Commuting - Had my first truly "invisible" moment today...

And the ride started out so well...

I've been commuting probably 10 months now, and this was the first time I really and truly felt invisible. In the right lane, taking the full lane, broad daylight, but with flashing lights front and rear anyways (cause that's how I roll). I'm rolling up to the stop light in the right lane and all of a sudden, the car in the left lane directly next to me (that is to say, I could see the driver and I was NOT in their blind spot) and they just start drifting over and keep on coming even though I'm yelling at them (windows were up, so there you go). I hit the back of the car with my open hand to get their attention, but they still came over. I pull up next to the window and yell at the driver, who much to my dismay was a visibly surprised old lady. She apologized, but I was too freaked to immediately settle down and flash anything resembling a smile. In retrospect I wish I could have been more civilized.

And just to balance out the universe, a couple of miles before this, a guy rolled down his windows and had a nice chat with me about the bike lanes and thanked me for riding in the road and taking the lane to increase the visibility of cyclists. :lol: Well, it works most of the time anyways.

If ever I desired an airzound, that would have been the moment. But I'm just to hung up on looks to invest in something that fredly. :p

Taking the lane sometimes makes me feel like I'm annoying drivers. I won't do it unless the traffic is relatively chill. But if people are trying to zip by, I'll just stay to the side. Also, brakes...if a driver is unaware of my presence, just slow down and work around them. It's not worth getting all worked up and scary little old ladies.

Fred is the new sexy. Get an Airzound!

And the ride started out so well...

If ever I desired an airzound, that would have been the moment. But I'm just to hung up on looks to invest in something that fredly. :p

<--Fredly ;)

I love my Airzound for moments like that. I hate it's looks on the bike but, once one remembers its there and what its there for and can get past drawing massive amounts of attention to oneself, it comes in pretty handy.

I am absolutely merciless with jaywalking, texting, generally inattentive pedestrians who oh so narrowly cross/obstruct my path.

:p

The same might have happened if you were in a car. The old gal was having a senior moment. Heck, if her hearing aid was off she might have been immune to the Airzound. Fortunately your lateral cyclo-mobility and catlike reflexes, if not your zen center, were up to the task!

It seems cyclist just appear out of nowhere :rolleyes:.

I wonder if I video tape my commute and then give it to the police to question the drivers; how many would say they saw me?

I have an airzound, and have used it a couple of times, but the one time so far that I had a real emergency, I didn't have time to blow it before I was into emergency steering, and then I didn't dare remove my hands from the bars to use it.

I'm not sure which is worse: not getting noticed or getting noticed and them not caring. I have dealt with quite a few such senior (or junior, as the case may be) moments. I get a secret pleasure out of watching the look of horror that crosses their faces with you hit some part of their car. I also hope that the experience will remind them to look around before merging, turning, etc. As for the other group, all I can do is just get out of their way. An airzound would be really fun, though.

Fred is the new sexy. Get an Airzound!

Saved my skin a bunch of times already. Add a big-ass bottle (http://diybicycleprojects.com/index.php/topic,19.0.html) and honk away at the zombies!!!


I have an airzound, and have used it a couple of times, but the one time so far that I had a real emergency, I didn't have time to blow it before I was into emergency steering, and then I didn't dare remove my hands from the bars to use it.

I have mine mounted so I can reach it with my thumb without taking my hands off of the bar. I can squeeze my brake levers and blow my horn at the same time. One reason I like Shimano dual control levers, they take up very little space on the handlebar so this was easy to pull off:

http://a-world.net/files/cycling/2011/02/15/01.jpg

http://a-world.net/files/cycling/2011/02/15/03.jpg

Had my first truly "invisible" moment today...

One of my cycling aphorisms is "Make myself as visible as posssible and assume nobody sees me."

Heck, if her hearing aid was off she might have been immune to the Airzound.

An Airzound at close range is louder than the output of any hearing aid I've ever seen.

I find that the ones that are looking straight at you and still "don't see you" are the worst, Yesterday i was at a light controlled crossroads and wanting to go straight on. The lights changed to green and i set off but didn't get far, i was confronted by a car driver just driving at me/across me from the road i'm heading into. He was turning into the side road and i swear he was looking right at me but just kept coming across me and i saw the moment when he actually "saw me" in his eyes. By this time i was braking hard and skidding/yelling, and now comes the real insult, he sees that i am stopped in the middle of the junction, he waves and drives around me and carries on!

If you're annoying drivers, then they see you. My safety is more important than their hurry to get a latte or an artery clogging whopper with cheese.

Had my first truly "invisible" moment today...

One of my cycling aphorisms is "Make myself as visible as posssible and assume nobody sees me."

The corollary is "ride like everyone is out to kill you".

I try to ride as if 1/2 the drivers out their are legally blind....because a surprising percentage of them actually are. :eek: