Dave Smith wrote:
> Brian Nystrom wrote:
>> Sure. No road user group is completely without blame. Jerks are jerks,
>> regardless of what they're driving or riding and you're always going to
>> encounter them.
>>
>> What most motorists don't realize is that in most states, bicycles are
>> considered to vehicles, just as cars, trucks and motorcycles are. As
>> such, we DO have the right to use a lane if need be. From a practical
>> standpoint, we typically try to stay out of the way and use shoulders
>> where they're available and in adequate condition, so we don't impede
>> faster traffic. Staying "as far to the right as practicable" is often
>> also required by law.
>>
>> Although I do most of my riding solo, when I do ride with groups, we
>> ride single-file unless the shoulder is wide enough to permit us to
>> double up without intruding into the travel lane.
> 
> 
> If the local police ever cracked down on the car vs. bike situation around
> here, the cyclists would likely be getting more tickets than the car
> drivers. There are several major bike races here every year so we often
> have groups of bikes out there practising.  They ride 2-3 across in groups
> of 8 or more and refuse to move over for cars. These are rolling rural
> roads with blind intersections and no shoulders.  Riding in single file is
> a foreign concept to them. even on the bike trails, which are generally
> designed for 2 way bike traffic, they insist on riding 2 or 3 across.   I
> have learned to stick to the middle.  I found that if I am approaching two
> cyclists riding side by side coming in the opposite direction,  they are
> reluctant to move over to let me pass safely, If I move to the right they
> will try to squeeze by side by side. If I stick to the middle, even though
> they pretend not to see me coming, they eventually smarten up and move
> over. 
> 
> 
> When they come to stop signs they just blow right through them, one after
> another.  Most of them don't even slow down.   I almost hit a single
> cyclist with my car last fall at a four way stop. I came to a stop and then
> started to go, assuming that he was going to stop. He didn't.  A few weeks
> early an entire gaggle of old cyclist blew a stop sign and pulled right in
> front of me. To make matters worse, they puled right out into the far left
> to make a left turn, and then one of the dumb bastards yelled at me for
> honking at them.
> 
There's no excuse for them being stupid and inconsiderate. I admit that 
I don't always follow the law when I'm out riding, but I would never do 
what you describe, as I value my life more than that.
> 
>> What amazes me is the amount of harassment I get from people driving a
>> 5' wide car in a 10' wide lane that don't think they have enough room if
>> I'm riding near the white line on the edge of the road. This past
>> summer, I even had some brain-dead "bimbette" driving a Jeep that her
>> mommy and daddy must have bought her try to tell me that I should be
>> riding on the sidewalk (which is illegal here). At the time I was on a
>> road with 2, 10' wide travel lanes and a 6' wide shoulder. Apparently,
>> that wasn't enough room for her.
> 
> Always carry a few extra water bottles. They make a hell of a bank when
> they hit the hood  :-)

Cleats do a nice job on doors and fenders, too.  ;-)