Cyclists - the other OTHER jerks

[ry-mac75]

Anyone else have issues with idiots on bikes? I live in downtown Toronto and next to nobody obeys the rules of the road on a huffy. They make me crazy.

Today's example: I was pulling through an intersection - the light had just turned green, I get 75% way through and some jack ass on a bike, carrying a bag of potatoes or something over his shoulder, just lolly gags THROUGH the light... going the wrong way... coming OFF the sidewalk. I almost obliterated him because, well, who expected a guy, on a bike, going the wrong way, entering from the sidewalk, to blow a red light... slowly.

I hate them ALL.

 

[bmw675]

around here they always complain that they have the same rights as vehicles.
they will ride on the road, share, but when it comes to stop lights/intersections, then they are 'only pedestrians' and go right through them, than they become 'equals' again.

we had over 100 miles of bike trails within the county alone. yet they will ride on the side of the road instead of the trail (blacktop 8' wide) that is 10 feet across the ditch going the same way.

i must admit, i have a road/race bike but i try to stay on the trails and even then im always looking behind me incase someone is coming up on my, but thats not the norm around here.

 

[JonKerr]

Oh you're going to get me started. I can't stand most of them. They treat the twisty back roads like there's no other vehicles on them. And they're unpredictable. They'll suddenly weave to the left without warning. Whenever I come up behind them I beep my horn just so they know I'm coming. More times than not I get a middle finger flipped at me for being nice and warning them. And these idiots are the worst. Hauling ass down the road in the middle of the lanes on blind corners where they know there are tons of sportbikes. Morons!!!!

Then if there's an accident involving a motorcycle and a cyclist, the motorcycle is the one being berated for being a reckless driver. :rant::banghead:

I'm a mountain biker myself. Love riding a bike. But IMO, riding a road bike on the street is far more dangerous that riding a motorcycle. You have a lot of the same vulnerabilities, but no motor to get you out of trouble.

 

[toddjcruz]

I have mixed view about them, as I too cycle. But the more 'serious' the cyclist, the more attitude they have. Of course, I try not to lump them in, because I know from talking with my non motorcyle riding people that they feel the same way about sportbike riders. Just take a handful to ride like a jerk to give us all the same bad rap.

So, next time anyone's riding a wheelie down the freeway or zipping in and out of traffic on the freeway doing 30+ mph faster than the rest of the world, just remember that we all take the image hit!

At least when we are all in our riding gear, we don't look like some odd spandex covered nut case.

 

[geko]

Hauling ass down the road in the middle of the lanes on blind corners where they know there are tons of sportbikes. Morons!!!!

Where should they be ?

 

[DragonBlu]

They should be right where they are at. Cages don't like us-we don't like cyclists? Everyone has there right to the road and we all need to learn tolerance. My wife rides her horse down the highway. I would never do that or ride a bicycle down the highway(too dangerous for me),but I tolerate them all.

 

[pyrocpu]

You have a lot of the same vulnerabilities, but no motor to get you out of trouble.

Or armor, for that matter...

 

[JonKerr]

Where should they be ?

They should be on the right shoulder, especially on those blind corners. Not hugging the double yellow line. They're doing about 20mph down that hill and guys in cars and bikes are doing 40+. By the time you see them, you have to panic brake to keep from hitting them. If they'd stay to the right like they should there wouldn't be an issue.

 

[dart1963]

at least they are on the right side of the road... can't stand it when I see some idiot riding against traffic.....

 

[Detrich]

i think that pedestrians generally follow the rules of the road better than road cyclists...

:shrugs:

 

[juicyfruitjim]

Cyclists in SF are awful. They want all the rights and none of the rules.

 

[geko]

They should be on the right shoulder, especially on those blind corners. Not hugging the double yellow line. They're doing about 20mph down that hill and guys in cars and bikes are doing 40+. By the time you see them, you have to panic brake to keep from hitting them. If they'd stay to the right like they should there wouldn't be an issue.

Respectfully I ride a road bike (mountain bike and motorbike). I doubt they're doing 20mph down a hill. On my 17lbs Carbon Fiber road bike I cruise at 20-25mph on the flat, descending a good hill I will be doing 35-45mph. I can get round some of the tighter bends faster on my bike than I can in my car and I'll use a similar line for down hill corners that I'd take on the motorbike. Going up the hill I'll be under 10mph and and tucked into the nearside.

