Skullo 

I ordered one on Amazon Saturday. Should be here Wednesday.

rydabent

IMO wanna be racer boyz should be on the street not a MUP. A MUP is not for racing.

kingston 

Maybe next time just let it go when someone cuts you off on the bike path, or anywhere really. I know it's easy to say and hard to do, but you're not going to change people like that by shouting at them. If you wouldn't have shouted "Hey ! Too close!", he probably would have just kept going. The more I encounter ebikes in the wild the more convinced I am that they don't belong on the bike path.

grizzly59

All the Kum Ba Yah encourages these folks. Being pepper sprayed and having your bike tossed in the creek might be enough of a Significant Emotional Event to evoke reflection and behavior change.

Bald Paul

Precisely what I was thinking. I carry HALT spray for aggressive dogs.

ofajen

Yeah, I get both sides. As a parent, I’m used to pointing out inappropriate behavior and providing consequences. But a bad actor like this is not going to be transformed by me scolding him. I’d be more likely to just make sure there is no collision and let him continue on his unhappy way.

We have very well used trails and all the regulars (walkers, runners and cyclists) know the routine. We constantly have new users too, though, and they are the ones you have to cut some slack. If they keep at it, they will learn just by the sheer weight of traffic what works and what doesn’t. At least that’s how it seems here.

Otto

rsbob 

Was riding a pretty deserted back road in the woods a week ago just enjoying the solitude. Out of nowhere a couple on silent total propulsion e-bikes zipped past me from behind. Scared the crap out of me since I wasn’t expecting them and they were so quiet. `I told them ‘you scared me to death. Please say ‘passing’. They both looked at me like I was out of my mind and just kept going, not saying a word.

Not a MUP but I bet you they were clueless newbies and had no idea they could scare people. They seemingly left as clueless as they appeared.

Bald Paul

Many MUPs are, in fact, banning their use. However, enforcement is just about non-existent.
And it's not the ebike that is at fault. It's the rider. An ebike just makes it easier for some to act like that, because they know they won't be too tired from actually pedaling to fight.

kingston 

Ebikes are the problem. I'll give you an example. I was riding my bike on Sunday afternoon on the Skokie Valley Trail which is a 10 mile long, straight, flat, paved trail in the north suburbs of Chicago. There are hardly any walkers or joggers on this trail because it's long, with limited access and there are better options for walking and jogging nearby. It also doesn't really connect anything so it's basically just people riding bikes for exercise. There is no posted speed limit, and I have been passed by guys on TT bikes going 30 mph. I've seen a lot more ebikes this year, and for the most part, they don't really bother me on this particular path.

Anyway, I came up behind an older couple riding side-by-side across the entire trail on their ebikes at around 20 mph, which I assume is as fast as they go. I was going a few mph faster and rang my bell to let them know I was there. At first they didn't move, so I slowed to stay behind them, then I rang my bell again. On the second ring, I assume he didn't hear the first, the guy looked back and jerked his handlebars to the left, almost went off the trail, then jerked them back to the right and almost hit his wife. He got it back under control and they both slowed down and got to one side so I could pass. I waved hello and went by because I try not to get mad at people when I'm out riding my bike. I'm sure they were very nice people, and it's nice for them to be able to get out, but they had zero bike handling skills and almost took all three of us out, which doesn't really happen on pedal bikes. Anyone who can hold 20 mph for any distance can generally ride in a straight line while they look over their shoulder. People riding regular bikes slowly on that trail don't ride side by side for very long because there are plenty of guys like me cruising along in the 20's. So it's the ebikes that provide more power than people know how to handle that creates dangerous situations for everyone. In the OP's example it was a jerk who had more power than everyone else, in my example it was a nice guy who couldn't ride his bike in a straight line at 20 mph while he looked over his shoulder. The common denominator is the ebike.

Bald Paul

I'm still trying to ascertain how that is the fault of the ebike.
A lot of pro peloton riders are complaining that teams have begun recruiting new members from the world of virtual competition. They have impressive speed, massive power outputs, and few road handling skills. It must be those $10,000+ bikes they are riding, huh?

kingston 

It's the same issue. It's a safety hazard when people have more power than they know how to control. Same as someone who's never ridden a motorcycle before buying a 600 cc sport bike.

boozergut

Its always worth driving to a different trail. Ebikes are beginning to fill up my favorite MUP here. Your mental and physical health are well worth it. With all the kids on their phones, and having lost a relative in a cycling accident 8 weeks ago I wont ride on the roads.

