Two bike shops, actually. International Bicycle said it's a wreck but we can true it to get you home, Harris Cyclery -- my usual shop -- got almost all the wobble out but there's a dish that they deem unfixable, and I trust them. I rode into work today okay -- not great but okay -- and am shopping around to get new wheels in the next week or two.

I'll argue for using the bikepaths no matter what; in this case the alternative is Comm Ave, a demolition derby of cars, doors, peds. And in the other guy's defense, I could have yelled "brake" but things happened awfully quickly. My concerns for personal space aside (probably overzealous but it's just how I feel), the guy was too close. As for the kid, I'm a parent, too, and I know that s--t happens with them as well. The mom was extremely apologetic and offered to pay for damages but I let her walk.

Again, thanks for letting me rant and giving me different perspectives on the matter -- much appreciated!

That's because he was drafting!

In my view it's a simple 'hit and run' traffic incident, whether or not it involves cars.

I'd report it to the police. A vehicle rear-ended you (by definition always the error of the vehicle behind you) and then ran off before exchange of addresses. Unlikely the police will take action against the rider but at least it would establish a formal paper-trail. Might come in handy if it becomes an insurance issue.

Plain and simple 'hit and run' traffic offense. Just because 99.9% of 'standard' hit and runs involve cars doesn't mean the same traffic codes don't apply to bicycles too.

(Slaps forehead ! I *was* rear-ended on bike once by another bike, by the neighbour's kid of all people, in a terrible storm. Couldn't see 2 m ahead of you. I was 13 at the time and knew too little about these matters to ask for his address if he'd been a stranger. The fact that it was the neighbour kid meant the insurance problems could be worked out quickly).

And you were never an amateur at any point? I find that hard to believe, it's that kind of elitist attitude that turns people off of cycling.

Nah, not the Mom & kid's fault, and not your responsibility to yell out "brake" if the guy is drafting you w/o asking. He has to keep control of his rig. Riding away after is just unconscionable.

Sure I was, a long time ago (I've been bike commuting for over 20 years). I hope I was as cautious and open to learning from my mistakes as I think I was. Probably not. But I still see a lot of complacent and/or downright dangerous behavior every day from cyclists who you think would know better.

I like how you got rear-ended by an ass hole and someone tries to turn it around by twisting your words.

Awesome. New member trolls a new member.

What I really wonder at is why no one has pointed out the person who is should really replace your rims... the mother of the kid who caused the accident.

Frankly, any kind of person who would draft closely behind another cyclist on a public path or roadway without that cyclist's consent is not the kind of person we should be encouraging to take up bicycling. It's not a matter of being a beginner, amateur or whatever, or an elitist, it's a matter of common sense. There are way too many people who don't have any.

It would greatly pain me to have to put a license tag on my bicycle as used to be required, but I think the whole bicycling situation is inevitably leading to that. It's the only way to deal with all these cycling anarchists and boneheads we have to put up with, without being able in any way to have recourse to the law. Take your accident as an example. You can report it to the police, but how do you identify the numbskull anyway?

I would never begrudge your choice of route, but Comm Ave isn't as bad as you'd think. I rode it every day until construction made it just awful to ride on, but now that bad parts are all paved again, I'm back to riding on it again.

I even started a little thread about it https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...highlight=comm

Take a look at post #5

When I'm riding with a group on a road ride, we draft. That means staying about 6" from the wheel in front. Any farther and you're not getting much benefit. It also means that everyone in the group understands that we're drafting, knows not to make sudden moves, knows that the others are similarly skilled in bike handling, etc. I do not draft people I encounter on my commute because I don't know they're bike skills, they don't know mine. I think it's kind of rude and unsafe to do in that circumstance. To then draft without the lead rider's knowledge is idiotic. Drafting adds risk to the ride, so sneak-drafting puts the other rider at risk when he's not even aware. What happens when the drafter closes the gap a little too much, overlaps the front tire with the draftee's rear? In a group ride, you can expect that the lead rider is trying not to make sudden moves. The sneak-drafter has no idea when the lead rider might swerve to avoid hitting that spider on the path. It's just stupid, the OP has a right to be pissed.

The one sure way to attract sneak drafters though, is to pass roadies on your commuter like they're standing still. They will haul ass to catch your rear wheel and stay there as long as they can. Makes the average speed for their ride look better. Had a couple of those last week, scared the crap out of me when I looked back half a mile after passing them and saw them right on my wheel. So I dropped them.

