I was out riding today and this dude in front of me was taking the center of the vehicle lane, even though there was a perfectly fine bike lane (which I was in) and a line of cars behind him. A guy in a minivan honked at him and went around. Dude on the bike flipped him off, threw his lit cigarette through the open window of the car, and started screaming obscenities at him, telling him to "share the f**king road" and all kinds of s**t. Pulled up to a stoplight, dude got out his u-lock and threatened the guy with it before hitting the car with the lock and riding off down a side street. A block later, I roll up next to minivan man at a light and he starts screaming at me about how all cyclists are stupid f**king hoodlums with no respect for traffic laws.

[rant]

The point is this, people: Ride safely and don't be a dick. I mean, if you're blocking the road, you're being a dick. If you're cutting people off, you're being a dick. People like him are why drivers hate us. I mean, I don't know about the rest of the world, but in Chicago, people in cars tend to be a**holes toward cyclists. I say that next time we see someone being a major tool, we beat them. The severity of the dickishness should be directly proportional to the beating. Blocking traffic? Smack in the ribs with a lockring tool. Smashing a u-lock into a car after throwing a lit cigarette into the car? Beat mercilessly with rider's own lock, and take his bike away as punishment.

[/rant]

Seriously, just have some respect for your fellow man.

wow that guy is lucky to still be riding after that move

Speaking as a cyclist, if I were in my car and some jackoff did that to me, I'd hunt him down.

What a pansy

Anyways, from the Surly bike blog.

"It sucks to be harassed by a**holes in cars while you're on a bike. It also sucks to drive behind a**holes on bikes."

As a driver, jerks on bikes are the worst. Half the time the police will back-up the guy on the bike just because he's on a bike (at least that's the case in my town).
As a cyclist, jerk in cars are the worst (aside from huge potholes at night).

I've read that Surly blog, and as I said, I'd have hunted him down. There's no reason to be a d*ck like that. Chicago cops don't seem to like cyclists very much. I got pulled over for speeding once. On a SS. People hate on cyclists because of people like him, and because of people like this guy:

I've never seen anybody skid like that before. Impressive

I bet Scrod could, if he really tried.

i am in love with how ridiculous this picture is.

trackstand barspinz to iphone fakie saddle analrape

^^^ i like how the guy to the left matches color of his rear rim with his panties.

Today on my commute home on those same fine (ahem) streets of Chicago, I almost got killed by a car. I was riding somewhat to the right but not so far that I couldn't be seen (riding NW on Lincoln approaching the Irving/Damen intersection). Light was green and I started through the intersection going straight. I sense a car coming up behind me to my left. A large black SUV pulls up alongside me and slowly starts veering to the right. Suddenly I realize she's veering north on to Damen, so I slam on the brakes and sure enough, she just maintains her line and turns up Damen. This was not your standard speed up and pass right hook, this was someone who either did not see me or thought I was turning even though I gave no indication of such. Oh, and her turn signal was not on.

Later I almost got hit by a car deciding to take a U-turn at an intersection without looking.

So you know what, I'm okay with taking the lane most of the time - you don't know if they are turning left up ahead or avoiding dangerous situations at intersections or what.

Of course the cyclist's behavior after he got honked at is inexcusable but I've been known to lose my cool and flip off a honking car now and then.

This incident happened between Roscoe and Irving on Damen at like 3. We may have been there together.

MISSED CONNECTION ZOMG. J/k, I work your normal 9-5 so this was like 5:30pm. Look for the sqrl on the tiny yellow fixed gear, or the ugly-ass gold bianchi commuter.

Glad you made it! BF needs its sqrls.

Wtf is a sqrl? Also, I will look for you, but I generally work evenings. Chef life and all...

sqrl = girl/ woman

Or, more specifically, single-speed/fixed gear-riding female.

If that's the case, more correctly & commonly used here; female bystander to fixed gear/ single speed bike. She's still a bystander is she's on it.

This. Also, she doesn't have to have to bike present during conversation to be a sqrl.