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Squirrels are scaring me

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Squirrels are scaring me

Old 09-24-22, 04:26 PM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by MoAlpha
Okay, okay! Yes, I felt sorta bad. Happy now?
You’re now blowing in the wind like a cheap politician.
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Old 09-24-22, 04:28 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by Mojo31
You’re now blowing in the wind like a cheap politician.
I didn’t feel THAT bad! Just leave me the hell alone, wouldja?
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Old 09-24-22, 04:38 PM
  #28  
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Best part is if you spoke them you can eat them. Delicacy in some parts.
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Old 09-24-22, 06:24 PM
  #29  
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Soccer moms scare me.
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Old 09-24-22, 06:35 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Mojo31
Best part is if you spoke them you can eat them. Delicacy in some parts.
Get enough of them, and you could make a pot of Brunswick Stew.
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Old 09-24-22, 08:42 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by SoSmellyAir
Inattentive teenage morons (am I being redundant here?) on e-bikes scare me more than either clowns or squirrels.
I don't think I've ever seen a teenager on an eBike. If I did see one, I don't think I'd have time to administer an IQ test.

Originally Posted by Ghazmh
Not even a slight negative emotional effect?
Once had a squirrel in my living room and dispatched it with an eight iron. I like nature, but it needs to stay the hell out of my house...And also, there's this:

Originally Posted by Inusuit
Squirrels are just rats with bushy tails.
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Old 09-24-22, 09:02 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Mojo31
Best part is if you spoke them you can eat them. Delicacy in some parts.
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Old 09-24-22, 09:10 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by MoAlpha
Ran over one once, with no negative effects for me.
me too on my 72 pound e bike no less. a nice speed bump but it vanished In the scrub.
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Old 09-25-22, 09:05 AM
  #34  
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Could be worse
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Old 09-25-22, 09:10 AM
  #35  
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I hiss at them, loud. TSSSSS! That seems to work, they dive for cover.
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Old 09-25-22, 09:27 AM
  #36  
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Keep the line. You won't crash
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Old 09-25-22, 05:43 PM
  #37  
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I've run over four squirrels in the last five years. They zig-zagged in front of me until, THUMP, THUMP. Didn't affect my ride, but I'm sure it was not pleasant for the squirrels. They ran off in all cases, but I'm guessing they didn't survive the internal injuries from being run over.
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Old 09-25-22, 06:03 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Tomm Willians
Could be worse
Reminds me of this:
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Old 09-25-22, 06:37 PM
  #39  
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Just realized my wife is officially a soccer mom. Scary.
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Old 09-26-22, 04:08 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
I don't think I've ever seen a teenager on an eBike. If I did see one, I don't think I'd have time to administer an IQ test.
No IQ test needed when I see two teenagers, neither wearing a helmet, simultaneously riding on the same e-bike.
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Old 09-26-22, 04:11 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Tomm Willians
Could be worse
You are absolutely right. The saddle height of the guy on the right of the photo is definitely worse. Look at how high up and far out his right knee is.
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Old 09-26-22, 05:54 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Symox
Lately on the rides I do there have been a lot of squirrels doing the last minute dash of death across my front wheel. In every case I’ve just kept my line and hoped for the best.

After a recent unrelated crash I am paranoid of breaking my collarbone again as I’m still healing.

Are crashes with squirrels getting caught in the wheels common or is this just the post crash jitters?

wtf is with these squirrels making them dash across? Is it the freehub noise?
2 unfortunate deaths this year for me, but no crash. I keep my line and grab my handlebars firmly. I always hope not to hit the head because that thing is hard as F.

I don't believe that the animal getting caught inside the wheel and causing a crash is common. I've never seen this in my entire life.

They all look like they have a death wish, but what they are doing must be some sort of survival instinct.
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Old 09-27-22, 08:01 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by rm -rf
I hiss at them, loud. TSSSSS! That seems to work, they dive for cover.
As I do too. Maybe the squirrels think your a cat after them? Sometimes works better than other times.
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Old 09-27-22, 09:15 PM
  #44  
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My cat gets several a week. That I see. Sunday he left half of one on the path to the front door while I was on my ride. Almost stepped on it while dismounting. This evening he was working on one that wasn't quite dead yet as we came home. The pitiful squeals were a bit alarming but there wasn't much point in intervening.

They dart in front of me frequently but I've yet to hit one. I hold my line and don't try to miss them.
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Old 09-28-22, 09:48 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by SoSmellyAir
No IQ test needed when I see two teenagers, neither wearing a helmet, simultaneously riding on the same e-bike.
...and most likely each of them staring straight down at their phones.
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Old 09-28-22, 09:50 AM
  #46  
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I've never hit a squirrel, but I did run over a chipmunk once. I knew for sure I'd hit him by all the squeaking he did afterward. I felt bad.
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Old 09-28-22, 10:53 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by Reflector Guy
...and most likely each of them staring straight down at their phones.
Get off my lawn!
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Old 09-30-22, 08:29 PM
  #48  
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You think squirrels are scary: two weeks ago a black bear ran across the road 50’ ahead of me. I then slowed to a crawl to make sure he had cleared the area. Hate to get one of those caught in my spokes. Have seen three bears this year ( not the ones in the children’s book)
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Old 09-30-22, 09:48 PM
  #49  
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I only ever see bears riding gravel. I've seen more bears that way than hiking in the same areas. I'm not afraid of a black bear when I'm on foot, but cyclists don't move in a way large predators recognize as human.

A yearling black bear ambled across the road in front of me a while ago. I didn't know if there was a mama nearby. Running from a bear engages their predator instincts and I didn't think riding off would be wise so I stood for a few minutes ready to lift the bike overhead to look bigger. But there was no mama bear, so I finished the ride and got a great story out of it.
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Old 10-02-22, 04:59 PM
  #50  
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In Asheville, it’s a rare ride you don’t see a bear. Had to wait a couple of minutes for a mother and her cub to cross the road in front of us yesterday.
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