|
Author |
Message |
Davemc37 |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Davemc37 Nova Slayer
Joined: 05 May 2017 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
M.C |
This post is not being displayed .
|
M.C Super Spammer
Joined: 29 Sep 2015 Karma :
|
Posted: 23:37 - 16 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
Take it easy, I nearly died a couple of times (early on) trying to filter like others. The North Circular does seem to be particularly mental, you often see bikes squeezing between two lorries at speed
I'd say it gets easier the more experienced you're, but keep in mind [safety nazi alert] it's probably where you're most likely to get into strife, so I still see it as risk vs reward. Also shimmy round those mirrors |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
NJD |
This post is not being displayed .
|
NJD World Chat Champion
Joined: 11 Mar 2015 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Pete. |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Pete. Super Spammer
Joined: 22 Aug 2006 Karma :
|
Posted: 05:41 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
Ride at your own comfortable rate and move over for other bikes. You're not expected to be able to make progress like people who've been doing it for 20 years. ____________________ a.k.a 'Geri'
132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
arry |
This post is not being displayed .
|
arry Super Spammer
Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
linuxyeti |
This post is not being displayed .
|
linuxyeti World Chat Champion
Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Karma :
|
Posted: 07:58 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
NJD wrote: |
.... Spot your gap, take your gap and crack on with the ride.
|
As someone with a little experience of filtering, there is more to it than just spotting a gap.. You also have to be able to anticipate what the other vehicles are likely to do, and that, to a large degree comes with experience, and you learn to tell when a driver isn't likely to keep an equal distance between them, and the vehicle in the other lane .. Then there's the ones that don't like the idea of bikes filtering past them, and they try to close the gap, then there are those who are too busy on their phone, and of course, there's the lane jumpers ..
You will over time start to learn the behavioural traits of other road users, and yes, even more expereinced, and/or more agressive bike riders who are also filtering.
That said, once your are comfortable with it, knowing you're knocking, occasionally hours off your journey, when compared to being in a car, is a particularly good feeling ! ____________________ Beware what photos you upload, or link to on here, especially if you have family members on them |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
andyscooter |
This post is not being displayed .
|
andyscooter World Chat Champion
Joined: 30 May 2009 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
el_oso |
This post is not being displayed .
|
el_oso World Chat Champion
Joined: 17 May 2008 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
BTTD |
This post is not being displayed .
|
BTTD World Chat Champion
Joined: 22 Nov 2012 Karma :
|
Posted: 09:02 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Rogerborg |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Rogerborg nimbA
Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :
|
Posted: 09:11 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
And evaluate honestly whether each manoeuvre will actually help you to take time off of your journey, rather than just giving you longer to wait at the next set of lights.
I know London has different rules and sometimes it's the only way to actually make progress. Just figure out where it does help, and where you're adding risk for no reward. ____________________ Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
P. |
This post is not being displayed .
|
P. Red Rocket
Joined: 14 Feb 2008 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
AshWebster |
This post is not being displayed .
|
AshWebster Brolly Dolly
Joined: 05 Jan 2017 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
evilzed |
This post is not being displayed .
|
evilzed Scooby Slapper
Joined: 05 Oct 2013 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Freddyfruitba... |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Freddyfruitba... World Chat Champion
Joined: 20 May 2016 Karma :
|
Posted: 11:33 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
I think minimising the speed differential between you and the traffic you're filtering through (ie, whether they are stationary or moving) is one of the key safety tips. 15-20 mph is plenty for me - and I'll happily pull over for any of you lot trying to crawl up my can...
Talking of other drivers' responses to filtering - the other day I was pootling along the empty offside lane, overtaking a long queue of stationary traffic (at 15-20 mph, natch); way down the road I saw a lorry coming towards me which meant I would need to abort. Found a gap in my lane no problem, and pulled in to it, coming to a gentle halt on my side of the centre line and waited; the lorry was at least 200 yards away at this point. As he came past me (it was a wide lane, so he was 4 or 5 feet away), I got the full horns plus lots of wild gesticulation. Quite bizarre. Especially as there was enough room that a lot of bikers would probably have kept right on filtering ____________________ KC100->CB100N->CB250RS--------->DL650AL2->R1200RS->R1250RS |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
haroman666 |
This post is not being displayed .
|
haroman666 World Chat Champion
Joined: 17 Sep 2008 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
bigdom86 |
This post is not being displayed .
|
bigdom86 Traffic Copper
Joined: 17 Jul 2015 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
notabikeranym... |
This post is not being displayed .
|
notabikeranym... Formerly known as meef
Joined: 02 Apr 2014 Karma :
|
Posted: 12:10 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
Just whatever you decide to do, don't be that fucking prick who blocks off the filter lane because he's too much of a fanny to realise he can fit through the gap. |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Wonko The Sane |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Wonko The Sane World Chat Champion
Joined: 20 Jan 2013 Karma :
|
Posted: 12:22 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
arry wrote: | Pete. wrote: | Ride at your own comfortable rate and move over for other bikes. You're not expected to be able to make progress like people who've been doing it for 20 years. |
It's not the ones that have been doing it 20 years I worry about, it's the ones that have been doing it 20 seconds and think it's cool to treat it like a PlayStation game.
