Cyclists Beware

[streamline]

Thirty five years of cycling, here is my wisdom.

I am alone, everyone is my enemy.

No one, and I repeat no one sees me!!!

Check every parked car for that one dickhead opening their door, that would hurt so much.

Hold your line!

MIGHT IS RIGHT, EVERY FUCK’N TIME!!!

Right of way means shit when you’re dead!

Never wear headphones, you need to be paying attention.

Not every drive signals a right hand turn!

I’m the only one on the road that knows what they’re doing, so I better know what I’m doing!

I’d much rather have helmet head than no head, wear a helmet!!!

If you do get knocked down by a vehicle take the ride to the hospital. You’ll get ten times the money!

[blazindave]

[quote]Hanley wrote:
This thread is hilarious… cyclists asking for special treatment from road users (ie please don’t get mad at me), while admitting they run junctions/lights and swerve in out out of traffic.
[/quote]

They were saying to run junction and lights if no one is coming or crossing.

[Kilosprinter2]

[quote]Hanley wrote:
Kilosprinter2 wrote:

Do you seriously expect me to hit my brakes when I can easily squeeze by you? I’m sure it pisses some drivers off, they are just jealous of the freedom and manuervability that I have while they are stuck in their large cage.

“squeeze”… see that just gives a bad impression!!!

My point is, if a cyclist thinks they MIGHT be able to squeeze thru, or get around, or do something else while on the road, they should do this while being fully aware no one else give a shit about them.

Ideally everyone would look out for everyone else on the roads, but that doesn’t happen. Cyclists are particularly vulnerable, so instead of trying to piss drivers off by getting one over on them and jumping in front of or around them, approach the situation as if every idiot on the road is trying to kill you. I would be most peopel would act differently then!!

Someone said that almost everytime they’re out on their bike they’re nearly involved in a collision. I must ask, is how you ride having a part to play…??
[/quote]

Nowadays, I rarely ever come close to a collision, practically never. Maybe it’s good luck, or my style of riding. The most common problem I have with cars is them passing me and cutting me off as they slow to make a right hand turn. I think it’s because they can’t judge my speed correctly.

But get this; most of the riders that I have heard about being hit, they are the older, more “stiff” and more “scared” riders. I think that plays a role. When you’ve raced with guys bumping handlebars with you at 40mph, a car isn’t as much of a threat as one may think. Confidence, reaction time, experience and instinct will take you far, ask any good downhill mtn biker.

[hockechamp14]

[quote]Kilosprinter2 wrote:
5) If you are forced to slow down after passing me due to traffic, don’t get pissy and honk your horn as I rip past you. Like I said before, I do my best to stay out of your way, and I expect the same. So I will do whatever I damn well please to keep on my merrily way. Remember, there is a double standard here, BECAUSE a car is not equal to a bike. I am allowed to pass you with inches to spare, but you are not to do so. The reasons are obvious.
[/quote]
I fucking hate that, makes me so jealous! Oh well. I’m always like “goddamit I’ve been at this light so long that bike motherfucker is catching me.” I know they don’t do it to spite me though.

7. Don’t get mad at me if the road isn’t wide enough. Instead of blaring your horn as I am working my ass off climbing that hill, why don’t you complain to the town or state and tell them to make the road wider? I have every right to ride on the shoulder of the road on safe clean pavement, no matter how narrow that road is. If I am riding in the middle of the lane due to pot holes near the shoulder - guess what? Complain to the town.

Sorry, I’m too lazy to complain to the town, your health, you should be the one worrying. There’s some twisty ass roads in this part of the state too, and it REALLY frustrates me when there’s a group of like 30 sunday riders going like 10-15. The roads you can’t really see what’s coming the other way either.

10. What happens to you impatient drivers when you get stuck behind a school bus that slows you down 10x worse than a biker? Your must explode, right? What about farm equipment that is much harder to pass and cruises at simular speeds to bikes? You must be loading your shotgun?

