"No way, a freak bike!" - strangest comments received

What are some of the wierdest or funniest things people have said to you as you passed on your unique mount?

One ten-year old kid, clearly uncomfortable on a harsh-looking little Wal-mart mustang, said, as I cruised past at his eye-level:

"No fair! You get to relax! No fair!" I just smiled, poor tyke, it's not like he can go out and buy a 'bent... (yet)

The other, I mentioned in the subject line, was when I was riding down my Toronto street, and passed a gang of what must have been neo-hippies, early twenties. One of them proclaimed, as I passed by on my BikeE CT with visibility flag: "No way, a freak bike!"

Being a seventies dude, I knew they meant "freak" in the positive sense. I flashed a peace sign over my shoulder and they shouted with joy!

Actually, since I was riding away, my peace sign was technically a victory sign, but they knew what I meant

 

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 18:52:41 GMT, Moosebear
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I flashed a peace sign over my shoulder and they shouted with joy!
>
>Actually, since I was riding away, my peace sign was technically a victory sign, but they knew what
>I meant

Funny, when I give the kids that sign, they seem compelled to give me change...

 

Oh yeah, I get lots of comments, but more questions. The most common questions in order of frequency are.
1) Is that more comfortable than a
regular bike?
2) Did You build that yourself?
3) Did you get dropped on your head
as an infant?
O.k, so I made that last one up, but you know those people are thinking you are a certified oddball.
But, who cares?
Dan Burkhart
Oakville Ont.

 

My favourite so far came when I passed a family outing. One girl (around 10 or so) squealed 'Look at
that car! I mean bike!'.

Mike Rice

 

"Mike Rice" skrev...
> My favourite so far came when I passed a family outing. One girl (around 10 or so) squealed 'Look
> at that car! I mean bike!'.

I get that a lot. Well motorbike usually when I'm on the TE-clone. Funniest was when a kid had a
small argument with his mom. Apparently she said it was a motorbike. I heard them and said "It's a
bike" and the kid went "See, Mom. Thats what I told you." Small critter too, so it was kinda fun.

Mikael

 

"Pimpin'!"

 

On Sun, 1 Feb 2004 20:55:32 +0100, "Mikael Seierup"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Mike Rice" skrev...
>> My favourite so far came when I passed a family outing. One girl (around 10 or so) squealed 'Look
>> at that car! I mean bike!'.
>
>I get that a lot. Well motorbike usually when I'm on the TE-clone.

I'm riding a faired Tour Easy.

Mike
>Funniest was when a kid had a small argument with his mom. Apparently she said it was a motorbike.
>I heard them and said "It's a bike" and the kid went "See, Mom. Thats what I told you." Small
>critter too, so it was kinda fun.
>
>Mikael

 

Moosebear wrote:
> What are some of the wierdest or funniest things people have said to you as you passed on your
> unique mount?

"It's a John Deere bicycle" - Tolono, Illinois
<http://www.ransbikes.com/Gallery/Archive/Sherman.htm >.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities

 

I always get that question, "Did you build it?"

 

"Lookitlookitlookitlookitlookit", came a voice from inside a bike towed kids
trailer as I closed in to pass.
"Tom Sherman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Moosebear wrote:
> > What are some of the wierdest or funniest things people have said to you as you passed on your
> > unique mount?
>
> "It's a John Deere bicycle" - Tolono, Illinois
> <http://www.ransbikes.com/Gallery/Archive/Sherman.htm >.
>
> Tom Sherman - Quad Cities

 

> What are some of the wierdest or funniest things people have said to you as you passed on your
> unique mount?

weirdest: "Don't you ever stop?"

funniest: "Where's the motor?"

++ Cornel Ormsby ++ +Henderson, Nevada+

 

Moosebear wrote:

> What are some of the wierdest or funniest things people have said to you as you passed on your
> unique mount?

"Half your fork has fallen off" - Rest stop worker commenting on my Sunset.
<http://www.ihpva.org/incoming/2002/sunset/Sunset001.jpg>.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities

 

On Mon, 02 Feb 2004 13:55:34 -0800, LioNiNoiL at NetScApE_DoT_NeT
<[email protected]> wrote:

>> What are some of the wierdest or funniest things people have said to you as you passed on your
>> unique mount?
>
>weirdest: "Don't you ever stop?"
>
>funniest: "Where's the motor?"

That's where I point at myself & say 'Right here!'

Mike Rice (TE)
>
>++ Cornel Ormsby ++ +Henderson, Nevada+

 

>Moosebear at [email protected] wrote: What are some of the wierdest or funniest things
>people have said to you as you passed on your unique mount?<snip>

In nice weather, I get about 20-30 out loud comments per hour and at least an equal number of double
takes and open mouthed stares.

My mileage (kilometrage here in Canada) is about 10 "Cool Bikes" per hour.

