Commuting: The strange. The Odd. And the FUN

I slam the door on assholes like that every chance I get. And I enjoy it.

That's why ttpete rides a Ducati. (Me too.)

I didn't do it in a dangerous manner (though it was deliberate) there was JUST enough room for her to squeeze through and I knew if I didn't close up the gap, she'd force her way through, which to me, is more dangerous. I just made sure there wasn't enough room for her to get through and kept on with the flow of traffic. I wasn't trying to piss her off and wasn't responsible for her reaction. She was just pissed she couldn't bully anyone out of the way.

I just came back from lunch and a block away from the office a soccer mom in an SUV pulled out in front of me.
I had just gone through an intersection and I am in the left hand lane of a busy four lane street with a turn from either way lane in between. I see her entering the street from the gas station on the left I am about 150 ft away at this time As she crosses the two lanes coming at me I watch her front wheels to see if she is going to pull into the turn lane and wait for traffic to clear so she can continue on. A totally legal and smart thing to do given the business of the street. Nope, the front tires are not cranked to the left far enough. Now I am about 50 feet away and closing quickly. Quick check of the mirror shows the right lane is clear. I grab a bunch of throttle and switch to the right lane. Honk my horn as I shoot by her right front corner and then turn and shake my finger at her as I clear her.
She stays in the left lane WAY behind me. The light where I turn left into is coming up and it is red. I get in the left turn lane and she goes slowly by me on my right. I turn to give her a shrug of the shoulders saying "what were you thinking". She is looking straight ahead and does not even glance my way.
I know we are invisible and I saw what she was going to do. I had my escape route planned out and it worked. But is it too much to ask for an "I'm sorry" as you pass me? Or it least acknowledge the person that you about ran over with a friendly wave!
Stupid soccer moms in their SUVs.

If she doesn't turn and at least give you the I'm sorry sheepish look, it means it never happened. At least in her mind.

Dumb ass in a truck:
I was sitting on my bike in a left turn lane with a pickup in front of me and a furniture delivery truck directly behind me. The pickup was already in the intersection waiting to turn left when the light turned yellow. Instead of going forward as oncoming traffic came to a stop this moron threw it in reverse and slammed into me while both I and the delivery van were laying on our horns and I was shouting "STOP!" :eek1 He didn't let off the gas until after the ABS brakes on my R1150R actually brought his truck to a stop. Having destroyed the front end of my bike he got out of his truck and told me "Y'know, I thought I heard something, but I didn't see anything back here when I looked out my side view mirror." The cop who responded had him in cuffs by the time the wrecker came to pick up the bike. I think the cop was more pissed off about it than I was.
Smart guy in a truck:
I live in very hilly area and was on my way to work one morning on a little 2 laner when traffic backed up in the valley between 2 very steep hills. The approach to the valleys on this road are also very steep uphill runs that drop off kind of roller coaster like. So, trucks with a heavy load really get it on to make it over the crest of the preceding hill and drop down towards the valleys at a good clip. There is no shoulder on either side and the drop off is maybe 10 feet or so. Generally traffic is never backed up. So there I was, smack dab at the bottom of this valley with a car in front of me and on-coming traffic on my left when an F-350 with a ditch witch on a trailer out back bombs over the top of the hill behind me and comes bearing down on me. I knew he could never stop in time. Just as I was getting ready to dump the clutch and try to squeeze into the space between the guy in front of me and on-coming traffic the guy took the F-350 off road to the right and rolled it a couple of times. The trailer fishtailed past me and into the right rear of the car in front of me. The F350 guy was beat up but generally okay. I was talking to him while waiting for the cops and everybody to sort thru it all and he told me "Hell, if I hadn't pulled off nobody would have known you were even there until they separated that car in front of you from my truck."

"dumb ass in a truck"

I've had similar happen to me in a car - guy ahead in a truck decided he didn't want to be in the left-turn lane afterall and tosses it in R. I see the back-up lights and hit the horn but to no avail, and he trashes the front of my wagon. "I didn't see you in the rear-view" was his excuse - yet my car was STACKED with windsurfing gear (3 boards ++ ) to well over 6 feet high - did he really even look or did he just figure that pile of gear was floating in space ?

To be perfectly fair however, the guy was calm, rational and it didn't cost me much more than some time and a bit of hassle after the insurance was all done - he certainly didn't leave in cuffs !

A couple of weeks ago I was going to my local drive up ATM to make a deposit. As I pull up I see an older street bike with a 30-something guy on it with shorts, tank top, and sunglasses. Directly behind him is his 6 (?) year old daughter with no helmet, no sunglasses, shorts and a tank top trying to turn around and wave at us in the car. The kicker was he had her tied to him with what looked like a piece of nylon strap.:huh Unfortunately after they got out of sight the town cop goes by.

People, we gots to do better.

I am assuming all 50 states have a helmet law for under 18 right?

Nope. Not IA or IL.

Just as you aren't going to tell me how to ride, what to wear, or what bike to ride, none of us are going to be able to tell this guy that what he is doing isn't right.

Even if he WAS drafting you like the soviet pursuit team it was still an asshole move.

The guy in the back is the one going down if something happens, NOT the guy in the front. Try hitting someone's rear wheel with your front and see what happens.

A simple 'hey, I'd rather not have you that close' first woulda probably have done the job without being an asshole about it right off the bat. Alternatively, pull to the side and wave him by. Another alternative is keep going the same speed and wave him by. LOTS of alternatives to being an asshat.

THEN if he's still on your wheel you're justified in being an asshat. He'd been warned...

...but even then... two wrongs don't make a right.

M

Three lefts do.

Nope, not worth the trouble either.

He is convinced that he won't crash.

All you can do is shake your head at the stupidity and go on with your day.

Drafting off of any biker who isn't out for the same reasons, if not part of the same group, is ass-hattery defined.

Just as he wrote - all it takes is a car door opening that he sees while Mr. Pro-Cyclist does not (and this is coming from a guy who used to road and mountain bike ride and race). If you've never had the head of the cyclist behind you poking over your shoulder and beside your face a millisecond before a massive rear-end collision (to you, forward to him/her), and the injuries and broken parts that add up from it, I guess you're not going to understand.

Drafting is fine for even only somewhat-organized practice/training, NOT for commuting. Any cyclist worth his or her salt cycles under their own power when in highly-unpredictable conditions. If some feeble-minded person is asking for you both to end up hurt... do what it takes - that's when taking the time to say "Hey, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop endangering my life" isn't warranted. I see potentially dangerous human interaction as a checker or chess game; Pro-Cyclist made his move, melville should then be allowed to make his.

Y'all are amazing. Do y'all brake check tailgaters too?



M

I've been known to do that when they're driving a BMW, Lexus, Mercedes (any rich persons type car)...etc.
If I don't get to retire young, at least I can die young.

Nope.
On a bike, no such shenanigans at all.
In a car, this:
If after several friendly hints and then overt gestures to please back off and they still do it, I slow down a tiny bit to get them closer, then downshift-check them.
No brake lights, much more effective.

That's a lot of fun!

Jesus Christ! I feel really sorry for some of you guys who drive in CA! Seriously, it's a beautiful state, but inhabited by a whole lot of total assholes! (and I'm sure some very nice people) seek them out and don't paint everyone with the same brush, would be my advice.