Category Archives: Episodes

Episode 46

Silly Cyclists back with another fantastic episode. Show notes are below:

10 – Ninja cyclists are had to see in the dark. Make sure you have lights and spare lights on your bike for when it’s dark. This helps other road users see you well in advance and plan there overtakes properly.
9 – Cyclists just hanging around on the corner of a junction, could have caused a seriously collision if a motorist was behind. The road is not a playground, behave as other road users would expect you to behave.
8 – Cyclist rides across a junction with moving traffic and forcing it to stop. Cross junctions when you have a green light or via a crossing when it is clear to go. Going across a junction in this fashion could cause a collision
7 – Cyclist cuts a corner in front of a motorist, potentially very dangerous, two wheeled vehicles can take corners much tighter than 4 wheeled. Take care not to cross lanes whilst taking corners or you could end up under the wheels of a car.
6 – Treat shared use paths as if they were roads, if there is an obstruction on your side of the path, wait till it is clear on the other side before passing.
5 – When filtering through large vehicles watch for traffic moving ahead, this will be a good clue as to what the large vehicle is about to do next. Filtering between two of them without getting eye contact with the driver is a bad idea, they could easily crush you.
4 – Cyclist makes a turn without previously looking what is behind him or indicating, almost colliding into another cyclist. Make sure you look and clearly indicating your intentions!
3 – Cyclist passes with only inches to spare, a collision in these sort of situations will bring down many cyclists, make sure you leave plenty of room!
2 – Cyclist is riding on the pavement and then goes into the back of another cyclist. Make sure you watch the road ahead and keep an eye on when other road users are stopping.
1 – A cyclist so determined to go through the red lights that he is actually pushing past people. This must be the silliest cyclist we have seen to date!

Videos from:

http://www.youtube.com/veloevol

http://www.youtube.com/DWjoinery

http://www.youtube.com/mrdarlingthecyklist

http://www.youtube.com/josephsilver

http://www.youtube.com/LozMoss

http://www.youtube.com/ctycyclist

http://www.youtube.com/bikeCamSport

http://www.youtube.com/thatSillyGinge

http://www.youtube.com/LondonStamp

Episode 45

10 – When the roads are icy, it’s not about if you can ride safely but more if the drivers can keep control of their vehicles. After all if you fall then at worst you could brake a bone or put your self into the path of a vehicle behind you. If the drivers can’t control their vehicles then there is a chance that it will collide with you.
9 – 23mm slick tires are not very good for off road use as BikingJaz shows us. It’s best to stick to the pave on those tires.
8 – In wet conditions take the corner a slower and at not such a tight angle, the smallest of bumps, paint or metal can easily make you loose traction and fall. Wearing mitts is also a good idea, it adds a bit of protection to your palms when you go down.
7 – When on a shared use path, take it slower than on the road and slow right down when passing pedestrians. Don’t rush past other cyclists at the last minute.
6 – When filtering past traffic, don’t overtake other cyclists when approaching oncoming traffic, definitely don’t do it at the last second and swerve back in front of the road user.
5 – Make sure you properly check both directions of travel when pulling out of a side road. Don’t pull out if your way is not clear and you would force other road users to take drastic action to avoid a collision with you.
4 – Don’t pass cyclists with inches to spare and cut across their path. We don’t want other road users doing it to us, so don’t do it to others.
3 – The most basic but often forgotten, don’t filter up the inside of a large vehicle, the space can quickly disappear and you have virtually no run off space.
2 – Riding on the pavement is illegal, doing so at high speed is just insanely stupid, especially when there are pedestrians about. Add the joining and leaving the road whilst next to a coach and this sort of behavior is going to lead this cyclist into the inevitable path of serious injury.
1 – Filtering in between two sets of vehicles at such a close proximity whilst at least one of them is moving is silly, one of them being a bus which you can’t see through and you have the recipe for a potential cyclist sandwich. Such behavior is not worth the reward.

Thanks to those who filmed these silly cyclists:

http://www.youtube.com/4000soundwave
http://www.youtube.com/bigblokeonabike
http://www.youtube.com/ctycyclist
http://www.youtube.com/schneil
http://www.youtube.com/Cycletourer8
http://www.youtube.com/Baalzamon512
http://www.youtube.com/mrDarlingthecyklist
http://www.youtube.com/BikingJaz
http://www.youtube.com/mcraigor1

Episode 44

Apologies for another large gap between episodes. It’s my new years resolution to do these more regularly.

Why are the cyclists in this episode silly?

