Cycle Proficiency test- would you pass it now?

"mikey D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I passed my test (cough) a gew years ago, and the only tricky bit was
sterring in/out of some wooden blocks on the ground. i was dead chuffed.

perhaps pretending to be evil kneival the day before didnt help much with
the steering- the hard tarmac won that fight, along with several layers of
skin..

I dropped points for not looking behind me before a left turn. My school had
a pretty high rate of 100% scores, so I disappointed them :-)

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

cheers,
clive

Clive George said:

"mikey D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I passed my test (cough) a gew years ago, and the only tricky bit was
sterring in/out of some wooden blocks on the ground. i was dead chuffed.

perhaps pretending to be evil kneival the day before didnt help much with
the steering- the hard tarmac won that fight, along with several
layers of
skin..

I dropped points for not looking behind me before a left turn. My school
had a pretty high rate of 100% scores, so I disappointed them :-)

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

cheers,
clive

I remember going to the York Rally many,many years ago when I was at
junior school where they used to have a sort of competitive cycling
proficiency test between schools.

I was proud to say that I came last out of all the pupils competing.

It's a wonder that I am still alive.

Sam Salt

Clive George said the following on 17/07/2006 02:03:

Quoted message said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

Why do you need to look behind before turning left?

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

I never did Cycling Proficiency; I had 25 fairly crash-free years as an
adult...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email hidden]
Edgware.

"Paul Boyd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Clive George said the following on 17/07/2006 02:03:

Quoted message said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

Why do you need to look behind before turning left?

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Errr, to ensure that it is safe to turn left perhaps?
Not getting swiped by a fast approaching car that wants to overtake you then
do an abrupt unsignalled left.

Following on from Paul Boyd's message. . .

Quoted message said:

Clive George said the following on 17/07/2006 02:03:

Quoted message said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

Why do you need to look behind before turning left?

Just in case another cyclist is trying to pass on your inside. (It does
happen - scary!)

--
PETER FOX Not the same since the pancake business flopped
[email hidden]
2 Tees Close, Witham, Essex.
Gravity beer in Essex <http://www.eminent.demon.co.uk>

Clive George said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

I'm not flexible enough these days to look behind....

--
Eiron

No good deed ever goes unpunished.

WibbleWobble said the following on 17/07/2006 09:09:

Quoted message said:

Errr, to ensure that it is safe to turn left perhaps?

This is a UK group. Turning left does not cross any traffic. If there
are peds crossing the road you're turning into, looking behind you isn't
going to help.

Quoted message said:

Not getting swiped by a fast approaching car that wants to overtake you then
do an abrupt unsignalled left.

That logic implies you should also be looking behind you when travelling
straight on as well.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

mikey D said:

I passed my test (cough) a gew years ago, and the only tricky bit was
sterring in/out of some wooden blocks on the ground. i was dead chuffed.

I failed mine for trackstanding[1] at "junctions" instead of coming to a
complete foot-on-the-ground stop. Naughty me. I was quite upset at the time,
but soon got over it as one does at that age. The test itself certainly
didn't bear much relation to my daily experience of cycling to school on the
roads as I recall.

Regards,

-david

[1] From somewhere my dad had managed to acquire a BMX-resembling bike with a
fixed gear. It was most odd...

"WibbleWobble" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Paul Boyd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Clive George said the following on 17/07/2006 02:03:

Quoted message said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

Why do you need to look behind before turning left?

Errr, to ensure that it is safe to turn left perhaps?
Not getting swiped by a fast approaching car that wants to overtake you
then do an abrupt unsignalled left.

No, don't get that one.

To Paul -

I do so before a sharp left where I have to swing out quite a lot
beforehand - the check behind is mostly to check that I can move right.

If there was a possibility of people coming up the inside, I'd consider
checking - and possibly turn on them anyway...

cheers,
clive

Clive George said:

"mikey D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I passed my test (cough) a gew years ago, and the only tricky bit was
sterring in/out of some wooden blocks on the ground. i was dead
chuffed. perhaps pretending to be evil kneival the day before didnt help
much
with the steering- the hard tarmac won that fight, along with
several layers of skin..

I dropped points for not looking behind me before a left turn. My
school had a pretty high rate of 100% scores, so I disappointed them
:-)
I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

I rarely indicate before left turns, but I do look behind prior to taking up
a more central position in the lane.