The biggest problem (and reason I no longer commute by bike, really) with London commuting I encountered were other bikes doing really stupid things. |
Yup, I nearly T-boned a bike a little while back, he'd gone from between lane 4/5 where he'd been going slow and not allowing me to pass despite the fact I could get through gaps he was not even trying (different bikes and different abilities)
The m'way widened out to 5 lanes, I was taking the twin lane slip onto another motorway so had moved across and now between lane 2/3
In standing traffic he turned 90 degrees across the front of a lorry and popped out right in front of me, about 3ft in front of me. I'd slowed down expecting him to do something stupid so didn't hit him.
coming back to the OP,
if you don't think you can fit, don't try it, wait for the gap to change, as traffic moves the gaps open and close and they also widen and narrow as vehicles don't stay dead central in their lane (and remember, a flashing indicator only means one thing, that the bulb works!)
each vehicle you pass is it's own overtake, check you've somewhere to actually end up before going through, you might get half way though the gap and find that the next overtake has lined up nicely for you, or it might have closed up a bit and you have to wait it out. ____________________ Looking to pass your CBT / Bike tests in Bury Lancashire? try www.focusridertraining.co.uk Would recommend.
They're also on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Focus-Rider-Training/196832923734251 |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
arry |
This post is not being displayed .
|
arry Super Spammer
Joined: 03 Jan 2009 Karma :
|
Posted: 12:25 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
Rogerborg wrote: | And evaluate honestly whether each manoeuvre will actually help you to take time off of your journey, rather than just giving you longer to wait at the next set of lights.
I know London has different rules and sometimes it's the only way to actually make progress. Just figure out where it does help, and where you're adding risk for no reward. |
Yup. Drives me nuts.
Here is a great example of where risk just isn't worth the reward. The crossing is tight, has 2 offset busy ish side roads, a narrow pavement to one side which crams full of people, and an obscured vision around the corner. It's also narrow enough that with a decent size transit van coming down towards you, you'd struggle not to be hit by it if you did get yourself caught in middle of road. It's a busy crossing in the morning, and the lights go red a lot as a result. Traffic builds up down the road as a result. Filtering occurs as a result.
Every morning I watch the idiots on bikes fly down the outside, past the first car at the crossing, over the stop line, and onto the crossing - so many of them to the point where they can't all get out of the oncoming lane, so then the lights change and everyone waits for the bikes to get out of the bloody way before anyone can go anywhere.
They then get to here which is a hugely busy junction which the lights stay red on, in that direction of travel, for ages.
The 10 seconds they've 'saved' themselves going super aggressive in crap circumstances they've 'spent' sitting at the next set of lights anyway.
It's idiocy. |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Motorhate |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Motorhate Nearly there...
Joined: 02 Aug 2013 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
linuxyeti |
This post is not being displayed .
|
linuxyeti World Chat Champion
Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Karma :
|
Posted: 13:12 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Baffler186 |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Baffler186 World Chat Champion
Joined: 31 May 2013 Karma :
|
Posted: 13:24 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
Not many bikes on my commute, but on the odd occasion I see idiotic filtering, it's usually from chav types with L plates and non-learner legal 125 'crossers. There are a surprising amount of bikers who sit in traffic and don't filter, even when there is plenty of room to do so, and in doing so would enable them to get through a set of lights in time.
In summary, I think it is an effective tool if used properly, but it's easy to fall into the trap of "must filter all the time", because sometimes it's not worth it to save you a few seconds. ____________________ Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Val |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Val World Chat Champion
Joined: 03 Nov 2012 Karma :
|
Posted: 15:07 - 17 Aug 2017 Post subject: |
|
|
Everything you'll ever need to know about filtering:
It's fine if you don't potato yourself. Having nasty loud can help.
You have been warned
Also if you decide to filter in London (its fine not to) go all the way and move decisively in front of the first car on traffic lights.
You don't want to be besides the front car you must be in front of him blocking the way. This way you avoid been squeezed.
If you need to cross traffic stop line with your front tire so be it. Your safety is more important than some paint lines on a tarmac. ____________________ Adrian Monk: Unless I'm wrong, which, you know, I'm not...
Yamaha Fazer FZS 600, MT09, XSR 900 |
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Rogerborg |
This post is not being displayed .
|
Rogerborg nimbA
Joined: 26 Oct 2010 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
M.C |
This post is not being displayed .
|
M.C Super Spammer
Joined: 29 Sep 2015 Karma :
|
|
Back to top |
|
You must be logged in to rate posts |
|
|
Old Thread Alert!
The last post was made 6 years, 224 days ago. Instead of replying here, would creating a new thread be more useful? |
|
|
|