10 – 5 cyclists going through red lights, potentially very dangerous. Pedestrians may cross the road without checking for vehicles crossing when they shouldn’t. A collision could seriously injure the pedestrian and fault would 100% be with the cyclist.
9 – Salmon cycling. Going against the flow of moving traffic is obviously a bad idea, people aren’t going to expect you to be coming in that direction and you force other road users to take avoiding action.
8 – Cyclist joins the road without properly checking, doesn’t pedal and forces other road users to come to a stop. The best course of action when joining a road is to look before hand and go when there is enough space, this keeps the traffic flowing and everyone safe.
7 – Falling over, best avoided as it draws attention to your self and some people may laugh.
6 – Stopping past the stop line is essentially the same as going across the junction, you’ve gone through the red light. However stopping after the junction can put you in a position where you come into conflict with large vehicles making a turn, they need more space to make these turns.
5 – Filtering next to a tram is a bad idea, due to the axle position the rear of the tram can swing a fair bit, even on a small corner. A gap can look quite appealing to filter up but that can quickly change!
4 – Cyclist goes straight through the red light and almost hits a pedestrian. He tings his bell as if that makes it ok.
3 – Cyclist overtakes on the wrong side of a shared use path at speed and on a corner, almost colliding with the oncoming cyclist. Very stupid and very dangerous. It’s a shared use path with limited space, slow down when required to!
2 – Cyclist tries to filter up the side of coach with paving on the right. the coach moves to the right to avoid a bus but fails to see the cyclist. The cyclist is very lucky to not get seriously hurt when he gets squashed between the coach and the raised paving.
1 – Cyclist filters between moving traffic and right in front of a moving lorry. the distance of which was way too close, any touch of his rear wheel would have ended in a crash and possibly a serious if not deadly injury to the cyclist.

Thanks to this episodes contributors
http://www.youtube.com/alexwarrior
http://www.youtube.com/cyclingmikey
http://www.youtube.com/mrdarlingthecyklist
http://www.youtube.com/MrGrumpycyclist
http://www.youtube.com/4chordsNoNet
http://www.youtube.com/crawfa79
http://www.youtube.com/Premises187
http://www.youtube.com/veloevol

Episode 43

20 clips this time round due to a massive gap between episodes.
So why are these cyclists silly?

20 – Going around in circles looks silly, it also puts you in a bad position if the lights change and you are facing the wrong way.
19 – Salmon cyclists going the wrong way around a busy roundabout. Vehicles on the roundabout slow down to avoid a collision
18 – Salmon cyclist with practically no front light, cycles the wrong way down a busy road in bitch black.
17 – Several cyclists go up the inside of a left indicating car at a set of traffic lights. A move which could have gotten them hurt at a slightly different junction.
16 – Two cyclists collide as the one in front stops randomly. A call out to other riders can help avoid this.
15 – Careful of debris on the road ahead, it can cause you to lose traction, especially on corners.
14 – Several cyclists go through a red light as pedestrians are trying to cross
13 – Another cyclist goes through a red light, forcing a pedestrian to not start crossing until he has passed him.
12 – A cyclist misreads the road ahead and nearly collides with a van which he presumes will pass in front of him quicker than he will do. He needed to take evasive action to avoid hitting the deck.
11 – Cyclist filters pass me and hits my arm, jumping the red light in the process, don’t go through a gap you can’t fit through.
10 – Cyclist passes another cyclist so closely that his hi-viz jacket hits his arm. Make sure you leave others lots of space.
9 – Cyclist swerves violently for no apparent reason. This could easily cause a collision.
8 – Cyclist filters up the inside of a left indicating bus, with a bus stop fast approaching. The cyclist is forced to back out as he is about to get pushed into the pavement.
7 – Cyclist filters up the inside of a coach that is about to start moving, the car making a turn to left is forced to stop due to stop due to a car coming the other way in the turning, this means the cyclist is forced to swerve in front of the coach.
6 – Cyclist cuts a corner and is forced to change lines as I come down the road. If I was a car it would have been very much worse.
5 – Several cyclists stopped up the inside of a LGV, most of them being in the blind spot of the driver, this could cause huge issues if the driver decides to turn left. Luckily he didn’t.
4 – A cyclist attempts to filter up the inside of a coach which will shortly be moving, the gap is tiny. She stops when I say that is probably a bad idea.
3 – Several cyclists stop right in front of the cab of a HGV, putting them selves in a very dangerous position, luckily the driver is aware and takes care as he moves away from the lights
2 – The cyclist undertakes a bus and then takes a right turn immediately in front of it, forcing the bus to a stop and cutting across oncoming traffic.
1 – The cyclist undertakes the bus moving at speed in a narrow space, he hits out and gesticulates the bus for being in his way. A very silly move that can easily get your self seriously injured.

