I have recently begun commuting to work as part of a sort of "Tree Hugger" campaign to reduce greenhouse gases, that my employer is sponsoring. Except for the fact that my arse needs some toughening up it's been going as planned. It's a little less than 5 miles to work. I head out in the afternoon and go home after 10:00 PM. I don't have all the necessary gear yet, like tools kits and extra tubes etcetera, but I have a proper helmet and I am lit up like a Christmas tree, which is more than I can say for some of the death defying ding-a-lings I've see cycling around at night here in Windsor Ontario. I've seen 3 different cyclists (if you can call them that) "tooling" along without a helmet, or lights. There were no reflectors to be seen anywhere, not even on the pedals! They were all wearing black, some with the hood pulled onto their head, and riding down the wrong side of the street! One of them was carrying something under his arm. Could have been a gym bag, but it looked to me like a case of beer. He was a ways off, and it was fairly dark but, that's what it looked like from where I was. The only thing that could have made it worse is if a policeman saw him and waved as he drove by. Thank God that didn't happen. I'd have lost all faith in humanity then.
My question here is.....ARE THESE PEOPLE INSANE!!! I know that not everyone can afford all the bells and whistles like halogen lights and reflectors, but Holy Mackinaw! A minimal amount of money for a "green" vest and/or some reflective tape could mean the difference between going home, or going SPLAT!! You have to know that one of them is going to end up a bag of guts eventually. I wanted to say something, but decided it wasn't my place to do so. I let it go and hoped they all got home in one piece.
Has anyone else seen anything similar to these occurences where they live? Is the Canadian auto capitol the only city with these seemingly invincible cyclists? What would you do, or have you done in a similar situation?
Dchiefransom
05-16-05, 10:58 PM
On a morning commute before dawn in San Jose, Ca, a guy riding all over the street on a MTB painted flat black, and wearing all black, with no lights or reflectors.
'nother
05-16-05, 11:04 PM
On a morning commute before dawn in San Jose, Ca, a guy riding all over the street on a MTB painted flat black, and wearing all black, with no lights or reflectors.
hehee, yeah, I have seen "all kinds" down here (I live in West SJ), never that guy, though! I'll have to keep an eye out! Let me guess, he was going the wrong way in the bike lane? hehehe.
I consider it a minor miracle that these people remain alive. Get a freakin' blinky, at least!
BTW, Giddyup Go, congrats on doing your commute/Tree Hugger campaign, that's great!
Giddyup Go
05-16-05, 11:38 PM
Thanks 'nother! We're using a software program of some kind to see how much less "crap" we've pumped into the atmosphere in the way pollutants etc. We could even win prizes!!
wheezl
05-17-05, 12:47 AM
On a morning commute before dawn in San Jose, Ca, a guy riding all over the street on a MTB painted flat black, and wearing all black, with no lights or reflectors.
While you should be covered in reflective and protective gear... flat black is the only proper color for a frame. even my reflective tape is black.
catatonic
05-17-05, 07:19 AM
where did you get black reflective tape?
H23
05-17-05, 07:44 AM
...
My question here is.....ARE THESE PEOPLE INSANE!!! ... Has anyone else seen anything similar to these occurences where they live? Is the Canadian auto capitol the only city with these seemingly invincible cyclists? What would you do, or have you done in a similar situation?
Yes.
These people are doing their own thing. Don't worry about them. Worry about yourself.
ajay677
05-17-05, 08:39 AM
Hey Giddyup Go, they're not insane, just stupid. These are the people we read about in the paper regularly. Did you see the one in Saturday's Star? No helmet, no lights, 10 PM in the Droulliard area. He woke up in the hospital thinking he'd been in a fight. Instead someone hit him an took off.
On another note. It good to see another commuter from our wonderful city posting here. How have the drivers been treating you? What's your commute route like? What do you think of your Smoke? I've been commuting on a Kona Smoke for two years. It's a tough (but heavy) bike. Great for our pot holed roads.
closetbiker
05-17-05, 08:43 AM
If you read accident reports of car/bike collisions, about two thirds of the accidents involve bozo's like the one you describe. Drunk drivers make up another significant percentage.
rs_woods
05-17-05, 09:42 AM
Insane? Probably not.
Hardcore? Definitely.
Remember though, there is a thin line between "hardcore" and "stupid." ;)
closetbiker
05-17-05, 09:51 AM
Bozo's, drunk drivers, young kids, eliminate these from traffic accidents and could you imagine how many more fewer cycling accidents there would be?
DonD
05-17-05, 10:07 AM
I saw a guy yesterday riding against traffic (speed limit 55, 5-6 feet of shoulder room) wearing a camoflage jacket and black pants. To protect his head from the sun, he had a baseball cap on.
