Watch out for *&^*%$%$ Bicycles !

[greenaero]

A few weeks ago I was ridng back home after working all day at my mom's old house in Berkeley. It was around 5:30 PM and traffic was heavy. It was also dark and lightly raining. I was tired, wet and wanted to go home.Traffic was backed up for blocks so I was filtering up through the stopped traffic when I suddenly I saw a bicycle riding in the cross walk a car's length in front of me. I braked hard and stopped just as the bicyclist crossed in front of me, just contacting his rear tire with my fender. I pulled over immediately to make sure the bicyclist was okay and to assess any damage done. The bicyclist also stopped about 10 feet away but as I asked if he was OK he just rode away as I was walking toward him. I checked my bike and found that my fender was cracked and tweaked to one side so I bent it back so that the front tire wouldn't rub against it. Then I resumed riding the 40+ miles back home to Livermore.

This incident ,as most , was totally preventable. As I analyze what happened I see that I failed to correctly adjust my speed for the negative conditions
( wet pavement, night time, poor visibility , heavy traffic ) and was surprised by the bicyclist. Granted he should not have been riding in the crosswalk, but it's my responsibilty to be alert for the unexpected. The darkness , blocking cars and the wet pavement contributed to me lightly contacting the bicycle instead of the usual safe stop a few feet away under better conditions.

I was riding my Silveraero project Ninjette which is only partly streamlined. The fully enclosed front fender sustained some bent framework and was cracked on the left side. I removed the left side, straightened the sheet-metal framework , reglued the side piece and reinstalled it, done ! Needless to say I'm glad that the bicyclist didn't go down, wasn't injured and that property damge was negligible.

I've had 2 other previous close calls with bicyclists. Bicyclists are hard to see and often they don't obey traffic laws. Many also do not ride defensively.
They are even more vulnerable to injury than we are. Please watch out for bicycles.

[cuong-nutz]

I know how you feel and glad it wasn't worse. I don't like how some bicyclists think they own the road.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by greenaero

.......... Bicyclists are hard to see and often they don't obey traffic laws. Many also do not ride defensively.
They are even more vulnerable to injury than we are. Please watch out for bicycles.

Any bicyclist has enough mass and speed to knock you and your bike sideways; I have seen it happening.

It was great that it was little damage.

[alex.s]

bastard just ran away because he knew he was at fault.

when i lived in irvine, dodging drunk bicyclists was not uncommon. but one time in particularly, this asshole was riding a bike down the center divider, with only me in the center of 3 lanes going that direction and no other cars around... guy doesn't look at all, just decides its clear and DARTS straight out into the road. i think i grazed him a bit but man... i was trying so hard not to hit him... it was damp and i was losing grip back and forth between front and rear but somehow i didn't drop the girl. if i'd have hit him, it would not have been a pretty sight. guy didn't even have a helmet on.

i tried to stop after but the ****er just kept on.

[MrAtom]

I always assume bicyclists are actively trying to kill themselves at all times.

[greenaero]

Thanks for the support guys! I was so relieved not to have hurt the cyclist that it was only later that I thought about what I would have said to him if he hadn't skedaddled about so quickly.

Urban areas with lots of cyclists are the worst like LA, SF, Chicago, Houston etc. But it's also irritating when I encounter cyclists in the rural twisties that refuse to ride move to right side of their lane so that they can be passed easily and safely. There was a recent post in the BAy Area Riders Forum comparing motorcycle vs bicycle casuaulties in CA. The bicyclists weren't far behind.

[akima]

Originally Posted by MrAtom

I always assume bicyclists are actively trying to kill themselves at all times.

This made me laugh and at a glance seems extreme, but it's probably not a bad approach to dealing with cyclists.

