What kind of reaction do you get?

GoldenMotor.com

civlized

New Member
Apr 28, 2009
689
1
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Alabama
Some angry (flipping me off), some happy (smiling and thumbs up), some completely ignore (seriously, how do not even look), and some just shake their heads as if I'm crazy.
 

Dave31

Active Member
Mar 1, 2008
11,199
47
38
Aztlán, Arizona
I got hit in the head with a water bottle from one. Most scream nasty things at me. Some flip me off, some say what a cool bike...but only a few. And one elbowed me when he passed me.
 

civlized

New Member
Apr 28, 2009
689
1
0
Alabama
I got hit in the head with a water bottle from one. Most scream nasty things at me. Some flip me off, some say what a cool bike...but only a few. And one elbowed me when he passed me.
You might need a tune up!! :D
Between the engine and the pedals, you couldn't catch up or you decided to let it go?
 

Dave31

Active Member
Mar 1, 2008
11,199
47
38
Aztlán, Arizona
Oh it got ugly! The guy that elbowed me I could not catch him. You would be surprised on how fast the guys can pedal for miles and miles.
 
Sep 20, 2008
1,668
12
0
Clearwater, FL
web.tampabay.rr.com
I got hit in the head with a water bottle from one. Most scream nasty things at me. Some flip me off, some say what a cool bike...but only a few. And one elbowed me when he passed me.
And they call themselves sportsman...what a joke! There's nothing sporting about throwing water bottles, or elbow jabbing...it's childish!

Fair, feel free to use one of my favorite lines if you ever do meet the perpetrator...He already knows he did something stupid. He knows it must have made you furious.

"You Sir have 15 seconds to get out of my sight...otherwise you are going to be experiencing a lot of pain.

Trust me...it works every time. His riding buddies probably don't like him either...they'll be laughing as he rides off.

Jim
 

wheelbender6

Well-Known Member
Sep 4, 2008
4,059
221
63
TX
A lot of spandex roadie guys are just very unhappy people. I did a lot of group rides with them training for the MS-150. However, many of them are tolerant and fun.
 
Sep 20, 2008
1,668
12
0
Clearwater, FL
web.tampabay.rr.com
A lot of spandex roadie guys are just very unhappy people. I did a lot of group rides with them training for the MS-150. However, many of them are tolerant and fun.
I wonder why? I've never been involved in cycling in any sort of professional level...but I can't understand why some would do it with a bitter attitude?

Life's way to short to spend any time dealing with a non-essential conflict. So where is the mind-set?

Jim
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
there's a lot of them around here, and we have bike trails and lanes everywhere near the beach. to me, they're like teenagers in high school. when they're alone, they give me the thumbs up, even talk to me about my bike at stops.

but in groups, they're out to get me. never got hit with a water bottle, but there's nothing like sitting at a light and watching 20 guys who timed it better go flying passed you, flipping you off, and shouting "get out of the bike lane!"

it's great blowing passed them while yelling "on your left!..."

actually, now, i think i get more respect from them, because i'm faster. i can keep up with traffic at 45mph, so i don't use the bike lane unless i'm on PCH or somewhere that cars are going faster than me.

another thing, is i use Opti2 so my bike's not smoking and stinking up the bike lane.

one thing that gets me, is bicyclist have to follow the same rules of the road as cars. 90 percent of them would be arrested for reckless driving, or road rage (in fairracings case) or aggressive driving, racing...

not to mention the numerous laws they break, such as not stopping at lights and signs, etc.

do anything like that in a car, and they'd go straight to jail, or rack up tickets like crazy.

but i guess you buy priveledge with your 15,000 dollar bike.
 

Sharksfan

New Member
Nov 28, 2009
135
0
0
San Jose, CA.
I had a lady stop in the middle of her ride in order to yell at me. She was screaming something about me being a "polluter" and "stinking up the bike lane." She continued on with "what's the point anyway?" to which my buddy Jersey Joe, in his perfect Jersey accent replies "cause it's fun lady." If she only knew that I don't just ride for fun I actually ride my bike or the train to get to work. I am pretty sure she is one of those cyclists who put their bike on top of their car and drive across town to ride the nicer hills.
 

the new ausped

New Member
Feb 10, 2010
142
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0
australia
i think the main reason they dont like us is that they know that the more money they spend on a bike they can generly get it to go faster and go faster for longer periods. what they dont like about that is they have spent $10 000-$18 000 on a bike and see a dude having 2wice as much fun on a $130ish k-mart bike (no offence to anyone) going faster than them up a hill w-out peading whith a huge grin on their face.
 

bairdco

a guy who makes cool bikes
Aug 18, 2009
6,537
264
63
living the dream in southern california
in the 150 years of bicycle history, some things haven't changed.

when commercial high wheelers and velocipede (trikes) came out, it was the rich and the elite that rode them, and the poor working man walked miles so he could feed his family.

the "safety bicycle" (closer to our modern versions) came out, the same thing happened. the elite snubbed the poor, as bikes were too costly for the average joe to buy. as better bikes became available, the rich bought new ones, usually trading their old ones in, and those, in turn, were sold cheap enough for the "common folk" to buy.

this pissed off the elitists. seeing poor people having fun doing the same thing that the uppercrust did for stature.

today, we have the lawyers and the chiropracters out on the weekends, displaying their snobbery to all those less fortunates, who can't afford a bicycle that costs more than their cars. (i think some of their spandex, multi logo, [free mobile billboards]outfits cost more than my bike.)

this kind of elitism has happened throughout the history of cycling. whenever a new breed of bicycling appeared, the rich immediately tried to claim it.

look at the first mountain bikers, riding "klunkers," modified 1 speed 1950's schwinn panthers with drum front brakes and rear coasters. today, there are mountain bikes priced well out of the reach of most normal folks, that are never ridden in the mountains.

oddly enough, it's the exact opposite with real motorcycles. most bikers look down on the "weekend warrior" types.

to sum up my little social studies/history lesson, we now have companies like Ridley, Derringer, and Stryder Rides trying, (and succeeding, in some cases,) to capitalize on this home grown hobby. i'm sure there will come a day when people willing to shell out thousands of dollars for a mass produced, over priced motor bicycle will ride in groups, and heckle the poor, downtrodden peasant on his smoky old huffy.

and i will become like mad max...

(on a side note, for an upcoming LA ride, we should buzz the Derringer Cycles "Gallery." they're open 11-5 on saturdays...;))
 

azbill

Active Member
May 18, 2008
3,358
5
38
63
Fountain Hills, Arizona
one of my favorite things to do is passing roadies (who have more money in their riding clothes than I do in my entire bike) going up one of the killer hills here laff
 

hellhammered

New Member
Jan 23, 2010
138
0
0
Maine
Yeah, the bike I'm motorizing is heavy! I live in the hills and mountains of Maine. I love to ride, but pumping my @ss off for a 3 mile incline is not my idea of fun. ;p