Fifty Plus (50+) - Any 50+ reaction to this post?

Any 50+ reaction to this post?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=459175

Any 50+ reaction to this post?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=459175

I read the first page of posts before it went multi-page. I can't say that I haven't wished I had the chutzpah to do that, but in reality, I'm not that angry/stupid/vengeful/whatever.

Reading the vitriol made my head hurt, so I quit.

What's your take, D?

I read the first page of posts before it went multi-page. I can't say that I haven't wished I had the chutzpah to do that, but in reality, I'm not that angry/stupid/vengeful/whatever.

Reading the vitriol made my head hurt, so I quit.

What's your take, D?

Well, the immediate gut reaction is to say "Yea!"

But the more considered reaction is this was not a good thing to do. I was interested in how many folks gave cheers for this, and I was sort of interested if folks 50+ would have generally the same positive reaction as most of the responders to the thread in the Road forum.

I wasn't impressed by his act. You do that to the wrong person and you get run over.

And if that guy regularly rides the same roads as you, then you won't know when it is coming.

My head hurts just wondering what's in that thread. I think I won't go there.

I get the feeling people these days are watching too much wrestling on TV. I couldn't even make it through the first page before boredom set in.

I wasn't impressed by his act. You do that to the wrong person and you get run over.

And if that guy regularly rides the same roads as you, then you won't know when it is coming.

Exactly!

It's his life to waste

If you live in an area that the police take this stuff seriously, great, that is your best action. This cyclist appears to be in high school and knows these other high school kids. It is unlikely the cops in many Nebraska towns will take a high school kids complaint seriously. So what is his remaining options?

Drivers like this are bullies. I learned in elementary school and junior high that if you turn the other cheek, bullies keep coming back and punching you to prove how tough they are. I also learned that they are not tough, they are cowards. All you have to do is punch these bully cowards once and they leave you alone forever.

Now kicking the side view mirror was dumb. Most of them do not break off that easily, so the cyclist could have seriously hurt himself. I am glad for him that he got a weak mirror. The coward bullies in the car will never mention the incident again and they will never bother cyclist again.

Did you ever have good luck with the bully at school when you yelled back "yeah and your mama too".

I have never been a fan of escelating violence, its just the begining of round 2. In the life mirrors fiction vein, "Be nice. Untill it's time to not be nice". Sometimes this is refered to as the Teddy Rosevelt doctrine and involves big sticks.

Remember, every angry driver that you bait is a hazard to all other cyclists. They will just wait untill a better opportunity or weaker prey appears.

License number and complaint to the police for first offense. Remember, in the case of the former ER doctor who brake checked and injured some riders, a complaint for a previous similar incident was the cement that glued the case together.

I figure some abuse by the car drivers is the price we have to pay. Its frustrating, and not fair (its also not fair that all that beer makes my belly rounder), but I try to live with it. Its better than being dead right?

Any 50+ reaction to this post?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=459175

Idiot in car meets idiot on bike.

I did have a guy holler at me one day and I saw him pull in his drive way about a block ahead. So I gave chase. I entered just as he was exiting his car (with his wife). I said " excuse me sir, I did not hear you clearly, would you care to repeate it?".. He was nervous but he replied "I said to 'get some color' ".

His wife replied "Yes-Thats what he said."

I was wearing a drab grey jersey, with black shorts. I thought about it and replied " Your correct, I understand, Thank you. " 'but I also added "Please allow me to give you advice, "Please be careful whom you shout at, not many folks are as understanding as I am".


BTW- He and his wife wave at me often when I pass their house, I wave back. Also BTW- I only wear that grey jersey when I'm on a trainer. I now wear only bright clothing.

I don't neccessarily believe all the things I read on this forum and this is one I will choose to think has a bit of fabrication in it but even at that, if it did occur it was stupid. The people in the car were probably drunk, drunks have no judgement and can be down right mean and dangerous.

You can't fix stupid.

