Advocacy & Safety - "Put on your helmet A-hole!"

I just got back from lunch and I was riding on the bike path on my way to Wendy's to get a garden salad. As I'm riding three guys are coming towards me at a slower speed. I was traveling pretty fast since I only get 30 minutes. The bike path is about 5 feet wide and they were riding three across. As I get closer I move all the way to the right but the three guys don't move. I'm within 10 feet of them and they are still not moving! I yell "EXCUSE ME!!!" but they still don't move! I had to jump off the path and into the brush (3 - 6 inch grass and bushes). As I go around them one guy yells "Put on your helmet a-hole!" They all have laugh...

Now, I do where a helmet most of the time, but when I'm just hitting the bike path, I usually don't. Either way, who are they to tell me what to do and almost cause me to have an accident. I'm guessing they were trying to make me crash so they could prove something about the helmet. If I wasn't at work on my lunch, I would have stopped and said something, but they are not worth my time/job.

I've been away from riding for about 5 years and I just started back up again, things like this just make me sour...

Sounds more like they were just jerks who wanted to see if they could force you off the path.

game of chicken...and you lost.

next time, grab your helmet and do a full on sprint directly at them.

game of chicken...and you lost.

next time, grab your helmet and do a full on sprint directly at them.

On a Coker Monster Cruiser. 55 lb. bike on 36" tires.:D
http://www.bikemania.biz/photos/coker_MonsterStandardRed-2.jpg

No really, I'd have probably just flipped them off over my shoulder and kept going. Who cares what they think?

On a Coker Monster Cruiser. 55 lb. bike on 36" tires.:D
http://www.bikemania.biz/photos/coker_MonsterStandardRed-2.jpg

:roflmao:

I just got back from lunch and I was riding on the bike path on my way to Wendy's to get a garden salad....

WE DO CHICKEN RIGHT! http://www.disgruntledhuman.com/archives/kfc.jpg
If they only knew where you had been. Don't get sour. Punks will be punks.

What a bunch of jerks. 3 abreast on a 5' bike path? :O

... or just stop, across the path, and put your foot down (literally and figuratively).

:p

... or just stop, across the path, and put your foot down (literally and figuratively).

:p

That's what I'd suggest... if there's a next time.

... or just stop, across the path, and put your foot down (literally and figuratively).

:p
That's what I do when joggers refuse to share the bike lane.

These are the situations where I am glad to be a clyde. At 290, anyone blocking the bike path in front of me is going to get a lesson in physics rather quickly.

First, to get this out of the way, I am a bit of an ahole roadie jerk. Sue me.

If people are hogging the entire path ahead walking toward me, I first yell out "Heads Up!" loud. If they want to F with me after that, I just put my head down and look at my cranks while staying as far right as I possibly can. Maybe a foot from the edge. My average speed is 23 mph. That's gonna really hurt if they don't yield. And they can plainly see that I am not looking. They ALWAYS move. So far anyway!

If the knuckleheads are playing "hands across the path for peace" facing away from me, I yell "HEADS UP" loud as I can two or three times. If they are plugged into their iPod, or want to F with me....fine. I maintain that average of 23 and brush them. Sometimes right between two of them and brush them both. Often, they scream in surprise like little girls and jump out of their shoes. But they start paying attention!

The path that I speak of is not a park, it is a fitness path. It's not technically for strolling or dog walking. Especially not for standing around! I am fine with anyone using the path as long as they act like they would on any roadway and pay freaking attention! There is room enough for everyone with courtesy.

I am so used to putting my head down for oncoming peds who I know are seeing me, that one day this happened: Two of us were doing a weekend bike tour - panniers, the whole deal. I was leading the way, my friend was just a few feet behind me on a two-lane road. An oncoming pickup truck with a young male driving and female riding shotgun approached us at high speed. As he neared us he crossed the center line - on purpose - put the driver's side wheels in the dirt on our side of the road and came at us head-on. I just put my head down and rode the fog line. My friend (who was looking for a soft spot to bail off the road) told me that as soon as I put my head down the driver steered back into his lane.

