Northern California - SF cyclists sink to new low?

I stopped biking to work a few months back due to an injury that prevents me from properly positioning myself on my bike.

Was taking the F to work this morning and watched a cyclist running a red light well after the light had changed (appx 10s). Cyclist hit a pedestrian. Pedestrian looked a bit peeved and continued walking towards the Ferry Building. Cyclist stops and I thought he was going to check on the guy he just hit. Instead he raises the front wheel and smashes it into the back of the pedestrian's head as he opened the door to the Ferry Building.

I'm a bit peeved and when cyclists blast through the traffic signals on Embarcadero roadway and how I people ride 25 MPH on the sidewalk and weave through the Farmer's Market crowd, but this is a new low...

Can't imagine why so many people despise cyclists. I want to says it's the few that give every one a bad name, but I can't say I didn't feel like a tool when used to stop for red lights on Market Street.

Yep, It's great when you stop at a 4 way stop, then wave someone through and all of a sudden some freak A-hole comes from behind you on a fixed gear no-brake bike right through the intersection...It's F***ing embarrassing! I'm tired of catching crap because some people just can't behave. So what do you do?

So what do you do?

Take pictures of them and publish to the web?

Yep, It's great when you stop at a 4 way stop, then wave someone through and all of a sudden some freak A-hole comes from behind you on a fixed gear no-brake bike right through the intersection...It's F***ing embarrassing! I'm tired of catching crap because some people just can't behave. So what do you do?

Fixed gear bikes have no brakes? I thought you just push backwards about 1/10 of a rotation and the brake will engage in the hub.

Ok, I just looked on Wikipedia and from what I am reading it makes it sound as though fixed gear bikes are illegal for operation on public roadways in California.

Fixed gear bikes have no brakes? I thought you just push backwards about 1/10 of a rotation and the brake will engage in the hub.That's a coaster brake. The only similarity to a fixed-gear bicycle is that they both have only one speed.

A fixed-gear drivetrain is similar to that of a unicycle or an ordinary (pennyfarthing, etc) in that whenever the wheel is turning in either direction, so are the cranks. You can stop a fixed-gear bike by backpedaling, but you're resisting the turn of the wheel, not engaging an actual brake. This is how brakeless riders stop. However, it is possible (and prudent) to install a conventional brake on such a bicycle.


Ok, I just looked on Wikipedia and from what I am reading it makes it sound as though fixed gear bikes are illegal for operation on public roadways in California.Nope. You can most likely be ticketed for riding without a brake, but it's not widely enforced.

I have a few fixed gear bikes, but I use brakes. I don't "pop" my knees are too old.

Let me clarify that statement and say that of course there are road bikes, mountain, Hybrid and whatever doing the same hot dog crap and making it difficult for everyone. I think people that I observe riding no brakes are more often less apt to slow at intersections than cyclists with brakes...it just happens to annoy me when I'm giving someone the chance to move and someone selfish comes along and takes advantage of the situation.

why is cyclists in the title instead of cyclist?

As everyone else is saying, effing lame. What would have been nice is to see a cop come up behind the guy on the bike and smash him in the back of his head with a baton. I am sure that would have felt good also.

As everyone else is saying, effing lame. What would have been nice is to see a cop come up behind the guy on the bike and smash him in the back of his head with a baton. I am sure that would have felt good also.

yep, except the cop would then be charged with something and sued and it would cost the city a boatload o cash.

But really what sort of ******oid behavior ends with some guy hitting someone with a bike wheel like that? Really unreal, what happened after that? And I have ridden with Pete on his fixie and he does not do the sorts of things mentioned here.

80-20 rule
No matter how you group people, race, height, car barnd, cycling style, hair color, job, or religion, 20% of any group will be jerks. Or partial jerks, with a smaller percentage being full tilt jerks.

80-20 rule
No matter how you group people, race, height, car barnd, cycling style, hair color, job, or religion, 20% of any group will be jerks. Or partial jerks, with a smaller percentage being full tilt jerks.

TRUE!:thumb:

Was taking the F to work this morning and watched a cyclist running a red light well after the light had changed (appx 10s). Cyclist hit a pedestrian. Pedestrian looked a bit peeved and continued walking towards the Ferry Building. Cyclist stops and I thought he was going to check on the guy he just hit. Instead he raises the front wheel and smashes it into the back of the pedestrian's head as he opened the door to the Ferry Building.

What a moron. Would have been nice if the pedestrian turned after the (second) cheap shot and beat the daylights out of that guy. Best resolution in the end would be if that rider with those riding habits could get smacked by a bus or other vehicle and work his way out of the gene pool. It would surely be a shame if he passed those decision making traits on to future generations. :)

That's a coaster brake. The only similarity to a fixed-gear bicycle is that they both have only one speed.

Nope. You can most likely be ticketed for riding without a brake, but it's not widely enforced.

If it's a citable offense, then it would be illegal just like jaywalking or littering. Those are illegal also and thus citable. Unless of course if your trash is nuclear waste or some hazmat, then they'd prolly haul you to jail. If they're brave enough to touch you that is.


why is cyclists in the title instead of cyclist?
I tried to fix it just now, but it doesn't seem to be working.


What a moron. Would have been nice if the pedestrian turned after the (second) cheap shot and beat the daylights out of that guy. Best resolution in the end would be if that rider with those riding habits could get smacked by a bus or other vehicle and work his way out of the gene pool. It would surely be a shame if he passed those decision making traits on to future generations. :)

I have no idea what happened to the pedestrian. He could have been KO for all I know because he was partly obscured by the door and the streetcar was pulling away. I only saw the that the pedestrian had the door open and the cyclist smashing the front tire into the back of the guy's head.

If it's a citable offense, then it would be illegal just like jaywalking or littering.Point being, riding a fixed-gear bicycle is not illegal. Riding with no brakes, on the other hand, may be, though this could vary by city/county.

I believe in some places, the litmus test is being able to skid the rear tire on dry pavement. This is possible with a fixed drivetrain, which can introduce some gray area.

^-- Naw. Washington or Oregon set precedent on that rule saying that it wasn't enough.

California Law states that you need breaks, not a city ordinance. Just most places can choose to enforce or not to enforce.

I really hope that pedestrian beat the crap out of the guy -.-

Based on that description, that "cyclist" needs to be charged with assault...and running the red-light.

WOW, I thought I had seen some real displays of idiocy at critical mass (which I no longer attend) but that's a whole new level.

As far as fixed gears go I refer to mine as "a unicycle with a front wheel and handlebars" or "my bicycle equipped with unicycle technology" although mine has a break and I don't ride it, or my roadbike, like a D@#$%e-bag.

+1 for that guy being charged with assault there's no room for that kind of behavior here or anywhere else for that matter.

Curtis said it best.. the 80/20 rule.

I like the 10/90 ratio as well, were 10% of the people cause 90% of the problems.
Incidents like this are frustrating but I see it as a fact of living amongst the masses. I'm sure we'd all enjoy to some extent just dragging that clown over to the pier and tossing him in the bay, but usually people like this have a lawyer on speed dial as their behavior tends to need the services of such a professional.

Bad story, although on my way home from work a few weeks ago, I used my bike to catch up a dog that had gotten away from the little girl who was walking it :). So theres a +1, I guess.

but it's not widely enforced.

Based on the number of drivers with cell phones in hand I see on any given day, I'd bet that nothing is widely enforced around here.