General Cycling Discussion - What mistakes do you see cyclist make?

I see alot, heres my list;

-people who ride bikes that are to big for them
-people who have the seat to low
-mountain bikers with tires that are way to wide
-no cycling shoes
-under inflated tires
-people who overload there bikes with fenders lights and all that other stuff

People who ride the wrong direction on the road into traffic.

I think you've covered the most common one. Seat too low.

I don't think that not wearing cycling shoes is a mistake. It's much better to wear them (and I wouldn't be without them) but most people will never wear them.

Another big mistake is people who push too hard rather than slipping it down a gear or two.

And of course those cyclists who think they're above the law.

And those who won't wear a helmet.

Originally posted by Bean Counter
And those who won't wear a helmet.

I knew it would come out sooner or later.:D

End of subject. Let's not start another helmet / anti-helmet war.

Originally posted by smelly
-no cycling shoes

wow.... i've been riding "wrong" for 99% of my cycling life!!! ;)

Originally posted by deliriou5
wow.... i've been riding "wrong" for 99% of my cycling life!!! ;)

You oughta be ashamed of yourself.

Originally posted by smelly
-mountain bikers with tires that are way to wide



Too wide?.....they are only made up to 3 inches.

Originally posted by KleinMp99
Too wide?.....they are only made up to 3 inches.

IMHO, they dont need to be more than 1.9 inches wide!! Anything wider will just slow the bike to a crawl. I should know, Iv been Mountain biking for 10 years!!!!

haha, ive seen tyres 4 inches wide, on a snow bike, they were big..and i mean BIG and had a square profile

right...smelly...have you considered fr and dh. think about those and then get back to us.

Originally posted by smelly
... people who overload their bikes with fenders lights and all that other stuff

Some of those folks are known as "commuters." I absolutely refuse to ride at night without lights, and I hate riding in the rain without mudguards.

Originally posted by John E
Some of those folks are known as "commuters." I absolutely refuse to ride at night without lights, and I hate riding in the rain without mudguards.

I never ride in the rain or night time, never!:beer:

Originally posted by sshock4
right...smelly...have you considered fr and dh. think about those and then get back to us.

Whats a fr dh? and what does it have to do with this thread?

dh = Downhill

Brendon

Originally posted by smelly
Whats a fr dh? and what does it have to do with this thread?

FR = Freeride
DH = Downhill

While I don't think neither strictly _REQUIRE_ ultrawide tyres, one would typically benefit from as wide as one could fit. Also, freeride riding encompasses quite a variety of terrain but most people would generally agree that tyres in the range of 2.0" to 3.0" (most likely closer to 3.0") is the norm for freeride bikes. As for downhill, I think the norm is greater than 2.5".

I won't post my pet peeve that cyclists do like Mediacreations said on a different mater no need to start a flame war there are plenty of threads out there on the mater where I have expressed my opinions. But I think my next one is the wannabes all decked out like Lance that come out of the wood work when the weather gets nice none of them seem to know proper trail or road etiquette. I also commute and in the soggy Puget Sound Region (Greg if you are reading this I hope you don't mind if I borrow that from you for this post) I will not even ride for pleasure, except summer time without fenders and if the cars would pay attention to me when I have just one light I wouldn't have to light myself up like a christmas tree.

Originally posted by smelly
I never ride in the rain or night time, never!:beer:

Aah! That makes things a little clearer. With a thread title like "What mistakes do you see cyclist make?", we thought you were talking about real cyclists, the sort that ride no matter what. Now that we know you mean 'Fair Weather Cyclist' we might answer differently.:D

I don't see them because they hide in their house but I'd have to say:

Cyclists who don't ride in the rain. ;)

Originally posted by Erick L
Cyclists who don't ride in the rain. ;)

Agreed. There is simply no better time to ride.

Another mistake I people commonly see is people who simply make no effort to maintain their bikes. Honestly, If I ever see any corrosion or anything attacking any of my components or my chain after a downpour, I'm onto it in a flash. Yet some of the chains I see some people around here riding with... :eek:

Another is riding on the footpath/sidewalk. I can't think of a more scary place to ride.

I've ridden on the wrong side of the street (on the shoulder) for a short distance (hoping that someone who knows better doesn't see me) -- but that was just to get to a point where I could cross the road. I live in a city with some really old, weird, wayward streets that seem to hearken back to horse and buggy days.

as far as my pet peeves? I'm trying to make cycling the one place in my life where I don't have any, but I guess if I had to choose one, it'd be helmet-wearing.

for me it is bikers who wear their helmets like baseball hats, back on their heads

people who overload there bikes with fenders lights and all that other stuff..
Hey, stinky, you live in a rainy climate! What do you do when it rains-arrive at work with a wet @$$??

I'd like to add one more mistake that cyclists do, at least here: They take too seriously posts made by adolescent trolls.

Originally posted by smelly
I see alot, heres my list;

-people who ride bikes that are to big for them


I find that if I am willing to ride a bike that has a frame I cannot straddle, then I get a fit that feels better when I ride it because I have a large torso. It does make getting the seat too low difficult though, especially when I ride my touring bike (in my running shoes so I can walk around when I arrive), but it helps my head light project further out and gives plenty of clearance for the fenders. The large frame also distracts bike snobs on dainty little machines from the fact I am running an older Deore LX setup on a road bike, with a mere 48 teeth on the crank, which is also a little longer than road standard.

What was really neat was to blow by the bike snobs when I had two little kids in a trailer.

I must admit, now that I am getting older, I am thinking about a new bike with all the right stuff, like labels with the name of a guy who won bike races, but who may have little to do with his bike line, lugs which are finely crafted, but not as strong or light as a good weld, a top name group which is mechanically very similar to the line three places down, but which costs a thousand doallrs more to save 100 grams, Reynolds 831 tubing, which is a chrome-moly alloy at titanium prices, and of course no intrusive fenders, lights or toolkit (I'll just have the chauffeur follow in an SUV with a rolling repair shop). The only problem is I will have to sneak in a seven speed hub to give me a meaningful range of gears with the 53/42 front and 11/20 ten speed rear.

Roadies:

Riders who use their brakes while riding in a paceline!

Cyclists coming the opposite direction who don't wave!

Seats too high and the knee locks out and their hips rock side to side!

Mountain:

Too much rear brake and skidding on the trail.

Not getting your butt off the back of the saddle while descending.

Death grip on the bars and locked elbows!

Staring at the trail immediately in front of the tire not 10' + like you should!


Both:

Not bringing necessary items and borrowing mine! i.e. extra water, extra tube, patch kit,....etc.

Not bringing refreshments for post-ride cool down (i.e. BEER!). Just one, but man is it good!

L8R

'Fellow' cyclists who suddenly start to zig-zag all over the road (leaving no room to pass them by) when all you were doing was warning them well in advance--out of courtesy--that you were coming from behind them.

Not to warn them (while better for your pace, etc.), is not an option. Those cyclists would be complaining that one of the biggest cycling mistakes is scaring the sh*t out of them while they are enjoying a nice Sunday 40RPM spin.

Originally posted by a2psyklnut

Not getting your butt off the back of the saddle while descending.

L8R

Heck Cyclenut, that's when I rest. How can I rest if I gotta stand up? :D

Originally posted by smelly
I see alot, heres my list;

-people who have the seat to low
-mountain bikers with tires that are way to wide
-no cycling shoes


I would fail on all of these and if you pointed it out to me I would laugh at you for judging. I ride with each of those as a purpose. Especially if I am on my way to a real trail...

Cycling shoes...what the heck are those clipless...sorry man not in a million years would I subject myself to those on the trails here.

Originally posted by a2psyklnut
Not bringing necessary items and borrowing mine! i.e. extra water, extra tube, patch kit,....etc.

Not bringing refreshments for post-ride cool down (i.e. BEER!). Just one, but man is it good!

L8R

hey man lets go riding what should I bring? patch kit, pump, soare tube, small tool kit. Did he bring it no! who had to double back after he called on my cell telling me he had a flat hmmm me. Who ended buying all the beer at the end if the ride HIM

Sometimes it does pay to be a boy scout :beer:

Originally posted by D*Alex
Hey, stinky, you live in a rainy climate! What do you do when it rains-arrive at work with a wet @$$??

I'd like to add one more mistake that cyclists do, at least here: They take too seriously posts made by adolescent trolls.

Im not a troll, I just try to be funny every once in a while. :D

BTW, I wont ride in the rain, its not a good idea. I might get struck by lightning!!!!!!!!!!!!!:D :D

Originally posted by Maelstrom
I would fail on all of these and if you pointed it out to me I would laugh at you for judging. I ride with each of those as a purpose. Especially if I am on my way to a real trail...

Cycling shoes...what the heck are those clipless...sorry man not in a million years would I subject myself to those on the trails here.
technicly a downhiller is not a cyclist. WHY? they're not cycling, they're just riding down hill w/o pedeling. pedeling = cycling:D :D :D :beer:

umm....maybe you should try some dh, maybe its less about pedaling, but more about being able to handle a BIG bike under you at BIG speeds on very very technical terrain. i dont understand your reasoning either...but whatever

Originally posted by sshock4
umm....maybe you should try some dh, maybe its less about pedaling, but more about being able to handle a BIG bike under you at BIG speeds on very very technical terrain. i dont understand your reasoning either...but whatever

OH, don't get me wrong, I love downhilling!:D I'v been doing it for a while now!!!:D

....what?

Originally posted by sshock4
....what? :D :D :D :D

Guess, I would be one to be lined up with the helmet police. Just my choice not that would really make it a law or anything. But I am very adamant about helmets. Cyclists with my cycling group would be very uncomfortable if a non-helmeted cyclist rode with us.
When traffic is heavy and there is not light, I should be ashamed but I might ride three blocks on the wrong side of the road, since it is impossible to cross. I must stop doing that. It is illegal. But that is the ony time I do that.Others do that far more than I do.
Cyclists about here are pretty well behaved. I do not see much in the way of poor behavior. Of course cyclists often show poor manners to one another. Like passing on a bike path without announcing themselves or almost running over pedesterians without announcing themselves.

BTW, I wont ride in the rain, its not a good idea. I might get struck by lightning!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that would be a bad thing???????????

Originally posted by smelly
OH, don't get me wrong, I love downhilling!:D I'v been doing it for a while now!!!:D

Smelly, are you stating that you've been "over-the-hill" for some time?

Backpack on the long tour, instead of panniers.

Chain without a trace of an oil.

Short sleeves or shorts on a sunny day (not enough sun protection).

Bicycles traveling on the car racks, instead of cyclist traveling on the bikes.

Too thin tires for the realistic city surfaces.