Rollin Coal.

[An Undocumented Worker]

What's the deal with these people?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdDxjge5hmY

[SilverBullet432]

Its the diesel fad. Quite dangerous IMO. Last week a bride to be was killed in a wreck because her friend was trying to pass a truck (on a hill :suicide2: ) that was "rolling coal".

[bighawk]

They are idiots.. Thats whats wrong

[Moose-Knuckle]

I don't know who the bigger oxygen thieves are; the rednecks that Jerry rigs their injection pump and over gas their engine to produce thick clouds of black fumes or the idiots that think it a good idea to don neon colored homoerotic tight pants and impede traffic in the name of "fitness".

In my AO, cyclists are allowed the whole lane and they love, just love to go for a ride in their packs during the height of rush hour. I grew up in a very rural area and the vast majority of these cyclists are city dwellers that think it’s safer to “go for a ride in the country”, well that and more scenic. Every time I get stuck behind these tards I envision this picture and somehow I’m not so angry anymore . . .

Road race Mexican style!
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a144/AKS-74/car-bike-crash-mexico-cnn-img_1_zps9e323c16.jpg (http://s10.photobucket.com/user/AKS-74/media/car-bike-crash-mexico-cnn-img_1_zps9e323c16.jpg.html)

[J-Dub]

Because they are ****ing retards.

[AKDoug]

I love diesels. I have a bunch all the way up to a 600 HP Cummins ISX in my semi. When I start blowing black smoke I think bad injector, not more h.p. There are sub 10 second Duramax, Powerstroke and Cummins trucks that barely blow any black smoke at all. The whole "rollin coal" thing is retarded.

[Mauser KAR98K]

Only time I smile when a bra' is rolling coil is when they do it to a car with Obama stickers on em. Other than that, they are a bunch of douchbags.

[Abraham]

Every week-end the spandex uniform crowd hits the roads I cycle.

They completely hog the road and apparently think it their "right". Cars and trucks stack up behind them to their delight from what I observe.

I usually pass them going in the opposite direction and as I approach them all I can hear is a manic, non-stop buzz of blabbing while they "draft" each other. They're all dressed up in their Lance Armstrong wannabe get ups. Well maybe not wannabe anymore since he's been busted for being a cheater...but they can't resist looking like douches on wheels. They give 'conformity' an all new meaning. They disgust me.

When I'm on the road I ride courteously, that is, far to the right as possible. If I see any upcoming road problem with traffic I yield to them. I'm a regular on these roads and don't want to thought of a p.i.a. cyclist. I also use a bar end mirror to make sure I'm not causing any motorist behind me a problem and be able to hit the ditch if necessary.

[a1fabweld]

My diesel tuner adjusts power levels on the fly. The highest level just dumps fuel and the most obnoxious black fog. Its a waste unless you've got larger injectors and other higher end mods. As much as I can't stand the cyclist crowd because many of them feel more entitled to the road than autos (plus most of them are hardcore Libs), I think its mean to fog them with my diesel.

However the douchebage rapper thugs who happen to be behind me or to my right at traffic lights, who slam their music to the point where my windows are rattling, I very much enjoy cranking up my tuner and fogging them as much as possible. I also enjoy fogging the Prius driving Progressives.

[MountainRaven]

It should be both legal and encouraged for individuals possessing firearms to put shotgun slugs in the engine blocks of those who "roll coal".

[jet66]

I haven't seen too many people 'rollin' coal,' and I live in a fairly rural area. (Just about every house has a truck of some flavor.) Plenty of freight train-class airhorns, though... We do have the deluge of cyclists, though. They'll gather at one of the major corners when they meet up with no qualms about blocking the intersection, and they ride hogging up both lanes of the two-lane road, as well as blowing through stop signs. They are the worst sort of self-righteous selfish douchebags.

