I'm tryin' to figure out how to work this into an all expenses paid trip to Chi town, here.

Come here, be Aristotelian. And then teach me peace. I want to be wrong on this, but it is impossible

whenever I read these car vs. bike posts I always want to say this:

These things happen in instants
and
hindsight is 20/20

At that moment the beamer tried to kill DV and DV had
to do what was necessary for him: retaliate.

Now instead of the Beamer saying "I almost jacked a biker," he has
to say "I almost jacked a biker, and he gave me payback"

Too many drivers feel invincible in their cages and need a little
reality check every once in awhile.

Next time I'm in Chicago, I'll look you up and we can laugh about this over a beer. That is, if my horse will make it that far. It's been ridden hard and put away wet too many times here in lowly Window Rock.

I just got home and the craziest thing happened on my ride. I was cruising up Rhode Island Avenue and this guy in an M3 cuts me off and slams on his brakes. I come within inches of his bumper, do a quick lean on the quarter panel, and swerve around to the driver's side for a chat. He rolls down his window and says, "that's for that effin' Chicago Dumptser Diving Fregan m-f'er."

Crazy, I tell ya. Looks like they must have a forum, too.

I was unaware of that definition of the term "Bucko". Please accept my apologies.

Your right. That was easy.

thing is, the beamer guy will almost certainly leave out the part about almost jacking the biker.

the other thing is, DV, if there had been a cop around, and you did what you did to the guy's car, it probably would've been your ass in the back seat. why? because it would've been beamer man's word against your's and big city cops rarely believe bike riders...and while he <i>could've</i> killed you, he didn't do you any harm at all, therefore, your actions are unjustifiable in the eyes of the law. which sucks.

but maybe now the beamer guy will be a little more careful about where he throws his 2000 pound chunk of metal and plastic. he was definitely willing to put someone else's life in danger that time, chances are, if he learns anything from this, he won't be as willing to do it a second time...then again, maybe he'll be more willing. either way, if you hadn't acted, he'd be just as willing to do it again. so hopefully, he'll consider other people's well-being next time he thinks about pulling something like that.

that story i posted happened on my 21st birthday (almost two years ago). my friend had just finished the day messengering, we were on our way to go ride BMX...we just had to go pick up our bikes. i kinda think he's an idiot for spitting on the driver, because he could've just let it go, but we all make choices in life, and i can't fault him for going with his instincts, however wrong they may have been at the time...if i had been following closer, it probably wouldn't have happened because i would've been in his way and he wouldn't have gone back, but then again, i was afraid to pass the ambulance because the driver was driving erratically.

Point taken, but join me for a beer anyday! And yes, I am serious. Heck, I'll even buy dinner, as long as you can eat it in rush hour on a fixed gear!

Wow isn't this a prolific post..

What I like to do in situations like this one, especially where there is LOTS of traffic, is just pull up next to the guy and say "Bet cha I will get to work before you" then promptly speed away. Especially during rush hour, there is NO WAY a car can traverse a city as fast as a bike can. This way I still feel better about the situation, and the guy sitting in traffic feels like loser (I hope at least).

Maybe not quite as fun as breaking something, but the result is about the same. Really makes me wonder about people when they pass you shouting and expect not to be caught up with at the next light....

Some people's children....

There's the rational side coming out. See, we really can all get along.

Well, that's not true, but still, it seemed cheesily appropriate.

If dinner's pureed, by the way, and I can drink it, I might survive your proposal. Now that all depends, of course, on what's been pureed. There are some things that I refuse to drink instead of eating.

Nah, I am far from rational when it comes to life-preservation. But I'll still drink a beer with ya.
I still defend my stance on this, and will continue to. Just an FYI

Don't try to pick a fight this late in the day.

Is your bladder empty?

Actually, no, but I'm pretty sure that I couldn't outpiss my dog after this thread. I might have pulled a pee muscle. (Not to be confused with a love muscle).

Told you that you'd want to think about that before you said it.. I told ya.

Nah, I can piss quite a ways, but I can't keep pissing farther every time. Gotta work on it. When the wind comes up here in a couple of weeks, I'll start peeing into it to work on my endurance.

I would, uh, not recommend that. Just my opinion.

aaah, post-coital bliss....

There actually was a cop about 100 yards back but I'm pretty sure he didn't see it happen and even if he did, best of luck to him with catching me during rush hour without scalding himself and dropping his jelly doughnut...

And for the record I ride a 54/16 (a 91.125 inch gear).

Yeah, you already said this in your original post and we were all duly impressed...

the cop who sees it doesn't necessarily have to be the cop who catches you. they do wonderful things with radio technology these days. and there are always more cops...

You know, you are right I did!! I totally forgot about that. My statement was actually in response to WK's post #70 in which he says, "No, I was making a reference to DV's HUGE gear he turns, 52 something."

I'm proud that I can crank a huge gear, what's so wrong with pride eh? ~braces for the fall~

Yeah, that's too true. Damn technology. On the other hand putting out an APB for a "cyclist on Fullerton wearing pants and a messenger bag" isn't going to yield great results

After reading this whole thing I would have to congratulate you on the smashing of that guys mirror. Sometimes you need to let off some steam after a whole day of people trying to hit you in one way or another. Somedays however it is fun to just ride by and wave with a big dumb grin on your face. It all depends on how your feeling at the time.
However if I would have done the spitting onto the ambulance driver I don't think I would have stuck around to yell a bit more. I kind of think that the spitting or whatever action it may be as the period or exlamation point to the sentance.
BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH

the thing about it is, he didn't stick around. it was just the wrong place at the wrong time...(the transit cops' van was RIGHT there, and the bike cop was pretty close already. the driver actually jumped out of the ambulance to chase him down, as he started riding the wrong way down newbury, she grabbed his messenger bag and slowed him down enough so the bike cop could slam him against a semi truck, then they took him down with his feet still clipped into the pedals. that was a great birthday, i tell you what.

that kid had a really ****ty year actually...after that happened, he couldn't work for a while in boston because his license got suspended, so he worked in cambridge, and got a couple hefty tickets for running red lights (same cop got him twice in two weeks...and it wasn't very smart of him to ask the cop "don't you have anything better to do!?" on the second offense). then he broke his jaw, he wrecked his car because someone else was a dumbass, his car then got stolen (he got it back but it was pretty much totalled, insurance paid him $3000 or something like that to take it away), then he got his work bike and a new (to him) pinarello road bike with full pantographed campy parts on it that he hadn't even had a chance to ride stolen...he got his work bike back (a black harry havnoonian with all black phils) but he never saw that pin. again.

hammye: if you couriered in boston, you might know who i'm talking about...he's a great kid and i miss the hell out of him.