B10Cycle

On a random note, I've had a gun pulled on me once. Non-cycling related, but I think that it shows what kind of nuts are out there. My friends and I are sitting in a park in Spain drinking a few beers and just hanging out and talking. It's getting dark, but were in a very well lit park with a lot of people in a very nice part of town- some of the most expensive hotels in the city box in the park on two sides along with ritzy restaurants and such. All the Spanish people we met were very friendly. Anywho, a man and his girlfriend come up to us and ask for a cigarette. We say we don't have any and my friend makes conversation with him, that kind of seemed like a bad idea to me as this guy looked a little sketchy and his girl looked mildly hookerish, but after a few minutes he seemed nice enough. He then grabs my friends camera and demands that we pay him to get it back. My friend snatches the camera back which displeases this man who then reaches for my friends bag. I jump up and my other friends immediately do the same. This set the guy off, he starts to reach in his little bag and pull out a gun and is yelling in Spanish all the horrible things he's going to do to us. I'm confident he would have shot us if his girl hadn't calmed him down- she was screaming "They're only children!", but in Spanish. He told us to come back the next night to see who was a real man, yeah we didn't show. We bolted from there and never came back. Scary stuff.

I know that has nothing to do with cycling, but imagine if you slapped some nut like this' car or flipped him off. He'd think nothing of it to shoot you or run you over. That's what I think about when I'm trying to hold back from slapping a car.

JohnBrooking

I haven't had an opportunity for slapping yet, and I don't know if I would. I have, on occasion, yelled at a retreating driver who just pulled out in front of me or something. Profanity, though not common, is not altogether unknown.

And (to digress) just today on the way home, the light I was approaching changed to red with one or two cars ahead of me, which stopped, and as I was slowing behind them (at about the right tire position), the car that had been behind me pulled ahead and moved back over towards me, not close enough to hit me but definitely intruding on my space. I was a bit miffed, but there he was right beside me. I contented myself with wheeling ahead of him on the right while waiting for the light, then edging in slightly to make sure he knew my intention. No further escalation. Perhaps I should have been taking more of the lane to begin with to prevent this.

TLN

I used to slap and punch cars when they got too close. I would also carry a couple of large gauge ball bearings in my back pocket to throw. I even kicked the headlight out of a car that bumped my back tire at a stop light. (Driver trying to be funny) But after reading many stories of bikers getting shot by f-ing ******* and gutless pieces of ****e... it just isnt worth it. No matter what you have or do, you cant out match a firearm... unless you carry one yourself. Like posted earlier, smart people dont have to be educated and the ignorant.....well stupidity should be painful!

mirona

I've never slapped a car, but I did tap a guy's hood once because he was too close. He was making a left turn and veered right (towards me) before turning. I just wanted to let him know I was there.

Funny thing, I was carrying my bike on the side of the road. This lady came dangerously close over the white line. She hit something on my bike, because I heard a metal-on-metal sound when she passed. She was coming to a red light and was going to stop anyway, why the **** did she need to get around me so bad? So I kicked her bumper when she had to inevitably stop for the red light 2 feet in front of me. I was laughing so hard. She must've been so scared of my lycra-clad ass because she sped off so fast when it turned green.

jimmythefly

I'd like a paint-eating liquid that could also be carried in a water bottle. Squirt car, driver doesn't get too mad as it's only water...until minutes later when you're gone and so is their paint job.

Ok, so I'm dreaming and really, the effort it would take to prepare and use such a weapon would out weigh just ignoring dumbass drivers.

I've heard from motorcycle-riding friends that a well placed foot will easily take off a side mirror. Once again, this is probably more fun to think about than to actually do.

steveknight

or her own rear end (G)

Phiber

I got passed in a similar manner not long ago. Except the guy laid on his horn!! Oo I was so angry! If I had a rock he wouldn't have had a rear windscreen. Or a face for that matter, because when he would have stopped and gotten out I would've had that too!

I am going to start carrying stress balls in my rear jersey pocket to either launch or squeeze.

SpokesInMyPoop

Hey everybody... i'm new here.

I was thinking of carrying a paintball gun for such an occasion.

Arm all the cyclists and get them to pelt people's cars when somebody comes close to hitting them, cutting them off, not looking both ways (and causing you to collide with a car), and so on. It'd also benefit cyclists by being able to distinguish bad drivers from good. Then again, you probably can't aim that well on a bike.

I thought it was a cool idea :B

chicharron

I think that you know the answer to this. It is not safe to respond to idiot drivers, esp if you are alone, and they are in a car. I have done the same thing in the past, and have gotton into violent situations. Even though the women in the big Explorer was wrong, responding like that is not a good idea. Just let them go, unless you get cornered or trapped with no escape, or assaulted. Then, kick ass.

Dchiefransom

Not a bad idea!! Pull out something that looks like a gun, and in a few minutes you'll be looking down the barrels of a few police revolvers and shotguns.

H23

I've done it.-- slapped cars, taxi's, buses full of people and other vehicles...

I stopped doing stuff like that years ago because I came to the realization that it doesn't teach anyone anything. It only gets people red-hot angry.

Also, especially these days, more and more people are _psycho_ about their cars. I mean, totally out-of-their-minds insane. Its just better to let things slide.

TLN

Its called Zip Strip.... but I wouldnt recommend carrying it in a plastic bottle or else you will be losing your paint job!

KrisPistofferson

Are you a secret agent? You seem to have an inordinate amount of dangerous encounters, and I thought Colorado was full of hippies....

becnal

If you can reach over and slap their car, then they are too close. Good to let them know it!

ivan_yulaev

It's called brake fluid...should be 2$ or so for a small bottle.

CVB

I'll just add my $0.02:
I was walking my dog in my neighborhood one night several years ago when a couple of yayhoos came tearing around a corner. They veered toward me, seemingly on purpose, forcing me to jump into the space between two parked cars. I had quick enough reflexes to kick the driver's side door as they past - must've been the adrenaline surge of the moment. It was really satisfying, as I could feel the door actually give under my foot - it surely left a permanent dent. What came next scared me worse than when they came swerving towards me - they threw the car in reverse and came after me. I grabbed the dog, jumped a fence, ran through backyards and slipped into my backdoor. I could hear them tearing through my neighborhood over and over again for the next 20 minutes.

Point is, I was right, they were WAY wrong, but they still thought it was worthwhile and justified to come after me, presumably NOT to see if I was okay (presumably to make sure I wasn't okay). You take your life in your hands when you hit cars.

SpokesInMyPoop

paintball guns are easily distinguishable for that very reason. in my opinion, they look like fancy waterguns. nobody would have a magazine clip on the top of their gun! (made of plastic, no less)

hrm... squirtguns... *ponders thoughts*