Why I don't ride road anymore

[ForkinGreat]

I haven't had a road bike or done really any road riding in years but back when I did I definitely noticed I went almost unnoticed in jeans on my way to uni on my pub bike. Very little aggro. Wear any kind of riding kit or be on a remotely flashy road bike and that changed.

Also the amount of conversations I've had when I mention I'm into riding and the eyes narrow until I mention mountain biking and then everything's fine / no issue and they're keen to know more about it. Imo roadies are definitely on another level of hatred.

if you are riding trails, you are not their problem, if you are daring to ride on ROADS, and you are dressed like one of THOSE #%#$%ers, you are all cunce that must be punished. For a Roadie-hater, being inconvenienced for even a few seconds by a road bike rider means that the roadie is no longer human, but a sub-human enemy that can be intimidated, maimed or killed for daring to exist.

 

[cammas]

Very anecdotal, but as someone who used to log a lot of road kms I did notice that drivers seemed to less overtly aggressive if I was riding in shorts and a t-shirt instead of lycra and cycling jersey (although me in lycra is pretty rage inducing).
It does seem that 'roadies' bring out the absolute hate as opposed to the general disgust of all things cyclist.

The other benefit of the shorts/t-shirt combo is that some of the lycra brigade get really put out when you beat them over the climb without wearing matching Rapha kit...

I ride most days to get to work and I wear baggy shorts, my work vest and a back pack, most drivers don’t bother me. Then there are the ones who like to get as close as they can even when there’s no traffic coming the other way and I’m in the bike lane, swerve in front of me or blow the horn cause they can, it doesn’t matter what bike I ride or what I wear. Plus I’m not one for lycra as it would look like someone stuffed too much jelly into a sock.

But if I was to call out any drivers that like to do it, it’s the the twin cab 4x4 brigade, especially tradies @Haakon favourite, it use to be commodores but now it’s usually Ranger and Hilux drivers. My mate who lives on the other side of Melbourne out in the east has similar issues, he is one for lycra but rides a SS MTB, he say’s taxi drivers are the worst offenders over that side.

 

[Flow-Rider]

I'll post this in the right thread this time.

 

[Plankosaurus]

I ride most days to get to work and I wear baggy shorts, my work vest and a back pack, most drivers don’t bother me. Then there are the ones who like to get as close as they can even when there’s no traffic coming the other way and I’m in the bike lane, swerve in front of me or blow the horn cause they can, it doesn’t matter what bike I ride or what I wear. Plus I’m not one for lycra as it would look like someone stuffed too much jelly into a sock.

But if I was to call out any drivers that like to do it, it’s the the twin cab 4x4 brigade, especially tradies @Haakon favourite, it use to be commodores but now it’s usually Ranger and Hilux drivers. My mate who lives on the other side of Melbourne out in the east has similar issues, he is one for lycra but rides a SS MTB, he say’s taxi drivers are the worst offenders over that side.

Difference is that taxi drivers aren't outright homicidal. They're totally oblivious and give zero fucks that they're the worst drivers in the world, but they're not actually TRYING to kill you, that's just a side effect.

Raptor drivers though, they're 100% looking for blood

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[pink poodle]

if non-bike shorts and reg grundys don't give you severe chafing in and around sensitive bits, then you are one of the truly fortunate.

My junk is so big and powerful that it gives regular underwear and pants chaffing.

 

[pink poodle]

Difference is that taxi drivers aren't outright homicidal.

I had one cute off real close one night. I slapped his car on the way past to let him know. He got out and and wanted to fight me! I pretended the noise of my slap as his car hitting me. This made him angrier. But he was pushing 70 and we'll overweight, so I was reluctant to defend myself and just let him get out of breath at which ime he got back in the taxi and sped off.

 

[Mr Crudley]

I notice a difference in driver attitude when I wear a black helmet vs a pink one.

Hmmm, I have a black helmet and a pink one, well it is supposed to be that SC 2015 or so kalimoxto or light purple but they must have bad eyes and creative marketing.

I haven't been honked with the pink helmet and never really thought about it till you mentioned it. I don’t look too lady like but now wonder if the drivers might think I am. I don't ride on the road unless I have no choice which must help.

I need to wear the black one again for an empirical test. This is an important experiment Poods.

