CAAD5AL

It's pretty constant here, about every third ride I'd say. I'm not huge or anything, but enough of a presence that usually the wisecracks are followed by a gulp and a nervous wave when I make eye contact! It's also nearly always a pickup truck (which ironically I drive myself). The thing I don't understand is that there's a pretty finite number of workable routes in town and these idiots have to have easily passed a dozen other people in the past 10 minutes - makes me wonder if they talk sh*t to every single rider encounter! Seems like a lot of work to me.

Red Rider

In the late 70's I moved to San Antonio from Colorado. I had no issues whatsoever in CO with the bike. My Texas experience as a commuter was much different. I rode in the city as well as outside the city limits, China Grove and adjacent communities. I wasn't harassed in the rural areas as much as in the city limits. I was surprised -- I hoped for acceptance overall, and expected hostility from the rural areas, and got the worst treatment within the city limits.

I moved from there in '80 and haven't been back. I hope you cyclists are enjoying good attitudes from cagers.

wxmcpo

I've been riding now for a little over 2 months and haven't had it happen once (knock on wood). I typically ride the military bases out here in Pearl Harbor though so hopefully I'm dealing with a little more considerate breed of folks than the average Joe on the streets. My last couple of rides though I have ventured onto the city streets moving from one base to the other so I guess it's bound to happen sometime soon.

Ai52487963

It really depends on where you live. People are pretty nice here in western Washington and I've only been yelled at maybe twice out of the 6th months I've been riding.

I think people are just getting hot under the collar about gas prices these days.

cwilliams

Was yelled at this past week by a passenger in an SUV. I was on a street labeled a bike route and had just made the left hand turn onto it starting to crank for the downhill descent when the "get on the sidewalk" ******* yells at me. This was my first such encounter and he got a **** you and the bird. Was hoping to catch up and have a brief convo, but the jerk decided to pull into a parking lot on the other side of the divider. Oh well. Had fun going down the hill at 35mph in a bit of a rage.

Trickery

oh man im excited to try this!

heyguys

sometimes i get so amped up while im riding...I actually hope that a pedestrian has something to say so that I can get off my bike and create a bigger problem. this is the main reason I wear walkable shoes!!!!

mkauffman

Yeah I don't flip off cars any more. I wasn't on my bike but I did that once. I was walking home from a theme party at school and got yelled at, gave them the finger and the three guys stopped and each took a turn punching me in the face. They showed me who was awesome...

making

should have got their plate number tracked them down beat them nearly to death one at a time. Then, harass them the rest of their life. Or maybe just ignoring them is better.

rollin

Just smile and keep pedaling, live to ride another day.

Ride safe.

permanentjaun

Since you're a new rider I have to interject and recommend that from now on you just let it roll off your shoulder and not respond to anyone giving you beef while on a ride. Unless they stop to have an intelligent discussion with you about the laws and safety of riding on the road, then there is no good that can come from flipping the car off.

dallasmike

Where in TX?

making

When I first started riding it really po'd me when people honked or flipped me off. Now I dont think I even notice them anymore. If they are a physical threat it is different. But to learn to truly ignore people is perhaps the best revenge possible. They are just doing it for the attention.

Hask12

One adult giving another adult the finger seems pretty damn childish, and can only make an idiotic situation worse. Just ride the bike.

ettsn

I rarely get yelled at or stuff thrown at. My father has a little worse luck up where he rides (rural-ish TN). Lucky for him, the local police chief is a roadie in his cycling club. For bottle throwers and the like, Dad takes note of their tag number and tells his friend, who "visits" them in a black and white for a discussion. Usually involves something like a choice between going to jail right now for assault or an apology with an understanding that if he ever hears their name again, they won't want the trouble. Seems to clear things up one at a time.

If someone throws something at you, note the tag number and call the police. It's assault. Press charges. Way better than a gesture, and well within your legal rights.

Wanderer

If you ride with your cell phone, just take it out, pretend you are punching a button, and then pretend you are reading his license number - and, he/she will bug out in a hurry, never to return.

If you have a picture phone, try to snap a pic or two, then pretend you are talking to the PD.

TRaffic Jammer

Call him in a drunk driver then laugh as you pass him while he's doing the line walk test with a trooper a few miles later.

mikeclash

99% of my riding takes place in the heart of Toronto. I rarely have problems. I'm cut off nearly every single ride, but as far as rude yelling or beer cans being thrown at me I have a good track record.In fact,
I've only been yelled at once while on a ride. I happened to be in the middle of nowhere, and a some degenerate in a nearly broken down truck yelled "get on the ******** sidewalk".

pwyll99

On a positive note, at least the abuse is a sign that they noticed you!

palu

Good advice. I have never had someone confront me, but I'm sure it's bound to happen now that I'm out on the road more and more. I've had people yell at me on my motorcycle, but I usually just keep my cool and avoid any catastrophic situation. In the end, they are in a metal cage and you are sitting on a tiny metal frame. Nothing is worth your life, even if they are fully in the wrong.

However, I will say that I do carry a little can of pepper spray for dogs/wildlife, or pissed off motorists that choose to get out of their cars with a weapon or friends. I don't think I'll ever have to use it in that kind of a situation (if I keep my cool), but I guess you never know. There are some hot-heads out there.

making

I never thought of that. If they are abusing us at least they see us and tend not to run over us. Sweet.

palu

This is pretty funny. You could just get one of those dummy phones on ebay for $5, so you can just leave it in your bike bag and not worry about dropping it.

Onan

I do carry protection in my seat bag and did have occasion to use it on one ride. Some MFs passed me in a truck and screamed some BS out the window. I flipped them off and yelled FU! They pulled their truck over and started backing up to confront me. I stopped and got my protection out of my bag. Using my protection-- a big fat piece of my daughter's sidewalk chalk, I wrote their tag number in great big letters on the side of the road as the driver was getting out of the truck. We exchanged insults and I was outnumbered three to one. I kept saying, "Go ahead, do something". He thought twice about it and got back in the truck with his buddies.

I was pretty scared I was going to get my ass kicked, but I held my ground and kept coaxing him to bring it. He knew he'd be in jail that night if he laid a finger on me.

Onan

xfimpg

I don't see why you would need to get upset.

Getting upset means you placed a VALUE on what this person said.

Don't put any value in comments of that nature and the next time you'll just smile back.

xfimpg

Why not just repeatedly say "What?"

Pretend you don't hear them...

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"...

After the 3rd, they should have left.