1) Nu-Fred blows by me in bike lane; 2) Nu-Fred comes into corner too hot; 3) Nu-Fred crashes self in crosswalk. Must be Bike Month.
Tis the season for watching out for more riders now that winter has taken a break.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on
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I would guess this has to do with route; I ride Milwaukee daily.
H3N3 said:
Interesting. I ride every day and even since it's gotten warmer I rarely encounter another cyclist.
notoriousDUG said:
I don't chuckle and blog about it but it is annoying that the within the last 3 days I have almost been wiped out by another cyclist twice, been crowded out on the road and at intersections by people with very poor 'bike lane etiquette,' watched numerous folk pull really stupid moves at intersections in greater number than I have in the last 3 months and seen a massive increase in the number of helmetless night riders in dark clothing with no lights. Having more people on bikes is a dandy thing but there is no way around the fact that many 'fair weather' cyclists are terribly annoying to be on the street with. It's a shame that people are taught to drive a car but no one ever feels the need to impress upon them how to safely ride a bike...
H3N3 said:
And this.
Are you supposed to chuckle, pat yourself on the back, and ride off with a smug grin to go blog about it when you see someone on a bike go down?
Peenworm Grubologist said:A knucklehead on a bike still poses barely one octillionth of the danger that knucklehead would be in a car. The whole fredsnobbage thing makes me bristle.
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Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on
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Milwaukee Avenue bike traffic has exploded in the last week or so. I've started diverting to less popular routes.
notoriousDUG said:
I would guess this has to do with route; I ride Milwaukee daily.
H3N3 said:
Interesting. I ride every day and even since it's gotten warmer I rarely encounter another cyclist.
[snip]
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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on
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I think it is nice that you feel a sense of camaraderie by being a bicyclist -that is great for you. But I think that there are people out there with different priorities and different opinions about exactly what "taking the safety precautions of biking seriously" really means.
You may feel something towards the "community" of bicycle riders but others might not really care about what other people think of them or feel the pressing need to fit in with the in crowd or frankly care about the same things you care about. They might not even "care" if you respect their choices of not wearing a helmet or liking to enjoy music while they ride.
The fact that you look down on them for being a "fred" (or whatever disparaging name that can be giving to people who don't think and act and dress just like you and yours) probably doesnt' bother them at all. Not being in your special club of cyclists might not even concern them in the least.
Biking is for everyone -even for people who "don't take it seriously."
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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on
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The funny thing is that the Wrong Sort Of Cyclist seems to apply to almost everyone in Copenhagen, for example. People just get on bikes, and take them to places, and that's more or less the extent of it. File me under killjoy but the "you're doing it wrong" snobbage doesn't help anybody and just further marginalizes cycling to having a reputation of the exclusive domain of hipster douchebags.
More bikes make for safer streets, even if some of the bikes are a bit unclear about the best practices. I've taken a couple of solo spills myself, and a few stupid scratches and dents are part of learning bike better. Heck, people on motorcycles take it as given that they'll wipe out at least once, no reason not to grant the same for cyclists. And fortunately for us, the stakes of a wipeout are generally far far lower.
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Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on
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I don't know, since there isn't formal cycling education it's down to cyclists to enforce norms, some of which are silly and some of which aren't. Making fun of Nu-Fred because he likes knickers, messenger bags and single speed bikes is silly (I like all that stuff myself anyway). Making fun of him because he doesn't use lights, rides against traffic at night, beats pedestrians with U-locks, etc. really isn't. Most mockery as far as I can tell has to do with the latter rather than the former; cyclists tend not to care too much about other people's style choices but to care a lot about whether they're safe and conscientious. Even as a helmet skeptic, for instance, I think it's healthy that riders will poke fun at someone who shows up for a social ride without a lid even if they don't know him. Not all peer pressure is bad.
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Permalink Reply by Davo on
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I generally don't care how other cyclist's ride unless they are doing something that makes all cyclists (in general) look like assholes.
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Yeah, there are some norms hat are good to enforce but so much of the bike snob content is silly fashion bullshit.
Dr. Doom said:
I don't know, since there isn't formal cycling education it's down to cyclists to enforce norms, some of which are silly and some of which aren't. Making fun of Nu-Fred because he likes knickers, messenger bags and single speed bikes is silly (I like all that stuff myself anyway). Making fun of him because he doesn't use lights, rides against traffic at night, beats pedestrians with U-locks, etc. really isn't. Most mockery as far as I can tell has to do with the latter rather than the former; cyclists tend not to care too much about other people's style choices but to care a lot about whether they're safe and conscientious. Even as a helmet skeptic, for instance, I think it's healthy that riders will poke fun at someone who shows up for a social ride without a lid even if they don't know him. Not all peer pressure is bad.
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People are eating it up at face value so take whatever i was saying and apply i either to bike snob or his fans whom he is styling on with maximum deftness.
Michael Brosilow said:
You do realize it's satire don't you.
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If it allows even one person to look down on someone else for "doing it wrong" and makes them feel better in the end then how bad can it be? Elitism can be fun and profitable!
Peenworm Grubologist said:
The funny thing is that the Wrong Sort Of Cyclist seems to apply to almost everyone in Copenhagen, for example. People just get on bikes, and take them to places, and that's more or less the extent of it. File me under killjoy but the "you're doing it wrong" snobbage doesn't help anybody and just further marginalizes cycling to having a reputation of the exclusive domain of hipster douchebags.
More bikes make for safer streets, even if some of the bikes are a bit unclear about the best practices. I've taken a couple of solo spills myself, and a few stupid scratches and dents are part of learning bike better. Heck, people on motorcycles take it as given that they'll wipe out at least once, no reason not to grant the same for cyclists. And fortunately for us, the stakes of a wipeout are generally far far lower.
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Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on
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I don't know if it's "nu-fred" but some of the "lance armstrongs" trying to go full-out on LFP on nice Spring/Summer days
a. crack me up when they get frustrated 'cause everyone else doesn't realize this is their path.
b. create havoc; do they realize this and just don't care, or are they just that clueless?
c. are in way better shape than me, so maybe I'm just jealous.
d. like to ride in packs with a few of them coming at me in my lane; that's going to hurt someday...
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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on
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Those guys are the LFP only Lycra D-bags. This breed is rarely seen on the streets.
in it to win it said:I don't know if it's "nu-fred" but some of the "lance armstrongs" trying to go full-out on LFP on nice Spring/Summer days
a. crack me up when they get frustrated 'cause everyone else doesn't realize this is their path.
b. create havoc; do they realize this and just don't care, or are they just that clueless?
c. are in way better shape than me, so maybe I'm just jealous.
d. like to ride in packs with a few of them coming at me in my lane; that's going to hurt someday...
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