- Don
spine of hortus
05-17-05, 10:28 AM
would yo rather these people be behind the wheel of a car .
can you imagine someone going 55 the wong way down a street half on the shoulder
Helmet Head
05-17-05, 11:56 AM
Many cyclists feel they ride in a way that does not rely on motorists seeing them. From that perspective, it is logical that you don't need lights.
Reality however has a different perspective. Cyclists riding at night without lights are many times more likely to be hit than are cyclists riding with lights. There are no great statistics on this, but from the studies I've read about it it appears to me that riding at night with lights is about as safe as riding in the day time.
The main thing is not to do anything unexpected - ride where you will be seen. Follow the vehicular rules of the road (easier said than done, see the "The role of attitude in traffic cycling" thread for more on this topic).
Serge
sbhikes
05-17-05, 12:07 PM
I don't think that guy cares about getting hit. As long as he can get home while the beer's still cold he's happy.
Besides, the dark clothing makes him less visible to cops, too.
closetbiker
05-17-05, 01:42 PM
I just went on a 2 hour ride, and I had to dodge 4 wrong way cyclists.
Not just saw them (I saw one other wrong way rider on the other side of the street turning up into traffic) I had to get out of their way by moving to my left, into the traffic flow.
(didn't get mad though)
spine of hortus
05-17-05, 01:43 PM
well hes got a point, beers much better cold
dynaryder
05-17-05, 02:07 PM
catatonic: black reflective tape is quite common. When I worked on the flightline it was slapped all over every piece of ground equipment.
Check out this site: http://www.identi-tape.com/
I've ordered from them before. Got some black reflective tape and glow-in-the-dark tape. Good stuff.
You know,now that I think about it,this stuff would make for a good cheap paint job. You could just wrap your frame without having to strip it down or mask things off. Hmm...maybe the new Sedona will get a covering of urban camouflage. :D
peterm5365
05-17-05, 03:11 PM
I've got a great one. Riding the wrong way, no shoulder, 40mph limit, at about 10PM, in the winter so it was very dark, no lights, no helmet, and the kicker.... pushing along a second bike with one hand while riding!!!
spine of hortus
05-17-05, 04:21 PM
you know without the glorious internet many years back i wouldnt have even known correct traffik cycling so i cant really trash these people from a VC standpoint cause they probably dont have the net but from a common sense standpoint its just not bright to do some of this stuff
kwhord
05-17-05, 04:58 PM
drunk, on a plastic big-wheel trike, riding on a divided highway littered w/ right turn only lanes, wearing a gorilla suit w/ little peep holes for the eyes, at rush hour, heading west. oh yeah, no helmet.
rs_woods
05-17-05, 05:30 PM
You know,now that I think about it,this stuff would make for a good cheap paint job. You could just wrap your frame without having to strip it down or mask things off.
1- would make your bike less attractive to thieves.
2- would make you more visible at night.
3- would protect frame from scratches and weather.
I just got a new bike and i'm considering it, but i don't know if i'm ready to commit to that yet ;).
Lone_rider
05-17-05, 08:21 PM
Hey Giddyup Go welcome to the forums I also live in Windsor I work for Ford an try to commute as much as possible. Some of the bone head things that some of the commuters do between riding down the wrong side of the street to talking on a cell phone its just unreal. Some of my cycling friends think that I am cold when I say I don't feel sorry for them when they get hurt, if they can't watch what they are doing and buy a cheap helmet then maybe they should be walking. Did you notice how bad the traffic has been the last month or two ?
Dchiefransom
05-17-05, 08:55 PM
hehee, yeah, I have seen "all kinds" down here (I live in West SJ), never that guy, though! I'll have to keep an eye out! Let me guess, he was going the wrong way in the bike lane? hehehe.
I consider it a minor miracle that these people remain alive. Get a freakin' blinky, at least!
BTW, Giddyup Go, congrats on doing your commute/Tree Hugger campaign, that's great!
I saw him on Taylor, just after I'd turned off 13th to head west. No bike lane, and I noticed him because just before I made the turn he was doing a circle for some reason, using both sides of the road.
Giddyup Go
05-17-05, 09:33 PM
Hey Giddyup Go, they're not insane, just stupid. These are the people we read about in the paper regularly. Did you see the one in Saturday's Star? No helmet, no lights, 10 PM in the Droulliard area. He woke up in the hospital thinking he'd been in a fight. Instead someone hit him an took off.
On another note. It good to see another commuter from our wonderful city posting here. How have the drivers been treating you? What's your commute route like? What do you think of your Smoke? I've been commuting on a Kona Smoke for two years. It's a tough (but heavy) bike. Great for our pot holed roads.
