Road Cycling - What a Great Response to Driver's Honking at You

So I'm driving home after dropping my son off and I notice some bikers on an intersecting road pulling up to a light. The first two were all the way to the right and some young guys in a Jeep are behind them in the right turn lane. Rather than go around the bikers, the dude just stays behind them and beeps his horn. The bikers move the the next lane over to the left and the driver beeps again as he goes by.

I hear the guys on the bikes start saying "hey baby, hey baby" and pull up a little on the guys in the Jeep (who were stopped at the light now and waiting to turn right). The bikers start blowing kisses at the guys in the Jeep and continuing with the Hey baby stuff.

Just frigin hilarious to me! It's probably better just to not say anything (which I can't seem to do when I'm out there) but I think this response is pure genious, not too aggressive but it lets the driver know that they are being childish.

What a Great Response to Driver's Honking at You

Not so much for honking, but if someone yells at me, I always like to smile, wave and say “Thank you, have a nice day!”

My thought is if it gets ugly and the police show up, I imagine a conversation like this:

Policeman: “So you honked and yelled at the cyclist, what happened next?”

Annoying Motorist: “He said thank you!”

P: “And then what?”

AM: “I stopped and yelled some more”

P: “What was the cyclist’ response?”

AM: “He said ‘Have a nice day’!”

...you get the picture.

-murray

Not so much for honking, but if someone yells at me, I always like to smile, wave and say “Thank you, have a nice day!”

That's usually the best response. It leaves most of them puzzled! I act as if I know them. You should see the looks on some of their faces! It's funny!

I hear the guys on the bikes start saying "hey baby, hey baby" and pull up a little on the guys in the Jeep (who were stopped at the light now and waiting to turn right). The bikers start blowing kisses at the guys in the Jeep and continuing with the Hey baby stuff.

Not sure that response is the safest approach. If those guys in the Jeep happen to be homophobes then the bikers might be in for more than they bargained for. Along the same lines if the guys in the Jeep happen to be Gay the bikers may be in for more than they bargained for too. But I suppose it's better than yelling obscenities.

Dan.

At one time I worked with kids who had behavior problems. I figure it's these same kind of people grown up and driving cars that are honking at bicycles and shouting out their windows. When someone shouts out at you they are looking for a confrontation. When you give it to them, you are playing right into their game.

I always (almost always) wave and grin. By responding positively I'm discouraging future bad behavior. If it's a young kid I'll often shout back "Hi Mike". It seems to me about half the high-school aged boys are named Mike.

...the middle finger!

yeah I usually throw them the bird... :D

but then If I were in the same situation, and the bike lane is also part of a right turn lane, I usually try to move ahead into the crosswalk, and to the left a bit, and wave the car by... if there is room.. if not, the car waits, and if they continue to honk.., they get the 1 finger salute...

I find that, for whatever reason, I'm a lot tougher on my bike, than I really am in real life...

jeff

depends who it is... i know to pick my fights

1. ignore them hoping they wont run me over
2. finger
3. confrontation

its all situational

depends who it is... i know to pick my fights

1. ignore them hoping they wont run me over
2. finger
3. confrontation

its all situational


1. Pound on the car.

2. Spit on the car.

3. flip them off.

4. throw water bottles.

5. throw bags of excrement I carry just for this purpose. :)

If it's just a honk, I completely ignore it. Don't change my path, don't look, don't gesture, don't say anything.

There's nothing worse you can give these peole than a feeling of absolute ineffectiveness. Even worse, they are probably left wondering if I ever even realized they were honking at me and not some other car.

Now if they actually DO something, that's a whole different story.

If it's just a honk, I completely ignore it. Don't change my path, don't look, don't gesture, don't say anything.

There's nothing worse you can give these peole than a feeling of absolute ineffectiveness. Even worse, they are probably left wondering if I ever even realized they were honking at me and not some other car.

Now if they actually DO something, that's a whole different story.

I agree, I do the same thing....well most of the time. ;)

Dan.

I either wave or do nothing. I'm not going to their level.

i just take note of the plate no.... when the time comes... they'll know... :D :D
just kidding

i just don't move... as if i was an SUV!

The best bet is to ignore them or to wave and smile, which is my usual response. You never know what kind of nut is driving or what he may do.

