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What may annoy you when commuting?

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What may annoy you when commuting?

Old 03-22-19, 10:19 AM
  #126  
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Most recent annoyances are electric scooters left on the bike path after apparently running out of juice and the smell of now legalized marijuana by Key Bridge in Georgetown.
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Old 03-22-19, 10:46 AM
  #127  
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Originally Posted by Riveting
Drivers who have the right of way, yet still attempt to let me pass.
I gotta say I really do find this annoying -- and it's a serious issue in Portland where a lot of cycling revolves around identity/ideological tribalism. Not only do cars often stop on through roads when I have a stop sign, I've actually had them stop at a green light and try to wave me through a red, as recently as last week.

Aside from being annoying, it encourages dangerous behaviors. By my perspective, at least 90% of Portland cyclists are out of their minds. I've never seen so many people ride like that anywhere else I've lived -- which is good because it's virtually guaranteed to get you seriously hurt or worse in most places. I worry the screwball things you can get away with here will make me complacent.

Originally Posted by mjac
"Jim from Boston" what are you and "Joey Bike" doing? "Archwhorides" doesn't want to hear about this type of stuff. He only wants to hear about little annoyances. Show some respect.


Getting back to the topic at hand, I love everything about cycling except the drivers, other cyclists, pedestrians, electric scooters, cold, rain, wind, potholes, gravel, sharps that cut my tires, traffic controls, mechanical problems, lack of infrastructure, homeless people taking over infrastructure when it exists, lack of a way to secure my bike, lack of showers, bugs, loose dogs, hills, the amount of time it takes to cover long distances, inability to carry much cargo or transport other people/animals, and that it's totally impractical when you're sick. If it weren't for those things, cycling would be perfect and everyone would ride bikes to get around.
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Old 03-22-19, 10:51 AM
  #128  
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Originally Posted by banerjek
Getting back to the topic at hand, I love everything about cycling except the drivers, other cyclists, pedestrians, electric scooters, cold, rain, wind, potholes, gravel, sharps that cut my tires, traffic controls, mechanical problems, lack of infrastructure, homeless people taking over infrastructure when it exists, lack of a way to secure my bike, lack of showers, bugs, loose dogs, hills, the amount of time it takes to cover long distances, inability to carry much cargo or transport other people/animals, and that it's totally impractical when you're sick. If it weren't for those things, cycling would be perfect and everyone would ride bikes to get around.
That's pretty much what I meant to say.
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Old 03-22-19, 12:00 PM
  #129  
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Ah, the truth finally comes out.
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Old 03-22-19, 12:17 PM
  #130  
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Originally Posted by banerjek
Getting back to the topic at hand, I love everything about cycling except the drivers, other cyclists, pedestrians, electric scooters, cold, rain, wind, potholes, gravel, sharps that cut my tires, traffic controls, mechanical problems, lack of infrastructure, homeless people taking over infrastructure when it exists, lack of a way to secure my bike, lack of showers, bugs, loose dogs, hills, the amount of time it takes to cover long distances, inability to carry much cargo or transport other people/animals, and that it's totally impractical when you're sick. If it weren't for those things, cycling would be perfect and everyone would ride bikes to get around.
Mostly. Although I do like the downhills! (Except when there's a stop sign at the bottom of the hill.)
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Old 03-22-19, 12:37 PM
  #131  
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Originally Posted by pdlamb
Mostly. Although I do like the downhills! (Except when there's a stop sign at the bottom of the hill.)
Just realized my list was missing a few things.

Add: squirrels and small animals that race out in front of you, debris and hydrocarbon slime that washes over blind curves on hills, anyone who rides their brakes going downhill, slick conditions, cracks, water over the road, and having my rims and tranny trashed from riding in slop.

