do make sure you are subscribed, people are saying they are unsubscribed and didn't realise... also, just check the channel for new content, i'm always filming and uploading even if you aren't getting notifications...
There was an advert on tv a year or so ago talking about how , families shouldn't have to afford to keep changing bicycles for their growing children when they can HIRE instead! "You will own nothing...." sprung to mind. Just like John Lewis and their Clothes Hiring scheme!!! Companies clearly get ticked boxes for being pc/woke... we need to start calling these businesses out.
Geoff, yesterday, I read on two platforms of Renfe (Spanish Railways) the Spanish equivalent of "For safety reasons, from 12 December 2023 onwards, passengers will not be allowed to board the train with electric scooters, unicycles or similar vehicles." Apparently the full notice in translation should read "For safety reasons, from 12 December 2023 onwards, passengers will not be allowed to board the train with electric scooters, unicycles or similar vehicles. This does not apply to vehicles for people with reduced mobility, or to electric bicycles", but the final sentence was not on the notices that I read. I don't know how many people with "reduced mobility" that you have seen on unicycles recently but I haven't seen ANY. As for sales of bicycles falling, maybe, it is a bit like electric cars .... those who want one have already got one. Bikes, unlike electric cars, are not exactly disposable items. As for the fall in sales of gizmos, there are only so many people who want to wear an ECG machine when out for a ride.
The High Peak and Tissington Trails are two genuinely wonderful places to ride a bike as a family. Beautiful scenery, no cars, wonderful pubs and cafes to enjoy afterwards. Head for either Buxton, Ashbourne or Matlock Bath to find a good starting point!
How bout this? We had 2k bike stolen, I watched them out my window - 3 men, I rang police with description. Their reply - you reported 3 men. One man will separate immediately, so then 2 men pushing stolen bike. You reported 3. Therefore we can't arrest them even if we see them because you said three. And this is a known tactic of bike thieves. So, there is no point us even going looking. Even though it was middle of night, they cd have been found easily. And this is why they didn't even go look.
2 years ago someone gave me some advice, make sure you have two bikes. One bike for nipping down the shops ect, if I get stolen not the end of the world... Your second bike is your expensive bike and that, is never locked up outside.
my mate got his £2000 ebike nicked outside sainsburys in burton on trent..there are cctv cameras outside but the police said they didnt cover the bike racks..now i know for a fact there are supposed homeless who sit outside sainsburys begging are are also police informants,now is it just coincidence the police have bike auctions..maybe thats why they are not interested in investigating stolen ones..hmm
The sales of most goods are down, bikes are just another item that people can't afford. Heat or Eat is now a reality that more people are having to face.
@@gmc9451 They are probably the first of the "Baby Boomer" generation with good pensions. The rest of us are and never will be that well off, final salary pensions have long gone.
A lot of people couldn't ride one if they wanted to anyway. Elderly, sick, too young or just pointless having one. No use for the weekly shop, getting to work (if you're lucky enough to have a job) or getting the kids to school.
The amount of bikes being stolen have put people off investing in bikes. Whether is pedal power or electric, all I see on my fb feed is their children’s expensive bike stolen or robbed.
I used to cycle to work. Too many accidents. cars pulling out in front so I ran into them. Cars overtaking and immediately turning left, forcing you onto the pavement. Falling off on icy roads. Rain, temperatures down to -15C. Get to work all sweaty. You need to be fit and brave, accepting of discomfort and willing to risk injury or death. Not for the faint hearted.
At one point I cycled to work almost every day (quicker than driving due to permanent road works while they built the tram). I confess to resorting to my car once the temperature dropped below freezing though. I did my all-weather-hero apprenticeship riding a motorcycle every day for eight years - and old bones take longer to heal.
Unlike a car, unless the frame cracks a bike will pretty much last forever. The market is flooded with good quality used/fairly new and quality vintage bikes I don't get why people would buy new anyway, except for keeping up with the Joneses 🤷🏻♂️.
Totally agree, 3 bikes in the garage but too dangerous to ride around my area due to potholes. Saw one pothole that had almost swallowed a large traffic cone the other day.
Has happened here in Ireland Ebike at 25km/h hit a pothole broke the front wheel rider died of brain damage insurance wouldn’t pay out brought family through court because it was bought online from another country. Cheap cars are far more fun
Well done on trying to calm down the tribalism. I'm a car driver that also rides a bike and I don't hate myself. My car is 16 years old, my bike 18 years old and I have no plans to buy a new one of either. But the powers that be do seem determined to stop us from driving old cars. Maybe the article was the opening shot in a similar war against bikes? Will they decide that people who are peddling breathe out to much CO2, and force us to buy an e-bike? Or just force us to stop breathing?
My bike is 20 years old, and my 1999 Suzuki Vitara keeps on trucking, and it can't be hacked, can't be immobilized by geo-fencing or any other tech crap!
I keep a bike I bought second hand over 50 years ago. I initially used it for schoolboy time trial racing. The Reynolds 531 frame is now crudely brush-painted, the derailleurs have been replaced with a Sturmey-Archer hub and the racing bars replaced with Dutch flats. Even the carrier is hand painted. In perfect working order but looks a real "rat bike". Its the family "pool bike" and default as a local runabout. We keep it locked and it doesn't look worth stealing. Everyone should have something similar.
I used to walk to the supermarket pulling a flotation wheel trailer. I needed to lock it up, or it would be missing when I returned home. But found the town I live in does not clean the sidewalks any better than the roads, and trudging through knee-deep snow with a trailer wasn't practical. We do have a bus service, but we need to schedule a day in advance, which only helps if you do not miss the scheduled bus you took to the shops. Also, when buying groceries, the bus recommends buying a second seat to put your groceries on. Some times, the bus can not reach you because the town will not plow the residential lanes over the winter, and the bus gets stuck in them.
@@dadigitechman "Thats 150 bucks a month to run yer horse. " That's about a tenth of what it costs to keep a horse in livery. Not everyone lives on a ranch with stables...
I used to think the same way and rode a crusty, rusty brown granny bike which weighed about 250 kgs. I used to ride to work and stuff it into a hedge in the company car park; yes, you've guessed, it was stolen.
@@kevinmoffatt "you've guessed, it was stolen." I used to work where the bike shed was directly opposite the main entrance and in full view of someone all the time. I still locked the bike to the rack though.
I rode avidly until I got my first car (at 17). And to the best of my knowledge I did not spend the whole time looking down trying to avoid potholes. I wouldn't dare ride a bike on today's roads as the moment you look up to read the traffic - you're over the handlebars or being speared into oncoming traffic by the road surface. I've followed a number of 'normal' cyclists and it looks terrifying. A blown tyre on a car is a pain, but its nothing to the injuries you can sustain on a bike from the same hole in the road....
It's because they get stolen. Our town centre used to have hundreds of bikes locked up through the day in the open. A van came around and took every single one of them, they weren't too fussed if they were cheap or not. Fast forward 1 year. I can coun't maybe 4 bikes on the way into work and they're all very low end models. You can't even pop into a cafe for a drink, there are hydraulic cutters you can use with one hand that can do half an inch of hardened steel. It's just a massive waste of money to have a town bike. That's why you mainly see enthusiasts with them. They leave home, ride them, go home lock them up and drive back into town lol.
Yup, seen the same thing happen in the Netherlands. In the middle of the day a van with Romanian or Bulgarian looking guys just stopped in front of a mall and started hauling 20+ bikes in the van. Those bikes could be anywhere in Europe within 24 hours.
