[Prologue]

Helmets are only designed for 5-15 mph collisions. They were never meant to be a defense against getting nailed by a car. There have also been legit studies that show that wearing a helmet makes things more dangerous for you because drivers are less cautious. I always wear mine when I ride, but I respect the reasons for not doing it.

Still, god forbid you fall or something. Why not wear the protection?

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Still, god forbid you fall or something. Why not wear the protection?

I said I do.

The helmet debate is a silly red herring in America. If people really cared about the safety of others, they'd improve our roads and force drivers to be more thoughtful and slower. The real problem is getting hit by a car, not whether you had a helmet on your head.

Are these people in danger?

[Jenga]

In high school I would blast Bicycle by Queen on my stereo and drive really slow by cyclists. Is that wrong?

not only were you not wrong, you were right

[Fusebox]

Why does it matter what anyone who does anything wears?

Don't think about what matters to normal people, normal people don't honk and throw shit at cyclists.

Think instead about why it might matter to some redneck arsehole in an F150 though.

In fact, I propose that putting on the tight shorts and matching top is like drawing a target on your back that says "hey redneck arsehole, here I am, please harass me"

[Hartt951]

There's a two lane road by my house that is a much quicker route to the northern side of my city than taking the main roads. It has bikes lanes on both sides and is popular for bikers because it's the closest thing to a naturey, hilly road.

Anyways, they're building a hospital along that road and there is a large portion of the road that is under construction and the lanes are super narrowed and cars are forced to drive in the bike lanes. A good half mile before the construction the bike lanes are blocked off and there are signs EVERYWHERE saying "No Bicycles" "Bike Lane Closed" yet everytime I drive past there, there are always fucking bikes driving in the lane that is meant for cars only. Its a 55 mph road and I was cruising at night and theres some douche in the lane and I had to slam my brakes and swerve and drive over construction cones just to avoid hitting him.

The construction has been going on for like 6 months now, yet still the bikes ignore the blocked off lane, ignore the no bikes sign and just ride in the middle of the road obstructing the flow of traffic ALL THE DAMN TIME.

Fuck bikes.

[Yaboosh]

Are these people in danger?

Yes, yes they are.

[Fancy Corndog]

Wow dude, I'm sure you answered, but I have to echo "Where do you live!?"

I do hate cyclists who will ride right in the middle of the road when there's a shoulder with plenty of room for them to ride on, but I just pass them and never fuck with them.

[WoodenLung]

Still, god forbid you fall or something. Why not wear the protection?

I do if I have to ride any long distances, but usually I only have to go for a kilometer or two, so can't be bothered. Should probably wear one all the time though, I did once (when I was a kid) manage to injure myself quite badly cycling home from football practice. Got knocked the fuck out when something happened to my wheel on my way down a hill road. Don't remember exactly how long I stayed at the hospital but it was at least a few days, shit sucked but everyone brought me so much chocolate that it wasn't all bad.

[Squirrel Killer]

This just set me off:

No... Fuck cyclists. Get off my road.

It's theirs too.

That said, I rode a lot in eastern Iowa and southern Ohio about 10-15 years ago and never got anywhere near the reaction the OP got. You mentioned you were on rural roads, but what kind of rural roads? If I was new to an area, I always went to a local bike shop to see if they had any loop maps to gauge which roads were more appropriate than others.

Also, while there are plenty of law disobeying cyclists out there and I'm not about to defend them, but if I'm at a weight triggered red light, you can be damned sure I'm running it (after stopping) if I don't trigger it (although most triggers will sense a cyclist if they know where to stop.)

Helmets are only designed for 5-15 mph collisions. They were never meant to be a defense against getting nailed by a car. There have also been legit studies that show that wearing a helmet makes things more dangerous for you because drivers are less cautious. I always wear mine when I ride, but I respect the reasons for not doing it.

Anecdotal, I know, but back in the day, Davis Phinney used to never ride with a helmet. Someone gave him a new lightweight helmet to try on a training ride, and he got nailed by a poorly loaded 2x4 on a truck. He wore one for the most part from then on.

[nicecream]

Cyclist of 4+ years, 3 in NYC. As someone who obeys all traffic laws (and unlike most drivers, actually knows what's written in the state vehicle code, and hence, why cyclists often leave the bike lanes or use entire lanes) I'll keep doing my thing and relishing seeing you bike-hating losers frothing at the mouth. U mad drivers?

