Bikers that always cut to the front of the line, repeatedly....

I am always getting quite annoyed of those fellow bikers, whom ride much slower than you, get in front of you at intersections. This is particularly bad on the diagonal roads where they will try to shortcut the light by pulling half way across it. 

Don't these guys have a clue after the 5th or 6th time that I pass them before they even finish getting across the intersection? It's not like this "head start" is really getting them up to speed any quicker. Most of the time they are just causing a potential conflict as I pass them....

I notice that it usually are the ones that are riding fixed gear... 

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Permalink Reply by Chitown_Mike on August 22, 2013 at 9:02am

I won't lie, I shoal but only when I have paced the rider in front of me and know that I will pass them anyway, I find an "Excuse me" and/or "sneaking past you" will diffuse a situation from happening, however several times I have watched other riders blow a light or stop sign just to get a head for a block or 2 and then I am forced to pass them in traffic because they start the NASCAR style swerving in the bicycle lane.  That is a tad frustrating....however I know my role when a stronger rider needs to pass, and I do so carefully for myself and them.

@ John C. - I use Milwaukee for my sprints, where else do you get a 60-90 sprint in and a 2 minute rest at a light? :)

John C. Wilson said:

Fast people are not on Milwaukee. They would rather do extra distance and avoid the nonsense.

Permalink Reply by Sarah D. on August 22, 2013 at 9:13am

It just makes a confusion of bikes to negotiate for cars. At the intersections where there are right turners and straight-driving cars, I stay in between those two "lanes" to keep in sight of the drivers, hold my line (not swerve back into the sharrow after an intersection, which can be dangerous), and not block anyone who might come up behind and turn right. I think the footrest thing creates a bad remerge situation for other cyclists, and leaves *you* open to the right hook. I can't believe I just explained all that...

in it to win it 8.0 mi said:

Love, love being able to put my foot up on the curb.  More comfortable.  Why would anyone care?  I'll let you take off first . . . 



Sarah D. 1-3.3 said:

I just think the intersection is not the place to play position-shifting, even if you'll pass me or another cyclist later; stop at the stopline, don't take over the crosswalk, look orderly and visible to cars, and be a decent human being. It's this weird newbie cyclist behavior that bugs me, along with the people who pull all the way to the right curb at intersections just to put their foot up. But I can be cranky. 

Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on August 22, 2013 at 9:28am

Yeah, guess it depends on the intersection and time of day.  I'll still let you go first since I'm all the way over to the right...



Sarah D. 1-3.3 said:

It just makes a confusion of bikes to negotiate for cars. At the intersections where there are right turners and straight-driving cars, I stay in between those two "lanes" to keep in sight of the drivers, hold my line (not swerve back into the sharrow after an intersection, which can be dangerous), and not block anyone who might come up behind and turn right. I think the footrest thing creates a bad remerge situation for other cyclists, and leaves *you* open to the right hook. I can't believe I just explained all that...

in it to win it 8.0 mi said:

Love, love being able to put my foot up on the curb.  More comfortable.  Why would anyone care?  I'll let you take off first . . . 



Sarah D. 1-3.3 said:

I just think the intersection is not the place to play position-shifting, even if you'll pass me or another cyclist later; stop at the stopline, don't take over the crosswalk, look orderly and visible to cars, and be a decent human being. It's this weird newbie cyclist behavior that bugs me, along with the people who pull all the way to the right curb at intersections just to put their foot up. But I can be cranky. 

Permalink Reply by Duppie on August 22, 2013 at 9:29am

+1

Sarah D. 1-3.3 said:

It just makes a confusion of bikes to negotiate for cars. At the intersections where there are right turners and straight-driving cars, I stay in between those two "lanes" to keep in sight of the drivers, hold my line (not swerve back into the sharrow after an intersection, which can be dangerous), and not block anyone who might come up behind and turn right. I think the footrest thing creates a bad remerge situation for other cyclists, and leaves *you* open to the right hook. I can't believe I just explained all that...

in it to win it 8.0 mi said:

Love, love being able to put my foot up on the curb.  More comfortable.  Why would anyone care?  I'll let you take off first . . . 



