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Interesting. In my 'hood anyone who actually rides on the road usually seems to be reasonably competent rider. The wobbly kooks riding bikes because they got a DUI or can't afford a car are usually riding full-suspension Huffy's on the sidewalk with a slammed seat and knees hitting their chin.Quote:
Originally Posted by PB
Nothing like a good nicehole standoff.Quote:
Originally Posted by PB
You're right; I meant 98%.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
I must confess, it's probably very location specific. University town over-run with twits that have never ridden before and think they got it all down, plus a healthy dose of douchebaggery.
The last time someone passed me on the left and then turned right, forcing me to hit the brakes hard, it was a fellow cyclist.
FWIW, i remember when i was taking my drivers ed class in CA a looong time ago, we were taught to pull into the bike lane before making a righthand turn so-as to block a cyclist from passing and eliminate the chance of hitting them midturn.
I used to do something similar in SF when i lived there... when waiting at a light to turn right, i would fully block the bike lane so i wouldnt have to worry about hitting anyone when turning right on the green light. They either waited behind me, or just moved around to the left side of me to wait at the light.
Yeah, that's the smart way to do things. In Oregon, the bike lanes typically are on the right of the turn lane, which raises the chance of a right hook -- dumb.Quote:
Originally Posted by californiagrown
Had a cyclist draft e down lcc after work this afternoon. He was literally 2-3 feet of my bumper and obviously mad I wasn’t going faster even though I was driving 10 mph over the speed limit. Probably messing with his starva. Started to hand gesture me so I slowed down. Which made him madder. I was a bike commuter for a decade and can’t imagine tailing a vehicle that close. Sheer stupidity! It’s idiots like that, that give bikers a bad name.
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Going down a wide residential street today, I saw a bike up the road. As I got close to him I pulled over to the left to give him plenty of room and the fucker drifted left over towards me. I gave him a little honk of the horn and he got all pissed off. I should of bumped him back over.
Ahhhhhh! Back on track!
All is right with this thread!
And just add a little more hate. Why the fuck do non pro roadies buy full kits that make them look like nascar racers? Seriously. If those companies aren’t paying for you to be a douche just buy the same shit without the ads. It’s just as lame as the dentists I see riding Harleys with whip chains on their bars. You’re not a pro roadie if you pay your own way to bike and fuck the Harley dorks who’ve never thrown a punch. The pro roadies are really easy to pick out because they always ride in a big crew on super expensive bikes moving fast enough to make you think they’ve got a motor in the bike. And the super Harley losers are just as easy to see because they show off their meth mouth thru their lack of a helmet.
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For the same reason they buy fancy race bikes that don't provide tangible benefits compared to bikes that cost thousands less and have ultra-aero geo that is uncomfortable and unnecessary for most people: people think everything racers do is inherently better so they emulate them. Grant Petersen has a great rant about this in Just Ride.Quote:
Originally Posted by altacoup
Whatever. I don't even understand road riding as a purely recreational activity. I mean, I love commuting and using a bike as transportation instead of a car, but you'll never find me spinning away for hours on pavement for "fun."
I'm going to sustain this objection. I often ride road in MTB shorts depending on what's clean, and it is always a pleasure to pass someone in full kit while I'm wearing MTB shorts and a technical tee.Quote:
Originally Posted by altacoup
I dunno about anyone else, but I tend to buy what's on sale. All the disposable income cyclists have must be the reason for the $239 bib short and $215 "summer" jersey. I've never owned these items, but it's either that or they have a magical hidden motor that whisks you up any hill one encounters.Quote:
Originally Posted by altacoup
I ride all the time...road, mtb, my kid's bmx, whatever. I love riding bikes...I love reading about bikes and cycling. Always have...since I was a kid riding and racing BMX. I often think: I should have chosen a career path where I could have ridden bikes for a living.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dantheman
Heck, I think I'll go for a road ride this afternoon.
