Aggressive cyclists

.... and worse of all some chav grabbed my seattube from a pasenger window while the driver sped up. They had no concept of the fact that I was riding fixed.

I hope said chav had a poke in the eye?

I hope said chav had a poke in the eye?

Nope.
TBH it was all over pretty quickly. I just had time to think.

• Feck I dont want to hit the floor at this speed.
  
• I should jump onto the car.
  
• I cant jump, I'm spinning infinity cadence.
  
• If I go down, I'm grabbing this c*nts arm.
  
  

Then he let me go, and I slowed to a stop, untill the steam stopped rising from my legs.

I think they must have just seen ET. Pretty sure that happens to the older brother in the beginning. Except he wasnt

jesus. when shit like that happens, amongst the many other minor but potentially health damaging infractions, it's pretty obvious why there is a collective stress/anger mentality among cyclists.

Lol aggressive cyclists...

It's a "you hurt me, I hurt you" thing.

When you drive me off the road and I can throw a rock through your windshield, I will do that. I don't have to think about it.

The difference between aggression levels of London cyclists vs those in Los Angeles is nothing short of colossal.
Very few cyclists mouth off at motorists in LA. No banging on car roofs, no D-Locks waved in faces.
Motorists and cyclists both make mistakes here, and are often quite gracious about accepting that they might have been wrong - throwing up their hands, mouthing 'sorry' through tightly-closed windows (but on no account is the motorist actually going to pull over, check on you and risk leaving the air-conditioned, bluetooth-connected comfort of their land yacht).

I've been cut up by the odd LA bus driver, and the first few times I would pull up alongside the driver's open window and ask them why they were being such a 'stupid effing cunt' or similar. Their reaction told me that I was probably overreacting myself, and much of the time, having escaped with my life, I would agree.

Road rage exists here, don't doubt it, but people don't care to dwell on it. A quick shout of 'asshole' from each participant, and they're usually on their way.
Apart from the times when one person pulls out a gun.

Apart from the times when one person pulls out a gun.

The threat of this happening would probably make me bite my tongue!

I was in LA a few months back (only for a week). First thing I noticed was how wide the streets were, how much room there was for cyclists and how relatively little traffic there was. Cant speak to different attitudes towards road rage but the roads definitely help I think (and LA's laid back - lets all build our houses differently - attitude).

getting cut up by a bus in a big LA road is different to a red london bus pulling ahead of you and beginning to close into the kerb to stop while you're still alongside it like some fucking crash bandicoot log or something.

As cyclists, we should all be aware of how much we intimidate car drivers.

After all, they have only 1.5 tonnes of fast moving steel, plastic and glass to protect their bodies.

Their feelings, however, are as vulnerable as a poet in spring time.

I think it has a lot to do with being British and our penchant for interfering and pointing out other people's misdemeanours. Basically we're busy bodies. Check the 'bad cyclists' thread if you are in any doubt. In Bordeaux you did what the fuck you wanted and so did everyone else, which ended up a rather glorious mess of peds, cars, scooters, bikes and trams pretty much everywhere, but no one got mad. If someone got in your way you'd stop, wait and then move off with an air of gallic indifference. It was heaven: I RLJed (when safe), rode on pavements and ped areas through crowds of them and no-one batted an eyelid, no-one got mad and no-one went on the internet to complain about me. Back here I observe many of the rules of the road, albeit selectively, but I do try not to piss other road users off.

In contrast on the morning of flying out to Bordeaux for a couple of weeks of cycling I was cycling down a one way street in 'Nam with a series of bus stops on one side and a taxi rank on the other. The lane itself was pretty wide. There was buses there at the start so of course I cycled alongside teh right hand side of them. Then there were no buses but still stops and I continued to cycle along the yellow line. A white van skims me so I through an arm up (no rude gestures, just an arm in the air). The white van stops, I cycle past, he says something but I didn't really make it out. I stop at some lights, he's further back. Lights change I move off, he comes along side me, window down and starts to scream obscenities at me for being in the middle of the fucking road and how he's going to pucnh me in the fucking face. He's massive, the spit flecks joining the paint splatters he's covered in. His friend in the cab just sits there, staring at me. This goes on for a while. It stresses me out.