I'm not sure he didn't make the whole thing up, but these cretins in cars are also a threat to others if you react to them.
I mentioned to a jerk at a red light that he could have given me more room after he nearly clipped me. This sent him into a rage and he was so intent at yelling at me that he almost crashed into a hot dog vendor as he crossed the intersection. It was only his passenger who kept him from running down a bystander.
Another time some brainless cowards in a diesel pickup revved the engine to smoke us out. My friend chased them after they were slowed by traffic and the punk ass driver almost ran over some kids in a crosswalk while making a right turn to get away. The kids had to jump back and they screamed at the bozo.
Better to let it go most times.

Any 50+ reaction to this post?

Nope

It's his life to waste


I'm with SaiKaiTai - I wouldn't take such chances with my life and health.

I blow by doing 25, stick my foot forward, and ANNIHILATE their passenger mirror

I'm also skeptical, based on the physics. The foot is forward and up above the level of the handlebars, and he's traveling 25 MPH. The mirror comes off without unbalancing the rider. Not going to happen.

I did have a guy holler at me one day and I saw him pull in his drive way about a block ahead. So I gave chase. I entered just as he was exiting his car (with his wife). I said " excuse me sir, I did not hear you clearly, would you care to repeate it?".. He was nervous but he replied "I said to 'get some color' ".

His wife replied "Yes-Thats what he said."

I was wearing a drab grey jersey, with black shorts. I thought about it and replied " Your correct, I understand, Thank you. " 'but I also added "Please allow me to give you advice, "Please be careful whom you shout at, not many folks are as understanding as I am".


BTW- He and his wife wave at me often when I pass their house, I wave back. Also BTW- I only wear that grey jersey when I'm on a trainer. I now wear only bright clothing.

You have class. :thumb: And that's often what separates this forum from others. The "older and wiser" group.

I figured that there was a better than average chance it was fiction, but if not my reaction would be the two a-holes met on the road.

Sure, we'd love to see the instigators get their comeuppance, but these days that could get you shot, stabbed, run over, etc. Though I've never had things thrown at me, I've had cars do the close in brush off attempt, pull out intentionally in front of me from side streets, right hooks, left crosses, never tried to get revenge. I have hollered, gestured, and even followed them home to express my frustration / anger. But revenge, nope, tain't worth my life.

It made me wonder what God was thinking when She left the boys in charge.

As flimsy as a lot of side mirrors are nowadays, I can believe there are cars out there where it would be easy to knock one off. However on a lot of vehicles, those mirrors are fairly tough and would easily knock a bike sideways if anyone hit it solidly.

I can't imagine anyone being stupid enough, well, I guess I can imagine it, to try this. Therefore it seems likely that this is an exaggeration. However if it is true, then I predict a relatively short life for the OP as he is a future Darwin Award candidate.

As flimsy as a lot of side mirrors are nowadays, I can believe there are cars out there where it would be easy to knock one off. However on a lot of vehicles, those mirrors are fairly tough and would easily knock a bike sideways if anyone hit it solidly.

I can't imagine anyone being stupid enough, well, I guess I can imagine it, to try this. Therefore it seems likely that this is an exaggeration. However if it is true, then I predict a relatively short life for the OP as he is a future Darwin Award candidate.


Or early death from sudden heart attack brought on by rage.

Any 50+ reaction to this post?

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=459175

physically impossible, IMHO, to perform that act and stay on a bike, so i call...

I too put this square in the category of people doing stupid and destructive things encouraged by some real or imaginary subculture which ascribes virtue to unnecessary violence.

On the other hand, as a responsible member of the community I might, if given the opportunity, have owned all four of their valve stems leaving a brief note on acceptable social behaviors behind. Perfection must still be out there somewhere ahead.

Hi,

Though I have done some things on a bike after being threatened by a motorist, I have ALWAYS felt bad about doing them after the fact. My current modus operandi is to wave and smile at the motorist as long as they do something short of throwing something heavy or actually pushing (vs buzzing) me off the road. If either of the last two occur, I will TRY chase them down and give them a piece of my mind. Neither has happened in a few years.

Wave and smile. :)

Bull*** story if I ever heard one.

I like to think most cyclists prefer to take the high road . . .

In general, road rage these days is likely to get you killed.

I do not condone violence, but can appreciate how the cyclist felt at the moment that he was struck by an object and then further harassed. It is called adrenaline! I do not fault the cyclist and think that his initial response though over the top - we all would have been better served if the aggressors who initiated the confrontation were brought to justice.

