Cyclists Get No Respect

cbcbd · Feb 19, 2008

SKIQUATTRO said:
I'm not talking riders vs. drivers...roadies are rude/unfriendly to other roadies...i always nod, give a quick "HEY" or raise a few fingers off my bars as a gesture of "hello" to other passing riders...99% of the time, they just look the other way or dont acknowledge....i was fixing a flat a few months ago and a group of 10 riders flew by, not 1 of em asked if i was ok or needed a hand..not that i did, but what does it take to ask??

I agree that roadies are generally more aggressive and more rude. Hey, its a sport where a lot of emphasis is placed on your time and your speed.

I got 2 flats on a ride once and ran out of things to fix it with - I was walking my bike home and a guy driving by stopped and handed me a tube... I'm guessing that if he was in a pack they would've ridden by and not stopped - I mean, no one wants to get dropped and hurt their average speed for the ride

twinplanx · Feb 19, 2008

snoseek said:
I want to respond but don't want to piss off all you roadies.......

I think a lot of bikers ride abreast because they know they can, pisses off the driver who then drive like a-holes and lay on the horn, very dangerous. kind of a tough situation that needs to be understood from both sides. When building roads we should really think about bikes, maybe even more bike paths.

...What's the point of a forum if you can't piss of a whole group of people every now and then?

Tell us how you really feel...just one more post before you clock in a cool grand :spread:

Marc · Feb 19, 2008

SKIQUATTRO said:
I'm not talking riders vs. drivers...roadies are rude/unfriendly to other roadies...i always nod, give a quick "HEY" or raise a few fingers off my bars as a gesture of "hello" to other passing riders...99% of the time, they just look the other way or dont acknowledge....i was fixing a flat a few months ago and a group of 10 riders flew by, not 1 of em asked if i was ok or needed a hand..not that i did, but what does it take to ask??

Lol... well, you do live on LI after all.

Up here in the back 40 of CT, most of the roadies I know/meet are pretty friendly. The only flat I ever had on a road bike, I had another roadie stop and give me his cartridge, because he same me using the mini pump. He gave me a dollar bill too, because the flat was from a tear in my tire, and I had no cash, no gel wrapper, nothing.

GrilledSteezeSandwich · Feb 19, 2008

Roads are for cars
Bike Paths are for bikes..

marcski · Feb 19, 2008

GrilledSteezeSandwich said:
Roads are for cars
Bike Paths are for bikes..

Steeze....c'mon man, total BS. Ever hear the saying "share the road".

And the law states that Roads are for vehicles (both motorized and unmotorized). Bike paths are narrow, usually under a canopy of trees, stay wet nad littered with leaves and branches and are usually occupied by people walking or children riding or slower riders in general. Plus there aren't enough miles of paths.

mlctvt · Feb 19, 2008

snoseek said:
I want to respond but don't want to piss off all you roadies.......

I think a lot of bikers ride abreast because they know they can, pisses off the driver who then drive like a-holes and lay on the horn, very dangerous. kind of a tough situation that needs to be understood from both sides. When building roads we should really think about bikes, maybe even more bike paths.

Just so you know, riding 2 abreast is legal in many states. I wouldn't do it but many cyclists do express their rights.

snoseek · Feb 20, 2008

mlctvt said:
Just so you know, riding 2 abreast is legal in many states. I wouldn't do it but many cyclists do express their rights.

It's probably not against the law for me to lay on my horn and scare the crap out of them but I don't. Riding like that in some rural areas of maine-n.h. could result in drunk redneck throwing beer bottle or worse. Drunk rednecks don't give a flying fluck about laws.

Personally I will only ride on mt. bike trails and bike paths both which are plentiful from my doorstep. I get pretty intimidated on the road-I see it from both sides.

ski_resort_observer · Feb 20, 2008

Why are alot of road bikers dressed in unis that look like they are in the Tour de France?

marcski · Feb 20, 2008

ski_resort_observer said:
Why are alot of road bikers dressed in unis that look like they are in the Tour de France?

I'm not sure about the unis...but I do ride tight black spadexlike shorts when on the road. When you're out there for 4-6 hours doing 100 or so miles...its more comfortable to have a smooth surface next to your skin and on the saddle. But granted, they do make them look somewhat dorky....

I think I still have a really funny pic in my office that will go great in this post...I'll try and upload it later this afternoon.

Marc · Feb 20, 2008

ski_resort_observer said:
Why are alot of road bikers dressed in unis that look like they are in the Tour de France?

