Ticking before I start the bike.

[packie]

I'm a newb, only got my license in Jan and am a little over the hill to start riding a bike at 36 but pretty much all of your youtube bids had me cacking myself.

I didn't start until late myself at 31 years old. But I wouldn't say I was over the hill getting into it, in hindsight. I have racked up 20 years experience now at 51 years old and I feel that there is still a lot biking left in me!!

As for  Alex's videos....well, they act as good tutorials. It's no harm that they have got you cacking....that's going to be kinda healthy to your survival. If you came away after watching his videos with the mentality that "Wow...that looks like fun and I must bomb around like that dude doing about 60mph in a 30mph built up area in the wet with dodgy tyres".... then I'd be more worried about you. I wonder how I would feel today if I did that and my bike spun off onto the opposite pavement, killing a child in a buggy or something like ???

His video riding in the ice and nearly coming a cropper (again!) shows me when to use a bit of common sense and when to park up and take a bus or a car instead. A simple spill can cost you a few hundred quid outside of injuries.

I think (but I could be wrong) that I seen a video of him in town late at night talking and watching a load of drunks. That video (and from my own experiences) have thought me to stay well away from town late at night if possible, especially on weekends. Town late on weekend nights is a breeding ground for a lot of drunkeness and fool acting and you could be the victim. I have had drunken people (both male and female) in messy humour trying to jump on the back of my bike for the crack while I was sitting in traffic lights. They don't realize that they can knock you off balance in two seconds and bring you down. And while riding along, some messers can even jump out in front of you shouting and roaring just for the crack, forcing you to take emergency evasive action. And that "friendly" drunk that was talking to him??? .... a wrong word or a dodgy look and he could easily turn nasty in a jiff before you could make your escape.

So most of Alex's video are very tutorial, even though that probably wasn't his intention. Call me Negativity Central if you want....I call it experience gained form 20 years of biking which has thought me a lot of respect and caution that will help me to survive just a bit longer out there.