Giving unsolicited advice to strange cyclists

[fiamme red]

Think twice before you do it.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/316889

[Blue Jays]

"Well, it was dark and the dude was in black clothing, come on," said Wente.Sounds like the aggressor was also wearing Rapha kit. :D

[fiamme red]

The victim was interviewed in the recent NYT article about bike fit.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/health/nutrition/20fitness.html?_r=3&ref=fashion

Colin O’Brien, the owner of Cronometro, a custom bike shop in Madison, Wis., that charges $240 to $290 for its biodynamic bike fit, said: “There are probably about 12 to 15 bike fitters in North America that have elevated the bike-fitting process to an art form. Then there are the between 50 to 100 that offer upper grade fittings, and thousands more who have gone through the bike fit classes offered by Specialized and Serotta,” the bike makers.

[paczki]

That is way messed up. I'm going to start riding with a gat in my waistband.

[Viper]

That is way messed up. I'm going to start riding with a gat in my waistband.

Always be prepared. We need more Scouts, of any age, even Scout Finch:

http://www.scouting.org/Media/FactSheets/02-503a.aspx

:beer:

[maximus]

Unsolicited comments are pretty annoying. There are better ways to educate cyclist about safe riding than to shout things at them as they ride by.

Not sure if he deserved the a$$beating tho :bike:

[Blue Jays]

BikeSnob has provided his hlarious brand of coverage: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/

[Louis]

Years ago while riding out in the middle of nowhere I "rode past" a little old lady on a hybrid. I decided to slow down and chat, just to be friendly. We came up on a gentle roller and she mentioned how difficult the hills were. Turned out that she did not understand gears and thought that to go up the hill you put it in the smaller cog in back. I set her straight and reminded her that if she was ever not sure to try both ways and pick the one that was easier to pedal.

I think she appreciated my advice, even though it was unsolicited - proof of that is that she did not beat me up.

Louis

[gdw]

The owner of a boutique bike store gets roughed up by a thug roadie who just happens to be riding a mass produced Trek..... sure. His story reminds me of that McCain campaign worker who made up the story about being attacked because of her bumper sticker.

[Louis]

BikeSnob has provided his hilarious brand of coverage: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/

If the BS NYC came up with the line "by now that he's long gone from enfant terrible to plain infant" on his own I am major-league impressed. If he lifted it from elsewhere I am less so. Either way that is hilarious.

[Viper]

The owner of a boutique bike store gets roughed up by a thug roadie who just happens to be riding a mass produced Trek..... sure. His story reminds me of that McCain campaign worker who made up the story about being attacked because of her bumper sticker.

That chica was crazy. You could see it in her eyes. She had those crazy eyes. Lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When she comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until she bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then...

[maximus]

BikeSnob has provided his hlarious brand of coverage: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/

Classic.

[stackie]

Last time I came on a rider at night without lights, I just offered to escort him the rest of the way home with my light system. He said he was ok, but I just rode with him anyway since he was going my way.

Before that, I did the VW Passat thing on a guy who was bombing down the busy twisty road home from work at midnight. He actually had a headlight, but no rear blinky. At the bottom of the hill, I told him he was pretty much invisible from behind, which is why I just followed him down to prevent someone from killing him. He had forgotten his blinky. He was pretty appreciative. Turns out he works at the hospital with me.

Jon

[William]

That chica was crazy. You could see it in her eyes. She had those crazy eyes. Lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When she comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until she bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then...


Ah yes, Mary Ellen Moffat. She broke my heart.






William

[BumbleBeeDave]

<<<To be robbed of that opportunity because of someone's fashion choice is extremely irritating--it's like paying to go see a movie and then sitting behind someone who insists on wearing a giant tri-cornered hat. (I always take mine off unless I'm sitting in the very last row.)>>>

. . . Or some guy wearing a zebra suit? :rolleyes:

BBD

[soulspinner]

Sounds like the aggressor was also wearing Rapha kit. :D

.

