Why the hate for Cyclists?

[actaeon277]

Geez my dyslexia is getting bad. I first read "doesn't make you manure."

Well, that has the advantage of ALSO being true.

 

[BugI02]

Not there had to be more proof, but I'm certainly not a genius.

I never would have predicted 2,400+ posts about the Jets vs. Sharks dance that is bicyclists and drivers.

Most of you aren't cyclists and really have no idea what we have to put up with. The same people who think if you drive fast you are endangering others think nothing of endangering others if that other is on a bicycle and at a serious disadvantage. They salve what little conscience they apparently have by grossly exaggerating the problems that cyclists cause them

Something something ride a mile in my shoes something

 

[BehindBlueI's]

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Most of you aren't cyclists and really have no idea what we have to put up with. The same people who think if you drive fast you are endangering others think nothing of endangering others if that other is on a bicycle and at a serious disadvantage. They salve what little conscience they apparently have by grossly exaggerating the problems that cyclists cause them

Something something ride a mile in my shoes something

Some of us are (or at least used to be) cyclists. I see that a great many of them are accurately reflected in much of the criticism in this thread.

Maybe you keep an eye over your shoulder occasionally so that you can let much faster traffic by with as little inconvenience as possible. (That was my MO). But most of them simply don’t and don’t care. If these criticisms don’t apply to your riding technique then they are not applying to you. If they do then they do. They don’t apply to mine so I laugh along.

This math really isn’t all that complex.

 

[jamil]

Most of you aren't cyclists and really have no idea what we have to put up with. The same people who think if you drive fast you are endangering others think nothing of endangering others if that other is on a bicycle and at a serious disadvantage. They salve what little conscience they apparently have by grossly exaggerating the problems that cyclists cause them

Something something ride a mile in my shoes something

Wow. You live such a hard life.


Seriously though, I worked with a guy who is an avid cyclist who rides thousands of miles per year. He is very active in a cycling club and encourages people to take up cycling, meeting them wherever they are in their fitness. He's a good dude.

He mostly rides on country roads across KY. He spoke of having beer bottles thrown at him. Run off the road. "Rolling coal" at him. Cycling in rural KY is probably unwise. People are pricks whether they drive or ride.

Not everyone deserves the reputation of being rude riders. This guy doesn't. But some do. Enough that they've earned a community wide reputation. It's too bad that the sentiment carries to cyclists who haven't earned it. The guy I worked with doesn't deserve to have bottles thrown at him. Regardless of my fitness, I would not ride on rural KY roads for a hundred miles per ride.

I'm just a casual rider who maybe puts a few hundred miles on my bike per year. I don't ride on roads anymore. The roads near me are too dangerous. I ride mostly on bike trails not paid for with taxpayer money. When the Monon South trail is finished I'll make an exception to the rule at least once. I paid for it, might as well ride it. Armed of course. See how many meth heads I come across.

 

[singlesix]

When the Monon South trail is finished I'll make an exception to the rule at least once. I paid for it, might as well ride it. Armed of course. See how many meth heads I come across.

There are plenty of great Youtube Vids on how to improve your overall speed on a bike. Any decent cyclist should be able to outrun a meth head!

You may not realize it (no offense) even the lightest pistol will add significant amount of weight, a Bersa 380 empty is 570 grams! You know how many watts of power the little gun is stealing from your pedal strokes!

 

[jamil]

There are plenty of great Youtube Vids on how to improve your overall speed on a bike. Any decent cyclist should be able to outrun a meth head!

You may not realize it (no offense) even the lightest pistol will add significant amount of weight, a Bersa 380 empty is 570 grams! You know how many watts of power the little gun is stealing from your pedal strokes!

lol. I get what you're saying. Yeah, I guess every watt counts when you're trying to outrun a meth head.

But. My e-bike is a pedelec, though I do have to peddle it, it's like me x 3. With 90 NM of torque assisting, the combination has pretty decent overall torque. I'm a fairly heavy guy. ~270. The bike is ~50 lbs. Despite the overall weight, I think my 0-20mph time is above average. Maybe slightly more if I weren't carrying.

 

[singlesix]

Wait you are an E-Biker!? Sorry I can't associate with a cheater!
My grandson is now 4 years old; he's always asking when he can go riding with me. When that time comes and I'm still around I'll be on an E-Bike for sure.

 

[jamil]

Wait you are an E-Biker!? Sorry I can't associate with a cheater!
My grandson is now 4 years old; he's always asking when he can go riding with me. When that time comes and I'm still around I'll be on an E-Bike for sure.

I have really bad knees. I wouldn't be riding if not for the e-bike. So it's not cheating per se. It's, uh, compensating.

I felt like i was cheating once. Was going up this really steep hill, which is still a challenge even on the e-bike. I passed big guy who was sweating profusely, gasping for air, almost to the top of the hill, and here comes another big guy peddling past him like I'm on leveler ground than him. When he looked at me as I passed him, his countenance fell like he'd lost hope or something.

Dang I felt bad for him. So I told him I was cheating. It's an e-bike. Maybe that helped.

