riding in the city

Fixed · #1 02-24-2006, 07:42 AM

bro how many of you guys ride in traffic? not on country roads but in the middle of the city, ride between lines of cars man does that make you feel alive and alert .i.m.h.o. don't be scared to hit the sidewalk the trick is to keep moving all the time .try to ride through your city and never stop or put your foot down .remember it is a jungle and be careful too.what do you think ?.cheers

Samster · #2 02-24-2006, 07:49 AM

Fixed:

i commute and ride in traffic (if you can call st. louis a real 'city' though not on the scale of chicago, ny, etc.)

traffic's never that bad around here, but it can pile up sometimes. weaving and dodging is exhilarating, but personally, i give cars due respect since they're bigger and faster. i try to keep moving, but will generally respect red lights and stop signs and yields, and still almost never have to unclick.

ride safe.

93legendti · #3 02-24-2006, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fixed

bro how many of you guys ride in traffic? not on country roads but in the middle of the city, ride between lines of cars man does that make you feel alive and alert .i.m.h.o. don't be scared to hit the sidewalk the trick is to keep moving all the time .try to ride through your city and never stop or put your foot down .remember it is a jungle and be careful too.what do you think ?.cheers

Is this a joke?

nick0137 · #4 02-24-2006, 08:23 AM

Yeah....Riding in London traffic really makes you feel alive....until it kills you.

Fixed · #5 02-24-2006, 08:46 AM

bro there are guys who load up their bikes take to some place safe to ride and ride around like a bunch of school girls for an hour and tell themselfs they are cyclist then there is the real thing .bikes are for riding i.m.h.o.
16 years as a mess and I still here bro cheers

nick0137 · #6 02-24-2006, 08:57 AM

I go without using the car for weeks at a time - I cycle to work (fixed, of course

), my wife cycles to work (or gets the Tube) and the kids walk to school. Just sold my car (Subaru Impreza STi) which had only done 10,000 miles in over 3 years, when I'd done 10,000 miles cycling in each of those 3 years. Shame really, cos I love cars...

93legendti · #7 02-24-2006, 08:58 AM

Hey, you're an adult and hopefully able to logically assess reasonable and unreasonable risks. In Michigan, one of the reasons (IMHO) motorists hate cyclists so much is they see them breaking the traffic laws--blowing thru stop signs and red lights, riding more than 2 abreast, obstruting/blockading traffic and crossing double yellow lines AND weaving in between cars.

Me? I have a wife, 3 year old daughter and soon to be born son that my only goal is to return safely home to. If I wanted to gamble mixing it up with
3-4000 lb cars with drivers who are drinking coffee, talking on their cells and putting on makeup, I'd make sure I had plenty of $ in the bank, a current will and life insurance. And I'd tell my wife good bye before I did it each time. When I hear of a cyclist dying in a traffic mishap, I often wonder, was it someone obeying the laws; riding defensively; and riding as far to the right as possible? Or was it someone doing something insanely stupid that was preventable?

Fixed · #8 02-24-2006, 09:02 AM

bro nobody knows what will happen when you walk out of the door for the day i.m.h.o. maybe you should take up running .cheers

Too Tall · #9 02-24-2006, 09:18 AM

Interesting post Fix'd. I ride in busy downtown traffic twice a day to an from work. Like you say, it feels safer if I keep moving and never put a foot down. As for packing my bike up and riding around in a safe womb of country bliss...well if it were only so. The worst most consistent car harassment I ever have is on seeminlgy quiet "country" lanes

Must have something to do with all the new money.

Just by chance...last sat. I trained for about 25 miles with the infamous DC sat morning "goon ride" and than split for greener pastures at about the 1/2 wy point and I spied this cool dude by the side of the road fixing his bike. As is customary I yelled to ask if he needed anything and DOH it was a long distance rider pal I used to hang with yrs. ago. He was riding an amazing bike frame made by native americans...classy brazing, considerate braze ons etc etc. He buttoned up his rig and we peddaled away for a chat...well it seems that he and his family decided to have a "life" change a few yrs. back and they sold their cars...his version of a war protest. Now, the entire family gets by and manages their life car free.

