[quote] But if i have a bike that I want to ride on the road, No cost.
I think its safe to say that most cyclists probably own a car, too.[/quote]
I own a car, a minivan and a truck. I pay taxes on and put fuel in all three, and I’ll ride my bike for “free” whenever and wherever I fucking want to.
In this state and almost all others a bicycle is a vehicle, “with all the rights and responsibilities as any other vehicle” according to the statute. I obey the traffic laws and expect drivers to do the same. That includes keeping a safe distance when passing a slower moving vehicle, like a bike.
I wear bike shorts and jerseys because they’re functional and improve comfort on the bike. I’m not at all gay and don’t really give a shit if some redneck jackass in a pickup thinks otherwise.
I don’t ride on “bike paths” because that’s not what they are. They’re “multi-use trails” which includes little kids, old folks and baby strollers. If I rode on the path the same people who bitch about me being on the road will bitch about me going too fast on the path and scaring the training wheels off their little kid.
If it makes you feel tough to threaten a defensless person on a bike from the safety of your two ton steel shell, go for it. I get yelled at all the time to “get on the sidewalk” and mostly I just ignore it or smile and wave. Sometimes I get pissed and return a one fingered wave. Occasional someone will take exception and pull over to the shoulder. Their tone always changes fast when I pull up and they realize that it’s not some teenager or old drunk who lost his license.
I carry a copy of the state bicycle statute to show people, and I’ve called the police a few times and had them come and explain the laws to people. If you’re going to fuck with me, you might want to make sure your license and insurance are current first. One genius got out of his truck one day and was threatening me, so I called the cops. Guess what? Suspended license, no insurance and outstanding warrents.
the traffic law i obey is the one that says confrontation with a moving vehicle is not in my best interest. ever. in fact it’s pretty much an unwritten rule to avoid pick-ups at all times. if you get hit it doesn’t matter who’s right or wrong. this is why i change lanes whenever i see fit. this is why i jump lights or just plain run them if it’s clear.
the thing is i’m fast enough to do this. fast enough to stay out of the way. most problems i see on the road are caused by cyclists who don’t understand this, who think they have “just as much right to the road as anyone” and assert their space even though they’re just dead slow and are fucking up the flow. the fact that their rocking carbon aero-bars and a full disc going 22mph only adds to points on the get-the-fuck-outta-the-fuckin-way
dismount-and-use-the-fucking-crosswalk-already
i-know-you-can-walk-in-those-cleats-cause-i’ve-seen- you in-the-coffee-shop-with-them-on-O-MY-GOD-you-are-fucking
sloooow-you-fucking- poser/douche scale.
I can’t stand bicyclists. I work on a military base and the government went to great expense to build these fags a paved path that they still don’t use. They complain about rocks and sticks on the path that’s too rough on their bikes(is if there isn’t any of those on the road).
God forbid their $4,000, 10 oz custom titanium frame, with special alloy racing wheels,fag cycle hits an earth worm and causes the rider to flip. I can only hope that some day one of them gets creamed.
[quote]johnny_law wrote:
I can’t stand bicyclists. I work on a military base and the government went to great expense to build these fags a paved path that they still don’t use. They complain about rocks and sticks on the path that’s too rough on their bikes(is if there isn’t any of those on the road).
God forbid their $4,000, 10 oz custom titanium frame, with special alloy racing wheels,fag cycle hits an earth worm and causes the rider to flip. I can only hope that some day one of them gets creamed.[/quote]
Because it wouldn’t be a T-Nation thread without some homophobia thrown in.
At any rate, I’m surprised at how many people here have bike paths in their town. Here, we don’t have crap. I don’t even have a sidewalk near my place, and I live inside the city limits. There are some paths in between the roads, along streams and in parks and such, but since they’re placed pretty randomly and don’t connect to each other or anything else, it’s not that useful.
And I’ve had friends report that most drivers here won’t even give up the shoulder to a bike if the rest of the road is clear for them to go around–some would rather force the bike into the grass than pull around to pass.