Riding On The Road

[Mr. Beanz]

Maybe we just have better luck than the riders who post the stupid driver threads over the years. IMO I don't think it's luck, I think it's riding and earning the respect of the drivers around us. Of course there is always a jerk somewhere but we have had good luck. Even n my single years ago when I rode the road I had no problems.

We ride through plenty of 4 way stops when drivers are headed home. Most times we enter an intersection we stop and 90% of the time we are waved through. It helps that we can nearly track stand for a few seconds on the tandem.

But when we are riding with traffic approaching behind I am always thinking someone will pass and shout, "Ho Mo!" from their window for the simple fact we are wearing spandex. Of course that would make no sense since I'm on a tandem with a female. :lol: But it hasn't happened ever and the only shouts we get are people slowing down and shouting from their windows, "you guys are doing great!".

There are quite a few people out walking for exercise on the road we ride. Many of them shout out to us too. Last night some dude and his woman were walking down the hill as we were riding up. I asked, "how you doing?". He replied, "fine!". After a short hesitation he shouted , "you guys are doing good, DOING REAL GOOD!". B)

On the second time up the climb we stopped to stretch our legs. I turned on the lights and a walker by said, "wow those are some bright lights!". Then he asked if we were OK or if we needed help. Oh no thank you, "just taking a short break" I said. He walked off then no more than a minute later a car with a "Don's Bicycle Shop" logo on it drove by then turned around and pulled up to us. "Are you guys OK?" he asked. "Oh yeah thanks for asking but we're just taking a short break" I replied. He said OK and that he was just asking in case we were stranded.

Hmm! After reading all the negative driver comments, I'm surprised as most of our communication with the others is all positive. B)

Of course a few pics from last night's ride.

Caught the rear helmet blinkie on a strobe!

 

[maydog]

The majority of drivers are courteous to cyclists, but ride long enough and you will encounter a cranky driver. Just this week, I was cut off by someone driving a suburban. I pulled around to get to the intersection and asked what was the problem, his reply "drive on the f'ing sidewalk!"

Of course I have been yelled at by pedestrians and other cyclists as well - stay out long enough and it will happen.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

The majority of drivers are courteous to cyclists, but ride long enough and you will encounter a cranky driver. Just this week, I was cut off by someone driving a suburban. I pulled around to get to the intersection and asked what was the problem, his reply "drive on the f'ing sidewalk!"

Of course I have been yelled at by pedestrians and other cyclists as well - stay out long enough and it will happen.

Funny that you mention other cyclists. I made a remark to one last night. We were heading down the grade in the bike lane at about 25 mph. i see something ahead thinking it's another cyclist heading down ahead of us. But it's getting bigger and bigger. The cyclist is heading up toward us in the bike lane. It's a divided avenue with nice bike lanes. Why in the world would this dope be on our side in our lane? We're getting closer and closer with lights on but he's not paying attention. Finally he looks up and is startled by our presence. He kind of shakes on the bike then says sorry! I shouted wow you are real smart.

I did ride on the road plenty over the years and any conflict I've had has been from other cyclists not drivers. :huh:

 

[Susimi]

The majority of drivers are courteous to cyclists, but ride long enough and you will encounter a cranky driver. Just this week, I was cut off by someone driving a suburban. I pulled around to get to the intersection and asked what was the problem, his reply "drive on the f'ing sidewalk!"

Of course I have been yelled at by pedestrians and other cyclists as well - stay out long enough and it will happen.

Minivan drivers or mini-MPV drivers are some of the worst to encounter, especially close to school run times. I've had my fair share of incidents with them and that's not just exclusive to when I've been riding my bike.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

Minivan drivers or mini-MPV drivers are some of the worst to encounter, especially close to school run times. I've had my fair share of incidents with them and that's not just exclusive to when I've been riding my bike.

I do look for routes that are bike friendly that keeps us safe. I drive on some local roads that are super busy with fast moving traffic., 50 60 mph. At times driving in certain directions is blinding to drivers. I'm surprised when I see cyclists on the narrow shoulder when there is a street that runs parallel with a speed limit of 35 and a huge shoulder. I know I have a hard time seeing the cyclists on this fast moving road even with sunglasses and the visor blocking the sun. Some wearing black or grey blending into the road. Some without lights riding in the dark.