Other than that, cycling is awesome
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Old 03-22-19, 01:08 PM
  #132  
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@alan s

Yep. I thought I was the only one bothered by the marijuana smell. Here in So. Cal., it's everywhere.
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Old 03-22-19, 06:46 PM
  #133  
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Some nights, it’s only the dank stank of weed smoke wafting in the breeze that keeps me going

Originally Posted by Wrokkar
@alan s

Yep. I thought I was the only one bothered by the marijuana smell. Here in So. Cal., it's everywhere.
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Old 03-22-19, 06:48 PM
  #134  
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Originally Posted by banerjek
just realized my list was missing a few things.

Add: Squirrels and small animals ..... My rims and tranny trashed from riding in slop.

Other than that, cycling is awesome
potd. 👌
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Old 03-23-19, 07:19 AM
  #135  
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Originally Posted by banerjek
Just realized my list was missing a few things.

Add: squirrels and small animals that race out in front of you, debris and hydrocarbon slime that washes over blind curves on hills, anyone who rides their brakes going downhill, slick conditions, cracks, water over the road, and having my rims and tranny trashed from riding in slop.

Other than that, cycling is awesome
I propose we fly you and your recumbent down to New Orleans, saddle you up in Chalmette and point you toward the CBD on Claiborne Ave. so you can add to your list of "little" annoyances ( keeping with the theme of the thread as instructed by PC Archwhorides) like as when you approach Brad Pitt's Make it Right Development at the foot of the Claiborne Bridge in the Lower Nine the sound of whizzing bullets. The Lower Nine makes Chicago's Southside look like Disney Land.
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Old 03-23-19, 08:00 AM
  #136  
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Originally Posted by mjac


I propose we fly you and your recumbent down to New Orleans, saddle you up in Chalmette and point you toward the CBD on Claiborne Ave. so you can add to your list of "little" annoyances ( keeping with the theme of the thread as instructed by PC Archwhorides) like as when you approach Brad Pitt's Make it Right Development at the foot of the Claiborne Bridge in the Lower Nine the sound of whizzing bullets. The Lower Nine makes Chicago's Southside look like Disney Land.
Why?

If you recognize any specific annoyances to you, then go ahead and post them. I don't think this thread is asking for anyone's verification or validation.
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Old 03-23-19, 08:40 AM
  #137  
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Originally Posted by Daniel4
Why?

If you recognize any specific annoyances to you, then go ahead and post them. I don't think this thread is asking for anyone's verification or validation.
Once again someone takes something the wrong way. Me and banerjeck have been going back and forth ribbing each other for a number of posts. It was all in fun.
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Old 03-23-19, 09:53 AM
  #138  
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What may annoy you when commuting?
Originally Posted by banerjek
Nothing really gets to me -- seriously.

There's nothing more futile than struggling against inevitability, in this case the cycling environment. Bad drivers, morons, difficult conditions, etc. are all part of that. Gotta find a way to embrace it...
Originally Posted by banerjek
I'm certain everything is way underreported.

However, the reality is that cycling has never been easier or safer. ...Culture is WAY more accepting of cyclists than it's ever been. The equipment is far better too.

Not that there's not plenty of room for improvement but it's so much better and easier than it was it's not even funny. Curiously, cyclists seem way more scared than they used to be. Not sure what's going on there.
Originally Posted by banerjek
Just realized my list was missing a few things....

Other than that, cycling is awesome
Originally Posted by mjac
Anytime you ride in the street and do not get killed, it is a plus. I do not recommend it. ...It only takes one Jackass and you are going to lose the battle with a 21/2 Ton Automobile.

The number of Ghost Funerals in this City alone is unbelievable. Their ain't nothing Romantic about it. You are Hurt or you are Dead and a Statistic that everyone will forget about.
Originally Posted by mjac
The City is New Orleans. It amazes me that you can so easily dismiss the injuries and deaths of cyclists riding on urban streets. It happens.

I see evidence of it on a regular basis. Yet you tend to ignore it like it does not exist and make fun. The point merely is to acknowledge the danger and find your own personal way of dealing with it.

I have no control over what a driver does with his car. How you and others deal with it is up to you. I can not tell anyone what to do. But acknowledge the danger exists and deal with it. Do not pretend that it does not exist.