I don't see the appeal of road riding on the actual road. Maybe it's because where I live we have an abundance of bike paths all over the place and there's only a few actual road rides that I'll consider, and even those scare the shit out of me anytime other than maybe a weekday morning.Quote:
Originally Posted by smartyiak
I just don't get the risk vs reward calculation that makes you go out and hope no one hits you (especially when you've already been hit). It isn't the fun kind of danger, like hucking a cliff on skis or something, it is the "Well, hopefully Jimmy Bobby out there is paying enough attention on his way home from day drinking down at the local dive bar to not run my ass over" kinda danger that you really just have no control whatsoever over.
some folks like aerobic sports -- it's not about risk
I basically feel the same way. It's just that "Hmmm, the wife has the kid and I'm free to do whatever I want for the next few hours. Should I go for a road ride or a MTB ride?" is a conversation I have never had with myself. Maybe I would if I lived farther from away from fun MTB trails.Quote:
Originally Posted by smartyiak
Yeah, but there are a lot of ways to ride a bike aerobically without having to worry about being nailed by a careless driver.Quote:
Originally Posted by ::: :::
And what DTM said. Maybe if I didn't live near trails and/or some pretty nice bike paths, but in that case, I'd probably find another sport to get my jollies. For the record I do own 2 road bikes, and ride them sometimes, but the MTBs definitely get most of the action.
you really seem obsessed with this notionQuote:
Originally Posted by Name Redacted
maybe just sell the two road bikes given your fears and access to trails?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Name Redacted
I think one HUDGE difference will depend on where you live. I have ZERO interest in a gravel bike...or a Enduro or DH bike (Mondraker Foxy 29" excepted) b/c there's nowhere near me to ride either (the way they were intended). We have plenty paved roads...and XC (but even that is limited) here, so that's what I do.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dantheman
But if I lived in near the Rockies, PNW or Western Canadia, I'd prolly want both (and prolly ride a lot less road).
Not obsessed, just realistic.Quote:
Originally Posted by ::: :::
And like I said, we have a great network of paved bike paths. Plus those road bikes get me to the bar much faster than the MTB.
I am considering trading em in for a gravel bike someday though. Pretty much the same thing as a roadie if I'm not strava-ing but more comfortable and useful.
Roads are so quiet out here, and with a blinky red light, folks give plenty of space. In fact, rednecks in pickup trucks give the most space, it’s Karen in her minivan/small suv/Prius who gives no fucks, that will not give proper spacing. I love putting huge miles on my road bike, addicted to endorphins and THC.
I don’t know that they don’t care...just they’re too busy on their phones to notice anything else...Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
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Hah, yeah, just now noticed you're in Delaware. That would certainly change your mindset, especially if there's easy access to quiet country roads. Around here I look at all the people riding BCC on weekends as an unending line of cars go flying by and think, "Thank god they prefer that nonsense over dirt!" :DQuote:
Originally Posted by smartyiak
I ride for exercise. I don't take a lot of pleasure in it but riding on the road beats the gym. My observation is that I can get more exercise in less time on a shit bike than a good one. Maybe if I spent more time on a better bike I'd enjoy it more. Hiking is my thing.
My other observation is that the average bike that goes by my house costs more than the average car did 10 years ago. And the average car costs more than my house did when I bought it.
I noticed the same thing about getting more exercise on my old hybrid than on my road bike in the same amount of time. Road bike is not expensive, but is smooth like a Mercedes compared to the tired old hybrid. I rode mu hybrid for the first time in a while today because i was able to get my wife out for a ride and noticed the difference immediately.
Just put panniers on your $10k road bike, and fill them with rocks.
Problem solved!
It’s the only reason I give them a pass. But dirt roadies might be even worse the actual roadies!Quote:
Originally Posted by Dantheman
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I haven't ridden my road bike outside for over a year. I prefer single-track or Zwift to the multi-tasking crazies on the road.
However, I took it out last night for 90min. Paved path and bike lanes as I explored town. It is what I imagine it would be like to pull out the sports car. Smooth, fast acceleration, lots of easy miles. Maybe I'll have to find ways to get out on it more often.