[jpmuscle]

I haven't seen too many people 'rollin' coal,' and I live in a fairly rural area. (Just about every house has a truck of some flavor.) Plenty of freight train-class airhorns, though... We do have the deluge of cyclists, though. They'll gather at one of the major corners when they meet up with no qualms about blocking the intersection, and they ride hogging up both lanes of the two-lane road, as well as blowing through stop signs. They are the worst sort of self-righteous selfish douchebags.
We have a crew of approximately 25-30 in my area that are sponsored by a local cycling shop. They dress up like a swarm of homosexual honey bees and then set out on crusade of a*shaddery on a nightly basis throughout the local community. Self-righteous D bags doesn't even begin to describe it. And god help you if get stuck behind them at a intersection and they don't know which way to go.

[An Undocumented Worker]

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/January/13-enrd-077.html


WASHINGTON –In a settlement with the United States on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, automotive electronics manufacturer Edge Products LLC (Edge) has agreed to pay a $500,000 civil penalty for manufacturing and selling electronic devices that allowed owners of model year 2007 and later diesel pickup trucks to remove emission controls from their vehicles. Diesel trucks that are not equipped with emission controls known as “diesel particulate filters” emit excess particulate matter (PM). When running, trucks without these types of controls leave behind a trail of dark, black smoke. PM is associated with a number of health problems, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, chronic bronchitis, decreased lung function, and an increased risk of lung cancer.

The company, located in Ogden, Utah, sold more than 9,000 of these electronic devices nationwide, resulting in an estimated 158 tons of excess PM emissions released into the atmosphere. This is equivalent to the emissions from 422 new long-haul semi trucks operating for a period of 29 years.

“The Department of Justice will continue to vigilantly protect America’s health and environment through the enforcement of the Clean Air Act standards governing emissions from vehicles and engines,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This settlement holds Edge Products accountable for selling devices that allow consumers to disable the emission controls on their vehicles by requiring the company to pay a penalty, buy back the devices, and perform a project to offset the air pollution resulting from the Clean Air Act violations.”

[jpmuscle]

Gov sucks, like usual. They would really hate a buddy of mine who home brews his own fuel for his 7.3l power stroke using used motor oil.

[An Undocumented Worker]

Would you rather be breathing in all kinds of wonderfully noxious fumes while sitting in traffic?

[bluejackets92fs]

I had some guy pull up on me in stop and go traffic that decided he wanted to "roll coal" into my open windows. I decided to throw a snapple bottle I happened to have inside the car through the back window of his truck a little later before exiting the highway. Looking back I probably shouldn't have but I lost all emotion on that a-hole. I bet that was the last time he thought it would be a good idea to do that.

[jmp45]

We run with windows up, air on. Keeps the noise and smoke out. I'd rather not breath that crap if I can avoid it.

[Dead Man]

Someday, I'm going to catch up to some mother****er doing that to bicyclists, and he's going to be surprised what a scrawny guy in Lycra can do. I'm not even kidding: I've got a clean record, I'd get probation and a little community service, tops.

I've never been fogged out personally, but I'm probably one of the only bicyclists I know who hasn't, several times. The best roads to ride are wide open country roads in the hills, where there's good climbing, few people, lots of sun and trees and scenery, and no traffic. Unfortunately, this is also redneck ****ville USA, and white trash confederate-flag flying pieces of shit love an opportunity to harass a "Lance-Armstrong wannabe" (doesn't that phrase ever get old? As if there aren't a thousand other professional cyclists a person might want to ride like- Lance hasn't ridden professionally in 4 years).

Around half of the cyclists I know are moderate conservative, many own and even carry guns. The other half are moderate liberals. We generally stop at stop signs, but just like you, we also sometimes sort of roll through, if it's totally safe to do so. We stay as far right as practicable, as just about every state law requires, but we also take advantage of the fact that on narrow lanes, we're entitled and encouraged to take the whole lane, because it's not safe to try to "squeeze" past- execute a full lane pass, just like you would for a mailman, a tractor, someone on horseback, a moped, etc. We are not any different than any other form of traffic, equally entitled to use the road, and boo-fing-hooo if you have to reduce your speed for 6 or 7 seconds to get past us and likely never have to see us again for the rest of your life.