I personally have had objects thrown at me from moving vehicles and would have probably responded in a similar manner given the wrong set of circumstances.

Don't co

Did you ever have good luck with the bully at school when you yelled back "yeah and your mama too".No, but after I punched back the first time, that ended it, there never was a round 2.


Remember, every angry driver that you bait is a hazard to all other cyclists. They will just wait untill a better opportunity or weaker prey appears.Maybe if you only bait them, but if they have to pay a real price for their actions when bullyimg someone they think is weaker, then they won't do it again. Remember they got their butt kicked the first time by someone they thought was weaker.


License number and complaint to the police for first offense. Remember, in the case of the former ER doctor who brake checked and injured some riders, a complaint for a previous similar incident was the cement that glued the case together.That really worked for protecting the second group of cyclist. If the guy paid a real price the first time, there would have not have been a second time. At least he will pay a price for the second time, so there will not be a third time.

Stories like that lead to stories like this...
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121606536316454400

Stories like that lead to stories like this...
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121606536316454400

The common theme in both of the incidents reported in this story was that the arrested party was intoxicated.

My son witnessed some cyclist pull up next to an offending automobiler at a stop light and beat the passenger window with a U-lock. That having been said, I agree that this was most likely a case of wishful thinking. It also reminds me of the time I was sitting fourth or fifth in line at a stop light. The guy two cars in front of me (we'll call him "Dick") honked his horn and yelled at the guy in the front of the line (we'll call him "Lesson.") Dick got out and walked up to Lesson's window and beat on it. Lesson stepped out of his car. Dick threw one punch. Lesson began to mercilessly beat Dick. Up and down the row of cars he beat him, until Dick begged Lesson to stop. They both got in their cars and drove away. The obvious moral is to not be a Dick because you never know what the Lesson is going to be. My reaction to the drivers in the story -- aside from possibly calling the law -- is to pull off on a side street, cuss and fume for a moment while I collect my wits, and then set off again.

I too put this square in the category of people doing stupid and destructive things encouraged by some real or imaginary subculture which ascribes virtue to unnecessary violence.

Tyler Durden on a Trek 1.5

The next cyclist these cowards creep up behind might be someone I love. That's the image I cling to when determining the balance between ego satisfaction and legitimate defense.

Chautauqua: Testosterone is a wonderful thing, but it's a concealed weapon to be armed and aimed only a couple of times a lifetime and then only in defense of high level assets, like the life and safety of loved ones.

Stories like that lead to stories like this...
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=121606536316454400
I don't follow your logic.

As far as the original thread goes, it was largely fiction. As a teenager on a bike, options are probably limited. As someone who is 50+, calling the cops on someone is probably going to have an effect. As I saw in another thread, telling them the cops that a car is weaving, passengers yelling and throwing things at bystanders will get a response. I was punched from a moving car while climbing a hill, everyone in the car was arrested. Police told me they had multiple reports about that car. Throwing an object at a moving vehicle is a felony in some states, but they always take it seriously in my experience.

I have the initial reaction to think that ya gets what ya deserve (for the auto thugs) but I also realize its really stupid to challenge somebody to a fight you cannot win, and 3000 pounds of high horsepower steel vrs a bike and rider is not too good of odds.

I have the initial reaction to think that ya gets what ya deserve (for the auto thugs) but I also realize its really stupid to challenge somebody to a fight you cannot win, and 3000 pounds of high horsepower steel vrs a bike and rider is not too good of odds.

Someday, we'll be the ones riding past the Petroleumless former drivers and laughing the laugh of... well, something. But we'll be laughing, by God. We'll be laughing.

I'm outraged! At how gullible you guys are. It's a joke.

Oh, and "The War of the Worlds". We were not invaded by aliens. At least not those aliens...

I'm outraged! At how gullible you guys are. It's a joke.


If you were outraged then you didn't read the thread very closely. Seven earlier posts doubted the truthfulness of the original post.

I'm outraged! At how gullible you guys are. It's a joke.

Oh, and "The War of the Worlds". We were not invaded by aliens. At least not those aliens...

I've got an alien in my backyard right NOW!!


HELP

Gurgle, gurgle, glug.

LOOK OUT - he is headed your way!