What is with the need to ride on busy roads/intersections during rush hour (both in the morning and evening)? I'm just curious- I try to pay attention to everything on the road but I wouldn't necessarily put myself (unguarded) in traffic and expect everyone else to pay attention to my whereabouts. Hell, sometimes it's not even safe in a car. So what's the thinking here? I'm sure there is some sort of disgust for automobile drivers in general but most of these guys are playing chicken and rolling the dice that they aren't going to become roadkill today. I respect the right to ride on the roads (and I'm always courteous) but some of these guys don't seem to be interested in self-preservation. Why?
I hear where your coming from (literally as we're probably thinking of the same roads). Like everything, I'm sure there's a few that are the exception, but I hate it when they give me the f- off face as I go by when they're riding three astride on a two lane highway or wandering way off the shoulder.
Well it's not even by us.. I drive to Marina del Rey everyday and I see them all along the way (but they are suspiciously absent in the middle section of PCH). And of course it can be bad on Agoura road, but I can deal with that since it's typically wide-open in both lanes. Going through Malibu Canyon @ 8am though? You're better off staying home and juggling chainsaws.
Well for us kids who don't do drugs or drink it is a good sorce of adrenaline riding on roads during rush hour but hey we are teenagers...
Depends on how fast they're going. One of my friends was behind a cyclist who was doing a 45 in a 40. He couldn't believe it and gave the guy a thumbs up as they overtook the cyclist. I think it is unsafe. I wouldn't do it unless I knew I could go faster than the speed limit for long periods of time (50mph around here). The most I could ever do was about 27 mph according to my friend's car, but I was on a pos Sears mountain bike with huge tires.
i think it's the dumbest thing that cyclists will pedal on busy roads. 9 times out of 10 there is a sidewalk, and i know for a fact that people walking on those sidewalks will be more than happy to give cyclists the right of way. there's something i do have more though: when cyclists ride on the road at night, and some of them don't even use blinking lights to alert drivers they're there, now that is stupid.
Biking on the sidewalk, is technically "illegal". Bikers, do have a legal right to the road (in most areas.... not on interstates and other specifically marked roadways) Their conduct on such roads (3 abreast), may be "pushing the limits" in terms of ethics, but overall they have a right to be on the road and as such respect it!
Uh huh. When they start respecting stop signs and the laws of physics, I'll start respecting their right to the road.
Agreed. Bikers feel they own the road and motorist feel they do as well. I'm not trying to get in the middle of the debate, just pointing out that each have a equal right to the road and that both in some instances can be more respectfull.
I'm just the kind of guy that thinks physics ultimately has the last say, I don't care who is at fault. It's just not smart to tangle with 5,000 pound vehicles traveling 40-60mph.
Ironically, who did I stuck behind while making my way through Venice today? Yep.. six of them, running in groups of two.
This topic has been beat to death. Ppl dont understand other ppls hobbies so then its ridiculed when it encroaches on their daily routine. Alot of ppl commute on their bike. Its great health wise and doesnt cost anything. Biking at road bike speed on a trail is illegal and can carry heavy fines. A properly operated road bike travelling at speeds of 35 to 50mph belongs on the road, not the sidewalk etc. where they will most likely encounter an unsuspecting pedestrian. As far as taking up the road: give me a break. They dont take up a lot of space, even running 2 or 3 wide, but the reason they dont hug the shoulder is that cars will still blow right by inches away.. So its a matter of ascerting that they are there and making more of a visual target for ppl to avoid. Bottom line is that they arent a nuisance, just takes a couple more seconds out of your day to get around them. I think its more the thought of them that chafes your ass, not the actual inconvenience, which is very little.
I have lived in the foothills outside of Denver for 22 years now. The road I live on, Deer Creek Canyon is a very popular route with recreational cyclists. The road is narrow and has a lot of switchbacks great in the 308, but bad for cars AND cyclists. I have never seen a cyclist get hurt on these roads, but I have seen at least 4 head on collisions with cars trying to avoid the bikers. Not cool. I believe in some case, like the road I live on, that bicycle riders should stay off these roads, not for their safety, but for the safety of cars going around blind corners, coming up on a biker, then swerving in the oncoming lane to avoid a hit, and risking a head on collision. One day, a cop was handing out tickets to cyclists going down the canyon at speeds in excess of 55MPH when the speed limit is 35 MPH.
Okay, please explain this for me. Last weekend I'm driving a 40-year old Ferrari on a two-lane country road. There are NO shoulders, and the speed limit is 65. I encountered several groups of shiny pants - pedal pushers riding two-abreast around blind corners. WTF am I supposed to do? I'm doing 65. They're doing 25. So am I supposed to slow down to 25? Am I supposed to cross over into the opposing lane? I don't mind sharing the road. But you guys are hogging the road. Dale
People don't commute to work in skin-tight jerseys with logos all over them. Also, I'm not sure if your familiar with some of the streets around here but the bikers I encountered this morning were on what amounts to a two-lane street (with cars parked on both sides). So in addition to the random pedestrians (who are so fond of just running out in front of me), other automobiles coming out of alley-ways and bus traffic blocking lanes, these guys decided to make it even more fun by choosing the worst time of the day to exercise? It's really not the bikes or the space that bothers me, it's the time of day which they pick to do this. If they can be tooling around at 9am then surely they have the ability to do it at 11 as well.
I do some road cycling. I quite enjoy it also. Whats wrong with being a road cyclist........ I have to get me a cyclist suit like that one day. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Honestly if that is the case, I would give a toot of the horn so they can squeeze over. In my experience if you give em the benefit of actually acknowleging their presence, they will move to the side in a tight squeeze. Of course there are always jerks, and in that case I would slowly move around them, as close as possible b/c I'd rather upset a cyclist then get hit head on. I know quite a few guys that commute in their jerseys But I live in DC where there is a VERY active biking community. Lots of trails etc. I'm personally a Mountain Biker 90% of the time but I know a lot of ppl that are road cyclists. In fact a lot of them dont have cars at all. However I do agree that if your just out to excersize, do it on off peak hours. The few times I do ride on the road, the less traffic the better. Nothing will tighten your sphincter faster than a Dodge 3500 blasting by you just 6 inches away.
A while back I watched a spandex wearing road cyclist complete with "extra long dildo helmet" speed up and cut off a car that was making a right turn, from the car's right side... then proceed to yell at the driver of the car for almost hitting him. If I was driving the car, I would have proceeded to drive forward over the ****ing idiot.
The main problem is that if you are cycling and try and help the flow of cars, there is almost always that one asshat in an SUV, with a mocha latte and cell phone that nearly kills you. ie, you try and stay as tight to the white line as possible to help the cars continue along. As a result of your helping, community oriented approach you are rewarded with being run off the road by some guy in a _____ (fill in SUV) who decides he should pass you on this barely two-lane back road while another car is coming from the opposite direction. This happens a few times and then you start riding out off the white to make sure no one pulls that on you, because you value your life higher than 10 seconds of this guy's time. The riding several abreast is over the line IMO, but it is a continuation of this thought process. This is exactly why I ride on rollers in my basement though nowadays. I haven't hit the street in almost a year, and I live in a relatively calm, suburban part of NJ. You just get tired of this crap. I'm not talking 9:00am in NYC here, my experiences are all 6:30am suburbs of NJ, or an occasional weekend afternoon ride. Riding during rush hour is asking for it though.