You mean bibs or TT skin suits? A lot of cyclists wear bib shorts because they don't require an elastic around the waist to stay up, and are more comofortable. Also, less likely for the jersey to lift up in the back. They're expensive though, not worth the money, IMHO. I just wear the traditional shorts.

deadheadskier · Feb 20, 2008

I don't care if its a bike or a car on the road as long as they're going the speed limit. If not, pull over and let others by. If you're on a bike going fast, I can perfectly understand not wanting to ride on the narrow shoulder, it is dangerous. However, if you can't keep up with traffic, slow down and move to the shoulder and ride a speed that is safe for those conditions so others can pass you safely, whether it's a car or other bikers.

Cars impeding my driving progress actually piss me off more than bikes. EVERY single time I've been to Wildcat this year, I get caught behind some jack ass going 40mph between North Conway and Bartlett before 16 turns off. The speed limit for a few miles there is 55. Then once on 16 North, I'll get caught behind someone going 35 in the 50 zone. Usually once the road widens to two lanes at Pinkham, I find myself driving 75 up that hill in frustration from being caught behind inconsiderate slow pokes for the previous ten miles.

GO THE SPEED LIMIT OR PULL OVER SO OTHERS CAN PASS

mlctvt · Feb 20, 2008

snoseek said:
It's probably not against the law for me to lay on my horn and scare the crap out of them but I don't. Riding like that in some rural areas of maine-n.h. could result in drunk redneck throwing beer bottle or worse. Drunk rednecks don't give a flying fluck about laws.

Personally I will only ride on mt. bike trails and bike paths both which are plentiful from my doorstep. I get pretty intimidated on the road-I see it from both sides.

Actually it is against the law for you to do that. If you did it to me, I'd get your license plate number and call the police. The last time I did that the police officer I spoke to happened to be a roady himself and he drove to the car owners house and explained the law. He said I could have pressed charges for assault.

Marc · Feb 20, 2008

For me to average 17 mph on a bike path would be hazardous to all users.

I rarely ride two abreast except on back roads where both can hear traffic coming a good distance away and ride single file when there's traffic.

I just get scared when a car overtakes me without waiting for traffic to clear in the other direction. They'll think nothing of clipping me with a sideview as long as they don't have to slow down at all. I actually breathe a sigh of relief, even on roads with narrow lines and near non existant shoulds, if I hear a trailer truck coming rather than a car, because typically they're much more cautious drivers and actually give a wider birth than most cars.

Although back on the original topic, I don't get any respect when I'm on my bike if anyone says anything in the first place. Mostly I get comments like "Go Lance!" or dumb stuff like that.

mlctvt · Feb 20, 2008

Marc said:
For me to average 17 mph on a bike path would be hazardous to all users.

+1, bike paths are extremely dangerous and the stats prove it. I also hate bike paths because it give non-riders who don't understand a reason to try and ban bikes from roads.
You can't mix 17-20MPH bike riders with kids on roller skates , skateboarders and moms and kids on kiddy bikes without major problems.

cbcbd · Feb 20, 2008

I don't think grown men wearing tights will ever get respect, whether on a bike or not.

I ride on the road as close to the shoulder as I can and try to pick roads with less traffic. But honestly, road riding is just a gamble, you have no control over what drivers can do - one look down to dial a number, change the station, or pickup your dropped muffin, and that's just enough to make them veer into you.

MRGisevil · Feb 20, 2008

mlctvt said:
+1, bike paths are extremely dangerous and the stats prove it. I also hate bike paths because it give non-riders who don't understand a reason to try and ban bikes from roads.
You can't mix 17-20MPH bike riders with kids on roller skates , skateboarders and moms and kids on kiddy bikes without major problems.

In Hartford bike paths are all used as additional parking.

mlctvt · Feb 20, 2008

MRGisevil said:
In Hartford bike paths are all used as additional parking.

They don't ticket the cars and tow them? Or do people just take their chances they won't get caught?

MRGisevil · Feb 20, 2008

mlctvt said:
They don't ticket the cars and tow them? Or do people just take their chances they won't get caught?

I've never seen anyone ticketed... then again I don't pay too much attention. I don't think CoH cares too much.

Paul · Feb 20, 2008

I've worked in this shiathole (Hartford) for the past 5 years.

What bike paths??

bvibert · Feb 20, 2008

MRGisevil said:
In Hartford bike paths are all used as additional parking.

There's bike paths in Hartford? I always though that was just extra parking...

Seriously, I did not know that. Of course, aside from 84 and 91, I've only driven in Hartford a handful of times in my life..

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