But, sometimes, the situation just begs for a witty response. The best one I came up with was when a moron almost hit me, and I yelled something like "Hey a$$hole, watch where your going." He followed me, screaming "What did you say to me....what did you say to me.." over and over.

Finally I looked him square in the eyes and said "I said 'Do you want to see my badge'!" He sped off like a scalded cat.

i'm gonna get one of those air horns for my bike. a couple people were playing with one in my shop today and it hurt my ears from probably 12 feet away.

HONK BACK!

depends who it is... i know to pick my fights

1. ignore them hoping they wont run me over
2. finger
3. confrontation

its all situational

We just had a talk about this the other day. Being a Deputy I HAVE to deal with confrontation on a day to day basis. Most people who work a 9-5 career/job aren't working in a field that has "confrontations" of the violent type. Thus not allowing the average citizen the ability to practice what they "would" do or "say" in any given situation. Basically forcing the average citizen to experience something, then later that day going...."I should have...." I on the other hand, as well as others in my field, get to laugh at those like honkers and whomever, and enjoy whatever type of reply that we give them. Knowing that what we said or did was appropriate and not going to eat at us later.

5. throw bags of excrement I carry just for this purpose. :)


:eek:
Where exactly do you store the excrement on your travels?

depends who it is... i know to pick my fights

1. ignore them hoping they wont run me over
2. finger
3. confrontation

its all situational

Hope all you tough guys don't find you are in a situation in which the people in the car are the "action" type, and not just all words.

The car always wins.

People in cars can carry more weapons than you. (when you are on a bike, everything they have is a weapon - try a coffee cup to the back of the head for example)

They can get away easily after you are lying on the ground.

Hope all you tough guys don't find you are in a situation in which the people in the car are the "action" type, and not just all words.

The car always wins.

People in cars can carry more weapons than you. (when you are on a bike, everything they have is a weapon - try a coffee cup to the back of the head for example)

They can get away easily after you are lying on the ground.

Almost always true, but there are the exceptions. A year or more ago, a guy in a convertible just about hit me from behind, swerved out, and cut me off, screamed invective at me, so I called him a ten letter word that rhymed with sock-plucker. He slammed on the breaks, jumped out - all 5'5" of him - and screamed "What did you call me?"

I stopped, looked down at him from my 6'3" and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, sir. I meant MIDGET [sock plucker]." He proceeded to tell me he was a black belt, was going to kick my butt, this, that, the other and on and on. Knowing many black belts, including national and international champions, I told him that no black belt in the world acted like such a moron, that, if anything, he was no more than a yellow belt and to bring it on. I noticed in his facial expression that I had him nailed. So I took a step towards him, and he quickly leapt into his car and sped off, calling me a few more names.

Wave big and act like you know them: "Hey, how ya doin?! I remember you!"

Or perhaps, "The horn blows, how 'bout the driver?"

This topic was on here a few months ago and someone (sorry I don't remember which member wrote it) said he always yells "I Love You!" just to watch the confused looks he gets.

Personally, I usually ignore them. If it's just a "polite" honk I will attribute it to them telling me they are behind me so I'm not startled. If they're yelling I make a decision when I see them. Usually I let it go. Doesn't make sense to me to get into a fight, especially when I'm wearing my Sidi's and have no traction.

PJ

I'm always amazed at the amazing powers of perception and the higher than average intelligence displayed to me by the drivers. They honk and yell things such as "Bicycle!" and "Biker!". I never say anything back because usually I look down and say "Holy ****! I am on a bicycle!"

Hope all you tough guys don't find you are in a situation in which the people in the car are the "action" type, and not just all words.

The car always wins.

People in cars can carry more weapons than you. (when you are on a bike, everything they have is a weapon - try a coffee cup to the back of the head for example)

They can get away easily after you are lying on the ground.

thats why i say i pick my fights :D

i avoid anybody that looks like ex linebackers who are now changing oil at the local jiffy lube... or people in trucks... i dont dignify them with a response. almost all of the time, they honk or yell as they speed by, anyways--not when theyre pacing or following

i wouldnt let some punk kid in mom's accord get away, though. last month some kid gave me the finger for absolutely no reason. i caught him at the next light, and pounded on his window to berate him... the little fugger wouldnt even look at me; he had left his balls at the previous light.

anyways im just glad that austin is a bit more bike aware and friendly than is the metroplex. besides, i almost always ride with friends, so comments are far and few.