I went out for a climb last night. The road I wanted to climb was real back-woods; abandoned, only the occasional trailer sitting on blocks with a dirt driveway, and pretty much zero traffic. Especially on the weekends. To get there, you have to ride about 5 miles up a "highway" that's almost equally as desolate. Long stretches of straight road with perfect line of sight. I saw perhaps twenty cars the whole ride in. If there was 3 inches of shoulder to the right of the fog line, I rode in it; despite having full legislative right to ride right smack in the middle of the lane if I chose to. Most passed without incident. Several revved their engines at me, two honked at me angrily, and one actually slowed down so the passenger could tell me "you're not very bright, asshole!" This isn't a biker-friendly area. It's where I live, though, so it's also where I ride.

20 cars. 5 miles at 15 MPH (it was all uphill) is 20 minutes spent on the highway. I saw an average of a single car per minute. At no point did directions of traffic overlap. No one even had to slow down to pass me. But I'm "not very bright," and an "asshole" because I'm......... what?

I'm growing more and more contemptuous for peoples' contempt for bicyclists. All we ever do is mind our own business. I've ridden with thousands of people on dozens of organized events, road races, and group rides, and I can count the number of self-entitled or inconsiderate or grossly unsafe or illegal acts on one hand and still be able to pick my nose with the same hand. We're so outnumbered, out-weighted, and ostracized by the public that we do the best we can to be well-behaved, do what we can to keep appearances up, and keep our sport as unmolested as possible.

I call complete bullshit to these broad generalizations. No tolerance for your ignorant bullshit. And **** you, too.

[JBecker 72]

While driving my work truck a while back, an F350 6.0 that doesn't really smoke much I got heckled by a Prius driving douche at a stop light. When the light turned green I launched that thing like a pro leaving the dude in a cloud of soot and shame. If you let it load up and then floor it you get a decent black cloud.

Regarding bicyclists, there is a good reason why I ride a mountain bike and not a road bike. 1 I don't want to be on the road and 2 I don't want to be riding a bike on the same road as some of these guys in this thread. lol

[BrigandTwoFour]

When I lived in central Montana, I saw guys doing this kind of crap all the time from light to light. Now living on the central coast of CA, not so much (despite there being way more large trucks).

I tend to ride a city bike to get around for short trips and wear normal clothes. Generally, I don't have any issues with cage drivers harassing me. I do obey traffic signs and follow rules of the rode, staying out of the way as much as practical. But I have certainly seen the spandex crowd take some shit (a lot of it earned, though, as I've seen some cyclists participate in some supreme douchebaggery).

[Moose-Knuckle]

Someday, I'm going to catch up to some mother****er doing that to bicyclists, and he's going to be surprised what a scrawny guy in Lycra can do. I'm not even kidding: I've got a clean record, I'd get probation and a little community service, tops.

That or you might get face shot as a lot of these "white trash rednecks" with Confederate battle flags on their pickups carry multiple firearms to include longarms, YMMV.



I'm growing more and more contemptuous for peoples' contempt for bicyclists.

And I grow more and more intolerable for cyclists who think that public roads are their very own personal universe and we all orbit around them.



All we ever do is mind our own business.

No you impede traffic. Some groups of male cyclists have been known to box in female drivers and harass/intimidate them.



I call complete bullshit to these broad generalizations. No tolerance for your ignorant bullshit. And **** you, too.

Right back at you pilgrim!

[Dead Man]

That or you might get face shot as a lot of these "white trash rednecks" with Confederate battle flags on their pickups carry multiple firearms to include longarms, YMMV.

Every man makes his bed.


And I grow more and more intolerable for cyclists who think that public roads are their very own personal universe and we all orbit around them.