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Way worse. Existing trails don't get sanitized and miles upon miles of IMBA dirt sidewalk don't get built because of actual roadies.Quote:
Originally Posted by altacoup
I love the range you get and how fast you can move on a road bike compared to a mountain but the objective hazard is too high. You're obviously more likely to crater on the MTB riding tech stuff than on the road bike cruising on smooth pavement but once you factor in cars the risk assessment shifts in favor of riding dirt.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dantheman
I used to love riding the canyons but had way too many incidents to justify doing it often. I almost rear-ended a moose in upper Millcreek, I almost got trampled by another moose in the same canyon (the driver who was on the other side of him got tired of waiting for the bull to move and started inching toward him, he ran at me full speed and I ended up standing in the creek shielding myself with the bike), I got knocked into the ditch riding up LCC by a bigass truck who buzzed me and hit me in the shoulder with his mirror, and I got squeezed onto the gravel shoulder riding down BCC at full speed by a guy who had to pass me but didn't have enough room to do it clean. That one ended with a 50' skid and a spectacular front flip but I somehow ended up on my feet.
These days I only ride pavement during shoulder season when trails are wet. I do each canyon once just to tick the box and I ride Big Mountain a lot until the road opens. If I get the itch to ride pavement mid-season I'll drive out West and ride around Rush Valley/Tooele or even Dugway. Miles of flat empty roads, no turns, perfect to log big miles without having to worry about anyone...
I used to live at the mouth of Parley's right on the bike path that funnels 90% of the bike traffic that has to cross I-80. I'd sit on the deck with my morning coffee and by the time I was done with it $250k worth of bike would have gone by, 80% of it ridden by people who would have benefited from a serious diet much more than from riding the exact replica of a Tour de France bike...Quote:
Originally Posted by old goat
That kind of incident in the Snoqualmie Valley circa late 90s knocking me hard into a ditch ended my road riding. But the pelotons of yuppies intentionally blocking the roads there is obnoxious.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boissal
I routinely get hurt while out on the MTB, but only injured 1x. I only been hurt (road rash only) a few times on the road...but the few times I've been injured...well, I try not to think about them.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boissal
Same here. I've fallen off the MTB probably 50x more often than off the road bike. It's usually unpleasant and at worst I've been sore for a few days or dealt with annoying cuts/scrapes for a few weeks. My worst fall on the road bike was a best case scenario slide with nothing to hit. It produced road rash extending from wrist to ankle with some really deep spots around the knee and hip bone. Some of the road rash got infected and took months to heal. I was spending a lot of time in salt water that summer and the deeper spots turned into legit craters that are still visible as depressions 20 years later. I also mashed the of my elbow into a pulp and it's still super sensitive. Can't imagine the carnage if I had slid into a guardrail or a car at 40 mph...Quote:
Originally Posted by smartyiak
A guy I know blew a corner coming down LCC going 40+. No memory of the event, so we don't know if he just overcooked it or hit some gravel or something. He "fortunately" blew one of the left-handers and went into the bank instead of off the downhill side. Broken pelvis, broken femur, multiple vertebral fractures, horrific road rash, plus some other injuries I don't remember. He spent two months in the hospital and another six months in that inpatient rehab facility on 13th East & 80th South. It's amazing he's still alive and walking. I think he's in pretty good shape these days, actually.Quote:
Originally Posted by Boissal
On average, the severity of your injuries will be proportional to your speed at the moment you crash. 20 mph on a MTB is flying, 20 mph on the road feels like nothing.
i don't think i've ever gone above 50mph & that scared me enough to think hard about letting the bike just runQuote:
Originally Posted by Dantheman
speed wobbles scare me to no end -- no shame in being a heavy braker
#imtoooldforthatshit
limit to high 30s for me now
i can't afford the recovering
This is exactly why I was so blown away at the roadie drafting me the other day. Doesn’t take much to cause a wreck at those speeds. Hell a pot gut could kill you. During my decade of bike commuting I always did everything I could to avoid vehicles. Hence I don’t really get the idiots who seem to push it with vehiclesQuote:
Originally Posted by Dantheman
Mother of three mowed down by dump truck, driver gets community service
https://www.9news.com/mobile/article...e-10fb8581cf5d
Riding in the bike lane at Donner Lake, guy in a van who has backed into a drive starts to pull into the bike lane too close for me to stop, with a car on my left. I yell "stop". He does, I squeeze by, and then he proceeds to lean on his horn for a full minute as I pedal away. What made it funny is the guy was a young white guy with long dreads. I doubt that Ja or Haile Selassie would approve.
That's not funny. And this thread has jumped the kraken.
WTF triggered you?Quote:
Originally Posted by PB
small world.