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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Driving / March 2008Today's "responsible" cyclists.
On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; he was properly lit but I saw him blow a stop sign (I'll give him a pass on that one as he was turning right, although it was still technically illegal.) The other two cyclists were riding in the gutter the wrong way down a busy four-lane road, no lights, reflectors only on the wheels (or the front ones were so out of adjustment I couldn't see them.) Both riders were wearing dark clothing, and it was about 7:45 PM (e.g. well after sunset) when I saw them. I did not see them pass a stop-sign controlled intersection, but seeing as how they were riding in the gutter going the wrong way, I'm not sure how they would have handled that. I did NOT observe 33% of the motorists rolling through stop signs, nor did I observe 66% of motorists driving without lights after dark. nate  Signaturereplace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel > On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One > appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; he [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > nate I'm trying to figure out the point of this post. You're not implying that all cyclists are like those cyclists you observed, are you? Regards, Cullen On Mar 3, 7:36 pm, "ccar...@new.rr.com" <ccar...@new.rr.com> wrote: > > On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One > > appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; he [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Given the law of proportions, it's about equal to operators of motorized vehicles. It reminds me of the proverbial tobacco-chewing pickup driver passing people at 60 in a 35 with an exhaust sound resembling a bad case of flatulence pointed at a microphone connected to a system of wall-to-wall Marshalls. >> On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One >> appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; he [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >> I did NOT observe 33% of the motorists rolling through stop signs, nor >> did I observe 66% of motorists driving without lights after dark. > I'm trying to figure out the point of this post. You're not implying > that all cyclists are like those cyclists you observed, are you? Yes. Yes he is. Sad, eh? \\paul SignaturePaul M. Hobson .:change the f to ph to reply:. >>On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One >>appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; he [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > Regards, > Cullen My point is that today is not unusual in terms of cyclist behavior observed, despite the protestations of certain people posting to RAD apparently from rec.bicycles.misc. In fact, today's observations are EXACTLY what I expect on any given day. nate Signaturereplace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel {all non-troll material left intact} > I'm trying to figure out the point of this post. You're not implying > that all cyclists are like those cyclists you observed, are you? Plonked troll was trolling, which is why the plonked troll is a plonked troll. Bill "take the hint?" S. > On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One > appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; I consider a serious bicyclist to be the kind that don't have any flashy jerseys and their bike has no two components that match. Back when I rode the lake front trail in chicago daily those were the guys who were serious and they were the ones that would give a run for my money or even beat me. The 'serious looking' ones in the latest gear and an expensive looking bicycle.... bah... I would beat them every time with my worn out raleigh with its kmart tires... (hey, I was a college student and I rode a lot in those days... I got tired of throwing money into the bike) > The other two cyclists were riding in the gutter the wrong > way down a busy four-lane road, no lights, reflectors only on the wheels > (or the front ones were so out of adjustment I couldn't see them.) Both > riders were wearing dark clothing, and it was about 7:45 PM (e.g. well > after sunset) when I saw them. Those are the kind I dislike the most. Especially when I am biking. The last wrong-way I encountered at night was towards the end of the normal riding season here.... like a deer in the headlamp of my bicycle, but worse... deer decide to run left or right after a pause... stupid humans keep coming right at me. >>On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One >>appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > raleigh with its kmart tires... (hey, I was a college student and I rode > a lot in those days... I got tired of throwing money into the bike) I got tired of "putting money" into one of my old mountain bikes and now have a Raleigh. But geez, what's going on here??!!! I agree with you!! I don't go much with the jersey stuff. The real high powered bicyclists are often "Freds" that look oh so out of style with old bikes, but ride them mile upon mile over the course of a year. >>The other two cyclists were riding in the gutter the wrong >>way down a busy four-lane road, no lights, reflectors only on the wheels [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > worse... deer decide to run left or right after a pause... stupid humans > keep coming right at me. Those are the types that end up as bike fatality statistics eventually. SMH >>> On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One >>> appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Those are the types that end up as bike fatality statistics eventually. And still y'all don't believe me when I say that I feel like I have more to worry about from cyclists than from other drivers, at least on a per-encounter basis. Let's face it. the people that are going to bother to search out a newsgroup with "bicycles" in the title are not the same people that are making up their own rules as they ride out there one the roads. Just like the vast majority of people driving could give two sh.ts about actually driving, and would be astounded that anyone would care enough about it to find a Usenet group about it. nate Signaturereplace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel >>>> On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One >>>> appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > to worry about from cyclists than from other drivers, at least on a > per-encounter basis.