I do not recommend this behavior. I am a jerk. But as for your three path-hogs....it would not be the first time I showed someone the bottom of one of my SiDIs or the top of my helmet.

:eek: Wow. I'm relieved I don't live in Louisiana. It sounds like no place to be an imperfect human being.

These are the situations where I am glad to be a clyde. At 290, anyone blocking the bike path in front of me is going to get a lesson in physics rather quickly.

Hm.. Sounds like your bringing the automotive arms race to bicycling :eek: :p
I will admit that at a similar weight with a full loaded touring bike front/rear panniers and sweat pouring off my face even in mid winter people hurridly get out of my way. The OP made me start rethinking my anti JAB device.
I have tons of these in my yards and there is a rather nice harvest coming in. A perfect bicycle accessory for those king of the road/path cyclists.
http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/standard/trte_003_shp.jpg
:D:D:D:D;)

Situations like that remind you why frame pumps are a good thing.

Where they wearing helmets?

Where they wearing helmets?

Yes, and elbow and knee pads.

First, to get this out of the way, I am a bit of an ahole roadie jerk. Sue me....

For what it's worth, I don't think you're a jerk, unless you're buzzing the poor innocents staying on their side of the path. I generally have the same frustrations with the same sorts of people you do. My favorite right now is some guy that seems to run every day during my commute, on the wrong side of the street (in the street), right at me. Apparently he expects me to veer into traffic. So I pass him pretty close (I think he mainly annoys me because there are fantastic running paths 50 feet from the street he runs on). Last time, he decided to dart back and forth a couple of times for fun. So I totally understand where you're coming from, there are morons out there, and I don't feel like I should have to move aside to accomodate them.

But if I'm to offer some unsolicited advice (and I always do! ;)), I'd say that in most collisions, with anything, the cyclist will come out on the bad side. If those peds you're buzzing step 6 inches sideways, they probably won't be hurt much but you could lose control and eat some road.

As someone who ate some road a couple of weeks ago (though for unrelated reasons)...it ain't fun!

Apparently he expects me to veer into traffic.

Yep ... same thing happens on Wilson Blvd during the commute home.

... without the zig-zagging.

My favorite right now is some guy that seems to run every day during my commute, on the wrong side of the street (in the street), right at me. Apparently he expects me to veer into traffic. So I pass him pretty close (I think he mainly annoys me because there are fantastic running paths 50 feet from the street he runs on).

Why not plan ahead, merge into the traffic lane to go around him, and then move back over once you are past him? Isn't that what we expect motorists to do? I don't remember hearing when cyclists were told that they now own the right side of the road. I'm sure the runner has a perfectly good reason why he wants to run on the street and not the path, and "just because" is a good enough reason in my opinion.

Why not plan ahead, merge into the traffic lane to go around him, and then move back over once you are past him? Isn't that what we expect motorists to do? I don't remember hearing when cyclists were told that they now own the right side of the road. I'm sure the runner has a perfectly good reason why he wants to run on the street and not the path, and "just because" is a good enough reason in my opinion.

He's on the wrong side, and there's a soft grassy shoulder so he could get over if he were courteous enough to do so. I have enough room to pass him without hitting him, if he's not willing to budge, I'm not either.

And yes, when I occasionally run on the wrong side of the street, I get out of the way of oncoming traffic.

Now, I do where a helmet most of the time, but when I'm just hitting the bike path, I usually don't. Either way, who are they to tell me what to do and almost cause me to have an accident.

They were just participating in our countries new national past time, telling other people what to do. I realized this the other day when I was coming home on one of those rare occasions I didn't have a helmet on. This wank pulls up next to me in his Mercedes SUV and says "you need a helmet" and then rolls off. I was stunned. At what point in this country did we decide it was ok to just pull up to strangers and tell them how to live?

My favorite right now is some guy that seems to run every day during my commute, on the wrong side of the street (in the street), right at me.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the geometry here...but if he's running right at you, sounds like he's on the correct side of the street. Pedestrians (including runners) are supposed to travel facing traffic.


