Adjusting approach to conventional road riding

[skouri1]

I want to try a rear day light as well, though I haven't yet ponied up for the Dinotte. need to.

I got hit last october, and found that getting my confidence back involved a lot of group riding/ riding with buddies.
I always find that cars are better when you ride, respectively in a group of 2-3 or more. (20 and its good).
can't dissuade all jerks, but it helps.

Oh yea, and dont give someone the finger. I did it a few times. But havent for several years at least. Sometimes, it's irrepressible when someone almost kills you or does something reckless, but if you can take the extra second to stop yourself, it's always prudent. who knows who they are. it can't make the situation better.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by m4rk540

Clean39, don't let your story become that of the highly respected and possibly envied Paceline member who died from a household accident. That gentleman who had gone through countless high end bikes, after escaping a Justice Department prosecution for defrauding the federal government for hundreds of millions, decided that other risks, such as road riding were not worth it. If I recall correctly, he gave up road for mtb, and then at the young age of late 50s, he succumbed to an indoor fall.

Let's not live in fear. Of the government or public roads.

I'm not depressed or paranoid, just frustrated and feeling disappointedly woke today.

Living has a 100% risk of death. My number will eventually be called, regardless.

It's just sad that our society is devolving the way that it is.

I think folks nailed it above. It's the culture of selfishness. It's tribalism in religion and politics. It's media and movies and video games.

I'm the smilingest, wavingest rider you'll find. I love the way the world looks from the seat of a bicycle. I love that two-mins before one of the incidents above, I exchanged waves with a couple in their 80's sitting on their porch having coffee - a couple that had a giant flag in their front yard and a land-yacht for a motorhome. They weren't hippies. But it also seemed like they didn't care that I was a crazy dude in Lycra on a bike who'd ridden out from the city - to them I was another human with a smile and the sun on his face.

I do think the good people generally outnumber the ignorant cornholes of the world. Unfortunately, it only takes one cornhole to spoil the whole party and right now, I'm losing the ability to ignore that.

I'm not going to stop riding on the road. But I am going to put effort into being sure that isn't all that I do. And I'm going to be more discriminating about where and when I ride - might even have to start driving to more road-heads further out in the country...

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[OtayBW]

I admit that I have become increasingly cautious and troubled by the growing presence of jackasses on the road, but 1) I don't care for single track riding, 2) I might be up for some gravel riding, and 3) I'm going to continue to do what I like best which is road riding. Part of that is that I'm fortunate in that there is pretty good riding around here, and I am pretty selective about where I will and will not ride, but on balance, it's not so bad around here that I would consider giving up road riding. Some have. I'm not ready for that. I don't think that's necessary around here.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by BobO

Just a quick word of caution. There's a lot of assumptions being made in this thread about other's intentions. Those assumptions may or may not be correct, but, it's generally best not to build a persona for someone else in your own mind based upon a single moment in time and our own bias.

That's true. My default is to not do that - I generally assume people driving impatiently have diarreha and are trying to make it to a bathroom. Today tested my ability to take that view though. Hence the rant.

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[thwart]

Originally Posted by skouri1

Oh yea, and dont give someone the finger. I did it a few times. But havent for several years at least. Sometimes, it's irrepressible when someone almost kills you or does something reckless, but if you can take the extra second to stop yourself, it's always prudent. who knows who they are. it can't make the situation better.

Exactly. When someone does something really obnoxious, and I'm tempted to flip 'em the bird... it helps me to remember that anyone with those tendencies likely has a gun in the glovebox... or on their person.

This is especially true with the recently relaxed gun laws here in the Dairyland.

Count to ten. Smile and wave.

[BobO]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

That's true. My default is to not do that - I generally assume people driving impatiently have diarreha and are trying to make it to a bathroom. Today tested my ability to take that view though. Hence the rant.

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Trust me, I get it. We've all been there, it's just helpful sometimes to hear a calming voice to bring us down.

[type2sam]

When I re-awoke to the idea of riding a bike 9 years ago (with 40 in the headlights) I stuck to the roads because that's all I knew.

Throw in a few close calls, a love of the woods, the bucolic splendor of the countryside, and GPS capability, and I've switched to largely focusing on stitching together mixed terrain rides that minimize my exposure to the immature, distracted and often inebriated or otherwise disabled (it's not uncommon to smell weed wafting from car windows at intersections these days) drivers who ply our roadways today. If I do ride on roads, I focus on making sure those roads haven't been captured by Google Streetview. I even avoid driving in a car if I can as 75% of the time when I look at the car in the next lane over, the driver is buried in their phone.

My road bikes gather dust. My cross bike is my every bike.

[Spinner]

I started riding multi-speed bikes on distance rides starting in 1972. During that period of time, I have ridden in numerous states throughout the continental U.S. (and Hawaii) and have endured numerous threats to my well being.

Three years ago I invested in a Dinotte Quad for primarily daytime rides and I WILL NOT RIDE WITHOUT IT.

Get one and you will notice immediately a difference in the way traffic passes you.

There are no absolutes as distracted drivers will always be there, however they can't miss seeing a Dinotte.

BTW, I have gifted multiple Dinottes to biking friends.

[joosttx]

Clean- I dont think you are going to find a solace in Folsom. Better get a mountain bike too.

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by joosttx

Clean- I dont think you are going to find a solace in Folsom. Better get a mountain bike too.

Reno? Auburn? Nevada City? I know...they're everywhere...but the AR trail is at least a thing...

And I did get a MTB - just hasn't been delivered.

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[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by Spinner

I started riding multi-speed bikes on distance rides starting in 1972. During that period of time, I have ridden in numerous states throughout the continental U.S. (and Hawaii) and have endured numerous threats to my well being.

Three years ago I invested in a Dinotte Quad for primarily daytime rides and I WILL NOT RIDE WITHOUT IT.

Get one and you will notice immediately a difference in the way traffic passes you.

There are no absolutes as distracted drivers will always be there, however they can't miss seeing a Dinotte.

BTW, I have gifted multiple Dinottes to biking friends.

This package?

http://store.dinottelighting.com/mob...kage-p197.aspx

I have Bontrager Flare lights already...

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[Hellgate]

Desert Eagle.

[tkbike]

I was also flipped off while riding today, but I also flipped off a driver earlier in the day...I am also ashamed of myself for stooping to that level. The driver pulled up next to me at a traffic light and called me a d-bag...that proved to me his IQ, stupidity,ignorance...as that is one of the most derogatory terms in the English language. Anyone that uses that term is obviously a total classless piece of sheet that has more problems than can be dealt with a traffic light. I just laughed and thought to myself...I’m an idiot for flipping him off, but I’m not that low!

[Clean39T]

Originally Posted by tkbike

I was also flipped off while riding today, but I also flipped off a driver earlier in the day...I am also ashamed of myself for stooping to that level. The driver pulled up next to me at a traffic light and called me a d-bag...that proved to me his IQ, stupidity,ignorance...as that is one of the most derogatory terms in the English language. Anyone that uses that term is obviously a total classless piece of sheet that has more problems than can be dealt with a traffic light. I just laughed and thought to myself...I’m an idiot for flipping him off, but I’m not that low!

Seinfeld had a back n' forth in one of the more recent Comedians in Cars about where the d-bag term came from and how random the insult is...and since then my wife and I have been calling people handtowels...

[kookmyers]

Originally Posted by Clean39T

And I did get a MTB - just hasn't been delivered.

Which one? I am honestly considering a bikesdirect bike for tooling around.....