Digger Goreman

Wish that karmic backlashes were truly instant (wind blowing trash back into face and car, or a cyclist spitting left at the same time), but sometimes it works out:

The first leg of my Saturday trip, a gasaholic close passes, then left turns in front of an oncoming car. Only the other motorist braking prevented a t-bone of the offending jeep. This all slows me to make the same turn, I see a nickel in the road. I park my bike and happen upon a $20 on the grassy corner. Also recovered over $3 in change from the road. Had the gashole not been acting out and in a hurry, he and passenger might be $23 richer! Five minutes later, I give the twenty to my LBS for labor and pocket the change.

I-Like-To-Bike

A lot of spare change can be earned by picking up the deposit bottles and cans tossed out on the road by litterbugs; go for it!

koala logs

That huge steel ball is probably an extra large Chinese meditation ball. They are meant to relieve stress by turning two balls on one hand, NOT by throwing it at a loaded touring cyclist.

koala logs

Don't even wish for it. Someone threw a tree branch at me. The branch ended under my front wheel and I crashed.

I figured a water bottle with some water inside can also cause you to crash if it went under your wheel.

curbtender

I heard that, who wants to get hit by a pair of balls?

Juan Foote

The only time I was hit with something other than the vehicle itself was when someone threw a boiled egg at me going the opposite direction. I crashed into a ditch that had recently been bush-hogged and was lucky to survive that part. The bruise from the egg was impressive.

koala logs

Note to self to avoid eggs coming from the opposite lane. That could have resulted to serious injury if the egg went for the eye instead. All the more reason to have cameras on our bike.

I'm thinking concealed / hidden camera on the bike so you can catch them red-handed. If motorists see you have camera, they will avoid harassing you and move on to the poor bloke without any cameras on them.

Juan Foote

This happened in the late 80's. Wasn't really a thing back then.

JW Fas

An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. Catching a motorist red-handed sounds nice on paper, but it fails to account for the kind of motorist who would intentionally run you off the road (thus severely injuring or killing you). If an approaching motorist can't see any cameras, are the cameras hidden or simply absent? They don't know, and they will likely act as if they are absent. Catching a motorist with a hidden camera won't be so appealing when you have tens of thousands of dollars in hospital bills and long-lasting (if not lifelong) injuries that impair your mobility. Plus, how will you capture an offending motorist's face with a hidden camera setup? Concealing a rear camera is very difficult, if not outright impossible. For a hidden front camera your options are limited to a handlebar or chest mount, and in neither of those cases will the camera be high enough or rotate enough to get a person's face. If you're in the US and a motorist harasses you but doesn't make physical contact, the police won't do anything unless you can identify the driver visually. It's far more prudent to make your camera(s) glaringly obvious to approaching motorists.

flangehead

Thank you for posting the map.

I have yet to encounter a diverging diamond like that over I-49 when on a bike. (I’ve only driven through one once.)

Any observations on the experience as a cyclist?

An

koala logs

When I'm driving, I only notice cameras on a rider if the camera is mounted at the back of the helmet. If mounted anywhere else, I won't notice unless I'm passing slowly.

Most riders don't have mounted cameras on them. Another important safety equipment is mirror but most riders don't have them either. I won't argue that visible cameras and mirrors will further improve your chances on the road. I use helmet mirror. However, it's the not the rule, not yet at least and no one here will get mad at you for putting your camera in less visible spots. At least start using mirror, especially a helmet or glass mounted mirror so you don't lose too much of that advantage.

Anyway, I'm only suggesting it as an option to catch offenders red-handed to put an end to their reign of terror. Obviously, it negates the purpose of the camera, serving as a deterrent to would-be offenders. But one less offender makes it safer for everyone, not just you and word spreads.

And we saw in your video the obvious, the offenders did not see your camera, otherwise, they would not have done what they did.

