Comments on: American v European Perspectives on Cycling

By: Samuel

Samuel — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:19:18 +0000

Please please John do wear hemlet they save life (at least mine) and are compulsory for a reason!

By: ken downing

ken downing — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:04:45 +0000

cycling has been part of my life for many years,i am 66 now. I was a member of a racing club in the 60`s competing in road time trials,these were held evenings and weekends to avoid traffic,helmets were not worn accidents were few, thank goodness.Today i am glad i am not involved. Today i walk an mountain bike but i do use a car and i have see many a motorist completely ignoring cyclist. It should not deter cyclist in enjoying there pastime/sport just because of these uncaring motorist,just keep your eyes open and WEAR a Helmet,it makes sense.

By: Sean Spurr

Sean Spurr — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:02:51 +0000

I’m currently in Philadelphia for the summer after spending three years in Oxford (studying for the degree I just got there). My own observations on cycling here (I haven’t participated myself yet: I’m currently in the city centre so there’s little need) are that cyclists at least in the city centre go far slower than in the UK. This may be caused by the almost unbearable heat (it’s regularly been over 35 degrees Celsius this last month, some days well in excess of 40), but it almost seems that people don’t want to get anywhere fast (I’m pretty sure I used to cycle up the hill on Divinity Road faster than people here cycle on the almost perfectly flat city). Other observations include that despite cycle lanes being common (although you’d have to know which streets have them), most people cycle on pavements even when next to a cycle lane. Clearly traffic isn’t trusted. Cyclists however do take more risks, a lot cross on red and junctions and I’ve seen several close misses due to this in just a month of being here. Cycling shops seem pretty common, but far more of them are dedicated to repairs rather than joint selling and repairs. They also seem to be in odd places, such as a converted ground floor in a residential area. Specialist cycles also seem pretty common – bikes with two back wheels and large containers at the from clearly used for trade. Cycling baskets seem far more common, almost everyone has one, but they are all utilitarian (unlike perhaps the majority of Oxford ones). Common are improvised ones using plastic crates (I did something similar with a metal shopping basket I bought from a hardware store on Cowley Road when in Oxford as it was larger than any of the metal ones sold in cycling shops and significantly cheaper). There’s even some metal wire-frame ones that fold down when not in use. D-Locks here seem to be standard fair, often combined with the long wire for connecting the other wheel to the lock.

By: John Rawlins

John Rawlins — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 11:07:58 +0000

Historically, Spain has had few cyclists. However, numbers are rising very quickly. I have just completed a 1200 km cycling tour of Spain with my teenage daughter and some other friends. We found that drivers, and especially truck-drivers, were almost always extremely careful and courteous when passing. The greatest recent improvement for long-distance cyclists in Spain has been the introduction of very wide shoulders on the vast majority of rural roads. We also chose to ride without helmets (although they are legally required on rural roads) and not one of the traffic policemen (Guardia Civil) we chatted with even raised the subject.

By: Wearing Cycle Badge with Pride | Cycling UK

Wearing Cycle Badge with Pride | Cycling UK — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 07:29:07 +0000

[...] I posted about differences in European and US perspectives on cycling. One is that cycling tends to become more political in the US. But, it’s great to see someone [...]