6 months commuting - Observations

wembas

wembas

Likes Dirt
After changing jobs mid year ive been in a position to commute to work daily on my MTB, i have some observations from my experiences in riding on some of the busiest roads and bike paths in Melbourne. I think im pretty courteous out there, i offer help to riders with mechanical problems, i give courteous drivers a wave of thanks, i mostly stop for traffic signals...

1. 64% of all roadies wear aftershave when they ride - you can smell their vapour trails !!! i assume they shower when they get to work (hope), so why the aftershave ? douchebags.
2. Car drivers on Victoria Parade are farking asshats - i average two near misses a day, some a little closer than others - but fuck me there are some assholes on the roads. My most common complaint is pricks that pass you only to turn left in front you 2 metres later.
3. Luxury car drivers seem to be the worst for sharing the road - they seem to think they own it or something - and they purposely sit as left as they can !!!
4. Pedestrian + Iphone = The Walking Dead... they are so unaware of their surroundings im never surprised when i hear of peds getting cleaned up by trams or trains...
5. Joe Average needs to buy some chain lube and oil there bloody chains.... squeek fukin squeek... their POS bikes are screaming in pain - its not that bloody hard
6. It is 72% likely that if you have a head wind on the way to work, the wind will have swung around during the day and you will have a head wind on your way home too !
7. fellow bike commuters that draft for a free ride long distances and refuse to take the lead are bastards.
8. Roadies are 85% more likely to run red lights and ignore traffic signals than MTB riders.

I do an 18Km ride each way and have so far reduced my time to work by nearly 20 minutes from when i started - getting fit and strong, and might need to get a commuter bike for riding to work soon as im running out of gears now...

I really love that T-Shirt design that reads along the lines of 'you aren't stuck in traffic - YOU ARE TRAFFIC'

Im sure i will think of and experience more - feel free to share your own if you wish.
 
user name

user name

Likes Dirt
Good observations, id have to agree with all of that.

Also, where does one buy a bar mount for a scientific calculator?
 
Dozer

Dozer

Heavy machinery.
Staff member
Potentially the best post on the site this year. ;) I cannot fault it, full marks.
 
moorey

moorey

call me Mia
You're on the money except for point 6. It's more like 97%.
I ride almost every day, only 12km each way, and I the last 12 months, I think I have has 3 tail winds.
 
Yet1

Yet1

Likes Dirt
Commuting

I am a fellow Melbourne commuter.. I 100% agree with all your points! The other one I can add is pedestrians who walk onto the road into stationary traffic without even a glance into the bike lane. I have cleaned up several peds because of this. I also like passing lycra clad roadies on my commuter... (a full rigid 26" wheeled mtb with slicks)
 
Newton

Newton

Likes Dirt
You may want to add that 90% of the time you’re likely to get acknowledgment or a hello from a MTB rider or commuter ... whereas you'd be lucky to get 10% of people who think they are real roadies acknowledge you at all ... stuck up pricks
 
moorey

moorey

call me Mia
People riding mtb's are generally smiling and cheerful, roadies look like they have just growled a minga on jam rags.

A roadies kit is directly disproportional to their fitness.

People parked on the side of the toad rarely look in their mirror before opening the car door.
 
Trigger02

Trigger02

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Some roadies just need massive open handed slaps, the arrogance amazes me for people so educated.
 
mtb101

mtb101

Likes Bikes and Dirt
have you tweaked your commute to take in some single track, I can get 20ks on the way home, ....... beautiful!
 
moorey

moorey

call me Mia
jumpers said:
Have agree - that is so wrong yet hilarious at same time.....make a good mtb riding commuters shirt
Click to expand...
Is this where I insert copyright claim.....

Also, mtb'ers get the whole single file deallie. Why do roadies think 4 abreast on every road is kosher?

90% of drivers who follow you into a roundabout, straight line it through and push you into the gutter exiting.

Drivers don't think they need to indicate when pulling out if it's only a bike rider. I reckon they usually see us, just don't care.
 
retroenduro

retroenduro

Likes Dirt
gold! absolute gold! agree 100%. I ended up ditching the MTB with slicks and building a sleeper hack bike (old 700c hybrid rawed and fitted with hand me down mtb bits). took ages off my commute and now does a pretty good job of dropping roadies in full race kit.

one thing that really fookin annoys me is folks who you pass only to cruise past you at the lights queue so you have to pass them again.
 
S

SlowManiac

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I've just started commuting too, on an old road bike that was given to me (don't hate me I don't have any matching kit).

There are some homicidal maniacs out there for sure. Agree the pass then turn left in front of you WTF!! I seriously think most drivers don't appreciate just how fast you are going.

But beats sitting on a bus by miles!!

http://www.itsnotarace.org/fcn-calculator/
 
Capone

Capone

Likes Dirt
Credit for a quality afternoon laugh. One would think in Canberra with our cycling infrastructure it would be heaven, alas no drivers are idiots. We have the fluro brigade that love yelling choice words out the window

Walkers on the paths at night dressed as ninja's are great too
 
John U

John U

MTB Precision
wembas said:
2. Car drivers on Victoria Parade are farking asshats - i average two near misses a day, some a little closer than others - but fuck me there are some assholes on the roads. My most common complaint is pricks that pass you only to turn left in front you 2 metres later.
Click to expand...
Stay off Victoria Pde and Victoria St. Albert St is a safer option.

And if you think Victoria Pde is bad have a crack at St Kilda Road. Fucking nightmare.

90% of my commute is on bike path now. It is amazing how much more relaxed I am when I get to work.
 
Mywifesirrational

Mywifesirrational

I however am very normal. Trust me.
Great post.

retroenduro said:
one thing that really fookin annoys me is folks who you pass only to cruise past you at the lights queue so you have to pass them again.
Click to expand...
I get this through footscray rd and docklands a lot... After the same idiot does it a few times I tend to politely run them off the track.

I ride from the inner west of melbourne out to burwood - about 35km, once I have left the city I am riding towards the flow of traffic on the yarra trail. Half the idiot pricks in packs ride in my lane at me, now I take great joy in clipping the bars of on coming roadies or screaming loudly at them just as they are about to pass - freaks people out.

Roadies and hipster commuters, should be able to shoot them at least one day of the week (this would also be quite positive towards the drivers of melbourne and MTB community). In general people on MTB's seem pretty friendly and respectful.
 
mtb101

mtb101

Likes Bikes and Dirt
one golden rule when commuting is don't get caught up in other people's (riders, dogs, walkers, cars) ... bullshit, just flow.
 
Hugor

Hugor

Likes Dirt
I commute 40 km return daily on my Surly Moonlander Fatbike.
The tyres make such a loud rumble that most people I draught have no idea whats behind them.
I love overtaking the lycra clad roadies with it. Makes my day.

In Perth there are many areas where seperate footpaths and cycleways exist, yet pedestrians still use the cycle lane.
Shits me no end - I wish something could be done about it.

Dogwalkers - why the fuck do they let their mutt loose on the cycle path.
Why not walk them on the grass where they're no risk to themselves or anyone else?
I'm a dog owner and never walk mine on the shared bike/pedestrian paths.
 
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