And sorry, can't help but notice, the offender posing exactly like the one on Michaelangelo's painting!

trailangel

In MO, it's legal to ride on a sidewalk, just not in a business district. I wouldn't call this a business district , so taking the sidewalk is an option, especially heading to that convoluted crossing at hwy 49. 300.347. Riding bicycle on sidewalks, limitations - motorized bicycles prohibited.

1. No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district;

(2) Whenever any person is riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk, such person shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give audible signal before overtaking and passing such pedestrian;

(3) No person shall ride a motorized bicycle upon a sidewalk.

livedarklions

So it's legal, but it's less safe.

Being on the sidewalk would put someone to the right of right turning vehicles (by far the most vulnerable position) and actually makes a rider cross an exit lane from the right at that "convoluted crossing" in order to go straight.. It's objectively less safe than taking the lane--this corner is a ridiculous place to want to come off the sidewalk:
.
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7400...7i16384!8i8192

Basically, it's a sidewalk of several blocks with no rhyme or reason as to its beginning and end on only one side of the road. At both ends, the rider continuing straight on the road will have to reenter the traffic lane.
You want to ride on that sidewalk, fine, you probably won't get hurt, but your odds are certainly no better than the OP in the lane, and probably a bit worse. Telling people they're going to die if they don't do what you'd do is ridiculous..

trailangel

So sorry... I didn't mean to get your bibs all in a bunch.

Paul Barnard

SideWALK or sideRIDE? That's what I thought. There's a reason it has that name. The sideWALK does not belong in a conversation about a motorist throwing trash at bicyclists on a 35 MPH road when the lane they were in was completely free of other vehicles. What red herring would you employ if the incident had taken place a couple hundred feet down the road where there is no sideWALK? Oh, and I don't expect an answer, I wanted to give you another opportunity to put your insincerity on display.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.7400...7i16384!8i8192

JW Fas

The rabbit hole keeps getting deeper. Earlier today my video got a new comment: "SMH it’s illegal to post a minor without consent 😃"
Nowhere in the video itself, the description, or any of my comments do you see the terms minor, kid, children, teen, or any word describing someone under age 18. That begs the question: How did this YouTuber know the people in the car were minors?
I searched that user name on Facebook (because it sounds like a real name), and the very first result was a girl who looks exactly like the girl throwing the trash.

Rule #1: Don't do illegal stuff.
Rule #2: If you ignore Rule #1, keep your mouth shut.

Chuck M 

I'm no lawyer, and I'm sure she isn't either. But I would doubt that is a law.

livedarklions

Says the guy who just told a bunch of people they're going to die because stupid reasons.

You made a claim that the sidewalk was the right place to ride in that particular stretch, and the OP was "dead wrong" using the lane. When confronted with a clear explanation of why you're completely wrong about that using the photographic evidence you yourself posted, this smart alecky ad hominem is your only response. That's a confession on your part. You owe OP a real apology, not a sarcastic one.

And I've never worn bibs in my life.

livedarklions

What's hilarious is he posted a picture that shows that the sidewalk puts the rider in the perfect position to be taken out by a right hook.

livedarklions

Pretty sure there's no expectation of privacy when you stick your head out of a car window on a public road in order to throw an item at someone. I'm guessing she flagged the video, and YouTube refused to take it down.

Honestly, I think you should show that comment and her Facebook page to the police. I doubt they'll arrest her, but there should at least be an uncomfortable conversation.

JW Fas

I left the detective a voicemail immediately thereafter. I still haven't heard from him since last Friday morning.

trailangel

Ouchie! Something is wrong on the internet. Please make an appointment with your therapist.

jadmt

I can't believe this incident is being handled by a detective. Not to down play the incident but must be a very low crime agency that would have a detective handle an incident like this. I would think a school resource officer could just issue a citation with the video evidence that exists.

livedarklions

This is where you have proven the troll accusation. Have a nice day.

livedarklions

That's clearly an assault legally. It absolutely fits the statutory definition posted above.