I know it only takes one bad driver but I do my best to protect ourselves whether or not it is our right to be on the road, must be smart about it!

 

[limerickman]

Maybe we just have better luck than the riders who post the stupid driver threads over the years. IMO I don't think it's luck, I think it's riding and earning the respect of the drivers around us. Of course there is always a jerk somewhere but we have had good luck. Even n my single years ago when I rode the road I had no problems.

We ride through plenty of 4 way stops when drivers are headed home. Most times we enter an intersection we stop and 90% of the time we are waved through. It helps that we can nearly track stand for a few seconds on the tandem.

But when we are riding with traffic approaching behind I am always thinking someone will pass and shout, "Ho Mo!" from their window for the simple fact we are wearing spandex. Of course that would make no sense since I'm on a tandem with a female. :lol: But it hasn't happened ever and the only shouts we get are people slowing down and shouting from their windows, "you guys are doing great!".

There are quite a few people out walking for exercise on the road we ride. Many of them shout out to us too. Last night some dude and his woman were walking down the hill as we were riding up. I asked, "how you doing?". He replied, "fine!". After a short hesitation he shouted , "you guys are doing good, DOING REAL GOOD!". B)

On the second time up the climb we stopped to stretch our legs. I turned on the lights and a walker by said, "wow those are some bright lights!". Then he asked if we were OK or if we needed help. Oh no thank you, "just taking a short break" I said. He walked off then no more than a minute later a car with a "Don's Bicycle Shop" logo on it drove by then turned around and pulled up to us. "Are you guys OK?" he asked. "Oh yeah thanks for asking but we're just taking a short break" I replied. He said OK and that he was just asking in case we were stranded.

Hmm! After reading all the negative driver comments, I'm surprised as most of our communication with the others is all positive. B)

Of course a few pics from last night's ride.

Caught the rear helmet blinkie on a strobe!

I like the fact that ye are well illuminated, Mr.B.

It is very important for road safety for evening night cycling to be well seen by other traffic.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

I like the fact that ye are well illuminated, Mr.B.

It is very important for road safety for evening night cycling to be well seen by other traffic.

I agree, be seen at night.

Funny though, I posted a video of a night ride, I used it to see what we looked like at night with the lights now that it gets dark earlier, A viewer that I know said I should never use the strobe mode as it may confuse drivers into thinking it may be a police car. I use the strobe while descending a busy road at 30 mph even during daylight just to attract the attention of drivers. Honestly if a driver thinks we might be a cop car and slows down or hesitates to take off in front of us, I'm thinking that is safer for us. Also if we should never use the strobe mode, why would light manufacturers put them on the light system? :huh:

 

[sunshiney]

I think a lot of it has to do with attitude, and the willingness to take responsibility for your safety on the road. Common courtesy goes a long way, especially since, unfortunately, a lot of drivers dislike cyclists and expect them not to respect the rules of the road. When someone is clearly doing just that I think it comes as a pleasant surprise and jolts people out of the type of rudeness you might expect.

Of course there's always a certain percentage of drivers and pedestrians who just feel like being jerks, and there's not much you can do about people like that besides taking steps to ensure your own safety.

 

[BobCochran]

I use the strobe mode on my helmet headlight for precisely the same reasons as Mr. Beanz. Otherwise some idiot mesmerized by a cell phone call might just crash into me. The weaker of my strobe modes is perfect and it gets attention.

First responder emergency lights don't seem to be strobe lights at all, and they have a recognizable blue-red-white or red-white or orange-white color pattern that our cycling lights don't have.

For myself, I want to make certain I am seen, and I agree with every single point Mr. Beanz makes on the same topic.



