@MrHobiecat It pays to ride like motorists don't give shit about you as a cyclist. The surprise is of course all feigned shock. I expect the bastards to hit me and ride accordingly.
@kopen I'd love to! I'd never be able to tolerate riding in the US again. Come to think of it the US should really be called the ME. Think about it. ;-)
Part of me thinks Critical Mass Rides (went on one recently) are a potential nuisance or worse, making someone late or eating up their time, but then I think of the uninformed drivers who honk at me or tell me to get on the sidewalk or worse yet, make left turns right in front of me--and it makes me not regret it--whether it's a lack of seeing me or being very careless--thiking about using my 200L headlight when it's light with more traffic/intersections or picking up a 140A daytime headlight.
Weird, because it works for most of Europe. Even on Italian country roads where the speed limit is 100kph, I have seen nothing but safe passing of cyclists, even when 2 or 3 abreast in a large bunch.
Weird, because it works for most of Europe. Even on Italian country roads where the speed limit is 100kph, I have seen nothing but safe passing of cyclists, even when 2 or 3 abreast in a large bunch.
Hey I tend to respect cyclists as much as I can, what I can't stand is being up here in the countryside they ride like they OWN the fucking road. Just yesterday I had to follow 3 bicyclists around a blind corner at 5 miles an hour up a hill because they took up the ENTIRE right lane riding shoulder to shoulder and talking to each other. There was no room to pass without crossing completely into the left lane on a BLIND CORNER. It was the first time I thought about bumping some tires with my car.
That was pretty close. I use the 400L tail-light and that thing flat out rocks. I get plenty of room at night using that light. Pricey but well worth the safety it affords.
I personally ride on the right side of the lane, as much as possible. But I do stay IN the lane.
Strangely, cars getting close to me doesn't bother me: it's the cube trucks and Semi's that scare the hell outta me. Especially after coming up to a red light, and this dude in a semi is trying to scrape my bars. Seriously, I swear he only was giving me about a foot and a half of space.
man, i always ride my bike on the road and occasionally on the sidewalk, where im at, people are not that agressive i guess. i wear no helmet either, actually came close several times gettting hit. fell off a couple of times, this one time in front of a bunch of hot girls, no helmet, got up and acted all cool and shit.
Eh, it happens to the best of us, lol. I pulled up to a bike rack last summer, unclipping my left foot as I slowed, but when I stopped my balance shifted to the right and I fell. Right in front of a bunch of people in the middle of the day. It was beautiful.
Wow, I hope you caught that guys licence plate. Would be nice if you did and have some friends working at the DVP and show up with some other riders at the drivers place.
Not quite ready to make the leap from MTB to bent for street riding, it's like Death Race 2000 out there to bad with low gas prices people still drive.
Hey dude, don't want to sound too critical here, but you are marginalising yourself by riding so far over to the right. Personally I would ride further out into the lane, so that you become traffic instead of an inconsequential blob in the edge of the cagers vision.
Moving into the bus pull out did not help. You were out of the way to the rear approaching motorist who was soon to close pass you. Then when you leave the bus pull out a left arm signal would have helped too.
That said the motorist should have seen you and traveled further left when passing.
Plenty of other vehicles passed me without incident. Watch it again. This driver was stoned, drunk, or distracted. His/her driving was inexcusible. They later drifted into the the lane to their left. Let's face it. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I prefer to live above ground.
Yes, no argument on the driver being wrong. I too would have suggested staying a little more to the left before the start of the lane. Pulling right makes it easy for careless drivers to drive too close and too fast.
Two other drives passed you, the first as you were entering the bus pull out the 2nd when you were in it.
I think if you had stayed in the lane the driver who came close would have been more likely to notice and respond to you. It is possible when they first took notice of you, you were well out of the way in the bus pull out. Try riding further left thru this area - holding a steady straight line.
That's a valid point. This particular stretch is a little dicey for these very reasons. When I have time I will post the entire street ride so you can see how every other driver reacted even where there was no bike lane at all.
Is it compulsory to ride in the lanes in the US. I ask because I think you could prevent some of the close overtakes by being further out in the lane. The lanes seems to be encouraging you to ride in the gutter so cars feel they can ignore you. I tend to ignore cycle lanes like that.
It is compulsory to ride as far to the right as practical. Being further out in the lane can be antagonistic and IMHO may result in an increase in anti-bicycle sentiment and hostility if done without regard to the overall situation. I drive a lot more than I ride and I've seen both the good and the bad from other cyclists.