[xxracerxx]

There's a two lane road by my house that is a much quicker route to the northern side of my city than taking the main roads. It has bikes lanes on both sides and is popular for bikers because it's the closest thing to a naturey, hilly road. Anyways, they're building a hospital along that road and there is a large portion of the road that is under construction and the lanes are super narrowed and cars are forced to drive in the bike lanes. A good half mile before the construction the bike lanes are blocked off and there are signs EVERYWHERE saying "No Bicycles" "Bike Lane Closed" yet everytime I drive past there, there are always fucking bikes driving in the lane that is meant for cars only. Its a 55 mph road and I was cruising at night and theres some douche in the lane and I had to slam my brakes and swerve and drive over construction cones just to avoid hitting him. The construction has been going on for like 6 months now, yet still the bikes ignore the blocked off lane, ignore the no bikes sign and just ride in the middle of the road obstructing the flow of traffic ALL THE DAMN TIME. Fuck bikes.

Please take a picture of the NO BICYCLES sign. I believe the Bike Lane Closed sign but not the no bicycle one.

[Suite Pee]

Please take a picture of the NO BICYCLES sign. I believe the Bike Lane Closed sign but not the no bicycle one.

Though, I must say I don't think I'd ever ride my bike on a road with a speed limit higher than 35 mph.

[Hartt951]

Please take a picture of the NO BICYCLES sign. I believe the Bike Lane Closed sign but not the no bicycle one.

Alright, I'll get one tomorrow morning.

Regardless, when the bike lane is blocked by a sign on a two lane road with road construction going on, you think it's okay to just drive in the middle of the road!? Thats fucking retarded. It's that mentality that makes drivers hate cyclists. Bikes have a lane, stay in it. Don't drive where cars are driving.

[The Technomancer]

Alright, I'll get one tomorrow morning. Regardless, when the bike lane is blocked by a sign on a two lane road with road construction going on, you think it's okay to just drive in the middle of the road!? Thats fucking retarded. It's that mentality that makes drivers hate cyclists. Bikes have a lane, stay in it. Don't drive where cars are driving.

Er, what if they need to get past that area? What if that road is how they get to where they're going?

[Culebra 64]

GAF will fight over anything.






Love it.

[NinjaMouse]

Cyclist of 4+ years, 3 in NYC. As someone who obeys all traffic laws (and unlike most drivers, actually knows what's written in the state vehicle code, and hence, why cyclists often leave the bike lanes or use entire lanes) I'll keep doing my thing and relishing seeing you bike-hating losers frothing at the mouth. U mad drivers?

Have a talk with the rest of your cyclist friends running around the city here and teach them the rules of the road, too, then. They can't just pick and choose the laws that are the most convenient for their situation. It's not very funny when one of your bicycle-brethren gets smeared by a cab because they chose to blow a red light at full bore. I wish this city would force people to register their bikes just like you do for cars and motorcycles...it would get a lot of these dumb things off the road.

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Alright, I'll get one tomorrow morning. Regardless, when the bike lane is blocked by a sign on a two lane road with road construction going on, you think it's okay to just drive in the middle of the road!? Thats fucking retarded. It's that mentality that makes drivers hate cyclists. Bikes have a lane, stay in it. Don't drive where cars are driving.

Uh, where are they supposed to go? This is what "share the road" means. No one is more important than anyone else. We're all equal in law and as human beings.

Unless that "no bicycles" sign is real. However, I also doubt that, since in my experience I only see "bike lane closed" which means bikes/cars are supposed to share the lane as usual.

Have a talk with the rest of your motorist friends running around the city here and teach them the rules of the road, too, then. They can't just pick and choose the laws that are the most convenient for their situation.

I updated your post to say "motorist" instead of "cyclist" because it's still accurate.

Everyone on the road sucks.

[WoodenLung]

Alright, I'll get one tomorrow morning. Regardless, when the bike lane is blocked by a sign on a two lane road with road construction going on, you think it's okay to just drive in the middle of the road!? Thats fucking retarded. It's that mentality that makes drivers hate cyclists. Bikes have a lane, stay in it. Don't drive where cars are driving.

Yes, yes I do. Pretty sure it's what the law here tells me to do in that situation too.

[xxracerxx]

Alright, I'll get one tomorrow morning. Regardless, when the bike lane is blocked by a sign on a two lane road with road construction going on, you think it's okay to just drive in the middle of the road!? Thats fucking retarded. It's that mentality that makes drivers hate cyclists. Bikes have a lane, stay in it. Don't drive where cars are driving.

Roads don't always have bike lanes or sidewalks. So bikes will have to use the road sorry. Not saying I wouldn't take a differe g route while that construction is going on but to tell me not to be on the road if there is no bike lane is not happening.

[Esnel Pla]

That is an extremely beefy looking horse.