[Ti Designs]

Colin O’Brien, the owner of Cronometro, a custom bike shop in Madison, Wis., that charges $240 to $290 for its biodynamic bike fit, said: “There are probably about 12 to 15 bike fitters in North America that have elevated the bike-fitting process to an art form. Then there are the between 50 to 100 that offer upper grade fittings, and thousands more who have gone through the bike fit classes offered by Specialized and Serotta,” the bike makers.

So it's the bike fitters who do a really good job at a fair price and don't buy into the whole fit school thing that the police should be out looking for...

[rex]

Perhaps he should have asked Plaxico to ride with him.

[fiamme red]

So it's the bike fitters who do a really good job at a fair price and don't buy into the whole fit school thing that the police should be out looking for...POTD! :D

[soulspinner]

Perhaps he should have asked Plaxico to ride with him.

Ya. A guy who brought a loaded gun to a nightclub(is that a pistol in your pocket or do you just like dancing that much...) in his sweapants with the safety off. Plaxico aint no leathal weapon..... :p

[fiamme red]

If the BS NYC came up with the line "by now that he's long gone from enfant terrible to plain infant" on his own I am major-league impressed. If he lifted it from elsewhere I am less so. Either way that is hilarious.BSNYC's paragraph about VdB is very good.

Indeed, failed promise is addicting. Despite being a failure whose Wikipedia page reads like the treatment for a John C. Reilly movie, cycling fans wax nostalgic about the fact he won Leige-Bastogne-Leige like ten years ago or something, and that he cocked his handlebars at a jaunty angle. Why? Because he's a "natural talent." ( "Everybody did it, and so did I," he said about doping. "It is the truth and it does not diminish the value of my victories.") I suppose this makes sense though. We all know the real villains in professional road cycling are the ones with the audacity to to win a bunch of races, stay out of trouble, and be successful. And that's not what bike racing is about.

[flickwet]

<<<To be robbed of that opportunity because of someone's fashion choice is extremely irritating--it's like paying to go see a movie and then sitting behind someone who insists on wearing a giant tri-cornered hat. (I always take mine off unless I'm sitting in the very last row.)>>>

. . . Or some guy wearing a zebra suit? :rolleyes:

BBD
I never attend theatrical events without my "lucky movie sombrero", There are strange people and there are people we don't know. That couple is strange.

[William]

The Art Of Giving Advice

Giving good advice is a great gift. Yet, we sometimes run into trouble because of the way we offer it. The ability to give advice in a positive, constructive way is an art. Here are three points to help us offer advice with effectiveness and compassion.

1. Listen first. While this rule is true for all good communication, it is doubly true when we wish to give advice. Issues are often more complex than they initially appear. By first listening, we open a space for the speaker to more fully describe the situation and for us to more fully understand it. What is the point of offering advice based on partial information?

In addition, when we listen first, it makes it more likely that the other will then listen to what we have to say. In the words of Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, one needs “connection before correction.” It is empathic listening that establishes the connection.

2. Ask permission. Unsolicited advice is a major cause of grief among friends and family members. It can be experienced as unwelcome intrusion into personal business. It might also be seen disrespectful, as implying that a person is incapable of caring for himself and resolving his own issues.

Asking if our advice is desired shows respect for others and prevents resentments. Here is one way to do this: “As I listen to you, there are some ideas coming up for me that you might find useful. Would you like to hear them?” It is very important to ask that question without attachment, from a place that both “yes” and “no” are equally acceptable responses.

3. Offer without insisting. It is worth keeping in mind that even after we have listened, we can never know with certainty what is best for another person. There is so much that we are not aware of. So we offer our insights, experiences and ideas, with the attitude that our advice is another point of view, and we trust the listener’s inner wisdom to discern what is right for him or her.

One of my teachers, Selwa Said, likens giving advice to a waiter in a fine restaurant who holds out a dessert tray and says to the patron, “here, if you wish,” and the diner takes what is right for him. This has a practical advantage, as well. By not insisting, we increase the chances of our words being considered.



