...don't check behind them before backing out into the bike lane!

Riding to class today and I see this lady a ways down the road trying to back her golf cart out across the bike lane. Looks behind her once, tries backing up and gets stuck on the curb. Pulls forwards for take two and proceeds to give it all the gas it has to make it over the curb, falsely assuming there is still nobody in her path. Emergency stop + Swerve + Angry cussing ensues...

Moral of the story: It's nice to have a front brake on a fixed gear.

Anybody else care to share other recent stories re-enforcing this lesson?

Mercedes in the mechanic's shop lot this morning.

other cars from said shop backing up into the street, but nothing scary yet. They get a nice tap on the trunk as I pass

Sprinting on my pista concept down one of those narrower popular roads about 3 months back; narrower due to the addition of bike lanes ironically. Some parked jacka$$ opens the door without looking, right in front of me nearly T-boned into his driver's door potentially ruining my pista concept altogether, my hed 3 mounted at front, and my back and life. Swerved into traffic, was lucky that the #1 lane was empty and nearly crashed into a fuso truck in the #2. Came back and unleashed words of manhood raping caliber to the ******; I felt invisible with my u lock close at hand waiting to do some cranium bashing or free of charge automotive body work.

Don't even ride the door zone. Ever. Regardless how the bike lane is designed.

+100. I mean, sure it sucks if you get doored; but you can't get doored if you aren't a dumb**** who rides in the door zone. Talking about doing "cranium bashing" because you ride like a ****ing idiot. You need a mouthshot.

There's 80% of the problem right there.

- Sprinting 20%
- Brakeless track bike being used on a not-velodrome 20%
- Choosing a narrow road 20%
- Choosing a popular road 20%

Yeah the guy opened the door on you (the last 20%), but the other 80% was in your control.

Do you think this risk of your "back and life" would have happened if
- You weren't sprinting OR
- You had brakes OR
- You chose to ride on a wide road OR
- You chose to ride on a unpopular side street

...even IF the person opened a door on you?


I don't mean to come down on you. I just want people to ride smarter. Once a friend of mine and I were out on a leisurely ride on our track bikes (both brakeless). We wound up at Piedemont Park (in ATL) during peak time. Lots of people out. Kids, dogs on retractable leashes, fruitbooters... He challenged me to a full on 1 lap of the park. He was dead serious. He couldn't understand why I thought that not just one, but TWO dudes on brakeless track bikes sprinting through the busy park for over a mile was a bad idea.

+1 for brakes and -100 for those who claim they can stop just as well if not better brakeless

If you want to ride a track bike, ride it on the ****in track!

Here in Lou-evil there are a lot of FG bikes without brakes. But I can't argue that most of these bikes actually need brakes since I rarely see them ridden at anything faster than a quick walking pace... if they're being ridden at all. Maybe the owners are just smart enough to not take their bikes beyond a 'safe' speed.

I think I know where this thread is heading!!!!

We haven't had a cat thread in a while!

+1.

Come on guys, this has to be a joke. Too much product placement.

Did someone say Cat Thread?

Partaaaaaay!!!!

Hmm... I'll have to search on 'Cat Thread'... I definitely missed out.

Every once in a while a car will turn out in front of me and not actually have enough time.

I just wave in the rear view, and usually get a dirty look. lol

my dad rides a Road Bike every single day even into his 70's

he was going around a double parked car and got door-ed, ironically it was an Ambulance. 11 stitches in the knee, plus ruined bike.
I know it sounds ridiculous but, true story.

I almost choked on my earl grey tea....goddamit.. cat dancin is funny as ish or is it the skinny dude having an asthma attack?