Aggressive/Suicidal Bicyclists

dyintorace wrote: If both groups would be a little more tolerant, everyone's blood pressure would probably go down a little.

That is the understatement of the year for all kinds off groups.

Toyman01 wrote:

dyintorace wrote: If both groups would be a little more tolerant, everyone's blood pressure would probably go down a little.

That is the understatement of the year for all kinds of groups.

+1 Everyone is an asshat these days. Myself included on occasion (not an admission of wrongness... just asshattery, I do so love the beauty of a well executed irony).

joey48442 wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: In reply to Dr. Hess: Damn, I Googled that just to see what it meant. This was returned from the archives. http://archive.grassrootsmotorsports.com/board/viewtopic.php?id=20571

Ah, to be a newb again... Joey

I miss that board. I liked it better than this one.

As a cyclist and motorcyclist...

I dont mind the guys that stay in the bike lane, or ride a predictable route. I ride untravelled roads or residential streets because I value my life.

The guys that swerve out in front of me usually get a nice long roll of coal from the Cummins as soon as I get around them. And more coal at every opportunity till they disappear in my rear view. I am waiting for one of those asshats to try to take a swing at the mirror of my truck, they would get a 5 D-cell Maglite to the dome. No helmet no matter how awesome of a race replica would do a lot of good against that.

I work on a farm part-time, driving large, wide, pointy equipment at 20-25 MPH down country roads frequented by packs of bicyclists. I am amazed I have never hit one. They would lose.

Toyman01 wrote: Wow, I see why they call you angry now. Does that mean you swerve in front of people and blow through stop lights and signs and then pepper spray the offending car when they blow their horn at you.

heck no! i'm angry, but i don't have a death wish. i only run stop signs when there are no cars waiting at or approaching the intersection. i don't run traffic lights unless there are no cars anywhere around, and that ain't too often around here. i got pulled over by a northville mi cop for running a light about 10 years ago (7 Mile and Sheldon for locals). he said the same as some of you have said: sharing the road works both ways. don't ride like an shiny happy person and maybe people won't drive like shiny happy people around you.

AngryCorvair wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: That isn't to say that all of the spandex riders are like that, but all the bad riders I see are wearing spandex.

that's funny, because all the bad drivers i see are driving cars. a few years ago i had someone swerve at me cussing and swearing. then about 100 yards later *she* had to stop for a red light and i stopped next to her. i tapped on her window and told her that when she's rolling at 40mph she wins, but here at the traffic light i'm a grown ass man and i'll beat the berkeley out of her in broad daylight. whenever i'm riding, if anyone honks or swerves at me, i flip them off. if they slam on their brakes, i can dismount and be armed in about 2 seconds. i carry pepper spray and me plus pepper spray will fight just about anyone, especially when i'm jacked from riding. one of these days, someone's gonna learn a valuable lesson. i hope it's not me.

I wouldn't call having pepper spray being armed.

Cotton wrote:

AngryCorvair wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: That isn't to say that all of the spandex riders are like that, but all the bad riders I see are wearing spandex.

that's funny, because all the bad drivers i see are driving cars. a few years ago i had someone swerve at me cussing and swearing. then about 100 yards later *she* had to stop for a red light and i stopped next to her. i tapped on her window and told her that when she's rolling at 40mph she wins, but here at the traffic light i'm a grown ass man and i'll beat the berkeley out of her in broad daylight. whenever i'm riding, if anyone honks or swerves at me, i flip them off. if they slam on their brakes, i can dismount and be armed in about 2 seconds. i carry pepper spray and me plus pepper spray will fight just about anyone, especially when i'm jacked from riding. one of these days, someone's gonna learn a valuable lesson. i hope it's not me.

I wouldn't call having pepper spray being armed.

Ever been pepper sprayed/maced? I have and I would definitely consider that to be armed. That stuff is no bueno

this is all kind of silly, if a cyclist isnt smart enough to get out the way of a several thousand pound vehicle, they shouldnt be surprised when road rash afflicts them. i used to bike avidly, and have just recently started to ride again. we stay off the busy roads as much as possible and to the side of the road when cars pass. i have no idea why someone would want to challenge a car from a bicycle, seems like stupid idea to me. I think its much easier just to get out of the way. id hate to piss off someone like me...

Spandex wearing, hardcore road cyclists loves the long, abandoned country road.

The same road has no berm.

