coldel

Agree to a certain degree...I do though struggle to sit behind a cyclist in a car who is barely doing 5mph - even with traffic lights 100 yards down the road you can't have cars sat behind those lardies!

Just to clarify the 'car tax' issue, nothing of that money goes directly to looking after the roads. The transit system is paid for out of your standard income tax. The 'car tax' is in fact an Excise Duty you pay for ownership of motor vehicles. So by working and paying income tax cyclists do pay towards the up keep of the roads. The pavements issue is a biggie though - often when the road gets too narrow for a bike to slip past a stationary car or traffic they jump onto pavements. This leads to a comment I read earlier about cars wanting to beat bikes, which is probably true, but what is also true is that bikes think that they need to beat slow moving or stationary motor traffic. The pavement is not an extra lane for bikes, if the gaps between cars is too small then bikes should wait just like everyone else, but often you find cyclists swerving across the road and up and down pavements in slow moving traffic to make their way through it which is downright dangerous and stupid.

I just think, with more and more people taking up bikes and with Boris sticking 20,000 rental bikes on the road in London - there has to be some control over it - at the moment it is beyond a joke.

The thing is that the system of car licence and insurance is in place, and its against the law to not have it, if you are caught you are prosecuted. There are some cars out there unlicensed and uninsured but there are more with than without and as I say you will be prosecuted if caught without - with bikes nothing of the sort exists, and it should regardless of whether the car system works 100% or not.

I drive my car on sundays just around the block, do i need a drivers licence? There are rules of the road for cyclists that actually arent in the highway code for cars - yet I would say 99% of cyclists are unaware of them. Revise at home, pop down to a test centre spend half and hour doing your theory and watch a DVD on safety etc and it will make some difference, its a start anyway. Going forwards, and in response to the post about the accident, if a cyclist is in an accident and police are called and that cyclist doesnt have a licence then they get jack and in fact if the accident was their fault they pay out.

I think what is slightly different between car drivers and bike riders is that in my experience it is the majority of bike riders who ride dangerously or illegally, the majority of car drivers on the other hand drive safely obeying the rules of the road - there is a huge disparity between the two. For some reason a van, especially a white one, turns some very normal people into lunatics on the road, but there are fortunately relatively only few of them on the road. In comparison I stand at a red light and watch 90% of cyclists ride through it. You also see a lot more aggression from bike riders, I think because they are so mortally exposed compared to the relative safety of being in a car - evenso this aggression is totally unjustified. I had to intervene the other day (I was washing my car and saw all this happen) when a lady driving her car had to move further to the left and closer to the pavement because of the road narrowing at that point ahead. She had to do this to not hit oncoming traffic yet Mr Joe 'im lance armstrong' Bloggs in his lycra and yellow jersey who had not read any of the road situation ahead decided it was a great opportunity to ride up the inside of the car and nearly get squashed by her rear quarter. He started banging his fists on the car window, she stopped and he was abusing her so I went over and told him in no uncertain terms he was an idiot for trying that manouvre in the first place and its his own bloody fault for not reading the traffic conditions. I felt good for it. Anyway, a national test with a licence which must be carried and more police intervention for law breakers on bicycles would soon make roads safer than they are now. As much as I would like more tolerance and common sense on the road it just isnt going to happen without some sort of intervention.

Totally agree, I have done a fair bit of cycling including a one week jaunt on my own from Cognac to Paris - I have put some miles in on a bike in my time I am therefore much more aware of cyclists for some reason, always checking my nearside mirror for them coming up the inside when I am turning left in traffic etc. The problem I see is that people are generally very 'sheep like' on the road. If one cyclist sees another go through a red light most will follow whereas if they were on their own they might stop. Its good to cycle but it has to be drilled into cyclists heads that how the majority (and it is the majority unfortunately) cycle in London at the moment is totally unacceptable. This means sitting a test and being made aware of how bad cycling can kill - the same messages car users get. - You cant decide to break a road law because you think its safe to do so - Cars do have limited visibility, if you are wearing black and are riding a few inches off my rear left wheel I wont be able to see you - Dont ride side by side of other bikes on the road - etc...

