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warrior techniques...

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warrior techniques...

Old 07-18-06, 02:12 PM
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warrior techniques...

share off

we know what it is to risk our lives and flirt with danger...protect ourselves while being looked down upon by those who threaten us...
sure there are drivers who may have or think they have respect for cyclists to diffferent extents, but in the grand scheme of things, the roads are not designed for our safety...

when push comes to shove, it's often safer to break road 'rules' (ie...running red lights) and take advantage of the situation than to sit back and wallow further in the margins...

big city riding, small city riding, suburb riding, country riding...what are yalls techniques for staying afloat in the shark infested waters?

in light of this thread..... https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/211772-i-haven-t-had-much-fun-since-reading.html

although I prob do it less in NYC, in smaller cities or outskirts I like to do the take the whole lane trick, and look back (not too excessively that I'm not watching my front) trying to make or at least feint eye contact (with a fully turned head) with the driver...the key here is to let them know that I've actively decided to take the WHOLE lane, and that they better not fuk wit me and approach my personal space...swerving in the lane while looking back can clarify if the subtle look is unclear to the driver... this gives space so that if the driver does try to press past you, you are not locked between the passing car and a curb or rear view mirrors

another big thing that I put a lot of emphasis riding a lot is eye contact...especially in areas where there are four way stop signs, or you are running a red light...again...the key is to let the driver know that you see them, and that you are focused on them as you make your decision...let them know that you are actively making the decision to claim right of way, or steal it from the driver (great tool for when the yellow light just turns and you've decided to go)

annother big thing is positioning through red lights...I usually get as far to the left side of the road as I can so that I can maintain speed but swerve right if there is an approaching car...I look left first, then right...if the left is clear then I look right, and if the right is clear I go. If either way is not clear, you can swerve with the traffic of the car that is approaching you

did I say eye contact? if I see a red light ahead and there's a stupid driver pressing to get around me, I'll watch him, and show him that I'm not pressed nor scared because he is reving the engine...a nice open hand signal toward the street light is a nice demonstrative gesture

some of these techniques (especially the eye contact...lol) will provoke either a compassionate driver to show a little more respect for you( a smile or nod is not uncommon) or a respectless driver to show you less respect ( a loud honk or an attempt to run you off the road)....
this is the give and take, but I'd rather have a bit of space to maneuver if someone is gonna try to run me over...

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Old 07-18-06, 02:21 PM
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lots of info here

Be aggressive when you need to, same with taking a lane.

Last edited by shishi; 07-18-06 at 02:26 PM.
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Old 07-18-06, 02:22 PM
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I've found the open hand technique works amazingly well. Much better than the single open finger technique, that is. The palm towards the ground, slow down movement, in reponse to a honking driver also works, especially when paired with a "pass me now" wave afterwards. Keeps everyone's temper down a bit.
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Old 07-18-06, 02:26 PM
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Originally Posted by teiaperigosa
annother big thing is positioning through red lights...I usually get as far to the left side of the road as I can so that I can maintain speed but swerve right if there is an approaching car...I look left first, then right...if the left is clear then I look right, and if the right is clear I go. If either way is not clear, you can swerve with the traffic of the car that is approaching you
+1...I do this all the time
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Old 07-18-06, 02:40 PM
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I yell a lot, it sort of jolts a driver out of their comfort zone and forces them to re-examine their actions, especially when they are routine asshats like cabbies, rather than homicidal jerks in SUVs.

Not much you can do when an SUV is being obnoxious, unless you are the type to feel vindicated by a callout and a fistfight.

When I'm going fast in the city (on an avenue in NYC) I ALWAYS ride in the very middle of the street, taking the middle lane when traffic is light, or riding the centermost broken white when traffic is heavier. Turning cars are more dangerous than steadily flowing traffic.

Make sure that the car sees you. Again, yell ("yeo!" or something similar). As soon as they know that you are there, just ride close to them if they crowd you. They usually get skittish and clear out.

Just like bikes, cars depend on the people around them not killing them--they just have a bit more protection, less maneuverability, more speed and more power-- and probably less skill.
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Old 07-18-06, 02:41 PM
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i consider running red lights to be an essential safety technique for urban riding. after running a red light, and especially after sneaking through a light right after it turns red, you find yourself on a completely vacant street. no cars = no threat. the more often you run red lights the greater the percentage of time you spend on empty streets.

