fooger03

iTrader: (2)

Bicycle does not equal motorcycle. I'll gladly share the road with a cyclist as long as I don't also have to share the same stretch of road with another car, in which case, the cyclist should be riding on the jagged edge of asphalt to make sure he's got plenty of room when I drive by with my driver's side mirror hanging over the double yellow. Cyclists who ride primary 2-lane roads during high traffic periods get little sympathy from me. Cyclists who ride side-by-side on primary 2-lane roads w/o a bicycle lane at any time of the day should be cited.

Just my opinion.

skidude

iTrader: (3)

You should not be trying to pass a cyclist when it would be unsafe to pass any other vehicle. If there is another car coming, WAIT, then pass. It's rude, dangerous, and illegal to pass a bicyclist in the way you have described.

FWIW, I usually ride with one or two other people, and we are ALWAYS single-file when there is a car within sight of us, and it is amazing how many ******** create dangerous situations because they're too stupid or impatient to wait the extra 10 seconds for a clear spot, or to crest the blind hill. I have witnessed hundreds of near head-ons because of these dim-wits.

pusha

iTrader: (5)

I have a diesel truck, I enjoy engulfing large groups of cyclists with unburnt fuel

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

We have this armstrong spandex looking ***** here.. The dude rides his bike at 8am rush hour.. The street is a 2 lane small road with lots of traffic on it at rush hour times however the right lane also has parked cars here and there. There's also a full size 6 foot wide sidewalk on the one side. I've cought this bastard many many times on my day to work. Dude rides in the middle of the right lane. When theres a car parked he goes in the middle of the other lane between cars with no respect for traffic at all. When theres a light he cuts between the cars to the front.

Its funny you guys compare a bicycle a motorcycle.. Well here in Chicago it's illegal to split lanes yet bicycles do it all the time..Also you can get a ticket for blocking traffic which again bicycles do all the time. Also most bicycle riders don't have any blinkers or use hand signs for changing lanes and again they do it all the time. If a motorcycle has no tail light.. he'll get cited yet bicycles don't get cited. There's plenty of reasons why a bike is not a motorcycle. A scooter will get cited if they are not going fast enough on a high speed limit road yet again bicyclists get by.

If there's no sidewalk stay on the road but otherwise.. keep your butt on the sidewalk. Sure i wont ram your rear tire and harm your life but would i feel bad about a honk at your for being a *****? Hell naw.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

in for cyclists ranting about how pedestrians on the sidewalk wont walk in the dirt for them.

pusha

iTrader: (5)

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Have you seen my tires? I'm running the equivalent of RA1s on this bike. It'll wheelie pretty easily, but so far, the only burnout I've done was in the living room, which was completely accidental and left quite a bit of rubber in the nice, clean berber carpet. I'm still trying to get it all out.


Yeah, that one's starting to annoy the hell out of me too. We seem to get a lot of people who jog in the bike lane, despite the fact that there is a perfectly good sidewalk right next to them. I haven't hit one of 'em yet, but I do make a deliberate effort to pass them as fast as possible, and with as little clearance as possible. I'm tempted to install a little stick poking out from the right side of the bike just so I can clip joggers with it.


I had to do a bit of research to find out the appropriate collective noun (eg, swarm, herd, etc) to describe a large number of competitive cyclists travelling as a group. They are called a peloton of cyclists.

The term "chain gang" is also commonly used, however it sounds less arrogant and smug than peloton.

This phenomenon does occur from time to time around here, though usually only on the weekends.




Yeah, it's a tough situation.

Cyclists, in my opinion, are to an extent disadvantaged by the fact that the law treats them preferentially in many ways. While it's true that a cyclist does have the legal grounds to occupy a full lane of traffic, doing so indiscriminately can be disadvantageous not only to their own safety, but to the public perception of cyclists as a whole. Only a fool fights in a burning house.

When crossing a short two-lane bridge, for instance, I have absolutely no problem with a cyclist occupying the full lane. It's the safest position to be in, and if done properly should cause minimal inconvenience to motorists.

