Fear is what keeps the masses from ever riding a bike on a road.
Intimidation is what you often face when cars pass you and blast the
horn or roar the engine. And humiliation is what you find when cars
cut you off right in your face.
Funny thing is nobody has noticed these things other than the Wise
Man. That's me but my humility doesn't allow me to brag myself. Let's
just say for now that the idiots haven't noticed what cyclists and
pedestrians go through. They sit behind the wheel of a car or truck
and feel they are important. But that's not necessarily the case.
The man of importance knows what's going on in the jungle. They --the
idiots-- are like this:
> On 06-14-2012 10:55, TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher wrote:
> > On Jun 14, 12:13 am, Wes Groleau <Groleau+n...@FreeShell.org> wrote:
> >> On 06-13-2012 12:51, TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher wrote:
> >>> Funny thing is nobody has noticed these things other than the Wise
> >>> Man. That's me but my humility doesn't allow me to brag myself. Let's
> >> If you're the only person that sees something, maybe it isn't there.
> > Well, I can prove my point using your own argument:
> > The masses riding bikes on the road aren't there. Nobody can question
> > that. Maybe it's because 99% of them ride on sidewalks* creating
> > another conflict with pedestrians and facing all kinds of dangers.
> Everywhere I've been, there are no "masses" riding bikes. But of the
> dozens we do have, only a few ride on the sidewalk. The rest of us ride
> where we're supposed to.
I'm talking about practical cyclists going around with baskets and
panniers. They are a tiny minority, at least around here.
You are different. You are not part of the masses. You are the heroes.
Actually we plan to give medals to guys like you --and myself-- even
before it is safe to do so. We are just waiting for the revolution.
> On Jun 15, 2:48 pm, Phil H <pholma...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > > I get the honks and roars, and don't appreciate the intention, but
> > > whether or not I am intimidated is up to me.
> > I had a driver lean on the horn as he passed me in the other lane of a
> > local street in our retirement community. It was about 7:00am in the
> > morning with no other traffic. He then proceeded to blow through the
> > stop sign on his way to work at the construction site in our
> > community. It was easy to keep up with him until he got into the
> > parking lot where he pointed out that I was too far out in the road
> > causing him to change lanes....sigh!
> > After a discussion on use of the horn, blowing stop signs, and riding
> > out of the gutter when approaching roads coming in from the right, it
> > wasn't me that was humiliated.
> > Phil H
> I got honked at the the other day by a guy in SUV flying around a
> blind uphill turn as I climbed on a slightly weaving line at the road
> edge - a good six feet out of the traffic lane, although of course the
> fog line was substantially wiped away by the cagers cutting the turn
> and thinking it's okay to drive on the shoulder (this is a scary turn
> and I don't linger there - even on the shoulder).
Around here you must be careful when you confront people even when
they are obviously wrong. They will try to punish you for challenging
them.
Here's a story I heard from a young guy: "I was riding my bike and
this driver came and told me to go to the park." Then he added, "Well,
I'd drive if you pay for my gas!"
He made terrific sense but he never said it! He thought of saying it
that but was afraid of the consequences.
> > On Jun 15, 2:48 pm, Phil H<pholma...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>> I get the honks and roars, and don't appreciate the intention, but
> >>> whether or not I am intimidated is up to me.
> >> I had a driver lean on the horn as he passed me in the other lane of a
> >> local street in our retirement community. It was about 7:00am in the
> >> morning with no other traffic. He then proceeded to blow through the
> >> stop sign on his way to work at the construction site in our
> >> community. It was easy to keep up with him until he got into the
> >> parking lot where he pointed out that I was too far out in the road
> >> causing him to change lanes....sigh!
> >> After a discussion on use of the horn, blowing stop signs, and riding
> >> out of the gutter when approaching roads coming in from the right, it
> >> wasn't me that was humiliated.
> >> Phil H
> > I got honked at the the other day by a guy in SUV flying around a
> > blind uphill turn as I climbed on a slightly weaving line at the road
> > edge - a good six feet out of the traffic lane, although of course the
> > fog line was substantially wiped away by the cagers cutting the turn
> > and thinking it's okay to drive on the shoulder (this is a scary turn
> > and I don't linger there - even on the shoulder).
> Got honked at yesterday climbing. Came up to a nasty road kill on the
> side of the lane and went to the center to avoid it. (no one is going
> to ride in the center of the lane here with a speed limit of 90k/h
> unless they have to) The SUV behind me tried to pull around but met an
> oncoming vehicle and had to wait 20 or 30 seconds to pass. He felt that
> he had to use his horn to express his disdain. What I noticed most
> about this was that I hardly notice these twits any more.
To me that's an act of INTIMIDATION, equivalent to the roaring of the
lion. But if you had bananas with you, you could invite the beast to
enjoy bananas too.
And if nothing happens, you can always eat the bananas.
> On 06/19/2012 11:59 AM, TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher wrote:
> > On Jun 18, 8:25 am, Duane<duane.heb...@group-upc.com> wrote:
> >> On 06/15/2012 09:00 PM, Dan O wrote:
> >>> On Jun 15, 2:48 pm, Phil H<pholma...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>>>> I get the honks and roars, and don't appreciate the intention, but
> >>>>> whether or not I am intimidated is up to me.
