Verbal Abuse

davidmam · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by BentMikey

Hahahahahaha, I like the cut-n-shut one!!!

<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Mine *is* a cut'n'shut.

..d

I like baby elephants but couldn't manage a whole one.

Fat bloke on a bike

tompcp · May 2007

Last night I heard some youth shout:

"hey mate your wheels are going round............backwards!"

The "backwards" bit came a few seconds after he told me "my wheels are going round" [:D]

Sheer class.

Doc Sprocket · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Barney Wattletoes

I've just switched to a Recumbent, having been more or less off the road for 6 months. I've noticed a new phenomenon - the unwanted opinion, shouted across the street.

Younger schoolkids and their parents always smile and say something positive as they see me waddle by - neither the Spirit nor its owner can be accused of being lightweight. A toddler yesterday asked his Dad if I was a spaceship, which might give us a new angle on the debates on wearing helmets and hi-viz clothing.

However, teenagers and men seem to take particular exception to a Recumbent. I can hear them all, not least because I am still not moving very fast after three weeks - "stupid bike", "ugly", "thats a sick bike". The piece de resistance was a car driver who pulled up alongside me out of the blue to tell me to p*ss off before rushing off (I'm pretty sure he meant the bike and not me, though, as I never got this on the old Ridgeback [:)])

One cyclist had a discussion with me about 'bents as we rode along, and concluded the conversation by assuring me that the bike was "well phat". I'm still working on which side of the fence he was on.

Naturally if I didn't have the metaphorical hide of a rhinocerous I wouldn't be on a 'bent in London in the first place [:D]. Still, if this keeps up I'm going to have to brush up on my retorts...

HP Velo Spirit, currently ridden above maximum design weight...
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ha ha! Welcome to the wonderful world of 'bent riding!

I've had a 'bent trike for over a year, and it's attracted countless comments from other cyclists (who are appreciatve or curious) and the rest of the planet (ranging from "WTF?" to "Cor,I want one of those!)

Having the old rhino hide is an advantage, but I when I bought mine that it wasn't the sort of bike for shrinking violets.

The weirdest I had was a couple of weeks ago: A chav bawled out as i passed alongside him (me on the road, him on the pavement) "You lazy b*stard, get off an' ****in' walk".

Figure that one out!

Uncle Phil · May 2007

I've only ever had good comments about my unusual bike: "I want one of those!"; "Hey, cool bike!"; "Is that as relaxing as it looks?". The wierdest was "how do you steer?" I waggled the handlebars which seemed to answer the question.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot
Nothing is going to get better. It's not"
- Dr Seuss

Give Baby Elephants Room!

Greenbank · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by papercorn2000
"Yeah? That's 'cos every time I shag your wife/girlfriend/mother/sister, she gives me a biscuit!"
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ah. Eddo Brandes. Pure genius.

And in a similar vein (well, from the same sport). There's always:

"How's your wife and my kids?"

--
If I had a baby elephant signature, I'd use that.

Archcp · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Uncle Phil

I've only ever had good comments about my unusual bike: "I want one of those!"; "Hey, cool bike!"; "Is that as relaxing as it looks?". The wierdest was "how do you steer?" I waggled the handlebars which seemed to answer the question.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot
Nothing is going to get better. It's not"
- Dr Seuss

Give Baby Elephants Room!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Working on a try out roadshow once, I heard a girl shout to her friends about a recumbent trike "Here look at this. You steer it with your hands!". Which made me wonder about what sort of bike she was used to...

She also commented that "It's got brakes and everything!". Again, I wondered....

Mostly on my trike I get stuff like "cool bike" and that sort of thing, and yes I believe these days, 'bad', 'sick' and 'phat' generally mean good, while 'gay' can mean bad, but I'm not certain...

Never been called a spaceship though. I'd like that. [:D]

If I had a baby elephant, it could help me clean the car. If I had a car.

Unknown · May 2007

Lets see been cycling just over 18months now.

