illegal to cycle on the pavement in london?

Suspended
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
bigredshark said:
i've regularly been closing to getting knocked down at a crossing becasue cyclists can't be bothered to stop, traffic lights apply to you too fools.

personally i think the law is fine, where i am in london (live is victoria, work in the city) i don't really see cyclists on the pavement. Places like covent garden seem to attract them though.

i might cycle if we had showers at work but to be honest, after 11 hours of troubleshooting routing issues, sitting on the circle line for 20 minutes seems a much better option


My brother said many bikes are stolen even when riders on the the bike, if they stop (traffic lights, pedastrian crossings etc) could get pushed off. So perhaps this is why some in london carry on riding through? :confused:

Live up north in posher, cleaner and less crime area so dunno..
 
Suspended
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
ja3h said:
Ok i'm hoping a biking expert can have a look at this!

Thinking of getting this bike:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/uk/030.000.000/030.010.000.asp?year=2006&model=10254

for £250.

Do you think its a good purchase? Its second hand and hardly used (apparently) its the 06 model as well. The size frame is 51cm, i'm 5'8 will it be the right size for me?

thanks


Mates got that exact bike, pretty nice bike, good choice over the lower model (alu fork, that one is carbon) Spend some time on empty county lanes to get used to drop levers and brakes. Perhaps go clipless later on (I use Shimano SPD's A520, and used M520 in the past. Shimano 324 SPD are good also (one side platform, one side SPD)

51cm (Giant small frame) seems a bit small, I'm 5'8 and I ride a medium OCR-1 (54cm) According to Giant sizing guide, 51cm is suitable for 5'2" to 5'6" riders
 
Associate
Joined
22 Nov 2004
Posts
1,170
Location
NW5
Crazy Fool said:
:p i'm in court on sep 22nd for jumping a red light and refusing to pay the fine

so errrr don't do that either

Yeah, they're enforcing that heavily in town at the moment, as something silly like 50% of cyclists in London ignore traffic lights.

Pavements are for pedestrains only, but I think that will have already been covered. Incidently, pedestrains are beginning to revolt and push cyclists off/over if on pavements - seen it done a few times now.

Just stay on the road and obey the rules of the road and you'll be fine. Pretend that your a motorbike! Same rules apply.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
28 Jun 2005
Posts
997
Location
London
squiffy said:
Mates got that exact bike, pretty nice bike, good choice over the lower model (alu fork, that one is carbon) Spend some time on empty county lanes to get used to drop levers and brakes. Perhaps go clipless later on (I use Shimano SPD's A520, and used M520 in the past. Shimano 324 SPD are good also (one side platform, one side SPD)

51cm (Giant small frame) seems a bit small, I'm 5'8 and I ride a medium OCR-1 (54cm) According to Giant sizing guide, 51cm is suitable for 5'2" to 5'6" riders

unfortunately i live in a quite built up urban area so i'd have to get used to them on the road. I'll try it out, and hope it will fit me. i really hope it does :s

yeah i'l go clipless after i get comfortable with the bike! :)
 
Associate
Joined
26 Oct 2005
Posts
570
back in the day I used to cycle on the road, but now has so many learner drivers/ retarded noob drivers that its just not safe anymore, the number of times I've had to swerve onto the pavement is unbelievable.
 
Suspended
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
ja3h said:
unfortunately i live in a quite built up urban area so i'd have to get used to them on the road. I'll try it out, and hope it will fit me. i really hope it does :s

yeah i'l go clipless after i get comfortable with the bike! :)

Not buying it blind, them finding out it's too small? I'm the same height as you btw so a medium should be ok. 31" inside leg (book smoshed against sit bone, to the floor without shoes)
 
Associate
Joined
27 Jul 2005
Posts
1,152
Location
Norfolk
ive got a bright orange bmx so community police officers love me I bike on the pavement when im going to college cause of rush hour and there are a lot of chavs in my area who cant drive properly and some actively attempt to knock people off there bikes so i bike on the few hundred yards of pavement from where the cycle path end to my college (im not the only one who does this there are others who bike on the pavement of all ages) i usually get stopped if there are community police officers who will let other e.g. old ladies carry on unhindered


here's a piccy of my bike a mongoose brawler mine a bit more muddy tho :p

 
Last edited:
Man of Honour
Joined
30 Jun 2005
Posts
9,515
Location
London Town!
squiffy said:
My brother said many bikes are stolen even when riders on the the bike, if they stop (traffic lights, pedastrian crossings etc) could get pushed off. So perhaps this is why some in london carry on riding through? :confused:

