Bekologist

I'll check in:

Lets' see: STILL no mirror, and still self-stylng himself the victim when motorists pass safely.

Dude needs to loose his martyr syndrome if he's EVER going to enjoy his bicycling.

Essex

That's what I'm sayin.' At the end of the day you have to use your wits, ride as sensibly as you can & not blow your time documenting a steady stream of grief. His cause on a planetary scale won't amount to spit, or a few threads on a few internet forums.

dynodonn 

The one thing I've learned on BF, is not to post any of my commute videos on the internet since BF forumites can be a tough crowd to play to. I ride as sensibly as I can, but that's no guarantee that a motorist is going to drive sensibly in return, so the need to document my commutes finally became too strong of an urge to resist.

My videos will be used for my own personal review, and only to single out repeat problematic motorists or for evidence purposes for any really serious incident that may happen to occur.

IknowURider

I too have toyed with the idea of getting a helmet cam, it may help fend off harassment, as it seems to make motorists think twice before rolling down their windows to chuck a beer bottle at you, or whatever stupid act they are thinking of.

Then again, do I really want to sit on my computer and re-live my bike riding in HD?

On Schwalbe Marathons: Apologies, not a product endorsement there, just using that as a lazy example, I should have posted:

" consider a wider tire with some puncture resistance. A wider tire will handle cracks, bumps and debris better than a 120 PSI racing tire, and so will enable the rider to survive riding in the "crap zone" of the shoulder , so he can gain his three feet of space".

If you really wanted to challenge motorists, (and invite further assaults) I guess you could always do something evil like mount a rusty nail on a telescoping car antenna on your bars . Then when they buzz you it scratches the hell out of their paint.

(disclaimer: I do not advocate this, never will, do not try this at home, always wear your helmet and be supervised by an adult at all times)

"HEY!!!"

dynodonn 

A camcorder has not stopped a number of motorists, that I've encountered, from doing some foolish acts and I use the camcorder to review, not re-live, some of my commutes if the need arises.

High quality HD has been very helpful in my logging down vehicle license numbers and descriptions.( right down to those parking lot dents on the side of some vehicles )

IknowURider

Dynodonn, please don't kick dents in the side of vehicles. Someone will see you do it and you will go to jail. Bad Ju-ju.

Okay, I took a deep breath and read this dude's blog. You could write a John Forester thesis on this one, but I digress.

I think I figured it out. The reason people are harassing him is because they see him all the time , and word gets around town quick these days, not only in bars, but on Facebook. Remember some motorists have cameras too..

So word is out : "run this MOFO over" .

The video where they opened the passenger car door at him as they passed in the lane is just unbeleivable.

This guy's gotten like 14 bike tickets, is always calling the cops, going to court. He probably has some sort of nickname with the highschool kids... "Captain Video"...

DTownDave22

I feel like it's a lose-lose situation in some cases. If one is riding where there is one lane and trying to be courteous to drivers by riding just to the left of a "fogline", then this is a noob mistake according to some?

Riding in the shoulder presents greater probability of an intersection accident, of course depending on other factors. Riding in the lane with one lane opens up hostility and potentially holding up traffic. Even though neither are illegal to my knowledge, I hesitate and avoid taking up a whole lane where there is only one. I'm sure there is more out there and I have surely learned on these forums, but if anyone could direct me to some viewpoints, statistics, experiences, search terms, etc.

I understand the idea and logic of being closer to the middle of the lane vs. hugging the fogline, just to the left, but what about with one lane available?

monk

"I stumbled upon this video while researching an old Rush Limbaugh rant."

Rush is the man.

dynodonn 

Not to worry since I don't do those types of things, and I was just making a comment on a trivial piece of vehicle information that I can see with my HD cam.

iforgotmename

I agree.

B. Carfree

I ride Marathons for about half the year. I really enjoy their plush ride and often get 2k miles of flat-free service from them. However, I can't use them during the wet months here. The county puts down grit to give the cars more traction on the off-chance we get a bit of frost. The past few years the grit has consisted of some sort of crystallized tar mixed in with the usual material. This stuff just cuts right through marathons and gatorskins. It's like goatheads made of obsidian. Since I often find myself on 55 mph roads with a grit-filled two-foot shoulder, I want a tire that can roll in those grit-blades without being cut to ribbons.

That's all I meant when I said marathons aren't bulletproof. If I was still riding in CA, TX or MD, I'm sure I would use them year-round.

contango 

I'm surprised even those will go through Marathons. If you do find a tyre strong enough to resist I'd be curious to know what it was. Either way it sounds like a nasty piece of road to be riding on.

bikesafer

I am the guy this story is about. Imagine my surprise when I read all kinds of things about me that I wasn't aware of.
I'm all for differing opinions, I just like folks to form their opinions based on fact not hyperbole. Here are some facts that folks have gotten wrong.
Bekologist
says I've become a victim of my own fear. Well I'm rarely fearful on my bike. He says that none of my close pass incidents looked in any way egregious.
If you don't think a car passing within 1-2 feet of hitting you is egregious you need to reexamine how you ride. I'm also glad you don't make the laws in Wisconsin.
Whether or not someone thinks they were egregious, every pass in the story was absolutely illegal.
He also thinks some type of high viz device would help. Well EVERY single time I ride I have at least one superflash on,

IknowURider
says I've gotten "like 14 bike tickets" and I'm always calling the cops. I have been issued one ticket which was dismissed. I rarely call the cops anymore because they usually react like many on this thread, by blaming me for getting run off the road.
He also says I should expect this on 50 mph roads. I guess you might have a point except not one single incident in the story took place on a 50 mph road. I rarely ride on 50 mph roads.
As far as expecting "to get buzzed more looking like that, in spandex." I have been buzzed plenty of times when I wasn't wearing spandex.