You need to check your state statutes. I'm afraid you're going to be really disappointed to find out all vehicles, including bicycles, share equal right to the road. And in a pretty literal sense, you DO orbit around bicycles, and all other slow moving vehicles. Go around. Safely, please- you'll be on your way in no time at all, while we'll still be out there peddling our asses off.


No you impede traffic. We ARE traffic. Tap your brake for half a second and go around.


Some groups of male cyclists have been known to box in female drivers and harass/intimidate them.

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/34923042.jpg

Oh boy. That's gold.

[steyrman13]

I'm pretty sure most statutes say to yield to traffic flow, which is usually faster than any cyclists unless in a school zone or neighborhood. Also, why can you not use sidewalks that no one is walking on to help traffic flow? Why not ride through parks that have bike lanes and have the best scenery and climbs and all anyways rather than actual roads? Why not stick to roads that speed limits are only 25-30 MPH and below? I don't understand the need to clog a road with speed limit of 55!

[Moose-Knuckle]

You need to check your state statutes. I'm afraid you're going to be really disappointed to find out all vehicles, including bicycles, share equal right to the road. And in a pretty literal sense, you DO orbit around bicycles, and all other slow moving vehicles. Go around. Safely, please- you'll be on your way in no time at all, while we'll still be out there peddling our asses off.

And those same statutes require bicycles to follow the traffic code. Why do I see so many bicycles on sidewalks, not stopping at signs/lights? Around here we have had pedestrians sustain serious bodily injuries while walking/jogging trails in public parks by cyclist who think they are on their own personal speed track.


We ARE traffic. Tap your brake for half a second and go around.

LOL, half a second . . . you know good and well on busy two lane roads cyclists will stack traffic for a quarter mile behind them.



http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/34923042.jpg

Again with the tight pants . . . I'm seeing a trend here with you.

[BrigandTwoFour]

I'm pretty sure most statutes say to yield to traffic flow, which is usually faster than any cyclists unless in a school zone or neighborhood. Also, why can you not use sidewalks that no one is walking on to help traffic flow? Why not ride through parks that have bike lanes and have the best scenery and climbs and all anyways rather than actual roads? Why not stick to roads that speed limits are only 25-30 MPH and below? I don't understand the need to clog a road with speed limit of 55!

Legally, bicyclists are not supposed to ride on sidewalks. Not to say it doesn't happen, but it's not supposed to. Pedestrians can and have sustained pretty serious injuries because of cyclists riding on sidewalks. Bike lanes are a nice thought, and I use them whenever practical, but have you ever noticed where all the debris and crap that gets tossed out of cars ends up? Sorry, I'm not risking blowing my tires on broken glass bottles. Not to mention the number of people who park their cars or walk in the bike lanes (if there even are any).

Granted, for short range commuting, it make the most sense to stay off of main roads with high traffic (and I do, but I'm not part of the spandex crowd). But sometimes, riding around heavy traffic is unavoidable.

[steyrman13]

Legally, bicyclists are not supposed to ride on sidewalks. Not to say it doesn't happen, but it's not supposed to. Pedestrians can and have sustained pretty serious injuries because of cyclists riding on sidewalks. Bike lanes are a nice thought, and I use them whenever practical, but have you ever noticed where all the debris and crap that gets tossed out of cars ends up? Sorry, I'm not risking blowing my tires on broken glass bottles. Not to mention the number of people who park their cars or walk in the bike lanes (if there even are any).

Granted, for short range commuting, it make the most sense to stay off of main roads with high traffic (and I do, but I'm not part of the spandex crowd). But sometimes, riding around heavy traffic is unavoidable.