I built my own bike - from a frame I pulled out of a canal, two wheels and bits from the local spares shop, and it lasted for about 20 years. In that time I wore out four back wheels (bearing collapses), was knocked off three times, twice of those I was stopped at red lights, and the clod in a car thought I should get out of his way - the third one at a roundabout, where the blind driver joining from my left claimed he didn't see me - or the cop car directly behind me that happened to be going the same way. That bike 'died' later when the headstock snapped off at a weld. It's replacement lasted three weeks, then a truck ran over it while I was in a shop, and it was parked in a 'bike rack'. Because it was 'only a pedal cycle' and nobody was hurt, that went nowhere. Now - the only places I can cycle that are not on crowded roads are round and round in a public park, or along a canal tow-path - and I can safely say that riding a bicycle through deep mud on a narrow track half a meter from a canal is not fun whether the sun is shining or not!
Pretty much the same here. Found a frame dumped in a hedge, cleaned it up, throw on some ebay parts. Best commuter bike iv ever owned. And it still looks like it's been pulled out of a canal. No one even looks at it.
The reason bike sales are down is probably because everyone and their dog who bought a bike during lockdown still has it gathering dust in the shed. The industry had ten years worth of sales in 18 months, there are only so many bicycles a person needs at one time.
Folding bikes are quite handy for a visit to the pub though. Park it under your table and if you get really pissed you can take it home on the bus with you.
@@TheRealWindlePoons Toyota Aygo. Filled up today and calculated 22km per litre. I can drive 700km on a single tank of fuel. With all my tools on board.
It rains in Holland the main difference I saw was knee length coats or ponchos everywhere and not a bike without good fixed mud guards. All our cycling equipment is specialised for leisure not every day commuting in comfort
In Holland spending proper money on a well designed commuter bike. Is basically giving your money to organized crime. Because they will find it and steal it.
Caravan sales are the lowest for 20 years and motor homes 30 years. Hunt said a recession was a price worth paying to get inflation down. Crush the economy and inflation will fall, however you won’t hear him own this.
Lot of people bought motor homes post lockdown. They rapidly discovered the practical limitations and how quickly sitting listening to rain falling on the roof becomes boring And are stuck with them
As I cyclist and a car driver, I agree with what you have said. Especially making about leisure time rather than the commute. This is where the lack of joined up thinking mucks it all up, which I would like to address on your channel. There is a wonderful British invention called the Youth Hostel (You can also drop the Youth bit too as 65 year oldies are very much welcome as I was at Boggle Hole Y.H. There is nothing better and they have moved on from their Army barrack block image of the 60s and 70s. With regarding families you can book a family room. The good thing is these are half the price or more than hotels or even B&Bs They don't distinguish between cyclists, motorists, walkers. Please use them before we loose them. Somebody from the YHA would be glad to talk about them on your channel. All the best a lifelong YHA member.
I went into a local Motorcycle shop recently and they had a bicycle in there for nearly £5k. Stood less than 10 feet from it was a brand new 300cc motorcycle for £2995.....can't imagine why bicycles aren't selling 🤣🤣🤣
"a bicycle in there for nearly £5k. Stood less than 10 feet from it was a brand new 300cc motorcycle for £2995" === Its a fair point but a different market. You can pay sixty quid for a second-hand bike or a hundred grand for a custom superbike. When 18, someone asked me why I chose a bike when the same money would get me "a nice little car to take your girlfriend out". My answer was that a "nice little car" wouldn't do 0-60 in under seven seconds.
Hear Hear......my sentiments exactly. So what the cocky greedy industry has done is over projected sales and over produced. Bit like with EVs sorry couldn't resist. On top of this record crime figures, cost of living, over taxation. Bish, bosh and bang!!!!!
I've cycled to work and TT raced (in the past) for over 15 years. The prices for something without an engine is ludicrous, not a surprise the industry has imploded. The top models are 9- 10k+, it beggars belief.
A problem that was brought to my attention about "Boris Bikes" that I never thought about was that tourists with no license, no road knowledge, no insurance and no common sense could ride one around London. The figures for injuries was apparently high.
No wonder the £millions spent on the huge two-lane cycling superhighways in my neighbourhood in Greenwich are unused… meanwhile our Council Taxes are through the roof 😡 There is poor or no utility in cycling for most people outside occasional recreational use and the heavy breathers in Lycra larping they are on the TdF. London too is very hilly north and south.
I know of 2 amateur endurance cyclists that had spent thousands on bi-cycles who have now had to give up their hobby due to a medical condition called Long covaids, if I know of 2 and I'm almost a hermit then I'm positive there must be many many more.
Brompton are particularly popular targets for thieves too, so sales will probably be affected by the increased likelihood of theft over any other make/type of bike.
I was shocked when I learnt it's now 27 1/2 inch forTBs now when I got a new bike the other year. There was nothing wrong with 26 inch. Easier navigating the stupid shared footpath barriers. 😊
"constantly changing standards and high prices have turned off buyers.." Wasn't it always so? I have two folding bikes, one 20" wheels, the other 16". I have two road bikes, one 700C wheels, the other 27" x 1 1/4...
I feel like this is partly my fault as i still have my 1998 GT mountain bike (bought for 25 quid six years ago). My wife is doing her best to make up for it by buying the kids new bikes at £300 a pop. They do fewer miles than i do.
my car got hit when parked in the golf club car park!. no where is safe . I cycle daily but never on a road. I may have the right but i do not want the injuries
I love my bike for staying fit. I don't want to commute with it because i don't want to arrive to work hot and sweaty. Plus not very good for doing the weekly shop!
I cycle regularly in Switzerland, safe cycling lanes virtually everywhere, almost no potholes. Cycling in the UK is just way too dangerous! Hardly any bike lanes and if you're not avoiding potholes your dodging motorists intent on mowing you down!
I'm so enjoying your channel. With the BBC and you tubers/journalists who have given over to financial carrots to promote EVs and the latest agenda, your straight talking no nonsense approach is like a breath of fresh air! Love it👍! I came across your channel via The MacMaster.
Got a car and a road bike. I had a big year cycling in 2023, but I'm less inclined this year, as the roads have become MORE dangerous. It's all an accident waiting to happen.
Anecdotal about the high end ebike market: There used to be a high end ebike showroom on the highway, coming into the City of London, near Tower Bridge (if anyone knows the road). I noticed it closed down recently. It used to do everything from eMopeds that looked like Vespas and even mini Harleys, to wafer thin scooters and folding bikes. With hefty price ranges, into the several thousands. I guess it was like a Porsche showroom for ebikes, targeting bankers and the like with top of the range, cutting edge ebikes. I think it lasted about two years.
The chinese ebikes came along and showed everyone what a rip off these high end european ebikes have been. Chinese ebikes are great value. I overtake the rip off ebikes on my Chinese ebike all the time.
I never owned a car, whole my life on the bicycles,no matter the weather ☁️☔☀️ I also didn't buy whole bikes,but piece by piece! Frame on a discount,same with the firks,wheels,and of course, I also buy used parts! For let's say 600€, I can build myself a bike that would cost at least 1500€ if bought new! Being on a budget,I learned to shop around 😅 Greetings from Croatia from Kris 😎
mostly because they're stolen so much here, I have a very expensive custom bike that I built myself and I would ride to most places locally if the risk of it being stolen wasn't there. I rarely see a patrolling policeman anywhere these days so petty theft is just easy and the police aren't interested anyway. Not to mention the risk of riding on roads being too much for everyone involved and the complete lack upkeep of pavements footpaths etc. it just doesnt make sense.
My old fella used to say theres no such thing as bad weather, just a matter of wrong clothing and moaning. So when anyone started giving out about the gloomy forecast he would always remind them that there were people in hospital or stuck inside their house because of disabilities or poor health that would wish they could change places with the gripers just to be able to walk in the wind & rain.
