PuffnPant

After a few months of commuting to work, I have had to put up with some frustrating challenges that will never change. I know that I am not alone in this, but wondered which one got on your nerves the most. I'm sure I have missed some options, and over time will experience even more. But please list them below so I can anticipate what delights I may have to come...one day.

azesty

Three wheeled electric taxis that are here in Chengdu. I hate them. They never look, the drive the wrong way all the time, their roof has sharp corners at eye level for a cyclist. Hate. Hate. Hate.

z

acidfast7

bicycle tires getting stuck in tram tracks. public transport is thy enemy!

Ndw76

None of those. My annoyance is with motorcyclists who try to filter through traffic and then stop, thinking the gap is too small. This annoys me because on my bike I am narrow enough to fit through a tighter gap than a motorcycle.

alan s 

Slow bike commuters not getting out of the way. They should know better.

Sixty Fiver

I can't find fault with pedestrians as they have the right of way over cyclists and I rarely take multi use paths because the peds are a serious hazard to my health... when I call out or ring my bell that is not a signal to jump in front of me and I would rather play in traffic.

Not having enough room to pass alongside sounds like filtering and I avoid this as it is unsafe and violates traffic laws... I do not expect motorists to be thinking that a bicycle might want to slide past them.

truman

I chose Motorists driving too close, but in fact, that doesn't happen all that much. It's been years since someone passed within 3 feet and probably 60% move all the way into the next lane to pass.

Put an entry for Unleashed, untrained dogs, with or without butthead owners and I'll change my vote in a heartbeat.

caloso

Of the choices presented, I chose flat tire. But my biggest commuting peeve is salmon.

supernovae

i don't have any commuting peeves.. its too enjoyable to waste my 30 minutes of bliss on meaningless crap

Koobazaur

Motorists getting too close, especially after getting hit twice, it just makes me paranoid as hell. The other day I had a car come real close to my left, and as soon as he passed me, started turning right to go into the side street; barely managed to slam my breaks and stop in time. Bastard!

Ira B

Slugs crossing the road. They get mutant sized huge here.
I hit one once and got a faceful of slug guts.

Leebo

People polling me, reminding me about what really ticks me off.

MNTC

I voted potholes, but an even greater annoyance for me is rollerskaters and skateboarders in the bike lanes.

jr59

Who worries about this stuff.

We ride bikes, all of this stuff happens, it's called riding a bike!

You should put another option; all of the above.
Because until it happens, I don't even think about it!

chefisaac

hard to pick! The question should be which one would you rather have happen to you today.

SkippyX

For me it's motorists passing too closely. It happens all the time around here. Yesterday some lady passed me too closely (inches) and then stopped - halfway into the bike lane. I slapped the C pillar of her car as I went by and made a rude gesture in her passenger window.

She was offended.

Too bad.

Why is it people are incapable of following the simple rules of the road?

jeffpoulin

I voted motorists who pass too closely, but that's only a minor annoyance. What's more serious is motorists who pass me then slow down to turn right forcing me to brake hard to avoid a collision. I guess once they pass us, we don't exist anymore.

Another annoyance is loose dogs. The owners ALWAYS say their dogs are friendly, but I'm not really concerned about being attacked. I'm more concerned that their dogs are stupid and will run right in front of my wheel causing a collision. Somehow, that possibility seems to evade most dog owners.

alan s 

I sometimes tell dog owners that they make not care about me, but do they at least care about their dog? A collision between a dog and bike could seriously hurt their dog. Gets them thinking a little.

ZmanKC

My first choice is head wind. There's nothing quite like a 15 mph wind while pedaling uphill when it's 102°.

Kind of like yesterday on commute home.

nashcommguy

Yep, this is it for me. My commute's rural, so traffic is a minor issue and salmons never show up...nobody else is a commuter in my area. Not a big fan of rain, but it's an element of consistant commuting. The trade off for overall health and stress release is well worth it. Don't like flats either, so I got some SMPs and have had 1 flat and 2 slow leaks in 4+ years...and I think one of the slow leaks was caused by a co-worker w/a misplaced sense of humor.

PuffnPant

Great comments guys, I nearly spat my coffee on the monitor. I also forgot to mention that have you noticed when cycling past a family with young children. I ring the bell, and its not like I'm going fast, quite the opposite and I certainly wouldn't hit a child, but its the parents reaction when they hear a bell, they shepherd them in and hold them tight as if a train is going past. Its really quite funny and I'll have to make sure I don't do it when out with my tribe walking.

fietsbob

Was not too happy about the vanilla milkshake thrown at me
from the passenger window of a passing pickup truck, not too considerate..

but [bigger picture] that guy has got a lot of work years paying into Social Security
with his FICA deductions, from wages.. ahead of him,
I'm Drawing it out

alan s 

Not going to ask how you knew it was vanilla.

chefisaac

The dog thing happened to my wife and I a few weeks back when riding in farm land. She was new to riding and only rode a few times. We passed by a horse riding arena and a doverman jumped the fence and was running straight toward us. I yelled a lot and so did my wife. The owner said the dog is friendly. How the HE11 would we know that and a friendly dog will still Tbone you in a heart beat with a wagging tail.

whynot

flat tire in the rain caused by a motorist driving too close, forcing me into a pothole. tony