There are bounds both way legally as far as using sidewalks or yielding to traffic, but if you are commuting to work and not pleasure riding, then that is a different story. More power to you for staying healthy and saving money, but it is fairly easy to pass 1 lone bike rider. I think it is the spandex droves that take up the entire lane and won't pull off the road especially when easy turning lanes or parking lots are accessible to allow faster traffic to pass.
If I am hauling a fragile load or heavy load that requires me to go under 25mph on a highway, I will pull to the side to allow a long line of cars to pass if there is one behind me and not continue to block 10-20 cars with the potential to cause a wreck due to slow speeds in a higher speed road. It's called courtesy which is different than the entitlement mentality that these droves seem to have.
At the very least, when you have more than a few cars behind you pull onto a sidewalk when clear or parking lot and make circles until they pass if you don't want to stop peddling and then get back on the road once they safely passed. That's what I do if I rode a bike on the roads( commute not pleasure). I choose to do mountain biking for pleasure rather than road riding whichever causes problems as discussed above.

[Dead Man]

I'm pretty sure most statutes say to yield to traffic flow, which is usually faster than any cyclists unless in a school zone or neighborhood. Also, why can you not use sidewalks that no one is walking on to help traffic flow? Why not ride through parks that have bike lanes and have the best scenery and climbs and all anyways rather than actual roads? Why not stick to roads that speed limits are only 25-30 MPH and below? I don't understand the need to clog a road with speed limit of 55!

You're "pretty sure?" You should look, and make yourself very sure. You're going to be surprised. In my state, the ONLY provision for giving way to motorvehicle traffic is the requirement to use a slow moving vehicle turnout if traffic is backed up because of me, and one happens to exist. Otherwise, the book says to treat us like ALL other slow-moving vehicles- make a full lane-change pass when safe to do so.

Riding on sidewalks is illegal and dangerous. My state allows is outside of cities, only under certain circumstances. Every city I have lived in or commuted to or through has had an ordinance absolutely prohibiting it. It can be a $200+ fine. Cars come out of side streets and driveways watching (hopefully) for pedestrians moving about 2mph, not bikes rolling 20-40mph. Can you imagine hitting driveway cutouts and slaloming telephone poles, street signs, pedestrians, and mailboxes on a motorcycle? We aren't doing that on bikes either.

As to what roads I chose to ride on: When going on training rides, I pick empty roads where my presence isn't a problem at all. Yet a lot of people sometimes think it is, as in the scenario I described above. But work and school and home are on the roads they're on. Nothing I can do about that, and sometimes people get irritated that they have to reduce their speed by 5mph for 6-9 seconds. I can't please everyone.

[Dead Man]

Duplicate

[Dead Man]

And those same statutes require bicycles to follow the traffic code. Why do I see so many bicycles on sidewalks, not stopping at signs/lights? Around here we have had pedestrians sustain serious bodily injuries while walking/jogging trails in public parks by cyclist who think they are on their own personal speed track.

You're talking about a culture I know nothing about. The only people I ever see riding on sidewalks are tweekers, kids who don't know any better, and soccer moms on hybrids. The "spandex" (it's Lycra - no one has worn spandex for two decades) wearing Lance-Armstrong-wannabes that everyone hates so much ride in the road, where they're supposed to, and follow traffic law. As I said above, if you watch us, you WILL find many who chose to make minor violations of traffic code- at about the same rate as all vehicle drivers. Motorists speed, motorists make rolling-stops, motorists zip across multiple lanes, and make a hundred other occasional infractions. I think cyclists are generally a little better than your average driver, because we're at a massive disadvantage against 3000+ steel vehicles, but we do it too sometimes. You volunteering to throw the first stone on that one?

Hipsters on "fixies" are an anti-authority, anarchistic, counter culture group that deliberately ignore traffic law for spite. Don't even try to throw those jack asses in with us.


LOL, half a second . . . you know good and well on busy two lane roads cyclists will stack traffic for a quarter mile behind them.

Even during the largest road races and mass rides, I've never once witnessed traffic backed up for a quarter mile. Yea, during these isolated, sanctioned, permitted events, traffic is affected. If motorists chose to ride on roads where events have been planned and notice has been given for generally six months to a year in advance, they have no one but themselves to blame for their aggravation. Road races happen. We don't get that many of them, and they're super fun, and some of us make a semi-living out of them. We're given authority by the state to have them. I can't say much more on the matter.