But what about when traversing a long stretch of two-lane road with no bike lane? Well, technically the rider is within his right to occupy a full traffic lane and hold up a hundred cars behind him. Doing so will **** of said drivers, and increase the chance that they will pass the cyclist unsafely. Worse, in my opinion, is for the cyclist to ride on "the jagged edge of asphalt." This is where all of the road debris winds up, it's where you're most likely to encounter gravel or breaks in the pavement, and it requires a high degree of attention to avoid going over the edge (or hitting the curb), especially as cars are whizzing by.

The intelligent cyclist simply avoids that road entirely.

We've got a ton of narrow, windy, two-lane roads around here. I love driving on them, but I'd be terrified to cycle on them. And in fact we do have a lot of cyclists who ride them, exposing themselves to the risk of harm and making life a lot more annoying for me in the process. So knowing how much they scare me as I'm driving my relatively narrow and maneuverable car, I can't imagine trading places with them as someone less attentive than myself pilots a minivan down that road with three screaming toddlers in the back.

So I don't.

Frankly, it's not that hard. The location of my office doesn't change much from day to day (except for when we have particularly severe earthquakes), and thus the path of my commute is pretty much fixed. I've simply selected a path (a couple of them, actually) to and from work which avoid roads which I consider to be less than optimal in terms of rider safety, and with a bias for those roads which I know to have lighter traffic at the times of the day when I'm on them.


It's just basic logic, but of course it does require turning down the ego **** a tad, which doesn't seem to be a skill that some cyclists have mastered.

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

You don't see me driving on the sidewalk during rush hour do ya?

fooger03

iTrader: (2)

I tried finding a picture of a line of traffic stuck behind a single cyclist. I was going to post it and say something along the lines of: "I see this sight often enough at rush hour that I consider it to be a problem."

More often than I really care to think about without roid raging, I'm the 15th car in a line of cars stuck behind a single cyclist doing 12mph at rush hour on a 55mph two-lane road with heavy use in both directions. At what point does the idea "impeding the flow of traffic" trump the idea "don't pass me unless it's safe to pass another car"?

It looks like 13 states actually have laws regarding passing bicycles - of all 13, only one of those states actually require the driver of the automobile to pass with more than 3 feet of clearance. In new hampshire, you are required to leave a minimum of 3 feet unless you are passing at more than 30mph, in which case, you must add one foot of clearance for each 10mph vehicle speed.

This means that 37 states (and the district of columbia) have no laws regarding "safe distance" for passing cyclists.

To give you an example, a Ford Expedition is about 6.5 feet wide. An typical traffic lane is about 11 feet wide. If the Expedition driver hangs his driver's side mirror over the double yellow, he leaves 2.5 feet of lane width for the bicyclist. If we calculate the distance from tire-line to outside of the handlebar at 18 inches (which is an obvious over-measurement), this leave the cyclist with a one-foot width of roadway to work with, which is more than sufficient for any non-novice cyclist not traveling uphill. Chances are, the cyclist will also have between 6 and 18 inches of paved shoulder to work with, which could get the cyclist almost entirely out of the traffic lane assuming 18" is half the bike width. There is no restriction on how fast a vehicle may travel to pass a bicycle with the exception of the new hampshire law posted above.

A toyota corolla (the most average sedan in existence) is nearly a foot narrower.

Some lanes with reduced traffic are 10 feet wide, or as little as 9 feet wide in older areas with low speed limits (think brick-road historic downtown areas).

I'm not going to blow by a cyclist in the right lane at 60mph - that's just stupid IMO, but suggesting that I can't pass a cyclist at 30 or 40 mph on a 55mph road in my 5 1/2 foot wide average sedan in heavy traffic is silly to me.

y8s

iTrader: (8)

a motorist (and lets say cyclist here too) usually has to give way to a line-up of cars behind them when it reaches at least 5. otherwise they are obstructing traffic.

if there are 13 cars, the cyclist should get his *** off the road and let you all by and then continue to block the road as s/he wishes.

