Squirrel Hater
02-17-15 | 01:31 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Dart Board
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,787
Likes: 1
From: Happy Valley Oregon
Bikes: 13 Super Six EVO Red, 2005 Six13, 2024 TREK DOMANE SL 6 GEN 4, 1986 COLNAGO Master
Squirrel Hater
I hate squirrels. They are out to get me. Specially in these early days of warmer weather when they are bat sh.. crazy. They are planning my demise. They have rabbits to help them. They run at my front wheel trying to make me crash. IF I AM FOUND AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD TELL THE AUTHORITIES!
V
02-17-15 | 01:58 PM
#5
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,968
Likes: 1
From: Minnesota
Bikes: '09 Trek 2.1 * '75 Sekine * 2010 Raleigh Talus 8.0 * '90 Giant Mtb * Raleigh M20 * Fuji Nevada mtb
Bunnies. Cute little bunnies. About 10 to a block on my route through St. Louis Park at night. Yelling doesn't work, but makeing a *pfffft* *pffft* sound scatters 'em like sheep. I'm going to rig a cow bell this year for the 2 AM ride home.
__________________
FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
02-17-15 | 02:08 PM
#6
meh
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,742
Likes: 1,129
From: Hopkins, MN
Bikes: 23 Cutthroat, 21 CoMotion Java; 21 Bianchi Infinito; 15 Surly Pugsley; 11 Globe Daily; 09 Kona Dew Drop; 96 Mondonico
Same out further West, I ride the SW LRT in Eden Prairie & Minnetonka. SO MANY bunnies, they must breed like rabbits.
02-17-15 | 03:46 PM
#9
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,977
Likes: 191
From: Washington, DC
We have more suicidal frogs than squirrels. Most make it out of the way at the last second, but not always. At least they don't cause a crash. One time at night I was riding over what looked like leaves, until they started jumping out of the way. Hundreds of them. Yuck.
02-17-15 | 03:50 PM
#10
meh
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,742
Likes: 1,129
From: Hopkins, MN
Bikes: 23 Cutthroat, 21 CoMotion Java; 21 Bianchi Infinito; 15 Surly Pugsley; 11 Globe Daily; 09 Kona Dew Drop; 96 Mondonico
YES!!!
Hope you had fenders!
Hope you had fenders!
02-17-15 | 05:43 PM
#12
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,968
Likes: 1
From: Minnesota
Bikes: '09 Trek 2.1 * '75 Sekine * 2010 Raleigh Talus 8.0 * '90 Giant Mtb * Raleigh M20 * Fuji Nevada mtb
I'm having more anxiety over this coming season's ride home on the Dakota Trail, north of you, than going through Mpls on the Cedar Lake Trail N. Raccoons, Coyotes, Deer, Squirrels, and now bunnies?
__________________
FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
02-17-15 | 06:23 PM
#13
Velocommuter Commando
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,683
Likes: 38
From: Houston, Texas
Bikes: '88 Specialized Sirrus, '89 Alpine Monitor Pass, two '70 Raligh Twenties, '07 Schwinn Town & Country Trike, '07 Specialized Sirrus Hybrid
02-17-15 | 06:28 PM
#14
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 12,948
Likes: 9
From: England
A rat with good PR. What's to like? Maybe
Sautéed squirrel, chanterelle mushrooms and autumn vegetables
squirrel pasties
braised squirrel
Sautéed squirrel, chanterelle mushrooms and autumn vegetables
squirrel pasties
braised squirrel
02-17-15 | 07:26 PM
#16
02-17-15 | 08:27 PM
#18
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,968
Likes: 1
From: Minnesota
Bikes: '09 Trek 2.1 * '75 Sekine * 2010 Raleigh Talus 8.0 * '90 Giant Mtb * Raleigh M20 * Fuji Nevada mtb
__________________
FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
02-17-15 | 11:11 PM
#19
Hating *and* eating!!
02-17-15 | 11:12 PM
#20
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,968
Likes: 1
From: Minnesota
Bikes: '09 Trek 2.1 * '75 Sekine * 2010 Raleigh Talus 8.0 * '90 Giant Mtb * Raleigh M20 * Fuji Nevada mtb
Does chicken taste like squirrel?
__________________
FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
FB4K - Every October we wrench on donated bikes. Every December, a few thousand kids get bikes for Christmas. For many, it is their first bike, ever. Every bike, new and used, was donated, built, cleaned and repaired. Check us out on FaceBook: FB4K.
Disclaimer: 99% of what I know about cycling I learned on BF. That would make, ummm, 1% experience. And a lot of posts.
02-18-15 | 03:51 AM
#22
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,351
Likes: 3
From: Madison, IN
Bikes: 2015 Jamis Quest Comp
In all seriousness, has anyone on here EVER run into a squirrel, especially by simply maintaining your straight path as you see one running around. I would think squirrels are fast enough to get out of the way of a bicycle most of the time, and even if you did run over one, it should cause a crash anymore than some other small bump would. The picture above of the squirrel jumping through the spokes is surely such a rare occurrence as to not be a bother.
I often have a group of dogs come running out after me on my commute barking up a storm. On other (non-commute) rides, different dogs have done similar things. BUT...I've never had one of them actually touch me or the bike! Apparently they don't want a collision any more than I do.
I've learned to simply keep riding and ignore them, no matter how much their barking makes it seem like they are about to attack me.
I often have a group of dogs come running out after me on my commute barking up a storm. On other (non-commute) rides, different dogs have done similar things. BUT...I've never had one of them actually touch me or the bike! Apparently they don't want a collision any more than I do.
I've learned to simply keep riding and ignore them, no matter how much their barking makes it seem like they are about to attack me.
02-18-15 | 03:59 AM
#23
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 12,948
Likes: 9
From: England
It happened to me. The squirrel bounced off the (36) spokes and both of us were left with nothing more than a good anecdote.
02-18-15 | 06:07 AM
#25
one life on two wheels
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,552
Likes: 27
From: St. Petersburg, FL
Trick with squirrels is to aim at them, not try to avoid them. They're a prey animal so their instinct is to dart away. If you keep your line, they will (most likely) do that little dance thing they do and run in another direction. This is, of course if you actually have the time to process all that information before a collision occurs. In the real world things happen too fast to 'do the right thing'. The only time I ever had a squirrel vs. bike encounter I was riding downhill, and it jumped from the side, hitting my wheel and bounced off with no damage to me, the bike or the squirrel (from what I could tell)...and I had zero time to react so had it not bounced off a spoke and instead made it through my wheel, my story would be a lot more similar to the picture upthread.