Cyclists are the bane of the planet

Hot thread! I sprint raced bikes competitively for a very short time. I built my own frames back in the day when Reynolds 531SL and 731 double butted steel and Campy grupos was state of the art. While perfectly within my rights to the road I stopped road biking when friends got hit and riders died. It is amazing to me that people would rather be "dead right" sucking smog riding in the city than finding better city exercise and saving the great experience of an awesome ride in a safe scenic location.

 

Rob encourage people to getting the law changed, yet you're OK with cyclists breaking the law. Many posts have stated that it's ok to run stop signs since "everybody does it". Regardless, I don't see how anyone could not agree that running red lights is extremely dangerous. I don't run stop signs, I most certainly do not run red lights. I don't have any problems with sharing the road with cyclists as long as they're civil and law abiding.

There's nothing more irritating than being stuck behind a cyclist for a long time, pass them and then have them pass you while you're waiting at the red light.

BTW in WA it is illegal for cyclists to be more than 2 wide. It is also illegal to slow down more than 5 vehicles behind you (car or cyclist).

I should add that I don't condone the spirit of harming others either.

 

Don't we motorists pay for road construction/maintenance with a tax on gasoline? How do cyclists pay for that portion of the roadway that they use? Maybe there should be an annual registration fee for bicycles used on public roads to have cyclists share the costs of the roadways they use. $500/year?

There's a busy street near where I live that was reduced from 4 lanes to two so that a bike lane in each direction could be added. Once a month or so I see a cyclist using the lane. But every frikkin day I see traffic lined up going up the hill behind the slowest vehicle, sometimes 15 mph, requiring those who want to enter from a side street to wait. And wait.

 

It's probably a joke of a ride to the real cyclists on this thread... but for me, this is a personal best on my 30# mountain bike with knobby tires. I left the house at 5:28am, with essentially no road traffic.

FWIW, I do not want to buy a lighter or faster bike! I don't want this to be easier -- in fact, I want it to be more difficult and provide a tougher workout.

(On the flip side, when I hear about folks riding at a 20mph average, my eyes bug out! That's crazy fast, IMHO).
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I have yet to meet a cyclist who doesn't own at least one car and pays the same road taxes that you pay.

 

I solved the issue of it being too easy of a workout by always riding fixed gear. Not many hills in the park obv. Now off to a ride and a new hour distance PB hopefully

 

We have quite a few cyclists in our area as we have nice scenic country roads. I will say they are never a problem, sometimes you have to take your time passing them due to the nature of a 2 lane country road with some blind turns, but otherwise they stay to the side and don't do anything crazy.

However, part of it being out in the country is probably that only more serious riders are out that far and take it seriously.

 

Daniel, I admire the sentiment of wanting your rides to be difficult/tough but believe me - you can have a difficult workout on a light, fast road bike too. You'll just be much faster.

If you ride mainly on paved roads, get a road bike. You will not regret it one bit. If you want to keep your options open, look at a Specialized Diverge - a new line of "go anywhere" road bikes.

 

"I have yet to meet a cyclist who doesn't own at least one car and pays the same road taxes that you pay."

I'll bet there's far more people who drive vehicles but don't ride bikes at all. Yet they are paying through gas taxes for the cyclists lanes, which constrict the flow of vehicular traffic.

 

That was a pretty infuriating read. So, "new car smell" and "undiagnosed sleep apnoea" are legitimate reasons to clear someone from a hit-and-run? Jesus. I thought I was reading something from theonion.com at first!

My only gripe with road bicyclists are when they take over the rural road 3-4 side by side. When I'm come around a blind corner, its not going to end well. I've had numerous close calls while driving and riding my motorcycle. Worst of all, when you finally do pass them, the have the nerve to be upset at you.. (albeit, I am generalizing here).

 

Guilty as charged.

When a car is riding my tail, you can rest assured I'm doing *everything* possible to get out of the way. I pedal as hard as f&*ing possible to get past whatever road constriction/obstacle exists, so the car can pass safely. It ought to be VERY clear to the motorist that I'm doing everything in my power to quickly move along, and they just need to calm the crap down.

When they finally do pass me (gunning the accelerator, of course) after basically turning me into a hood ornament for their stupid Suburban, you can be quite certain I'll gesture visibly.

Sorry, I am guilty of that stereotype.

 

I suspect most cyclists on the road try to pick a route that is less-traveled by cars, certainly when out for a weekend "pleasure" ride. I sure do. When I ride to work, the ride is 3-4 miles longer than my drive.

