What Bike Computer

coops

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 18, 2007
1,225
1
Manchester U.K.
Yes, 6.8mph did seem extremely slow, and official figures are close to 11mph as you say, so those stats are not an accurate 'average'.

I also get impatient in city traffic, even on a bike! maybe its the Londoner in me :D : some of the traffic calming measures seem to be slowing things up rather too much...

Stuart.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
30,567
some of the traffic calming measures seem to be slowing things up rather too much...

Stuart.
They are, and still think they should all be ripped out as being the most anti environmental measure of all.

The answer is dead easy if they want to keep people to a limit. Install those speed sensing boxes that tell you you're going 37 mph or whatever, but instead of coupling to a readout, connect it to a pop up "stinger" in the road to puncture all four tyres.

Then everyone would keep to the limits all the time. Simple. :D
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HarryB

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 22, 2007
1,317
3
London
They are, and still think they should all be ripped out as being the most anti environmental measure of all.

The answer is dead easy if they want to keep people to a limit. Install those speed sensing boxes that tell you you're going 37 mph or whatever, but instead of coupling to a readout, connect it to a pop up "stinger" in the road to puncture all four tyres.

Then everyone would keep to the limits all the time. Simple. :D
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Yes I agree, there is nothing more annoying than following a 4X4 down a speed humped road. They seem to be able to do any speed they like while you have your teeth knocked out at 15 mph in a smaller car. Now I wonder why so many people buy 4X4s...

Joking aside those speed activated signs seem to do the trick - I have even seen the Police use their brakes when they activate them around our area. Probably the best thing for residential areas would be to pave the road so it looks like one big pavement. This is really disconcerting for drivers and they slow down - simple but expensive (but we don't do expensive in this country).
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
30,567
Probably the best thing for residential areas would be to pave the road so it looks like one big pavement. This is really disconcerting for drivers and they slow down - simple but expensive (but we don't do expensive in this country).
Yes, that's the best of all, extensively done in parts of Europe, and if signed as a designated children's play area complete with plant tubs as sometimes done in Holland, doubly effective.

We need one brave town or city to take the lead and show what can be done. London's done it in some ways with the congestion charge, a far bigger expenditure on cycling than anywhere else and the odd street play area, but I'd like to see one town do a complete conversion as an example.
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Ian

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 1, 2007
1,333
0
Leicester LE4, UK.
Yes I agree, there is nothing more annoying than following a 4X4 down a speed humped road.
Where I live it's all boy racers who slow to less than walking pace for the numerous humps for fear of damaging their oversized exhausts and plastic adornments through the negligible ground clearance on their modified cars.
Very frustrating as they rush to overtake bikes between the humps and then force the cyclist to slow to a crawl over the hump. It wouldn't be so bad if the cyclists could use the cycle lane that bypasses each hump, but it is invariably blocked by parked cars.
 

BossBob

Pedelecer
Oct 20, 2007
58
0
Fife - Scotland - KY11
The answer is dead easy if they want to keep people to a limit. Install those speed sensing boxes that tell you you're going 37 mph or whatever, but instead of coupling to a readout, connect it to a pop up "stinger" in the road to puncture all four tyres.
A little excessive don't you think!!

The Spanish have a simpler solution, the detector, a read out AND a set of traffic lights for no reason other than speeders.

If you are speeding the lights change to red, the more over the limit you were the longer they keep you there, and everyone knows the first car is to blame ;)
 

coops

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 18, 2007
1,225
1
Manchester U.K.
A possible drawback for bikes with both those systems is that a bike exceeding the 'speed limit' (though inapplicable to bikes) on a downhill say, may inadvertently trigger the penalty, unless the detector can distinguish bikes from other vehicles... at least a bike could ignore the red light, but the stinger could be a riskier proposition :eek: :D.

I absolutely agree on the paved roads system, especially with plant tubs :).

Stuart.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
30,567
The Spanish have a simpler solution, the detector, a read out AND a set of traffic lights for no reason other than speeders.

If you are speeding the lights change to red, the more over the limit you were the longer they keep you there, and everyone knows the first car is to blame ;)
My stinger suggestion was tongue in cheek Bob!

