Is cycling the new golf?

[HomerJSimpson]

Once you have a bike, a helmet and some silly lycra shorts what else is there? You can basically cycle where you like (within reason of course) and there's no more outlay. Golf has the initial cost of clubs and shoes (let's just agree for the sake of old dress code arguments) and once you get into it and decide to join a club there's a hefty initial outlay and then an annual cost to be budgeted.

To be honest it's the BBC trying to compare chalk and cheese for the sake of a story and while golfing numbers are down, perhaps, just perhaps, its a blessing. It's not the first time we've had numbers drop and clubs were forced to recognise what they have, what they need to offer and find fresh ways of inventing themselves. Some will go, others may even see an opportunity and invest and develop. As someone not remotely interested about getting on a bike, certainly not on town centre roads, I don't care how many people do it. As long as I can get a game of golf at weekends I'm happy

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Most people I know who have taken up cycling (myself included) have done so via one of the many Cycle to Work schemes. Once they have the bike, they have very little else to buy (unless they want to take it seriously)..

You can decide at the last second to get out and do a quick 30-40 miles in a little over a few hours... You can have the same amount of fun whether you are a complete beginner or a true hill junkie.. The feeling of conquering that local cat 4 hill in one go is fantastic.. It's easy to join a local group and get out and do some great rides with a great social scene as well.. The fitness benefits are amazing...

There are of course some downsides. Predominantly the attitude of some road users who wrongly believe that paying their car tax means they have priority on the roads. I have personally witnessed 2 morons in a souped up car deliberately run a teenage girl off the road then speed off laughing. Some HGV drivers really don't have any spacial awareness and will quite often leave you with very little option but to bump the kerb.. Dog walkers who don't control their animals can be dangerous...

I love my bike and will be doing plenty more cycling in the New Year. I've got some decent rides planned, including the Coast to Coast and a few Lake District Centuries (got some training to do for those)..

Oh, and for those who don't like cyclists who ride side by side. It's actually easier to overtake than when they ride in a line if you actually follow the highway code.. Of course, in my experience, not many drivers actually know the highway code..

Well said Danny,:thup:

I have just bought a bike a month ago and I am loving it, just and a few days away without the clubs and just the bike. Bloody loved it.

Legs are now dead tho

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Agreed..Do not pay road tax, and are not insured neither...And there is those that do not think lights and a bell are a requirement..

Just the kind of response from someone that doesn't ride a bike.

yes some don't wear reflective clothing and some have no lights but not all cyclists are the same, my lights are enough to blind you no bother. Oh and I have insurance as well

 

[muttleee]

Agreed..Do not pay road tax, and are not insured neither...And there is those that do not think lights and a bell are a requirement..

There's no such thing as road tax. Vehicle drivers pay Vehicle Excise Duty - a tax on their vehicles. Cars with low emissions don't pay it either - should they be kept off the road too?!

 

[shewy]

I can't see why the two have to compete personally, a total non story, I bike and I golf, both relaxing (mountain bike for me tho)

 

[Sweep]

I know lots of people who cycle and golf. Cycling is on the up, golf on a downer. Things wax and wane, it's no big deal. TBH I don't really get the argument that golf has to change to attract more people. If it changes too much it won't be golf.
I think a lot of the issues over declining participation in golf are due to the way the state of the game today is compared to golf at its peak, during its boom years, when Europe won the Ryder Cup for the first time in donkeys and we had a lot of major winners ( speaking for this side of the pond). If you averaged it out over the last hundred or so years, I would bet we would be in a good state nowadays.
As for cyclists riding 2 abreast it comes down to the Highway Code and good old common sense. You can't form a "third lane" in or on any vehicle. Cycles go a lot slower than cars and a cyclist is a lot more vulnerable. Cyclists riding for fun are naturally going to head for the quieter roads in the countryside, where speed limits are often higher. It comes down to safety. In this regard cyclists need to start obeying the rules of the road like everyone else, including things like not overtaking on the left, the cause of a lot of bad accidents at junctions. Cyclists are vulnerable and motorists don't want to be involved in accidents either.

 

[SaintHacker]

Agreed..Do not pay road tax, .And there is those that do not think lights and a bell are a requirement..

You pay 'vehicle excise duty' based on the emissions made by y our vehicle. How much CO does a bike make? And given that most cyclists own a car anyway...

 

[Tongo]

Wow, the beeb really went out of their way to skew opinion with those piccies didnt they? Yeah, we'll have a photo of super cool Bradley Wiggins to represent cycling and we'll find a really nauseating photo of 3 blokes looking a trio of tools in their same clothes to represent golf. (Lets not bother with a photo of Tiger, Rory or Rickie or a combination of the 3)

Well done BBC, Cycling is your new shiny toy and you're letting everyone know it.