Apparently he expects me to veer into traffic.
Sounds reasonable to me. He's supposed to stay near the edge of the road; you've got the whole lane (and adjacent same-direction lanes if they exist) to ride in. No reason to "veer", though, unless you're being a jerk and playing chicken. Pedestrians are usually visible a block or more in advance; there's plenty of room to merge left and pass 'em without even slowing down. On the rare occasion that this isn't possible...I slow down. Same thing I expect motorists to do for me if necessary.


So I pass him pretty close (I think he mainly annoys me because there are fantastic running paths 50 feet from the street he runs on).
Which makes me wonder if your post is satire, and I was too dense to get that till now (even with a user name that translates to "troll"...) If you're serious, then you're acting exactly like those jackass cagers who brag about buzzing cyclists because there's "a perfectly good bike path" in the vicinity.

He's on the wrong side, and there's a soft grassy shoulder so he could get over if he were courteous enough to do so.



If he's running toward you (against traffic) then he's on the right side of the road. Pedestrians have the right of way. It would be courteous for him to jump up on the shoulder since it's easier for him to do so than you merging into traffic, but then again he doesn't have to and shouldn't be expected to either.

I agree - your attitude toward pedestrians sounds like a drivers' attitude toward cyclists.

Well they don't know what they're talking about. Your a-hole is no place for a helmet. I'd suggest your head is a better place for it ;)

Funny this should come up though. Yesterday I had to commute without helmet, which I had forgotten to retrieve from the car. Stopped at a red light, along with a mother & child on the sidewalk, we both exclaim "unbelieveable" as we witness two cars try to run the same red and almost collide. Then she comments, politely, "and you with no helmet" Of course there was nothing I could say...

Cheers,

Ed

Well they don't know what they're talking about. Your a-hole is no place for a helmet. I'd suggest your head is a better place for it ;)

Funny this should come up though. Yesterday I had to commute without helmet, which I had forgotten to retrieve from the car. Stopped at a red light, along with a mother & child on the sidewalk, we both exclaim "unbelieveable" as we witness two cars try to run the same red and almost collide. Then she comments, politely, "and you with no helmet" Of course there was nothing I could say...

Cheers,

Ed


You could've said,

"What you're not at risk for the same injury?

At least by riding a bike I keep your healthcare costs down while you're driving drive mine up."

You could've said,

"What you're not at risk for the same injury?

At least by riding a bike I keep your healthcare costs down while you're driving drive mine up."

I could, but was not looking for an argument, I believe the helmet comment was well intended, although it is part of the received wisdom these days (that is for another argument entirely).

I did offer that riding without a helmet is not illegal and that I usually wear one, whilst running red lights (the incident which prompted our exchange) is against the law...

I forgot to retrieve the helmet from the car again this morning, but managed to find the spare at last.

Ed

I could, but was not looking for an argument, I believe the helmet comment was well intended...

I get your point and maybe a better response would simply have been, "don't you think you can't have a head injury in a car too?"

I'm sure it was well intended, but people have to realize the vast majority of head injuries come from people falling and MV collisions.

If people drove better, everyone would be much safer. What the 2 of you witnessed was testimony to that.

:eek: Wow. I'm relieved I don't live in Louisiana. It sounds like no place to be an imperfect human being.

Louisiana is one thing. New Orleans is quite another. LA outside of NO is pretty much rural farmland. No bike problems there because no one rides a bike unless they came from somewhere else to ride amongst the spotted cows belly deep in yellow wildflowers. It is pretty all year.

New Orleans - dead last in public education for the past hundred years - is full of stupid people. It is a beautiful city with 365 days of cycling weather (hurricanes excluded) and no freezing temps ever. We affectionately call it "North Jamaica" or the "New Dominican Republic". Being stupid does not make people bad or unlovable. Folks here are extremely friendly and helpful. I am happy to let everyone be stupid EXCEPT for an area the width of my shoulders and the length of my road bike on any legal portion of the street or trail. I can not afford to allow imperfection in those ten cubic feet of space at 23mph.