Aside from that, nope. On group rides, we follow the laws to the letter; no more than two abreast, use turnouts when available, stay as far right as practicable if there is room to pass in the lane, take the whole lane during stretches where there's no room to pass in the lane, to force a legal lane-change pass when safe to do so. I can guarantee you no one has ever spent more than 15 seconds behind me, and the other 99% of the time you don't have to do anything but tap the brakes and go around.





Again with the tight pants . . . I'm seeing a trend here with you.

Skin tight pants and shirt, always.

[steyrman13]

You're "pretty sure?" You should look, and make yourself very sure. You're going to be surprised. In my state, the ONLY provision for giving way to motorvehicle traffic is the requirement to use a slow moving vehicle turnout if traffic is backed up because of me, and one happens to exist. Otherwise, the book says to treat us like ALL other slow-moving vehicles- make a full lane-change pass when safe to do so.

Riding on sidewalks is illegal and dangerous. My state allows is outside of cities, only under certain circumstances. Every city I have lived in or commuted to or through has had an ordinance absolutely prohibiting it. It can be a $200+ fine. Cars come out of side streets and driveways watching (hopefully) for pedestrians moving about 2mph, not bikes rolling 20-40mph. Can you imagine hitting driveway cutouts and slaloming telephone poles, street signs, pedestrians, and mailboxes on a motorcycle? We aren't doing that on bikes either.

As to what roads I chose to ride on: When going on training rides, I pick empty roads where my presence isn't a problem at all. Yet a lot of people sometimes think it is, as in the scenario I described above. But work and school and home are on the roads they're on. Nothing I can do about that, and sometimes people get irritated that they have to reduce their speed by 5mph for 6-9 seconds. I can't please everyone.

Yep pretty sure. You may be the exception to the rule for them though. I also know there is this think called common courtesy regardless of what laws there are to allow you to feel like you own the lane. There are also laws that can give you a moving citations for backing up the flow of traffic and failure to yield. I realize in a busy town sidewalk would be retarded, but you can also hug the white line without riding in debris as well.
I have experienced the backing up roads over a quarter mile several times in several different towns and states, so yeah it happens WITHOUT an even to cause this.

[Dead Man]

Yep pretty sure. You may be the exception to the rule for them though. I also know there is this think called common courtesy regardless of what laws there are to allow you to feel like you own the lane. There are also laws that can give you a moving citations for backing up the flow of traffic and failure to yield. I realize in a busy town sidewalk would be retarded, but you can also hug the white line without riding in debris as well.
I have experienced the backing up roads over a quarter mile several times in several different towns and states, so yeah it happens WITHOUT an even to cause this.

I'll explain it again: We stay right, even riding on the shoulder, when it's safe to do so. If it's not- for those brief segments of a ride where the lane narrows or the shoulder disappears AND the lane isn't wide enough to allow bike and car to co-exist, we do, and are supposed to, "take the lane." I've never once just ridden out in the lane for spite, and I've never taken a lane for longer than a few seconds to get through one of these afore-mentioned segments. That would be stupid and counter-productive.

[steyrman13]

I'll explain it again: We stay right, even riding on the shoulder, when it's safe to do so. If it's not- for those brief segments of a ride where the lane narrows or the shoulder disappears AND the lane isn't wide enough to allow bike and car to co-exist, we do, and are supposed to, "take the lane." I've never once just ridden out in the lane for spite, and I've never taken a lane for longer than a few seconds to get through one of these afore-mentioned segments. That would be stupid and counter-productive.
Understood. Like I said, you and your group sound like an exception to the general bikers.

[TXBK]

I am curious as to what fees associated with cycling gives them any right to even use roadways, much less obstruct traffic. Motorized vehicles require registration, inspection, and pay tax on the fuel they burn that is used to construct the roads. Cyclists that ride on two-lane, farm to market roads with no shoulders are a danger to not only themselves, but to the motorists that do not wish to impale them in the grill of their vehicle. I know a cyclist that shares this sense of entitlement to these very roadways that I speak of, and I fear that I will attend his funeral someday.

