The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[Lukeyboy]

@lukeyboy if I didn't know better I'd say you were making that up.

Haha. It honestly happened Dan. I swear. It did happen. Some drunken yobo at Sandgate around 1-1.30am on a Friday if not Saturday night. It was on the corner where that park is at Shorncliffe for the now closed pier - turning off Swan street onto Eagle Terrace. The guy was still young - maybe 25-30 and had waaaaay too much to drink - he was just out of it. They way I told it might have seemed like it never happened/more dramatic but it all happened in a couple seconds. Came around the corner, lights on high beam, he saw and got the wobbles, flung the bottle skwards behind him, yelled AhF********************************K as he fell and attempted to panic crawl/flop around like a fish out of water. Get closer and when i'm about a couple meters away and the lights off high beam he notices that I'm a cyclist. He joked at first but then got seriously angry at me either because he lost his remaining grog or because I made him look like a complete and total ass. Riding off he had attempted to get up saying something but lost his balance, stumbled and shoulder charged the back rear panel of the car while also using it as a prop to help him stand up.

[biker jk]

awards to the hipster cycling the wrong way around centennial park this morning and the struggling middle aged jogger running the wrong way taking up most of the cycle lane in olympic park ignoring the nice wide walking path not 2 metres away

There's usually two or three commuters riding the wrong way around Centennial Park every time I'm there in the morning. They'll eventually get cleaned up by a car.

[FuzzyDropbear]

One of those rare days when I actually drive into work; was driving up the street and spot this guy riding towards me on the footpath (separated by parked cars), all of a sudden he starts looking at the footpath on the other side of the road. So I slowed down and yep, darts straight between the parked cars and out onto the road..... unfortunately he neglected to see that he was cutting off a truck coming the opposite way to me (the same way the guy is going).... However, luckily the truck driver is paying attention and half spotted him and slammed on the brakes. At this moment, the rider squares up, starts riding in the middle of the lane in front of the truck (totally oblivious to the fact there's a truck behind him), puts his left arm out and finishes crossing the road onto the footpath and continues to ride on his way, still oblivious to what's going on.

I looked at the truckie and he looked at me after blasting horns and we both just shook our heads and continued on. The guy wasn't drunk, intoxicated or otherwise, he could ride in a straight line when he was on the footpath.

This is actually the second person I've seen in the last week, the other was riding in the bike lane and just as we were approaching a set of lights (I was on the bike this time), she veered across the lane and into the right hand turning lane and stops, no head check, no signal, nothing that would've indicated that's what she was going to do. She didn't even had a mirror to see what was coming up behind her, I pulled up next to her and said hello, but didn't say anything else because she didn't hear me, too busy listening to her iPod....

[TrikeTragic]

The scenario:
First early morning fitness ride for a while, nice very outer Melbourne and quiet road, about 3 km into the ride,still dark as. Built up a head of steam after a long uphill grind (they're all long on a trike), terrific downhill run to about 55 kph, road bends gently to the right.

Helmet light picks up two dubious characters loitering on the roadside, one hesitates a second, then crosses directly in front. The other, almost too predictably, hesitates a fraction longer, and follows - by which time I am fully testing the disk brakes and cursing, aiming to get behind them.

Manage to steer left and clear the second dude by half a metre or so. Phew...

Damned roos, should be made to pay registration and display license plates.

Cheers

Alan
Recumbenteer

[kenwstr]

A little off topic but I keep seeing mention of mirrors as if they are a good thing but every mirror I have ever had on a bike has been a total fail due the vibration you cant see a thing in it anyway so I binned the usless things years, nay decades ago. If by chance your mirrors actually do allow you to see what's behind. What the heck are you using and why do yours work while mine never have?

Regards,
Ken

[Mulger bill]

Drop bars Ken?

Your prayers have been answered.

Shaun

[VRE]

.