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

Well its even more stupid for a cyclist to be in the middle of a lane of a 55mph speed limit highway.

Per basic bicycle road rules of illinois, "bicyclists must not occupy road lane with speed limit higher than 30mph".

rleete

iTrader: (21)

Did I say I ran anyone off the road? I was refering to the ***** who ride down the center of the lane, because "they have the same rights as cars". Those are the ones I pass within an inch or so.

You get to the side along the white line, and I'll give you a reasonable bearth as I pass. SHARE the road, and you get respect. Try to own it, and I will crowd your *** over.

triple88a

iTrader: (2)

Traffic Laws for Bicyclists

Maryland's traffic laws apply to bicycles and motor scooters. (TR § 21-1202)
A bicycle may not carry a passenger unless it is specifically designed for and equipped with a seat for each passenger. (TR § 21-1203)
Bicycles, motor scooters and EPAMDs are not permitted on any roads where the speed limit is more than 50 miles per hour or higher. (TR § 21-1205.1)
A person riding a bicycle shall ride as close to the right side of the road as practicable and safe, except when:
Making or attempting to make a left turn;
Operating on a one-way street;
Passing a stopped or slower moving vehicle;
Avoiding pedestrians or road hazards;
The right lane is a right turn only lane; or
Operating in a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle to travel safely side-by-side within the lane (TR § 21-1205)·
Where there is a bike lane, a person must use those and not ride a bicycle or motor scooter in the roadway except: (TR § 21-1205.1)
If passing safely cannot be done within the bike lane or shoulder;
When preparing for a left turn; o To avoid hazards;
When the bike lane is also a right turn or merge lane.
A person riding a bicycle or motor scooter may not cling to any vehicle on the roadway. (TR § 21-124)
A motor scooter may not be operated at a speed in excess of 30 mph. (TR § 21-1205.1)
An EPAMD may not be operated at a speed in excess of 15 mph. (TR § 21-1205.1)
A person cannot carry anything that prevents them from keeping both hands on the handlebars or that interferes with the view or balance of their bicycle, motor scooter, or EPAMD. (TR § 21-1206)
A bicycle, motor scooter, or EPAMD may not be secured to a fire hydrant; a pole, meter, or device in a bus or taxi-loading zone; a pole, meter, or device within 25 feet of an intersection; or where it would obstruct or impede traffic. (TR § 21-1206)
A person may not ride a bicycle, motor scooter, or EPAMD while wearing a headset or earplugs that cover both ears. (TR § 21-12010)

rleete

iTrader: (21)

A bunch of us are railing against bicyclists. I tend to believe that for the majority of us, and the vast majority of riders, there is simply no conflict. They stay over so you can pass, and you do so without incident. We all probably pass several bikers this way each day it is nice enough to ride. Hell, the neighborhood kids are all out riding their bikes in the center of the street right now. But they know to get off the road when a car comes.

It's the "I'm saving the planet" types that create the problems. The same type who drive a Prius in the fast lane, and won't get over. Yeah, you can feel all smug and superior and still get the hell out of the way.

This is Joe's thread about his bike. Are any of us suggesting that Joe is one of those types? That we'd have a problem with him? After all, it was his own statement "Bicyclists are dicks." that started us all ranting. It's a small minority that creates the bad press for all. The story of America: one self-entitled jerk ruins things for everyone.

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

Huh, well that kinda killed the momentum of the thread. And just when I was enjoying the debate.

rleete, you have violated Wheaton's Law. For that you get a sad kitty:






And now, an open letter to the woman who was in front of me in the checkout line at Target this evening:


As I rolled up to the bike rack, there was another e-bike already there. A tattered old road bike (I believe "vintage" is the politically-correct term) which had been converted with a Magic Pie hub. Not the best of setups, but certainly workable. And a reasonably clean wiring job to boot. Mine would easily win in any race, but this one had a certain charm about it.