City streets with low speed limits, bike trails, or at the very least, the shoulder, is where a bicycle belongs. My intentions are not to offend any cyclist with my comments or my driving behavior, but they can definitely be a danger to themselves, and those using roadways for their intended purposes.

ETA: Expelling thick, black plumes of smoke (aka "rollin coal") from that idiotic and obnoxiously large tailpipe on your diesel truck is not only evidence of improper tuning but is also childish and immature. It makes all of us that drive diesel trucks look bad. My opinion is that they need to unstack all of those chips they think are so awesome, get rid of those oversized exhaust tips and stacks, and for the love of God, fold down those stupid tow mirrors when that truck has never nor will ever tow anything.

[Belmont31R]

People who blow soot out are douchebags. Im hardly a greenie save the environment type and I can't stand them. I had a couple idiots blow a train horn at me in a parking lot and they're just passive aggressive idiots.


Also can't stand cyclists clogging the road up. Im all for people exercising and doing something useful with their time but around here they ride on 60-65MPH roads and I see them after an accident a few times a year. I didn't see this last one but the guy was riding on a 60MPH road at around 4AM so it was still completely dark. Darwin award and DRT. If you have a decent shoulder and aren't in relatively high speed traffic then go for it but when they get into active travel lanes Ill side with the car driver 100% of the time. You're putting your fate into people driving 3000-7000lb vehicles and its bad enough being in a car yourself. Doing that on a bicycle is plain stupid. If ya'll want safe paths to ride on pay for them. Don't hog up lanes meant for cars.

[Dead Man]

duplicate... jeez

[Dead Man]

I am curious as to what fees associated with cycling gives them any right to even use roadways, much less obstruct traffic. Motorized vehicles require registration, inspection, and pay tax on the fuel they burn that is used to construct the roads. Cyclists that ride on two-lane, farm to market roads with no shoulders are a danger to not only themselves, but to the motorists that do not wish to impale them in the grill of their vehicle. I know a cyclist that shares this sense of entitlement to these very roadways that I speak of, and I fear that I will attend his funeral someday.

How about we start and stop with the thousands we pay in taxes every year? Income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes. And I know very few roadies who don't also own cars and buy plenty of gasoline. Urban dwellers who ride fixed-gear bikes wouldn't own cars even if they didn't have their bikes. They sure as hell wouldn't register them.

I find it extremely ironic when a gun enthusiast brings up legislation, taxation, and registration, though.


City streets with low speed limits, bike trails, or at the very least, the shoulder, is where a bicycle belongs. My intentions are not to offend any cyclist with my comments or my driving behavior, but they can definitely be a danger to themselves, and those using roadways for their intended purposes.

You're mistaken. Riding in the city is substantially more dangerous than riding in the country. Almost all bike/car crashes happen in urban and sub-urban areas. Rural road and highway crashes are often severe when they happen, but they almost never happen. Using my own network as example; I do almost all of my riding on country roads. I've still never had a single collision with another vehicle on a bike. I don't know what percentage of my friends who live in the city have had bike/car collisions, but it's got to be high. I can't name a single friend who hasn't had a crash, in the city. My best friend was hit twice just this last winter. And no, neither were his fault.

Every close-call I've ever had has been in the city.

How could long, open, empty country roads not be substantially safer than the city?

You're also not realizing the nature of road bike training - When I train, I'm looking at a minimum of 60 miles covered, up to 120 or more, maintaining a cadence of 95-100rpm and an average speed of 22-25mph when not climbing. If I'm climbing, the distance is generally 45 to 60 miles, gaining around 3,000-6,000+ feet over the course of the ride, and still maintaining an average speed of 16-18mph (factoring in bottom-gear climbs and fast descents). And during descents, speeds are often at highway speed for many miles. Road races are serious things, and the training is just as serious.

You can peddle around watching the wind blow the trees in the city. That's about it.