However, unaware that the Spanish had done it, I previously suggested that triggered red light solution in here thinking it a new idea and got only opposition!!!

So I don't think anyone likes my ideas on traffic calming.

How about hidden marksmen with rifles and telescopic sights culling a few offenders. They'd only need to be part timers employed a few unspecified days a year for that to be completely effective.
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HarryB

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 22, 2007
1,317
3
London
A little excessive don't you think!!

The Spanish have a simpler solution, the detector, a read out AND a set of traffic lights for no reason other than speeders.

If you are speeding the lights change to red, the more over the limit you were the longer they keep you there, and everyone knows the first car is to blame ;)
Yes this is a great idea and of course very effective as it makes speeding pointless. Spain has had them for years. Great for all the villages and residential zones around the UK but it costs money and for that reason alone they won't install them. I am afraid this country is fixated with speed cameras as the main method of slowing traffic down.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
30,567
I am afraid this country is fixated with speed cameras as the main method of slowing traffic down.
They earn money.

The better solutions don't, and since the "bottom line" mentality was implanted in politics in the 1980s, money has always been God in the UK.
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Chris

Pedelecer
Sep 11, 2007
90
0
They earn money.

The better solutions don't, and since the "bottom line" mentality was implanted in politics in the 1980s, money has always been God in the UK.
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Now look here Flecc-I read this forum for information ,knowledge and fun-your comments start my ulcers and raise my blood pressure ;the craving for money is destroying this country.........see, there I go, getting on my high horse-your fault Flecc; now ,oh yes,bike computors-my vote goes to a Cats Eye Velo 5-basic and simple ,for simple people like me, who just want to know how fast and how far;)
PS-Lets have a whats wrong(or right) witn Britian thread:rolleyes: :D
Chris
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
30,567
PS-Lets have a whats wrong(or right) witn Britian thread.
Chris
Well it's spelt wrong for a start! :D :D

Re: the discussion, that's what the Charging Post forum is for, but it could be a dodgy subject and I'd never stop typing on that. :(

What's right might make a good brief subject. :rolleyes:
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HarryB

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 22, 2007
1,317
3
London
Well there is a limit to how long even us nerds :rolleyes: can talk about cycle computers before moving on to an interesting topic (and one that affects us cyclist so not totally off topic).
 

Chris

Pedelecer
Sep 11, 2007
90
0
Well it's spelt wrong for a start! :D :

Re: the discussion, that's what the Charging Post forum is for, but it could be a dodgy subject and I'd never stop typing on that. :(

What's right might make a good brief subject. :rolleyes:
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So you did spot the deliberate mistake then.

Chris:eek:
 

Chris

Pedelecer
Sep 11, 2007
90
0
BritAIn
ComputErs

There ought to be a way to post "anonymous" messages (that means 'without disclosing one's identity' NOT 'at some time in the future'). :D
Anon
Mistakes due to, ultra high speed of typing, not using a spell checker, unable to spell (spoilt by sectary), age, and total incompetance-
But hopefully you understood the post?
Chris:confused:
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
30,567
I'm far worse Chris, and can get a sequence of as many as three or four letters in reverse order at the start of a word as I do what I laughingly refer to as typing. But because it's so bad, it has to be corrected, so you don't see the evidence of it.
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
53,152
30,567
I never use spell checkers Chris. My spelling is excellent, it's when my fingers meet a keyboard that chaos ensues. Trouble is, because I know all the letters that are going to be in a word before I start typing it, I just chuck them in as a hand passes each one, but the stupid computer hasn't got the gumption to sort them into the right order.

B****y Microsoft! :D
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ITSPETEINIT

Esteemed Pedelecer
Dec 11, 2006
492
0
Mere, Wilts
Morecombe and Mozart

I never use spell checkers Chris. My spelling is excellent, it's when my fingers meet a keyboard that chaos ensues. Trouble is, because I know all the letters that are going to be in a word before I start typing it, I just chuck them in as a hand passes each one, but the stupid computer hasn't got the gumption to sort them into the right order.

B****y Microsoft! :D
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Reminds me, Flecc, of the amusing response by Eric Morecombe in the skit with Andre Previn when asked "who wrote that piece of music?". His reply: "Mozart! But not necessarily in that order",
Anon