Sarah D. 1-3.3 said:

I just think the intersection is not the place to play position-shifting, even if you'll pass me or another cyclist later; stop at the stopline, don't take over the crosswalk, look orderly and visible to cars, and be a decent human being. It's this weird newbie cyclist behavior that bugs me, along with the people who pull all the way to the right curb at intersections just to put their foot up. But I can be cranky. 

Permalink Reply by Sarah D. on August 22, 2013 at 9:36am

Sweet! I'll wave and say hi before you pass me...

in it to win it 8.0 mi said:

I'll still let you go first since I'm all the way over to the right...

Permalink Reply by Mickeal Teague on August 22, 2013 at 9:44am

It's all good dude, I was just playing Devil's Advocate. I don't have a clue & wouldn't dare guess what is or is NOT on the minds of some of these other folks that we HAVE TO share the rode with.  I just love to bike & haven't had probs w/ other bikers & I ride from Evanston to the Museum Campus, plenty of distance & time to encounter issues but nothing more than the occasional group of 2+ walkers that I have honk the horn at because they block the ENTIRE pathway; but normally I don't even need the (clown) horn, just the polite little bike bell that I ring once & then I say "thank-you" as I bike past & go on about enjoying my bike ride...

notoriousDUG said:

How could they not know they are doing it?  If you don;t realize you are passing, and then being passed by, the same person time and time again you are not paying enough attention to the world around you to safely bike.

Mickeal Teague said:

Even though this is the 1st I've heard of (or encountered) bikers doing this, I'm gonna play Devil's Advocate & just purpose that, maybe, they don't realize they're doing that. Maybe, possibly, potentially, uhn, uhn... 

I don't do that cutting thing but I roll, recreationaly, on a Giant mountain bike & don't do speed biking nor do I ride where many intersections are, so I just don't know BUT if they are cutting on purpose, "F" em & keep rollin' right past them' (as they're panting & prob out of breath) LOL   :)~

Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on August 22, 2013 at 10:18am

Just to mix it up a li'l bit on narrower streets like Milwaukee or Armitage I've had a number of occasions where I'm stuck behind someone slow as donk, get around them at the stoplight and have them hammertime to get ahead only to slow way down again. ~land of contrasts~ 

On the other hand shoaling, leapfrogging and so on has got nothing on the utter nutsolity of oblivious dudes on divvy bikes. 

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on August 22, 2013 at 10:43am

I treat Divvy like cars with out of state plates.  I don't expect them to know what they're doing, plus they're spending money in town.  So they get a break.

Permalink Reply by David of the North (David606xx) on August 22, 2013 at 10:45am

It's pretty great.  I remember when it was just a handful of old kooks riding in traffic, these days it's a dozen + bikes at every red light near the end of my commute. Good times.

h' 1.0 said:

What's it like seeing other people on bikes on your way to work? I've always wondered.

Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on August 22, 2013 at 10:54am

yeah i really want to like the service in theory and hopefully over coming months people will start to get the hang of using them but in the mean time oh hello fellow colliding with me head-on because he took an abrupt left turn from the wrong way on a one-way street straight into my face which was in the bike lane on another one-way street 

Tricolor said:

I treat Divvy like cars with out of state plates.  I don't expect them to know what they're doing, plus they're spending money in town.  So they get a break.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on August 22, 2013 at 3:28pm
Quite a lot of them don't seem to understand that it's illegal (not to mention rude) to ride on the sidewalk here, including the fellow Divvying his way down a narrow River North sidewalk today at 6pm.
Permalink Reply by Scott on August 22, 2013 at 3:54pm

So ironic since your odds of getting hit by a car go way up riding on the sidewalk...  That GIF that was posted up earlier...  I bet this guy from the earlier poster wished he wasn't riding on the sidewalk...  Nearly hit by a car then finally hit by another biker...

h' 1.0 said:

It says right on the stations (in multiple languages?) that it's illegal.

My guess is that they're afraid of getting seriously injured or killed by cars.

Maurice said:

Quite a lot of them don't seem to understand that it's illegal (not to mention rude) to ride on the sidewalk here, including the fellow Divvying his way down a narrow River North sidewalk today at 6pm.

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