[Dead Man]

What a completely pointless effort this is.

[WickedWillis]

I see this all the time in my area, in fact my store is right next to the largest diesel performance shop in North Idaho. They really remind me of this South Park episode......


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGyKBFCd_u4

[Belmont31R]

What a completely pointless effort this is.


It is when people bring up arguments like 'we pay taxes!' So does everyone else. I don't get what makes cyclists so special we need bike lanes and the risk of hitting someone. I've seen roads in Austin where a full third at least of the blacktop was a bike lane. I doubt cyclists are paying 1/3rd of the road costs.

[Belmont31R]

What a completely pointless effort this is.


It is when people bring up arguments like 'we pay taxes!' So does everyone else. I don't get what makes cyclists so special we need bike lanes and the risk of hitting someone. I've seen roads in Austin where a full third at least of the blacktop was a bike lane. I doubt cyclists are paying 1/3rd of the road costs.

[BrigandTwoFour]

People who blow soot out are douchebags. Im hardly a greenie save the environment type and I can't stand them. I had a couple idiots blow a train horn at me in a parking lot and they're just passive aggressive idiots.


Also can't stand cyclists clogging the road up. Im all for people exercising and doing something useful with their time but around here they ride on 60-65MPH roads and I see them after an accident a few times a year. I didn't see this last one but the guy was riding on a 60MPH road at around 4AM so it was still completely dark. Darwin award and DRT. If you have a decent shoulder and aren't in relatively high speed traffic then go for it but when they get into active travel lanes Ill side with the car driver 100% of the time. You're putting your fate into people driving 3000-7000lb vehicles and its bad enough being in a car yourself. Doing that on a bicycle is plain stupid. If ya'll want safe paths to ride on pay for them. Don't hog up lanes meant for cars.

I think most people who ride on two wheels would gladly pay to have dedicated bike paths to get around. But you're not likely to change 80 years of urban infrastructure construction. Not to mention the number of times that I've seen dedicated bike baths be used by pedestrians pushing strollers, or as free parking for people with cars who feel entitled to park anywhere there is a gap. The roads are, by design, meant to be used by any form of transportation (including bicycles). Despite being meant for everyone, traffic design favors automobiles, as a result of entrenched American transportation culture that was accustomed to cheap gasoline (watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx-WhGcNK6Y for a good example).

Can you honestly say that even if cities developed dedicated bike lanes, the same assholes who "roll coal" wouldn't just take those up too?

[BrigandTwoFour]

People who blow soot out are douchebags. Im hardly a greenie save the environment type and I can't stand them. I had a couple idiots blow a train horn at me in a parking lot and they're just passive aggressive idiots.


Also can't stand cyclists clogging the road up. Im all for people exercising and doing something useful with their time but around here they ride on 60-65MPH roads and I see them after an accident a few times a year. I didn't see this last one but the guy was riding on a 60MPH road at around 4AM so it was still completely dark. Darwin award and DRT. If you have a decent shoulder and aren't in relatively high speed traffic then go for it but when they get into active travel lanes Ill side with the car driver 100% of the time. You're putting your fate into people driving 3000-7000lb vehicles and its bad enough being in a car yourself. Doing that on a bicycle is plain stupid. If ya'll want safe paths to ride on pay for them. Don't hog up lanes meant for cars.

I think most people who ride on two wheels would gladly pay to have dedicated bike paths to get around. But you're not likely to change 80 years of urban infrastructure construction. Not to mention the number of times that I've seen dedicated bike baths be used by pedestrians pushing strollers, or as free parking for people with cars who feel entitled to park anywhere there is a gap. The roads are, by design, meant to be used by any form of transportation (including bicycles). Despite being meant for everyone, traffic design favors automobiles, as a result of entrenched American transportation culture that was accustomed to cheap gasoline (watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx-WhGcNK6Y for a good example).

Can you honestly say that even if cities developed dedicated bike lanes, the same assholes who "roll coal" wouldn't just take those up too?