here's some knowledge that i find useful: on new york's one-way avenues, the lights are timed in groups, divided by the major crosstown streets i.e. 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd etc, and they're timed for 20-25 mph traffic. Thus a bicycle riding down seventh ave will begin hitting yellow lights, then reds, because bikes aren't fast enough to take advantage of the lights' timing. However, the cycle restarts after every major crosstown intersection, so that if a cyclist can make it through the light on a major crosstown, the next light will be not red, but green, and an early green at that. So if you can sneak through a red on a major crosstown street, you'll get 5-10 blocks of clear sailing with no cars anywhere near you.
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Old 07-18-06, 02:43 PM
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Yeah, it is real nice to catch 10-15 blocks of greens
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Old 07-18-06, 02:55 PM
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Lately I've been catching myself sneaking through cars parked at reds and then will track stand infront of the front most car in the lane I want to be in, and will take the lane that way. Totally ***** move on my part, drives them nuts, but it works...
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Old 07-18-06, 02:57 PM
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Old 07-18-06, 03:00 PM
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I find different boros has different drivers so you gotta know some of them aren't used to dealing w/ cyclists or drive like they just boosted the car.
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Old 07-18-06, 03:00 PM
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thread killer
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Old 07-18-06, 03:02 PM
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Old 07-18-06, 03:10 PM
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Hungry Like a Wolf
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Old 07-18-06, 04:42 PM
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I usually let people who aren't speeding pass me but I can't stand speeders. A woman in a minivan was trying to pass me so I moved to the shoulder to let her and pass, she doesn't so I move back into the semi-center of the lane. Then she starts coming up on my ass like she wants to pass. I started to move but realized that she was going probably around 30 and the speed limit is 15. So I move in to the center and go like 10mph. I started cracking up laughing. I turned off the road and she sped past flipping me the bird. Funny as hell because the next day I was riding with my brother and guess who I see pulled over by the FIVE-O??? I couldn't stop laughing the rest of the ride. -Will
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Old 07-18-06, 08:06 PM
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thats so sexual!
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Old 07-18-06, 10:27 PM
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Originally Posted by boots
So if you can sneak through a red on a major crosstown street, you'll get 5-10 blocks of clear sailing with no cars anywhere near you.

too dope =)
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Old 07-19-06, 06:36 AM
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Originally Posted by onetwentyeight
Lately I've been catching myself sneaking through cars parked at reds and then will track stand infront of the front most car in the lane I want to be in, and will take the lane that way. Totally ***** move on my part, drives them nuts, but it works...
I do this all the time. They don't mind it if I can get a jump by pushing through the red because of no cross-traffic though.

Taking a lane is key. I split lanes if I'm overtaking stopped or slowed traffic, never when being overtaken.
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Old 07-19-06, 07:15 AM
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But I hate when you take a lane and a car still tries to take it when you are in it, happen to me this morning.
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Old 07-19-06, 08:30 AM
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Originally Posted by seasponge
thats so sexual!
go pledge allegiance or something
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Old 07-19-06, 09:34 AM
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I guess I'm not as assertive as you guys... I rarely take a full lane, only if the street is so narrow that there's no way I can be safely overtaken. Otherwise, I leave it to the drivers's judgement when and where they pass me. I leave myself some bailout room at the side, riding 2 feet from the edge.

It's definitely NOT because drivers are more skilled and cautious here. More like, if I took the lane, they'd hit me intentionally.
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Old 07-19-06, 10:09 AM
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I'll clarify: I'll take a lane if it is a multi-lane street, if speed limit isn't over 25mph, and there are frequent intersections, i.e. most city riding. My commute is mostly suburban, one-lane each way, 45mph roads, so I rarely take a lane on them.
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Old 07-19-06, 01:39 PM
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Sorry to start preaching, but "warrior" ?? What war? And how is urban riding under the purview of singlespeed & fixed? If you honestly feel like you are "risking your life" when you ride, I believe you have a problem.

I can't stand pissant bike riders who I have carefully passed when I am driving, who procede to split lanes, run the red, then I need to pass them again. Especially if they are swerving unpredictably. You might want to filter in traffic and hold a decent line when you ride. I find this "I am a vehicle on my bike, respect me, I have a right to use the road" attitude completely at odds with "I can run red lights and the rules don't apply to me." It seems if you want respect on the road, you should earn it by playing by the rules of the road.

Seriously, it need not be an "us against them" proposition. There is a zen to cycling that finds peace with motorized traffic. It isn't without its bumps, and there will always be a$$hole motorists--- but the answer to a$$hole motorists is NOT to be an a$$hole cylist.

I guess there are different schools of thought. I prefer to "share" the road. It may be my right to "own" it, but there are enough drivers out there who act like they "own" it that it seems better to lead by example rather than stooping to their level. Besides, it is much more enjoyable riding without a chip on my shoulder... or always having to look over my shoulder or watch my back.