[Percrime]

They're easy to mount, and as you can see the mounting position I use keeps it clear of my hands. It gives me a good view of the road behind my bike. They're also reasonably cheap (about $20, I think?).

Ummm.. Unless you ride on the hoods.

[grt046]

Drop bars Ken?

Your prayers have been answered.

Shaun

Agree .... I have been using one of these for a year and find good visibility and no vibration.

[Summernight]

Drop bars Ken?

Your prayers have been answered.

Shaun

Agree .... I have been using one of these for a year and find good visibility and no vibration.

To put my 2cents in - I bought this mirror earlier this year and it is invaluable to me. No vibrations that I am aware of. I love it and feel a lot more confident riding on the road.

[VRE]

.

[find_bruce]

They're easy to mount, and as you can see the mounting position I use keeps it clear of my hands. It gives me a good view of the road behind my bike. They're also reasonably cheap (about $20, I think?).

Ummm.. Unless you ride on the hoods.

It's interesting how one can reply to another forum member offering useful advice, and then it's almost certain that another will interject with a disparaging remark. I was only trying to help, OK?

Don't give me that, you snotty-faced heap of parrot droppings!

Oh sorry, you wanted to offer advice, that is in thread 12A, just down the page

[biker jk]

They're easy to mount, and as you can see the mounting position I use keeps it clear of my hands. It gives me a good view of the road behind my bike. They're also reasonably cheap (about $20, I think?).

Ummm.. Unless you ride on the hoods.

You can also attach it to the end of the drops. I have three bikes and a Zefal Spy mirror on each and they work great.

[Mulger bill]

They're easy to mount, and as you can see the mounting position I use keeps it clear of my hands. It gives me a good view of the road behind my bike. They're also reasonably cheap (about $20, I think?).

Ummm.. Unless you ride on the hoods.

It's interesting how one can reply to another forum member offering useful advice, and then it's almost certain that another will interject with a disparaging remark. I was only trying to help, OK?

I thought Perc was pointing out pros and cons rather than being disparaging. Have to admit, "Wouldn't work for me" was my first thought.

[Percrime]

It's interesting how one can reply to another forum member offering useful advice, and then it's almost certain that another will interject with a disparaging remark. I was only trying to help, OK?

I thought Perc was pointing out pros and cons rather than being disparaging. Have to admit, "Wouldn't work for me" was my first thought.

Yeah so did I. You cant ride that thing with your hand on the right hood. Seems a significant con. I was going to reply pithily to VRE's response but shall restrain myself.

Hanging it on the end of the drops might be better since apparently you can.I have seen a smaller mirror that does that and if I were to use a mirror that would be the way I go. But us trackies are pretty good at looking back.

[kenwstr]

Drop bars Ken?

Your prayers have been answered.

Shaun

Thanks for the heads up, very much appreciate it and other comments as well. I have been riding an old Malvern Star Sportstar that I bought in 80-81 after it had been done up as a road training bike. I Hadn't ridden it for quite a while then on and off in recent years. Been doing around 90-100 km a week for about the last year. I think it must weigh about 15kg. I noticed another B2B rider with a mirror mounted in the end of the drop too and will check for viable mounting when it's light outside.

I know that for any opinion offered on a forum there is an opposing opinion so may I suggest that offering alternate workable solutions is a constructive way to handle this.

Regards,
Ken

[Big_Red]

Dear bike ninjas,

For those of you not in the know (i'm aware your brain freezes when the temps get below 20deg so i won't use big words) the sun in Brisbane sets at 5pm at present and the days officially don't start to get longer until after June 22. Having a dearth of lights to see by, or be seen by when you set off around 4.30 may be understandable because you are a cheap tightwad, but when you are out and about on your BSO at 6.45pm IT IS PITCH *^#$ING BLACK AND YOU ARE A HAZARD TO EVERYONE ELSE. Since you ninjas usually congregate along the bike path that goes under the Kangaroo Point cliffs, if perchance i run into you after you spring from the gloom at the last moment, or if i see you run into some poor ped minding their own business, i will take the opportunity to pretzel your wheels and then throw your BSO into the river.