Around here, there's not many cyclists and hardly any pedestrians, so they tend to stick to the sidewalks since there is hardly any infrastructure for cyclists aside from on the main state roads. I would not dare to ride in those bike lanes with the way drivers are around here.

[krameriffic]

I ride my bicycle to get places

And here we have a fundamental misunderstanding happening in this thread. I live in a suburb where riding your bicycle to get places is... not what people are doing. Distances are too far to make it a viable and intelligent method of transportation. In places like this, people are riding their bikes for leisure. Whether it be a workout or just a way to get a little enjoyment, they are not on the roads to get places, they are on the roads just because.

Riding a bicycle in say, downtown London makes sense from a transportation perspective. It's faster and less tiring than walking, cheaper and less of a hassle than driving, and most importantly, the design of the roads and the culture of the area not only allows it, but indeed likely encourages it. It's the norm there, not the exception. Driving a car to get around within a city is unnecessary and a pain in the ass.

Suburban roads with 40-50 mile an hour speed limits are common. They are poorly equipped in terms of medians or bicycle lanes to support bicyclists going 15-20 AND cars going the much higher speed limits. Everything is spread out, so you don't ride your bike to get places, so their justification of "cause I want to" feels flimsy when you have to uncomfortably go around them on a 2 lane road with lots of cars going the other direction at high speeds.

If you don't live in that kind of area, you don't really understand the frustration and what I can only call fear of driving around them. You're constantly scared of hitting one by accident, or hitting an oncoming car as you cross into the other lane to go around them. They often seem oblivious to the fact that cars are around, particularly the ones that have their little Lance Armstrong jumpsuits on and are out biking in a pack with their bros.

They like to pretend to be a vehicle when it suits them, but they also blatantly break traffic laws when they feel like acting like a pedestrian. You'll be sitting at a stop light and they will pull up and go right past your car in between you and the other cars, like some psychopath motorcyclist weaving between traffic on a highway. They run stop lights and signs CONSTANTLY with no fear of getting ticketed because cops aren't looking for bicyclist offenders in the damn suburbs.

[Enron]

Around here it's the exact opposite. Douchebag cyclists making trouble for motorists.

[Hartt951]

In response to everyone:

Take a different routes. Cars aren't allowed to drive through a blocked off road that says "No Cars", bikes shouldn't be allowed to either.

And there are posted "No Bicycle Signs" in both directions. Follow the law.

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

You'll be sitting at a stop light and they will pull up and go right past your car in between you and the other cars, like some psychopath motorcyclist weaving between traffic on a highway.

You're complaining about this, but are you sure this is illegal in your area? This has been legal in Oregon since 2006.

[Tideas]

F*&k you. Offensive photo of injuries Seriously, what the hell is your deal? It's Father's Day and I'm just out trying to exercise on my new bike. Not only do I get honked at by people at least six times (they wait until they are right on you to honk in hopes it spooks you) but then one ass threw a half-eaten orange at me! It hit me square in the shoulder, nearly knocked me off my bike, when I was just five minutes from a family reunion! Then, after the reunion, I start riding back home and some other douche in a large pickup truck decides it would be fun to play chicken with a man on a 7-speed. It landed me in a five foot ditch. After making sure my brand new bike wasn't ruined I continued on my way only to get honked at some more. WTF!? My faith in the human race fell about 10 points today.

so you lost faith in 7 billion people because the action of maybe, 4?

NIce job!

[krameriffic]

You're complaining about this, but are you sure this is illegal in your area? This has been legal in Oregon since 2006.

I have no idea if it's illegal, but it's certainly an uncomfortable feeling to have a bicyclist essentially butt his way to the front of a bunch of cars, usually with the noble intention of running the red light we were all stopped at. Again, are you a vehicle, or are you a pedestrian?

[itwasTuesday]

Doesn't matter if I have a destination or not. Clam that nonsense.

You can talk about speed if you want. Or some other aspects. But not right to use the road relies on official business.

[xxracerxx]

And here we have a fundamental misunderstanding happening in this thread. I live in a suburb where riding your bicycle to get places is... not what people are doing. Distances are too far to make it a viable and intelligent method of transportation. In places like this, people are riding their bikes for leisure. Whether it be a workout or just a way to get a little enjoyment, they are not on the roads to get places, they are on the roads just because.

They are still trying to get places. Even if that is just back home after a loop.

[Tashi]

I'm sorry that people honk and throw shit at you but cyclists on the road are so annoying. They immediately put me in a tight position where I have to watch out for their safety. If there's heavy traffic on the other side, I can't easily go into the other lane and avoid the bike rider. There are tons of bike paths in my town and I get so mad when I see them on the road. I don't wanna hurt you!!