How come the Daily Mail don't write about that sort of shit? Perhaps if they did they'd realise why cyclists get aggressive occasionally, just like human beings all over the planet doing all sorts of things get aggressive occasionally.

Ever since then I make sure I have my chain and padlock in my bag, so if push come to shove I can shove back.

True story.

Surely in LA cyclists can carry guns too?
Imagine that here - would be an absolute bloodbath.
I normally start my commute to work very calm but arrive at the office thinking of murder.
There really are a lot of cunts who drive in London and they need sorting out.

I would rock a Glock if I were allowed a concealed carry permit in the UK.

"Get out the road"

BRAPBRAPBRAP.

Gangster stylee.

crossesfingersinfunnyway

http://forums.mtbr.com/recycle-bin/conceal-carry-while-biking-679502.html

During my recent 2 week holiday in France, I witnessed ubermental driving - i counted three overturned cars which the drivers had managed to spin and roll on relatively sedate country roads. There was plenty of equally mental overtaking, and chaps doing equally mental speeds at every opportunity. French drivers are clearly batshit. Mental.

When it comes to overtaking bicycles, though, they are ten billion times more careful than any british driver. They slow down, give plenty of space and, more often than not, make friendly comments or shout enthusiastic greetings as they go past. Even on busy roads with big old lorries, every driver I encountered gave me plenty of room.

Coming to back to the London commute was absolutely terrifying.

I was getting encouraging honks from drivers in France when they passed me in the middle of nowhere and it was clear I had been riding for a long time. Definitely was a boost

Are we too aggressive?

Everyone is too aggressive. English people get offended and loose their shit so easily. We need to learn the art of being happy // pushy, like the Italians.

An example of this is the use of car horns. In most of the world a beep of a horn means "hello, I'm here". If you hear it in the UK it means "I'd like you to die".

During my recent 2 week holiday in France, I witnessed ubermental driving - i counted three overturned cars which the drivers had managed to spin and roll on relatively sedate country roads. There was plenty of equally mental overtaking, and chaps doing equally mental speeds at every opportunity. French drivers are clearly batshit. Mental.

When it comes to overtaking bicycles, though, they are ten billion times more careful than any british driver. They slow down, give plenty of space and, more often than not, make friendly comments or shout enthusiastic greetings as they go past. Even on busy roads with big old lorries, every driver I encountered gave me plenty of room.
.

this is exactly what I have observed everywhere else in Europe I have been.

+1

I got an email a few weeks ago from a bloke who was apparently driving behind our club run and objected to us riding 2 abreast. Among various complaints was that we were aggressive bullies. He also thought it was too dangerous for us to be on the roads and that we should "think about the impact and distress on drivers who run over cyclists"
He wasnt taking the piss either! As club sec. i wrote a strong but non sweary reply. With another club mate in hospital with a broken leg after being deliberately run over its no surprise that we sometimes get just a little bit fucking cross.

getting cut up by a bus in a big LA road is different to a red london bus pulling ahead of you and beginning to close into the kerb to stop while you're still alongside it like some fucking crash bandicoot log or something.

True, though the LA bus will be doing about 35mph, as opposed to the >10mph crawl in London. And here, the larger the vehicle, the less often the driver uses the turn signals. My last close call was with an 18-wheel artic carrying a fucking tower crane.

I think it has a lot to do with being British and our penchant for interfering and pointing out other people's misdemeanours. Basically we're busy bodies. Check the 'bad cyclists' thread if you are in any doubt.

^This, very much.

Everyone is too aggressive. English people get offended and loose their shit so easily. We need to learn the art of being happy // pushy, like the Italians.
An example of this is the use of car horns. In most of the world a beep of a horn means "hello, I'm here". If you hear it in the UK it means "I'd like you to die".

^Absolutely.

Fuck off not having this if some CUNT DRIVES too close to me for fucks sake and puts my LIFE IN DANGER I'll kick the cunt in the twat, then KILL his family, arsehole

^ hahaha that's fucking funny

http://forums.mtbr.com/recycle-bin/conceal-carry-while-biking-679502.html
MTBR = LFGSS + 9mm

http://forums.mtbr.com/recycle-bin/conceal-carry-while-biking-679502.html

This thread. It's like that Mall Ninjas thing all over again.