Them and Quasimodo 
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Iāve got a bike, you can ride it if you like
Itās got a basket, a bell that rings
And things to make it look good
Iād give it to you if I could, but I borrowed it.
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Iāve rode my E-bike from Toulouse to SĆ©te along the Canal du Midi with no problem or noticed any restrictions.
Most of the pedestrians are close to towns or villages. I thought that the barge track along the canal was actually for bikes, there are certainly a fair bit of improvements that are specific for bikes.
The distance certainly required E-bikes for our little group of four 70 year olds 
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Iāve been talking about personal experiences I and other locals have hadā¦ Iām obviously not talking about you 
I reckon the nutcase cyclists we have, strip their bikes to the bare weight , shave their legs to reduce dragā¦ and pretend they are on the Tour de France
Well, thatās good news 
Having recently seen a drained stretch of the UKās Kennet & Avon canal, I had formed the distinct impression that bikes were to be used in the canal rather than alongside it 
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This comment is applicable to EVs especially when approaching pedestrians in a noisy environment when the wind and tyre noise are not enough to warn of your approach. I feel it is rather rude to give a blast on a normal hooter so I rigged up one of these electronic things that makes the sound of a bicycle bell.
The effect was interesting. The pedestrian would usually turn round, realise what it was, smile and often give a friendly wave.
My Heath Robinson effort didnāt last so I am now looking for a professional replacement (if such a thing exists?)
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A couple of years ago I visited Zug in Switzerland where my daughter was working. Itās a very wealthy town and the private vehicles on the road seemed to be a 50:50 split between EVs and high performance ICE engined BMWs and Mercedes. As a pedestrian it was interesting to note that in most situations I couldnāt tell the difference between the two types as they approached from behind, all you tend to hear is tyre noise, the exhaust and engine sound was hidden. Leaving traffic lights and junctions could not have been more different; the EVs silent accelerated away while the ICE super saloons roared, popped and farted their way down the road. If anybody wants to see how EVs can be integrated into real life that was certainly a place to study. There were electric cars everywhere yet I didnāt once see a queue at a charging station.
Of course not they all charge at home where the cost is even lower ā but that is a thread drift towards a well worn rabbit hole.
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Ex-racing cyclist here. Leg shaving makes it much more pleasant to rub in embrocation or receive massage, and especially, much less difficult to pick out gravel after an off and remove dressings. Going out for the first time after shaving is a weird experience.
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In tandem with the odd shopping trolley?
Especially in your stockings and lycra
@ John-Scully.
@David_M_Matthews .
@DrMarkH .
If I may join this conversation ,I think a perfectly good compromise in France would be to use @Roadie suggestion of calling out Gruezi: after all the French have a are well used to getting out of the way of Germans too soon 
.
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Our daughter forbade OH to wear lycra when she learned weād both bought bikes some years agoā¦
EDIT: we subsequently sold them to a friend as we werenāt using themā¦ and yes, they did have bells
Lycra didnāt exist when I was racing.
Spandex? 
Such action could well invoke a report to the police, with camera evidence, in the UK. Prosecutions have resulted!
A clearance of 1.5 metres is expected when passing cyclists and some take umbrage at āhootingā of any sort. There is no such thing as cyclists hogging the road.
Iāve just had to spend ten minutes of my life that I will never get back, reading this ON A SUNDAY.
For goodness sake!
@David_M_Matthews - please lighten up and stop taking things so seriously
@John_Scully - please use emojis - you and I have a similar sense of humour but I suspect it is not shared by all and sundry
@DrMarkH - your posts to David M dis seem to me as though you were accusing him of not having / using a frigging bell so perhaps review what you type before posting
Thank you. Have a nice Sunday afternoon everyone whether you are going for a bike ride or notā¦!
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Walkers/cyclists/whateverā¦ if theyāre not single file and are, indeed, hogging the road, it is in order to warn them of ones approach. They will generally get back into single file (sort of).
If itās a family, itās good to see an adult shepherding the youngsters back into line and guarding themā¦ we go by very slowly and carefully, leaving plenty of space.
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