"What an interesting bike." And then a shudder. You'll recall that the last time I encountered another e-bike at a retail establishment, my battery blew up 15 minutes later.


I went inside, gathered up the three items which I'd come in for, and proceeded to the express checkout line. Only one customer in front of me, and with only a couple of items.

"Could you tell me the price on this?" she asked of one. "Oh, no. I think I'll leave that," she said, apparently shocked that Target would have the temerity to charge a whole seven dollars for a pair of shoes. "Oh no, that was on sale for 99 cents," when a can of soup rang up for $1.19.

"Funny," I thought to myself. "The homeless and indigent certainly seem to be dressing well these days."

Eventually all six of her items had been painstakingly passed over the checkout, heralding the start of Coupon Time. How one hundred and forty-seven coupons can possibly be used for six items escapes me, but one by one the nickels and quarters were deducted from the tally, until it was finally time to pay.

In exact change.

In coin.

Drawn from an old, plastic jar that looked once to have contained peanut butter.

"Somewhere there must be a wishing well that has been swept clean."


After I'd finally checked out and was walking out the door, I saw the rider of the aforementioned road bike speed off in front of me. An attractive young blonde woman, thin and tall with short-cropped hair and tight-fitting jeans. A chance encounter which was lost for the sake of two minutes, or about the amount of time required to extract $8.37 from a jar entirely in pennies, nickels and dimes.


Fuсk you, woman in the checkout stand in front of me.




I took a new path home- long, hilly, and back-woodsey. Or at least, as back-woodsey as it's possible to get in a suburban development full of $1m homes spaced six and a half inches apart. Learned a couple of lessons:

• Slick tires suck on loose, dry sand.
• In some neighborhoods, the trails which run behind the property have wooden logs placed across the path at regular intervals, presumably by aѕsholes who wish to discourage cyclists from using them, yet lack the common decency to erect a sign at the entrance to the trail which reads "Attention Cyclists: the homeowners association in this neighborhood is comprised of aѕsholes who have laid wooden logs across this path to prevent you from comfortably riding on it. Please go away and take your healthy and environmentally-friendly mode of transport with you."

11.5 miles and 4.45 Ah consumed, for 19.9 watt-hours per mile (Yes! I got it under 20!) Theoretical range at this consumption should be 29.7 miles, and that includes some *serious* hills. My legs feel like rubber ****** right now.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

Joe Perez

iTrader: (8)

I'm not a blog kind of person.

I mean, I'm vaguely aware that they exist, and I suppose that in some ways my own ramblings could be construed as loosely meeting the definition of one, but when a Google search turns up a link to something which is clearly identifiable from the results page as a blog, I tend to pass right over it without giving it a second thought.

Nevertheless, while I was searching Google Images for a picture of an overweight, middle-aged Dora (don't ask), I happened across the blog of some lady in Portland who is apparently a perpetual grad student and seems to share my sense of humor. And I'm ashamed to admit that I spent some time browsing. Which is how I came across the folloing post that gave me a pretty good laugh:




TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2012

Gone With the Schwinn



Ah, June in Portland. A time when the undergrads slink quietly from my beloved campus, a time when Gordon Ramsey returns to my television thrice weekly for my entertainment, and a time when the hipsters exchange their Urban Outfitter’s flannels for their ironic 80’s themed tees. Although our weather continues to suck worse than an Amish whοre until about mid-July, Portlanders are still eagerly clambering to the Waterfront every weekend for Farmer’s Markets, hemp festivals, and Save the Dyslexic Albino Nutria rallies. June is also known as ‘Pedalpalooza’ in P-Town (try saying that ѕhit five times fast) with over 250 organized bike rides throughout the city.*



*According to Bicycling Magazine, Portland ranks #1 in America's most Bike Friendly Cities (suck it, Seattle!)

These bike rides are a mecca for Portland hipsters, as, let’s be honest here: extreme sports like rock-climbing and road racing are usually played by suburban, middle-class white kids. This is in no small part due to the fact that the equipment involved is expensive, the activities often require costly trips to random locations and, unfortunately, if you're growing up in Northeast Portland, the mere act of walking to school is no doubt extreme enough.