Same cyclists gets insults from lifted truck hicks.

This is what gets me. I ride road bike on empty roads out in the middle of no-where and I still face the insults of drivers. Inexcusable.

thatsnowinnebago wrote:

Cotton wrote:

AngryCorvair wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: That isn't to say that all of the spandex riders are like that, but all the bad riders I see are wearing spandex.

that's funny, because all the bad drivers i see are driving cars. a few years ago i had someone swerve at me cussing and swearing. then about 100 yards later *she* had to stop for a red light and i stopped next to her. i tapped on her window and told her that when she's rolling at 40mph she wins, but here at the traffic light i'm a grown ass man and i'll beat the berkeley out of her in broad daylight. whenever i'm riding, if anyone honks or swerves at me, i flip them off. if they slam on their brakes, i can dismount and be armed in about 2 seconds. i carry pepper spray and me plus pepper spray will fight just about anyone, especially when i'm jacked from riding. one of these days, someone's gonna learn a valuable lesson. i hope it's not me.

I wouldn't call having pepper spray being armed.

Ever been pepper sprayed/maced? I have and I would definitely consider that to be armed. That stuff is no bueno

yep indirectly. meaning I caught a good hit, but not a good direct hit to the eyes. I've also seen a few people take a good hit and keep on swinging and fighting HARD. I will never rely on just pepper spray. I guess I wouldn't call it "armed" in the sense I use the term... Also some spray is stronger than others...hopefully he at least carries the good stuff.

hard core and spandex should never be in the same sentence... no offense, i know biking can be hardcore.. its just that s word takes all the wind out of it...

so football players and some of the best athletes in the world aren't hardcore?

Ok.

I think being hardcore is being able to do what you want and not give a flying duck. A buddy of mine rides in spandex all the time, you would not want to mess with him. The dude has been in war, he has been shot, and he's not afraid to kill someone.

I've known some gay dudes who were pretty hardcore. They didn't wear spandex, but you wouldn't want to mess with them.

Most Harley riders and hicks are Bob Costas cats, why? Because they must adhere to what the think is badass. Leather and the rebel flag doesn't make you any stronger.

I'm not saying every spandex wearing roadie is a badass, but its takes much more to wear spandex as a straight man than it does to sit in your car and hurl insults.

PHeller wrote: so football players and some of the best athletes in the world aren't hardcore? Ok. I think being hardcore is being able to do what you want and not give a flying duck. A buddy of mine rides in spandex all the time, you would not want to mess with him. The dude has been in war, he has been shot, and he's not afraid to kill someone. Most Harley riders and hicks are Bob Costas cats, why? Because they must adhere to what the think is badass. Leather and the rebel flag doesn't make you any stronger.

you really like your generalizations. There is always someone badder than the next guy so who cares.

Then who cares what someone wears? If the baddest guy on the planet wears a dress, are you really going to mess with him? I mean...what's the point in standing up to a guy in a dress if all you end up is dead.

Spandex or not, cyclists are people. Lots of non-bicycle riding people are a lot more stupid than those on a bicycle. I'd say one less person in a car is one less person driving a 3000lb vehicle into the side of mine.

I'm much more worried by the people driving the 6,000lb SUV twice the speed limit while talking on the cell phone and driving through a crowded neighborhood while kids play on the sidewalks. But apparently that's acceptable these days.

PHeller wrote: Then who cares what someone wears? If the baddest guy on the planet wears a dress, are you really going to mess with him? I mean...what's the point in standing up to a guy in a dress if all you end up is dead.

along the same lines....I saw a pink AK-47 one time...I'd hate to get shot by a pink gun.

So moral of the story is:

Don't piss people off. Stay out of the road (and on the berm), give lots of room for cyclists in areas of no berm, and avoid being shots by a guy wearing a dress with a pink AK47.

Is there any difference between the cyclist who swerves out to force someone to slow down and the Prius driver doing 63 in the left lane? I'd submit no.

My driver's Ed instructor gave me the best single piece of advice I ever got in my life: Don't do anything on the road that requires someone else to take an action to prevent you from getting hurt. Swerving out and changing lane position suddenly and without signaling or anything is an action that confuses drivers around you and forces them to react to your actions in order to prevent killing you. That's just plain stupid.

