Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - a considerate driver

i was working my way through downtown boston traffic, and i tried to make a tight 90 degree turn between a van and car to squeeze through, but ended up bailing cuz i was either going to clip the car with my back end or bump the van.. then the van driver says "hey, you coulda made that!"... it was funny.. then he said "need some more room?" and pulled up and over a little bit so i could squeeze through. so i guess they aren't ALL bad

yea, I used to hate valet parkers(in a non personal, theyre in my way during work kinda way)

And today, one saved me from being doored! he made sure his customer wouldnt open the door into me in rush hour traffic! made my fuken day!

Hehe... awesome!

I would bet he rides. That's how I think behind the wheel. I just wish more did.

Nice. I love it when I get cred from drivers. Oddly enough with all the s**t that goes down with cabbies in this town (Chicago), I have gotten lots of room and respect.

It's the nice drivers like that that keep me from gutting the bad ones with a tire lever.

I almost hit some dude near Hollywood today. He was slowly jogging in a circle with his headphones on and didn't see me at all, but keep on doing whatever he was doing oblivious to anyone else. I had just purchased a new rear wheel and had the trashed one strapped under my bag flap and it ended up grazing his arm. First he yells "sorry" which is then followed up with "slow down *******"...lock the rear wheel up, fish my pedal wrench within quick reachand make my way back to him for a chat. Some dude in his car brings me back to earth by saying "hey, you dropped the rest of your bike." I had to laugh. Changed my day for a while.

'] First he yells "sorry" which is then followed up with "slow down *******"...lock the rear wheel up, fish my pedal wrench within quick reachand make my way back to him for a chat.

Yeah that's it, go bash his head in (sarcasm). Regardless of whether he wasn't paying attention or not I'm sure he didn't specifically set out to crash into a biker. And once he hollered you should have known he's a tool and isn't worth it.

I can't understand the animosity between bike riders and everyone else- maybe because I don't ride in Boston or Chicago. Why does it always have to be an "us" against "them" situation? Why not just roll on with your life and let it go? It was an accident.

What happens when you turn back with a pedal wrench and the dude pulls out a 9mm?

PJ

we all stand witness to our decisions...plus, this guy had no where to put a 9mm.

As far as the us v. them...it's not. I see no them, just random, occasional *******s. While I appreciate your insight and concern for the overall community, sometimes things aren't so textbook.
I keep something in reach at all times. Learned that a while ago. My question: where in my post did I say I was going to bash this guy, just inform him of specific considerations he should be ready to give on a shared road. But after someone decides to rename me an *******, I am ready to go if needed.
If you do ever make it to a larger Metropolitan area and commute for more than 1 year, you might understand better what I am saying. Not a dig on you, just a little perspective from me.

On a lighter note -- I keep my wrench in the bag in case of flats, and i love to look at the x ray of my bag whenever it goes through an x-ray (with all the court trips i make at work, that's a lot of x-raying). Just seeing a random wrench in there is always good for a laugh, for me and for the guy running the machine. Maybe its not as funny as I think, but its just one of those things i can't help chuckling when i think about. Like penguins.

My question: where in my post did I say I was going to bash this guy, just inform him of specific considerations he should be ready to give on a shared road.

It appeared to me, maybe I was wrong in interpolating your first post, that "fishing for a wrench" to be close at hand to then return and "have a chat" is aggressive behavior.

Obviously, the guy should have been aware of his surroundings and calling names because he's oblivious is not cool, but why go back to "have a chat." He's a tool, let it go.

As far as a dig, I wouldn't take it that way. Like I said, I don't live/ride in a major metropolitan area and have fewer confrontations than city riders do. I guess I just feel that most of the time it's not worth it to get involved with ignorant people.

Ride safe
PJ

Man, I ride sideways in front of cars all the time and don't get props from drivers. Fscking aholes.