I hate bicyclists.....

[retoocs]

You can blame Lance Dopestrong for that one.

[cactus]

Originally Posted by PMok

they have every right to be there, just like you. Yeah it's an inconvenience to have to slow down from your bitchin' touge run and pass them with care, but whatever, maybe the world doesn't revolve around me.

But they don't pay any road tax...

[PMok]

Originally Posted by cactus

But they don't pay any road tax...

Not sure if serious?

Unless you happen to run into some homeless foreign exchange student cyclist out there on the mountain path, I'm pretty sure these cyclists pay taxes. Most of them probably also own and drive cars. Even if they didn't what difference does it make?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[wheelhaus]

Everyone in this world feels entitled to do what they want, when they want, and how they want. That one lane mountain road? You want to use it as your personal asphalt ribbon for spirited driving. That cyclists wants it for his peaceful secluded ride in the hills, or to go with a buddy and hammer as hard as they can to see who's better. Sports car and bike meet, chaos ensues, each thinks the other guy is an asshole.

In this particular situation, even though he was probably cruising along completely ninja silent, you still opened the door right in front of him. I GUARANTEE he would have avoided your door if he had a choice or time to react. He was probably hugging the cars to avoid being hit by a moving car, only to be slammed by one that was actually stopped.

Shit like this pisses me off because cyclists and car enthusiasts BOTH get a bad name. We're always assholes from someone else's perspective.

I'm a cyclist as well, just not much into road bikes. I'm an extremely attentive rider, but still, some entitled/oblivious assholes in cars have caused too many close calls while riding my single speed, so its been collecting dust in the garage for a few years now. I stick to mountain biking.

As a cyclist, we get shit for EVERYTHING. We get shit for riding on the sidewalk. We get shit for riding on the edge of the lane. We get shit for riding past people on city paths. We get shit for riding in the BIKE LANE. We get shit thrown at us. We get shit for simply being on a bicycle. We like to ride, and honestly, we just try to avoid getting run over. Even with mountain biking, we have ZERO right of way and have to yield to everyone and everything, and are constantly losing trail access.

Some cyclists are real assholes, sure. They think they own the road and they're better than everyone. But so are some car guys. So are some motorcycle guys. I've seen all types. This doesn't apply to everyone, but a select minority that give the group a bad name. Just like cops, we've all met a few pricks, but many of us have met some real cool officers with a great sense of humor. Please don't make blanket statements that *fill in the blank* people are all d*ckeads by default. I'm NOT trying to call anyone out by this post, just trying to make a point about personal perspectives and stereotypes. Can't we all just get along?

[garfull]

this is so true. on an aside i can never understand why on trails people have to pick up dog shit but horses can drop huge f*kn loads all over the trail and there's nothing anyone can say or do about it.

Originally Posted by wheelhaus

we have ZERO right of way and have to yield to everyone and everything, and are constantly losing trail access.

with our busy self centered lives, people lose site that cars can be fixed but lives can never be replaced and even serious injuries cannot be undone.

[leicaboss]

Originally Posted by coyote

OP sent me PM asking what forum that was from.

Can someone more patient than I please explain it to him?

The use of the "s" instead of the "z" gives it away kinda

[SeanBlader]

To be fair, I will roll through a stop sign on my bike, after I make sure there's no doubt about the traffic situation. If I have any hint of doubt, like that guy just might not be signaling and planning to go where I am about to be, then heck yeah I'll slow down and stop if necessary. Realistically, if I have to put my foot down on my bicycle, it means some other driver is doing something wrong. Usually though in the one busy stop sign intersection I frequent when I bike commute I'll slow down and then go through the intersection beside a car who's going straight and he gets to be my blocker.

Stop lights, oh hell no. If it's quiet, as it often is in the early morning commute when I ride, then rather than wait for a car to show up and trip the sensor in my direction and rather than press the pedestrian walk sign to make cars stop for a terribly inordinate amount of time waiting for the light, then I'll stop, wait a few seconds looking for opposing traffic, and when I feel the opportunity is available without cars pointed at me for about a quarter mile, then I'll run the light. I do that out of courtesy to the drivers, I know what it's like stopping for a red light for no damn reason and would hate to do that to anyone.

