I posted this in the nub section with my intro, but was suggested I post here too…so here goes…
I’ve been recording some of my rides, started out using a Nokia 6630 wedged inside my lid, and now have a helmetcam setup. My original intention was to show mates that don’t ride (but should) just how easy it is to get around a congested city like London on two wheels. Cheaper, faster, easier and way more fun.
Quite quickly my frustration at road users stupidity was also caught on camera, and so I my videos tend to be real life snapshots of daily life on London roads - the good, the bad and the ugly. London riding, warts and all…
I’ve edited them together and made mini bike blog videos. I’m pretty sure that you’ll enjoy them, but if you’re a sunny Sunday rider of a nervous disposition (e.g. someone who doesn’t filter, someone who never exceeds the speed limit etc) then you probably won’t enjoy them.
NOTE : This isn’t an opportunity to critique my riding. I’ve been fed up with other bike forums who have been all too happy to criticise my riding style. I’m hoping that London riders will understand the different challenges and the skills required to handle the jungle that is London and just enjoy the vids.
Anyhow, enough with the babble. The videos can be found at:
Welcome to Lb mate! I do commute in London on everyday basis, almost 20 miles a day retun. It’s a jungle out there. I do not ride like you though… Good luck on keep the rubber side down
The first video (“F**k Congestion”) was shot with a Nokia mobile phone. Definitely worth wedging it inside your lid, or duct taping to the outside because you can get great results with one. Cheap too…and the new mobiles are getting better and better for video.
Also, there’s a guy on YouTube who gets some great quality from a Canon Powershot camera that does video (EDIT: It’s “it’s the mechanic” I’m talking about, who has just replied to this thread! Hi Mechanic )
If you want a dedicated helmet cam system, the one I use is from:
BUT - you need to make sure that you have camcorder that has analogue in, otherwise you won’t be able to use these bullet cams. You can get cheapo recon Canon camcorders on eBay from Canon UK Outlet for about 60-80 quid - that’s where I got mine from.
Then it’s a case of duct taping the bullet cam to your helmet (use a ****ty older lid that you don’t care about because the duct tape will mess it up) and connecting the bullet cam to the camcorder. I use a small waterproof crumpler bag to hold the camcorder and wear that over my shoulder when I ride.
Would be great to get more people with helmetcams - I love seeing other’s rider-eye views of the road…
Did anyone see that helmet cam footage of the woman who was knocked off on the motor-way. The driver of the car claimed that she hit tim but he video evidence said otherwise. One very good reason to CCTV your own ride
Bullet cams have down in price! I remember looking at them a couple of years ago and they cost a bomb!
There’s now available a toggle switch to change between two cameras - saw them demonstrating it at Beaulieu this year. Means you can now have 2 bulletcams and switch at will between them, but only need one camcorder. Apparently it’s amazing on a track day…
Very topical videos there mate.We all know what it’s like riding in London against the cages and i always say to myself i’m gonna take it easy today because no matter what happens us two wheeled people are gonna be the ones in the ER when the sh*t hits the fan on a commute.It’s hard to stay safe though when your on a superbike.It’s almost like an instinct overcomes me to be one step ahead of the cages.
One day i will learn to enjoy the scenery a bit more
Yeah right, and you ride like a saint to the letter of the law on every ride.
you wait for every green light to turn fully green before crossing the line
you never have to slow down for speed cameras, because you’re always under the limit
you have never overtaken a driver dawdling (on phone, mucking with GPS) out of frustration
you always wait behind the white line at lights, never filtering to the front of traffic and sitting in the bike section at the front
you have never undertaken traffic on a dual carriageway, when there is someone in the right hand lane driving under the speed limit
The reason that bikes and scooters get such a hard time around London, as you put it, is because drivers are bored and frustrated being stuck in the congestion. They do lots of things to amuse themselves/vent their frustrations whilst they are sitting there in their metal boxes…little games for little minds. Bikes and scooters get it from car drivers because 9 times out of 10 they are jealous of our mobility - they cut us off gently from filtering, move forward at lights to block us etc. I very much doubt that me filtering through traffic causes grief for all bikers…and more importantly, if you ride with any kind of regularity in central London you’ll see that I’m certainly not alone in the way I ride.
