Cycling friend is unsafe
 

Not sure if this is the right place to put this, I'm sure a mod will move it if not. Anyway I have a friend who I go riding with, used to be once or twice a week but it's 5-6 days now. We mostly go out early in the morning starting at 5.30-6am to escape the traffic and because we need to be at work by 8.30.

So i guess because I'm riding with this guy more I'm noticing more that he is unsafe in traffic. He often wobbles all over the road, doesn't stay near the gutter and doesn't always head check when going across multiple lanes. Hasn't really been any serious near misses that I'm aware of but I'm sure his actions must annoy the crap out of car drivers. It annoys me because I try to do the right thing (I'm not perfect) and he is giving cyclists a bad name IMO, not to mention endangering himself. I don't want to have to call the ambulance and then his family to explain that he is under a bus.

How can I make him see the error of his ways without pi$$ing him off?

I think part of his problem is he's come from a MTB background so probably used to riding where there is no traffic. Not sure how long he's been riding the road bike for, only known him about a year. Maybe I'm being to harsh and it's just inexperience and he'll gradually become safer.

There are no real road riding rules in OZ.


How many times in the year has he crashed?

Sometimes you just have to speak your mind.

I have an old friend that had no clue about internet and email privacy etiquette. He was always hitting the forward button sending multiple forwarded emails with all these addresses in them and sent out emails to all his friends and acquaintances with all the addresses visible. I asked gently a couple of times and after being ignored I asked to be taken off his distribution list. Still ignored me and I flamed him and really hurt his feelings.

But guess what? He learned to cut and paste and use the BCC box.

Let your friend know. If he doesn't appreciate it--or, at worst, if he's all offended and huffy--then why bother riding with someone who stresses you out? It doesn't sound like you guys are really working together/sharing pulls anyway.

Say "Dude, you're going to get yourself killed riding like that"
See, that's not so hard.

+1

Drop him.

Is that a question or a statement? If its the latter you're completely wrong - cyclist safety and the whole cyclist v.s cars is a hot topic in Oz at the moment.

We do have rules...we have to obey the same rules as cars.

It's pretty much every cyclist for himself here.

Are you sure its all him?

It's better to educate him if possible.

Yeah, you don't ride in the gutter.

Except maybe P-R...

Claim your lane but don't be stupid.

Apart from the other problems, I was thinking the same thing. If you ride close to the gutter here in Bangkok you either have to be suicidal or completly naieve.

Well, Knoxville is special.

Seems I have a picture somewhere in my archives of D'town Knoxville on the corner of Gay and 5th with S&M Industries in the background.

Damn. I wish I could find that. I think it's gone after the change of the I-40 I-75 merger but I'm not sure...

i don't know the whole story, but i'm gonna say 10Wheels meant OZ as in "the wizard of" and not the nickname your country. those of us who don't live in australia don't think of it as OZ.

Wait, so the OP lives in Kansas or Australia?

link him to this thread.

Riding in the gutter is VERY dangerous. It invites cars to pass without changing lanes. Take the lane before you get killed.

I think that's more likely than someone from Kansas describing their location as "Oz". I do own a "Toto dog", however. :lol:

dominate the street!
bikes are vehicles so make your presence known.

Candidate for the Darwin award?

Riding on those yellow bricks has got to be hell on your hands. Especially with all the little people to dodge. I'd probably be swerving all over the road too. Staying out of the gutter and nearer the middle of the road though to make the trees work harder when they want to throw apples at me.

The worst are the damn redneck flying monkeys, though.

Don't forget The Look.

This for sure. He won't know if you don't tell him.



Wow things spiral downwards quickly around here sometimes.