Bike here. Then judge me. I am a victim of my environment!

PS: Go back to the story that started this string. It is about three hooligans forcing a rider off the path on purpose, then scolding him for not being prepared to crash i.e., "Wear a helmet A-hole!" I think showing that type of person the bottom of my Dominators, several times even, would not be out of line. Maybe then, when YOU come riding along with your ponytail flapping in the breeze, they will move over and shut the hell up.

If he's running toward you (against traffic) then he's on the right side of the road. Pedestrians have the right of way. It would be courteous for him to jump up on the shoulder since it's easier for him to do so than you merging into traffic, but then again he doesn't have to and shouldn't be expected to either.

I agree - your attitude toward pedestrians sounds like a drivers' attitude toward cyclists.

I don't see that at all. The streets are for pedestrians when they are in the crosswalk, and here in Illinois they have the right of way when they are crossing in a crosswalk with the light. That's not the situation here, where a bicyclist is facing a jogger running down the road, and not in the crosswalk. Assuming the jogger has some concept of which side traffic is supposed to be on and knows he's going against the flow, the jogger could move to the right and still keep whatever benefit they think they're getting by going against the flow of traffic and allow the bicycle to pass safely.

I almost ran down a jogger last week I think. The sunrise was at his back and he was wearing a yellow shirt and white shorts. He wasn't very visible and was jogging on a _50_ MPH road. When I was about 50 ft away he started yelling hey hey move over big guy. I was seriously tempted to run him down but passed him like a _vehicle_ should (when on the right side of the road) by moving to the left and leaving him the curb. I have stoped and taken a sip out of my water for wrong way cyclists to force them into the road :mad:

Personally I think he is an idiot and should not have been on that road at all especially at that time of day but there he was. In fact a little further down the road there people were running on the inside of the left lane and outside of the right lane coming towards me. Inside of the left lane was an entirely new one to me but they had a median to jump onto if two cars were coming down the road.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the geometry here...but if he's running right at you, sounds like he's on the correct side of the street. Pedestrians (including runners) are supposed to travel facing traffic.

I recall that from my road running days as well. But is it legal if there is a sidewalk? I am unsure of that.

I just got back from lunch and I was riding on the bike path on my way to Wendy's to get a garden salad. As I'm riding three guys are coming towards me at a slower speed. I was traveling pretty fast since I only get 30 minutes. The bike path is about 5 feet wide and they were riding three across. As I get closer I move all the way to the right but the three guys don't move. I'm within 10 feet of them and they are still not moving! I yell "EXCUSE ME!!!" but they still don't move! I had to jump off the path and into the brush (3 - 6 inch grass and bushes). As I go around them one guy yells "Put on your helmet a-hole!" They all have laugh...

Now, I do where a helmet most of the time, but when I'm just hitting the bike path, I usually don't. Either way, who are they to tell me what to do and almost cause me to have an accident. I'm guessing they were trying to make me crash so they could prove something about the helmet. If I wasn't at work on my lunch, I would have stopped and said something, but they are not worth my time/job.

I've been away from riding for about 5 years and I just started back up again, things like this just make me sour...

Yes they were jerks. You are justified in being annoyed, or mad at them.

But you did not have to ride off the path and into the brush, that was your decision.
You could have slowed and stoped in time by anticipating that they do what many people do....the wrong thing. You decided to ride at them fast and expected them to do something for you. That's how many accidents happen, expecting the other person to automatically do the right thing, just because it's the right thing to do.

I recall that from my road running days as well. But is it legal if there is a sidewalk? I am unsure of that.

Just as it's not legal for runners to use the bike lane, it's not legal (as far as I know) for a runner to use the road when there is a sidewalk. But, just like when motorists don't know what's legal for a cyclist to do, the proper response is not to try and teach the runner a lesson, but give him the respect that you would any other human being and go around him as if he were an obstacle in the street. I've encountered plenty of runners while cycling and never had problems seeing them well in advance and avoiding them with minimal hassle, whether they were going with or aganst traffic.