Bald Paul

Thank you for reinforcing my point. 600cc sport bikes, controlled by a skilled rider, aren't by themselves dangerous. But I've seen far too many squids with more money than brains riding them.

kingston 

Of course the ebikes bikes don't ride themselves. There has to be a rider, and I agree it's possible for someone to ride an ebike both courteously and skillfully, but I'm starting to see a lot more examples where that isn't the case. I put that down to the new technology because it didn't happen before, but I suppose you could just as easily attribute it to the people who don't know how to use new technology.

Bald Paul

No disagreement from me on that point. I've seen it myself.

ClydeClydeson

From the safety of my keyboard I think I would have taken that opportunity to see if E-bikes can float.

Sounds like you were the bigger person between yourself, me, and the AH on the e-bike. By not acknowledging or responding to the aggressive person you surely came out on top in that situation. Well done!

Doug64

I've seen a lot of people on regular bicycles that fit into the same category: the wannabe racers, cyclist riding abreast, cyclist with ear bud inserted-oblivious to the world, cyclist looking at their phones, passing at high speed with out signaling their intent, and just unskilled bike riders. I've actually seen more of these type of folks than people on ebikes.

kingston 

Obviously. There are still a lot more bikes than ebikes so you are going to see more rude and incompetent people on regular bikes. Seems to me that there's more rudeness and incompetence as a proportion on ebikes, but who knows. I think ebikes are stupid so I know I'm biased. I did see a study from the Netherlands reporting the highest cycling fatalities in 25 years because more older people are riding ebikes. One in three of the fatalities was on an ebike, and people over 60 are more likely to be killed in a cycling accident than a car accident.

Kabuki12

I don't ride an electric bike , I ride vintage steel road bikes. If not for my wife's pedal assist bike she would not be able to join me on some of my rides. It is the mid drive Bosch type so you have to pedal and there is no throttle. Here in Southern California , riding on a bike path or MUP , it is really tough to cruise at speed. We rarely use them and when we do it seems we are stuck doing 10mph and ringing the bloody bell every 15 minutes. Most of our riding and all of my solo riding is on the road in bike lanes. It has become a serious problem with some ebikes and also the gas powered Whizzer type cruisers even in the bike lanes. I am not fast but usually cruise about 18-20mph on the flats and my wife has no problem cruising behind and staying up with me . The riders on these fast ebikes and gas bikes go blazing by very close without giving any room as they pass and sometimes aren't even pedaling! I have also had the same problem with racers on their fancy modern bikes out to set a world record forgetting that it isn't a race course and maybe a little room as they pass would be good. The latter is rare , for sure , but all equally dangerous. It is the attitude of the rider that is the problem and as I stated before, the inconsiderate few ruin it for the majority of us. Happy pedaling!

70sSanO

The truth is people have always been pushed around and had even less say. The only difference is social media.

Like many others, I remember going to work, doing my job, and keeping my mouth shut, most stores closed at 5:30pm, knowing where pay phones were located on my drive home, having to actually mail my bills, banks closing at 3:00pm, except Friday, paychecks needed to clear, mail order was mailing in an order and waiting, etc.

That was just the way life was. You might not like it, but that was just the way things were done. No one would think of vandalizing the bank president’s home because a check couldn’t be deposited, or throwing a brick through the window of a hardware store because they were closed… and no internet where people could rage on about it with encouragement from others.

John

BCAC

I am 6’3”/200 lbs and fit. I am the least confrontational guy you would ever meet. I always try to de escalate situations. As an equal. You were in the right, he was in the wrong. That’s enough. No sense getting into a fight that can be avoided. People get hurt in fights and the police show up.

Now, if someone took a swing at me and connected, well, game on. It’s never happened.

You handled it perfectly.

rowerek

This is the only part of the biking I don't like: close calls with cars and other cyclists. My blood pressure goes up and can even boil, but I try as much as possible to avoid confrontation, it is not worth it. IMHO, there are no winners once the verbal confrontation starts, or worse.

Last week I was passed by a fast group of bikers, the leader gave me a shout and passed me with a comfortable margin, then the the others passed me closer and closer with the last few ones basically rubbing against my side, when I was already close to the side of the road. It was dangerous, unnecessary and obviously on purpose, a show off and intimidation. I was pissed off but in a second or two I decided juts to keep calm, and let it go. Biking on the public roads can be sometimes frustrating and dangerous, but on the balance this is a great sport and recreation, let's keep this way with some humility and forgiveness included.

DDzBike

Dealing with people like this are what Kryptonite locks a made for

base2 

(His whole comedy special is actually quite funny. But the clip is just the relavent part to your post.)

Inusuit

The guy I ride with is 78, on oxygen 24/7, has a pacemaker. I don't begrudge him his ebike. If ebikes get more aged and sedentary folks off the couch and outdoors, that's a good thing. I admit to shaking my head at young folks going 25 mph without pedaling on MUPs.