[acerboo]

I live about 2 miles along the pilgrims way in kent, single track with passing places and a haven for cyclists. I am often towing quite long trailers with machinery on board so usually doing about 20-25 mph. every day I suffer abuse from arseholes on bikes telling me to get over swearing and they never even attempt to slow down. I often stop for them to pass to be greated with some sort of abuse. anyway this evening we decide to get fish and chips in lenham (great fish shop) so quietly driving along the pilgrims when suddenly 2 bikes in the middle of the road with the lead one turning talking to his mate, he suddenly looks round and sees me. f.. get over he shouts as I try to avoid him. I stop jump out the car by this time hes 100 yards down the road. I kindly invited him to come back and discuss the situation with me to which more abuse. what is it with cyclists are they all pig ignorant arseholes or does it come free when they buy a bike?

[Billyray911]

I think that quite a high percentage aren't drivers and therefore have no concept of what it's like to be confronted with a bike that seemingly comes out of nowhere.
They also can't see the danger that they are putting themselves into (such as squeezing between lanes of traffic) and can't appreciate how situations can quite easily get out of hand,usually with them coming off worse,as they are so vulnerable to injury.
There are a lot of assholes on both sides of the coin,who don't appreciate each other unfortunately.
I honestly think that bikers need to be more accountable,maybe an insurance and registration scheme may help somewhat.However,this won't ever happen so the problems and us and them attitudes will persist.
I've just gotten back into road biking and with a little bit of foresight and give and take,there's room for everyone!

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by Billyray911

I think that quite a high percentage aren't drivers and therefore have no concept of what it's like to be confronted with a bike that seemingly comes out of nowhere.
They also can't see the danger that they are putting themselves into (such as squeezing between lanes of traffic) and can't appreciate how situations can quite easily get out of hand,usually with them coming off worse,as they are so vulnerable to injury.
There are a lot of assholes on both sides of the coin,who don't appreciate each other unfortunately.
I honestly think that bikers need to be more accountable,maybe an insurance and registration scheme may help somewhat.However,this won't ever happen so the problems and us and them attitudes will persist.
I've just gotten back into road biking and with a little bit of foresight and give and take,there's room for everyone!

Good take on the situation!
There are two side to a story and we have yours.....they other guys story is probably on a biker forum somewhere......to which in court would be decided by the better judgement of the affluent.....some of us just aren't smart and have no concept of the consequence of our actions....the story continues.

[Hulla the Hulla]

Genuine question to OP (not trying to be funny), do you ride a bike at all ?

[Kerr]

I've never understood the double standards about biking.

Drive a car like they ride their bikes and you are an absolute idiot who doesn't deserve a licence. However do it on a bike and that's what riding a bike is about.

Apparently car drivers don't understand the dangers of riding bikes. However bikers should know the dangers and they are still the ones who can't stop doing silly things to put themselves in dangerous positions.

It takes two to have an accident but too many people always try and blame each other.

[briers]

These cyclists riding 2 or 3 abreast certainly present a challenge and a danger especially to themselves

If they think otherwise they will eventually get their wake up call which could be as bad as spending the rest of their life in a wheel chair of even death.

Irony is the car driver gets the blame.

I was following a group of bikers doing just this. Several cars in front and a building tailback. One of the drivers became impatient and beeped and got no reaction. Unable to pass as they blocked the road

Eventually a police car turned up, sat patiently at the back of the queue analysing the situation, saw that the drivers couldn't pass. All of a sudden a policeman came bellowing over his tannoy ordering them to travel in line and they immediately responded and we resumed on our way. Bunch of flippin wet letteces.

I have no issue with them if they ride sensibly and with courtesy. Came across another one of these packs along a country lane. Completely blocking like you said, sat behind for ages I could barely pass with a safe margin. Eventually I did with this window down and shouted this ain't the fuckin Tour de France.

Bunch of bells

[acerboo]

I ride a motorbike and therefore well aware of potential dangers with cars. the other day I was waiting at a junction in London against a red light , a bloke on a bike came straight past and had to stop in the middle of the junction with cars having to avoid him how there was not a massive pile up I don't know. the simple answer to all this is make them abide by the rules of the road as the rest of us and prosecute them it they don't. with the situation I described there is no doubt as all captured on dash cam, well worth £20 is these situations!

[Hulla the Hulla]

They do have to abide by the rules of the road and will get pinched if seen by a copper with the time (and inclination) to do so, they are more than able to hand out a penalty. Likely ? No not really.
This argument is as old as the hills, the small minority tarring the majority so everyone thinks that all cyclists are twats - which they are not. I am a very keen cyclist and cover thousands of miles a year but you can count on one hand the number incidents I have had.
I ride appropriately, defensively at times but that is more to make sure I am safe but always respect the fact that in an argument between car and bike you will always come off worse. It's a shame that a small minority of cyclists forget this and of course, we all remember the last twat who pissed us off but can you honestly remember the last rider who you thought, "do you know what, he rode well then and didn't act a dick" ?