In the last 15 years I've had 5 electric bikes. Ignoring the crappy cheap Chinese one, I bought as tech improved. I have 2 at the moment, one normal and one a bit quicker. I got nicked on the quick one at 21mph (15 is legal) and got a 2 year suspended sentence in court. The 2 others prosecuted at the same time had the licences suspended for a month and 2 months respectively. The Cops were having a crack-down on electric bikers. However, when Jenson Button lived on our road, he passed me on his carbon bike at 50mph in a 35 zone.
can you go in to detail. Can cops do me for speeding on a push bike? Can cops add points to my driving licence for bicycle offence? No licence needed for bike or electric bike
@@John_Wood_ That's the thing John, the law is a very big Grey Area regard leccy bikes. In the UK Twist & Go bikes are now legal-ish but not in the EU. I'm from Guernsey and they normally take Tech Law from the UK, not the EU. All a bit dodgy.
@@fishtigua a friend is considering a "chipped" e bike capable of 28mph, apparently. Think the legal limit is 15mph, but as you say the law is very grey. But again, I can easily do over 30mph on my road bike on a down hill and never considered that they could add points to my driving licence!
The cycle industry is crashing because manufacturers got greedy during lockdown and hiked all their prices because everyone was buying bikes. Lockdown ended but the prices stayed high. Another major issue is that many manufacturers just don't make actual budget bikes anymore, their ranges start from a grand and those are labelled as "budget"! I've tried explaining the weather issue to people who think it's fine for all to just get a bike, I've invited people to try cycling 10 miles to work at 5am on a morning in January, when you get freezing rain blasting sideways into your face, but they never take me up on the offer for some reason!
Well said Geoff, great points you made, I totally agree that the focus on cycling should be a leisurely one. I have a car, motorcycle and bicycle myself.
I used to walk to school, everyday with no parents, with other kids. If you are a cyclist the roads are double dangerous, too many cars , too many potholes. It was great during lockdown,no cars 😂. In my opinion there are way too many vehicles on the road, mostly with one person in , mostly short journeys. Logistics, eg sending builders, plumbers etc half way across the country doesn't help. I don't agree with the government, evs etc, but it needs sorting. Also net zero sounds like no people to me .
Hi Geoff, I’ve got a shop in Selby, nothing is selling but thankfully, busy on repairs. Great videos, really enjoy them. If you’re even up here there’s a coffee with your name on.
During the c thingy lock down I wanted to get a mountain bike. (I've got bikes always have had, used to cycle rain or shine.) You couldn't get a bike anywhere. Even Halford had none in their shop. I was lucky when I was surfing the Web and some had been delivered so managed to order one. They sold out in hours. Now there is a glut of bikes and people trying to sell. Agree with other posters. Bike theft is rife. From cars, sheds, gardens etc. On top of that some cyclists do themselves no favours the way they ride and don't obey traffic lights etc. Just my thoughts. Love your videos. Thank you. 👍
In Oxford city centre, you can have any bike you want for the price of a one way bus ticket and a pair of pliers. And if you're willing to stump up £29.99 for a scanner, you can have a brand new Range Rover too.
Spot on... Not sure if areas such as London have the same hills as where I live in Derbyshire or others such as Yorkshire... In my thirties I frequently biked to work, it was a 28 mile round journey, now I'm sixty my knees are crap and the extensive steep hills hurt... Bikes are purely for recreation these days, if it's a short journey; say 2 miles, I will walk, if I have both the time and the weather is good... If it's a longer trek and especially if the weather is bad then the car is the way to go... Stuff buses, I suffer badly from motion sickness and don't enjoy having to suffer other people, I remember my mum struggling home with four or five bags of heavy shopping on the bus in the 70's... Glad those days are gone and I don't wish to see the likes again...
No point buying an expensive new bike as they just get stolen... I bought my bike from my local carboot sale for fifty quid six or seven years ago, it had been 'serviced' and is still on the same tyres.
I used to cycle every week and often do a 100 mile ride on the weekend. With people staring at phones and the appalling road conditions this made cycling no fun anymore.
Where I live we have a half mile cycleway/footpath constructed beside a quite narrow main road in the countryside about 25 years ago costing £100,000. It goes from nowhere to nowhere as part of a long cycleway that never happened. A few years ago it was refurbished for the second time. It is rarely used, most of the rare cyclists use the narrow main road causing hold ups for some bizarre reason and pedestrians are as rare as hen’s teeth.
Where to start. Pleb class has no spare money, your bike is stollen by boat doctors/engineers in the city and the roads in the countryside are 95% potholes. Why would you buy a bike? Edit: it also rains 90% of the year with highs of 6⁰c temperatures.
Same thing in Canada. The weather is bike adverse for 5-6 months of the year and that's just one issue. Few people want to ride a bike right alongside cars during rush hour, and fewer want to bike to work at all... Canada is large and commutes are long enough as it is! More bike lanes on the main roads also slows down transit like buses, which are a more realistic alternative to reduce traffic and personal expense... if they're efficient!
There is no bike “industry” in the UK, it’s all retail consumerism. I cycle to work every day and have to rebuild every moving part every two years. That’s cos I ride a lot. If you bought a bike in 2020 and never ride it, of course you don’t buy a new bike in 2024, it’s still in mint condition.
How many journeys are short enough to cycle to? How often do we need to carry shopping, children or other items that wont fit on a bike? As you say how often is the weather appropriate? What about age, health issues, cycling at night, arriving to work, wet, sweaty, and covered in road gunge. For a few people and for a few of their journeys it may well be fine, but as a general principal it just doesn't work. For information I enjoy cycling and own two bikes (mountain biking as it is safer than being on the road).
Geoff, as someone who has cycled since a kid now 50 plus cycling has never been mainstream. I guess Bradley Wiggins had a big affect. Convid people just bought bike and a dog just to get outside. Plus cycle manufacturers same as cars ,motorcycle. Make way to many models which are pointless. And head management away think every year sales will go up. Last two years the weather's been pants. This winter is the least I've cycled and been on motorcycle ever . And I am two wheeled mad. So someone who isn't never going to happen. Plus does make me laugh, can't believe the amount of kids these days which are driven to school.
This is good news for ambulance crews, hospitals and police staff as their time isn't going to be taken up with Road Traffic Collisions and Road Traffic Fatalities, involving cyclists being struck by all these poorly driven cars. (I'm an ex-cyclist and now full time wheelchair user!)
Then people realised that cheap Chinese fat tyre ebikes are just as fun off-road than these rip off eurpean emtbs. Good that they are going out of business as they deserve it for their greed.
Great video, I bought an ebike after that plande....you know it. I use it for probably 50% of my journeys into my local town (when it's not raining) Car use is still needed and always will be, not a fan of the division they are creating between the average cyclist and car driver though, just fix the roads and give space to cyclists with a slightly wider footpath, sorted. PS if anyone is to buy an ebike or expensive bike get yourself a decent lock so it doesn't get stolen, highly recommend Litelock X1 or X3, grinder proof pretty much, don't buy an expensive bike and a cheap lock! Not had mine stolen yet but had others stolen next to mine.
Hi Geoff, well presented and balanced. This is indeed worrying if it's to be believed. Yes, the weather is an issue, but so is cycle security if you need to leave your cycle anywhere, and expect it to be there when you return. I'm not convinced that adding cycle lanes to the road network is the way to go. Yes, relatively cheap to do for the purpose of green box ticking, but not suitable for young and/or inexperienced cyclists, quite apart from the impact on motorists. Divided and dual use cycle paths has to be the way to go, but it needs to be accompanied by adequate signage and mapping. Long live BOB (Bums On Bikes).
If people bought bikes during the plaaaaaaaa lockdown why would they still be buying them now? It's not like you buy a new one every couple of years like an iphone, they sit in the shed.