I do a lot of cycling so I'm aware of some of the mental and physical things that can happen to a cyclist which can result in crazy riding:
* rider wants to conserve precious momentum, so they don't slow enough or don't stop when they probably should.
* rider believes that they are saving the planet from C02 and that you (in your car or on your motorcycle) are an evil polluting monster :: (therefore) the road rightfully belongs to said rider. Rider will not yield! You are inferior! You will wait behind rider!
* rider is inattentive while walking. Rider is equally inattentive when riding... but now rider is riding, rider has much more speed, much less manoeuvrability and is probably in the road and not in safe sidewalk land. Rider is f**k*d but rider does not yet know rider is f**k*d.
* rider is not intelligent enough to pass their driving test. Go figure what their riding is going to be like.
* rider uses Strava. MUST BEAT TIME, MUST BEAT TIME, MUST BE... FUUUuuu... CAR!
* rider is a lemming

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by MrAtom

I always assume bicyclists are actively trying to kill themselves at all times.

Same as Akima I do both motorised & leg powered ones, but some of the **** I see cyclists doing is suicidally stupid.

I've seen a senior scientist from my job cycle straight into 4 lanes of traffic without a single look, how he didn't get pancaked I don't know

A buddy of mine is a truck driver, one of the other guys from his yard had a cyclist try to pass him on the inside of a corner... police were right behind him & stopped him, but by that stage what was left of the cyclist was wedged into an axle. With 40t of trailer & a ****** road surface, he never even noticed the bump

[akima]

Originally Posted by Whiskey

A buddy of mine is a truck driver, one of the other guys from his yard had a cyclist try to pass him on the inside of a corner... police were right behind him & stopped him, but by that stage what was left of the cyclist was wedged into an axle. With 40t of trailer & a ****** road surface, he never even noticed the bump

That's really terrible all round. The family of the cyclist. The truck driver. The people at the scene who saw the gore.

I hope that truck driver didn't get badly affected by that. From what you said, it sounds like he did nothing wrong.

[Whiskey]

It was a career ender as far as I know. I've left out a few of the more grim details.

My cousin saw the same sort of thing happening in London, what kind of idiot tries to undertake a truck in a corner? It's not going to end well for the undertaker...

[greenaero]

When I was still working as a firefighter we responded to a similar situation: a cyclist run over by a big-rig truck. I was the paramedic on the engine crew and did CPR on him in the ambulance enroute to the hospital. His ribcage was crushed but looked normal untl you compressed his chest. Needless to say he did not survive.

[250rr]

Like Akima I commute quite a bit by bicycle. In Portland these holier than thou attitudes run rampant in my fellow cyclists. Funny. Physics refuses to bend its rules for them.

[fast1075]

I am always very careful around bicycles. It is the urban "wassups" on cruisers enroute to deliver their "commodities" that are the most stupid.

But, on Sunday, the Spandex Mafia come out in hordes. I can't list all the stupid stuff they do, the worst however is stopping in the lane mid apex in a blind corner to have a drink, and get a WTF attitude if you nearly run them over.

Pack of 50, uphill, 10 mph in a 55, two lane, no passing, no one will move over.

Rolling speed bumps.

[rojoracing53]

Was the light green In your direction but the intersection stopped do to traffic? Is that why the bike was shooting across the crosswalk in front of you? You description is a little confusing.

You guys do realize that each and every one of you opinions mirrors the opinions of cagers view about motorcycles right?

I'm probably the most avid cyclist(mostly mtbs) on here so I'll point out a few things that I would hope most of you know as it is common sense. Most cyclist are the same motorcycle/car/truck drivers you see on a daily basis. So when our opinion of the general public on the roads is that 80% of them don't know what the **** they are doing, what makes you think they'll get any more competent without a motor. So yeah it's easy to think they are intentionally trying to kill themselves.

1. We don't always ride in the bike lane because a lot of times its full of glass and other sharp debris that cause us flat tires.

2. Give us several feet of space when passing especially when you can SEE the opposite lane is clear. Our bikes are only 20lbs so wind has a huge effect on us and can cause us to veer left or right a foot or two if a big gust hits us. We may need to suddenly move left to avoid debris in our path.

3. When there's little to no asphalt on the right of the white line we may choose to right 2-3' in the lane. We find that if we huge the edge cagers will try and pass us without touching the yellow lines, even if the opposite lane is clear. For some reason by simply forcing the cager to touch the yellow line they will cross it completely and gives us a little breathing room. This is mostly for strait roads.

