I've been riding out among the mass of unwashed motorists for more than 30 years... and I've commuted by bicycle for many of those years. And in all those years of riding I have had only a handful of times that I felt truly endangered by an aggressive motorist. I've had close calls aplenty... but only a very few that I felt were the intentional result of a really angry driver.

But I ran into a young guy the other day who claimed to have the opposite experience. He claimed to be experiencing encounter after encounter with angry motorists... and I told him what his #1 problem is.

His T-shirts.

He wears a lot of shirts that are obviously meant to get a rise out of others. And boy do they spawn ...errr... conversation. He showed up at a recent group ride wearing a shirt with the words "911 was an inside job" emblazoned across the front and back. Nice way to make friends and avoid confrontation.

My strategy: Don't wear confrontational clothes or t-shirts. If you provoke people, they will react.

I tend to wear goofy or fun t-shirts... my favorite is a camouflage shirt that says across the front in bright yellow letters... "Ha! Now you can't see me."

I figure that motorists dislike us enough already. So I don't give them any further reason to harass me.

Do you avoid wearing t-shirts that provoke folks? And if you choose to wear them, why do you?

Um yeah like ever since I grew up and became an adult.

+1

I like shirts that have designs on them, but messages? I gave that up in my early 20's. If somebody's opinion is going to change based on a cute slogan, it's not likely to stay changed.

Each of us are our own personal advertising agency, selling one product: Ourselves. How we physically present ourselves is 90% of our ad campaign because it reaches everybody we interact with; how we act, speak, behave, etc. reaches a tiny fraction of the world around us, and only those people who have either decided to tentatively accept us based on how we look, or who are forced by circumstance to spend time with us.

In short, if you dress like a jerk with an attitude problem, then don't be surprised when people treat you like a jerk with an attitude problem.

I took 1 ride in a bright yellow cotton tee shirt that said "volunteer" in red letters on the back and had the American Cancer Society logo in big print across the front. I figured that should generate some good will, but quickly found out why people don't ride in cotton tee shirts.

I have a shirt that says GAS SUCKS RIDE A BIKE on the back. I haven't had any problems with angry drivers while wearing it, but I did get asked about it by a guy driving an electric Rav4.

I do look at T shirts as a way of representing myself and my attitude, and I tend to choose them based on my mood that morning. Most of them have bicycles on them, or are in some way bicycle related. Very few are confrontational ("Jesus Would Ride a Bike" is possibly the most controversial of the lot). I generally get some good reactions; conversation starters, for sure. That said, I'm not sure that someone driving a car can actually read the T shirt of someone riding a bike, unless the print is truly large. Perhaps that rider's attitude gets communicated in other ways, too.

Shirts with writing on them are lame.

I want motorists to get away from me as fast as possible. Not stick around while reading my shirt.

The only shirts with writing that I own are the "Life is Fun" series I do have a few environmentalist stickers on my bike but no outright political messages.

Adam

You should put that on a shirt that is almost poetic....and true

+1.

I cannot stand wearing clothing that has any sort of text or manufacturer's logo on it. All it says to me is "I'm so lame that I choose to be a billboard for someone else."

That goes for cycling clothes, too. I would *never* wear anything with a team/sponsor/etc. logo on it, unless it was my own. Why would anyone want to advertise for a company that has no interest in you?

When I'm on my bike, there's a 99 % chance I'm in a wool shirt. Even if you can't see it under other layers. I wear wool against my skin because it's comfortable. When I'm not on the bike, there's an 80 to 90 % chance I'm still wearing a merino tee. Same reasons. Most of mine are a solid color, or two colors, and a few have logos or designs, but nothing too obnoxious.

I don't have bumper stickers on my car, either.

+1

I doubt the hostility is from his shirts. How many drivers do you think can actually read our T-shirts? I'm guessing not many at all. If they can then something was wrong before they were able to read your T-shirt.

I'd like a t-shirt that says "CAUTION: Go around not over" or simply "Don't kill me"

I have a T-shirt that I love. There are hundreds of little cyclists on it, grouped together in the form of one of those Pac-Man figures. Next to it is an SUV, which is about to be devoured by the cyclists--Pac-Man. If a driver finds that offensive (it'd be pretty hard to see it from a car, though), tough luck.

Freedom of speech, it seems to me, extends to one's right to wear a T-shirt with a message on it or carry a sign. If you don't like it, you can look the other way. Is this the kind of treatment you have in mind for anyone daring to express an idea that you disagree with?

that seems a bit extreme to me. i wear t-shirts of all varieties, some are plain, some have logos of sports teams that i like (cubs, bears, blackhawks), some are from bands that i like, many are simply booze advertisements that i've accumulated for free from countless bars around the city, and my absolute favorite t-shirts are a series from my friend's annual "testicle festival" celebration, a rocky mountain oyster party he hosts in his backyard. he gets new shirts printed up for the party every year and they always have clever sayings like "pop one of sal's hot nuts in your mouth. sal will be glad you did". those shirts are always great conversation starters when i'm out and about in public.

Or I can exercise my freedom of speech to point out that people who wear message t-shirts are idiotic jerks; at best, they're naive children.

In short, I'll reiterate: dress and act like a jerk with an attitude problem, and expect to be treated like a jerk with an attitude problem.

Sorry, I don't feed trolls.

geez, i never realized their was such animosity towards printed t-shirts out there. i guess i'll just have to find a way to live with myself now that i've been informed that i'm an "idiotic jerk".

Yeah I would not wear anything confrontational like that. But being 25 and not a ****** bag I don't wear shirts with confrontational stuff on them. I did that in high school. It is just a good way to start a bunch of unpleasant conversations with people I don't care to talk to. It is sort of like having tattoos, I almost regret them because everyone and their brother wants me to explain my tattoos to them, and I get tired of it. If you get it, cool. If you don't know already, you're not going to gain anything from me explaining.

I wear bright colors when I ride. I wear a yellow short sleeved Jimi Hendrix jersey when it's warmish, and a long sleeved red and yellow paintball jersey(same as a biking jersey without pockets in the back). Or a bright green coat when it rains.

It's past T shirt season Here. got out the rain gear.

I think this kinda nailed it right off the bat

You should get that on a t-shirt.

I totally agree, if you taunt them they will take the bait. I try to stay away from anything with words on it. If you wear a Team Discovery jersey, they think you are a poser. I avoid multi patterned jerseys, as this camoflages you in the oncoming lane. I've had great success with dying undershirts neon green , the dye costs three bucks at an art supply store, the shirts ten bucks. so five shirts for thirteen bucks. They are easy to wash too. I think the best thing to wear is that screaming neon green . Shows you are trying to be seen, they appreciate this more than your fashion statement.

When I took the idiotic bumper stickers off my Saturn, people stopped cutting me off . 'nuff said.

If your name is Dan Haggerty and you are reading this, you need to stop cyberstalking me . Please!