[zltm089]

Originally Posted by briers

These cyclists riding 2 or 3 abreast certainly present a challenge and a danger especially to themselves

If they think otherwise they will eventually get their wake up call which could be as bad as spending the rest of their life in a wheel chair of even death.

Irony is the car driver gets the blame.

I was following a group of bikers doing just this. Several cars in front and a building tailback. One of the drivers became impatient and beeped and got no reaction. Unable to pass as they blocked the road

Eventually a police car turned up, sat patiently at the back of the queue analysing the situation, saw that the drivers couldn't pass. All of a sudden a policeman came bellowing over his tannoy ordering them to travel in line and they immediately responded and we resumed on our way. Bunch of flippin wet letteces.

I have no issue with them if they ride sensibly and with courtesy. Came across another one of these packs along a country lane. Completely blocking like you said, sat behind for ages I could barely pass with a safe margin. Eventually I did with this window down and shouted this ain't the fuckin Tour de France.

Bunch of bells

Plus one.

Some of them seem to think they are some kind of superhero going through red light and ridding very fast in slow moving traffic and pavement. Yet as soon as you overtake them, they start crying like bitches.

[chris_s1]

Many cyclists seem to have a massive chip on their shoulders which is probably a natural reaction to the physical inferiority of a little bicycle in a world of much larger and more powerful vehicles. 'Small man syndrome' of the road.

Oddly kids and younger people on bikes seem to be much more sensible than middle aged 'born again' cyclists, which is not what you might expect.

I've seen a few arguments between cyclists and motorists on the country roads around here recently. Usually the cyclist will rant on about "I've got every right to ride two abreast/go slowly/go to fast/undertake you/squeeze through an incredibly tiny gap/expect you to get out of my way immediately".

Just because the law doesn't strictly forbid you from doing something, doesn't mean you have to do it.......

[ctunnicliffe01]

far to many practicing lance armstrong's about these days. All trying to win the yellow jersey or be the first to the burger van.
Our road system just not designed for what we have.

I am a two wheeled rider myself. Although i for sure wont be holding anyone up :P

[gangzoom]

You need to spend at least 1.5-3k for a half decent road bike these days, I think you guys will find most of these 'new' middle aged cyclists are actually quite well off, and probably all drive BMWs, Mercs, Audis.....Given BMW and Audi drivers have a reputation for driving like idiots there probably is a link some where

[acerboo]

living where I di I encounter an extraordinary amount of cyclists and on average 1 in 15 will say thanks you for slowing down or pulling over to let them pass. I was surprised the other day I stopped in a pinch point to let one through and he stopped and waved me on, full marks! the worst ones are the lycra clad, plastic helmet wearing ones with their tinted speedos and who buy bikes with no brakes.

[Havana]

I still think they need to be insured to use the public highway, and apply for RFL even though it would be nil rate. It's still a vehicle that can cause damage to other vehicles, albeit small scale in comparison to cars etc.

[CraigUK]

As a BMW driver and a keen cyclist who covers around 6000 miles a year on my bike I can tell you that there are idiots who ride bikes and idiots who drive cars. To conclude some people are just arseholes irrespective of their mode of transport, ethnic background, religion.....blah blah blah

[Jam.Smith]

Well Said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[Boz335i]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

You need to spend at least 1.5-3k for a half decent road bike these days, I think you guys will find most of these 'new' middle aged cyclists are actually quite well off, and probably all drive BMWs.

Ha ha, that sounds like you know me personally.

[Hulla the Hulla]

Originally Posted by Jam.Smith

Well Said^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

+1

[doughboy]

Thing is on a push bike, it's no good arguing about your rights when you're being crushed under the wheels of a truck.

[DanTheManc]

Why do cyclists cycle side by side which causes taikbacks? Cycle one infront of the other so cars can get past you bunch of ignorant spandex wearing tossers!

[AlanQS]

I have to travel to and from work with a large stretch of single lane road and I'm often stuck in a tailback of 30 to 40 cars and you know it's either a tractor or a cyclist. You can never pass because there's a queue of cars coming the other way, also stuck behind a cyclist.

They never pull of the road for a minute to let the backlog go like slow vehicles used to do in the past - and some still do to this day. Not the cyclists. They have rights! The cyclists in my neck of the woods at least, have absolutely zero consideration for other road users.

I reckon they add at least 25 minutes a day to my commute, two hours of my life every week that I'll never get back.

I'm getting to the point some days, where I feel like shouting abuse at them when I do finally get by - something I've never done in my life.

[kev335i]