[xxracerxx]

You're complaining about this, but are you sure this is illegal in your area? This has been legal in Oregon since 2006.

You're in Portland right?

*fist bump*

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

cyclists on the road are so annoying. They immediately put me in a tight position where I have to watch out for their safety. If there's heavy traffic on the other side, I can't easily go into the other lane and avoid the bike rider.

Poor guy!

[I H8 Memes]

I got wrecked once when a group of people in an oncoming car shot me with some kind of nuclear water gun and hit me with water balloons at the same time. They raced off but I turned around and pedaled my ass off and caught up to them at a 7-11 filling up with water to go after somebody else.

I had this big chain i used to keep with me at all times and I surprised them at the 7-11. They were scared shitless at me running up to the car with a huge chain in my hands. But damn they were like 16 and I didn't have the heart to beat the shit out of them like I should have.

What I should have done was beat the crap out of their car and let them explain it to their parents. Instead I called the useless cops. It was the last time I will call those useless fuckers. Tried to act like I was stupid for calling them for somebody wrecking bicyclists.

[Lesath]

Other drivers piss me off more than cyclists do. Still, most bicyclists don't register the fact that since I've merged into the bike lane to make a right turn (this is proper in CA), that they're not supposed to zoom past me like an asshole when I slow down before the turn. I can probably count on one hand the number of cyclists I've seen that haven't straight run through stop signs, too.

[nicecream]

Have a talk with the rest of your cyclist friends running around the city here and teach them the rules of the road, too, then. They can't just pick and choose the laws that are the most convenient for their situation. It's not very funny when one of your bicycle-brethren gets smeared by a cab because they chose to blow a red light at full bore. I wish this city would force people to register their bikes just like you do for cars and motorcycles...it would get a lot of these dumb things off the road.

NYC will eventually have bicycle registration, I have no doubt. But that won't change anything. Because just as how many licensed and registered drivers in the city still drive like assholes, so too will bikers-- because, shocker, a person's behavior on the road often has less to do with their vehicle of choice and more to do with whether or not they're selfish jerks and think they are immune to enforcement. Nothing will change in NYC until the laws that already exist are enforced equitably-- against bikers, cars, and pedestrians.

[Arcteryx]

I actually had someone do this to me freshman year of college...while I was riding my motorcycle. Bunch of dipshit kids in an SUV thought it would be hilarious to throw a big gulp soda at me, almost caused me to swerve into a parked car.

I'd hope everyone can at least agree you shouldn't throw stuff at people doing potentially dangerous stuff, because not only could you cause them to potentially injure themselves(or die), but you have no way of knowing how they're going to react to it(aka: road-rage kill you).

[Skel1ingt0n]

I try to be pretty respectful of cyclists. As long as they're not purposefully being a bother, or picking and choosing which laws to follow, I don't care if they do they thing, and will calmly follow behind for a minute or so until a gap in oncoming traffic gives me safe room to pass.

With that said, they use to drive me fucking INSANE back in college, on one particular path. Between my apartment and school, there was about a two mile stretch of extremely narrow road, along with no shoulder, that cut through some forestry. It wasn't lit at all, and was extremely hilly and windy. Speed limit, though, was still 55mph. Every. Freaking. Day. I - along with a line of 30+ other cars would get stuck behind a group of five or six bikers who would just do 15mph through the whole thing, blocking the entire lane. Even better, is they would sometimes do this at night, and there is absolutely zero street or "house lighting" to brighten things, which made it extremely unsafe for everyone. You can damn well bet I cussed them out every time we'd eventually get to the red light intersection on either side. But, I know they did it specifically because it riled me and so many others up. Gah. Fuck those guys.

But with all that said, I didn't lose my faith in all of them because of a select few.

[H.Protagonist]

I'm sorry that people honk and throw shit at you but cyclists on the road are so annoying. They immediately put me in a tight position where I have to watch out for their safety. If there's heavy traffic on the other side, I can't easily go into the other lane and avoid the bike rider. There are tons of bike paths in my town and I get so mad when I see them on the road. I don't wanna hurt you!!

Don't you have to worry about the safety of other cars anyway, Tashi? Bikes on the road are just other vehicles. Maybe they require more careful/considerate driving, but if there are no bike lines you have to share the road. They're not doing anything out of the ordinary (unless they're not following traffic rules). And bike paths don't go everywhere. Sometimes a road is the only or shortest way from A to B.

[Madrugador]

That is an extremely beefy looking horse.

Yes it is. Just like every piece of art that Fernando Botero has made.

[daegan]

What kind of road are we talking about here? A highway? Or just a four lane country road connecting the urban center to the suburb?