There is nothing trite about getting killed and you can not say it does not happen. Talk to me when you have been broad sided by a car going the wrong direction and being left for dead in the street by a hit and run driver. rolltheeyes.
Originally Posted by mjac
I propose we fly you and your recumbent down to New Orleans, saddle you up in Chalmette and point you toward the CBD on Claiborne Ave. so you can add to your list of "little" annoyances ( keeping with the theme of the thread as instructed by PC Archwhorides)

Like as when you approach Brad Pitt's Make it Right Development at the foot of the Claiborne Bridge in the Lower Nine the sound of whizzing bullets. The Lower Nine makes Chicago's Southside look like Disney Land.
Originally Posted by Daniel4
Why?

If you recognize any specific annoyances to you, then go ahead and post them. I don't think this thread is asking for anyone's verification or validation.
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
The OP posted such an open-ended question, that my best answer was nothing that would make me want to give up cycling, or too trite to enumerate, even after being hit by a car from behind.

However, I have posted to several threads, though not as heatedly as @mjac...
Originally Posted by mjac
and your point is...

I did not mean to sound heated. I merely wanted to introduce some reality into the situation. These Ghost Bike Funerals are happening all the time around here. Each one of these represents a dead cicylist. Recently two cicylist were killed at the same time by a drunk driver. That is reality
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
... When I was composing my reply to your [first] post, I tried to judge the “tenor” of your post,and choose the appropriate description. My first choice was “vehement,” but that seemed too strident.

Even now, I can’t think of another synonym, though perhaps “morbid” comes to mind. Nonetheless, I was acknowledging the gavity of your concerns.
Originally Posted by Daniel4
Well, it started out as a nice thread listing everybody's experiences. But it took just under two days before someone's opinion got challenged with the typical tone of " Then why are you cycling?"

And you know what happens with online discussions from there.
Originally Posted by mjac
Once again someone takes something the wrong way. ME AND BANERJECK HAVE BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH RIBBING EACH OTHER FOR A NUMBER OF POSTS. IT WAS ALL IN FUN (emphasis added).
So @mjac, all this talk about riding in the streets and getting killed, ghost funerals,
the injuries and deaths of cyclists riding on urban streets, drunk drivers, losing the battle with a 2-1/2 ton automobile, getting broad sided and being left for dead by a hit and run driver, and whizzing bullets at the foot of Claiborne Bridge ARE ALL IN FUN??? :

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-24-19 at 04:34 PM.
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Old 03-23-19, 10:34 AM
  #139  
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Ʌ Ʌ Ʌ Ʌ

Earlier on this thread:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Originally Posted by mjac
When if ever are you going ti catch on? I am the best at riding in traffic. The best. It is just that the drivers around here are so bad, so malicious, you can not compensate for them. No matter how good you are.

Whitewater Kayaking. No Cars.
FWIW, my posts to Bikeforums are what they are worth as a decades-long year-round lifestyle cyclist, including urban commuting, but I have been cited as a good source:
Originally Posted by Stun
My experience is that people drive differently in every city and treat cyclists very differently. The best advice often comes from cyclists that live the closest to you

The exception here would also be Jim from Boston--anyone that can successfully commute around Boston has my full respect and probably knows how to deal with about every intersection imaginable!
To the Moderators:

Please don't close this thread because of this dust-up
. I think it has been useful and refreshing to learn and be aware of the "little," i.e non-life-threatening realities of cycle-commuting.

But like, for example,
Originally Posted by banerjek
...squirrels and small animals that race out in front of you, debris and hydrocarbon slime that washes over blind curves on hills, anyone who rides their brakes going downhill, slick conditions, cracks, water over the road, and having my rims and tranny trashed from riding in slop.

Other than that, cycling is awesome
you never know.

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-23-19 at 10:53 AM.
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Old 03-23-19, 02:54 PM
  #140  
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Originally Posted by mjac


Once again someone takes something the wrong way. Me and banerjeck have been going back and forth ribbing each other for a number of posts. It was all in fun.
The internet being what it has turned out is hard to determine what is trolling and what is legitimate opinion.