Bob

 

[Corzhens]

An ideal ride for me is in the rural area where there are few vehicles, no people on the roadside, no obstacles. Here in Metro Manila, the roads are called concrete jungle. You can see all kinds of creatures. Aside from the reckless and mindless drivers, there are the beggars and the vendors doing their business right there in the middle of the road. So what kind of ride would you get? That's one of the reasons why I only ride inside our village. It is safe and the sights are quite good.

 

[BobCochran]

I ride in traffic, but I also make an effort to avoid peak traffic times and routes. I'm usually at my daytime job by 6:30 a.m. It is still dark at that hour, this time of the year. I take residential streets as much as possible. My work day finishes at 4:00 p.m. and that is more of a traffic challenge for me.

Bob

 

[Damien Lee]

Drivers are a mixed bag in my area. There are courteous and careful drivers, but there are also the jerks who are incredibly dangerous. I'm always extremely cautious when I'm out riding, and I avoid roads where a lot of accidents tend to take place.

 

[zipp2001]

I spend 99.9 percent of my ride's on the road, we have a very small amount of cycling paths where I live (12 miles). I very seldom have a problem with cars on my rides. I make sure I'm predictable in my riding style, and try to be as visible as possible. I have more issues in my area with the cycling path, because their seems to be no cycling educate. I only use the cycling path when it's off hours to avoid the knuckle heads. The only reason I do use the cycling path when coming home in that direction it get's me off a section of road that is very, very busy and cars as flying by you at 50 - 60 mph.

 

[Corzhens]

A sad news I heard yesterday. A rider in the neighborhood accidentally hit a child who was walking with her mother. The rider may not admit it but he might be too fast as to injure the 5-year old girl. And when an altercation between the child's mother and the rider was about to begin, there came a car running fast and hitting the edge of the bike's tire which threw the rider's balance thus he was sprawled on the ground. As a result, the mother of the child even helped the rider up his feet. And his bike? Just a damaged wheel.

 

[Uawadall]

Its a very mixed bag for me, some are complete jerks and others are very nice. I did a rout I always do and see a guy with his friends in the yard. He smiles and yells "its the bike guy". Another time a guy was saying something to me and I pulled over to hear what he was saying. When I stopped, he said he sees me riding all the time and to feel free to stop by his house any time if I need to fill up a water bottle. He even said that if he's not there, one of his family members will fill it up.....I'd never impose like that, but what a nice offer. This other time I was hungry and was 40 miles in with 40 left to go and was asking this guy about local restaurants. He told me where the closest one was and gave me an apple.

Some drivers are nice and will let you pass through first at a stop. I usually let drivers go before me to let them know not all riders are jerks,lol...Some aren't so nice and will honk at you from 5 car lengths away. Todays ride was a windy one and the last thing I needed was a stupid driver trying to honk me off the road. I have made mistakes before out on the road like most people have, but try my best to be as safe as possible out there.

 

[newoshop]

it must be aja bro, stay relaxed

 

[doctorold]

Riding alone 99% of the time I find I can get by without any altercations with drivers most of the time. Passing one cyclist is usually fairly easy and I try to pick my times when to ride on certain busier roads that have no bike lanes. But every day I'm out I have at least one or two who pass "too close for comfort" but I have learned to have thicker skin in that regard. It's going to happen. But the real head scratcher is when I'm on a road, one that's not being heavily traveled at the time and a motorist who is not being held up by me, who can easily pass, decides to roll down their window and shout some kind of disparaging remarks. People are just messed up. But I do find that when I'm riding with a large group, usually some sort of fundraiser or something, it never fails that some car will honk, some motorist will yell or some car will come dangerously close to hitting someone (and in one case did). I get it in some ways because the groups are blocking a lot of road and it becomes impossible to pass sometimes. It would be nice if people could be patient but that is not the case most of the time. That's why I ride alone or in very small groups (4 or less).

 

[JetWing34]

I find myself riding my bicycle safer than ever when alone almost all the time. The only thing too confusing is when I'm riding on the road, someone passes me easily, rolls down the window, and yells rude comments towards me. Easy thing to do is have a small pad of paper with pen attached, and jot down the offending driver's license plate on the back of the vehicle. Other than that, with no one riding a bike with me, I'm too overprotective for myself.