Commuting - Am I a cager?

So, the plan is to bike M-W-F and drive T-TH. On the days I'm in my car, am I a cager? Or is there some more behavior I have to engage in while driving in order to be a cager? What if I don't hate bicyclists while I drive my car, and am attentive and courteous? Is there some term of endearment saved for folks like that, or do they just not warrant a moniker?

Just not entirely clear on the lingo.

I think the term "cager" was originally used by motorcyclists and not intended as derogatory though it certainly doesn't sound like a compliment ;)

Personally I think using terms that further divide the world into "us" and "them" is counterproductive.

A bike is my primary means of getting to work and sometimes I'll go for weeks without driving. Some weeks I'll end up driving a couple of times. I may go for days without driving at all or I may spend several hours driving in a single afternoon.

You are what you want to be.

I've always considered "cager" to be a combination of activity and attitude. I drive to work once a week, but like you, I don't rev my engine/lay on my horn/yell at/menace/hassle cyclists while I'm in my vehicle.
Motorist; sure. Driver; yeah. Cager; nope, don't think so.

i think you should probably stop forcing stupid terms where they aren't warranted. you're just a person who drives AND bikes to work.

What if I don't hate bicyclists while I drive my car, and am attentive and courteous?

I assume you intend this as a hypothetical question, since we all know that anyone in a car, simply by virtue of their being in a car, hates bicyclists and drives in a way intentionally designed to endanger bicyclists. It would be like asking, "What if my pick-up truck doesn't have a gun rack and I'm not listening to country music while driving it?" It might be interesting as a purely hypothetical question, but it has no real world application.

I assume you intend this as a hypothetical question, since we all know that anyone in a car, simply by virtue of their being in a car, hates bicyclists and drives in a way intentionally designed to endanger bicyclists. It would be like asking, "What if my pick-up truck doesn't have a gun rack and I'm not listening to country music while driving it?" It might be interesting as a purely hypothetical question, but it has no real world application.

:lol:

Not forcing any terms, just a bit of a rant against all the hate. We're all in this together, we won't be around for long, and not everyone in a car is to be reviled.

On the less pissy side, my new wheels are in! I've managed one (1!!!) day of commuting - Monday - and broke my rear wheel on the way home. Old Araya wheels original to my new to me '85 Centurion Ironman. I have been so looking forward to riding to work, and it just seems like tease after tease. Did I tell you that when I was trying to learn these new fangled clipless pedals I fell in my own backyard and sprained my knee? Kept me off the bike for a couple of days. My wife sure got some mileage from that one!

Anyway, all is well, I'll be on the bike again soon, and I hope to see some of y'all out there! Party on Garth!

I assume you intend this as a hypothetical question, since we all know that anyone in a car, simply by virtue of their being in a car, hates bicyclists and drives in a way intentionally designed to endanger bicyclists. It would be like asking, "What if my pick-up truck doesn't have a gun rack and I'm not listening to country music while driving it?" It might be interesting as a purely hypothetical question, but it has no real world application.

You are my hero!

I assume you intend this as a hypothetical question, since we all know that anyone in a car, simply by virtue of their being in a car, hates bicyclists and drives in a way intentionally designed to endanger bicyclists. It would be like asking, "What if my pick-up truck doesn't have a gun rack and I'm not listening to country music while driving it?" It might be interesting as a purely hypothetical question, but it has no real world application.

Yes, I should have been honest. The PA system and airhorns on my Jeep are for scaring all the wimpy cyclists. The mudder tires are for extra rumble and fright factor. :lol:
At least that's what one guy initially thought when I pulled over to help him out! The dude looked like he was going to mess his shorts when I pulled onto the shoulder a little ways in front of him. He was obviously out of tubes/patches/CO2 whatever he needed, and was walking along the side of the road with his bike over his shoulder. He didn't expect anything helpful from the guy pulling over in the middle of nowhere in this hillbilly lookin' Jeep, but was very happy that I gave him a ride to the nearest shop.
I figured actually stopping and getting out to offer a ride would be less frightening than just slowing down and getting on the PA speaker: "HEY DUDE! NEED A LIFT?" That would totally freak me out if someone did that, even if they were just trying to be helpful.