Seriously! That's crazy. By being over to the side it encourages close overtaking. Here in the UK you are encouraged to take a central position, where you feel it is safer for you to do so. You should pull over where safe of course (no closer than 1m to the curb). Have a google for cyclechat (uk cycle forum). You would find a lot of info on there.
I own a copy of Cyclecraft but some of the UK rules don't always fly on US soil. The attitude of the police, judges, and drivers also vary a great deal from town to town and state to state.
Riding to the right can vary from state to state. And riding as far to the right as practical (or practicable in some states) can be debated because of hazards on the sides of the road and road conditions (such as other drivers). I constantly see drivers like in your video during my commutes. But with more people riding, there is more visibility for cyclists in the road and hopefully (fingers crossed) people will learn better habits around cyclists. Stay out of those bus lanes though!
Thought I recognized the voice of NME! This and the trip to the video store are good material. Given recent bike accidents in the news (caused by cars), showing your use of the recumbent for everyday trips is a good awareness raising exercise. Keep it coming!
Oh gosh! You've outed my alter-ego. There was another close encounter on the same ride that I haven't bothered to edit. You are correct that I do raise awareness of the practical benefits of recumbents and it's attractive to people averse to road bikes.
@MrHobiecat It pays to ride like motorists don't give shit about you as a cyclist. The surprise is of course all feigned shock. I expect the bastards to hit me and ride accordingly.
AllBentUp 1 month ago
Visit Markenlei to see how bicycle infrastructure is in The Netherlands.
kopen 1 year ago
@kopen I'd love to! I'd never be able to tolerate riding in the US again. Come to think of it the US should really be called the ME. Think about it. ;-)
AllBentUp 1 month ago
Part of me thinks Critical Mass Rides (went on one recently) are a potential nuisance or worse, making someone late or eating up their time, but then I think of the uninformed drivers who honk at me or tell me to get on the sidewalk or worse yet, make left turns right in front of me--and it makes me not regret it--whether it's a lack of seeing me or being very careless--thiking about using my 200L headlight when it's light with more traffic/intersections or picking up a 140A daytime headlight.
DJBucs2005 1 year ago
@DJBucs2005 I'm a motorist just like all the rest and take a very dim view of Belligerent Mass and other cycling civil disobedience.
AllBentUp 1 month ago
goddamnit its just not safe for bicycles on the side of 40 mph roads, there should be a 30mph speed limit law for cyclists.
youztuber5000 1 year ago
@youztuber5000
Weird, because it works for most of Europe. Even on Italian country roads where the speed limit is 100kph, I have seen nothing but safe passing of cyclists, even when 2 or 3 abreast in a large bunch.
BigTwitchy 1 year ago
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@youztuber5000
Weird, because it works for most of Europe. Even on Italian country roads where the speed limit is 100kph, I have seen nothing but safe passing of cyclists, even when 2 or 3 abreast in a large bunch.
BigTwitchy 1 year ago
Hey I tend to respect cyclists as much as I can, what I can't stand is being up here in the countryside they ride like they OWN the fucking road. Just yesterday I had to follow 3 bicyclists around a blind corner at 5 miles an hour up a hill because they took up the ENTIRE right lane riding shoulder to shoulder and talking to each other. There was no room to pass without crossing completely into the left lane on a BLIND CORNER. It was the first time I thought about bumping some tires with my car.
DystruktoBoi1 1 year ago
sucks man! they never give us any respect
xxbondsxx 2 years ago
That was pretty close. I use the 400L tail-light and that thing flat out rocks. I get plenty of room at night using that light. Pricey but well worth the safety it affords.
8xlaxx 2 years ago
I personally ride on the right side of the lane, as much as possible. But I do stay IN the lane.
Strangely, cars getting close to me doesn't bother me: it's the cube trucks and Semi's that scare the hell outta me. Especially after coming up to a red light, and this dude in a semi is trying to scrape my bars. Seriously, I swear he only was giving me about a foot and a half of space.
dposcuro 2 years ago
You need to be out into the lane, perhaps the middle, to avoid being squeezed off the road.
CycleMan2200 2 years ago
man, i always ride my bike on the road and occasionally on the sidewalk, where im at, people are not that agressive i guess. i wear no helmet either, actually came close several times gettting hit. fell off a couple of times, this one time in front of a bunch of hot girls, no helmet, got up and acted all cool and shit.
JUKIO01 3 years ago
Eh, it happens to the best of us, lol. I pulled up to a bike rack last summer, unclipping my left foot as I slowed, but when I stopped my balance shifted to the right and I fell. Right in front of a bunch of people in the middle of the day. It was beautiful.