I honestly don't have any problem at all with cyclists when I drive. Sure I come up on the occasional group and have to slow, but that's also generally on a scenic secondary road and I am not in a hurry. When I really need to get from point A-B quickly I select interstates, tollways and primary roads that rarely have cyclists on them. If you are on a twisty, narrow secondary road you either (1) did that on purpose and just need to chill and accept that it is going to have all kinds of things to slow you (e.g. disabled cars, wildlife, cyclists, slow "Sunday" drivers); or (2) you live in or are visiting a more remote area and ought to build into your psyche the acceptance that things just won't happen fast.

I am with Rob that some effort to segregate bikes and cars is a great idea, but for now in most places a bicycle is a "vehicle" with all the rights and obligations of a car, so use your ire and energy to change the law, not think about how great it is when bicyclists get hurt.

 

Our group rides primarily through country roads outside of town, but it is an area that is experiencing growth in residential development. The problem it creates is added commuter traffic on country lanes that were designed for the farmers to get their produce to market.

Most of the traffic we have encountered has been considerate, but you will always have that gem of a driver, usually in a souped-up turbo diesel roar past blowing black smoke at you just for fun.

I sometimes get a little leery as the group thins-out, as we don't have near as many problems when riding 10+ as we do in 2s and 3s. Most of the accidents and incidents of riders being hit in our area come when riding alone or with less than 2 others. Fewer witnesses makes it easier for a disgruntled driver to exact their revenge.

Trust me, you do not want to get hit out here!!
You could be laying on the side of the road an hour before being noticed.

Those that have come on here with their expressed delight in the vengeful harming of cyclists can kiss my a$$.

 

Cycling is very popular around here. For the most part I don't have any issues with cyclists, but it does seem like they choose the narrowest road with the most blind corners and no shoulder.

There was a large group ride on Sunday while I was out on my motorcycle. There had to be at least 50 cyclists riding together. It was an absolute pain in the ass. The roads are very narrow so cars got scared to pass.

I was always a bigger fan of riding on dirt than the street myself.
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You don't appear to fit the stereotype. And while you seem to be the model cyclist, I assure you, you are the minority.

Maybe I will get my experiences on GoPro video to illustrate my point. The "brothers-in-arms brigade" stay in formation for miles with no attempt to pass each other and show courtesy towards vehicular traffic.

Edit - here's a version of what I'm describing:
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAcbHlyqDDs[/ame]

 

This guy, magnatom, is from Glasgow, Scotland. He's probably the world's angriest cyclist and often puts up YouTube videos to publicly shame car drivers he perceives as having slighted him and he'll often confront them on video. However, he also captures videos of other cyclists misbehaving:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU73TdRtfys[/ame]

He seems shocked by it, but this sort of behaviour is very normal in the UK. The general image of cyclists is that they expect car users to obey the rules of the road and watch out for them, but that they themselves are not required to obey the same rules as the cars (e.g. traffic lights, intersections, lanes, etc...). Unfortunately, responsible/predictable cyclists are few and far between in the UK.

All the best,
Andrew.

 

Wow quite a thread. Certainly not giving on Ferrari owners as its apparent that a lot of you are actual cyclists or at least decent humans. I might have overreacted to some of the initial anti cycling posts.


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Then we're in violent agreement. I feel like 80% of cyclists are not law abiding based on my observations, you probably have a different view since you practice the sport.

I am really sorry that you had to go through the terrible experience you did and that this thread brings back some of those unpleasant memories.

 

This is exactly my gripe.

 

I did not see anything wrong with this video. They were riding two abreast as the law permits and were not taking over the entire lane. Did they slow traffic? Of course they did, they don't have a V8 powering the bicycle. If that's what you are complaining about you don't have any legal standing.
A little patience and understanding goes a long way.

 

I must say I am surprised by some of the comments here, though living out in suburbs bicyclists are a very common sight. I have never had an issue with them, and have never been in that much of a hurry that giving them a few minutes to ride (until I can find a safe situation to pass) has never been a problem for me. I will say in the world of eating, drinking, putting on makeup, fixing hair, and texting while driving, I have seen quite a few close calls, and some that did not end well for the person on the bike. Lets face it when a car and a bike have a collision, the bike is going to get the worst of it, and I have seen some riders make some foolish decisions while riding, I assume they forget that fact about bike vs car. I used to ride (though I was a mountain biker) but old age and joint damage in my wrist from Arthritis has now forced me on to one of those comfort bikes and I do not ride on public roads. Bikers have a right to ride (and if that helps keep the air cleaner (like electric cars), well than more power to them. One of the first things I learned as a driver was to be on the defense, keep your eyes on the road and everything around you. I never forgot that.

 

I've certainly had my close calls with cyclists, mostly the crazy bike messenger guys in the city, but the calls for violence are pretty ridiculous. I wonder if any of the angry people in this thread live in Minneapolis?? Minnesota Bicyclists Are Being Targeted With Cement Bricks