So I was in my friends car a few nights ago in Portland, when I saw a person riding a single speed down the road. It was probably around 11 at night. As we passed, I rolled down the window and asked her where her dérailleur was. I thought I was being humorous. The woman who was riding didn't seem to think so, and only scowled and kept riding.

If someone said it to me, I would probably at least smile back. Granted, I don't like getting taunted or yelled at while I ride my bike, but I thought i was being funny enough and showing enough knowledge of bicycles for her to realize I wasn't being mean. The other thought that crossed my mind was she thought I was being an ******* male trying to show off, which I wasn't.

not.

i mean, it wasn't super rude, what you said. but y'know, when you're riding in traffic, people yelling almost anything out a car window is mad-lame because it throws you off guard and stuff. my favorite thing is when small children give me a thumbs up when i'm crankin'. word.

I wouldn't have done it if there had been a lot of traffic. But we were the only car on the road and she had the lane to herself.

Word to the kids giving thumbs up.

anything from a motorist pisses me off.

its loud, annoying, and ruins anything good i could have been possibly thinking about.

well, i mean, just riding even with occasional cars driving by, people yelling **** is a bummer because you're kinda in your own world and then "HEY LANCE! GO MOTHER****ER YEAH *** HAHAHAH!!!".

the power imbalance makes the cyclist humourless

dont be a bully

Next time try "Nice bike." And don't worry so much about the cyclist's reaction.

i can never understand what people yell at me from cars, so i take everything as an offense.

Yeah anything a guy in a car says to a woman on a bike at night will tend to be interpreted humourlessly. pinkmike is right, you should have gone with "nice bike".

"Nice bike" usually comes off as a sarcastic *******y comment when said from a person passing you in a car.

i cant think of anytime i was glad that someone in a car yelled at me

Then it's settled, next time eyes forward and ferme la bouche.

I can never hear either, though I always like to assume it was a compliment being shouted. This results in awkward moments when a passing motorist screams "F**K YOU LANCE" and I reply with, "Thanks! I think it's a poly-cotton blend!"

I think instead of "awkward moments" you meant to type "awesome moments".

And on second thought, silence is the best policy.

Obnoxious is how I'd describe it. And certainly not funny, unless you are a frat boy.

she probably didn't understand what you were saying. a thumb's up and a smile would have carried the message through.

Hi All-

Go with the universally understood thumbs-up sign. Everyone digs it.

~ Blue Jays ~

Think McFly, THINK!

i'm just always surprised that they know who i am

Lame for a variety of reasons:

1) She's a female by herself at 11 at night. Most women, no matter how tough and independent they are, are in no mood to be hollered at by guys they don't know under those circumstances.

2) You're shouting something at her from a passing car. There's almost no way to do this in a laid-back, friendly way, even if you're trying (which I fully understand you were).

3) You phrased it as a question, albeit a joking one. So now, in addition to forcing her to think "Is this guy about to assault me?" she also has to think, at least for a split second, "Am I supposed to have an answer to that?" If you were to ask her the same "question" while she was unlocking her bike outside a coffee shop, you would be able to show your intentions clearly with a disarming, friendly stance and a ha-ha-we-both-know-the-answer-to-that-one-don't-we look on your face. But not from a passing car at night.

To give you some perspective, earlier tonight when I was riding from work to lunch, a car passed by me and a guy yelled out something incomprehensible while pumping his fist in a go-Lance kind of way. After a split second, I recognized the guy as a friend from work, also on his way to lunch--he was just being goofy, the way guys do with dudes they know from work. OK, cool; I smiled and pumped my fist back. But despite the fact that I'm a (ugly) guy and it was only ten o'clock at night and I'm pretty unfazed at this point by people yelling at me from cars and it turned out to be somebody I know, I was still a little thrown-off and irritated at first. See what I'm saying?

Pardon the wordiness but I'm just trying to get you to see it from her point of view.

+1

It sucks that our history forces us to think about **** like that whenever we have a interaction with a woman.

[edit] history and present [/edit]

Seriously...

I've had a couple.

Once was some really pretty girl told me nice Dura-Ace hubs and drove off. I fell in love.

And and old lady told me my bag was adorable while I was waiting at a light.

And some lady in a really nice sports car yelled out, "Trackstand" while I was doing one at a light. That was funny.

Most of the time I don't like when people yell at me, but sometimes they say some really nice things. Sometimes just really hilarious things.