Good video Geoff being a diesel and petrol car owner and an ebike and non ebike owner I fully agree with all your statements again the government hasn’t a clue there was a boom for bikes during the pandemic lots of people had finance for them £2k £3k and more some are still probably paying them off absolutely crazy defo been a massive drop in sales and actual people riding around the area but as stated our British weather is not conducive to bike riding especially with children and if you do get an ebike offer from Cube try one brilliant German bikes with Bosch motors and batteries wouldn’t touch the Chineese ones though 👍
Everything around the cycle industry it too expensive. There aren't many remaining bike makers left in the UK when you consider going back some years there used to be a frame builder in most towns, now they are mostly imported from the East.
Down in the south west of France you can cycle between the beaches, camping sites and the main town on reserved paths away from traffic. I'm not into the lycra thing but in good conditions cycling can be an enjoyable activity. It's a great way to appreciate the scenery.
France and most other European countries are way ahead of us. Me and my wife cycle tour in Germany mainly and we cycled the Moselle and part of the Rhine last year covering around 750 miles, virtually all on dedicated paths. We absolutely love it.
You are so refreshingly right about so many things. I wish your perspicacious common sense would spread like its own plan-demic. All the best from South Carolina.
do make sure you are subscribed, people are saying they are unsubscribed and didn't realise... also, just check the channel for new content, i'm always filming and uploading even if you aren't getting notifications...
It's not the subs, it's the notifications aren't working. Quite a few channels actually.
There was an advert on tv a year or so ago talking about how , families shouldn't have to afford to keep changing bicycles for their growing children when they can HIRE instead! "You will own nothing...." sprung to mind. Just like John Lewis and their Clothes Hiring scheme!!! Companies clearly get ticked boxes for being pc/woke... we need to start calling these businesses out.
Geoff, yesterday, I read on two platforms of Renfe (Spanish Railways) the Spanish equivalent of "For safety reasons, from 12 December 2023 onwards, passengers will not be allowed to board the train with electric scooters, unicycles or similar vehicles." Apparently the full notice in translation should read "For safety reasons, from 12 December 2023 onwards, passengers will not be allowed to board the train with electric scooters, unicycles or similar vehicles. This does not apply to vehicles for people with reduced mobility, or to electric bicycles", but the final sentence was not on the notices that I read. I don't know how many people with "reduced mobility" that you have seen on unicycles recently but I haven't seen ANY.
As for sales of bicycles falling, maybe, it is a bit like electric cars .... those who want one have already got one. Bikes, unlike electric cars, are not exactly disposable items. As for the fall in sales of gizmos, there are only so many people who want to wear an ECG machine when out for a ride.
@@terryhoath1983Electric scooters are already banned on UK trains, the screen tells you so, due to "known safety risks".
The High Peak and Tissington Trails are two genuinely wonderful places to ride a bike as a family. Beautiful scenery, no cars, wonderful pubs and cafes to enjoy afterwards. Head for either Buxton, Ashbourne or Matlock Bath to find a good starting point!
The police wont even look for a stolen 2 thousand pound bike....... so to invest in one would be foolish in the extreme.
Other than persecuting innocent motorists, the police don't do very much at all, do they.
100%, been like that for decades. Never ever leave/store a push-bike outside.
How bout this? We had 2k bike stolen, I watched them out my window - 3 men, I rang police with description. Their reply - you reported 3 men. One man will separate immediately, so then 2 men pushing stolen bike. You reported 3. Therefore we can't arrest them even if we see them because you said three. And this is a known tactic of bike thieves. So, there is no point us even going looking. Even though it was middle of night, they cd have been found easily. And this is why they didn't even go look.
2 years ago someone gave me some advice, make sure you have two bikes. One bike for nipping down the shops ect, if I get stolen not the end of the world... Your second bike is your expensive bike and that, is never locked up outside.
The police are only interested in things they can fine people for.
Bike theft is through the roof, yet even when you have a £2k bike stolen, the cops do F all....
my mate got his £2000 ebike nicked outside sainsburys in burton on trent..there are cctv cameras outside but the police said they didnt cover the bike racks..now i know for a fact there are supposed homeless who sit outside sainsburys begging are are also police informants,now is it just coincidence the police have bike auctions..maybe thats why they are not interested in investigating stolen ones..hmm
They're too busy protecting terrorist sympathiser's demonstrations from England flags to be bothered with actual policing...🙄
The cops do F@ck all anyway
Why would you spend 2k on a bike? Get a car.
@@andrewwaller5913 insurance and tax and high fuel price?
Mary had a beautiful bike.....it was robbed.... now parked outside a four or five star hotel somewhere....
mary had a little bike it went to fund ...... they sold it for a new coat then bring it right back to you ....
Mary had a little lamb, she also had a bike
The lamb is now a doner kebab, being delivered on that bike
Along with a lock belonging to an illegal immigrant.
I hope you're not implying that members of the " religion of peace "have borrowed it
@@ArnoGraf-u9f only on a permanently non refundable basis...may be...
I buy f all these days, no longer interested, becoming reclusive and don't give a sh...t
same here, bit of good grub is about the height of it.
Ditto
Same. The muggles (brain dead jabberwockies who refuse to think) can go one way and we’ll go the other.
Same but I’m not even 35 yet which makes it pathetic
Reducing your consumption is good for you and the environments. It’s bad for corps and gov so even better!
The sales of most goods are down, bikes are just another item that people can't afford.
Heat or Eat is now a reality that more people are having to face.
In my case can't fix the shower so I might be able to pay to get my ancient car through the MOT.
@@NiceLoki I hope it passes, you don't want a modern car that costs a fortune to repair.
@@Barbarapape I agree. Although they are utterly slaying me with the road tax costs.
Fucking bastards.
Mid-range restaurants and pub grub establishments are packed. But then again they tend to be an older clientele.
@@gmc9451 They are probably the first of the "Baby Boomer" generation with good pensions.
The rest of us are and never will be that well off, final salary pensions have long gone.
Market saturated
Too expensive
Weather crap
People can't be bothered
A lot of people couldn't ride one if they wanted to anyway. Elderly, sick, too young or just pointless having one. No use for the weekly shop, getting to work (if you're lucky enough to have a job) or getting the kids to school.
Are other ppl also put off by BODY TRACKING TECHNOLOGY on everything made nowadays ⁉️
Also roads are crap
@@scaryfakevirus This. Lots of people avoiding fitness for the last 3 years...
@@kellikelli4413 They won't track me if I can help it. I never use this smart sheet never will either.
The amount of bikes being stolen have put people off investing in bikes. Whether is pedal power or electric, all I see on my fb feed is their children’s expensive bike stolen or robbed.
Are those stolen bicycles usually found at hotels with guests from France?
In the uk we get robbed as we buy them too
What you expect importing the 3rd world
Why .they have bikes given to them so they can do deliveroo jobs .
agree
I used to cycle to work. Too many accidents. cars pulling out in front so I ran into them. Cars overtaking and immediately turning left, forcing you onto the pavement. Falling off on icy roads. Rain, temperatures down to -15C. Get to work all sweaty. You need to be fit and brave, accepting of discomfort and willing to risk injury or death. Not for the faint hearted.
fully agree. Needing to shower in work (if possible) and of course worried about the thing being nicked.
yers i agree, You need to be pretty stupid to ride a bike on the roads . i ride daily , but not on a busy road .
At one point I cycled to work almost every day (quicker than driving due to permanent road works while they built the tram). I confess to resorting to my car once the temperature dropped below freezing though. I did my all-weather-hero apprenticeship riding a motorcycle every day for eight years - and old bones take longer to heal.
@@TheRealWindlePoons when it's really hot in the summer it's not much fun either.
It is a child's toy .......
Bikes are like EVs, the enthusiasts who want one have one!!!!
