Bike rider thread?

What happened? It was interesting and NOT exactly controversial last time I read it. Then it was gone!

It disapeared not long after I posted a reply. Hope it wasn't something I said.

I don't see how a thread about bicycles could have become "political", but you never know these days...

I saw your reply. Didn't seem like anything that would have stirred up trouble to me.

They are awfully sensitive about those goofy shorts they wear.

don"t feel bad, i posted a thread that i thought was harmless and not personal, sometimes it starts to get out of hand on replied comments, or offensive, so it re moved to the guidelines of yt. what starts out friendly, to some never does.

It is kinda funny how you pay registration for vehicles and trucks, pay for traffic violations, pay taxes for the roads, buy plates etc. and the only people who dont seem to have any rights on the roads are drivers! its always walkers and bicyclers that you must watch out and yield for and if you hit one youre a murderer.

Someone ought to buy them a mirror to see how bad they look in them funny tight shorts

weel ,iguess , the moderator pedals a bkie,,. dude

Takes a real man to wear them in public!

That's probably similar to the post that made the other thread go poof.

As I understand it it is a right to be able to walk, bicycle, drive a tractor or a horse and buggy or wagon etc, at least in my area. The exception I can think of is interstate highways. On the other hand it is a privilege to be able to drive a car truck etc and you have to be licensed and insured and such. I don't know if that is universally true but it seems to be around here.
Zach

usually if you check at site comments you"ll see who didn"t like it. They usually delete the taddle talers post too to protect the stupid.
I know something I post will probably be deleted but I don"t care for some two faced back stabber doing it. I figure if you want it banded maybe you shouldn"t be posting to the same thread or if you run around and play hall monitor and haven"t even posted any where in days or don"t try to help once in a while. I won"t mention any names, Tim V and Red Dave.

That's sorta what I figured.....sigh

.....

Noticed that my self, but my Dawg still doesn't like bike riders on her street. Only reason it was puffed was some reader must have felt the seat was rubbing the butt area little too close. I quite ridding bikes as soon as I got my car at age 16. Lived 6 miles from town. Never rode tractor to town either - no reason to go, lived in Iowa and too young to go into the brass rail. Used the word tractor so I am good to go.

Racing bike can cost as much as a good used car. Maybe they should pay road tax as the cars do?

It was my thread , I started it but I never got to view any of the replies that had been posted to it.

I don't hate bicyclists but I don't understand where the hard-core wanna bee's think that they can ride the roads, in the lanes of traffic when there is a good 2-3 foot shoulder (rightside of the white line) and very often a paved 4 ft wide bike path along the side of the road. In many cases the bike paths are on each side of the roads. These same riders riding in the road, they run stop signs and even lights. When a driver gets behind a group of 2-3-4-10 ect they look back and see a line of traffic behind them but they never break the 3-4 wide formation in the road as they wheel along at around 15 MPH. Each car/truck must pass them by waiting until the oncoming traffic shows a gap.
...I just don't get these folks.

There is no excuse either bike riders or drivers running stop signs and red lights regardless of your vehicle. We all need to obay the rules of the road and share the road with everyone else. Bicycles have the same responsibilities as a motorcycle and the same right to a full lane as a motorcycle.

I can't speak for not using the shoulder or bike lane when one is available.

The bicyclists that are holding their lane on two lane roads with no shoulder and on-coming traffic do that because it isn't safe for someone to pass them yet.

Next time you're in that situation just imagine you're following a group of folks in funny looking caps and overalls having a good time slow driving down the road at 11 MPH on brightly colored John Deere B's, Case DC's, Farmall A's, Oliver 70's, and Allis Chalmers WC's instead of a group of folks in funny caps and short pants having a good time slow driving down the road at 15 MPH on brightly colored bicycles. Now-a-days there are more and more funny looking people on bicycles than on tractors.

Would you put a tractor driver in danger by passing when it isn't safe?

As for a group of bicycle riders or a even a single bicyclist holding a lane when there is oncoming traffic on a two lane road with no shoulder, that is actually the safest thing to do. Hold the lane until oncoming traffic clears and pull over when it's safe to let others pass. Here's why:

If the bike rider pulls far over out of the right hand wheel track with oncoming traffic, inevitably someone will take that as a signal to try to squeeze by without crossing the centerline of the road. There isn't enough room on a single lane to do that safely. By pulling over the bicyclist has put himself in danger of being struck at high speed, of being runoff the edge of the road, of being forced to make drastic manuvers and be left swerving all over the road in the slip stream of the passing car, or worst of all crashing flat onto the road with more traffic still at speed right behind him, unable to stop without either running over him, steering right off the road into the right hand ditch, or steering left into oncoming traffic. That's why those bicyclists don't let you pass against on-coming traffic until the on-coming traffic has cleared. It's to keep you from getting them killed.

It's much safer for bicyclists to hold their lane until it's safe for cars to pull halfway into the other lane and pass. As soon as it's safe to pass is when I pull over and give a couple of full left arm swings to wave the cars behind me to go around to pass me. Most drivers appreciate it, very few flip me off, and I'm still alive.

It's easy to get impatient and angry with someone who inconveniences us. Most people get just as upset as you are by any slow wide farm machinery or combine that also move at just 15 miles an hour, won't move over to allow others to pass, and must pull out into the on-coming lane or must stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear before squeezeing past every mailbox and road sign along the right side of the road. All those slow, noisy, overloaded 30 year old grain trucks and equipment haulers with burnt out lights, rusted out mufflers and poor brakes aggrivate other people just as much as well. Especially if they are throwing mud, rocks and manure all over the road for a half mile. Sometimes those vehicles are out of line and sometimes there is no other alternative for those vehicles and we just need to make allowances for them. New drivers, elderly drivers and lost drivers all drive others nuts too, we've all been in there place too, it's best to just make allowances for them.