PS - having lights front and back that are visible for 200m is a requirement under the Qld road rules. Common sense doesn't form part of the equation because apparently it isn't that common...


</end rant>

[Dan]

That rant is worthy of a retweet. I mean repost. I mean quote - ah, you get the idea

[Big_Red]

I do tend to get rather ranty after seeing stupid behavior repeated in adfinitem. It seriously takes quite a bit to piss me off, but i'm coming across people with no lights when the sun has been down for a good 2-3 hours and they'd have to be absolutely clueless. It doesn't really cost a lot to get some half decent lights these days, so no excuse will cut it. I came across one dude either texting/playing a game/looking at p0rn on his iDevice around 7.45pm riding the opposite direction from me while on the Story Bridge, last week, while meandering their way through the joggers & other peds, no lights on bike, headphones firmly jammed in his skull. Definitely a Darwin Award nominee.

[Percrime]

And far far worse is the moron with a red tail light on the front. Road side execution of these fools is way way way too lenient

[Mulger bill]

And far far worse is the moron with a red tail light on the front. Road side execution of these fools is way way way too lenient

Not to mention the one with a tiny white on the rear and nothing else I saw on Footscray Rd path last night, took me a while to realise why the closing speed was so slow.
Heads up young lady, wearing your lid flat aback is useless.

[jasonc]

And far far worse is the moron with a red tail light on the front. Road side execution of these fools is way way way too lenient

+1

there's a guy I see regularly with a red light on top of his belt buckle going along the bicentennial bikeway


I was coming home late last night (left work at 5:30) and when I got to anzac park (start of the western freeway) there was a guy on a BMX with no helmet (don't care - speeds up darwin) and no lights

they just do not understand

[Saturnstarzz]

Its been a cracker of a Morning thus far. Pre Dawn rain falling, Have both my headlights Helmet and Bar on and a blinky, see a shadowy figure coming towards , thinking it some sort of animal coming home from feeding , but alas it a Salmon Ninja on Docklands Highway /Francis Street (known truck route) in Melbourne's West, Who almost has a head on with me Both of us slamming on our brakes (thank god for hydros) who tells me " You should slow down you looked like a car".

Lady on a beach cruiser with no lid got asked by a roadie in front of me "wheres ya helmet" , response was " It will mess up my hair." I T WAS RAINING.

Then the bloke who i can only best describe having a really bad hangover today as he fell out his taxi and tripped over the gutter into a Cophenhagen bike lane on Latrobe, lucky was going slow as would have fallen off laughing.

And last but not least the ped who forgot what the little green man meant on swanston st near the tram superstop at melbourne Central may have been told to use the lights next time.

Why does this all happen when I leave my camera (AT) home.

[Bah77]

The cyclist who while getting on his bike looks back and sees me coming, then still manages to veer to the middle of the road as i was coming up past him, well done. Either ride straight or wait.
Didnt look like a casual either.

[g-boaf]

I do tend to get rather ranty after seeing stupid behavior repeated in adfinitem. It seriously takes quite a bit to piss me off, but i'm coming across people with no lights when the sun has been down for a good 2-3 hours and they'd have to be absolutely clueless. It doesn't really cost a lot to get some half decent lights these days, so no excuse will cut it. I came across one dude either texting/playing a game/looking at p0rn on his iDevice around 7.45pm riding the opposite direction from me while on the Story Bridge, last week, while meandering their way through the joggers & other peds, no lights on bike, headphones firmly jammed in his skull. Definitely a Darwin Award nominee.

Yeah, they are pretty dumb riding around at night with no lights on. On the local bike track, seeing a burnt out car dumped in one of the dark underpasses - imagine that at night, and one of these ninjas going into that at 20km/h or so.

Same with the pedestrians who insist on walking around at night wearing the blackest of black clothes - in unlit areas, they are just about invisible.