Also, look at it from the runners perspective. Would you rather run on smooth pavement free from dog walkers and children or on a cracked sidewalk with uneven or non-existant curb cuts with those unpredictable peds? I can sympathize with the runner. I would expect the same sympathy from motorists when I misjudge traffic and end up moving to the left lane for my turn well in advance of when I really needed to. It's technically illegal for me to be in the left lane but I was just looking out for myself and made a slight miscalculation (or gross miscalculation). Sometimes I'll take up more space than I needed to because I thought I saw something on the right but really there was no issue. Whatever. The point is the runner didn't cause you any harm by being there and all you needed to do was to make a relatively simple merge to avoid him. The roads are public facilities so you have to expect to see them used as such which often involves some misuse if you go by the letter of the law.

Just as it's not legal for runners to use the bike lane, it's not legal (as far as I know) for a runner to use the road when there is a sidewalk. But, just like when motorists don't know what's legal for a cyclist to do, the proper response is not to try and teach the runner a lesson, but give him the respect that you would any other human being and go around him as if he were an obstacle in the street. I've encountered plenty of runners while cycling and never had problems seeing them well in advance and avoiding them with minimal hassle, whether they were going with or aganst traffic.

Also, look at it from the runners perspective. Would you rather run on smooth pavement free from dog walkers and children or on a cracked sidewalk with uneven or non-existant curb cuts with those unpredictable peds? I can sympathize with the runner. I would expect the same sympathy from motorists when I misjudge traffic and end up moving to the left lane for my turn well in advance of when I really needed to. It's technically illegal for me to be in the left lane but I was just looking out for myself and made a slight miscalculation (or gross miscalculation). Sometimes I'll take up more space than I needed to because I thought I saw something on the right but really there was no issue. Whatever. The point is the runner didn't cause you any harm by being there and all you needed to do was to make a relatively simple merge to avoid him. The roads are public facilities so you have to expect to see them used as such which often involves some misuse if you go by the letter of the law.



+1 Exactly right. It is no use belly-aching about joggers when you can make space for them just how we expect drivers to negotiate around us safely.

IAs I'm riding three guys are coming towards me at a slower speed. I was traveling pretty fast since I only get 30 minutes. The bike path is about 5 feet wide and they were riding three across. As I get closer I move all the way to the right but the three guys don't move. I'm within 10 feet of them and they are still not moving! I yell "EXCUSE ME!!!" but they still don't move! I had to jump off the path and into the brush (3 - 6 inch grass and bushes). As I go around them one guy yells "Put on your helmet a-hole!" They all have laugh...


Something is wrong with that.

Also, look at it from the runners perspective. Would you rather run on smooth pavement free from dog walkers and children or on a cracked sidewalk with uneven or non-existant curb cuts with those unpredictable peds?
It's not just the peds and uneven surface. Running on concrete (even a smooth and empty sidewalk) will blow out your knees; asphalt has more give. I don't actually know whether California law says runners should use the sidewalk, but even if so, I'm not gonna declare myself the unofficial enforcer of a misguided law by buzzing them.

If I'm willing to accept that a car takes up a three meter wide swath of road to transport one person, then why begrudge a runner the much smaller space that they need? I'll merge left and go around them.

... or just stop, across the path, and put your foot down (literally and figuratively).

:p
Pick bike up by chain stays and fork with top tube facing them. They stop or they take a nice fall. Once they stop say thanks and ride off. I would grab some sunglasses with a built in mirror that way you can make sure they are not following you while at the same time looking like you do not have a care in the world :)

Something is wrong with that.

Rough guess... I didn't have my measuring tape with me.

I just got back from lunch and I was riding on the bike path on my way to Wendy's to get a garden salad. As I'm riding three guys are coming towards me at a slower speed. I was traveling pretty fast since I only get 30 minutes. The bike path is about 5 feet wide and they were riding three across. As I get closer I move all the way to the right but the three guys don't move. I'm within 10 feet of them and they are still not moving! I yell "EXCUSE ME!!!" but they still don't move! I had to jump off the path and into the brush (3 - 6 inch grass and bushes). As I go around them one guy yells "Put on your helmet a-hole!" They all have laugh...