Thanks to the following users for supplying clips for this episode.

http://www.youtube.com/canyoustoptryingtoki
http://www.youtube.com/cyclingmikey
http://www.youtube.com/mrDarlingthecyklist
http://www.youtube.com/westaft

Episode 42

Episode 42 looks like a real cracker with some of the best clips we have seen yet.

So what was so silly about these cyclists?

10 – Cycling the wrong way down the road, not properly checking before changing lanes. Lucky for her she had a good road user behind her.
9 – Cyclist with no tire on the front wheel, making a racket and not very safe
8 – Another cyclist with no tire, this time on the rear wheel. No tire reduces grip and makes the ride uncomfortable.
7 – Cyclist crosses the solid stop line and continues to edge forward whilst watching the lights, almost hits a pedestrian crossing.
6 – Cyclist chooses to filter between vehicles as the lights change, risky if pedestrians are still crossing or if the vehicles move away quickly and change position.
5 – Cyclist doesn’t give pedestrians enough space as he takes the corner, people can step out unexpectedly so make sure you leave plenty of space to avoid them if they do.
4 – Cyclist tries to stop no handed with only leg braking on a fix gear bike, almost falling off in the process
3 – Cyclist blasts through some red light, swerves around turning traffic and continues on his journey. This is obviously risky as pedestrians could start crossing or crossing traffic could start moving.
2 – Cyclist is in the wrong lane, tries to change lanes without looking or indicating, almost his another cyclist and then goes over his own handle bars. Check which lane you are in before it is too late, indicate your intentions clearly and allow time for others to adjust.
1 – Cyclist filters the wrong way down the road and hits a cyclist. Then tries to leave the scene.

This weeks clips come from:

cyclingfun2, louear, RatBiker83, schneil, westcountrytim and y0smacks

Episode 41

Episode 41 sees the return of the standard show format. And this episode features some very silly cyclists!

With clips coming from the following Video Camera Cyclists; 4ChordsNoNet, adysayswakeupffs, bike42363, Canyoustoptryingtoki, CommuterCallum, CyclingWarrior, wheelygd and YorkshirePedelec

So why are the cyclists silly?

10 – Taking a right hand corner with the right pedal down (presumed as the rider noted that his pedal hit the curb). Remember when taking a corner to keep the inside pedal up, this will avoid it hitting the ground.
9 – Going through a gap which was pretty tight for the speeds, if the car had needed to make a change of direction due to oncoming traffic, the rider would have nowhere to go.
8 – Cyclist braking with his foot on the wheel because he hasn’t got any brakes. Not only does this wear his shoe and rear tyre, it also isn’t much good in an emergency situation. Always making sure you have a braking system on each wheel.
7 – The rider doesn’t judge how quickly the traffic in front is stopping and almost goes into the back of the vehicle in front of him. An easy mistake to make and I’m sure one all of us have done.
6 – Cyclist filters up the inside of a bus on a corner just as the buses lights turn to green. Living little margin for error from the bus driver and putting them in a very dangerous situation.
5 – Cyclist turns across another cyclist, appears to wait until the cyclist is passed but then all of a sudden goes. Forcing the cyclist with priority to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision.
4 – Cycle lanes merging with a bush blocking the view, one cyclist goes way too fast around the corner and almost collides with another cyclist.
3 – A salmon cyclist goes through a red light, dings his bell at pedestrians and gesticulated for them to get out of the way
2 – Cyclist doesn’t read the road ahead, where by several vehicles are stopped at a zebra crossing. He brakes late and almost looses the rear of his bicycle as he fishtails. This leads him to almost collide with a pedestrian and a taxi. It is better to brake softer early than harder later.
1 – Cyclist doesn’t read the road and overtakes a cyclist / undertakes a car as the road narrows. He almost collides with the car. I suspect this cyclist knows the road but doesn’t recognize the dangers in the road. Be aware of the potential hazards on the road ahead of you and always plan for the unexpected. The cyclist is then seen slaloming down the pavement.

Episode 40

Episode 40 takes a look at Lucas Brunelle’s latest video, Line of Sight trailer. With the premier of this movie being today at the bicycle film festival.
Being a Lucas Brunelle film about alleycat races and the videos he has recorded over the years, it’s obvious that some of the cycling in the film can be described as silly!

With cycling the wrong way down one streets, going across intersections whilst crossing traffic is moving and almost hitting pedestrians. This episode is short but has some of the most silly moves we have seen over the last 40 episodes.

Episode 39

Episode 39 of Silly Cyclists is out and below are the show notes.

Footage used from the following youtube users.

