when cars attack
 

Riding down 28th today, minding my own business, when a stupid SUV pulls out of a parking lot all fast right in front of me. I had no time to do anything except roll up onto the hood and then out into traffic. Everything turned out to be fine, my front wheel got knocked a bit out of true, but that was the extent of the damage, no injuries. The guy that hit me was really sorry and paid for me to get my wheel trued(which was nice, cause i don't have a stand). I'm just tired of getting hit by cars, I ride pretty safely, but I guess when I am on my fixie I become invisible to cars or something. Maybe I should start wearing a bright pink spandex suit every time I ride. I'm sure at least the ladies would notice that.

Everyone would notice a bright pink spandex suit...not that thats always a good thing.

I think you can be lit up like a particularly blinged out UFO with everything reflective, blinking and neon and cars will still attack you. Car drivers generally just don't see cyclist cause they're not car shaped (as well as fumbling for coffee, being very angry that they can't drive anywhere, on the phone etc)

You can and should make it easier for them, but I fear that even in bright pink spandex you will still be intimately acquainted with car doors and hoods and sadly not intimately acquainted with anyone else.


Bizarrely, on another list I'm on, someone posted that the City of London police were stopping cyclists "for having cycle lights that are too bright and 'distracting' for drivers".

See you can't win!

**** a brake in modern society.

guy has balls to rock an SUV in boulder don't he? it better run on biodiesel's all i gotta say! glad your're ok though. you shoulda hit him up for a whole new frame. :eek: :eek:

The other day I was trackstanding at an intersection and a pedestrian walked into me. Brought new meaning to "invisible."

i feel bad for laughing at that.... but seriously :D

i ****in' lolled.

Not cycling related, but more along the lines of being invisible. A few years ago when I used to smoke, I'd go out the building and stand in one of the un-used and locked revolving doors. It was shelter and kept me out of people's way unless someone was trying to get in the building. Then they'd just try to move around me and push the revolving door only to find it wouldn't move. The whole time, I'd be staring at this idiot who didn't seem to see that I was right in front of him/her and standing inside a revolving door entrance. People seem to have no sense these days.

part of riding is constant radar, IMO. parking lots that let out into the street should always set off the warning light in your head, the same feeling like when you're about to pass a stationary fed-ex or ups step-thru truck. not criticizing you at all, just saying, that's one of the situations that gets me super-alert

seconded.

"when cars attack".

that's such a good title for a thread. :)

This winter...

In a world where cyclists are invisible...

WHEN CARS ATTACK!!!

Coming soon to an intersection near you.

Glad you and the bike are okay. Gotta watch out for the parking lot exists, don't ya. The last time I went over the hood, the bike went completely under and got completely crunched.

What part of 28th in Boulder?

RFM

heres a link for you guys. We actually have blindspots in front of us. Its pretty crazy, when you see it actually is true http://serendip.brynmawr.edu.nyud.ne...lindspot1.html

thats freaky

I was just in Boulder for my winter break, 28th seemed to have way to many cars turning on and off, its not the streets that worry me, its all those parking lots and crap. Try a side street maybe, folsam has a nice bike lane on it and not to far, see a lot of guys riding that.

yeah, no kidding.

yeah, folsom is pretty nice, but i was just trying to get to the bookstore the fastest way. i was on 28th and pearl, a little bit before the intersection. i guess i learned a new danger zone the hard way. whatever, i ended up getting my wheel fixed, new tape and tubes all thanks to the idiot driver's wallet. i was riding all day today and everything feels fine, the bike and myself.

Wow, that sucks hilariousily (is that a word?).

Pink spandex is always a good idea. You can never go wrong with spandex. But I think you should line the suit with Christmas lights - the multicolored kind that blink. Then you would most definitely be bringin the paaartaaay everywhere you go.