Live up north in posher, cleaner and less crime area so dunno..

dunno, sounds a little daily mail stuff like really. certainly I've never heard of it happening, that said, my little corner of victoria is about the safest place I've ever come across, no crime, pretty clean and I feel 100% safe walking home at night. Not many partso london that that can be said about.

to be honest, i think cyclists in london ignore traffic lights because they think they can, they're somehow different to all other road users and it annoys me. some places are bad though, covent garden beign the easiest place to get run over by a bike.
 
Suspended
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
Spend_day said:
ive got a bright orange bmx so community police officers love me I bike on the pavement when im going to college cause of rush hour and there are a lot of chavs in my area who cant drive properly and some actively attempt to knock people off there bikes so i bike on the few hundred yards of pavement from where the cycle path end to my college (im not the only one who does this there are others who bike on the pavement of all ages) i usually get stopped if there are community police officers who will let other e.g. old ladies carry on unhindered


here's a piccy of my bike a mongoose brawler mine a bit more muddy tho :p


That bike isn't UK road legal (no front brake)
 
Associate
Joined
4 Oct 2003
Posts
835
watched a cyclist ride along the pavement the other day, then cross the road on a pedistrian crossing, then ride up the other side of the road (in the opposite direction to traffic) then back onto the pavement. All at flat out speed. Total idiot, first to cry if a car hit him I am sure :rolleyes:
 
Associate
OP
Joined
28 Jun 2005
Posts
997
Location
London
tried out the bike and bought it :)

Sold my hybrid to my mate. So i got a road bike now! wahey! gotta find a different route to places now as i can't go through some cycle routes through parks (or can i?)

The tyres weren't pumped up because it was stored in a bike bag for a few months. It doesn't look v.used, the tires are slightly inflated. I got home to pump em up but i don't have the right fitting on my pump so i'm off to buy one tomorrow. Can't wait to use it!

Gotta get a £50 lock now and £500 bicycle cover, then some clipless pedals and shoes and i'm all set! :D
 
Suspended
Joined
17 Mar 2006
Posts
9,055
Post a picture of yourself on the bike from the side? Sit on the saddle, with foot on the pedal, crank at 6 o clock. Should have a slight bend in the knee. Hands on bars. Could be different size to me but if you're similar legs/waist I would find it strange the small is a good fit (would have to have seatpost really high, but with a smaller frame that means shorter TT so could be too close.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
28 Jun 2005
Posts
997
Location
London
squiffy said:
Post a picture of yourself on the bike from the side? Sit on the saddle, with foot on the pedal, crank at 6 o clock. Should have a slight bend in the knee. Hands on bars. Could be different size to me but if you're similar legs/waist I would find it strange the small is a good fit (would have to have seatpost really high, but with a smaller frame that means shorter TT so could be too close.

I'l get a pic soon :) But the seat is pretty high but thats normal on a compact frame right? i just sat on it, i did a pretty far journey and the seat was a little bit too high because wth the crank at 6 o'clock my leg was straight!

what is shorter TT btw?

thnx
 
Associate
Joined
12 Nov 2003
Posts
2,342
Location
Skipton
dave2k2005 said:
Just a stupid rule tbh. Im 15 and me and my mate got pulled by the police and threatened a fine of 20 quid if we were seen riding on pavement again. Theres also hardly any cycle paths around, and I almost got hit a lot of times. I think people riding on the pavements is less dangerous and it is a dumb rule :p

IMO bikes should be on the road. The current spate of cycle paths doesn't really help. What difference does some paint make to whether it's safe to ride on a pavement? I used to cycle a lot when I lived in York and the only cycle path I used was a short cut to cross the river, for everything else the road was quicker and easier.

You're actually more likely to be injured on a shared use cycle path than you are if you ride on the road. If you're almost getting hit a lot then you're probably doing something wrong. Don't hide in the gutter but cycle assertively. Cyclecraft is an excellent book that gives good advice on how to ride.
 
Back
Top Bottom