 

[Labcanary]

I don't ride road. I ride for transport and MTB. I don't wear Lycra.
I can't make it any more obvious that I'm a woman, and yet I have been spat on, forced off the road aggressively (on straight roads, no traffic coming the other way), and generally treated as a thing to be annoyed at rather than the human I am.
I'm not riding to piss people off, I'm riding to stay active and reduce the impact of driving mostly short distances.
Where I live (Ballarat), there are a lot of overweight people. You know the sort, have to park right outside the shop they are going to, will wait 20 min at Macca's drive-thru instead of parking and walking in, park across footpaths to save themselves 1.5m...
I'm certain they are jealous of anyone slimmer and fitter than them.

 

[Labcanary]

I don't ride on the road unless I have no choice which must help.

Same here. Doesn't matter if the roads have a bike lane or not, the few that have it in for cyclists make the risk not worth it.
I ride shared paths and back roads. I'll ride a longer route if it means I can avoid busy roads and aggro people.

 

[Mr Crudley]

Same here. Doesn't matter if the roads have a bike lane or not, the few that have it in for cyclists make the risk not worth it.
I ride shared paths and back roads. I'll ride a longer route if it means I can avoid busy roads and aggro people.

I do much the same. I am fortunate to have a few riding options close by without having to ride on the road much at all. I take back roads where possible.

Riding on the road in Western Sydney is a scary thought at the best of times. Fuckwittery is down to an art form. Drivers' licenses seem to be found on the back of a cereal box.

There is a driving test centre not far away. I have not seen once any learner driver stay in the left lane while the driving instructor is on board. If they can't enforce that then what else is being missed.

 

[cammas]

Same here. Doesn't matter if the roads have a bike lane or not, the few that have it in for cyclists make the risk not worth it.
I ride shared paths and back roads. I'll ride a longer route if it means I can avoid busy roads and aggro people.

Yep I don’t have the option in Bacchus Marsh I ride all the bike paths I can but then there’s no option for a section through town which is the worst part. Once I get into Southern Cross I have to ride on the road to get to bike paths, there are shorter routes which cut my distance in half on the road but I’d rather run the risk of other cyclists, scooters or Karen’s walking or jogging on the shared paths.

 

[pink poodle]

I don’t look too lady like but now wonder if the drivers might think I am

I think they steer clear of the pink because I am clearly nuts when I wear it...

 

[creaky]

Could think of a better place for this (WTF?):

 

[Flow-Rider]

It's a shame they can't make roads cyclist friendly.

 

[sane]

Sydney Rd is dysfunctional on my bike and in my car.

 

[fjohn860]

Sydney Rd is dysfunctional on my bike and in my car.

It's the road my brother got cleaned up on a few years back commuting to work. Pea-brained driver swerved across infront of him and he went across the bonnet.

Luckily just scrapes and bruises and a dislocated shoulder

 

[Haakon]

Theyre still banging about fewer car parks means less business... Such crap.

 

[mike14]

Sydney Rd is dysfunctional on my bike and in my car.

Yup, the last lot of level crossing removals were a nightmare with regard to commuting along Sydney Rd and I can't imagine this lot will be any better.
Upfield bike track is still a shitfight in places too. Much too narrow for the amount of bike traffic along it

 

[beeb]

Yup, the last lot of level crossing removals were a nightmare with regard to commuting along Sydney Rd and I can't imagine this lot will be any better.
Upfield bike track is still a shitfight in places too. Much too narrow for the amount of bike traffic along it

It's a sketchy place to drive a car, can't even fathom what it'd be like to ride a bike along there.

 

[caad9]

I've had plenty of close calls on the road bike over the years, haven't ridden one for 6 years now and don't intend on it.
I'm lucky that I have plenty of gravel options and bike paths to avoid cars.
I had a very embarrassing and potentially horrific one in South Yarra many moons ago, really rattled me for a while. A lady opened her car door which I swerved to avoid and stuck myself in a tram track and OTB. Went sliding into the path of an oncoming tram which somehow stopped short of me.

I was running down a very, very quiet dirt road last week and a bloke brake checked me into the 500mm deep dirt gutter.
Can not believe it.
People are just C*&^% if you are fitter or more active than them, not limited to the road or bikes