The bottom line is that car drivers have too many distractions (GPS, telephone, iPod/hifi, kids) and there are too few police on the roads (all speed cameras). This means that car driving standards are getting worse. If you choose to sit in the traffic and mix it up with these morons, by all means go for it. I choose to stay away from these kinds of people by accelerating away from them and keeping distance from them. Riding with them at the same speed imho means you have a significantly increased risk (no indicator lane changes are a favourite) - but if you move past them you’re reducing the time in that danger zone. I’m not advocating aggressive riding, but I am saying that in a f*cked up reality of drivers you have to ride in a way that you’re comfortable with, and that keeps you safe. That’s how I do it, and it’s different to how you do it. But do me a favour, and get off the high horse. Or post a video of your own riding.
I think he may be referring more to your treatment of that scooter rider with the high-vis thingy on alongside the cage with the flashing blue lights on it.
It was a bit harsh as it could have been someone on their first ride in the big smoke.
Bit of empathy quasimojo wouldnt have gone a miss…
Maybe but it’s a bike blog so it’s the good/bad/ugly of my riding experiences - it’s just a bit honest/real for some people. Yes perhaps I could be a better person/rider if I were more patient/empathetic but after many years of riding it tends to wear thin. Plus, I just want to get where I’m going…not wait behind everyone else trying to understand it from their point of view…sorry if this sounds harsh, but the roads are a jungle and getting worse by the day.
By no means do I ride like a saint on my daily commute through town. However there is a big difference between making progress through a conjested city, and riding dangerously and without thought for the safety of other road users.
Get your scooter on a race track if you want to vent your frustrations and leave the road for those mature enough to use it properly.
This kind of implies that you don’t stick to the letter of the law
Yep - and I’m making progress through a congested city. I have thought for the safety of other road users, because I have my own safety in mind (i.e. any altercation/interaction with any other road user will likely end me up in hospital/dead).
My point is that if you don’t ride to the letter of the law, who are you to say what is okay and what isn’t? That’s what I meant about high horse - it’s total hypocrisy.
To make a rather crude comparison. If you get in a bar fight and punch someone after they have provoked you, you can be arrested for breaking the law, however most people would accept it was a reasonable response to the situation. But if you stab them for the same behavour, people would not accept that.
It’s not the greatest analogy but I reckon it gets the point across. There’s making progress by taking a few liberties with traffic laws (no great shakes, everyone does it, if we didn’t we may as well all drive cars), and then there is riding as though you left your brain at home in a jar.
I quite liked your analogy, but probably for a different reason. I see drivers who either negligently or wilfully endanger me with their driving as analogous to the bar fight. When I’m nearly taken off because someone is blabbing on the phone and not paying attention to the road conditions, I see it as analogous to the being provoked into punching someone. I don’t stab them mind you, but I verbally punch them (call it driver awareness education).
I hear what you’re saying about reasonable/practical riding, but if I was such a danger to myself or others I’d be dead right now. The statistics would back your argument, but I have had only ONE accident since 97, when I was hit by a car WHILST STATIONARY, TURNING RIGHT! (i.e. freak accident, user on phone).
Have to agree with Johnny, you seem a tad aggressive with the whole commuting thing, yes I speed, yes I filter, but flicking fingers up at everyone and cursing every slight mistake the drivers make is winding you and everyone else up!!
It’s almost like you expect everyone to be waiting and watching for you to come speeding up the bus lanes and appearing between stationary cars at 40mph! They aren’t expecting you!
Calm it down a touch and commute safely, people will respect us all a lot more.
I don’t see you thanking anyone either when they do let you past? It works both ways mate!
Have to say, I drive a 4x4 through london as well, if I caught you swearing at me I’d chase you down and knock you off mate! Your language and patronisation to other road users is dispicable.
You have to remember that these are edited videos… they’re not a showcase for my riding ability, rather mini films. Showing good driving or riding, or good manners, just doesn’t make for interesting or entertaining viewing - it doesn’t mean to say I don’t do it (e.g. I’m the first person to lift a left hand or nod appreciatively for other road users).
It’s inevitable that my riding is judged on those videos (and not unreasonably when I think about it), but those videos don’t exclusively represent my riding…they’re just the juicy bits that make for interesting watching…
As I have tryed to explain to another person whose road riding style I do not agree with, the number of accidents you have had is in no way an indicator of your skills. It simply means you’ve been lucky - one day that luck will run out.