A

Peter Fox said:

Following on from Paul Boyd's message. . .

Quoted message said:

Clive George said the following on 17/07/2006 02:03:

Quoted message said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

Why do you need to look behind before turning left?

Just in case another cyclist is trying to pass on your inside. (It
does happen - scary!)

Yeah, I live in fear of being passed by another cyclist, too. 😉

No, I agree it does happen.

A

In article <[email hidden]>, Peter Fox
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Following on from Paul Boyd's message. . .

Quoted message said:

Clive George said the following on 17/07/2006 02:03:

Quoted message said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

Why do you need to look behind before turning left?

Just in case another cyclist is trying to pass on your inside. (It
does happen - scary!)

Presumably if you're in the primary riding position it will. I've even
been overtaken on the inside by another cyclist when I must have been no
more than half a yard from the kerb.

I find it hard to maintain a straight course, look over my shoulder,
brake and signal at the same time, but if I can't do all four, I try and
do the first three.

--
congokid
Eating out in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com

Paul Boyd said:

Clive George said the following on 17/07/2006 02:03:

Quoted message said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

Why do you need to look behind before turning left?

In the primary riding position you need to check for kerb hoggers.

If kerb hogging you need to check for pavement cyclists. ;-)

Clive George said:

"mikey D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I passed my test (cough) a gew years ago, and the only tricky bit was
sterring in/out of some wooden blocks on the ground. i was dead chuffed.

perhaps pretending to be evil kneival the day before didnt help much with
the steering- the hard tarmac won that fight, along with several
layers of
skin..

I dropped points for not looking behind me before a left turn. My school
had a pretty high rate of 100% scores, so I disappointed them :-)

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

cheers,
clive

Don't worry - I can't recall ever looking behind me when doing a left
turn - this is in the UK right?

Julesh

Paul Boyd said:

Clive George said the following on 17/07/2006 02:03:

Quoted message said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

Why do you need to look behind before turning left?

It can often be good idea to move out into the carriageway slightly to
discourage overtaking.
This requires a quick look over the right shoulder.

Then of course there are those half-wheelers....

John B

In article <[email hidden]>

JulesH said:

Clive George said:

"mikey D" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I passed my test (cough) a gew years ago, and the only tricky bit was
sterring in/out of some wooden blocks on the ground. i was dead chuffed.

perhaps pretending to be evil kneival the day before didnt help much with
the steering- the hard tarmac won that fight, along with several
layers of
skin..

I dropped points for not looking behind me before a left turn. My school
had a pretty high rate of 100% scores, so I disappointed them :-)

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

cheers,
clive

Don't worry - I can't recall ever looking behind me when doing a left
turn

So you never ride with other cyclists?

Paul Boyd said:

WibbleWobble said the following on 17/07/2006 09:09:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Errr, to ensure that it is safe to turn left perhaps?

Quoted message said:

This is a UK group. Turning left does not cross any traffic. If there
are peds crossing the road you're turning into, looking behind you isn't
going to help.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Not getting swiped by a fast approaching car that wants to overtake you then
do an abrupt unsignalled left.

Quoted message said:

That logic implies you should also be looking behind you when travelling
straight on as well.

No, because you're not going to change direction.

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

Peter Fox said:

Following on from Paul Boyd's message. . .

Quoted message said:

Clive George said the following on 17/07/2006 02:03:

Quoted message said:

I still don't always look behind me before a left turn either...

Why do you need to look behind before turning left?

Just in case another cyclist is trying to pass on your inside. (It does
happen - scary!)

Exactly, or even sometimes a runner who has moved out into the raod to
overtake some slow pedestrians.

This quick over-the-shoulder check before changing direction right or
left is mandatory in the motorcycle licence test. It's known as the
lifesaver. It is done after checking the mirrors to make sure that
nothing was in a mirror blind spot. Given the speed, agility, and size
of motorcycles, the dangereous overtaker or undertaker is often
another motorcyclist, just as with bicycles it's often another
bicycle.

It becomes so automatic in some motorcyclists that I can spot
motorcyclists in the supermarket, because, like me, they do a shoulder
check before changing lanes or direction with their trolley :-)

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]