Fair enough you may get some dick head wobbling down the hill at 20mph but I can't see your average road cyclist doing that.

As long as they ARE on their side of the line and you ARE on your side what's the problem? Biggest thing I have to look out for is Cagers cutting right handers (in the UK) all to regularly and often it's not even because they're going too fast - just lazy.

If you have to panic brake to avoid hitting them you're going too fast for the conditions, you should be able to stop in the distance you can see, and worse, you already know to expect them so you should be prepared to find them there.

Pete

 

[dart1963]

Oh you're going to get me started. I can't stand most of them. They treat the twisty back roads like there's no other vehicles on them. And they're unpredictable.

I've heard the same thing said about us sportbikers....

Have to somewhat agree with you and Geko, on one hand, back when I road bicycles... I always was aware and got off the road as much as possible for cars to pass, I wouldn't ride and hug the edge though, I needed to leave myself room for potholes/gravel and everything else.... I did still have a right to be there (but knowing my speed, I knew I needed to get over as a courtesy).... but if someone is riding a "blind curve" to where they have to stop quickly/possibly dangerously close to hitting a bicyclist (who may very well be on the edge of the road)... they haven't left themselves the 20% needed for stuff like that... blind curves are always unpredictable.

I don't think this thread was about where they are on the road though, more that there are those who want the right to be on the road, but don't think they have to obey traffic laws (like the idiots here who ride on the wrong side of the road, use crosswalks when it's convenient to avoid red lights...etc.)

 

[Stephenfz6r]

One of the big problems that cyclist make is not stopping or even slowing for stop signs. A women paid the ultimate price for her mistake in our town this summer at a stop sign. Yet still the cyclists continue to ignore the stop signs signs. The large groups that travel especially on week ends drive like they own the road. The cops could have field day with tickets if they ever decided to crack down on the cyclists reckless driving. I wonder what these cyclist think when they are in their cars and see other cyclist driving like idiots. Hopefully they have signed their organ donor cards.

 

[Blue-Sun]

What gets me upset (polite word used)... is when the cyclists won't get in line (single file), so you can pass them. They will ride side by side, going uphill and around curves, forcing anyone in a car to get backed up behind them at 10mph or less. I don't understand why they can't get in a single file line if they see vehicles behind them. There are some area where passing them on a double yellow line is difficult and dangerous, not to mention illegal. I don't understand the mentality as to why they can't be courteous and move over and allow vehicles to pass.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[gearhead]

What gets me upset (polite word used)... is when the cyclists won't get in line (single file), so you can pass them. They will ride side by side, going uphill and around curves, forcing anyone in a car to get backed up behind them at 10mph or less. I don't understand why they can't get in a single file line if they see vehicles behind them. There are some area where passing them on a double yellow line is difficult and dangerous, not to mention illegal. I don't understand the mentality as to why they can't be courteous and move over and allow vehicles to pass.

Just my 2 cents...

I have encountered that situation a lot. I keep my cool but will shout out "Nice way to share the road (a@@holes)" as I pass.

 

[Spunky99]

I have encountered that situation a lot. I keep my cool but will shout out "Nice way to share the road (a@@holes)" as I pass.

You mean you don't carry a water pistol filled with ammonia in your cage just for road bikes that hog the road?

 

[gearhead]

You mean you don't carry a water pistol filled with ammonia in your cage just for road bikes that hog the road?

Ha ha, that's a great a great idea. But no, I just rest in knowledge that Karma's a bitch and they will get theirs... whether by carma, busma, truckma, etc...

Bad pun (like all puns) and not very clever, I apologize.

 

[Spunky99]

Ha ha, that's a great a great idea. But no, I just rest in knowledge that Karma's a bitch and they will get theirs... whether by carma, busma, truckma, etc...

Bad pun (like all puns) and not very clever, I apologize.

Hmmmm.....Soapy water to spray on their tires to make them flop on the ground?
Liquid A$$ to make them stink...all from a water pistol...non-toxic, non-lethal and easy to ditch the evidence that costs almost nothing....

 

[ry-mac75]

This video is pretty much exactly what i mean... here an old guy walks out on to a one way street... and a cyclist is going down it the wrong way and hits him... note the attitude by the cyclist.

Biker Collides Head-On With Old ManVideo