I'm with Paranurse on this one... I ride though neighborhoods I'd never walk through. On a bike, I become one of two things: invisible, or a spectacle, depending on the neighborhood, and time of day. I roll through Carver homes in the middle of the night, no one is messing with me. Why? Because I'm on a bike. I guess it's the stigma attached to them, whatever that is.

I don't know why bikes have this effect on people, but I'm never worried riding around in ANY neighborhood at night. Now, I also don't talk smack to people in cars who almost hit me (it's funny though, that almost NEVER happens in the ghetto, as lots of people either ride bikes, or know people who ride bikes), or really to anyone, but I'll stop at a stoplight, get some odd looks, but other than that, it's totally chill.

I find the most aggressive people towards me so far have been college students. Go figure. Again, no idea why, I don't start crap, don't look hard, but I have had em' jump into the road in front of me, just looking for a fight. THAT one resulted in me telling him "shouldn't you be shopping at the Gap or something dude?", slow witted laugh, which followed a really original comeback (I think he got it from The Terminator) "fark you, arsehoe". I think I said something about "Please tell your mom to stop calling my house, it's over" and rode off. Idiot. I shoulda Ortiz'd the guy, and made him buy me a sandwich, but hey, I'm a nice guy.

Numerous other encounters, as I ride through the GaTech campus every day, too and from work. I think it might be because their not from here, so they error on acting "hard", rather than just relax? I don't know, but that kind of behavior, at least where I grew up (um, ya know, Georgia, specifically Stone Mountain), will get you only so far before you get beat down like a snare drum. Nothing, I repeat NOTHING I'd shoot someone over though. That's a bit radical.

Just make them buy you a sandwich. It's funny, you get a free sandwich, and he learns a lesson not to mess with people unless he feels like getting tore up, and purchasing a sandwich for them.