A four-lanes each direction major road through three or four major suburbs. It's like if you took an interstate in most states with a 55 or 60 mph speed limit (in Michigan, it's usually 70) but put businesses along it causing the traffic to amp up considerably. It's insanity.

[richisawesome]

God, this is all utterly bizarre for me.

Try honking or throwing things at a cyclist here in the UK, and you'll be in a magistrates court within a week. Not that I've ever had anyone ever do so to myself before, and I cycle a lot.

Sounds absolutely fucking stupid.

[Ether_Snake]

I have never experienced that in my life. Probably an American thing.

[Lionel Mandrake]

I have to admit, there is something about cyclists that I just don't like on a subconscious level. I mean, it's not to an extent that I wish them harm or anything. I hope they're all safe and without worry. However, when I see one on the road I just kind of think, "Look at him. Look at that bastard. He sickens me." No idea why. There's absolutely no reason for it. It's weird.

[reggieandTFE]

I don't have a bike, but the idiot responses from the normal, conservative suburbanites (Kosmo, Enron) makes me want to buy one, knowing that I'll be pissing people like them off.

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

I have to admit, there is something about cyclists that I just don't like on a subconscious level. I mean, it's not to an extent that I wish them harm or anything. I hope they're all safe and without worry. However, when I see one on the road I just kind of think, "Look at him. Look at that bastard. He sickens me." No idea why. There's absolutely no reason for it. It's weird.

This is pretty standard "you are different than me and I don't like it" stuff. You're not that weird for thinking it without a logical reason, but keep in mind this is the first step to illogical things like racism!

[itwasTuesday]

anticyclite.

[Slycoopr]

People do this? Never had any problems when I used go biking with my friends, the occasional horny chick not getting out of the way in a busy section, but that's it.

[Tashi]

Don't you have to worry about the safety of other cars anyway, Tashi? Bikes on the road are just other vehicles. Maybe they require more careful/considerate driving, but if there are no bike lines you have to share the road. They're not doing anything out of the ordinary (unless they're not following traffic rules). And bike paths don't go everywhere. Sometimes a road is the only or shortest way from A to B.

Well of course, I worry about the safety of everything on the road. Sharing the road with bikers and cars is totally different. I can't treat them the same. Bikers are slow and I have to be extremely careful passing them. In my town, there are many tight roads that are also winding. It becomes dangerous for both of us. You can't knock me for being annoyed.

[Bumbles]

I live in Australia, and also, have never seen a cyclist (bike or motorbike) obey the traffic laws, they piss and moan about cars not 'seeing' them or 'we have as much right to the road as you do', but if you were riding where you were SUPPOSED to be and where cars CAN see you perhaps you wouldnt get hit or abused so much, most roads here have bike lanes on them too...

Like, oh so sorry Mr Bike Man, but there are two lanes here, I wasnt aware you were a magician and could conjure up a third lane between our cars I should have known to look for you, my bad...

Or the ones that weave up in traffic then pull onto the pedestrian crossing right in front of my car so you could take off at 5kmh. - Dude, I had to wait 3 light changes to get here, you want the same respect and rights as car drivers, then dammit you wait too!

Sitting at a pub one night, we witnessed a woman on a bike riding along the footpath (its illegal to ride on the footpath here), then head across a pedestrian crossing (against a red light) and hit (yes, she hit) a car that was coming around the corner. She starts screaming at him and he has to hide in his car until the cops come as all the pro bike hippies gathering around start abusing HIM!.

Shit like this is what makes motorists angry enough to throw a damn orange! -Not that I would, I like to sit behind my closed tinted window and tell you what I really think cos Im tough like that ;)

Bike riders here pay no registration nor need to be licenced to ride on the road, nor do they pay any kind of insurance to cover damage they cause, car drivers actually do have the right to say 'Get off my road!'

[ssolitare]

I have to admit, there is something about cyclists that I just don't like on a subconscious level. I mean, it's not to an extent that I wish them harm or anything. I hope they're all safe and without worry. However, when I see one on the road I just kind of think, "Look at him. Look at that bastard. He sickens me." No idea why. There's absolutely no reason for it. It's weird.

Well...grab a bike and start learning how to appreciate.

My area is good with bikers, but the rest of the city isn't. I'm used to aggro drivers though.

[Lionel Mandrake]

This is pretty standard "you are different than me and I don't like it" stuff. You're not that weird for thinking it without a logical reason, but keep in mind this is the first step to illogical things like racism!

I swear, cyclists are the only group I feel this way about. And guys who bring guitars to parties, but I feel that that's justified.