Pedestrians are very vulnerable to injury in any accident. Children too young to drive simply don't know the rules of the road yet and they are easily distracted so they don't always pay attention to traffic. We've all been there, many of us wouldn't be alive if others hadn't made allowances for us too.

I hope this gave you a chance to laugh.

Best regards.

Well stated, that is what I was trying to convey on yesterdays thread. When I pass a bike I do not share the lane, I use the other lane when safe to pass. I appreciate the same when I am operating my farm equipment on the roads and we all stay right in the lane for safety, very dangerous to pull over and ride on edge.

Well one guy wrote that you are making a political statement if you are riding a bike and a bunch of other untruths, so that prob. was the one that made the thread go poof, it was pretty hatefull.

That's fine you want your right to drive down the highway in your own lane ,everyone else to observe the rules for you.Then when we come to an intersection at a red light and there are four cars stopped there in front of you,you on your bike pass the four cars on thr right hand shoulder and ride through the red light without stopping.So now who just put themselves in danger and everyone around them.The guy on the bike only wants the rules when there is something to complain about and it is conveniant for them.

RVS,

That's not what I'm saying and that's not what I'm doing. I stop at stop signs and obay the rules of the road on a bike just like I do in a car or pickup. It's simply easier and safer to follow the same rules of the road as everyone else. I'm too damn old to survive a car accident on a bicycle, so I avoid them. Most people respond to courtesy with courtesy and the roads are a lot friendlier that way.

Yes, there are some real idiot drivers on bicycles, way too many, they put themselves and others in danger, they should ticketed and procecuted for it just like everybody else that drives poorly. The proportion of poor bicyclists is probably because of many are too young to have a drivers license and do not know the rules of the road yet. Others are daredevils who think they will live forever.

There are also some idiot drivers in cars, on motorcycles and in semi trucks too. Are all motorcyclists, motorists and truck drivers idiots, of course not, not even close. All bicyclists are not idiots either, most of us are trying to get along and share the road too.

Like everything in life most people notices the idiots who who cause the most trouble and paint everyone else in that group with the same brush.

Opps, I forgot to edit the d-word about my age and I apologize to all for that.

No thanks to the racing and road bikes; but my last Mountain bike was $550 + 8.75% sales tax.

A Typical month operating my semi will result in $750 paid out in license fees and fuel tax..

Hope that covers my share.

As far as holding up traffic on a busy road with a bicycle, NO THANKS to that either. I will dismount the bike and walk off the roadway.. A busy road is the most unlikely place to find me on a bike. I watch out for Number One; so I don't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, either.. Exercising my "Rights" could easily result in my "Last Rites" when on a biclyle.. Appears that a few don't view it this way. Bike paths, secondary roads and paved road shoulders are a blessing..

Some folks have come to realize that America is too darn fat, and have taken up bicycling as a sport.. The health benefits are there for the taking.. But it isn't very healthy when people go out biking and leave their common sense at home..

Two sides to every tale..

(quoted from post at 10:59:18 04/07/11) No thanks to the racing and road bikes; but my last Mountain bike was $550 + 8.75% sales tax.

A Typical month operating my semi will result in $750 paid out in license fees and fuel tax..

Hope that covers my share.

As far as holding up traffic on a busy road with a bicycle, NO THANKS to that either. I will dismount the bike and walk off the roadway.. A busy road is the most unlikely place to find me on a bike. I watch out for Number One; so I don't rollerskate in a buffalo herd, either.. Exercising my "Rights" could easily result in my "Last Rites" when on a biclyle.. Appears that a few don't view it this way. Bike paths, secondary roads and paved road shoulders are a blessing..

Some folks have come to realize that America is too darn fat, and have taken up bicycling as a sport.. The health benefits are there for the taking.. But it isn't very healthy when people go out biking and leave their common sense at home..

Two sides to every tale..

Click to expand...

I think the main points of irritation were. #1 bike riders that clog the road instead of moving over 10 ft and using the bike lane. #2 Bike riders that blow red lights and stop signs. #3 bike riders who think they are holy because they are "green".

I couldn't agree more.. I wonder if those "uniforms" would make good polish or grease rags?

( recycle and think green) laughing

I don't mind the reflective vests that some riders wear.. Walking newspaper carriers make good use of these vests also..

I got a good bike rider story for yall.

Last summer I had to go to town and got behind 4 guys ride'n bikes. They were stagared like motorcyles ride and not one behind the other like most do. Between blind hills, sharp curves, and on come'n trafic I was stuck behind them for 3 miles. We were come'n up on a four way stop with a turn'n lane and every thing, I figured they'n move over and let me by for sure. They stayed in the middle of the road and rolled through the four way with out slow'n down. Just past the stop sign there was a nice long straight stretch with noth'n come'n. I had been idle'n in 3rd gear for so long I guess I messed up when I went to pass them and hit 4th instead of 2nd. The old one ton just didn't want to go and started cough'n out the nastiest black smoke any one would ever want to see. Last time I looked in the mirror they were all 4 still set'n on the shoulder cough'n.

Dave

Best antidote for me-first bikers is wide west coast mirrors set low. I live on a state highway which happens to be a scenic bike tour route. Most bikers here are from Canada, and are excellent visitors, like most Canadians are.