Obsidian433 3 years ago
Wow, I hope you caught that guys licence plate. Would be nice if you did and have some friends working at the DVP and show up with some other riders at the drivers place.
PoohbearDX 3 years ago
thats y i rather ride on the sidewalk rather than in the street assholes can kill me
windytothecity 3 years ago
Not quite ready to make the leap from MTB to bent for street riding, it's like Death Race 2000 out there to bad with low gas prices people still drive.
elgeneralsv 3 years ago
Dude you are crazy.
jspoto 3 years ago
What can I say? ;-)
NMERider 3 years ago
Hey dude, don't want to sound too critical here, but you are marginalising yourself by riding so far over to the right. Personally I would ride further out into the lane, so that you become traffic instead of an inconsequential blob in the edge of the cagers vision.
therealjacomus 4 years ago 2
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HEY! how about a real bike?! wiener
crass911 4 years ago
HEY Crass! I have a real bike. The recumbent is faster and more fun riding solo on flats and rollers. BTW - that's 'hotdog', not 'weiner'!
AllBentUp 4 years ago
HA! I can sympathize--I ride that stretch frequently. Del Amo Blvd and Atlantic right? In the LBC, of course.
shreddword 4 years ago
Extactly the place! Now that I've seen your vids, it's like deja velo! You really know how to thread that needle too.
NMERider 4 years ago
Moving into the bus pull out did not help. You were out of the way to the rear approaching motorist who was soon to close pass you. Then when you leave the bus pull out a left arm signal would have helped too.
That said the motorist should have seen you and traveled further left when passing.
noisebeam 4 years ago
Plenty of other vehicles passed me without incident. Watch it again. This driver was stoned, drunk, or distracted. His/her driving was inexcusible. They later drifted into the the lane to their left. Let's face it. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I prefer to live above ground.
AllBentUp 4 years ago
Yes, no argument on the driver being wrong. I too would have suggested staying a little more to the left before the start of the lane. Pulling right makes it easy for careless drivers to drive too close and too fast.
lsmike 4 years ago
It's a difficult call to make. There's no universal answer.
NMERider 4 years ago
Two other drives passed you, the first as you were entering the bus pull out the 2nd when you were in it.
I think if you had stayed in the lane the driver who came close would have been more likely to notice and respond to you. It is possible when they first took notice of you, you were well out of the way in the bus pull out. Try riding further left thru this area - holding a steady straight line.
noisebeam 4 years ago
That's a valid point. This particular stretch is a little dicey for these very reasons. When I have time I will post the entire street ride so you can see how every other driver reacted even where there was no bike lane at all.
NMERider 4 years ago
Hi,
Is it compulsory to ride in the lanes in the US. I ask because I think you could prevent some of the close overtakes by being further out in the lane. The lanes seems to be encouraging you to ride in the gutter so cars feel they can ignore you. I tend to ignore cycle lanes like that.
magnatom 4 years ago
It is compulsory to ride as far to the right as practical. Being further out in the lane can be antagonistic and IMHO may result in an increase in anti-bicycle sentiment and hostility if done without regard to the overall situation. I drive a lot more than I ride and I've seen both the good and the bad from other cyclists.
AllBentUp 4 years ago
Seriously! That's crazy. By being over to the side it encourages close overtaking. Here in the UK you are encouraged to take a central position, where you feel it is safer for you to do so. You should pull over where safe of course (no closer than 1m to the curb). Have a google for cyclechat (uk cycle forum). You would find a lot of info on there.
magnatom 4 years ago
I own a copy of Cyclecraft but some of the UK rules don't always fly on US soil. The attitude of the police, judges, and drivers also vary a great deal from town to town and state to state.
NMERider 4 years ago
Riding to the right can vary from state to state. And riding as far to the right as practical (or practicable in some states) can be debated because of hazards on the sides of the road and road conditions (such as other drivers). I constantly see drivers like in your video during my commutes. But with more people riding, there is more visibility for cyclists in the road and hopefully (fingers crossed) people will learn better habits around cyclists. Stay out of those bus lanes though!
Makdjor 3 years ago
Very good points. Ride safe!
AllBentUp 3 years ago
Thought I recognized the voice of NME! This and the trip to the video store are good material. Given recent bike accidents in the news (caused by cars), showing your use of the recumbent for everyday trips is a good awareness raising exercise. Keep it coming!
mrmrlee 4 years ago
Oh gosh! You've outed my alter-ego. There was another close encounter on the same ride that I haven't bothered to edit. You are correct that I do raise awareness of the practical benefits of recumbents and it's attractive to people averse to road bikes.
NMERider 4 years ago