Angry drivers don't like smiles
09-07-16, 11:45 AM
#51
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But more importantly, you'll catch one of your buddies doing something dumb on a ride and it gets immortalized on YouTube
09-07-16, 11:52 AM
#52
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Despite you calling me a fool, here is some assistance I'm offering you:
https://cycliq.com/products/fly6
https://cycliq.com/products/fly6
09-07-16, 12:01 PM
#53
Banned.
Can we sticky this ? Seems like a topic every other day. Cars get mad at cyclist for making them wait an extra 5 seconds. Cyclists then post on ****** or bike forums.net. The cycle continues. The end.
09-07-16, 12:10 PM
#54
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09-07-16, 12:32 PM
#55
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Despite you calling me a fool, here is some assistance I'm offering you:
https://cycliq.com/products/fly6
https://cycliq.com/products/fly6
The main issue I've found with cheaper alternatives is a very short battery life (under 2 hours.) That's just not enough. The Cycliq one has good battery life, but you're looking at ~$500 for forward and rear-facing, that's just too much for a poor sod like me.
@PepeM, this is why you need to be nicer to people.
09-07-16, 12:36 PM
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Hey @PepeM, look into portable battery packs, and maybe for a camera that can be charged while you use it. I don't know if those exist or not because I don't do video. But if you're talking a $400 upgrade just for battery life, maybe a $20 external battery and some wires are a better idea.
09-07-16, 12:42 PM
#58
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Hey @PepeM, look into portable battery packs, and maybe for a camera that can be charged while you use it. I don't know if those exist or not because I don't do video. But if you're talking a $400 upgrade just for battery life, maybe a $20 external battery and some wires are a better idea.
I had actually found one that looked decent at a fair price, but I forgot now where. Portable battery packs are a good call though, will need to look into that when I decide to look into cameras again.
09-07-16, 12:54 PM
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No, there are media outlets that say things like that. CosmicF wasn't stating that that was their belief.
I always find it funny that people get annoyed that you delay them a few seconds and then they waste way more time confronting you about it. Personally, as a driver, I'm way more annoyed by people like the guy I dealt with last week. He had to go super fast out from the red light to get ahead of me before the road dropped to one lane. Then, he proceeded to go super slow for the next 10 miles. WTF dude?
I always find it funny that people get annoyed that you delay them a few seconds and then they waste way more time confronting you about it. Personally, as a driver, I'm way more annoyed by people like the guy I dealt with last week. He had to go super fast out from the red light to get ahead of me before the road dropped to one lane. Then, he proceeded to go super slow for the next 10 miles. WTF dude?
09-07-16, 02:16 PM
#60
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09-07-16, 02:44 PM
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A friend took a road rager to court after getting most of the incident on video. The judge threw the whole thing out because they were riding 2-abreast in a national park, and didn't make enough of an effort to single up to let her past, or something to that effect.
She was maybe 70 and actually parked her car in front of the group on the side of the road after passing with a few inches to spare at high speed. She got out and started screaming at them and threatening that the next time they pass over "her" road, she'd hit them and not stop. Still, no charges.
The guy who took it to court is actually the head of our local bike/pedestrian safety non-profit organization that lobbies for bike infrastructure, and that carried no weight either. Oh well!
She was maybe 70 and actually parked her car in front of the group on the side of the road after passing with a few inches to spare at high speed. She got out and started screaming at them and threatening that the next time they pass over "her" road, she'd hit them and not stop. Still, no charges.
The guy who took it to court is actually the head of our local bike/pedestrian safety non-profit organization that lobbies for bike infrastructure, and that carried no weight either. Oh well!
Sounds familiar. One of the mechs at a LBS got knocked off his bike by a car passing him too close. It was a situation where the road had a central divider and was not wide enough for a bike and a car to get past, especially given the required 4ft passing law in PA. It was a clear conviction, but yet the judge didn't convict based on his opinion that in maritime law small boats are required to get out of the way of large ships. It's not clear why he was applying maritime law, rather than the very clear PA laws in this matter, but there you go. All that was left was for the cyclist to feel frustated, and another lesson to be learned that the safety of cyclists doesn't mean **** to those who enforce the law. I will say that the cops in this case were on the side of the cyclist.
Well this is exactly why I posted what I did. Pretty much what I expect from the police and "justice" system. Being a road cyclist is one of the last frontiers of the Wild West...there are no laws, and drivers can basically do what they want. Thanks though!!!!
09-07-16, 03:26 PM
#62
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I believe my 'courtesy to motorists' has improved since I added front- and rear-facing cameras. It's been more than a year (which for me means about 2,500 miles), and I've noticed far fewer buzz passes, people honking at me, etc., during that time. I attribute it to the fact that the video can work both ways - both when examining an incident, and how the bicycle was being ridden prior - and I know it.
09-07-16, 06:37 PM
#63
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I'm glad I live where I do. For the most part motorists are very understanding.