I do take the lane and was taking the lane in many of the incidents. In the video of me riding that they shot for the story I was riding near the shoulder because it was wide and clear.

As for being on a crusade, I guess I am, but I'm not out trying to get videos of incidents, I just go on my rides and this is what happens.

As for the snowplow incident, It amazes me that so many people on a bike forum would advocate bikes having to get off the road just because it's snowing out. I know a lot of people who commute by bike
all year long, should they lose their jobs because it snows out?

Bekologist

when are you going to start using a mirror?

that white truck didn't appear to run you off the road, you ran yourself off the road after being close passed by a motorist probably impatient you're taking the lane. I don't need to reexamine my riding, i can handle motorists passing within a couple of feet. bikesafer, you need to reexamine YOUR riding style as you cannot, apparently, handle it.

hint to bikesafer: THESE PASSES HAPPEN. Be prepared, and let them go. learn to share and yield while riding FRAP with a host of techniques developed by high mileage cyclists like: USE A MIRROR and use hand signals.

you are allowed to operate a bike on the shoulders in wisconsin, riding FRAP in the presence of faster motorists wanting to pass is your responsibility. of course, strictly speaking cyclists don't have to share substandard width lanes in most states, but application of that is spotty.

you state you ordinarily 'take the lane', but were riding 'near' the shoulder in the news story because the shoulder was wide and clear? DUDE! riding near the wide, clear shoulder**********???

Chipseal has a kindred spirit in wisconsin!



Cyclists being able to legally take the entirety of substandard width lanes (particularily on higher speed rural roads) for miles and not facilitate passing is more of an intellectual exercise than a legitimate riding strategy.

you video portrays a rider who is miserable and with a chip on your shoulder so large, i'm suprised you can stay upright. maybe fearful isn't the right word - tortured?

very little of those passes look in any way impinging on your safety, you are totally overracting lot of the times IMO. they may be closer than legally allowed in your state. good luck enforcing that, and the speed limit.

"HEY"

I really wish your riding didn't eat you up inside so bad, it looks like a miserable state of affairs for you in wisconsin.

crhilton

If it's any consolation I agree with you. There's a lot of people on A&S who, well, really trip my trigger with their ideals about how everyone else should ride. Your riding, in the video, is predictable and reasonable enough to not need questioning.


Some of those passes they show wouldn't bother me though. I really don't care if they're a foot away when they're barely going faster... Like the guy at 2:05, no big deal.

I think the danger of it all is overplayed as well. It's all about "being dead right." They never talk about being "dead right" by driving through a green light, yet lots of people die precisely that way. And it's because they don't understand cycling. They perceive the danger as higher than it is.

dynodonn 

+1

Especially when over the top rhetoric is used.

crhilton

We're not responsible for that. It helps to do it, and it may be a good idea. But it doesn't contribute to fault in the event of a collision.

Talking like it's a responsibility will contribute towards laws that make it a fault issue in a collision. We've got enough BS things they can throw at us and "not properly controlling the lane" isn't a good one.

On the other hand, the driver passing is legally responsible for giving you enough room. In some states 3 feet, in others more than 0 feet is required.

crhilton

That's actually really close to 3 feet .

crhilton

5 minutes on the local news is a hell of a lot more than spit.

bikesafer

Once again responding without knowing all the facts. I was not on the shoulder in the video in the story because there are signs saying through traffic not allowed on shoulder. Since I am legally considered traffic I was riding in the roadway close to the shoulder, so I could escape there in an emergency.

What is your fascination with my using a mirror? A mirror would do very little to prevent cars from buzzing me. In almost all of the cases in the story, I knew the car was coming and there was nothing I could do about it because there was no where for me to go even if I wanted to try to move over.

The white truck's mirror came about 6 inches away and from my handlebars and the blast of air knocked me off balance. So in fact he did run me off the road.
As far as yelling hey, yeah I catch a little grief about that sometimes but it's no different than someone in a car using their horn.
I don't have a chip on my shoulder, but it seems you might some kind of trouble with anyone who doesn't ride like you.

Essex

Cute. Maybe where you live a bike being run off the road might garner 5 minutes. Most places could give a spit. At the end of the day quantifying findings and changing legislation might help. But by the time anything gets done you've spent thousands of dollars and man hours on a ridiculous pursuit for justice. Enjoy life- avoid traffic. If you need the wind in your hair get a Harley. That type of bike can actually keep up with ambient flow of traffic greater than 20 mph.

CB HI

Now you are playing the same broken record in two different threads! Really Bek, stop trolling and grow up.

crhilton

No, I'm saying that the original post was a 5 minute local news story packed with this guys footage. So your point about it going nowhere was proven directly wrong. It's already gone pretty far.

I'm a little lost, are you suggesting motorcycling as a safer alternative to cycling?

crhilton

Bek is a broken record. He may also play one on TV.

Chalupa102

People aren't saying that you shouldn't be riding in the snow. The winter cycling section has plenty of people on this forum, including myself, who ride all year regardless if the roads are covered with snow, ice, etc. What people are saying is that if there's a snowplow trying to clear the roads behind you, don't try to prove anything; just pull off for a second and let him pass. That way, he can do his job safely and you'll be able to ride on a nice clear path that he just made for you.

Also, Bek is suggesting a mirror for your benefit. If you see someone who's gonna buzz you, like that truck, you can be ready to take evasive action, or worse case scenario, dive for side if they're coming right at you. That way you can know exactly who is around you and what they are about to do without constantly having to turn your head. I'm not saying that a mirror is a 100% guarentee. Though I do know of a few people who are still alive today because they were using a mirror and were able to avoid a very bad situation from happening.