The PA system and airhorns on my Jeep are for scaring all the wimpy cyclists. The mudder tires are for extra rumble and fright factor. :lol

Ok, have to see a pic of the Jeep now. (I have a pretty sick 06 Rubi Unlimited)

Not forcing any terms, just a bit of a rant against all the hate. We're all in this together, we won't be around for long, and not everyone in a car is to be reviled.

<3 i see we have a similar view on this, haha


On the less pissy side, my new wheels are in! I've managed one (1!!!) day of commuting - Monday - and broke my rear wheel on the way home. Old Araya wheels original to my new to me '85 Centurion Ironman. I have been so looking forward to riding to work, and it just seems like tease after tease. Did I tell you that when I was trying to learn these new fangled clipless pedals I fell in my own backyard and sprained my knee? Kept me off the bike for a couple of days. My wife sure got some mileage from that one!

*whistle* it's not a problem... it's a reason to upgrade (read: new toys). *whistle* http://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/ will probably get a little money from me soon

egg beaters are the easiest to unclip. I won't even welcome discussion on this without massive pictures and drams of scotch. I managed to fall my first day commuting, going zero mph (zero, null, 0, no movement), due to nothing more than my own complete lack of attention. i walked into work bleeding, sporting a red badge of stupid :)

andy_k's post is money.

"What if my pick-up truck doesn't have a gun rack and I'm not listening to country music while driving it?" It might be interesting as a purely hypothetical question, but it has no real world application.

Actually, as president of the International Society of Rednecks, we do have a protocol for that situation. What happens is I send out Bubba and Tater, and they confiscate your truck since you're not doing it justice.

Just so it's not a total loss for you, Cupcake, we'll give you a free Kenny G. album in exchange for the truck.

Actually, as president of the International Society of Rednecks, we do have a protocol for that situation. What happens is I send out Bubba and Tater, and they confiscate your truck since you're not doing it justice.

Wow, you run a tight ship. Lucky for me, some of the local chapters are a bit more flexible. When I got my '73 Ford step-side my cousin, seeing that I wasn't redneck enough for it, gave me a gun rack (never mind that I didn't own a gun) and took me to a Willie Nelson concert. I much more redneck now. :thumb:

"Cager" is just somebody in a cage, the implication is more of pity than hostility.

But by that definition, yeah, if you're in a car...

"Cager" is just somebody in a cage, the implication is more of pity than hostility.

But by that definition, yeah, if you're in a car...

The funny thing is I seem to get pit FOR riding my bike during the winter. This last week was especially snowy in NE Ohio and everyday someone declared "Oh man...I do NOT envy you". Actually, a good number of my coworkers do not think I can legally drive.

Although I ride my bicycle to work everyday and occasionally run errands so I don't identify with the "Us vs. Them". I still drive a car often enough especially since my wife is not a cyclist. I have a better names for the drivers that harass cyclists.... impatient, rude, ignorant.

>>So, the plan is to bike M-W-F and drive T-TH.

Don't worry, we all start out somewhere.

Give it a couple of months and you'll be able to M-F :)

I feel like I'm in a cage when I'm driving instead of riding. Last year sometime I was riding the beautiful rural part of my commute feeling sorry for motorists that were driving home at that time because their appreciation of the weather and scenery is attenuated by their mode of transportation. There are worse terms than cager in my way of thinking.

Personally I think using terms that further divide the world into "us" and "them" is counterproductive.

+1

I want to live in a world where hipsters and roadies and 'bent riders with their beards and crazy guys collecting cans and hot girls with tattoos riding sting rays can all ride together, and living peacefully with cars.

Also, I believe that "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ;)

I'm personally not really into exclusive terminology like "cager". I've ridden my bike 50 km in the past 2 days.. But you know what, I came home and took my family of 5 out in our vehicle and passed about 10 cyclists. I wonder if they were calling me a cager? It's pretty silly.

I totally agree with the us/them comment by tjspiel. I think we should be moving away from that type of thinking... I try to work with motorists and not freak out when they make a mistake around me., cause i'm a motorist too and sometimes make mistakes.