Prices.. constant change in standards ended my 40 year love of bikes..
Am in Oz, ride most days on my 25 year old bike. Works fine, why replace it. Nobody wants to steal an old looking bike.
Unlike a car, unless the frame cracks a bike will pretty much last forever.
The market is flooded with good quality used/fairly new and quality vintage bikes I don't get why people would buy new anyway, except for keeping up with the Joneses 🤷🏻♂️.
Or who wants one owns many, that's my experience of bikes anyway 😁
Or 5😂
Can't wait to buy a budget bike for £600 and break my neck on a pothole.
Totally agree, 3 bikes in the garage but too dangerous to ride around my area due to potholes. Saw one pothole that had almost swallowed a large traffic cone the other day.
Has happened here in Ireland
Ebike at 25km/h hit a pothole broke the front wheel rider died of brain damage insurance wouldn’t pay out brought family through court because it was bought online from another country. Cheap cars are far more fun
Safer to get an off road bike mate. Avoid the roads, or use the pavements.
😅
Brilliant 😂
Well done on trying to calm down the tribalism. I'm a car driver that also rides a bike and I don't hate myself. My car is 16 years old, my bike 18 years old and I have no plans to buy a new one of either. But the powers that be do seem determined to stop us from driving old cars. Maybe the article was the opening shot in a similar war against bikes? Will they decide that people who are peddling breathe out to much CO2, and force us to buy an e-bike? Or just force us to stop breathing?
My bike is 20 years old, and my 1999 Suzuki Vitara keeps on trucking, and it can't be hacked, can't be immobilized by geo-fencing or any other tech crap!
Yes the last point is spot on.
@@helmethead72 My Swift 9 years and my Kalkhoff Holland Bike 28 years, no tracking crap on.......
Day 1 buy a bike.
Day 2 cycle to supermarket.
Day 3 claim for bike that was stolen whilst you were in supermarket on Day 2.
I was forced to get my bike insured due to every single bike I have owned being stolen...about 30+
I keep a bike I bought second hand over 50 years ago. I initially used it for schoolboy time trial racing. The Reynolds 531 frame is now crudely brush-painted, the derailleurs have been replaced with a Sturmey-Archer hub and the racing bars replaced with Dutch flats. Even the carrier is hand painted. In perfect working order but looks a real "rat bike". Its the family "pool bike" and default as a local runabout. We keep it locked and it doesn't look worth stealing. Everyone should have something similar.
I used to walk to the supermarket pulling a flotation wheel trailer. I needed to lock it up, or it would be missing when I returned home. But found the town I live in does not clean the sidewalks any better than the roads, and trudging through knee-deep snow with a trailer wasn't practical. We do have a bus service, but we need to schedule a day in advance, which only helps if you do not miss the scheduled bus you took to the shops. Also, when buying groceries, the bus recommends buying a second seat to put your groceries on. Some times, the bus can not reach you because the town will not plow the residential lanes over the winter, and the bus gets stuck in them.
Best to have an old, scruffy bike, no one gives it a second glance then.
@@Markcain268 Just have a look at any migrant hotel it's the main means of transport.
So even old bikes are useful to someone else.
Can I have a Government grant to bring back the horse and cart, please?
Do you have any idea what it costs to run a horse? An EV would be cheaper (I live with two equestrians).
Sorry ,but no because horses have been reported to fart more than BBC jouirnalists ,if that is even possible ?
Positive side effect of the pollution emitted is sweet smelling Roses and excellent home grown veggies... 🌹🍓🤔🤭👍
@@dadigitechman "Thats 150 bucks a month to run yer horse. "
That's about a tenth of what it costs to keep a horse in livery. Not everyone lives on a ranch with stables...
😂😂
I ride an old wrecky rusty bike.
That's the best anti theft system here in the Netherlands.
I used to think the same way and rode a crusty, rusty brown granny bike which weighed about 250 kgs. I used to ride to work and stuff it into a hedge in the company car park; yes, you've guessed, it was stolen.
I remember there were bikes 20 deep near Central Station in the 70s. All nicked now eh?
@@kevinmoffatt "you've guessed, it was stolen."
I used to work where the bike shed was directly opposite the main entrance and in full view of someone all the time. I still locked the bike to the rack though.
Playing the same game with the works van. The inside is a lot nicer than out...
No one can afford to buy most things because we are taxed to death and are being ripped off with utility companies super markets and councils
The Government are helping the Industry, just look at all the Bikes outside certain hotels.
I heard Halfords donated thousands of bikes to them
Even the Roman Legionaries hated being stationed here due to the weather! lol
There’s writing on Hadrian’s wall advertising Geoffus aquire chariots 😂
imagine when the grand solar minimum gets going like next few winters
And it was MUCH warmer then :)
@@davidonly probably why they buggered off when the climate got colder
Asterix told so...... 😂But have the vision of Euro tunnel........
I rode avidly until I got my first car (at 17). And to the best of my knowledge I did not spend the whole time looking down trying to avoid potholes. I wouldn't dare ride a bike on today's roads as the moment you look up to read the traffic - you're over the handlebars or being speared into oncoming traffic by the road surface. I've followed a number of 'normal' cyclists and it looks terrifying. A blown tyre on a car is a pain, but its nothing to the injuries you can sustain on a bike from the same hole in the road....
Thats one reason why i have a fat tyre ebike. You dont need to worry too much about potholes if you have one of those.
I'm pleased to say I now live in France and potholes are virtually unknown.
It's because they get stolen. Our town centre used to have hundreds of bikes locked up through the day in the open. A van came around and took every single one of them, they weren't too fussed if they were cheap or not. Fast forward 1 year. I can coun't maybe 4 bikes on the way into work and they're all very low end models. You can't even pop into a cafe for a drink, there are hydraulic cutters you can use with one hand that can do half an inch of hardened steel. It's just a massive waste of money to have a town bike. That's why you mainly see enthusiasts with them. They leave home, ride them, go home lock them up and drive back into town lol.
So that's where the hotels get all their bikes.
You let your country get invaded with.wankers by wanker politicians....
Yup, seen the same thing happen in the Netherlands. In the middle of the day a van with Romanian or Bulgarian looking guys just stopped in front of a mall and started hauling 20+ bikes in the van. Those bikes could be anywhere in Europe within 24 hours.
I built my own bike - from a frame I pulled out of a canal, two wheels and bits from the local spares shop, and it lasted for about 20 years. In that time I wore out four back wheels (bearing collapses), was knocked off three times, twice of those I was stopped at red lights, and the clod in a car thought I should get out of his way - the third one at a roundabout, where the blind driver joining from my left claimed he didn't see me - or the cop car directly behind me that happened to be going the same way. That bike 'died' later when the headstock snapped off at a weld. It's replacement lasted three weeks, then a truck ran over it while I was in a shop, and it was parked in a 'bike rack'. Because it was 'only a pedal cycle' and nobody was hurt, that went nowhere. Now - the only places I can cycle that are not on crowded roads are round and round in a public park, or along a canal tow-path - and I can safely say that riding a bicycle through deep mud on a narrow track half a meter from a canal is not fun whether the sun is shining or not!
Pretty much the same here. Found a frame dumped in a hedge, cleaned it up, throw on some ebay parts.
Best commuter bike iv ever owned. And it still looks like it's been pulled out of a canal. No one even looks at it.
twice of those makes no sense "two of those times"
It's not stopped raining! What do they expect?
In a country that can't build a railway or reservoir.. are they making it rain?
@@chaosflower4892 tinkering no doubt!
Last year was the ''HOTTEST'' in 50 years or some such rot!
@@chaosflower4892Just look at what Dubai has done with cloud seeding
@@brianmays4366it wasn't though was it. I've known summers where the roads basically started to melt.