In a live discussion between real people, the moderator being in the same room would probably see that sort of thing as personal squabbling between two people that doesn't contribute to the purpose of the meeting.

But what do I know. I'm only a broken record.

Last edited by Daniel4; 03-23-19 at 02:57 PM.
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Old 03-23-19, 03:08 PM
  #141  
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So here's my contribution to the topic. During the winter, the MUPs have been closed to cars driving in to the parking lots. Instead, they park right up to the gates blocking pedestrians and cyclists from going past the gates.

So my fix is to grab two pilons from work being done up the street and place them at the edge of the gates so parked cars give clearance to pedestrians and cyclists to pass.

In another MUP, the exit/entrance leads to a parking lot of a private business. Right of access is given to those who use the MUP. But this winter, plows in the parking lot have piled a mound of snow right in front of the MUP entrance. At the entire parking lot, there's only one pile of snow and it's right there. So this forces cyclists to ride along the parallel street instead of the MUP.
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Old 03-24-19, 05:14 AM
  #142  
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Originally Posted by mjac
Once again someone takes something the wrong way. Me and banerjeck have been going back and forth ribbing each other for a number of posts. IT WAS ALL IN FUN (emphasis added).
Originally Posted by Daniel4
The internet being what it has turned out is hard to determine what is trolling and what is legitimate opinion.

In a live discussion between real people, the moderator being in the same room would probably see that sort of thing as personal squabbling between two people that doesn't contribute to the purpose of the meeting.

But what do I know. I'm only a broken record.
FYA see this now-closed thread, started 7/12/13, “How Do You Communicate on Forums vs Face-to-Face" (probably closed because of some overt hostility). While it was still civil, I posted:
Originally Posted by Jim from Boston
Do you think that smilies (emoticons) help in fleshing out the vibes and flow of conversation and personal interaction in a posted message? It seems that Bike Forums provide a pretty wide range of smilies to express and vitalize as it were one's comments.

Personally, I do try to express any emotive content in writing as precisely as I can. The Merriam-Webster online dictionary is on my bookmark list to find the right synonym for any key words I use.

One thing that compelled me to reconsider smilies though was this. I once saw an ad in a sports magazine for something [Radio Shack] being endorsed by Lance Armstrong. He was quoted as something like, "No man over thirty should ever use smilies...period."
I guess I initially approach virtually all posts as sincere, though I sometimes wonder why some posts are submitted at all. Even when a poster is called out as a troll, I still reserve on that judgement until it becomes obvious. FWIW
Then there's that annoying initialism, "jk" (just kidding), or "IT WAS ALL IN FUN."

Last edited by Jim from Boston; 03-24-19 at 06:37 AM.
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Old 03-24-19, 05:17 AM
  #143  
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Rain, probably
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Old 03-25-19, 08:33 AM
  #144  
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Originally Posted by mjac
... I believe many of these deaths and injuries are with inexperienced riders and that hurts the sport.
You may be operating under a false assumption here. Of the struck and killed riders that I read about, the vast majority are experienced bicyclists. Often, they are cycling advocates, long-time riders, and commuters. Like you, I haven't taken the time to research this, it's simply my instincts after having read of cycling deaths in the last decade.

I think that inexperienced riders generally are aware of their limitations and hesitate to accept the risks of riding in traffic. Newer riders stick to MUPs and the like. That's my sense anyway.

Last edited by Phil_gretz; 03-25-19 at 08:33 AM. Reason: grammar
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Old 03-25-19, 09:05 AM
  #145  
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Originally Posted by Phil_gretz
You may be operating under a false assumption here. Of the struck and killed riders that I read about, the vast majority are experienced bicyclists. Often, they are cycling advocates, long-time riders, and commuters. Like you, I haven't taken the time to research this, it's simply my instincts after having read of cycling deaths in the last decade.

I think that inexperienced riders generally are aware of their limitations and hesitate to accept the risks of riding in traffic. Newer riders stick to MUPs and the like. That's my sense anyway.
Based on absolutely no statistical data whatsoever....I think you are correct.

