burritos

Do you like it? Of course I'd prefer not to be around cars. But when I'm next to tons(literally and numerically) of cars during rush hour my senses are certainly heightened. Isn't that what happens when you take cocaine or meth?

Reflector Guy

"Cagers".

indyfabz

Experience?

mack_turtle

I cringe every time I hear the word "cagers." using that term is a good indication that a cyclist is a self-martyring elitist. a vast majority of people outside of densely-packed cities also drive cars.

burritos

I apologize. I picked that up from this board about 2 months ago after I joined. Had to google it. Was trying fit in. Don't weave in and out. Though if there are no cars around I will make a left on a red arrow.

veganbikes

Huh?

cager

Noun
cag·​er | \ ˈkājə(r) \
plural -s

Definition of cager

1a: a worker who loads and unloads cages and gives hoisting signals — called also cageman, cage tender, onsetter, skip tender

b: a mechanical apparatus for pushing cars on or off a cage
2: a basketball player

burritos

Curious, though never tried. That's why it's a question.

burritos

According to here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting...hat-cager.html

veganbikes

I went with Merriam Webster more reliable then some random Internet forum.

Just ride your bike and don't do drugs!

burritos

Biking is my drug. Intensity and quality of experience varies with conditions, environment, location, etc...

AlmostTrick

Yes, but I find my tolerance keeps rising so I need ever increasing doses for the same high.

10 Wheels

Yes it does

pdlamb

I'd think a using a definition from the site you're on would be reasonable. I'm occasionally a cager, though I spend more time on my bike.

Back to the original question. Adrenaline? Not usually, I've been riding with other traffic long enough I'm mostly inured to it. There are a few exceptions, when I've hopped on the only road around only to find high volume, high speed traffic, and nowhere to run. That'll get my heart pumping!

Maelochs

Am I more aware of my surroundings when my surroundings demand that I be more aware in order to be safe and survive?

Suddenly the question seems rather silly.

I mean, if I ma riding swiftly along an MUP with some piles of leaves, some blind turns, , a few issues with pavement ---- I am more aware and alert than when I am cruising down a wide straight MUP with perfect pavement where I can see for half a mile.

Almost as if cars were not a part of it at all ......

I have done decades of ugly urban commuting. I learned to coexist.

As for the comparison between riding with cars and doing drugs .... nothing related. Some guy who used to look just like I used to look back in the day tried everything and reports back that you shouldn't get confused so easily.

That's like saying sticking your hand under a heat lamp is just like being out in the sun in a hot day because both make your skin warm---and both a re basically like falling into a campfire .... it is like saying that all experiences in life are similar because you are breathing during all of them.

Don't do drugs. Ride your bike.

I was going to jump on you for the "cagers"remark, but nah. You meant well. You seem like a decent person who just hasn't done drugs ... which means you have a slightly narrower range of experience and a lot less avoidable damage. You are way ahead of the game.

Try qigong. Once I started practicing Falun Dafa I stopped smoking my daily two or three clove cigarettes, and in time stopped all extracurricular medication. There really are better ways to get high---takes more work but well worth it.

rsbob 

From the Urban Dictionary, since the more ahem, senior respondents were going to Webster’s:

cager
a popular word among motorcyclists and bicyclists for four wheeled motor vehicle drivers. The term is often used in a derogativesense, because the car body effectively forms a cage, isolating the said driver from having to interact with other road users.

The term was coined by motorcyclists.

Personally don’t have a problem with the word. So many words have morphed over time and made it into “legitimate” dictionaries, it’s probably just a matter of time. Hard to stop progress, even if it appears backwards. I first thought a cager was U.K. slang, maybe like a punter.

I used to commute out of downtown Seattle at rush hour in the thick of busses, taxis, motorcycles and countless cars cutting back and forth around stopped busses, avoiding idiots not paying attention and first responders on a tear. It was exciting with all senses at the max. Was it like any drugs I took? Nope, more like having 3 big cups of coffee.

I ride a two lane highway with a 55 limit with lots of semis and dump trucks. I can’t avoid it if I want to get home. It definitely motivates me to get off it as quickly as possible. The unfortunate thing is that it’s uphill. The only drug there is called fear.

Phil_gretz

So, laying aside the use of the word "cagers", the answer is yes. But it's not a low level continuous boost of adrenaline, which wouldn't be physiologically healthy at all (weight gain, heart and blood vessel deterioration, insomnia, etc.). I hope that this isn't what the OP is asking, because the question is imprecise.

