wolfchild

So I was riding home from work and as I was going through an intersection, some idiot on the opposite side of the road waiting at the red light rolls down his window sticks out his brainless head and yells, Hey you ****** ! , at me. It wasn't the driver but a passenger in that vehicle. Now I am a type of person that gets very easily pissed off when somebody bothers me for no reason. So I get all these thoughts in my mind, thinking if I should just catch up with him and take my U Lock and just smash his vehicle. So I have a question for everybody here. Has anybody ever used their U Lock or chain to smash the vehicle when they were harrassed ? Did you get charged ? Is it worth it ? Or would I get charged ? The reason I am so angry is not because of the name calling but because of the hostile negative attitude that this guy had on him, and all because I was on a bicycle.

uke

I wouldn't have heard them, because I ride with music. Highly recommended for minimizing distractions.

Mr IGH

I'd ignore them, keep on riding and still have a nice day.

CliftonGK1

Yelling from the opposite direction == Let it slide.
No attempt at physical assault to you == Don't smash up their vehicle. It's not worth it.

making

yep, when I first started commuting that would have really P'd me off. They are stupid, sometimes they even know they are stupid. Dont get mad, dont hit them, letting them be stupid is the best revenge. I dont even notice them anymore. That makes them even stupider.

JoeyBike

Don't you think smashing a window would confirm his beliefs about cyclists?

If someone calls me a name and I can respond, I simply say "That would be MISTER ******* to you!"

Remember that they are calling you a name for no good reason because their life sucks. You should feel sorry for them, but not much else.

kenkayak

I wouldnt get caught/correcting an insult /Kenneth

kenkayak

ya I like that for starters; shall salt that away for my next do/able response most times there gone before my wheels[brain is at there level./Kenneth

xenologer

You'd only get charged, if you get caught.
Now I have heard of one guy keying a car after the driver kept harrasing him, but in that situation the car couldnt chase him or run him down since it was blocked up in traffic and the cyclists was able to split lanes to get away.
So think it through carefully, can you approach the vehicle without getting run down? do you have an escape route? How many witnesses are there? Are you readily identifiable?


Edit,
since you were on opposite sides of an intersection from the jerk, its not like you can easily hit him with your Ulock anyway, and he's in no position to hit you with his car or anything. Seeing as how you're already stopped and you've got both hands free, slingshot and BBs?

CB HI

Since he was a passenger, and if he said what I think you got blocked on "the gay name calling"; the best thing is to turn it on him in front of his "friends".

Something like "Oh how sweet of you, lets exchange phone numbers and have a Long Island Tea."

How long do you think it will take his friends to stop ribbing him about it?

riff

Nothing aggravates jerks like that more than being ignored. So ignore them!

If, on the other hand, I felt that someone was physically harassing me... Out comes the Ulock or NY chain.

The Big Wheel

lol I had thoughts like the OP before. I thought about riding around in my car with a bottle of milk. If some jerk starts harassing me from the passenger's window I thought about just throwing the open bottle into his car and driving off. Of course I'll never do that though. People say dumb **** because they know they can get away with it. Your best bet would be to just ignore it...but, if they are stuck in traffic (how stupid do you have to be to harass someone while in traffic?) just do what the guy above said and ride slowly past him in the opposite direction while keying his car lol. Seriously people are stupid and sometimes you just have to "teach" them the hard way so the next time they will think about what they are doing.

making

I am not saying be a wuss, I am just saying what riff said.

maddyfish

I would wave.

wolfchild

Well I guess then it's best to keep cool in a situation like that, after all it's only a bunch of useless words anyway, but if the situation was physical then a U lock might come in handy. What I am concerned about is that those type of people might go too far with their dislike of cyclists and be involved in hit and run. There are quite a few cyclists along that stretch of the road. I guess busting a vehicle with my U lock because of verbal insult would just get me in trouble, I'll try to ignore it from now on.

making

Seriously, unless there is some physical threat, just have a nice ride and forget about it. Really, you will have a fun happy life and they will still be idiots.

thompsonpost

I'd say get some anger counseling. That kind of garbage shouldn't be allowed to drive your bus.

I did it and it changed my life. I've learned to not only not react, but to also laugh about it. "Children" taunt people, not adults.

riff

Interesting article.

The Big Wheel

Actually, what I would do in your situation would be to blow them a kiss lol. Think about what their friends will say.

rokudan

I'm reminded of a childhood saying, 'Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me.' lol

DataJunkie

I have issues with this as well. However, like uke my music muffles their comments.

The Big Wheel

lol I love some of the comments:

"how long is it before Chrome Bags uses some of these photos as promotional material?"

exile

I wouldn't be the one to start problems especially with unknown amount of people in the vehicle. I got into a situation a while ago where one guy was yelling out the window and the driver honking his horn and getting a little to close for comfort.

Long story short, after some verbal bashing by me three guys got out with the reluctant driver about 6 foot 200#, instigator about 5'6 150#, and the peace maker 5'8 160#. If it wasn't for the peace maker I would of had some problems with all three. But being in a car, and seeing some guy on a bike, people underestimate who you are when you are right in front of them. I learned to control my temper better after that situation, but I also think they learned not to mess with cyclist either. I guess they think we all look like lance, not a 5'9 240# powerlifter.

JeffS

I ignore people I can't catch.

When it happens close to me, I run my mouth, insult the person, insult their manhood, whatever comes to mind to provoke a reaction. To date, (8 incidents or so), noone has gotten more than a foot out of the car. If they get completely out of the car, someone's going to the hospital.

Considering the number of people who piss themselves at the first sign of a fight, it will probably be a real bad-ass that actually gets out of the car and I'll be the one hurt and in jail. I'm fine with that though. In the meantime, running my mouth SERIOUSLY reduces my stress levels during these incidents. I ride home happy instead of staying pissed for days.

wolfchild

Makes my blood boil when I see stuff like that. That guy who is kicking and stomping on the bike couriers ( a womens ) bicycle , is an absolute psyhopath. I say take away his drivers license.