A group of about 10 of us were in a state park this past weekend and stopped at the top of a mountain. Unfortunately we were scattered out, talking, and taking up a good portion of the road when a car comes by and has to stop due to our ignorance. Anyway, several of us apologized to the motorist & she simply smiled and told us to enjoy our ride.
A group of about 10 of us were in a state park this past weekend and stopped at the top of a mountain. Unfortunately we were scattered out, talking, and taking up a good portion of the road when a car comes by and has to stop due to our ignorance. Anyway, several of us apologized to the motorist & she simply smiled and told us to enjoy our ride.
09-07-16, 09:05 PM
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You're joking, right? I, like most cyclists, do pay taxes. I own a car which requires gas, included in the price of gas is both local and state taxes in most states. I'm an homeowner, so I pay local property taxes. I work, so I pay both federal, state, and local taxes on my wages. Again, this was "tongue-in-cheek", right?
I for one have a few vehicles, all trucks, including my 11,000 lb GVWR F350, and several trailers. I probably pay a lot more than the average motorist in road related taxes and fees, and when I ride a bike I'm saving a lot of wear and tear on the road since my F350 is usually my daily driver.
09-08-16, 10:58 AM
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09-08-16, 01:06 PM
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I don't interact with anyone in a car on the road and they still like to blow a horn from time to time to startle me. I get startled every-time, dangit.
09-08-16, 03:04 PM
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09-08-16, 03:47 PM
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This forum makes my heart hurt. In Alabama, where the police will tell bicyclist to get off the road, not because of any law, but because they know that some truck with a pea sized brain behind the wheel is just dying to knock you off your ride. Alabama road rage incident crushes dream - and bike- of cross-country cyclist | AL.com
This happens every day here. I would never even consider getting on a road to ride. Every time I see an out of town bicyclist on a main road, it is just custom to honk, flip them off, and throw stuff at them. I had to get on a road for a few block to get home from a trail ride one day, and had a beer bottle hit me in the helmet. The police will just tell you that you're an idiot for getting on the road.
Flipping off a driver will just guarantee that you will either be swiped or shot. In my town, they just passed an ordinance making it mandatory for every house and car to have a firearm. We have been told by our city council that this was just a political mooning to DC, but many, many people took it very seriously.
The news is also constantly telling people to keep bicycles off the roads, because the roads were paid for with gas taxes and tags. And, since bikes don't pay for either of those things, they are not welcome.
My advice is to not tour through Alabama. I can't speak for the rest of the Red States, but I know these people, my neighbors, the death of one bicyclist would not be at the top of their sins.
There are good people here, but I know both of them. They can't be everywhere, ha ha.
Just my $0.02
This happens every day here. I would never even consider getting on a road to ride. Every time I see an out of town bicyclist on a main road, it is just custom to honk, flip them off, and throw stuff at them. I had to get on a road for a few block to get home from a trail ride one day, and had a beer bottle hit me in the helmet. The police will just tell you that you're an idiot for getting on the road.
Flipping off a driver will just guarantee that you will either be swiped or shot. In my town, they just passed an ordinance making it mandatory for every house and car to have a firearm. We have been told by our city council that this was just a political mooning to DC, but many, many people took it very seriously.
The news is also constantly telling people to keep bicycles off the roads, because the roads were paid for with gas taxes and tags. And, since bikes don't pay for either of those things, they are not welcome.
My advice is to not tour through Alabama. I can't speak for the rest of the Red States, but I know these people, my neighbors, the death of one bicyclist would not be at the top of their sins.
There are good people here, but I know both of them. They can't be everywhere, ha ha.
Just my $0.02
09-08-16, 04:18 PM
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I smile and wave at every person & motorist I pass.
Not sarcastically.
In the rare occurrence that a driver does something stupid, I remember that I am at a very distinct disadvantage, I take a deep breath and I...
Not sarcastically.
In the rare occurrence that a driver does something stupid, I remember that I am at a very distinct disadvantage, I take a deep breath and I...
09-08-16, 04:45 PM
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That's where you're blowing it. Just letting it go is too zen, you need to dwell and come on to BF to post a pointless rant that is just a shout into the void like the OP did.
09-08-16, 06:29 PM
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Angry people don't want smiles, they want acknowledgement and sympathy. One of the most effective ways to stop a tantrum is to throw a bigger tantrum about the same sort of thing yourself - they'll be telling YOU to chill out.
09-08-16, 07:21 PM
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I've read some BS in my time but this takes the cake. I don't know what part of "Alabama" you live in but none of that sounds like the part I live in.
"The news is also constantly telling people to keep bicycles off the roads, because the roads were paid for with gas taxes and tags." Please tell me what "news" organization in Alabama says this so they can be dealt with.
"The news is also constantly telling people to keep bicycles off the roads, because the roads were paid for with gas taxes and tags." Please tell me what "news" organization in Alabama says this so they can be dealt with.
Agreed. I've trained and raced a bit in Alabama (the first NRC races of the year are in Anniston). Also know a couple of regional and national level riders from Alabama.
Never seen, heard, or experienced anything like what's being described.