I was riding my bike a lot around Paris when I was living there - have to say the cyclists there are a mile away from the cyclists in general here in London - they stop at red lights and dont make their own decisions as to whether 'it is safe' to obey the laws of the road or not. I have seen police pulling the few cyclists in Paris who do jump lights etc - it was taken very seriously.

Car was clean and had tyre dressing on in the second couple of photos

I know it means less cyclists, which means more people in cars, which means more CO2 but at some point people that ride bikes on Britains roads need to take more responsibility for themselves and other road users. I am not a petrolhead that hates cyclists, I used to do a lot of cycling (and have one of my bikes up for sale at the moment) so this isn't any vinidictive rant. But I am disgusted with the majority of the cyclists on Londons roads who use the roads in a dangerous and irresponsible way. This morning on the way in to work I am approaching a small roundabout, from my left a cyclist looks at me and just goes accross it forcing me to stop in the middle of the junction and then had the front to wave his arms at me Things such as giving way to the right, stopping at red lights and not undertaking are called in effect 'the rules of the road' they are no called 'the rules for cars on roads' - something a lot of cyclists in London seem to be completely oblivious to. So how comes anyone, even people that do not have driving licences can get on a bike and ride on roads - surely at the very least they should be capable of reading road signs (in effect the theory test). On my bike I stop at red lights and I obey the rules of the road for my own and others safety - its about time cyclists in Britain learn't how to cycle as well and we could start by making cycling lessons compulsory and passing of a thoery test compulsory.

These are the types of people who should be on the Queens honours list not just someone who has been on TV for a while!

OK, I am not using this enough and its a shame as it's a tremendous bike. Purchased for £1400 new in 2009, only used in the summer and kept inside at all times, never stored outside (that includes sheds and the like, always in the house). Rather than list the spec out here click this link to see whats on it: http://www.thebikelist.co.uk/scott/cr1-comp-cd-18-sp-%28105%29-2009/specs In short, its a carbon frame 56cm or 22inch high frame - this would suit someone with an inside leg of 32-34inch (the rule of thumb is frame height is 2/3rds your inside leg length) and the frame length from saddle to bars is also 56cm. It fits me perfectly and I am 5'11''. Bike is immaculate, no scratches no marks. Only signs of wear are on the handle bars where my gloves wore somewhat on the white bar tape. Will throw in a couple of goodies with it, Elite carbon bottle holder and water bottle (the actual water bottle isn't in the photos but its a clear plastic type), an under-seat valuables bag, back and front lights and a pump that fits the valves on these particular wheels. £800, prefer to have it collected from me in Putney South West London than post. Any questions please do PM me...thanks Col.

More expensive than nail polish mate, £30 for 15ml of wheel sealant!

Hmmmm not so sure myself, a jiffy bag with a removable bit of bubble wrap works just as well - and it can be posted through the door and not need someone in at the time of delivery.

I have had a few things get posted through to me where I thought 'you know, that wasn't necessary all that packaging' but this mornings arrival took the biscuit...I mean you have to be kidding me...

Could be time to invest in some snow tyres!

I do have an extra set of plates which has the space removed, I am umming and urring about putting them on...

Has anyone ever been pulled up for having irregular spacing on their plates? I have mine correctly spaced (as to pass the MoT) but would look miles better if it was put together...

I checked the value of my plate on DVLA and got it come back as £895, but I am pretty sure it would go for more on ebay or the like?

Good stuff Will, that GT3 I bet flew around...a fantastic track car that. As exciting as it seems, I would be terrified of accidents on the track - were you guys fully insured? I heard if you crash into a barrier you have to personally fork out £20k or something mental?

Is covering the old aerial stub a big job?

+1 on this, although I think you got it at £7.5k didn't you? Which is probably a fair'ish price for a non GT UK car. PS, nothing particularly wrong with the JDMs, there are some great examples on here Just that they carry less history usually and are sometimes more expensive to insure.

He bought a UK 04 plate...

Get one Biscuit, it really does make the car personal and more emotionally involved!

Well, as of wednesday I will have some blue, aluminium, Rays wheels nuts for sale any takers?