You mean the guy with the hack job tattoos? Is that what that was about? I didn't read the article. The Windsor Star is like a girly magazine to me. I just look at the pictures :P. I don't read the "Star". ( Bloody right wing rag....:{ ) One of my Fathers favourite quotes was, "Stupid people deserve what they get." I guess the fates finally caught up with another dumbass.
As for the drivers....They are a pack of *******s. I have to go down Walker Road for a ways until I can swing down Riberdy. I feel like today is my last day alive, everytime I go down that road. Another reason I bought the bike is, when they close down Walker and Howard to build the new train trestle/overpass, The traffic is going to be crazy. Riding a bike is going to make more sense in a daredevil sort of way. I'll probably get to work faster going over Central, down the back way towards Foster and turning onto Riberdy there. It's going to be that way for a year or more once Walker closes. There's an actual, posted bike path back in that industrial complex. Who knew? I figured, why sit around in traffic, idling away in some huge traffic snarl, when you can actually be moving forward towards your destination and helping Mother Nature and your cash flow at the same time. I know I'll be chastized here, but in a big line of traffic, I'm going to filter. Otherwise I might as well be sitting in the truck, listening to tunes and comfortably sipping on a soda waiting for traffic to move.
I may take up winter riding again. I don't know what will be necessary to winterize the "Hippo", but I'm sure the answers are here on the forum somewhere. I'm trying to picture myself riding in winter on a bike, again. Yikes! A 47 year old borderline obese guy, huffin and puffin and freezing his glutes off. I think that mild case of insanity that sort of runs on my Dads side of the family is actually going to be a plus for once.
The Kona Smoke, or the "Hippo" as I call her, is everything I thought it would be. I had to get a different seat, and I'm waiting on a part so I can adjust the height/angle of the handlebars. I need a decent rack and a trunk or panniers and then I'll be a much happier camper.....ummm...ahhh, commuter! : ) The bike isn't any heavier than other bike I've owned. They were all chro-moly frames too. It's all the same to me. I like the bike though. Great little commuter. It's a nice bike but it doesn't have the "steal me I'm awesome!" look about it.
I'm going to attack the big hill/overpass ( I make it sound like the Tour de France!) at Central and see if I have a cardiac arrest this weekend. It's a bit longer going that way, and I want to check the route for time. I'd hate to be late for work.
My insurance is up to date. My wills made out and I'm ready to roll!! I'm thinking maybe I'll take up religion. God seems to take a likin' to fools, drunks and little kids. Every little bit helps!! BONZAI!!!!
Giddyup Go
05-17-05, 09:46 PM
Did you notice how bad the traffic has been the last month or two ?
I've only been riding for a couple of weeks. The traffic is always bad to me, whether I'm driving or riding. I think the ratio of considerate driver to inconsiderate arshluck is abnormally high on the side of the arshlucks in our fair city. Especially near Ford and Daimler/Chrysler. It's only going to get worse with all the new construction that's going to start very soon. Let the good times roll!
Lone_rider
05-18-05, 08:29 PM
If you are riding south down Walker Road you may want to try Turner Road. Durning the heat of the summer its a nice smooth road with lots of shade and no car exhaust. I am 48 and on a hot day riding down Walker I get to work and my chest hurts ( from the exhaust?). You will find some of Windsor finest are not a whole lot of help to a cyclist. So its a good chance that we will get banned from Walker when the construction starts. I tryed to find out if they will be putting in bike lanes but they don't seem to want to return my calls on the subject.
catatonic
05-20-05, 08:36 PM
Much thanks for that link Dynarider. I'll be sure to deck out my commuter project with color-matching tape when done :)
...now to find a frame for the commuter project...and time to hit the thrift stores for a nice old steel frame.
greywolf
05-21-05, 01:52 AM
On a morning commute before dawn in San Jose, Ca, a guy riding all over the street on a MTB painted flat black, and wearing all black, with no lights or reflectors.
Ninja commuter :eek:
kwv
05-26-05, 07:09 AM
After seeing so many in Brisbane breaking the law when they want others to follow the laws they are on their own and they have no one to blame but themselves for putting not only themselves in danger but being that stupid.
Looks like I was too slow :) I should have set the thread subscription thingie.... oh well everyone get identitape... it rules :)
Giddyup Go
05-26-05, 04:35 PM
I ordered a couple of rolls of the black tape for my bike (which is black) today. I'm guessing that most of my cycling cohorts will be wondering what's up with the black tape all over the bike, when they see it parked at work in the daytime. I'm sure they'll figure it out as soon as the sun goes down.
phidauex
05-26-05, 10:30 PM
drunk, on a plastic big-wheel trike, riding on a divided highway littered w/ right turn only lanes, wearing a gorilla suit w/ little peep holes for the eyes, at rush hour, heading west. oh yeah, no helmet.
Oh sorry, that was me! And I have a perfectly good explanation for it too. Unfortunately I'd have to kill you if I told you.