mecheng

May have been said before, maybe not, but pisses the crap out of me!

So there's this mountain road where I ride and it's full of switchbacks on descent (the mellow part of descent). The problem is, there are cars going either way, and during left turns (for the cars) the drivers love to imitate F1 pilots and get their inside wheels over the yellow dividing line. And then there is me...or any other cyclist, going 30mph and laying the bike as low as safely possible to not run wide over the yellow line on right turns. And what? These a--holes can't unwind their steering wheel some 5 degrees to stay in their damn lane? Oh, sure they have plenty of space there. That's a ****ing accident waiting to happen! And please don't tell me to slow down...I know that myself

And maybe I could take that in the case of a sports car of sorts, but a prev gen Toyota Prius going maybe like 20mph? Come ooooooooon!

MediaCreations 

They should stay in their lane.

You should be able to descend safely.

Unfortunately, being right won't help if one of them meets you head on. I'd be avoiding the road.

Zinn-X

+1

Play it safe. There's a turn exactly like this on a hill I go down, and I used to just bomb down it at 45+ mph, until I noticed exactly what you're saying. People don't want to stay in their lane when going around bends for some reason... I notice this on the freeway alot too.

Now I slow down a bit at that bend because I value my life (and my bike) more than a few miles per hour.

al-wagner

I have seen a lot of cagers taking turns with their cars as if the were driving a big TRUCK. By taking WIDE turns.

botto 

I think they hate us because we call them asinine names like "cagers".

mrkott3r

pfft they don't even acknowledge we exist, let alone we call 'em dirty names.


Get yourself a fixie and go ride some Critical Mass. At least you will give everyone the *****s one friday afternoon then spend that night getting pissed with fellow cyclists.

botto 

"They"?

does that mean that you don't have a car, or use a car, or have driven a car?

I do love the hypocrisy of 'cager' this, and 'cager' that, when plenty of us have no problem getting into a 'cage' and driving to a group ride, or a race.

mrkott3r

Dont own a car.
I get a lift on average once a week to various random places. (say a lift out to uni if its wet)
I was learning to drive then I said **** it, I like riding to much.


Thanks for calling me a hypocrite without knowing thing about me arsehole

botto 

time work on your reading comprehension skills at uni, because that wasn't directed specifically at you.

this, on the other hand, is: have a nice day Roo****er!

mrkott3r

You implied it. Thats right our universities teach analytical skills.

Its so nice you resorted to sex jokes.
So whatever.

patentcad

They ARE generally out to kill you. This shouldn't be a newsflash to any experienced road cyclist. Stay safe.

botto 

guess you must have been too late to register for that class.

"I do love the hypocrisy of 'cager' this, and 'cager' that, when plenty of us have no problem getting into a 'cage' and driving to a group ride, or a race."


glass houses. stones. whatever.

Bike Lover

Even driving my car this makes me nuts. I especially hate when the driver in front of me going to turn right and, despite having a right turn lane, stays in the ¼- ½ the way in the through traffic lane. What are they trying to do, maximize their speed going into their subdivision so they can finally run little Johnny over who’s carefully riding his bike?

superslomo

I find that the more I try to squeeze over to the right, the more I have drivers almost bumping me as they go by. Someone advised me a long time ago that if you just assert yourself and take enough of the lane, they will be forced to give you a wider berth. It's worked ok for me so far. Stay visible, make room and wave them past you when there's an opening, and as long as they can't squeeze you off the road, they may do it less often.

dutret

Cars do this on both sides too. look at the yellow and white lines on any well used curve. What I don't really understand is why this almost leads to you getting hit? You are in the states right?

It seems like you would either be on the white line all the time to stay as far from cars as possible or you would at least be on the white line where the other cars cross the yellow so you can take the turn as fast as is safely possible. Cars do this because the traffic in the other direction is also at the inside of thier lane at the apex. A bike should be no different. Instead of following the yellow start closer to the yellow then cut to the white and then back out by the yellow.

Maybe they should stay in thier lanes but everyone expects this behavior because everyone does it and it makes the corners the smoothest they can be no matter what the speed.

iamtim

I *knew* that *someone* was going to take issue with the term "cager". It figures it'd be you.

Let me guess... does that make the original poster an "ignorant hick driverophobe"?

And before you smart off, yes, I am a cager. I bicycle to work every day, but I drive frequently, too. I like the term, I think it's quaint.

botto 

mecheng

Well, okay, what I'm talking of are the cars going my way. So when I have a right turn, they have a left turn and they turn in too tightly to put their wheels over the yellow line. Btw, it's a one lane road either way.

As you mention, I start my turns closer to the yellow, dive in on the inside and come out close to the yellow again. BUT, remember these are switchbacks with alternating left and right turns, AND most of them are blind to boot! I know the road pretty well, but if a car crosses the yellow line either when turning in (left turn) or coming out of a curve (right curve and they're going too fast/too lazy to mind their lane) I may simply not see them. I'm very careful to stay away from the yellow line, but it's the drivers who **** up

roadfix

I avoid riding on roads that I know are dangerous.

urbanknight

+1 as alluring some of the canyon roads are around here, certain ones are just not on my list. Even more of them (such as Mulholland or Sepulveda) get avoided during rush hour. Doesn't matter if they're wrong or right, they won't change and I want to live a bit longer.

DrPete 

SCREW YOU, CAGER LOVER!

Me too.