To manage the pain I prefer yelling out loud in my car, word of choice “fuck.” Then I get over it and wave to the kids in the back of the bus because I remember how cool it would be when someone waved back.

11. If you are unable to pass a group of cyclists who are traveling the speed limit, suck it up! What makes you think that you have the right to speed? Unless you are an emergency vehicle, which that’s a different story. This one really gets me, perhaps you need to go back to drivers ed?
    (on the other hand, it does bother me when the group of riders go slow and continue to ride more than 2 abreast. But 95% of the time, the group I know is within a few mph of the speed limit.)

Everyone speeds, you’re talking about how you disobey traffic laws too, please don’t act so righteous.

It pains me to have to pass bike riders kind of close on some of the roads and stuff, because I don’t want to be an asshole to people just enjoying a ride. Sometimes I want to roll down my window and cheer someone on riding up a large hill, but feel I’d just look like a sarcastic cock.

And braking while going down hill? Cars have more to worry about with crazy mother fuckers in the other lane, when bikes have a large advantage because of the little lateral space they have. So I will hit my brakes if need be, but I like to go down hills fast just as much as people on bikes do!

[el0gic]

[quote]Kiwigeezer wrote:
I’ve been a cyclist in London for 3 years now. Those many thousands of miles have given me an almost instinctive feel for the motorists I share the road with.

Now whenever I see a motorist doing anything out of the ordinary I automatically apply the brakes.

And there are times when you can’t hug the curb so fuck em, get out in the middle, you’re traffic as well.

[/quote]

Stepping up to London from another town is pretty mental. I don’t live there, but cycle across whenever I’m going between mainline stations. I find taxi drivers in central london to be way preferable those in smaller cities I’ve been in, especially if you’re moving quick. Or have I just been lucky?

Main thing I’ve learnt is to get at the front and in the middle at lights, and then to rip it as soon as you can. A pack of accelerating cars is not a good place to be.

[TriednTrue]

[quote]streamline wrote:
Thirty five years of cycling, here is my wisdom.

I am alone, everyone is my enemy.

No one, and I repeat no one sees me!!!

Check every parked car for that one dickhead opening their door, that would hurt so much.

Hold your line!

MIGHT IS RIGHT, EVERY FUCK’N TIME!!!

Right of way means shit when you’re dead!

Never wear headphones, you need to be paying attention.

Not every drive signals a right hand turn!

I’m the only one on the road that knows what they’re doing, so I better know what I’m doing!

I’d much rather have helmet head than no head, wear a helmet!!!

If you do get knocked down by a vehicle take the ride to the hospital. You’ll get ten times the money![/quote]

ABSOLUTELY!

Me = 195lbs of person + 20lbs of bike @ 17mph
Car = 3,000lbs of steel & glass @ 40 mph

Some years back, I read of two different accounts of bikers getting hit while cycling. Here’s a quick rundown (ha, no pun intended) of the incident I most remember:

26-year-old man from Boston had just moved to California. He was engaged to his college sweetheart, had just been accepted to law school, and was getting married in a few months. He was a triathlete in his spare time. On a beautiful afternoon, he went out for a bike ride on a deserted highway. He was wearing bright colors, a helmet, and so forth. After a while, a car drives up behind him. While passing him, the car for no apparent reason swerved slightly at 55mph and clipped the biker. The guy was sent flying about 100 feet from the road. He received massage brain damage and other physical trauma. Last I heard, he had the mental capacity of a 10-year-old.

It was absolutely tragic. The woman driving the car wasn’t even aware she’d hit him until after the fact. She had no idea why she hit the biker. Authorities postulated that she was changing the radio station or looking at her cell phone. The hit was completely unintentional.

Reading about that incident caused me to seriously re-evaluate cycling as a commute. Yes, I love biking. But, I’m not willing to die for it. Ultimately, it’s a personal choice. Be very aware of the risks.

These days, I bike on trails or less-frequented roads and strive to stay alert at all times.