Revenge is sweet

dominiclincoln [quote]brett I'm far less angry on the roads since starting to ride fixed.
More "where's the gap?" than "who's trying to kill me?".

yep yep yep. I'd get so frustrated in traffic from just not knowing why I'd be held up. I started calling it 'suicide traffic' when driving, now I get rid of any pent-up nervous energy riding through it, pleased to go my own way.[/quote]

i'm with you guys...
i know we've all got stories like this, but here's mine:
in milan while riding in a bus lane - just buses, taxis, and bikes - a taxi sped past me only to stop two feet in front of me at a long line of parked cars and did a pretty good job of squishing me into the curb. as i passed i gave him the old open handed slap on the door, not hard at all, but i guess it sounds loud from inside. he passes me again and stops, blocking most of the lane and gets out of the car, but i thought he was dropping off passengers and rode around the opposite side of the car. i continue on and had almost forgotten all about him, then, when slowing before a large intersection with the light against me, i hear a car accelerate from behind, turn around and see him speeding into me and grab onto his roof to keep myself from being knocked over. i pound on his windows and swear at him in english as he swears at me in italian. the temptation was to smash his mirror, but after he sped off and i walked onto the sidewalk shaking with rage, i was really glad i hadn't. people are fucked up, and if you're going to start something, you'd better be ready to finish it. unless you actually get hurt (or your bike does), it's just not worth it. there are too many nutters out there, and the chances of the cops ruling in your favour are slim to none.
sometimes all i want is a peaceful, fast ride with no cars. i guess that's why i like riding at night so much.