 

[mchacker]

Isn't this just a glamour article because Hoy won SPOTY lifetime?

 

[Tongo]

Isn't this just a glamour article because Hoy won SPOTY lifetime?

Probably. Although it was hardly a case of winning the award! :lol:

 

[delc]

You pay 'vehicle excise duty' based on the emissions made by y our vehicle. How much CO does a bike make? And given that most cyclists own a car anyway...

It's actually based on CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions. Cyclists also emit CO2 in their breath at their increased respiration rates!

 

[NorfolkShaun]

It's actually based on CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions. Cyclists also emit CO2 in their breath at their increased respiration rates!

And electric cars pay nothing because as we all know electricity simply comes from the plug on the wall and there are no emissions......

 

[Fyldewhite]

Why ? To allow you to squeeze by at 60mph ?

If it's a 60mph road then yes.

I know the rules (and I'm a cyclist) but common sense comes into it too. I see many causing road blocks (not to mention the danger) just because the highway code is worded as it is and choose to "make a point". Inconsiderate and just plain stupid a lot of the time.....but hey ho, technically they are in the clear so that's OK.

 

[Qwerty]

Excuse my lack of cycling knowledge but what is the reason for them riding side by side?

Is it just so they can have a chat,or is there more to it?

 

[Foxholer]

Excuse my lack of cycling knowledge but what is the reason for them riding side by side?

Is it just so they can have a chat,or is there more to it?

For the same reason as it's recommended that horse riders travel side by side. It's safer because vehicle drivers don't simply drive by at their 'normal' speed and placement on the road. Instead, they have to take a deliberate action, slowing down (normally) and moving across onto the other side.

 

[Qwerty]

For the same reason as it's recommended that horse riders travel side by side. It's safer because vehicle drivers don't simply drive by at their 'normal' speed and placement on the road. Instead, they have to take a deliberate action, slowing down (normally) and moving across onto the other side.

Whether that's safer is a matter of opinion. Personally I'd say it isn't.

To be fair If the overtaking part is done correctly it should be,and if an accident was to occur no doubt it would be the drivers fault.
But everytime a driver is having to overtake two cyclists riding side by side Theres potential for an accident.

Whether its safe to pull out is sometimes a difficult decision to make. Should elderly drivers and drivers that have recently passed their test be put in such a position,with possible pressure from vehicles backing up behind. Its not always an easy call to make.

My dad rode a bike to work for 30+years and had several accidents which were mainly the drivers fault so I'm all for keeping cyclists safe. But I personally think it would be safer if they rode in single file regardless of what the Highway Code states.

 

[Imurg]

It would also be safer if they used designated cycle paths.
E have quite a few 40/50/60 mph roads that have bends on them.
The Council have built, at great expense, cycle paths alongside these roads. It keeps bikes way from cars, it allows cars to progress at normal speeds

Do they get used?

Hardly ever....

Why?

 

[Foxholer]

It would also be safer if they used designated cycle paths.
E have quite a few 40/50/60 mph roads that have bends on them.
The Council have built, at great expense, cycle paths alongside these roads. It keeps bikes way from cars, it allows cars to progress at normal speeds

Do they get used?

Hardly ever....

Why?

Normally because they often suddenly disappear!

And in many cases, it has actually been central Government funded, not Councils!

Simply painting a cycle lane on a road doesn't actually make it any safer for cyclists - in fact often quite the opposite, as drains and unrepaired potholes are often in that area so there'll be unexpected 'twitches' from cyclists using them!

 

[Jimaroid]

Also cycle paths are often littered with gravel, which for a road bike is a really unpleasant surface on which to cycle.

 

[FairwayDodger]

It would also be safer if they used designated cycle paths.
E have quite a few 40/50/60 mph roads that have bends on them.
The Council have built, at great expense, cycle paths alongside these roads. It keeps bikes way from cars, it allows cars to progress at normal speeds

Do they get used?

Hardly ever....

Why?

Lots of reasons....

Often they are badly designed and unsafe
Not maintained as well as the road (I know road maintenance is an issue too)
Not treated for ice in winter
Pedestrians walking on them

When I'm cycle commuting in Edinburgh there are some cycle paths I'll use and others that I will have nothing to do with.


EDIT: Pretty sure I've posted this link before but it sums up cycle lanes better than I can....

http://www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk/facility-of-the-month/