Strange Comments/Situations:
- a senior male wanted to ride on the bike rack of my trike (I doubt Ian Sims would have
warrantied THAT)
- "Wow- You can stand up" (thinking my legs that were pedalling , would not work?)
- Two senior ladies in gentile formal clothing, picnicking in a park gave me a standing ovation and
said quietly " Lovely, simply lovely"
- "Aren't you afraid of breaking your legs?"
- (daily) " Where is the motor on that thing?" Response " You are talking to it"
- "Can you use it as a wheelchair?"
- "Do you have trouble getting it started?" Response "It is easy, once I get off the couch"
- "Is it comfortable?" Response "Imagine a custom-made recliner" _ not a comment, but a situation:
One time a newspaper photographer spotted me riding through the local University on my one day old
homebuilt trike. It had rim brakes and it had been and still was raining all day. He wanted me to
shoot down a very long steep hill, riding very fast, and through one of the most dangerous (stop
light intersections) full of busy traffic and through a difficult, narrow, accident prone bridge.
He was quite put out when I refused to replicate a very unsafe and illegal act. He thought it
would make an exciting shot. "Make the photo colour, to show all the blood." I thought.
- "Could I take it out and try to tip it over?" Response " Do you have something worth $8000 that I
can try to wreck at the same time?"
- (tadpole trike) "Can you pop a wheelie on that?"
- (from a snobbish well-to-do person about me letting low or no-income people ride my trike) "Why do
you let *those* people ride your trike?. It is worth a lot of money." Response " The only theft or
damage I have had was from people who could well afford to pay for it. Even when I pointed out
that I could NOT afford to replace the damage that they admitted to. I never saw a cent ever. I
have *never* had one moments trouble from any low-income person. Total respect for me and my
property."
- (recently) " Because the snowbanks are high, you should not be on the road"
- "It should be illegal to ride a bike in winter"
- "Is that one of those re-bum-bents?"

 

> > What are some of the wierdest or funniest things people have said to you as you passed on your
> > unique mount?<snip>

I also get a lot of comments. Very recently I got one that I particularly enjoyed because of the
circumstances.

On my commute home I gentle down-grade, through a light, and continue on down an incline for a
while. I had a respectable amount of speed going and I was still accelerating in the bike lane, when
up ahead I see some adolescents playing on their skate-boards. They would ride down a metal rail 90
degrees to the road, and swoop out into the bicycle lane to make their turn back. None of them were
even looking to see if traffic was coming. This was in the evening rush hour, getting pretty dark
and there was considerable traffic in the street lanes. I judged the timing, and with one guy
holding his skateboard on the street side of the bike lane, and another guy just finishing his ride
down, and several up on the steps watching, I silently flashed through there [1] in the bike lane,
through their group, at about 22-23 mph. This guy getting ready to come down the rail jumped back,
stumbled, dropped his skateboard, and shouted, "WHAT THE F***K!!!!!!" I have lights all over my
trusty steed, and had a flag trailing behind on a mast. I doubt that they had ever seen a recumbent
before. I just giggled. I don't think they even had time to focus their eyes on me.

[1] This reads more dangerous than it was, trust me. I really am a mature and cautious rider. Due
to the distances and amount of separation, etc, I didn't have a significant risk of collision,
just enough to startle those who don't look before riding out into the street.

 

This lot is all from one ride

Wow cool!!!! - all more impressive because it came form a
group of 10 year old lads previously drooling over a 900cc
superbike.

Hey Knacker head - this for a 2 year old or so. Sez a lot
about her parents.

Are you doing that for charity.

Your nuts you - as he was on a DF at the time I pointed out
I was faster than him though.

No end of "Can I have a go mister".

And my all time favorite "look at the funny bike". This was
made all the more delightful as it was from some small tot
out with her mother. A mother in a low cut top who bent
over to "look at the funny bike". I was on a trice and at
perfect eye lever to enjoy this. Not PC but a treasured
memory none the less.

Everso

 

Dave L??
You're such a perv. )

I actually could undersand what one young fellow (anyone
less than my 60+ years0 said "Hey dude, cool wheels." From
another youngin' who may have been dropped on his noggin at
a young age, "Pimp ride doood, zit got nitrous?" (both while
I was riding my Speed Machine.) <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> This lot is all from one ride
>
> Wow cool!!!! - all more impressive because it came form a
> group of 10 year old lads previously drooling over a 900cc
> superbike.
>
> Hey Knacker head - this for a 2 year old or so. Sez a lot
> about her parents.
>
> Are you doing that for charity.
>
> Your nuts you - as he was on a DF at the time I pointed
> out I was faster than him though.
>
> No end of "Can I have a go mister".
>
> And my all time favorite "look at the funny bike". This
> was made all the more delightful as it was from some small
> tot out with her mother. A mother in a low cut top who
> bent over to "look at the funny bike". I was on a trice
> and at perfect eye lever to enjoy this. Not PC but a
> treasured memory none the less.
>
> Everso

 

Late Saturday night last, a group of drunk college students, out yells the smart-ass woman in the group, as I rode by with my helmut-mounted LED's flashing:

"Oh! F**K me, Steven Hawkings!" Said with fake sexual longing, as in, "Do me!"

Then, as the guys in the group laughed like crazy, one of them said to her, "Oh, that's bad, that's really bad!"

I guess I looked like a geeky science project flashing past in a wheelchair. I thought her remark was risqué but actually quite witty. I can think of worse reactions than sexual longing, sincere or not!

 

harv wrote:
> Dave L?? You're such a perv. )
>

This is nothing to do with me. Have you tried the Gas Board?

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

On Mon, 26 Apr 2004 09:38:58 +0100, "Dave Larrington"
<[email protected]> wrote in message
<[email protected]>:

>Have you tried the Gas Board?

"This has got nothing to do with us." Yes?

--
Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
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