“Quint’s" Art of Giving Advice:

1. Come on Chief, this isn't no boy scout picnic. See ya' got ya' rubbers!

2. Little brown eel comes out of the cave... Swims into the hole... Comes out of the hole... Goes back into the cave again...

3. Here's to swimmin' with bow-legged women.

4. Front, bow. Back, stern. If ya don't get it right, squirt, I throw your ass out the little round window on the side.

5. Ah, the missus, Chief. If they don't like you going out, they'll love you comin' in.

6. Stop playin' with yourself, Hooper

7. See what I do, Chief, is I trick 'em to the surface. And I jab at 'em. I'm not gonna haul 'em up like a lot of catfish.

8. Yeah, yeah, yeah...





William

[android]

I very rarely give unsolicited advice. I will point out stuff like hey, did you know your seat bag is unzipped or did you notice there's a dead squirrel hanging from your rear derailleur, but leave it up to the other rider's judgment to decide what to do with the info. I wouldn't comment on somebody else's safety choice unless it has already directly affected me. I've yelled at people going the wrong way in the bike lane for example.

[paulrad9]

O'Brien provided a detailed description of the bicyclists and their bikes: The man was white, about 6 feet tall, wearing a dark colored jacket and riding a Trek Time Trial bike with front-style handlebars

ahh, NOW it all makes sense :beer:

edited for spelling

[Blue Jays]

ahh, not it all makes senseNot at all makes sense?
It totally makes sense!

[acorn_user]

I didn't get beaten up by the guy who's brakes I fixed. I realise now that it probably looked like I was stealing it... except no ones steals bikes on grounds.

[kong79]

"Attempts to reach O'Brien were unsuccessful Tuesday night, but Scott Wente, who works at Cronometro, confirmed the police report about his boss"

That is so cool!!! Okay, not the beating. I know Scott Wente! Great guy! He grew up not to far from my home town here in Nebraska. He moved to my town and worked in a local bike shop for a long time before moving to Omaha and working at some shops there. I knew he moved out of state a few years ago but did not know where he went. It's a small world.

[DukeHorn]

Didn't take long to ID the guy. What a 58cm Trek and a 48cm Orbea (give or take) in Madison?

The bicyclist who felt "extremely insulted" when a fellow biker told him to get a light on his bike and ended up beating the commenter was arrested and tentatively charged with battery and disorderly conduct Wednesday, police said.

Dustin Dunlavy, 28, Madison, allegedly grabbed Colin O'Brien, 51, around the head in the confrontation on South Shore Drive the night of Nov. 26.

O'Brien is the owner of Cronometro, a Williamson Street shop making custom bicycles.

Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said many citizens helped in identifying the "bike rage" suspect.

Dunlavy was biking with a woman who DeSpain said was Dunlavy's girlfriend.

"She was interviewed but wasn't charged," DeSpain said.
Ah, the freedom of speech conundrum defense.... (or should it be the freedom of speech defense conundrum)?

"He didn't think anyone had a right to tell him he should have a light on his bike," DeSpain said.

[kingcounty07]

although the beating is totally un-called for and wrong, i have to say that when someone says something like that to me i have considered at times doing the same thing. "get a helmet" and "use a light" have been yelled at me before. just the other day i was riding home without my light on me and my stupid "knog" backup had burnt out, when some one yelled the exact same thing, "get a light" it drove me crazy!!!! i have a light its burnt out! all i said was "get a life" i held back on the beating. i am pacifist, but tell a complete stranger what to do is still uncalled for. mind your own buisness.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . so we can all see you and thus avoid telling you your business . . .

BBD

[kingcounty07]

yes, i am all for cycling safety and all that. but you never know the context of why someone is lightless. i always keep one of those little "knog frogs" light sets on my bike as a back up. i usually have a cat-eye type set that i keep in my bag. i did not plan on being out past dark but i was. and my back up light had burnt out. then someone wearing full spandex and 3 different lights zooms by and yells "GET A LIGHT!" i live in the city and the streetlights are quite bright downtown, i think anyone not legally declared blind could see me.
it can, at times, be difficult to produce a set of spare calculator batteries on a late night ride home.