 

[BugI02]

You know, for someone who was willing to virtue signal about trans individuals not ALL being dangerously unstable, so we should not judge the many by the few, or that not EVERY muslim wants to kill me for no more reason that I am western and Christian, that it's only 1 or 2% and - you guessed it - we shouldn't judge the many by the few, you certainly are willing to judge all cyclists by the few that you encounter. It reveals your shirt sleeve ethics as situational, discrimination is only a problem if you approve of the group being discriminated against; if you disapprove, well, discriminate away!

You're sharp and you have a lot of very specialized, very useful knowledge to share but you probably shouldn't pontificate on things you don't know sh*t about other than how it hurts your feelz. All that does is light the bonfire of your credibility

You may certainly feel I should take my own advice, and you won't get much argument from me, but I don't try to portray myself as someone of superior morals and objectivity. I go from what I know, which is the people I am willing to ride with are all business and know what they're doing - and a cyclist has never attacked a christian school for the express purpose of killing children nor shot random innocents because they believe it will absolve all their sins and provide them with those 72 virgins. YMMV

 

[BugI02]

If these criticisms don’t apply to your riding technique then they are not applying to you

The problem is that it isn't uncommon to be doing everything as right as possible, to minimize inconvenience to the cage people, and still be pelted with random objects (an orange, empty cans, part of a fast food soda, a C cell battery) just because we dare trespass on what some wahoo thinks of as his road, I guess

And the majority of the posts in this thread remind me more of this guy:



than of responsible drivers who want to share the road. Critical Mass rides are designed to take back the roads and be crowds too big to be messed with. Which do you think came first, cyclists feeling the need to organize into mobs or drivers routinely treating many if not most cyclists like sh*t

I see people posting about how the cyclists are laughing about holding them up, do you think the people rolling coal or cutting them off closely or passing them unsafely were stern faced and unsmiling about it? Go back and reread some of the posts

 

[BehindBlueI's]

You know, for someone who was willing to virtue signal about trans individuals not ALL being dangerously unstable, so we should not judge the many by the few, or that not EVERY muslim wants to kill me for no more reason that I am western and Christian, that it's only 1 or 2% and - you guessed it - we shouldn't judge the many by the few, you certainly are willing to judge all cyclists by the few that you encounter. It reveals your shirt sleeve ethics as situational, discrimination is only a problem if you approve of the group being discriminated against; if you disapprove, well, discriminate away!

On a more serious note, if anybody wants to ban cyclists from immigrating, marrying, be disallowed equal access to the 2nd amendment, let me know. Until then, I've given your post all the serious consideration it deserves. Like I've said repeatedly, I actually didn't have strong feelings on cyclists until this thread, then the cyclists radicalized me.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

 

[chipbennett]

The simple fact “of a long line of cars” is not enough information to make any kind of determination without additional facts. But to those that hate cyclists it is usually plenty.

It is enough for the purpose of discussion - at least, for anyone making a sincere, good-faith effort at dialogue on the topic.

I continue to dig my heels in on the suggestion that bikes should not be allowed on the roads, should not be on certain roads, that cyclists have an affirmative obligation to get out of the motor vehicles way.

You're still arguing a straw man. @jamil is not arguing that. I'm not arguing that.

The cyclist has the responsibility to allow traffic to pass at the first practicable location, the cyclist, and only the cyclist determines when that is. Everyone has responsibilities drivers and cyclists alike.

How long of a line is too long, in your opinion? At what point should a cyclist reasonably "sharing the road" yield to said line? And why is it only the cyclist that gets to determine when that is? You're merely reinforcing the inference that drivers bear 100% of responsibility and burden, and cyclists bear neither.

 

[BugI02]

On a more serious note, if anybody wants to ban cyclists from immigrating, marrying, be disallowed equal access to the 2nd amendment, let me know. Until then, I've given your post all the serious consideration it deserves. Like I've said repeatedly, I actually didn't have strong feelings on cyclists until this thread, then the cyclists radicalized me.

 

[KLB]

View attachment 359429

NEVERBIKER! You have BDS!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

NEVERBIKER! You have BDS!

I associate bikers with motorcycles, but basically...yeah. Pedacyclists are more like furries and D&D nerds than an oppressed minority. You knew society's take when you decided to play with your toys in public.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Just an observation. I find it interesting that many of the people (motor vehicle drivers) complaining about inconsiderate cyclists also complain about inconsiderate motor vehicle drivers. Why are cyclists unable to do the same about their own group?

 

[NHT3]

Most of you aren't cyclists and really have no idea what we have to put up with. The same people who think if you drive fast you are endangering others think nothing of endangering others if that other is on a bicycle and at a serious disadvantage. They salve what little conscience they apparently have by grossly exaggerating the problems that cyclists cause them

Something something ride a mile in my shoes something

Man has this thread grown long legs.. Simple fact is that you aren't FORCED to put up with anything. If you feel oppressed or endangered you can simply drive a car and exercise at home but you seem to want to ignore that detail.
You call people haters when in fact some may actually be concerned for your safety. Just because you CAN do it doesn't mean it's a good idea.. I CAN wear a pink tutu but I'm sure almost everyone would be shocked, offended or disgusted with my guise, probably all three. This is akin to and just as pointless as the OC/CC debate and unfortunately no one is going to be persuaded to change their opinion.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

This is akin to and just as pointless as the OC/CC debate and unfortunately no one is going to be persuaded to change their opinion.

Nuh uh.