I'm personally not really into exclusive terminology like "cager". I've ridden my bike 50 km in the past 2 days.. But you know what, I came home and took my family of 5 out in our vehicle and passed about 10 cyclists. I wonder if they were calling me a cager? It's pretty silly.

I totally agree with the us/them comment by tjspiel. I think we should be moving away from that type of thinking... I try to work with motorists and not freak out when they make a mistake around me., cause i'm a motorist too and sometimes make mistakes.

So, having said that.. IMO.. You are not a cager.

I think the solution is to keep a good calendar on hand to keep track of who you're supposed to hate that day. :rolleyes:
I also think your tongue in cheek post is a good catharsis that points out what you really intended to point out - how silly "us vs them" really is. :lol:

Yeah, I must say, today I was hating pedestrians. They totally suck. I almost got taken out by some rapper kid with his ipod on stepping out into the bike lane to j-walk without looking as I was only 3 feet from him doing 30 km/H.

Is there a name for them? "footers"? :P

Yeah, you're a cager when you're driving your car. No necessarily a bad one. It's just like being male or female.

You're probably not a bad cager though. Just like I'm not a bad male.

What you want to not be is a 'damned cager,' or 'stupid cager.'

Labels make our lives easier. It is much easier to say or type 'cager' than 'person driving a car.'

So, the plan is to bike M-W-F and drive T-TH. On the days I'm in my car, am I a cager? Or is there some more behavior I have to engage in while driving in order to be a cager? What if I don't hate bicyclists while I drive my car, and am attentive and courteous? Is there some term of endearment saved for folks like that, or do they just not warrant a moniker?

Just not entirely clear on the lingo.

I call someone who drives a car a driver, or a car driver. Most of 'em are quite tolerable, or even over courteous. (no really guys, I saw you, and I have a stop sign. I know the intersection is signed for crap, you know it, and it's your turn so would you *please* go?)

Once you get behind the wheel, tiny little leeches enter your bloodstream through your butt and suck any common sense, manners or decency right out of you. Thus you are a dirty stinkin cager whenever you drive that dirty stinkin cage - just like I will be when I have to drive in tomorrow. :eek:

Very few of us are able to function totally car-free. So, no I wouldn't call you a cager. Perhaps a recovering car-oholic.

I do feel caged-in when driving in city traffic. Out of town driving is fun. But I don't consider myself a cager since I drive only for leisure and only when I need to, and I drive carefully and calmly :)

But yea, the term "cager" is more of a pittance than offense in my understanding too and mainly applied to car commuters.

What if I don't hate bicyclists while I drive my car, and am attentive and courteous?
That would cause a rupture in the time-space continuum and precipitate the quantum collapse of the universe.... in the same way fitting SPD's on a Madone would.

That would cause a rupture in the time-space continuum and precipitate the quantum collapse of the universe.... in the same way fitting SPD's on a Madone would.

I had platform pedals on Giant OCR3 carbon road bike. Other than some minor solar flares and excessive raining in May nothing happened back then :D Maybe if I mounted a kickstand, but I couldn't fit any to that stupid carbon frame... Eventually sold the bike, it wasn't much fun and too light.

I had platform pedals on Giant OCR3 carbon road bike. Other than some minor solar flares and excessive raining in May nothing happened back then :D Maybe if I mounted a kickstand, but I couldn't fit any to that stupid carbon frame... Eventually sold the bike, it wasn't much fun and too light.

Kickstand? ...you came that close to killing us all so I'm glad you sold that infernal machine.

Not much of a cage in a convertible.:D If you can't handle the cyclist's scorn, you might have to get a new car.:(

I feel like I'm in a cage when I'm driving instead of riding. Last year sometime I was riding the beautiful rural part of my commute feeling sorry for motorists that were driving home at that time because their appreciation of the weather and scenery is attenuated by their mode of transportation. There are worse terms than cager in my way of thinking.

+100

When I'm driving, I miss the weather, the awareness of the situation ... and the ability to stretch my legs.