[...] Yes, but the cyclist will at worst do cosmetic damage to your car. The teenager texting while driving daddy's Subdivision, er Suburban may kill you. SignatureTom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia The weather is here, wish you were beautiful >>>>> On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One >>>>> appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; [quoted text clipped - 38 lines] > teenager texting while driving daddy's Subdivision, er Suburban may kill > you. No she won't - I'll be able to see her and avoid her. That's the whole point. Both are hazards to be sure, but the bicyclist is the one that scares me more. The day I can't get away from a Yukon (I haven't seen a Suburban nameplate in years) drifting into my lane is the day I probably need to turn in my driver's license (or buy a better car, as the case may be.) It was actually fortunate this evening that I decided to drive the Fabulous BeaterPorsche with its e-code headlights instead of my company Impala, it gave me an extra second or so to see the wrong-way riders before I made a right turn directly in front of their path. nate Signaturereplace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel >>>>>> On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One >>>>>> appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] > Impala, it gave me an extra second or so to see the wrong-way riders > before I made a right turn directly in front of their path. They don't understand that when mr. wrong way does something really stupid and ends up hitting the windshield and bending an A pillar or the roof, practically anything older than 'just left the dealer lot' is totalled. > In article <fqil8l01...@news2.newsguy.com>, Nate Nagel wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 61 lines] > > - Show quoted text - It depends a lot on the make and value of the car as well. They'll scrap an easily repairable civic in a heartbeat, but they'll go to crazy extents to "save" a caddy that has about had it. >> Those are the types that end up as bike fatality statistics eventually. > > And still y'all don't believe me when I say that I feel like I have more > to worry about from cyclists than from other drivers, at least on a > per-encounter basis. I think it's wasted worry. Just not significant enough to bother with. > Let's face it. the people that are going to bother to search out a > newsgroup with "bicycles" in the title are not the same people that are > making up their own rules as they ride out there one the roads. Just > like the vast majority of people driving could give two sh.ts about > actually driving, and would be astounded that anyone would care enough > about it to find a Usenet group about it. I think people who actually use a bike for transport (in place of a car) are probably going to be far better in traffic than even experienced motorists simply because the penalties are too high not to be better. Then one has the kids and who knows what they'll do. And an intermediate group that are adult or enthusiasts, but regard the bike as the best of both the motoring and pedaling worlds. They can ride on the road, pedal past jammed traffic, yet pass through intersections like a pedestrian, travel on a sidewalk or wrong way on a road, or make a "quick trip" to the convenience store at night without lighting. I believe statistics predict if you ride the wrong side of the road or at night without lighting, you're probably headed for the fatality column of some government accident report at some point in your future. SMH > >> Those are the types that end up as bike fatality statistics eventually. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > I think it's wasted worry. Just not significant enough to bother with. I disagree. that was the whole point; I'm tired of seeing cyclists "just in time" when simply by having a light there would be no issue whatsoever. > > Let's face it. the people that are going to bother to search out a > > newsgroup with "bicycles" in the title are not the same people that are [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > or at night without lighting, you're probably headed for the fatality > column of some government accident report at some point in your future. Then they must be breeding like mad, because there's a lot of them. Or else the local drivers are just too blase to cuss them out, complain to the police, whatever. nate > I disagree. that was the whole point; I'm tired of seeing cyclists > "just in time" when simply by having a light there would be no issue > whatsoever. it sounds like you need to slow down if stuff is sneaking up on you while you're driving. I don't understand why all you people want to drive your cars on the roads where all those bicyclists are anyway... why don't you just go drive on the freeway where non-motorized vehicles are prohibited? I mean pulling your head out and paying attention while piloting a 3klb machine down the public roadway should be no issue whatsoever... I just don't understand why all y'all gotta kill 44,000 people every year, so apparently paying attention is an issue for you and your ilk. > > I disagree. that was the whole point; I'm tired of seeing cyclists > > "just in time" when simply by having a light there would be no issue [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > kill 44,000 people every year, so apparently paying attention is an > issue for you and your ilk. let me guess, you ride without a light after dark too? nate DennisTheBald <DennisTheBald@gmail.com> wrote in news:87ce90db-ec86-49d5- a579-66a0ad09d42b@i29g2000prf.googlegroups.com: >> I disagree. that was the whole point; I'm tired of seeing cyclists >> "just in time" when simply by having a light there would be no issue [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > kill 44,000 people every year, so apparently paying attention is an > issue for you and your ilk. if it came down to it,you can be sure that bicycles would be banned from public roads instead of the opposite. (Unless the Greens took over) SignatureJim Yanik jyanik at kua.net >> On my way home from the Metro station, I saw three cyclists. One >> appeared to be a "serious" cyclist with the jersey and everything; [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >raleigh with its kmart tires... (hey, I was a college student and I rode >a lot in those days... Weekend Warriors are no match for a dedicated commuter over their regular route. Harmless racing between commuters occurs but is tacky. Commuting and utility cyclists are serious cyclists. Serious cyclists can most often be recognised by their compliance with vehicle code regulations and other practical accessories. They generally ride in a vehicular manner which means they too will do rolling