I know when I started commuting I went out of my way to avoid roads like they were cancer. I was terrified of the idea of riding on the street with cars. I'm comfortable with it now and do it every day, but I can't sit here and say my risk level hasn't gone up by riding on roads. It's gone up considerably.

I just cannot believe that there are large numbers of rookie riders who say "I'll go ride in traffic. Seems safe."

I'm sure there are a few. And I'm sure they do dumb stuff that puts them at a higher than average risk. But I have to believe that the VAST MAJORITY of people riding on the roads do it regularly.

I'll go a step further to say that the people new at riding on the road are more aware of their surroundings than someone who's been doing it for years. When I first rode on the street with traffic I remember being HYPER AWARE of my surroundings because it was all new and scary. Now that I'm comfortable with it I'm still paying attention but I'm not laser focused on every possible danger due to fear.

People who've been riding for 25 years and feel totally safe.....that's a big danger. You should never feel totally safe when riding in traffic. Never. There should always be that element of "If I lose focus on the road, I die." Fear does remarkable things to keep you alive. Complacency is your enemy. And new riders are usually not complacent.

There is a healthy median between terror and total complacency. Both are bad. Unbridled terror makes you do dumb things in panic. Complacency lets your think about a project at work while riding instead of paying attention to that red light. A health average of knowing you are in a dangerous situations but not begin paralyzed by it is where you want to be.
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Old 03-25-19, 11:14 AM
  #146  
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Wow, you guys should all save up and move to San Diego. I feel so privileged! My biggest annoyance is people who try to wave me through a 4-way stop even though I've stopped my bike and put my foot down; just trying to be a good citizen and take my turn, don't make my loss of momentum be for nothing!

It's also a little annoying when car traffic has to cross the bike lane to get to a right-turn lane, and somebody passes me on the left to cross in front of me, when they just end up in a line of cars anyways, and could just as well have changed lanes behind me. But frankly, I'm watching in my helmet mirror, it is way more common for drivers to slow and cross the bike lane behind me than cross in front.
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Old 03-25-19, 11:31 AM
  #147  
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Had a first over the weekend. Was pulling off the road into a parking lot, and there was a cyclist on the opposite side on the sidewalk going the same way. I stopped before hitting him, only to have him get startled and veer straight into me .😡

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Old 03-25-19, 11:44 AM
  #148  
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Originally Posted by banerjek
Nothing really gets to me -- seriously.

There's nothing more futile than struggling against inevitability, in this case the cycling environment. Bad drivers, morons, difficult conditions, etc. are all part of that. Gotta find a way to embrace it.

To do otherwise is like taking up mountaineering and being unhappy because it's too much work, too dangerous, and too cold.
I feel ya. Stupid people are gonna do stupid things. Like swiping me with a moving truck, running me off the road, passing and then suddenly turning in front of me without signalling, throwing drinks out of their window... It just comes with the territory. Watching the front wheels of surrounding vehicles gives me a little more time to react, and I've managed to not get hurt.

Sometimes people do things on purpose because they think it's funny. Occasionally, their plans don't quite work out and I get to return the favor.

A couple weeks ago, I was waiting to make a left turn and there was a van behind me. When we started to take off, a teenage girl stuck her head out the passenger window and screamed at me while her friends laughed. I watched the van go down the road, and about a block later, they turned into a gas station. When I caught up to them, she had just pulled the fuel hose off of the pump. So I made a close pass and screamed back at the girl, who dropped the fuel hose as she flailed into the air screaming. And then I rode off into the adjacent grocery store parking lot cackling like an a-hole. Gotta embrace the BS, but you also have to take the small victories, because sometimes two wrongs do make a right.
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Old 03-25-19, 11:52 AM
  #149  
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Originally Posted by mjac
I propose we fly you and your recumbent down to New Orleans, saddle you up in Chalmette and point you toward the CBD on Claiborne Ave. so you can add to your list of "little" annoyances ( keeping with the theme of the thread as instructed by PC Archwhorides) like as when you approach Brad Pitt's Make it Right Development at the foot of the Claiborne Bridge in the Lower Nine the sound of whizzing bullets. The Lower Nine makes Chicago's Southside look like Disney Land.
Note that if the bullets aren't aimed at you, the only way to get hit is bad luck. Gunfire is a common occurrence in many rural areas. But you remind me of another annoyance for the list -- morons (sometimes drunk) shooting too close to the road and without sufficient attention to what's behind the target. Have encountered this a number of times over the years.