> >>>> I had a driver lean on the horn as he passed me in the other lane of a
> >>>> local street in our retirement community. It was about 7:00am in the
> >>>> morning with no other traffic. He then proceeded to blow through the
> >>>> stop sign on his way to work at the construction site in our
> >>>> community. It was easy to keep up with him until he got into the
> >>>> parking lot where he pointed out that I was too far out in the road
> >>>> causing him to change lanes....sigh!
> >>>> After a discussion on use of the horn, blowing stop signs, and riding
> >>>> out of the gutter when approaching roads coming in from the right, it
> >>>> wasn't me that was humiliated.
> >>>> Phil H
> >>> I got honked at the the other day by a guy in SUV flying around a
> >>> blind uphill turn as I climbed on a slightly weaving line at the road
> >>> edge - a good six feet out of the traffic lane, although of course the
> >>> fog line was substantially wiped away by the cagers cutting the turn
> >>> and thinking it's okay to drive on the shoulder (this is a scary turn
> >>> and I don't linger there - even on the shoulder).
> >> Got honked at yesterday climbing. Came up to a nasty road kill on the
> >> side of the lane and went to the center to avoid it. (no one is going
> >> to ride in the center of the lane here with a speed limit of 90k/h
> >> unless they have to) The SUV behind me tried to pull around but met an
> >> oncoming vehicle and had to wait 20 or 30 seconds to pass. He felt that
> >> he had to use his horn to express his disdain. What I noticed most
> >> about this was that I hardly notice these twits any more.
> > To me that's an act of INTIMIDATION, equivalent to the roaring of the
> > lion. But if you had bananas with you, you could invite the beast to
> > enjoy bananas too.
> More like the squealing of the pig but I guess you can look at it that
> way. You can even stay pissed off and rail at the fucker. But 12
> seconds after he passes you, he's forgotten about it. Who wins if you
> stay pissed all day?
> Anyway, he is the minority around here. This same ride, we were leading
> some new riders and had to make a pit stop. We pulled into a shady
> drive around some sugar shacks. A woman came out walking her dog. We
> expected to get grief but she offered water, bathrooms etc. then brought
> a couple of riders into her house. This is mostly what you see here,
> although this was an extreme example. But I prefer to think about that
> than some asshole in an SUV in a rush on a Sunday morning. YMMV.
Don't worry. By the end of this decade we could have a drone to take
out such terrorists...
> > > > Fear is what keeps the masses from ever riding a bike on a road.
> > > > Intimidation is what you often face when cars pass you and blast the
> > > > horn or roar the engine. And humiliation is what you find when cars
> > > > cut you off right in your face.
> > > Don't forget nails, bike flats, poorly maintained roads, mechanical
> > > failures (so it's wise to carry tools and a spare inner tube in your
> > > backpack), 100+ degree temperatures, rain, pit bull dogs. I carry a
> > > can of Bear Spray so if those two pit bulls ever chase me again, 9
> > > miles from home... heh.
> > I hope those red light cameras flashing all the time (150 bucks per
> > flash) will gain us new converts. It ain't taming traffic that much
> > but it's something that deters driving, at least among the poor.
> > And you know the saying, "You got nothing to lose but your chain!"
> $150? It's at least $300 over here!
I think that's more predation than prevention. I'm waiting for the
first one to tear off my driver's license. Not that agree with people
running lights, but it should be more like 75 bucks for first
violation, then 100 and last 150...
> Oh yeah, that chain falling off too... don't remind me! grr. 24 mile
> bike ride, round-trip. Coming to work takes me about an hour; going
> home takes between an hour and 15 or an hour and 30, depending on
> whether I'm in a hurry or tired.
But the choice is clear: FIT ASS OR FAT ASS!
Only the fit asses will join the "revolutions for the planet" (that's
a Taiwanese bike manufacturer's motto).
On Jun 23, 1:34 am, Wes Groleau <Groleau+n...@FreeShell.org> wrote:
> On 06-22-2012 21:44, TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser Philosopher wrote:
> > It's economics. Cyclists are small consumers compared to drivers. And
> > we are not subject to tickets either.
> Yes, cyclists who break the law usually get away with it. But they
> shouldn't and sometimes they don't.
> In that one point, we really aren't much different from motorists.
Well, we shouldn't be subject to the same laws. Not waiting at the red
light for 3 minutes. You see that no car is coming and take the
plunge. But if you do get hit, you are on your own. On the other hand,
BIKE LIGHTS AND REFLECTIVE GEAR SHOULD BE MANDATED. Helmets optional,
of course.
I think some kind of LICENSE to ride on the road should be mandated,
but then it gives you the right to TAKE THE LANE.
On 06-23-2012 13:31, His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser
Philosopher wrote:
> Well, we shouldn't be subject to the same laws. Not waiting at the red
> light for 3 minutes. You see that no car is coming and take the
When the light is timed, whether I am motorized or not, I obey the law.
When it is triggered by a detector that doesn't work, either becase my vehicle is too small or the it's just broken, I proceeed with caution whether in car or bike.
When I am not sure, I wait long enough to know it is broken and proceed with caution.
> On 06-23-2012 13:31, His Highness the TibetanMonkey, the Beach Cruiser
> Philosopher wrote:
> > Well, we shouldn't be subject to the same laws. Not waiting at the red
> > light for 3 minutes. You see that no car is coming and take the
> When the light is timed, whether I am motorized or not, I obey the law.
> When it is triggered by a detector that doesn't work, either becase my
> vehicle is too small or the it's just broken, I proceeed with caution
> whether in car or bike.
> When I am not sure, I wait long enough to know it is broken and proceed
> with caution.
