I ride a bike too sometimes, so here's some advice:

"BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather" (bugeyedacura)
04/28/2014 at 13:15 • Filed to: None

To those people who bike frequently, and stand up for "riders' right" even in the face of better judgement, I bring you this pearl of wisdom:

Every road should have a minimum limit, as well as a maximum. Think about the last time you were in a car in a 45mph zone. What if there was a car going ~15mph in front of you, holding up your progress? You'd be pissed. Now realize that that's you. You have a mechanical excuse for not being able to go as fast, but then you have the social responsibility to not be entitled and take up the road. There should be a minimum, and bikes should have to match or exceed that as well.

DISCUSSION (31)

Dukie - Jalopnik Emergency Management Asshole > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:17

Victorious Secret > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:18

I don't actively try to make life difficult for cyclists, since I cycle too.

I just know that when push comes to shove, 3500 pounds of steel beats 250 pounds of human and bike, and do we really need to be playing with those odds?

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:19

I have always been of this mindset. If bikers can keep up with the flow of traffic, and follow ALL the laws, not just the ones they want to (a red light is still a red light, if you wanted to be treated like a vehicle, act like one) I'd have no problem with them being on the road, I wouldn't even consider them "in the way". the road's for everyone. but holding up the whole world for 1 guy on a bike isn't cool.

Thanks for being a human as well as a cyclist.

For Sweden > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:20

Maybe you should lift so you don't ride so slow, bro.

spanfucker retire bitch > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:21

My biggest problem with bicyclists who ride on the roads around here (and yes, I'm well aware that anecdotal != everybody) is the hypocrisy of it. So many times I hear them claim that they belong on the road just as much as any other wheeled vehicle.

OK. Fair enough. Then how about you stop blasting through red lights? You don't get to have your cake and eat it too. If you want to ride on the road, you have to follow the rules of the road. That means no blasting through red lights, even if no one is there. No turning left on red. No cutting out in front of people.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
04/28/2014 at 13:22

Generally speaking that's why I refrain from riding on the road if I can. I much prefer mountain biking anyway. More fun.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > spanfucker retire bitch
04/28/2014 at 13:23

We've got a path crossing right in front of my office, and when people are leaving work, they still just go across like they haven't a care in the world. Trust me, after 9 hours of work, we all think about just taking off anyway...

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:24

Rather than the whole blocking and being a jerk part of the equation, I'm constantly worried about the disparity in protection. Imagine a big suburban or escalade against a lightweight cycle. Even at 30mph, there can be tremendous damage done to the cyclist. I'm usually very careful driving past cyclists because of precisely this reason.

dinobot666 > spanfucker retire bitch
04/28/2014 at 13:25

People who drive cars and people who ride bikes both make glaringly stupid decisions whilst in traffic. Cyclists stand out more, because when they make a dumb decision, like rolling through a stop sign, it really irks you as a car driver because you can get ticketed easier than the cyclists can.

tromoly > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:25

So what about either of these?

Kinja'd!!!

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents
04/28/2014 at 13:27

I'm usually careful as well. I'm not saying that we should "take back the road by force" or anything silly like that. But if you were relying on that small of protection, would be so entitled?

spanfucker retire bitch > dinobot666
04/28/2014 at 13:27

I'm well aware drivers make glaringly stupid mistakes. I see it all the time.

My issue with cyclists that do it is that (and again, I'm speaking anecdotally) they just ignore it, because those rules don't apply to them, because they're on a bike. But they want to share the same roads as 3,000lb vehicles?

It doesn't work that way. You don't get to pick and choose what rules you want to follow when on the road. If you feel that bicycles belong on the roads - great, more power to ya. But you don't get to ignore the rules of road when it suits you.

That's my gripe.

OPPOsaurus WRX > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:28

HELL YEA! where do you live?

thebigbossyboss > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:28

Me too actually. There is a great network of paths here both to the east and west and currently they are constructing one spot which will connect them so I see no real reason to ride on the road when I can ride on a nice bike path.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:29

I commute on a bike in a university city where there are cyclists everywhere, most of them are assholes. In the winter months I seem to be the only one with lights, the only one who checks behind me so I'm aware of the traffic. I was once even laughed at for stopping on a red light. Fuck 90% of cyclists.

dinobot666 > MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner
04/28/2014 at 13:30

All good points, but like any vehicle, there's always going to be somebody in the way, just like the granny in her Buick peering between the steering wheel and the dash going 10 mph below the speed limit.

