Cycling is so much easier if you use your gears. Much better on your legs, knees and you will also be faster. Also it will be safer for you, as you will see SillyCyclist XIV demonstrate below.

I often cycle on my slowest and heaviest bicycle loaded with two heavy panniers. Yet I’m still faster than others on lighter and faster bicycles. No, it is no me being very fit, I just use my gears.

When at the traffic light I check out other cyclist to see what gear they are in. As that will give me a good idea if the will be fast, slow or would wobble when starting.

Today I was at the light behind SillyCyclist XIV on a folder in the highest gear. I was around 2 metres behind and behind me on my right was a white van. When the light turned green, everyone set off. The SillyCyclist did give the bicycle a very good kick. Probably because SillyCyclist “knew” that they were in the high gear and starting off would be hard. But as the SillyCyclist pushed off the right foot slipped off the pedal and the SillyCyclist nearly came off the bicycle. Because of that SillyCyclist wobbled to the right, right out in front of the speeding white wan. Which just missed the SillyCyclist by an inch, this could easy have been much worse.

If only the SillyCyclist had geared down as she approached the red. It would have made life safer for SillyCyclist and also it wouldn’t have knackered the SillyCyclist out so much.

Oh the other SillyCyclist (XV) was on today’s route to work. I spotted that the quick release on the SillyCyclists front wheel was lose. When I then managed to catch up with the SillyCyclist, rather hard when the SillyCyclist went on the insides off lorries and jumped red lights. I know that you can forget to tighten the QR, if you had the bicycle in your car or have done some fettling.

When I managed to catch up with the SillyCyclist and tell the SillyCyclist what was wrong. The SillyCyclist tried to tighten it but couldn’t reach. So the SillyCyclist lifted the bike of to the left and we both heard the noise from the rattling front wheel. From the noise and the way I saw it wobble, I know that the next little bump the SillyCyclist would hit, would make the SillyCyclist go flying.

So since I just saved you from a nasty incident it would have been nice to get a friendly, thank you, instead of the grunt you gave me.