change and bus
moves. I know, I should've taken my foot out!

Hand finds mid air and rest of body follows. I can only liken it to Mrs Doyle falling off the window
sill in the Father Ted TV programme. Panic then sets in as there's a lot of traffic behind me (and
another cyclist) and I start to imagine being run over! Woman walks off muttering sorry, cyclist
behind gives me a funny look and nearest motorist is revving his engine to get past. Thanks people.

I move forward where I can check the bike out for damage and to get the heck out of the way. Bus
lanes have that really fine red tarmac that gives excellent grip and excellent skin damage! My
kneecap was completely grazed (believe me that's a big area!), cut on thigh and sore ribs where I
hit the handlebars. So my list of things to be wary of when cycling in London just got bigger, Black
Taxi drivers, 4WD vehicle drivers, Bus drivers, white van man...the two new additions for today are
Routemaster passengers and Bus Lane surfaces, they cause a nasty rash! Thanks to my padded cycling
mitts my hands were not damaged at all, surely a must for city riding.

After checking the bike over (just the front mudguard hanging off) I discovered my Cateye computer
was missing. As I walked back down the footpath with blood running down my leg and congealing in my
shoe I saw it lying where I'd come off, right in the middle of the lane. No matter how good or bad
you think those Cateye's are, they can't take a pounding from buses, cars and vans! Total wreck. I
think I may be able to save the battery!

What was nice though was one of the staff from the nearby Starbucks was outside having a ciggie or
eyeing up the passing ladies. He came over to me and asked me about four times if I was okay. Thanks
mate, there are a few decent people around!

My boss (ever the comedian) has now put the story round that I was hanging onto the back off the bus
trying to break my speed record of 43.7mph (never been that fast) when my hand slipped and I fell!
You gotta laugh!

Wonder if I should invest in trousers or kneepads lol!

Happy cycling

Bob.

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Bob wrote:

> Thanks to my padded cycling mitts my hands were not damaged at all, surely a must for city riding.

You certainly speak the truth there. Hand injuries are the most annoying. The number of times I've
been glad I've been wearing gloves... well, I've lost count! ;o)
--
-Alex

----------------------------------
[email protected] www.westerleycycling.org.uk http://alexpg.ath.cx:3353/cycling.php
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Alex Graham <[email protected]> writes:

> You certainly speak the truth there. Hand injuries are the most annoying. The number of times I've
> been glad I've been wearing gloves... well, I've lost count! ;o)

More than ten, then?

:)

-dan

--

http://www.cliki.net/ - Link farm for free CL-on-Unix resources
 
>I've been using straps on the pedals so I was holding on to the adjacent long run of railings
>for balance

My sympathies. Like you I'm in the habit of holding onto railing, lamp posts etc. to save
unclipping but ..

.. in Portsmouth I stopped at some traffic lights and leant on one of those
illuminated bollards. What I didn't realise was that they are squishy .. the
thing collapsed under my weight and I was left sprawing on top of the thing.
At the same time a bus pulled up alongside and the passengers were bemused
by the sight of this idot trying to untaggle him self from bollard and bike.

Mind you they are relativley soft - I would recommned crashing into them in preference to most other
things by the road (mind you .. make sure you pick a squishy one).

Kirby
 
Bob wrote:

> So my list of things to be wary of when cycling in London just got bigger, Black Taxi drivers, 4WD
> vehicle drivers, Bus drivers, white van man...the two new additions for today are Routemaster
> passengers and Bus Lane surfaces, they cause a nasty rash!

"I agree" - William the Concurrer.