Although I shriek like Fran Dresher with her hand stuck in a blender at the thought of any physical exertion or discomfort, and I am not a cyclist by any vague stretch of the imagination. . .*

*Umm, drag my soggy **** through the rain with some banana seat giving me a wedgina? I think not. And the helmets? Oh, Bitch, please.

. . .I am oddly fascinated by these urban road warriors. I love how they are willing to risk their lives on the roads of Portland each day whilst surrounded by Jurassic SUV’s piloted by hyper-caffeinated, multi-tasking asshats such as myself.*

*My ability to simultaneously consume a breakfast burrito while applying undereye concealer at a speed of 65 MPH is the stuff of legends.

But don’t get me wrong, I can be pretty badass myself. In fact, yesterday I went to Starbucks and I got the 2% milk in my latte. ***** to the wall, Bitches! Yeah, who am I kidding? Like most everyone, I don’t watch these bike races because I am fascinated by their athletic prowess; I go because I want to see them fall down and injure themselves. I mean, if runners regularly careened drunkenly into the crowds of homeless people lining the Waterfront or flew *** over appetite into the Willamette River when they banked a turn I would be down there watching every fuсking 10K there was. Sports in and of themselves are pretty goddamned boring unless there’s the imminent risk of mortal peril.*

*I am currently petitioning to have the Hunger Games established as an Olympic sport. Let’s see how smug that stoner Michael Phelps is when he pops up out of the pool and has his carotid artery severed by a 13 year old with a Henckel knife.

But while I do get a pagan “America’s Funniest Home Videos”-esque thrill at seeing hipsters diving soul-patch first into a swath of pavement, I am not a completely sadistic fuсker, so I offer up a little advice to the incumbent weekend warriors taking to the streets this month.

1: CHOOSE THE RIGHT BIKE:

Pick a light frame and sturdy tires and don't forget the all-important variable gears Fixed-gear bikes may be lighter and more efficient but the second you find your skinny jeans straddling one you become a douchecanoe of truly gargantuan proportions and motorists are allowed to. . .nay, even ENCOURAGED to smack your hipster *** like a hooker at a gangbang. And as for adults riding around on their kids' undersized BMX bikes? That ѕhit is only acceptable if you are on your way to the methadone clinic or about to deal some sweet chronic at the local middle school. Which, let's face it, is exactly where you're headed if you're riding one of these bad boys.


2: OBSERVE THE LOCAL TRAFFIC LAWS:

We have names for cyclists who weave through traffic and blow through red lights. They're called organ donors. Trust me, if it comes to a showdown between 16 pounds of malleable metal and 8,000 pounds of fine German engineering, you will be my bitch every time.


3: SAVE THE PROTEST SIGNS FOR NEXT WEEK'S RALLY:

I understand your need to express disdain for the state of the economy, and also to generally **** off your parents for not buying you tickets to that last Dave Matthews concert, but pedaling along Naito Parkway holding aloft a “Fuсk Corporate America” sign will earn you a well-timed Diet Coke can to the cranium. While I applaud these citizens for their dedication to their ideals and for having the courage to act on their personal conscience, I also feel that it’s a big, beautiful world out there. So, word of advice, Patchouli McRainbow: If you don't feel like paying the cover charge here at Club U.S.A., pack up your hemp bag and find yourself another place to Dougie.

So, armed with said advice, I wish all of Portland’s two-wheeled enthusiasts a happy Pedalpalooza. May you be safe, happy, and keep your pasty, skinny-jeans wearing asses off of the public roadways. Remember, I have a mid-size SUV and a raging sense of entitlement, and I’m not afraid to use them. Namaste, party people.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

marry her

rleete

iTrader: (21)

Sorry. Skeeball was getting his panties in a twist, so I tried to be a bit more diplomatic.

I will attempt to reinforce your recreational outrage in the future.

olderguy

iTrader: (19)

+1