The reason bike sales are down is probably because everyone and their dog who bought a bike during lockdown still has it gathering dust in the shed. The industry had ten years worth of sales in 18 months, there are only so many bicycles a person needs at one time.
I agree with new ones, your point is very valid! However I disagree with the second part, as the owner of.... several....
@@OsellaSquadraCorse N+1 😂
You don't need a folding bike if you're working from home and not commuting
I don't have space for an foldable bike in my car.
Folding bikes are quite handy for a visit to the pub though. Park it under your table and if you get really pissed you can take it home on the bus with you.
@@picobyte A folded Brompton is the size of a large shopping bag. What the hell do you drive? 😀
@@TheRealWindlePoons Toyota Aygo. Filled up today and calculated 22km per litre. I can drive 700km on a single tank of fuel. With all my tools on board.
😆@@TheRealWindlePoons
It rains in Holland the main difference I saw was knee length coats or ponchos everywhere and not a bike without good fixed mud guards. All our cycling equipment is specialised for leisure not every day commuting in comfort
In Holland spending proper money on a well designed commuter bike.
Is basically giving your money to organized crime. Because they will find it and steal it.
Without Government meddling. Always meddling. Badly. MAybe they should be pedaling.
Boris the clown did that and we were worse off
You must be joking! The will never get out of their 4 litre Range Rovers. Bikes are just for the plebs and MP's photo-shoots.
71 years old, lifetime bike rider & car owner. One of your best pieces to date & so sensible Geoff. Bravo. Thankyou.
Caravan sales are the lowest for 20 years and motor homes 30 years. Hunt said a recession was a price worth paying to get inflation down. Crush the economy and inflation will fall, however you won’t hear him own this.
Put all politicians on minimum wage and outlaw their side hustle £millions dodgy dealings.
Lot of people bought motor homes post lockdown.
They rapidly discovered the practical limitations and how quickly sitting listening to rain falling on the roof becomes boring
And are stuck with them
That would be Jeremy Hunt, with a silent 'C' in his surname.😊
good..maybe i can pick up a cheap camper in the autumn
@@blogg9922 my sister was lucky..she sold her £45k one for £40k last year..doubt she'd get anywhere near that amount now
As I cyclist and a car driver, I agree with what you have said. Especially making about leisure time rather than the commute.
This is where the lack of joined up thinking mucks it all up, which I would like to address on your channel. There is a wonderful British invention called the Youth Hostel (You can also drop the Youth bit too as 65 year oldies are very much welcome as I was at Boggle Hole Y.H.
There is nothing better and they have moved on from their Army barrack block image of the 60s and 70s. With regarding families you can book a family room. The good thing is these are half the price or more than hotels or even B&Bs
They don't distinguish between cyclists, motorists, walkers.
Please use them before we loose them. Somebody from the YHA would be glad to talk about them on your channel. All the best a lifelong YHA member.
I went into a local Motorcycle shop recently and they had a bicycle in there for nearly £5k. Stood less than 10 feet from it was a brand new 300cc motorcycle for £2995.....can't imagine why bicycles aren't selling 🤣🤣🤣
I went into a bike shop in Lancaster and they had a bike for sale for £10k and they said they sometimes have one on sale for £14k. 😂
Luxury!
I was the same you can get some great motorbikes for 5k and you dont have to pedal 🤣
I've seen supposed "budget" bikes selling for more than 2nd hand R1's!
"a bicycle in there for nearly £5k. Stood less than 10 feet from it was a brand new 300cc motorcycle for £2995"
===
Its a fair point but a different market. You can pay sixty quid for a second-hand bike or a hundred grand for a custom superbike.
When 18, someone asked me why I chose a bike when the same money would get me "a nice little car to take your girlfriend out". My answer was that a "nice little car" wouldn't do 0-60 in under seven seconds.
As a cyclist i have no sympathy for bike manufacturers during the plan demic they litterly doubled the price of bikes and ripped everyone off
Hear Hear......my sentiments exactly. So what the cocky greedy industry has done is over projected sales and over produced. Bit like with EVs sorry couldn't resist. On top of this record crime figures, cost of living, over taxation. Bish, bosh and bang!!!!!
People ride around London on a bike worth four grand ? Do they have T shirts saying "Just so you know, I'm wearing a Rolex", too ?
No they wear T-shirts saying "I used to have a four grand bike. It was stolen. Now I'm walking." 😂
Only if they are bureaucrats..seems they can print your money at will with spending bills.
Some electric bikes are £15k
I had a road bike frame custom built when I retired. A friend commented that my choice of paint job does not shout "Steal me!". He is right.
@@wearetheremnants1615 Stunning
Look up how many people get mugged for their bikes in London EVERY DAY
I've cycled to work and TT raced (in the past) for over 15 years. The prices for something without an engine is ludicrous, not a surprise the industry has imploded. The top models are 9- 10k+, it beggars belief.
A problem that was brought to my attention about "Boris Bikes" that I never thought about was that tourists with no license, no road knowledge, no insurance and no common sense could ride one around London. The figures for injuries was apparently high.
That's what cycling should be.
No wonder the £millions spent on the huge two-lane cycling superhighways in my neighbourhood in Greenwich are unused… meanwhile our Council Taxes are through the roof 😡
There is poor or no utility in cycling for most people outside occasional recreational use and the heavy breathers in Lycra larping they are on the TdF. London too is very hilly north and south.
I know of 2 amateur endurance cyclists that had spent thousands on bi-cycles who have now had to give up their hobby due to a medical condition called Long covaids, if I know of 2 and I'm almost a hermit then I'm positive there must be many many more.
jabbed vigorously were they?....lol
@@BenSamuel-d6l no not vigorously, just safely and effectively;)
Yeh the old needle don't do the ticker much good.
@@BenSamuel-d6l no not vigorously, just safely and effectively apparently;)
@@BenSamuel-d6l No not vigorously, just saFely and 3ffectiVly ;) ( written this way due to 3 odd deletions.)
Halfords have cornered the market . I worked during the lockdown and we were sending 3000 bikes a day . Profit doubled from 50 mill to over 100 mill.
No proper cyclist goes in Halfords. 😱
Viruses can't catch up with people on bikes. Nor can people on bikes or not catch viruses.
Halfrauds more apt
Halfords is much worse then Decathlon……
Brompton are particularly popular targets for thieves too, so sales will probably be affected by the increased likelihood of theft over any other make/type of bike.
Getting rid of 26iin.. constantly changing standards and high prices have turned off buyers..
26 so practical
I was shocked when I learnt it's now 27 1/2 inch forTBs now when I got a new bike the other year. There was nothing wrong with 26 inch. Easier navigating the stupid shared footpath barriers. 😊
Ride a dropbar converted 26 inch 3X7 90's MTB with rack and mudguard to work, bombproof and cheap to maintain.
@@thathurt Mate, 27.5" is old news, its all about 29" these days.
"constantly changing standards and high prices have turned off buyers.."
Wasn't it always so?
I have two folding bikes, one 20" wheels, the other 16". I have two road bikes, one 700C wheels, the other 27" x 1 1/4...
People are wary of getting a bike for fear that they might turn into Jeremy Vine.
Too appalling to contemplate; is it even preventible?
I feel like this is partly my fault as i still have my 1998 GT mountain bike (bought for 25 quid six years ago). My wife is doing her best to make up for it by buying the kids new bikes at £300 a pop. They do fewer miles than i do.
Road cyclist here-" BOOO HISS ". I have had more near misses in the past 3yrs than the past 30yrs. I wonder why that is?.
Try a larger size lycra. 😊
my car got hit when parked in the golf club car park!. no where is safe . I cycle daily but never on a road. I may have the right but i do not want the injuries
Cyclists and vehicles trying to avoid all the pot holes I suspect.