There is a Special Device fitted to all Routemasters which pumps Stupidity-Enhancing Drugs into the
interior. How else can we explain the fact that whenever a turkey^H^H^H^H^H^H customer is alighting,
they will *always* look forwards for approaching traffic? The bloke who did that yesterday in the
middle of the three-lanes-abreast approach to the newish Shoreditch one-way system got something of
a surprise when I damn nearly removed his tw@tty toes. I hate them. They are scum. [Continued: "The
Collected Wit And Wisdom Of Steve Firth"]

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================
 
In article <[email protected]>, Bob <[email protected]> writes

>So my list of things to be wary of when cycling in London just got bigger, Black Taxi drivers, 4WD
>vehicle drivers, Bus drivers, white van man

I think Royal Mail van drivers are marginally worse than taxi drivers.

>surfaces, they cause a nasty rash! Thanks to my padded cycling mitts my hands were not damaged at
>all, surely a must for city riding.

I need mine just to keep my hands from going numb. Does anyone know of padded mitts with extra thick
palms? I used to have a pair with fat gel-filled palms, by Trek I think, and more than UKP20 several
years back, but I lost them and nothing since seems to offer half as much protection.

--
congokid Eating out in London? Read my tips... http://congokid.com
 
On Fri, 23 May 2003 19:51:08 +0100, congokid <[email protected]> wrote:

>I need mine just to keep my hands from going numb. Does anyone know of padded mitts with extra
>thick palms? I used to have a pair with fat gel-filled palms, by Trek I think, and more than UKP20
>several years back, but I lost them and nothing since seems to offer half as much protection.

I lost a pair of Trek padded mits at Brighton's kite festival a couple of years ago. I was doing my
good deed for the decade and helping to put away the scaffolding that held the PA system. As I'd
probably trashed my gloves in doing so I was too worried.

However, the following day, I popped along to my not particularly local Trek bike shop and bout
myself another similar pair of gloves. The pattern of the gel inserts was different from the pair
I'd lost and it took me a few rides to get used to the slightly different hand position.

Nevertheless, as I suffer from painful thumb joints when I cycle without padded gloves (or when i
used to play soccer or in my skiing days), I think the £20.00 I spent was well worth it.

Any soccer fan might have heard about the latest Beckham break. It was that same joint of both hands
that caused my discomfort.

James

--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/c.butty/Dscf0632.jpg
 
On 24 May 2003 18:35:37 GMT, [email protected] (SabineUK) wrote:

>James Hodson [email protected] said:
>
>
>
>>>"I agree" - William the Concurrer.

Is also a poem by, umm, Roger Thingy, scouse bloke.
>>>
>>
>>Do we have to read this? :)
>>
>>Anyway, to the best of my knowledge, William only ever won one proper battle. As a child, I had
>>conkers far better than Bills!
>
>I always thought he was a chiropodist - William the Corncurer
>

I was in the Hastings area last week and saw a cement mixer "William The Concreter"

Tim
--

fast and gripping, non pompous, glossy and credible.
 
On Sat, 24 May 2003 19:21:40 +0100, James Hodson <[email protected]> wrote:

>As a child, I had conkers far better than Bills!

Don't bet on it - I've seent he conker trees in Normandy and they are beeeeg.

Guy
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On Sat, 24 May 2003 19:18:19 +0100, James Hodson <[email protected]> wrote:

>Nevertheless, as I suffer from painful thumb joints when I cycle without padded gloves

Clearly riding one of those funny uprighty things.

Guy
===
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On Sun, 01 Jun 2003 20:01:33 +0100, "Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Sat, 24 May 2003 19:18:19 +0100, James Hodson <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Nevertheless, as I suffer from painful thumb joints when I cycle without padded gloves
>
>Clearly riding one of those funny uprighty things.
>

Yes, Guy, it's called a bicycle.

Actually, my thumb joints have always pained me whever I do any sort of gripping with my hands:
skiing was one of the worst. I think it must be the vibration.

James

--
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/c.butty/Dscf0632.jpg
 
James Hodson <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...

> >>Nevertheless, as I suffer from painful thumb joints when I cycle without padded gloves

> >Clearly riding one of those funny uprighty things.

> Yes, Guy, it's called a bicycle.

Mine's called a bicycle, too, y'know. Except by those Luddites at the UCI.

Guy
 
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