Quit saying the guy was drafting.

I don't get one thing...how does an experienced cyclist NOT know someone is on their wheel or in close proximity? Does everyone get that complacent when riding on paths and MUPs?

Drafting vs following too close is a tough call ... less than a bike length for long periods of time is definatly drafting.

I don't like being drafted by strangers, especially on my route (bike / pedestrian paths). There are too many walkers with ipods, 1.5 lane wide jogger packs, and homeless people lurching out of the bushes. I was drafted for a mile last winter by a stranger ... when the paths had patches of ice. I tried to drop him, slow down, everything but ask him to stop drafting. My final response was not good - and not one I would repeat.

Funny thing is, I almost had the same thing this morning. I was cruising along about to pass a pedestrian when a rider came around the corner in the opposite way, opposite lane. Unsafe to pass, so I slammed on the brakes. Guy behind me barely made it too. guess he gave me enough room or saw what was unfolding.

+1000

More often than not I say "I had tuna and salsa for lunch, I'm done being nice". For some reason they go away...

Sometimes, yes A fast rider can overtake me from way back. Sometimes people join the path I am on from another path or entrance - and catch up quickly.

+1 on both counts.

The guy wasn't drafting, he just wasn't paying attention.

I ride Comm Ave every day, and I'll argue that it's safer than the bike path in question, particularly during rush hour. I know a lot of people feel safer on paths because there aren't any cars, but I think this is more emotional than rational, honestly. Comm Ave is a straight shot with wide lanes, excellent sight lines, and (finally!) brand new pavement. Sure it's busy, but name me a street in Boston that isn't -- it's just a fact of life when you cram that many people into that small a space. Far from being a "demolition derby", I'd go so far as to say that if you find Comm Ave a nightmare, there are very few streets in Boston where you'd feel comfortable.

When being drafted I just slow down. I will stop if I have to. I just don't like to have people that close to me. It also doesn't happen that much to me as my bike is very old, and I ain’t breaking any speed records either.

Dude, pay better attention to what is going on around you. If that takes a mirror, so be it, but situational awareness is your friend.

Getting closer to the decision to leave the paths behind and for reasons like this. They cause congestion, pedestrian traffic of all shapes and species, every kind of cyclist with every kind of intention. Frankly, it seems to be worse than the roads.

Yes, on my local bike path there are families with young kids, people walking dogs, roller bladers, runners, people carrying picnic baskets, fishermen moving up to their favorite spot for bank fishing, and equestrians both at full trot and just out for a slow ride. Occationally you will see someone portaging a canoe. I’ve seen a group of nuns out for a ride, moving ever so slow, on 1950ish bikes. I think it is dangerous to try to blast your way down that mess at full speed on a bike. But I see people do it all the time. It's amazing that someone doesn't get killed.

It's been said already. I think nobody particularly agrees with it. Kids aren't born knowing how to stay out of trouble, and parents aren't all-seeing gods. Once in a while something bad can happen and it won't be anyone's fault. Yeah, there are some parents who are all-around oblivious to what their kids are doing, but even the sensible ones have to blink sometimes, and that's all it takes for an accident to happen. I don't think it's fair to assume that this was a case of parental ignorance or neglect.

The rider who stopped to avoid hitting the kid is a hero, and the guy who was tailgating him was the only one responsible for any injury and damage that actually occurred.

Someone asked how you can not know that you're being tailgated. Honestly, this happens to me all the time. I'm slower than most of the bigger-wheeled bikes in the bike lane, and a well-tuned bike coming up behind me does not make enough noise for me to hear it. I will frequently discover someone in my peripheral vision before I ever heard him, because he didn't use bell or voice to indicate that he wanted to pass.

(In contrast, my seat suspension squeaks and my chainguard is bent and rubs against the right pedal, so if I ever was able to catch up with someone, they'd hear me coming.)

Then please get a mirror. You wear a helmet don't you? Good thing, because lack of situational awareness increases the odds that the helmet will have to do what it is designed for...meaning you're gonna have a bad day. There is a reason why I have survived commuting in traffic for over 30 years, virtually unscathed (riding without a helmet and many times listening to music too!)...it's because I make it JOB ONE to pay attention to everything going on around me.

Come on folks, paying attention and planning for Murphy will protect you from harm far better than any helmet, MUP, or bike lane.