You get your props +++ for being a stalwart messanger and as far as I am concerned kudos go out to everyone having the sense to be involved and passionate about bikes and sports..."it" comes in all shapes and sizes...that's all I'm saying.

93legendti · #10 02-24-2006, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fixed

bro nobody knows what will happen when you walk out of the door for the day i.m.h.o. maybe you should take up running .cheers

i.m.h.o. Maybe you should have your head examined if you think "riding (and/or weaving) between lines of cars" in moving traffic is smart and safe..cheers

That's right "nobody knows what will happen when you walk out of the door for the day"--but it is a silly excuse for deliberately violating traffic laws. I used to commmute as well. And I often use my bike to run errands. I do NOT deliberately ride/weave between cars, violate traffic laws and throw caution to the wind because "anything can happen". The problem with that mentality is riding dangerously becomes a self-fullfilling prophecy. But the bigger problem, at least around here, imho, is every idiot who treats the roads like a personal playground (rather than obey traffic laws) increases the public's negative feelings towards those of us who actually obey the laws.
We used to have a selfish dolt who rode with us--he crossed the double yellow lines going up hills, rode close to the center line and rode 3 abreast. When I asked him not to, explaining that it was illegal and a violation of traffic laws, he said he did not care. When I asked him if he worried that a car would swerve to miss him and hit his riding buddies, he said he did not care about anyone else. Thankfully he was thrown off the ride that day.

You go Fixed, you obviously know what you are doing.

Ray · #11 02-24-2006, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fixed

bro how many of you guys ride in traffic? not on country roads but in the middle of the city, ride between lines of cars man does that make you feel alive and alert .i.m.h.o. don't be scared to hit the sidewalk the trick is to keep moving all the time .try to ride through your city and never stop or put your foot down .remember it is a jungle and be careful too.what do you think ?.cheers

I ride in my small urban borough a lot and in Philly often enough to know the drill. I like mixing it up with urban traffic - the blocks are short enough that they can't really go much faster than you can, so it's pretty easy to take your place in traffic and co-exist. But yeah, you have to be constantly alert, assertive, and reactive. Assertive and reactive seem like opposites, but you gotta do both to get through.

I don't know about never stopping though. The best way I find to get along with cars is to assert my rights in traffic, but to obey the same laws they do. I stop at red lights if I have to - if I see em soon enough I can soft-pedal and generally time it to blow through right after it turns green. The fixie is the best bike for urban riding, but I frequently take my Brompton in on the train and it's not bad either - a quick and responsive little sucker.

-Ray

#12 02-24-2006, 10:11 AM

There are many different types of riding. Commuting is one thing. Riding as an occupation is another. Most of us ride to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. That does NOT make us a bunch of "schoolgirls". To each his own...

Fixed · #13 02-24-2006, 10:14 AM

[ Thankfully he was thrown off the ride that day.

.[/QUOTE]
bro how do you throw someone off a ride arn't streets open and free ?.cheers

93legendti · #14 02-24-2006, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnS

There are many different types of riding. Commuting is one thing. Riding as an occupation is another. Most of us ride to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. That does NOT make us a bunch of "schoolgirls". To each his own...

You speak bibles of truth...sig worthy!

93legendti · #15 02-24-2006, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fixed

[ Thankfully he was thrown off the ride that day.

.

bro how do you throw someone off a ride arn't streets open and free ?.cheers[/QUOTE]

Show up on our rides and ride/weave between cars and you will see. imho. atmo. cheers bro beer bro.

(Public streets are not open and free-- there are laws governing usage of the public streets...types of vehicles allowed, direction, speed, parking, passing--they are all regualted. I am pretty sure the taxes I pay go to upkeep of the roads--doesn't feel free or open to me...check it out!)

imho. atmo. cheers bro beer bro.