Originally Posted by Gaiseric

I hate bicyclist that cant freaking stay on the sidewalk, no wonder you guys get hit by cars all the time.

Technically in most area's it's illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk. But of course you wouldn't be expected to know that.



Here's a guy who literally got a ticket for being out of the bike lane, so he brought some humor to the plight of cyclists.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzE-IMaegzQ"]bike lanes by Casey Neistat - YouTube[/ame]

And it's situations like this that illustrate why I have a bunch of lights and a GoPro on my bike.

[wheelhaus]

Originally Posted by SeanBlader

To be fair, I will roll through a stop sign on my bike, after I make sure there's no doubt about the traffic situation. If I have any hint of doubt, like that guy just might not be signaling and planning to go where I am about to be, then heck yeah I'll slow down and stop if necessary. Realistically, if I have to put my foot down on my bicycle, it means some other driver is doing something wrong. Usually though in the one busy stop sign intersection I frequent when I bike commute I'll slow down and then go through the intersection beside a car who's going straight and he gets to be my blocker.

Stop lights, oh hell no. If it's quiet, as it often is in the early morning commute when I ride, then rather than wait for a car to show up and trip the sensor in my direction and rather than press the pedestrian walk sign to make cars stop for a terribly inordinate amount of time waiting for the light, then I'll stop, wait a few seconds looking for opposing traffic, and when I feel the opportunity is available without cars pointed at me for about a quarter mile, then I'll run the light. I do that out of courtesy to the drivers, I know what it's like stopping for a red light for no damn reason and would hate to do that to anyone.

Bingo. Part of being on a bike (for enjoyment) is about momentum. I try to anticipate problems/situations, read traffic, and adjust my speed so I don't have to stop for more than a few seconds for lights and signs. Sometimes stopping is unavoidable. Being on a bike can be downright scary around rush hour; you really need to have your wits about you. Good cyclists know they're the ants-to-be-squished in the traffic game, but they still have rights and "cagers" need to be cognizant of that fact.

[BigFatFlip]

Most cyclists I "run into" (sorry, bad pun) on twisty roads are cool and courteous. I just hang back behind them, and they give me the wave over to pass when the coast is clear, specially on blind turns. I, in-turn, give them a friendly wave and honk. But then you get one or two "share the road" psychos that will hog the whole lane, which is funny and ironic in a way...

[Cjymiller]

I have two road bikes and a BRZ. Luckily I can fit a bike in the back of the BRZ and take it anywhere I want to ride. Please Please chill out around cyclists. The smart ones let you pass them if there is space to do so. They are at so much more risk than those of us in cars. If you take one out, not only are you injuring another person who enjoys the same bit of road has you, but you have to deal with all the legal stuff and injuries.

Nobody wins when cars and cyclists make contact.

[Cjymiller]

Baseball and lawsuits, both equally america's traditional past-time.

[wheelhaus]

Wow... you better lawyer up. Those are serious allegations.

[ZionsWrath]

Before I could drive I rode my bike everywhere. The one time I got hit with someones door when they flung it open without looking in their mirror, I got a nice cut on my elbow, but fuk em I kept going I hope that window repair bill was a good inconvenience.

Even before I drove cars I knew getting your car door hit while opening it was 100% the cars fault. Check your mirror when exiting the vehicle, it could have been worse and a car took off your door and your arm.

[SC David]

I use the city streets as both a cyclist and a motorist and I understand both sides of the equation. If you open your door into any passing vehicle, it's on you. Check your mirror and double check over your shoulder every time you're getting out. I've had numerous close calls with opening doors while cycling, and I don't even ride my bike THAT often. People just don't pay attention.

I know there are cyclists who blow red lights and stop signs, and who are generally looking for confrontation. There are plenty of drivers out there like that too. But for every bad apple, there are 100 good ones. You'll only remember the ones who raise your blood pressure though.

However in this case, unless the cyclist was literally scratching the paint off every door he passed with his handlebars, YOU'RE the one at fault, and you ruined his day and your own, not the other way around.