Originally Posted by teiaperigosa
share off

we know what it is to risk our lives and flirt with danger...protect ourselves while being looked down upon by those who threaten us...
sure there are drivers who may have or think they have respect for cyclists to diffferent extents, but in the grand scheme of things, the roads are not designed for our safety...

when push comes to shove, it's often safer to break road 'rules' (ie...running red lights) and take advantage of the situation than to sit back and wallow further in the margins...

big city riding, small city riding, suburb riding, country riding...what are yalls techniques for staying afloat in the shark infested waters?

in light of this thread..... https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=211772

although I prob do it less in NYC, in smaller cities or outskirts I like to do the take the whole lane trick, and look back (not too excessively that I'm not watching my front) trying to make or at least feint eye contact (with a fully turned head) with the driver...the key here is to let them know that I've actively decided to take the WHOLE lane, and that they better not fuk wit me and approach my personal space...swerving in the lane while looking back can clarify if the subtle look is unclear to the driver... this gives space so that if the driver does try to press past you, you are not locked between the passing car and a curb or rear view mirrors

another big thing that I put a lot of emphasis riding a lot is eye contact...especially in areas where there are four way stop signs, or you are running a red light...again...the key is to let the driver know that you see them, and that you are focused on them as you make your decision...let them know that you are actively making the decision to claim right of way, or steal it from the driver (great tool for when the yellow light just turns and you've decided to go)

annother big thing is positioning through red lights...I usually get as far to the left side of the road as I can so that I can maintain speed but swerve right if there is an approaching car...I look left first, then right...if the left is clear then I look right, and if the right is clear I go. If either way is not clear, you can swerve with the traffic of the car that is approaching you

did I say eye contact? if I see a red light ahead and there's a stupid driver pressing to get around me, I'll watch him, and show him that I'm not pressed nor scared because he is reving the engine...a nice open hand signal toward the street light is a nice demonstrative gesture

some of these techniques (especially the eye contact...lol) will provoke either a compassionate driver to show a little more respect for you( a smile or nod is not uncommon) or a respectless driver to show you less respect ( a loud honk or an attempt to run you off the road)....
this is the give and take, but I'd rather have a bit of space to maneuver if someone is gonna try to run me over...

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Old 07-19-06, 02:26 PM
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if you don't realize that your life is at risk when you ride a bike (more so than it is when you drive a car), then you are either oblivious, don't ride much, you ride in norway or somewhere or other, or any combination of the three

earn respect by playing by the rules?...who's rules?...babylon law is not earth's law...I refuse to sit at stop lights behind vehicles and suck up their polluting fumes...this is amongst other foolish things I refuse to do...
motorists need to show respect by supporting public transportation and respecting the environment (including public space)

unfortunately for those on the margins (in all walks of life), they don't have any choice but to look at the situation as us vs. them....but I didn't even use that terminology...'s a matter of survival, and if you don't survive cause you thought shiit was so gushy, then you know you done fukked up

a chip on the shoulder can often be just a keen awareness...you're talking that same talk that always put down colored people who refused to take **** from either blatant or subtle white supremacy....but of course, it was always the chip on the shoulder that was the problem, not whiteness and its blinding capabilities

speaking of which...bicycling while black is a whole nother topic that you probably don't know much about...some of us have no choice to be aware of the way things are
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Old 07-19-06, 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by boots
i consider running red lights to be an essential safety technique for urban riding. after running a red light, and especially after sneaking through a light right after it turns red, you find yourself on a completely vacant street. no cars = no threat. the more often you run red lights the greater the percentage of time you spend on empty streets.

here's some knowledge that i find useful: on new york's one-way avenues, the lights are timed in groups, divided by the major crosstown streets i.e. 14th, 23rd, 34th, 42nd etc, and they're timed for 20-25 mph traffic. Thus a bicycle riding down seventh ave will begin hitting yellow lights, then reds, because bikes aren't fast enough to take advantage of the lights' timing. However, the cycle restarts after every major crosstown intersection, so that if a cyclist can make it through the light on a major crosstown, the next light will be not red, but green, and an early green at that. So if you can sneak through a red on a major crosstown street, you'll get 5-10 blocks of clear sailing with no cars anywhere near you.
I completely agree with the motivation here to run some red lights. But I disagree with regards to the lights "restarting" after a major cross street. My experience tells me its more that the major cross streets go yellow/red faster than the minor cross streets. In other words, riding southbound on 5th ave, one can ride a "wave" of greens from 50th to 43rd but the 42nd (major cross street) light will turn yellow (and then red) sooner than the rest of the wave. But once you pass 42nd, then 41st (and 40th, 39th, etc) will be on the same wave as 50th to 43rd was.
But that was just my personal experience.
Lastly, the best wave I've caught was 5th ave from 50th to 17th (i think). The downhill from 37th or so to 31st really helps.
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Old 07-19-06, 03:22 PM
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[QUOTE=teiaperigosaI refuse to sit at stop lights behind vehicles and suck up their polluting fumes...this is amongst other foolish things I refuse to do...
motorists need to show respect by supporting public transportation and respecting the environment (including public space)
[/QUOTE]


It's getting really hard to tell who is the most self righteous ******bag on this forum recently. Right now I think its a tossup between you and visitordesign.

You refuse to follow the law and they need to except and accept this to respect the enviorment. I just can't wait till you "swerve" into traffic since you can't even be bothered to stop before running a red, get creamed and then make a thread about how the new york gestapo refused to cite the driver for hitting you. Hopefully you won't be able to ride anymore after that and thier will be one less dip**** to give us all a bad name.
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