Why I ride like I do #1 and #2
 

Here is a little insight into why I ride the way I ride (and if you don't know how I ride, click my sigpic and look at a vid or two):

#1 - I was in a movie theater once watching a James Bond film - can't remember which one, but it was Pierce Bronson (sp?). He and some tart were racing on some curvy mountain roads in their 4-wheeled sporty self esteem boxes. At some point they encountered a pack of roadies (maybe 30 count) cycling on the same mountain road. They zoomed through the pack of riders causing a chain reaction of epic proportion crashing. You know what?

The full to capacity audience erupted in LAUGHTER!

I made a mental note of that. "O.K....so that's how it is."

#2 - You need to take a double dose of high blood pressure meds before checking this one out. Be sure to read the responses too!

http://www.atlantaillustrated.com/bl...same-rules.asp

It's the "chicken or the egg" thing. Do they hate us because some cyclists ride crazy, or do we ride crazy because they hate us?

Wow.

you do realize that nuts like him probably cross-post links to clowns here that brag about hitting cars with u-locks for passing too close, right? share the road, dammit! considering how wealthy/secure/happy most americans are in comparison to other parts of the world, why are there so many hateful, bitter, unforgiving people on the road? Entitlement complex?

Uh, slightly!

It's what happens when people place more value on things then on people. When the only source of happiness is through material possession.

This seems yet one more weary example of becoming that which you hate.

Because under capitalism, we have a hard time sharing our possessions, but are completely socialist when it comes to sharing humiliation and insults....

#2 . . . is he really blind to his ignorance? or is he fishing for friends? . . . "becoming what you hate." exactly gcottay

i half thought it would be a reasonable argument. then he showed his true colors :P

They peg ALL of us as rule/law breakers which is NOT FAIR. Not all of us break the traffic laws.
I also don't believe the "they're doing 5 mph" BS. Granted, some people don't follow the laws but a lot of us DO. I stop at all signs/lights. A slight PITA but I do it. I even go out of my way to let the MV go before me, even though they give me the go ahead. Just for MY safety.

Just today I let a SUV go before me at a stop sign. There was a little kid in it who was obviously mentally disabled who told me "not to ride in the road". I just told him "Yes sir!, You're right, you are the boss!". Cute little kid, dad was very nice. No big deal.

...bringing up your fear of drivers AGAIN, joey?

Yup.

Ride here for a week on my commuter route. Then judge me.

I wouldn't let laughter in a theatre or an idiot blogging in atlanta affect my riding style.

Joey, I dig your style man. Those commuting vids are awesome! I wish my city was that flat.

What camera are you using?

VholdR wearable camcorder

Click HERE to see photos of my setup in "Electronics, Lighting, and Gadgets" here at BikeForums.

Thanks for the kind words. I don't get many of those here.

-Joey

Neither affected my riding style - only justified it more in my mind.

Nah, me neither... but being treated like garbage, spat at, deliberately run off the road, having bottles and other rubbish thrown at me, and the other million and one different ways that my life is threatened by cagers, then being treated like the one to blame by cops that couldn't care less after being the one that followed the rules of the road does tend to start influencing my riding style.

As I've mentioned previously, I commuted regularly in New Orleans, including right through the French Quarter & CBD. I never found it "necessary" to run red lights, jump stop signs, ride the line in between two lanes of fast traffic, etc.

Since I have apparently earned the right to "judge you" :D, seems to me you've listed two flimsy excuses for a riding style that elevates your risks and potentially aggravates the vehicles with whom you share the road.

That is your opinion.

I can only take you at your word that you commuted in NOLA for any amount of time. You would be the first person I have ever heard of stopping for red lights in this town on a bicycle.

I would be interested to know your routes and what time of day / days of the week you commuted.

My ride takes me from Canal and I-610 to the river one of two routes. 1. Esplanade Ave or 2. Canal and streets parallel to Canal. My normal commute puts me on the road roughly 9:30 am and 7:30 pm. Two days a week I am riding during 5 o'clock PM traffic.

Please share your route/days/times. And do you stop for red lights in sketchy neighborhoods when the coast is clear of traffic? Talk about elevate your risks.