Bicycle shorts

[b4uqzme]

It's cycling season again. You'd think that those tight shorts would squeeze MORE blood up to their brains. But I can tell you, from my vast experiences living near to a national park filled with popular bike trails, that isn't so. Just sayin'.

So be careful out there folks. It's up to us to watch out for numbskulls...as they ain't looking out for us.

[TheTman]

People on bicycles can be some real self righteous jerks. Some don't mind tying up traffic and riding in the middle of the lane to keep cars from passing, and get mad if you don't pull completely into the other lane when passing them. And then think nothing of riding on the side of the road past all the cars at a stop light to get back in front and tie up traffic again. If you want to be treated like a car, then stop at the back of the line. Don't pick and choose when you want to be treated like a bicycle or a car. Stick to one or the other. When riding on the passenger side, I've been known to open my car door to keep them from riding by if they've been a pain in the butt about tying up traffic.

[b4uqzme]

^^^ thanks for joining my rant.

[b4uqzme]

Today a whole patillion (or whatever you call it) pulled up to a 4 way stop and literally just stopped to chat and socialize. Meanwhile there are cars backing up at all 4 stop signs... simply oblivious.

[ltxi]

Really think they were oblivious??

I've never done stuff like the above on a pedal powered two wheeler.

[b4uqzme]

^^^ you might be right. Maybe I give them too much credit. Maybe this group were just a$$holes.

[Pteridine]

My better half and I ride the rails-to-trails bike and hiking trails as the traffic and hills are such that we do not want to deal with them [see the Dirty Dozen Bike Race https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK8MhLihFlg.] We ride a Trek tandem cruiser with FA saddles and cruise at a moderate pace.
We have gripes with the clueless and the fantasizers. The clueless are the four friends and dogs that insist on walking side by side and blocking the trail. They seem not to care as they chat and meander about. We accidentally ran over a dog's paw and caught hell, even though we were calling out and ringing a cycle bell we were ignored. The dog wasn't reined in and got clipped. Owner problem.
Then, there are the clueless folks that have to play music in their ears no matter what they are doing. These people are lost in the noise and eventually will get hit by a bus that they didn't hear but in the meantime, they test our maneuverability skills and sorely tempt me to provide a warning head slap.
Finally, we have those living in their own realities. Carbon fiber bike, spandex outfit, 'alien' helmet, clip shoes, Tour de France yellow shirt, intense look, completely mute, illiterate [can't read speed limit signs], and no $5 bell to offset the muteness. So when we are overtaken by these douchebags who are stealthily clipping along the trail at 30+ mph, it is a dangerous surprise.
I have recently discovered that the little CW 380 fits nicely in our cycling gear for those occasions when the trail is not populated and a geezer and geezette on a tandem might be seen as victims....

[Bawanna]

It ain't just bicycle trails inhabited by these sub species. I see em at the grocery store, Wally World, Cabela's, all over.

On both ends of it too, we got a lot of bicycle riders that ride up and down our valley, come from all over. It's relatively flat but the country road is also very narrow with no shoulders and no places to turn out.
They have events a few times a year where the may be 20 or 30 bikes strung out along the road, kind of tough for folks in cars to get around especially if they are inconsiderate as many are.

I show plenty of mercy for the folks that ride the fog line single file, the ones that ride 3 or 4 abreast and think they have the right away are fair game and receive little sympathy.

The even taught this in therapy when I first became a wheelchair user. Said you'll encounter folks that will bend over backwards to get out of your way, help you, want to follow you around and reach high shelves etc.
You'll also encounter just the opposite, those that could care less if you can't get by, they were there first, the world is their oyster and you need to go find your own beach. I actually see this at work even. Co workers chatting in the aisle, blocking a door, grouped up at the front desk and ignore me. I never wait, never ask to get by, I just turn around circle the block and find another path.

Also some folks are like me, deaf as a stump so when we're rolling along the sidewalk and folks want to pass on their bike or running or whatever and say stuff like passing on the left, (usually cause I stay in the right lane) I usually don't hear them at all even though I don't have ear buds or nothing. Actually I'm not into sound much anymore, cept gunshots, bout the only thing loud enough to pick up with any certainty.

I share the world with everybody that wants to act hospitable and human, if they are on a higher plane, might have to scrap em off at the next truck stop.

[muggsy]

If a little toot of the horn doesn't get their attention I give them a little nudge with the front bumper of my Grand Marquis. That usually works.

[CJB]

In my locale, we have designated bicycle lanes, which are routinely ignored by any avid cyclist. And then, they get all huffy about any sort of interaction with a car that they feel has "infringed on their God give right to use going and coming lanes in an attempt to snarl all traffic".

Fortunately, I drive a motorcycle.

I've had my share of run in's with these idiots, gently corralling them back into their legally prescribed area of transit on the road. I dunno, but think my exhaust puts out something like 125dB or so. By Harley standards, its a loud bike. Very loud. And it puts out a lot of air volume on the exhaust. A few blips will keep them in check.

One skinny swish of a bicycler got all huffy in a sort of Paul Lynde/Liberace sort of way about six months ago.

I think he's probably got his spokes straightened out by now.

[sas PM9]

CJB:

I see what you did there. . . "Huffy", nice play on words.

-steve

[b4uqzme]

I still ride the hikey bikey trails as my hardcore MTB days are long over. But I'm beginning to feel a lot about those as I'm starting to feel about public shooting ranges...too many clueless. I'm all about freedom and everyone being able to do what they want. But we also have the freedom to be respectful, courteous and aware...no?

[340pd]

I tried a pair of those spandex shorts once and my wife told me I looked like I was trying to smuggle a bunch of grapes across the border.

[ltxi]

I tried a pair of those spandex shorts once and my wife told me I looked like I was trying to smuggle a bunch of grapes across the border.

Me like dat one a bunch...

[ScottM]

Fortunately, I drive a motorcycle.

This puzzles me - nearly every motorcyclist I know is empathetic with the plight of bicyclists because it's usually WE who are reviled by cagers for riding too slow, too fast, without a helmet, in too big a group, not being visible enough and so on.

After volunteering to escort race-for-the-{cancer}-cure Pelotonia riders last year, I see these guys and gals in a different light. Sure, some are pricks like a lot of bikers and cagers, but that doesn't mean the whole set should be subjected to road rage or passive-aggressive disdain.

Seems pretty hypocritical to me - to demand respect for owning a gun and loud pipes but have zero tolerance for spandex and lycra.