stops, unsignalled turns and take the occasional counter-flow convenience just like automobile drivers. However, they'll often employ their vehicles' superior maneuverability to confound the caged commuters left stewing in the gridlocked clusterfuk they made for themselves. >( I got tired of throwing money into the bike) Throwing money into a bike? A person can spend more annually just maintaining their tennis racquet. Two chains, two tires and four brake pads usually does me for a year of daily transportation. Occasional cog, rim and chain ring replacement is interspersed over five years. I have more than one bike so that spreads the wear. Some days, some destinations and some whims demand different bikes. Maintaining eleven bikes for a year probably costs me less than two months of insurance on only one of your cars. Signaturezk >>( I got tired of throwing money into the bike) > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > eleven bikes for a year probably costs me less than two months of > insurance on only one of your cars. I actually "got tired" of fixes for my beloved Mongoose. It recently broke a rear axle and rear deraileur. I could always put a $30 new deraileur and another $35 (6-speed freewheel) wheel on it but I've done that three times now over the past 6 years. Six speed cogs are getting harder to find (that start lower than 14t) and upgrading means a cascade of related replacements (shifter, perhaps cable, perhaps brake as well since the two were combined and maybe more). Heck with it! Nearly $500 got me an 8-speed cogset Raleigh MTB with front shocks and disk brakes. Very smooth Alivio shifting compared with what I was used to, and a larger frame that makes the bike much more comfortable to ride. Every bike has its season! SMH > >>( I got tired of throwing money into the bike) > [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Do you ever consider using things like greenways in order to avoid traffic while you are cycling? I've found them to be more scenic, less stressful, and of course--minus distracted drivers! On Mar 5, 10:42 am, ktmac...@hotmail.com wrote: > Do you ever consider using things like greenways in order to avoid > traffic while you are cycling? I've found them to be more scenic, less > stressful, and of course--minus distracted drivers! I frequently use one short "multi-use path" simply because it starts two blocks from my house and runs directly toward my workplace, taking me to the best "riding" street going that direction. But don't overestimate the significance. It's only one block long. Overall, I'd guess less than 1% of my riding is on such things. Why? Because except for that one block cut-through, they aren't available where I'm riding, and they don't take me where I want or need to go. Furthermore, unless someone builds another handy little shortcut like that, they never will. There is just no way to put practical MUPs in most places. What I won't do is put my bike in my car and haul it out to the closest such path, about five miles away, ride back and forth, then drive home. In general, when I want to ride my bike, I don't want to drive my car. - Frank Krygowski On Mar 5, 10:42 am, ktmac...@hotmail.com wrote: > Do you ever consider using things like greenways in order to avoid > traffic while you are cycling? I've found them to be more scenic, less > stressful, and of course--minus distracted drivers! Around here, they don't get plowed of snow, so they're useless for months each year. During the summer, they're just longer and slower, but sometimes they make a nice change. > Do you ever consider using things like greenways in order to avoid > traffic while you are cycling? I've found them to be more scenic, less > stressful, and of course--minus distracted drivers! If by "greenway" you mean a bike path, yes I use a local bike path quite frequently during summer commutes for the very reasons you mention: scenic and calm. However they don't plow them during winter so you can only choose roads for the commute, most of which aren't too bad. SMH > Do you ever consider using things like greenways in order to avoid > traffic while you are cycling? I've found them to be more scenic, less > stressful, and of course--minus distracted drivers! Due to the pedestrians, dog walkers, munchkins, poor sight lines, low design speeds and worst of all, unprotected crossings of busy roads, multi-use paths are LESS safe than riding on the street. SignatureTom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia The weather is here, wish you were beautiful > I did NOT observe 33% of the motorists rolling through stop signs, nor > did I observe 66% of motorists driving without lights after dark. > > nate I hear that but i must also mention that i do not observe 80% of cyclists exceeding the speed limit and i do not observe 20% using a cell. >>I did NOT observe 33% of the motorists rolling through stop signs, nor >>did I observe 66% of motorists driving without lights after dark. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I hear that but i must also mention that i do not observe 80% of cyclists > exceeding the speed limit and i do not observe 20% using a cell. I've actually seen a cyclist using a cell phone. must have had a special death wish. nate (yes, I KNOW it's a troll.) Signaturereplace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel >> I did NOT observe 33% of the motorists rolling through stop signs, nor >> did I observe 66% of motorists driving without lights after dark. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >I hear that but i must also mention that i do not observe 80% of cyclists >exceeding the speed limit Moron. The average cyclist is not even capable of attaining such speeds. > d i do not observe 20% using a cell. And I've never seen a cyclist with sandpaper threaded tires or inoperative brakes - two things you have admitted to doing with your scud. Speeders & Drunk Drivers Are MURDERERS (a.k.a. SFB) admits to being a deadly speeder, psychopath and criminal coddler: "> Have you ever driven a car faster than the legal speed limit? Yes, but never deliberately. In fact i got a speeding ticket about 5 years ago for doing 41 in a 25. I just about kicked the cops teeth in cause i was sure he was lying. No way the SL on this wide open stretch could be 25, i thought." Pride of America (c.k.a. Laura Bush murdered her boyfriend/ laura bush - VEHICULAR HOMICIDE/Speeders And Drunk Drivers Are Murderers (SADDAM)), 10/3/2002 Message-ID: <3c1753f7.0210030916.7b6f5dff@posting.google.com> http://tinyurl.com/5u4wg Proof that POA is LBMHB/lbVH/SADDAM: See the following: http://tinyurl.com/ahphj |
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