4. If on a small canyon road climb we toss out our left hand in a stop fashion, don't still pass us. We are farther up the road then you and can see the car/bike whatever coming down the road you haven't yet seen. If we move way to the right edge of the road and give you a wave to pass us then please do so slowly and for gods sake do so without entering to much of the opposing lane. We are giving you a free pass on the 3' foot law and letting you get a little closer so we can all get up the road safely.

5. One blare of your horn is universal code for I'm pissed off at you and you need to move the F*** out of the way. 2 or several short beeps of your hour signify a friendly hello/ I'm coming up on your rear and want to let you know I'm back here ready to pass when safe. Most cyclist can't see or hear you behind us but when we can we will do everything in our power to safely make room.

6. Large groups ride two wide because your going to have to cross into the opposite lane wether we're one or two wide and if we're two wide that means the line of bikes you have to accelerate past is half as short.

7. Some of us are complete a$$holes or just morons, don't judge us all the same because you only recall the negative encounters with cyclists. Each group cage/Moto/ped/bike have the same ratio of morons.

It's truly amazing how many people don't know these simple facts when if you took any time to think about they become common sense. But then there's nothing common about sense so I shouldn't be surprised I guess. When we educate people on these fact they are thankful and mention they will remember next time and act accordingly.

[akima]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

You guys do realize that each and every one of you opinions mirrors the opinions of cagers view about motorcycles right?

There is no "cagers view about motorcycles". All different people with all different opinions.

Personally I love cycling. Some cyclists are pretty clued up (judging by your number points, I'd say you're one of the smart cyclists. I agree with every point. Great advice).

There's tons of morons on bicycles too. Because the barrier to entry for getting a bicycle is much lower than that of a car, I think you're much more likely to see people riding bicycles really badly than driving really badly. It certainly seems that way to me.

I think to whatever degree people expect good riding from cyclists, their standard for cagers driving should be far higher.

I think it's worth giving extra caution and extra care when driving/riding near cyclists as they are less likely to know the rules of the road and are far more vulnerable. I always approach a cyclist in my car as if I could easily kill or seriously injure them. I feel like when I'm driving my car I have far more responsibility than when I'm riding my bike.

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

Most cyclist are the same motorcycle/car/truck drivers you see on a daily basis.

"Some" definitely. "Most"... I really don't know if that's true.

[greenaero]

[QUOTE=rojoracing53;996554]Was the light green In your direction but the intersection stopped do to traffic? Is that why the bike was shooting across the crosswalk in front of you? You description is a little confusing.

The intersection where the collision occurred at had stop signs only on the street that the cyclist was traveling on. I had the right of way. The intersection was filled with cars due to traffic congestion so, yes , the cyclist went into the crosswalk because of the stopped cars in the way. We were both using the mobility of our 2 wheelers to cut through the stopped traffic under poor visibility conditions and made contact with ech other.

I didn't mean to make this post a tirade against bicyclists. I'm an avid cyclist myself and an advocate for greater use of bicycles for utility and recreation. I have great respect for skilled cyclists. Unfortunately there are careless, inattentive cyclists just as there are similar bad drivers and moto riders. I merely wanted to raise the awareness of this potential threat to our ( and their) safety. @rojoracing53, thank for your post!

[cadd]

Originally Posted by greenaero

I didn't mean to make this post a tirade against bicyclists. I'm an avid cyclist myself and an advocate for greater use of bicycles for utility and recreation. I have great respect for skilled cyclists. Unfortunately there are careless, inattentive cyclists just as there are similar bad drivers and moto riders. I merely wanted to raise the awareness of this potential threat to our ( and their) safety. @rojoracing53, thank for your post!

Just curious....would the blame be any different if it was a kid that darted out onto the crosswalk to cross the street?

You guys with the nasty comments about cyclists are complete hypocrites. I am a cyclist myself and have road raced. I also commuted for a few years on the streets of Manhattan. With that said, we (cyclists) have the right to ride on the road. We also have to obey traffic rules just like motor vehicles do. It is illegal to ride on a sidewalk.