Sharing the road with all forms of vehicles is maddening.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > spanfucker retire bitch
04/28/2014 at 13:31

Whats just as bad as cyclists who hop onto sidewalks to cut red lights. I am a driver and a pedestrian. My opinion of cyclists is MUCH lower as a pedestrian.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > OPPOsaurus WRX
04/28/2014 at 13:35

I live in Centreville. So there's not exactly a lot of good mountains to carve, but it seems like every neighborhood has a hidden set of trails to use. I could almost make it into Fairfax without touching any roads.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > thebigbossyboss
04/28/2014 at 13:36

Exactly how my area in Centreville is set up

ncasolowork2 > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:36

As someone who purchased a bike yesterday I can tell you if I have to hop on to the gravel shoulder on the road bike I just got chances are I'm going to eat it. If I don't eat it chances are decent I'll flat. I also understand an aversion to bike paths. About halfway through my ride yesterday my backside was so sore all the extra bumps on the bike path were exceptionally painful. Still if I'm in a heavily trafficed area with a bike path I'm going to be on the bike path. The riders who don't use the path annoy me. If there is light traffic I might choose the road over the bike path though.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
04/28/2014 at 13:36

This. All of this.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > ncasolowork2
04/28/2014 at 13:38

My second ever time out, I ate it so hard I thought I broke my knee (Hit a huge patch of jagged rocks and the bike threw me off. Gashed my knee right on the cap nearly down to the bone) Trust me, just get the wreck out of the way lol Nothing to fear from there on out.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > dinobot666
04/28/2014 at 13:40

Indeed. But don't get me started on old people and licenses. I firmly believe they should be re-tested.....frequently

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:40

hell yea it is!

lone_liberal > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:41

I agree with you. What scares the shit out of me is when a bike rider comes along and passes me on the right at stop signs and lights. Out on rural roads where the traffic is lighter and it's easier to pass I have no problems with bikes being much slower than the speed limit, but on busy arterials they cause too much congestion.

OPPOsaurus WRX > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 13:55

its fairly flat around here too (south shore MA) The further offroad I can get the better. I used to bike to work when I lived in Boston. That was a nightmare. The pedestrians were just as much of a hassle as cars, its just that pedestrians dont have as much of a chance of killing you if you crash into them.

Moves-Like-Senna > lone_liberal
04/28/2014 at 14:39

This pisses me off as well and I'm a cyclist (primary aside from public transport since I live in a really busy city). My general rule of thumb is keep up with traffic and act like a motorbike (except keep to the right a bit). If you won't lane cut on a bike, then don't do it on a bicycle. If you can't keep up with traffic, switch streets. etc

William Byrd > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 14:43

I hate commuting through DC (could end here) particularly when cyclists lane split or come up along the curb and pull in front of me at a light. Even when they wait at the light (which they don't) it means I (and everyone behind me) gets to wait for them to slowly pull away and get up to speed. If they skip the light, I get to come up behind them in 200 yards or so. That, and not peddling while in front of traffic (move it lazy) are some of my cyclist pet peeves. Similarly I love riding, but I try to not have the "entitled cyclist" demeanor and instead try to remember cars are faster and bigger and I would rather not have them behind me.

sortofindian > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
04/28/2014 at 14:57

Perhaps you don't realize that a driver's license is a privilege that can be taken away but riding a bike is a right that can't be taken away. Bikers therefore have more right to the road than cars.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > sortofindian
04/28/2014 at 15:04

Perhaps you don't realize then that drivers deserve to be on the road more. They've passed a test and at least have proven to have some sort of brain functions. Bikers on the road have nothing placing them there other than their entitled mentality and the fact that no one has told them otherwise.

sortofindian > BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather
05/05/2014 at 21:36

Perhaps you should figure out the difference between right and privilege.