electrik

Yes, that is the way it works.

Cyclaholic

As soon as the hate starts up I just put in my i-pod earbuds, crank up Gloria Gaynor's "I will survive" and sing along while doing the accompanying cabaret dance ok, not really, I just out in my earbuds, turn 180 degrees and ignore them.... their right to rant ends at my ears

IknowURider

the cell-phone tele-fake is another good one, just fake it like you just felt it vibrate, then "pick up' and make it sound like you're talking to your three year old daughter "yes, sweetheart!!!???"

OR, If you are feeling musical/theatrical, as you noted above, consider the thrash metal version of Madonna's "Borderline".

Forknroad

Actually it's not. I know this for a fact for on at least one occasion, I told someone to Go F*ck Yourself in a checkout lineup and I didn't get run over.

MNBikeguy

Interesting responses. This problem is not bike specific, but if you really need "tips" to cope with difficult and confrontational people, you might try this:



If you feel the urge to act like a raving dikkhead to innocent people who may ask you well meaning but stupid questions, you might try this:

CritEastwood

self-help books are so full of FAIL

ItsJustMe

This has never happened to me.

CB HI

Depends on the view point, not much help to the reader, but they put lots of cash in the publishers pockets.

CritEastwood

a society largely comprised of dummies seems to make just about anyone chasing a buck successful

dobber

I'm generally less concerned with imaginary confrontations and more concerned with enjoying my day, my ride, my life.

You should try it.

Captain Blight

This actually *just* happened to me this morning, when it was -10 outside. I was getting my morning coffee and the... very unpleasant woman... in line behind me started in with "I can't believe you ride in this weather, don't you know that car windows are all frosty and we can't see you and you'll catch your death of cold blah blah blah."

So I crossed my left eye and rolled my right eye back and forth at her and said, "I don't know where you're from lady, but around here we don't talk to heavily armed homicidal psychopaths in that tone of voice." Had my teeth tightly clenched and my lips peeled back when I said it. I think I mighta scared her a little bit.

Captain Blight

This actually *just* happened to me this morning, when it was -10 outside. I was getting my morning coffee and the... very unpleasant woman... in line behind me started in with "I can't believe you ride in this weather, don't you know that car windows are all frosty and we can't see you and you'll catch your death of cold blah blah blah."

So I crossed my left eye and rolled my right eye back and forth at her and said, "I don't know where you're from lady, but around here we don't talk to heavily armed homicidal psychopaths in that tone of voice." Had my teeth tightly clenched and my lips peeled back when I said it. I think I mighta scared her a little bit.

CB HI

Captain Blight, Even better effect when the story is posted twice. +1

CritEastwood

That post is so filled with awesome.

Join Date Oct 2003 Posts 6,580

CB HI

That actually is one of his best post.

ItsJustMe

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be driving in such an unsafe manner. I think people driving with uncleared windows should get an immediate $500 fine. *I* certainly don't drive until my windows are 100% clear."

But your answer was much better. I'd never have been able to pull it off.

Captain Blight

Thanks, I wish I could claim it as my own but I got it from a Red Meat cartoon from like ten years ago.

tom cotter

When someone goes off on me, my standard reaction is to grab my crotch and say "Could you speak into the mike, please, I can't hear you."

Yeah, crude, and used sparingly, but it gets the point across.

closetbiker

A fatality to a cyclist occurred in my city a few years ago when, according to our local papers description of court proceedings, a driver, who's windsheild's was so frosted over that he couldn't see through it, was watching the road by driving with his head outside his right side doors window and drifted into the bike lane which led to his striking the cyclist who was riding in the lane, from behind.

I've got the clipping of the story somewhere - dammed if I can find it.

closetbiker

I found the clipping.

The driver wanted to overturn his conviction to avoid his 3 year driving prohibition, so appealed, but failed in his appeal.

Feral Slug

One time I bought a bottle of Pepsi at Walmart, and when I asked the guy to double-bag it he said "Our bags are definitely strong enough to hold that, you know." Then when I said "I know, but I need it to stay intact on my bike for a few miles." He laughed and said "At least you admit that bikes are unsafe." As he handed me my change, I told him "I was going to tell you to keep the change, but now I want it." even though I wasn't actually going to do that. It just made him feel like his stupidity cost him $3.50, so he probably won't do it again.

billdsd

Many people interpret bicyclists as being arrogant when they are merely asserting their right to be in the road. In my experience, the people making the accusations of arrogance have had encounters where they have harassed a bicyclists for riding in the road and then been surprised when the bicyclist flipped them off or told them to go F themselves or even just calmly and carefully explained the rules of the road to them. These people invariably don't know the rules of the road with regard to bicycles but think that they do, and don't know the principles of bicycle safety but think that they do. In spite of their extreme ignorance, they pontificate to bicyclists what we should be doing. That is ultimate arrogance.

Keith99

Over the years I really have not had all that many problems with motorists. But if I break it down in detail the biggest one is that at a 4 way stop they expect me to go through when it clearly is their turn. Now why would drivers do that? Might it just be possible that they have learned by experience that far too many cyclists blow through stop signs?

Perhaps my numbers are infleenced because I rode a lot with the SFVBC and almost all of their rides start and end a CSUN. The end often enters campus at the North end and it is a gradual downhill through campus. The club riders stop, at least where a car is present and always at least slow. My bet of many of the students who ride do not.

IknowURider

Ok Thread re-opened, as I think of more insane stuff..

Lady at post office ; (It's raining out, downright misery.)

"Do you find it difficult to ride in the rain?"

Me:

"Well let me ask you, how did we survive the 1800's? We had horse drawn carriages and bikes".

Lady:

"oh but bikes were only for the upper classes..."

Me:

"Yeah well, but still cheaper than a horse or car, and remember, the reason roads were paved is because of bikes..." (anticipating the lecture coming up)

Lady:

"my family came here from Poland. I didn't even have furniture , yadadyada, we walked every where. We ran a farm in Glastonbury. We didn't have horses.

-climbs into her SUV afterwards.

Me;

"really! then how did you get your plowing done? "

Pedaleur

Well, underneath this super-hero costume I'm an ordinary person trying to get from A to B just like everyone else.