BTW, sometimes these clowns might point their guns at you as a joke. It's happened to me.

Originally Posted by Skipjacks
I'll go a step further to say that the people new at riding on the road are more aware of their surroundings than someone who's been doing it for years. When I first rode on the street with traffic I remember being HYPER AWARE of my surroundings because it was all new and scary. Now that I'm comfortable with it I'm still paying attention but I'm not laser focused on every possible danger due to fear.

People who've been riding for 25 years and feel totally safe.....that's a big danger. You should never feel totally safe when riding in traffic. Never. There should always be that element of "If I lose focus on the road, I die." Fear does remarkable things to keep you alive. Complacency is your enemy. And new riders are usually not complacent.
Being calm and being complacent have nothing in common. One is essential for safety and flows from understanding threats and one's ability to work with them. The other reflects a critical lack of mindfulness. What makes a situation safe or unsafe is a function of someone's ability to manage risk -- not the same as what that situation "is."

Research indicates that people who ride more crash much less -- and that a huge percentage of those getting killed are doing things that are clearly dangerous such as drinking and riding at night. Knowing what you're doing, knowing how to read and respond to situations, and having skills keeps you safe.

Fear is your spidey sense telling you that you're in a situation you're not equipped to handle. As such, it gives you useful guidance over what you should and should not be doing. Fear causes all kinds of problems -- tunnel vision causing people to miss some threats, respond too early or late, and overresponding. There is absolutely no way I'd take a beginner on a number of roads I ride every day.

I do a couple other dangerous sports and I don't know anyone who would consider going out with someone who is afraid. When I'm in a group, we never go anywhere where even one person expresses reservations -- when it happens (fairly common), we change the plan. Such a person is going to make mistakes and won't be able to respond appropriately when something goes wrong. Even if someone is very technically skilled, if they become fearful in a critical situation, we no longer take them on trips where they can get exposed to that threat. It's just too dangerous.

Stuff happens. Just so happens I was paddling off the coast this weekend. The first picture is me taking an unlucky hit from a wave. The second resulted when I lost control in a large wave and crashed into a buddy -- it's decidedly inconvenient to have a massive hole punched in your boat when you're 1/2 mile out in heavy seas. Everyone was calm, no one was ever in danger, and we had a great time. React with fear in a situation like that, and you're in real danger.



Last edited by banerjek; 03-25-19 at 04:12 PM.
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Old 03-25-19, 01:54 PM
  #150  
dkatz1
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Originally Posted by Bikewolf
Commuting requires some tolerance, sure. But there are days!
E.g. a scooter idiot not looking when making a turn, crossing your path ... (sigh)

Anything you experienced while commuting that caused some frustration?
Well....nearly getting doored (except: I got wise to the possibility years ago so it doesn't happen to me)...idiots in cars doing all manner of stupid, rude, dangerous stuff.
Idiots on bicycles doing all manner of stupid, rude, dangerous stuff. I commute in to Boston, and amazed at some of the dumb things I see cyclists do (like weaving in and out of heavy traffic while talking, texting or listening to music. NO helmet, of course. I'm a musician. I love music of all kinds, and have listed for millions of hours. But: I don't get the wearing headphones to listen while you're riding thing. A: even with decent phones, it's not a very good listen, and more importantly B. and C....it's dangerous, and: I THING it's a great thing to be alone with my own thoughts once in a while.
Pedestrians doing all manner of stupid, rude, dangerous things...this would include joggers, baby joggers, etc...
Pinheads using the bike lane with motorcycles...
I could go on a lot longer...
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