Drive by shoutings and snappy comebacks.

I am a big fan of the smile and wave, like they are a friend you are glad to have seen. As previously stated, it doesn't give them the reaction they wanted and usually pisses them off more than the middle finger or a snappy comeback.

 

I had a guy yell "Get a decent hobby!" at me the other day. I waved and smiled. It annoyed him and he gave me the middle finger.
I did a Police complaint as they drove too close to me (not too to close) so that'll annoy them more.
I also found out the SUV shouldn't have been on the road anyway.


BBB ;-)

 

Most drivers are pretty good here. Although I did have one that slowed down so his umongous dog could bark out the truck window at me. I almost crapped my chamois! Im used to the car horns but wasnt expecting that. Dork.

 

Depending on the situation, I do one of four things.

1) Just start clapping and applaud them (my favourite).
2) Give them the nice cheeky 'im fitter and better than you' smile /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif (some drivers really don't like it).
3) Just look at them without any exchange of words or any facial expression (leaves the driver hanging and therefore unresolved).
4) Or lastly, if they end up at the lights and start a few verbals then simply ask...

me: "do you know where I live?"......
driver: "no"
me: "well I know your car reg, so piss off"

keep safe but keep it interesting

 

This is the best response yet. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon14.gif

 

"Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled of elderberries!"
By the time I get it out, they've moved on, but I've enjoyed the moment.
And won.

 

Monty Python is appropriate in every situation.

 

I once reported a truck driver for passing to close, turns out the trailer was reported stolen 3 months beforehand.

 

In fact, I find this to be most amusing! A nice smile and a curious wink tends to get my goat to see what horrible reaction you get from them.

 

.

 

I just had a great incident... A few days ago, I was riding down a 4 lane road through town (a main artery) way over on the shoulder as far as I could get, and some pickup behind me blares his horn and angrily roared around me. Right at that spot, a cop was pulling out from a fish'n'chips place, I looked his way and pointed at the truck, shrugged, and kept going. Next thing I know, the cop car roared around me, and went after the truck! LOL
It made my day. I see a lot of police cars around here with triple bike racks on the trunk... Can't remember if this one did or not, but I think this guy was possibly a rider and felt my pain.
Thumbs up to cops who ride!

 

Nice one /img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon14.gif

 

Damned straight! They're prolly a lot more apt to feel our cycling pain than the average, non-cycling cop.

 

Crikey...the only honest reply to this thread got hammered. Meh.

"I smile!"

"I wave!"

"I offer them a massage!"

Screw that crap.

 

when I was riding on a paved bike trail, and there is a road that the cops like to sit on intersecting it. I blared on through the "stop" signs from the park district and he then proceeds to actually drive onto the small paved trail. some poor rider saw me go ahead, followed without stopping and he got the ticket instead! Apparently on a designated bike trail you can get tickets for running stop signs. sure you should ALWAYS pay attention to road regulations, but i dont think this was one of those cycling cops mentioned!

 

Yeah, i would have stopped if i saw a cop... I hate tickets! Come to think, I haven't ever got a legitimate ticket for a road violation... I like it to stay that way!
As far as the stop signs, yes, they suck when you come up on them while riding a bike trail; Priority should be given to cyclists over cars, in my opinion, as this is a special road designated for cyclists (and pedestrians, I'm sure) who don't leave a carbon footprint like cars do.

 

If you're going to look at from the carbon footprint point of view, then having a car stop will only increase the carbon put out by the car. Priority should be given to what is safest, in terms of laws, not whose carbon footprint is lower.

 

I respect all of you brave dudes out there, but frankly the idea of challenging 3500-lb based road rage going 40 to 60 mph from the seat of a 20-lb post that tops out at 30 makes me very, very nervous. Sometimes downright frightened. I also learned a long time ago that like respect, the right of way is yielded to you, not something that you deserve.

My approach is to recognize the inherent mismatch, respect it, and try like hell to stay out of the way of cars, trucks, motorcycles etc. When I see cyclists just cruise through intersections without even a glance for cars approaching from the side I just shake my head and wish them well. Car drivers are looking for other cars, not for cyclists, so its up to us to stay visible and mostly, to stay hyper alert. We are the ones who will pay with our lives if we take anything for granted.

So when people yell at me I just keep my head down and keep riding. Who the hell knows what caused the outburst? Maybe I was in the way, maybe he just got off the phone with his wife and found out she is screwing his neighbor, maybe he's drunk (no that never happens), maybe he's an asshole. Who cares. All I know is that I am flat outgunned and bravery is likely to get me hurt if not killed. Now if the guy stops his car and gets out that's another story - but if he stays in the cage he wins. Period. Too many ghost bikes already where I ride.

 

No no - reverse the situation and it sounds better - "they yell at me but I'm hammering at 35 mph and they're stuck in traffic and by the time I hear what they've said and INSTANTLY come up with a witty and withering rejoinder I am 3 blocks ahea of them."