Now, I do where a helmet most of the time, but when I'm just hitting the bike path, I usually don't. Either way, who are they to tell me what to do and almost cause me to have an accident. I'm guessing they were trying to make me crash so they could prove something about the helmet. If I wasn't at work on my lunch, I would have stopped and said something, but they are not worth my time/job.

I've been away from riding for about 5 years and I just started back up again, things like this just make me sour...

Bike path or Multi-use path? If it's really a BIKE path, they really have no business being there.
In any case, these guys sound like they're nothing more than a-holes anyway.

<sarcasm>
Next time: Wear your helmet and run right into them. Then you can just tell them you followed their advice. LOl!
</sarcasm>

<sarcasm>
Next time: Wear your helmet and run right into them. Then you can just tell them you followed their advice. LOl!
</sarcasm>

<sarcasm>And at least you can feel good about following Zeuser's safety advice after you find out how insignificant your helmet is for reducing collision risk.</sarcasm>

Bike path or Multi-use path? If it's really a BIKE path, they really have no business being there.
In any case, these guys sound like they're nothing more than a-holes anyway.


It is a prairie path, so multi-use...

Seems like several people here haven't picked up on the fact that these three guys were also on bikes...

Well they don't know what they're talking about. Your a-hole is no place for a helmet. I'd suggest your head is a better place for it ;)

Funny this should come up though. Yesterday I had to commute without helmet, which I had forgotten to retrieve from the car. Stopped at a red light, along with a mother & child on the sidewalk, we both exclaim "unbelieveable" as we witness two cars try to run the same red and almost collide. Then she comments, politely, "and you with no helmet" Of course there was nothing I could say...

Cheers,

Ed

You could have reminded her that more pedestrians than cyclist are killed each year. Then said "and you with no helmet".

But, just like when motorists don't know what's legal for a cyclist to do, the proper response is not to try and teach the runner a lesson, but give him the respect that you would any other human being and go around him as if he were an obstacle in the street. I've encountered plenty of runners while cycling and never had problems seeing them well in advance and avoiding them with minimal hassle, whether they were going with or aganst traffic.


+1

It's a bit funny to me to see such a response (the person moving slower than me is in my way & I'm going to brush by him to teach him a lesson), from a cyclist.

You could have reminded her that more pedestrians than cyclist are killed each year. Then said "and you with no helmet".

Oops. I'm slow. My mistake.

Previously I posted, "don't you think you can't have a head injury in a car too?"

I mistakenly assumed the woman talking to Ed was in a car, not on a sidewalk as a pedestrian.

CBHI is right. Proportionately, pedestrians receive far more head injuries and deaths than cyclists and what's more is that a cycle helmet is designed perfectly for pedestrian use.

No problem :)

It is still a good point. Why, here in sunny California, there are many many sporty convertable cars, and drivers without head protection... You'd think this would tame their driving habits, wouldn't you?

Ed

... You'd think this would tame their driving habits, wouldn't you?

Ed

ya'd think so.

I don't mind if the drivers want to "Darwin" themselves out of the picture, but they take so many innocent victims with them, don't they?

Not only do drivers kill passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and themselves, now this morning I read in my paper of another study showing the bad air that is partially produced by automobiles ups the risks for heart disease.

http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html?id=dd561f89-8cd5-414c-b866-7d0415ae37d6

Bad air can trigger in young, healthy adults a string of adverse biological changes that are linked to cardiovascular disease, a Taiwanese study has shown.

I have tons of these in my yards and there is a rather nice harvest coming in. A perfect bicycle accessory for those king of the road/path cyclists.
http://plants.usda.gov/gallery/standard/trte_003_shp.jpg
:D:D:D:D;)

What are those things?

What are those things?

They look like the goatheads in Albuquerque. Ripped right through a Schwalbe Marathon tire and caused a blow-out.

:mad:

-G