Advanced Driving Hub

The sun has showed it face this week, so while I continued to ride all through winter, it hasn't been videoing weather.

I did a bit of filming Tuesday while leading a 100 mile (200 mile round trip) social ride with a few mates.

I've included the video descriptions from YouTube as embedding here doesn't show them.


Pothole Dodging - The roads get worse! This was me dodging the potholes on the roads near Royston. The one at the end of the video was huge, it just needed a diving board to be an outside swimming pool !


Passing Horses - Dealing with horses it not difficult. Slow down and give them plenty of space. In these two clips they were spotted nice and early. In the first clip just after coming through the NSL sign and in the second just as riding over the SLOW on the road.


Progressive Smooth B Roads - Some smooth progressive riding on a few Essex and Cambridgeshire B roads. Listen to the engine sound. Notice how it varies. Control of speed by good 'throttle sense' and brakes where needed. Note the need to completely bring the speed down for some hazards and where the road pinches and/or the view ahead is completely lost. NB: The camera is mounted on the right hand under bar mirror, and is much lower than the eyes in my head.

GTR1400MAN wrote: Passing Horses - Dealing with horses it not difficult. Slow down and give them plenty of space.

Or even stop to let them pass. Although, to be fair, if it's the lead rider (you) that spooks them it'll be those following that get hoofed

This is one of the occasions when a headlamp on/off switch is a benefit, so you can switch it off. My understanding is they don't like flashing/glaring lights - just what you might get from a bike bouncy on its suspension under braking.

Horse wrote:

GTR1400MAN wrote: Passing Horses - Dealing with horses it not difficult. Slow down and give them plenty of space.

Or even stop to let them pass.

That's a bit difficult if they are going the same way as you

Stopping is a double edged sword. I don't want to put myself in extra danger, though my mates would cop it first!

I was down to a brisk walking pace when beside all three horses.

GTR1400MAN wrote: That's a bit difficult if they are going the same way as you

Were those in the still frame going in reverse, then?

GTR1400MAN wrote: Stopping is a double edged sword. I don't want to put myself in extra danger, though my mates would cop it first!

It may depend on how rorty your bike is too.

Horse wrote:Were those in the still frame going in reverse, then?

I commenting on making stopping a thing to always do. I know the video was 50/50 direction wise.

Horse wrote:It may depend on how rorty your bike is too.

Super quiet. To the point I was concerned with the horse not facing me would be startled as I passed. That's not the time to give a "I'm here" toot!

Horse wrote:This is one of the occasions when a headlamp on/off switch is a benefit, so you can switch it off. My understanding is they don't like flashing/glaring lights - just what you might get from a bike bouncy on its suspension under braking.

If they're that likely to get spooked, perhaps they shouldn't be on the bloody roads at all?

Perhaps they shouldn't, but then neither should drivers under red mist, or distracted, or impaired - presumably you treat every other road user as a potential problem rather than assume they're all ok?

GTR1400MAN wrote:

Horse wrote:Were those in the still frame going in reverse, then?

I commenting on making stopping a thing to always do. I know the video was 50/50 direction wise.

Horse wrote:It may depend on how rorty your bike is too.

Super quiet. To the point I was concerned with the horse not facing me would be startled as I passed. That's not the time to give a "I'm here" toot!

Stopping as an option, not mandatory.

IIRC, approaching from behind the horse is more likely to startle it.

Surely on a bike you should be able to toot and then dodge to whichever side of the road the horse leaves free. Plenty of throttle to minimise TED and up, up and away!

As a rider since I was a wee lad, several observations...
- there is a requirement for the rider to ensure that their horse is not green / traffic shy, so you shouldn't need to stop, slow / wide / quiet works...
- if you see two horses right next to each other, either with the inside one being lead, or ridden, then there is a possibility that the inside horse is green / traffic shy and is being trained with a schoolmaster (more experienced horse) next to it... be more cautious...
- if the riders seem to be unobservant, and haven't noticed you there, then a brief toot of the horn is fine, but from a long way back, so that it is not a surprise, more background noise for the horse, but the rider will notice...

Alasdair