the one time i had a pleasing experience with a motorist while riding is when a bunch of guys pull up beside me and start pacing me and out of the back window one of them hands me a Gatorade, that and kids in the back of volvos make me happy

What is this "eight d" of which you write?

I'm sure you'd do that in SF. I can remember getting yelled at for being a breeder. Seriously.

I already stated I was talking before I knew she was a she.

I wasn't complaining. I found the reaction strange, and wanted to get an opinion (or two) about the whole incident. Even if I was complaining, isn't that what an internet forum is for?

You seem to have confused sarcasm with irony. But wait, did you really, or is this some intricate plot to belittle me further (much as I seem to deserve it for asking about a derailleur)? Damn, I just don't know. Nor do I care anymore.

The only yell out the window moment that I really appreciated was when some guy yelled that my money was about to fall out of my pocket, which it was. That guy save me from losing like 40 bucks. And at first I didn't understand what he was saying and was about to flick him off because I thought he was taunting me. I'm just so used to ******bags yelling from cars that I wasn't expecting a good samaritan.

How was she supposed to know you weren't being a smartass? I wouldn't say it was ironic wither, unless you were holding a lost deraileur at the time and happened upon the woman who lost it.

where exactly are you riding? Didnt expect to see a post like this from phila.

then again...i'm not a she...

can everyone just turn this into a thread where we exchange stories about nice things passing motorists have done for us?

once the red bull-mobile hooked me and my roommate up with some free drinks while passing us in traffic.

Had you shouted that out the window of a car at me I would have mistaken your irony for sarcasm too. See not all ironic questions are funny. I don't think "where's your derailer?" is a funny ironic statement, so I would have to assume you were either trying to be funny, and failing miserably, or you were being a ******. Given the fact that most people shouting things from cars at cyclists are in fact being ******s that is the safest bet.

So with that in mind, if you're going to try to say something to a cyclist, and you want it to be well received, remember they will probably be taken by surprise, and won't have much time to recover and figure out your intentions. Keep is simple, so there is no room for misinterpretation. "Hi", "Nice Bike" "Nice Night for a ride" are all pretty safe. Don't even TY to be funny unless you're pretty sure what you are about to say actually IS funny. If you're pretty sure "where's your derailer?" is a funny comment to make to a singlespeeder, I'd avoid humor altogether.

I had a white van pull alongside me (note to non UK readers - this is what builders and delivery drivers usually use to try and kill cyclists in the UK), keep pace with me for a bit and then a guy leaned out the window and shouted "******** nice one mate - you're doing 25 miles an hour!". Then they drove off.

That was cool.

Yelling out of cars aside, I find it hard to believe that "where is your derailleur" could be construed as an insult to a single speeder. She presumably knew she had no derailleur and wanted her bicycle that way, or it would have had one. It would be like someone yelling "where is your third wheel" to me. I don't want three wheels on my bike, if I did, I would. Oh wait, that would be a ****** bag thing to yell (although still not insulting). See, I do think about things sometimes.

Not insulting to suggest you should be riding a tricycle? See some people would consider that implication an insult along the lines of "get off the road ******". Stick with "hi" it's very difficult to misinterpret.

:D

How do you figure?

Maybe she missunderstood you and thought you said, "Your ass looks huge on that bike."

Irony implies a group in the know, and a group not in the know. Sarcasm does not rely on these two separate audiences. Anyone reading your post would be able to tell that you did not mean at all what you said, and were merely mocking my post about irony. No second group that is clueless and therefore no irony.

she probably would have been more amicable if she liked your face.

Actually, that's very true. Women will, very often, pretend the issue is something else than just plain-old attractiveness (or lack thereof). But don't expect them to admit it.

That's one definition of irony. There are, of course, others. The generally accepted definition (of the sort of irony we are presumably talking about) simply requires that meaning be expressed by the use of different, usually opposite, language.

You are certainly correct in pegging my response to your post as sarcastic. In this, your English degree has not let you down. You go astray only when you assume that your preferred definition of irony is the universal or authoritative one.

I wouldn't make a deal out of this. I would have done the same thing as the girl because I don't care for people saying anything while next to me in some car. If you were on a bike and said that, I suspect the reaction would have been totally different. Best not to mess with people on bikes while you are in a car. JMHO.

Dictionary
irony 1 |ˈīrənē; ˈiərnē| noun ( pl. -nies) the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect : “Don't go overboard with the gratitude,” he rejoined with heavy irony. See note at wit . • a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result : [with clause ] the irony is that I thought he could help me. • (also dramatic or tragic irony) a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character. ORIGIN early 16th cent.(also denoting Socratic irony): via Latin from Greek eirōneia ‘simulated ignorance,’ from eirōn ‘dissembler.’ irony 2 |ˈīərnē| adjective of or like iron : an irony gray color.

Thesaurus
irony noun 1 that note of irony in her voice sarcasm, causticity, cynicism, mockery, satire, sardonicism. See note at wit . antonym sincerity. 2 the irony of the situation paradox, incongruity, incongruousness. antonym logic.

• a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result

By that definition you COULD say her response to your ironic question was also ironic.

Also note the thesauraus includes mockery causticity and sarcasm as synonyms for irony while not always the case ironic statements are often made in a sarcastic or mocking manner, and that's how I think most single speeders would interpret "where's your derailer" no matter what the context.

I second all the its odd to be yelled at, I had a guy ask me what kind of car I was driving while I was riding through the city, he laughed then suggested a chevie. He seemed nice enough but I am still confused if he was just being a prick or not. The point, while on the bike, i assume everything being said is being said by an ass.

It did make me feel better to pass him while he got stuck in a traffic jam and say well whatever I am riding is doing better then his BMW