I like biking on nice straight, relatively flat roads with lots of visibility and hard shoulders and light traffic. Keeps my stress level down and those who pass me calm and courteous. I only bike on narrow, curvy roads for bike races where there are lots of bikes and drivers are expecting me to be there or drivers are not allowed in my direction. I think anyone who bikes narrow curvy roads outside of such conditions is crazy. And whoever bikes the Tail of the Dragon, you sir, have lost your freakin mind. That's not to say you don't have the right to do so, but seriously, it takes serious cajones.

GregTivo wrote: And whoever bikes the Tail of the Dragon, you sir, have lost your freakin mind.

People seriously do that? Wow. With the asshattery that road attracts nowadays, I wouldn't even want to do it with a motorized vehicle. Biking it sounds like a death wish.

My biggest problem with bikes on the road is the speed differential. I don't care if you're on a bike, in a car, or on your hovercraft. If you're poking along doing 20 in a 45, then you're in my way.

I try to remember that there is always somebody with less to lose than me. It helps me keep my self righteous indignation under control.

I once got hit by a burritto thrown from a passing car. I am not kidding. Just like in Anchorman.

Well, I wasn't going to post but am bored at the moment...

I'm a motorist, a runner, AND a cyclist.

As a cyclist- I'm quite happy that 99% of the drivers I encounter go out of their way the best they can to not hit me- the 1% that don't are not a big threat. that's even going out to the countryside both south and west of Ann Arbor- maybe the liberal nature of the area makes them more tolerant of single bikers- I don't know. But I consider myself lucky. My wife rides to work a lot, and has had a few more run in's- one phoning woman forced her into a curb- so my wife went into the coffee shop to tell her what she did. She's pretty hot blooded, so I'm sure she was barely nice.

Every time I see someone run a light, I yell at them- regardless of how good they look- and it runs the gamut from the obvious beginners to the ones in spandex. I will only run a red in ONE situation- when there's no traffic, and NO way to trigger the light in my direction (aka- no cross walk to trigger). That's it.

As a runner, I see how dangerous running on a sidewalk can be- more than once, people have popped out of a driveway quickly in front of me. And SO many people block the crosswalk, it drives me nuts- I normally be a shiny person when I know they can't go just to make the point. OTOH, there are tons of people who do look before crossing into a crosswalk. The runner in me questions why in the world people ride their bikes on sidewalks. That's SO dangerous, it's not even funny.

But. as a runner and biker, I also know that no matter how right I am, and how many times I would win in a court of law, I would lose in an Emergency room. Being legaly right and painfully wrong does not justify enforcing all of the laws all of the time.

And as a motorist- I keep my eyes out a whole lot more. I fully realize that the 20-30 seconds a runner or biker may hold me up isn't going to ruin my day one little bit. I suggest that if you have the "in my way" attidude, you may want to look how little time you are loosing in reality- a little paitence will go a long way. (that actually goes for driving like a shiny person during your commute- most morons I see will save all of 2-3 min over 30 miles. yea- oh so worth it... )

Ian F wrote:

slantvaliant wrote:

Marty! wrote: I think it's just the silly clothes that cyclists wear that make people hate them. I mean no grown man should ever be caught in Spandex - that is unless they wrestle in the WWE or are Axl Rose.

I think the phrase "grown man" exempts your exceptions.

...and it's comments like this that make you all look like a bunch of ignorant E36 M3s.

So, I'm an ignorant E36 M3 because I think a lot of wrestlers and rockers are a bit immature?

Read, think, and lighten up, Francis.

oldopelguy wrote: Is there any difference between the cyclist who swerves out to force someone to slow down and the Prius driver doing 63 in the left lane? I'd submit no.

Big difference. Left lane banditry is one thing. Erratic behavior is quite another.

Too many people today have an attitude. I drive and I ride, both bike and motorcycle. When I'm on two wheels, I am in a much more defensive mindset. When I'm on a bike I stay to the right, as far to the right as possible when I know that a car is passing me. When we were kids, we were taught to ride on the right, SINGLE FILE. Do they still teach that? It's just not reasonable to expect people to drive at 10 mph behind a bicycle or a pack of bicycles. Get the hell out of the way! Nearly all travel lanes are wide enough for a car to safely pass a bike if the bike stays right and the motorist gives him a little extra room. This wouldn't be a problem if people were sensible and considerate, and unfortunately, I see bicyclists more often in the wrong than motorists.

And I like wearing Spandex. I think it makes me look sexy. Funny thing is that my wife doesn't agree...