Cell phones
Something beginning with V?@@charliepatterson9321
I love my bike for staying fit. I don't want to commute with it because i don't want to arrive to work hot and sweaty. Plus not very good for doing the weekly shop!
They are just in the used market paying cash
I cycle regularly in Switzerland, safe cycling lanes virtually everywhere, almost no potholes.
Cycling in the UK is just way too dangerous! Hardly any bike lanes and if you're not avoiding potholes your dodging motorists intent on mowing you down!
Switzerland not flat enough.
It's not completely mountainous!
I live on Lac Laman, it's very flat!
I'm so enjoying your channel. With the BBC and you tubers/journalists who have given over to financial carrots to promote EVs and the latest agenda, your straight talking no nonsense approach is like a breath of fresh air! Love it👍! I came across your channel via The MacMaster.
I bought a Shopper bike to shop locally with it during the Pandemic. I got bored of how much effort it takes, so I drive my car more again.
Got a car and a road bike. I had a big year cycling in 2023, but I'm less inclined this year, as the roads have become MORE dangerous. It's all an accident waiting to happen.
same here, cycled a lot on the road bike for a number of years then the children came along and it's not worth the risk anymore.
Mountain biking... hurling yourself down a rocky hill is much safer than navigating lorrys and potholes.
Have you seen the 'Most Dangerous Roads' TV shows? They all seem to be in the homelands of our recent insurgency types...... Imagine my shock!...🙄
@@colingregson8653 yes, they have gotten significantly worse in the past 2 years, especially on the near side, the home of the solo cyclist.
@@colingregson8653No, it's the cars that will get you, unless of course you're not riding a sensible bike in which case everything will get you.
Anecdotal about the high end ebike market:
There used to be a high end ebike showroom on the highway, coming into the City of London, near Tower Bridge (if anyone knows the road).
I noticed it closed down recently. It used to do everything from eMopeds that looked like Vespas and even mini Harleys, to wafer thin scooters and folding bikes. With hefty price ranges, into the several thousands.
I guess it was like a Porsche showroom for ebikes, targeting bankers and the like with top of the range, cutting edge ebikes. I think it lasted about two years.
They got legislated out of existence.
The chinese ebikes came along and showed everyone what a rip off these high end european ebikes have been. Chinese ebikes are great value. I overtake the rip off ebikes on my Chinese ebike all the time.
@@dtz1000 I really doubt your temu ebike is made of super light carbon fibre and has a one hundred mile unassisted range.
I never owned a car, whole my life on the bicycles,no matter the weather ☁️☔☀️
I also didn't buy whole bikes,but piece by piece!
Frame on a discount,same with the firks,wheels,and of course, I also buy used parts!
For let's say 600€, I can build myself a bike that would cost at least 1500€ if bought new!
Being on a budget,I learned to shop around 😅
Greetings from Croatia from Kris 😎
mostly because they're stolen so much here, I have a very expensive custom bike that I built myself and I would ride to most places locally if the risk of it being stolen wasn't there. I rarely see a patrolling policeman anywhere these days so petty theft is just easy and the police aren't interested anyway.
Not to mention the risk of riding on roads being too much for everyone involved and the complete lack upkeep of pavements footpaths etc. it just doesnt make sense.
A general runner bike shouldn't be expensive. If you want a runner, don't spend any more than 500 quid.
@@debbiegilmour6171 it will get stolen either way, no matter the price unfortunately
Hey we'll take some of those unwanted bike lanes off your hands here in Texas! There's no safe place to ride a bike out here.
My old fella used to say theres no such thing as bad weather, just a matter of wrong clothing and moaning. So when anyone started giving out about the gloomy forecast he would always remind them that there were people in hospital or stuck inside their house because of disabilities or poor health that would wish they could change places with the gripers just to be able to walk in the wind & rain.
I completely agree, but then there's been 80 or 40 years of getting accustomed to zooming around in a cozy bubble in all kinds of weather.
Just about as accurate, calm and spot-on a video as can be. One of your very best! Thanks Geoff - keep up the great work.👍
Hotel carparks are full of them 🤔
People who never invented the wheel now have 2 to contend with..... 😆
With more & more people working from home these days, they don't need a bike to take on a train.
In the last 15 years I've had 5 electric bikes. Ignoring the crappy cheap Chinese one, I bought as tech improved. I have 2 at the moment, one normal and one a bit quicker. I got nicked on the quick one at 21mph (15 is legal) and got a 2 year suspended sentence in court. The 2 others prosecuted at the same time had the licences suspended for a month and 2 months respectively. The Cops were having a crack-down on electric bikers. However, when Jenson Button lived on our road, he passed me on his carbon bike at 50mph in a 35 zone.
can you go in to detail. Can cops do me for speeding on a push bike? Can cops add points to my driving licence for bicycle offence? No licence needed for bike or electric bike
Wear a deliveroo backpack and fake tan police will go nowhere near you no matter how you bike
@@John_Wood_short answer yes, which is bizarre because you arent driving and its a driving licence.
@@John_Wood_ That's the thing John, the law is a very big Grey Area regard leccy bikes. In the UK Twist & Go bikes are now legal-ish but not in the EU. I'm from Guernsey and they normally take Tech Law from the UK, not the EU. All a bit dodgy.
@@fishtigua a friend is considering a "chipped" e bike capable of 28mph, apparently. Think the legal limit is 15mph, but as you say the law is very grey. But again, I can easily do over 30mph on my road bike on a down hill and never considered that they could add points to my driving licence!
So right! I ride a mountain bike but I'm definitely also a motorist. Why is it one vs. the other??
The cycle industry is crashing because manufacturers got greedy during lockdown and hiked all their prices because everyone was buying bikes. Lockdown ended but the prices stayed high. Another major issue is that many manufacturers just don't make actual budget bikes anymore, their ranges start from a grand and those are labelled as "budget"!
I've tried explaining the weather issue to people who think it's fine for all to just get a bike, I've invited people to try cycling 10 miles to work at 5am on a morning in January, when you get freezing rain blasting sideways into your face, but they never take me up on the offer for some reason!
Bang on the mark as always Geoff, still waiting on a Volvo 850tdi up date video mind.
Hope you enjoyed your holiday with the family brother.
I have never seen a bicycle promotion advertisement filmed in a gale and stair rodding it down with rain!!! 😂
Well said Geoff, great points you made, I totally agree that the focus on cycling should be a leisurely one. I have a car, motorcycle and bicycle myself.
I used to walk to school, everyday with no parents, with other kids.
If you are a cyclist the roads are double dangerous, too many cars , too many potholes.
It was great during lockdown,no cars 😂.
In my opinion there are way too many vehicles on the road, mostly with one person in , mostly short journeys.
Logistics, eg sending builders, plumbers etc half way across the country doesn't help.
I don't agree with the government, evs etc, but it needs sorting.
Also net zero sounds like no people to me .
Hi Geoff, I’ve got a shop in Selby, nothing is selling but thankfully, busy on repairs. Great videos, really enjoy them. If you’re even up here there’s a coffee with your name on.
Left my Brompton outside unlocked a few times here in Japan 😅 never a problem
A safe homogeneous society
During the c thingy lock down I wanted to get a mountain bike. (I've got bikes always have had, used to cycle rain or shine.) You couldn't get a bike anywhere. Even Halford had none in their shop. I was lucky when I was surfing the Web and some had been delivered so managed to order one. They sold out in hours. Now there is a glut of bikes and people trying to sell. Agree with other posters. Bike theft is rife. From cars, sheds, gardens etc. On top of that some cyclists do themselves no favours the way they ride and don't obey traffic lights etc. Just my thoughts. Love your videos. Thank you. 👍
One of your best diatribes of recent videos, and so bang on!