A few years ago, a kid yelled at me to get off the road! I caught up to him at the light, it looked like his sister was driving and and he was in the passenger seat. I smiled at him and asked if he had his license? or did he always have his sister drive him home to mommy? :D On time someone in an SUV honked at us and we caught him at the light. I looked at him, looked at my friend and proceeded in making fun of him...saying loudy so he can hear us "he can wait till he got home to the trailer home and start beating his wife!" (sorry to all of you the live in a trailer home). We laughed and my friend said "he doesn't have a wife! he can only go kick his dog." :)

poor dog...

1. Ignore
2. Smile & wave
3. Wave a cell phone, which has audio recording & 911 hot-keyed.

Although it didn't happen when I was on the ride the LBS group ride last year had an instance...

They (about 15 of them) were at a light waiting to turn right when the guy behind starts honking and being a jerkass. light goes green and they start to clip in and head off, apparently NOT fast enough for the guy who rockets past them. Then, he jams on the brakes as the group is settling in forcing some of them to bail out of their pedals and stop, etc. One guy...not the most sane of the pack...hammers on the pedals and chases the driver down. The biker slams the driverside mirror with an open palm and it explodes- glass everywhere! Driver grabs his cell and calls the cops saying he's being attacked by bikers. The intersection happens to be right in front of a REAL biker bar so a couple of cop cars roar onto the scene. Imagine the laugh when they pulled up and saw a bunch of lycra-clad weirdo's.

No one was cited, they (driver and cyclist) let it drop because the cyclist did break his mirror even though the driver was being irresponsible to say the least. To make it even more strange, the driver's wife is a cyclist who no longer goes into the bike shop. Nobody knows if she's ashamed or pissed off because she hasn't been back since.

PJ

once 2 kids in a red jalopy passed me honking a few times, and the guy in the passenger seat leans out and says "hey man, you got to get off the bike." so they got stuck at a stop sign, and as he sees me approaching he goes "serious man, get off the bike." i said, "do you mean, get off the road?" he went, 'yeah, thats it man. get off the road." i laughed and went on my way. i think he was laughing too.

dan

1. Ignore
2. Smile & wave
3. Wave a cell phone, which has audio recording & 911 hot-keyed.


Yeah good advice, I had some idiots in a car throw an empty bottle at me today as I was riding along, I wasn't sure if it was intentional because they missed by quite a bit, but I decided to take a mental note of their license plate anyway. Sure enough, when I caught up to them at a stop light, they started yapping at me, so I said to them let me reciet you guys two numbers I happen to have memorized, their license plate, and 911, I gave them a big smile and they pretty much shut up and drove off.

I guess it's situational. As with the rest of you, I've had my share of cigarettes and beer bottles thrown at me, the drive by's where they try to clip you with the mirror, the honk or scream when they are on top of you, etc. It stinks.

But what's funny to me, are the demographics of those who pull this garbage. Mostly, it's

a. Beavis and Butthead
b. Girls being cute (I'm not complaining)
c. Fat people, mostly "soccer" moms in conversion vans

I can't really say I'm threatened by any of the above. So I try to let it go. But I do love when they aren't slick enough to time their anger with the traffic lights, and underestimate just how efficient a bicyclist can be (when fueled by anger of their own). I love watching them awkwardly fidget with their cell phone or radio, while trying to ignore me staring into their passenger window. Growling.

Ahhhhh, the joy of bike riding.

I tend to wave at them as if they were long time friends, but I remember once when my then 3 year old daughter, who was sitting in the baby seat, turned around and showed a "shtt" to the car driver.

But there is one point to note for the original poster:
I don't know the area, but stopping one's bike in the driving lane – even in a right turn lane – to regroup, check maps, drink fluids... is not a good idea, because it blocks traffic. And even though many people do it, the car driver isn't supposed to pass around people (or cars) and turn right, unless these people are really stalled or stranded.

Now, imagine if those cyclists had finished their break and started to pedal through the intersection just as the car driver was zooming around them. That's a glorified right hook! The only available options (both from a safety viewpoint and from a legal one, in most U.S. and many Canadian jurisdictions) were to stop behind the cyclists and wait for them to restart, or beep at them (in a friendly approach, not an aggressive one) to wake them up or make sure they were really stranded.

Regards,