CapitalMover, maidstoneonbike, mjbeaker, MrGrumpyCyclist, PedalPowerPanther, Rantwick, Schneil, sw19cam and cyclingmikey

10 – Cyclist undertakes and swerves in front of a moving car which is trying to overtake another cyclist. A big potential for a collision.
9 – Cyclist shows little patience with a large vehicle that is turning around. Putting him self in the blind spot for a few seconds.
8 – A salmon cyclist cycling the wrong way onto a busy roundabout.
7 – A salmon cyclist cycling over a one way bridge when the correct bridge to use is on a stones throw away up the road. He forces another road user to change lanes to avoid a head on collision.
6 – A cyclist is riding no hands, with headphones whilst looking at his phone on a shared path. As he isn’t paying attention he is startled by a cyclist who calls out that he is passing.
5 – A cyclist joins a busy road from a minor road without looking and causes another road user to swerve to avoid a collision
4 – A cyclist positions him self in the blind spot of a driver and nearly has a collision when the driver changes lane, it is best to keep your self out of the blind zone of all vehicles. If you can see them in their mirrors, then they can see you (if they look)
3 – A cyclist doesn’t have his rear brake hooked up, I inform him of this and he shrugs it off. What is silly is that I saw him with exactly the same set up nearly a year before hand.
2 – A cyclist filters the wrong side of a traffic island with on coming traffic, potentially very dangerous
1 – A cyclist crosses the road without looking and has a collision with another road user. This could have easily been one of the vehicles behind and the cyclist could have been seriously injured.

The savvy cyclist indicated her intentions well and held a strong line to hold her lane. Confidence is the secret to safe and happy cycling.

Episode 38

It has been a long time coming, a little over 2 months in fact! But here it is, episode 38 of Silly Cyclists. This episode should be one of the best yet!

This episode sees contributions from many new sources, and here are all of them listed in order in which they appear.

MartinTheMad, CycleAus, schneil, 4chordsnonet, xlnetwork, hotblackdesiatoandco, GoProHDTimelapse, blackbirdxxxxx, leatonNick and t1sutton

Why where these cyclists Silly?

10 – Cycling on the wrong side of the road, lane splitting, making rude gestures at others.
9 – Crossing the stop line at a red light and blocking the crossing for pedestrians
8 – Cutting across the path of another road user. Caution should be made when exiting roads, even on roundabouts, users may not indicate their intentions clearly, it is worth while hanging back until you are sure what they want to do.
7 – Cycling along the tramway the wrong way and crossing a road without clearly checking what is coming
6 – Cycling through a red light on a pelican crossing with people crossing
5 – Not sticking to the right side of the cycle path and nearly having a head on collision with another cyclist
4 – Cycling into a vehicle and then fleeing the scene
3 – Taking the corner too fast and too tight, causing traction to be lost on the front wheel
2 – Taking a corner too fast and too tight with a trailer, causing it to tip
1 – Red light jumping cyclist caused another cyclist to take evasive action to avoid a collision, the cyclists brakes where not working and his evasive action was very nearly a collision with several road users.

This episodes savvy cyclist was smart enough to choose to walk their bike through the snow rather than risk coming off and hurting her self.

Episode 37

The end of last week saw the launch of The Times campaign ‘Cities for Cyclists’ where the producer of Silly Cyclists was featured, talking about helmet cameras. The majority of danger to cyclists is from other road users, but as cyclists we can do just a little bit extra to keep us self safe, and this is where Silly Cyclists hopes to educate a few people.

Episode 37 sees video clips from the following youtube users. 4chordsnonet, badswindoomroadusers, cyclingmikey, hawickrfc, samng41, theselager, vousden and wellingtonbikecam01

Why are the cyclists silly?

10 – Cycling on the wrong side of the road, could have easily ended up with a collision with any other road users coming the other way.
9 – Again cycling in the wrong direction, other road users aren’t expecting you to cycle the wrong way.
8 – Riding on the pavement, joining the road without looking first.
7 – Cycled the wrong side of the traffic island, cycled into the pedestrian refuge and jumped the red light.
6 – Appearing to be cycling under the influence of alcohol, potential not able to control his vehicle within safe limits.
5 – Filtering through moving traffic, this can easily result in a collision. Filtering should be done with extreme caution.
4 – Cutting in front of another road user, cycling too close to pedestrians and cycling blindly across a road junction.
3 – Cutting the corner too tight and being on the wrong side of the road, can easily result in a collision if it was a larger vehicle.
2 – Pulling too hard on the front brake whilst the rear of the bicycle was unweighted. Resulting in a flip and lots of embarrassment.
1 – Cyclist not cycling within his own and the roads limits, taking the corner way to fast and too tight on a slippery road surface.