[dingster1]

OMG!!! It happened to me today. I was in my car and I saw an older gentleman riding with helmet on the wrong side of the road facing traffic!!! Going about 10mph!!! I was really scared for him!!! Where does this mentality come from??? I didn't yell at him because he was really weaving for the speed he was going. I was on the opposite side of the road.

[The BikeForums Team]

This is an archived thread, you can find the full version of this thread, with images, links and more content here.

Ready to buy? Check out these two online bike stores:
- http://www.nashbar.com (you can find the latest bike nashbar coupons in this thread)
- http://www.performancebike.com (you can find the latest performance bike coupons in this thread)

Cya on the forums,
- The BikeForums Team
- http://www.bikeforums.net

[I-Like-To-Bike]

OMG!!! It happened to me today. I was in my car and I saw an older gentleman riding with helmet on the wrong side of the road facing traffic!!! Going about 10mph!!! I was really scared for him!!! Where does this mentality come from??? I didn't yell at him because he was really weaving for the speed he was going. I was on the opposite side of the road.
WHAT happened to YOU?

[dingster1]

I mentioned this because some others on the boards had seen this and I had never seen it. In my neck of the woods just about everyone except die hard roadies rides on the sidewalk because the speed is marked 55+and our law is sidewalk only for that speed limit. What happened to me was my nerves were shot just wathcing all the cars blowing and trying to avoid this old man!!!

[rando]

back when that old guy was a youg 'un, they used to tell kids to ride against traffic. that's probably why he's doing it. or he likes it and thinks it's safer. who knows?

[Serendipper]

I was taught to ride against traffic, and I'm not that old. That's the way it was done for a looong time. Now we have VC thinking. Calm down. I ride against traffic in rare instances if I need to create a route or shortcut. Unless there is massive cycle traffic, it's not that dangerous.

[rando]

yeah, I kind of vaguely remember being taught that as well. That guy has been around all these years and riding that way, it can't be that bad.

[I-Like-To-Bike]

In my neck of the woods just about everyone except die hard roadies rides on the sidewalk because the speed is marked 55+and our law is sidewalk only for that speed limit.
Where is your neck of the woods? And does it have many 55mph roads that have parallel adjacent sidewalks for bicyclists to use? Was the bicycling apparition (and not a die hard roadie to boot) that shook you up riding on such a 55mph road?

[I-Like-To-Bike]

yeah, I kind of vaguely remember being taught that as well. That guy has been around all these years and riding that way, it can't be that bad.
And he's riding his bike, not critiquing other's bicycling technique while driving a car.

[dingster1]

Md. plenty of sidewalks. Kinda of hard to carry 5 racks of ribs and baked beans on the back of my bike

[trackhub]

It seems that a lot of people, both old, and not so old, have been taught that when you are on a bicycle, you are a pedestrian, and you should ride against traffic, "so you can see the cars!". This is what I call "entrenched misinformation".

Often, people were taught this by mom, dad, or well-meaning-but-misguided boy scout / girl scout leaders. Often, if you try to tell them otherwise, or that riding against traffic is the fastest way to the cemetery, they just don't want to hear it. "well I don't care what it says there!" is a standard response.

It's interesting how something like this gets "stuck", and people believe it from generation to generation, sort of like an urban legend.

[slowandsteady]

Also, people get confused between riding a bike and being a pedestrian. We have long been taught to walk or jog against traffic. People just assume this also applies to cyclists.

[sunofsand]

Wait, this was a joke thread

..wasn't it?

This got all serious and then people started talking about beans, ribs and the pilgrims and I just got all confused and that is where I am out right now

Help?

[John E]

... In my neck of the woods just about everyone except die hard roadies rides on the sidewalk because the speed is marked 55+and our law is sidewalk only for that speed limit. ...

I assume from reading your post that the outside lane is too narrow to share side-by-side with a motor vehicle. On fast streets I strongly endorse wide outside lanes, with or without bike lane stripes.

[kjmillig]

At least this guy was predictable. Too often I see people riding against traffic but also going in and out of business parking lots, on and off the sidewalk, and changing sides of the road as they work their way down the road. Basically, you never can be sure where they're headed next. At least my kids know if I see them doing that their buts are mine!

[I-Like-To-Bike]

I assume from reading your post that the outside lane is too narrow to share side-by-side with a motor vehicle. On fast streets I strongly endorse wide outside lanes, with or without bike lane stripes.
You and others can endorse wide outside lanes as stongly as you like. It won't create one inch of wider lanes retrofitted in any built up urban areas in the US. Unless the road is totally rebuilt for the purpose of moving more motor traffic through the area.

[chipcom]

Kinda of hard to carry 5 racks of ribs and baked beans on the back of my bike

Sorry, but don't worry, someday you'll either get yourself a better bike or become a better rider. :p