So....the next time a cyclist takes the lane....think for a moment. Why is he/she doing it? Perhaps he/she feels that section of the road is too narrow or dangerous to share with a car zooming by them with a few inches to spare.

Rojo is right, a lot of drivers don't like us (motorcyclists) because a few people ride like ash holes and give the rest of us bad names. The same goes for a bicyclists.

We as motorcyclists certainly don't want cars to "share the lane". I've had numerous occurrences where a car slowly creeps up next to me onto my lane!!!! We want them to share the road. Cyclists feel the same. They want the road shared.

[rojoracing53]

Yeah if traffic was stopped you should have been leery of anyone using the crosswalk due to stopped traffic, sounded like you were to an extent. It's those situations they we must slow and look for that guy who's waiting in the opposite direction to turn left in front of us. This is especially true when the drivers heading in our direction wave the opposing car through because they aren't going anywhere anyways.

As a cyclist if the traffic was totally stopped I would have hesitated and looked down between the row of cars for a Moto or another cyclist before continuing across. If the cars were still creeping then I'd have done the safer thing and used my trials bike skills to hop up onto the top of the car and hopped across to the next that way any motos or cyclists could simply pass underneath.

In order for someone to predict where a person is going to appear in any given situation they have to be a practitioner of said activity to reference first hand experience. Not everyone Rides, runs, cycles amd drives so they don't seem to grasp what the other 3 are going to do.

Also when you and a cyclist approach a stop sign are your crossing each other's path, take your damn turn. If you just sit there doing F***ing nothing then you force the cyclist to wonder WTF your going to do. Yeah some/most cyclists run 4 way stops but that's mostly because when we come to an intersection everyone else forgets what the F*** is going on. I to roll(not out right blow through) 4 way stops but only if I'm not going to impede another vehicle turn at crossing. My favorite is when I approach and everyone just freezes until I slowly come to a stop then when they realize I actually stopped and start to go a take my turn in front of them because they are a jacka$$ and should have already been halfway through the intersection. Vehicles need to start taking their turn and forcing cyclist to stop and they will stop running stop signs at full intersections.

I'm not bitter it's just the utter lack of common sense is astounding sometimes.

[cadd]

I trackstand at stop signs with my bicycle. Motorists get confused as heck! They see me on my bike, with both feet on the pedals. Yet, I'm able to stay in one place at a complete stop.

[akima]

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

In order for someone to predict where a person is going to appear in any given situation they have to be a practitioner of said activity to reference first hand experience. Not everyone Rides, runs, cycles amd drives so they don't seem to grasp what the other 3 are going to do.

Confession: until I started riding my motorcycle I never used to check for lane splitting bikes when I was walking between stopped cars in the road. I guess I was just lucky that a biker never hit me.

This could've been me

Link to original page on YouTube.

[snapshot]

I feel you on the bicyclist thing. We were abused by a guy on one a while back. Luckily I got it on video. You can see my reaction in the mirror.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdlPLg-nEaw

Link to original page on YouTube.

Ride on,

J~

[cadd]

That could've ended poorly. I mean, it's one thing to overtake...but to do it mid corner?!

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by snapshot

I feel you on the bicyclist thing. We were abused by a guy on one a while back. Luckily I got it on video. You can see my reaction in the mirror.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdlPLg-nEaw

Link to original page on YouTube.

Ride on,

J~

Abused? that was far from abuse. You guys were going so slow my grandma on her beach cruiser probably would have passed you as well. If you notice he passed you on the left without even crossing the yellow lines and promptly moved to the far right as the road flatted out so you guys could safely pass him back. You may not have liked how this guy did the deed just like he didn't like the fact that in the only place he could get some free effortless speed there just happened to be some super slow motos in the way. The fact is that the cyclist just wanted to get around you guys and intended to try and be courteous about it. You guys were going so slow it would have felt no different then passing someone walking down the bike path.

Try not to let it bother you, I rate harley's or cruisers in general at the same level as a prius in the "I don't want to get suck behind that vehicle category" with mini vans just above.