Rather, the once-in-a-while encounters that cause you to veer, brake hard to avoid collision, or jump out of your skin because of a near death experience of some sort, these cause larger adrenaline dumps that last for a few minutes. My normal response is rage and feelings of fear, as when smaller prey escape sure death. Adrenaline is a good thing, but surely not in daily doses.

tkamd73 

Just curious, what offensive word do drivers refer to bikers with? Anyone?
Tim

boilermaker1

Cager is outlaw biker talk. Biker is also outlaw biker talk--a biker being a particular type of motorcyclist, an outlaw type. This goes back to at least the 1960s when I became aware of the terms. It's odd to see bicyclists talking so.

caloso

Is this thread about old-timey basketball players?

Phil_gretz

Remember Twin Peaks bar in Waco? Now that was some outlaw biker action...


I don't see any cyclists in the group, though.

Gresp15C

Terminology aside, as I understand it, boosting your awareness and reflexes when you're in danger is the purpose of adrenaline, so I'd guess probably yes.

Do I enjoy seeking out this kind of adrenaline boost? No.

Chinghis

I do not flinch from riding in traffic, and I sometimes enjoy it, but I don't particularly do it for the rush. In fact, if I get a rush from anything other than some good downhill speed or traffic flow, that's probably a bad thing. I'll see if I can dig out one of my downtown LA videos from when I commuted for a couple of years.

Edit: It took me forever to figure out "cagers" around here. The term does sometimes cross my mind when I'm riding in traffic, I'll admit. At least now I know where it comes from.

mstateglfr 

I dont think my adrenaline is higher when I ride in traffic. I am certainly more aware, but I definitely dont feel a burst of adrenaline just because cars are near me. That would be exhausting, actually as I wouldnt want the adrenaline crash afterwards.

JanMM

Yesterday a gentleman in a pickup truck yelled that I was an a _ _ h o l e for riding on the road.

BobbyG

It's not "you versus traffic"...You are traffic.

I bike commuted for 28 years and while there are still a few sudden, harrowing encounters, decades of experience has taught me what to anticipate, and what kinds of out-of-the-ordinary incidents can occur.

The three best things I ever bought were a "Take-A-Look" glasses-mounted mirror which provides exceptional rear vision from curb to curb as you move your head, an air horn, and a helmet-mounted action cam.

By being able to clearly see traffic approaching from the rear I am able to use hand signals to alert them to my intentions like my desire to change lanes or turn, or waving at them to move away and not get too close, or waving them on ahead. I like to think that signaling to the driver behind you alerts them to the fact that you are now interacting with them, and not just some inanimate obstacle. It doesn't always work, but there was this one intersection with a turn lane I had to cross where cars would come up behind me regularly at 40-45mph. Once I stated wearing a mirror and began holding my left arm out as if to hold back a car from trying to get in front of me, things seemed calmer.

About 1993 or 1994 I discovered the Air-Zound Airhorn, which you pump up with your bike pump. It is very comforting having a "voice" in traffic to announce, warn and yes, once in a while voice displeasure.

About 7 years ago I bought my first action cam in order to capture on video all the bad drivers out there and possibly report them. Well, it was really to document any serious incidents, but I was thrilled that I would be able to give those selfish, aggresive drivers their come-uppence. What I discovered though was my own anger, aggression and over-reactions. After the ride and after the adrenaline from riding had left my system I saw that most instances I perceived as imminent threats were not so...and that sometimes I remembered things out of order, or just plain wrong. Even on one of my last rides to work three weeks ago I had three incidence of a close pass, two by the same vehicle...so I thought. The video showed one close-ish pass, one not-even-close pass and a third incident that never happened. And not only were the vehicles not similar, the vehicle from the first pass was also different than what I remembered, just 25 minutes before.

But using video even further, I began reviewing "threatening" incidents and trying to learn what I could have done differently. In many cases just by slowing, or waiting myself, I could have avoided uncomfortable situations. I also had a chance to study where possible "outs" were in case of emergency. You should always be looking for "outs" or places to bail from traffic, whether it's a driveway, a low curb, a shoulder, a median, whatever.

Even with decades of bike commuting behind me there are still moments where imminent disaster suddenly flashes before you and there is that sharp bitter shot of adrenaline that fills your mouth and shocks your circulatory system...I HATE that, and want to avoid it at all costs.

On the other hand, there are adrenaline junkies who thrive on danger and peril.

I, and I suspect you, are not among them.