In Oxford city centre, you can have any bike you want for the price of a one way bus ticket and a pair of pliers. And if you're willing to stump up £29.99 for a scanner, you can have a brand new Range Rover too.
Spot on... Not sure if areas such as London have the same hills as where I live in Derbyshire or others such as Yorkshire... In my thirties I frequently biked to work, it was a 28 mile round journey, now I'm sixty my knees are crap and the extensive steep hills hurt... Bikes are purely for recreation these days, if it's a short journey; say 2 miles, I will walk, if I have both the time and the weather is good... If it's a longer trek and especially if the weather is bad then the car is the way to go... Stuff buses, I suffer badly from motion sickness and don't enjoy having to suffer other people, I remember my mum struggling home with four or five bags of heavy shopping on the bus in the 70's... Glad those days are gone and I don't wish to see the likes again...
In London a fortune is being spent on cycle lanes and they are very busy too.
No point buying an expensive new bike as they just get stolen... I bought my bike from my local carboot sale for fifty quid six or seven years ago, it had been 'serviced' and is still on the same tyres.
I bet that was mine what was stolen lol 😆 😂 🤣 😅
@@grahamkay6142 brilliant.
I used to cycle every week and often do a 100 mile ride on the weekend. With people staring at phones and the appalling road conditions this made cycling no fun anymore.
My wife and I are both car drivers and we do lots of cycling enjoying both .
Weather is rubbish and too much traffic.
At least they can’t steal the weather…
Neither of these things have been seen in Britain before 2023
Northumberland county council spent millions on cycle paths that are hardly used whilst our roads are falling to pieces.
No government support. I’m sick of them taking my money and wasting it.
Where I live we have a half mile cycleway/footpath constructed beside a quite narrow main road in the countryside about 25 years ago costing £100,000. It goes from nowhere to nowhere as part of a long cycleway that never happened. A few years ago it was refurbished for the second time.
It is rarely used, most of the rare cyclists use the narrow main road causing hold ups for some bizarre reason and pedestrians are as rare as hen’s teeth.
Where to start. Pleb class has no spare money, your bike is stollen by boat doctors/engineers in the city and the roads in the countryside are 95% potholes. Why would you buy a bike?
Edit: it also rains 90% of the year with highs of 6⁰c temperatures.
Yeh Geof ..funny that!!! The weather being nice for lockdown..
Cycling on the roads and lanes here, certainly around school pick up time would be suicide....
you don't wanna meet mumma bear in her XC90 on a country lane that's for sure.
Same thing in Canada. The weather is bike adverse for 5-6 months of the year and that's just one issue. Few people want to ride a bike right alongside cars during rush hour, and fewer want to bike to work at all... Canada is large and commutes are long enough as it is! More bike lanes on the main roads also slows down transit like buses, which are a more realistic alternative to reduce traffic and personal expense... if they're efficient!
There is no bike “industry” in the UK, it’s all retail consumerism. I cycle to work every day and have to rebuild every moving part every two years. That’s cos I ride a lot. If you bought a bike in 2020 and never ride it, of course you don’t buy a new bike in 2024, it’s still in mint condition.
How many journeys are short enough to cycle to? How often do we need to carry shopping, children or other items that wont fit on a bike? As you say how often is the weather appropriate? What about age, health issues, cycling at night, arriving to work, wet, sweaty, and covered in road gunge. For a few people and for a few of their journeys it may well be fine, but as a general principal it just doesn't work. For information I enjoy cycling and own two bikes (mountain biking as it is safer than being on the road).
We're in an enocomic slump but the wealth of the very rich is growing exponentially. Something doesn't add up
great update thanks Geoff, hope you are having a great time in the sun, it is raining like usual here in the UK 😂
Geoff, as someone who has cycled since a kid now 50 plus cycling has never been mainstream. I guess Bradley Wiggins had a big affect. Convid people just bought bike and a dog just to get outside.
Plus cycle manufacturers same as cars ,motorcycle. Make way to many models which are pointless. And head management away think every year sales will go up.
Last two years the weather's been pants. This winter is the least I've cycled and been on motorcycle ever . And I am two wheeled mad.
So someone who isn't never going to happen.
Plus does make me laugh, can't believe the amount of kids these days which are driven to school.
Bikes don't wear out
.
U dont need to replace them , ever , just the tyres, 😊😊😊😊✌️🇪🇭✌️🇪🇭🇪🇭🇪🇭✌️
This is good news for ambulance crews, hospitals and police staff as their time isn't going to be taken up with Road Traffic Collisions and Road Traffic Fatalities, involving cyclists being struck by all these poorly driven cars.
(I'm an ex-cyclist and now full time wheelchair user!)
Great quote!! 6 degrees and drizzling 2/3's of the year.
bike manufacturers and shops took the mikey during covid emtb now £6000 - £12000 pure greed by this industry
Then people realised that cheap Chinese fat tyre ebikes are just as fun off-road than these rip off eurpean emtbs. Good that they are going out of business as they deserve it for their greed.
Great video, I bought an ebike after that plande....you know it. I use it for probably 50% of my journeys into my local town (when it's not raining) Car use is still needed and always will be, not a fan of the division they are creating between the average cyclist and car driver though, just fix the roads and give space to cyclists with a slightly wider footpath, sorted. PS if anyone is to buy an ebike or expensive bike get yourself a decent lock so it doesn't get stolen, highly recommend Litelock X1 or X3, grinder proof pretty much, don't buy an expensive bike and a cheap lock! Not had mine stolen yet but had others stolen next to mine.
The bike industry got too greedy during the pandemic. Prices of all bikes went up and have not come down. They are now just too expensive.
Thats why i bought a chinese ebike. Its been fantastic and much better value for money. Our own countrymen rip us off. It's disgusting. Dont let them.
Hi Geoff, well presented and balanced. This is indeed worrying if it's to be believed. Yes, the weather is an issue, but so is cycle security if you need to leave your cycle anywhere, and expect it to be there when you return.
I'm not convinced that adding cycle lanes to the road network is the way to go. Yes, relatively cheap to do for the purpose of green box ticking, but not suitable for young and/or inexperienced cyclists, quite apart from the impact on motorists. Divided and dual use cycle paths has to be the way to go, but it needs to be accompanied by adequate signage and mapping. Long live BOB (Bums On Bikes).
If people bought bikes during the plaaaaaaaa lockdown why would they still be buying them now? It's not like you buy a new one every couple of years like an iphone, they sit in the shed.
Good video Geoff being a diesel and petrol car owner and an ebike and non ebike owner I fully agree with all your statements again the government hasn’t a clue there was a boom for bikes during the pandemic lots of people had finance for them £2k £3k and more some are still probably paying them off absolutely crazy defo been a massive drop in sales and actual people riding around the area but as stated our British weather is not conducive to bike riding especially with children and if you do get an ebike offer from Cube try one brilliant German bikes with Bosch motors and batteries wouldn’t touch the Chineese ones though 👍
Everything around the cycle industry it too expensive. There aren't many remaining bike makers left in the UK when you consider going back some years there used to be a frame builder in most towns, now they are mostly imported from the East.
Down in the south west of France you can cycle between the beaches, camping sites and the main town on reserved paths away from traffic. I'm not into the lycra thing but in good conditions cycling can be an enjoyable activity. It's a great way to appreciate the scenery.
France and most other European countries are way ahead of us. Me and my wife cycle tour in Germany mainly and we cycled the Moselle and part of the Rhine last year covering around 750 miles, virtually all on dedicated paths. We absolutely love it.
My bike is 30 years old and still works as well as it did when new, chances are it will see me out.
You are so refreshingly right about so many things. I wish your perspicacious common sense would spread like its own plan-demic. All the best from South Carolina.