I've had an ice cream, with flake, come sailing past my head in Richmond Park at about 50 mph.

Been chased up the road through Twickenham by a crowd of drunks at the Rugby.Lol.

Shouted at more than once by youths. They generally stop when I turn around and say "Excuse me".

Kids genrerally have very little respect on the whole these days. I for one have no hesitation in giving a rude little tœ$T a clip around the ear.

"People setting the pace too fast on the front are abused to slow down. Riders that do not share the work are abused. Riders that need abuse get abused and the abuse is done in every language so they get the message"

pedro_d · May 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">
firsthippy

Heading out in the weeing rain this morning I had some Irish bloke (on the way home from a big night?) in the back of a car say "hello ar$ehole, you're fat, fcsk you" or similar.

I smiled and wished him a good morning - guess my coffee hadn't kicked in?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

on behalf of Irish people everywhere, I would like to apologise for his remark. Shame on him!

A - W · May 2007

My journey is boring, nearly six months of commuting and no one has said a thing to me!

Wonder if my shaved head, six foot two frame and fifteen and a bit stone puts people off?

Maybe Hull just isnt as full of wa**ers as we are lead to believe. [;)]

bunnyman · May 2007

[}:)][:(!]My response is a click as I cock my AK47.....[}:)][xx(]Seriously the sheep and cows round my way are very quiet though probably brighter than the chavs[:p]LOL...

Why is the last mile always the hardest mile ? - The Smiths

Cyclegent · May 2007

I find the best response is to ignore them, as they're only after a reaction, so the thing to do is frustrate that reaction. If the abuse is too obvious to ignore, I either smile and wave, or look puzzled in a 'did that funny little monkey just say something or am I imagining things' type way.

'Cycling in Amsterdam.is not a movement, a cause, or a culture.It's a daily mode of transportation. People don't dress special to ride their bike any more than we dress special to drive our car... In the entire 1600 photographs that I took, there were only three people in "bike gear" and wearing helmets.' Laura Domala, cycling photographer.

Bigtallfatbloke · June 2007

Fist let me say hello to you all, this is my first post. Nice to be here.

Well I just bought myself a touring bike and set about building up some fitness on the local roads before I set off this summer. I'm a big guy and I'm on a big bike 64 frame Daws galaxy. Anyway I was approaching a mini roundabout the other day when a bunch of 'lads' pulled along side me laughing ...no problem sofar... but then the rear passenger reached out and grabbed my rear pannier frame as the car was moving. No harm was done, but he could have easily got me seriously hurt .

The usual insults were exchanged and i laughed at them, they saw this in the mirror as they pulled away and slowed right down in front of me...I kept laughing at them and the ran away like the cowards they are.

Shame really...'cos I was up for a punch up by then lol!

rainsley · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Greenbank

Originally posted by papercorn2000
"Yeah? That's 'cos every time I shag your wife/girlfriend/mother/sister, she gives me a biscuit!"
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ah. Eddo Brandes. Pure genius.

And in a similar vein (well, from the same sport). There's always:

"How's your wife and my kids?"

....To which the reply, generally credited to a certain IT Botham in riposte to one R Marsh, is:
"The wife's fine. The kids are retarded."

I've cycled daily in south London for a few years. Apart from the occasional standard abuse from idiot drivers who think they're safe in their metal box, the only nasty situation I've been in was in Battersea one summer evening a couple of years ago. A bunch of maybe a dozen teenage boys were hanging around Silverthorne Road.

They blocked my path and a couple started trying to get in my panniers. Fortunately I was so preoccupied thinking about other stuff I just couldn't be bothered to engage with them; I recall saying something rather dismissive like "Look guys, I'm not interested, eff off, yeah?" and managed to force my way through them.

Maybe I seemed unruffled to them, and that was why they didn't bother to chase me (they could easily have overwhelmed me). Of course I wasn't unruffled, just busy thinking about something else. Had I come out with a 'clever' comment or response rather than an instinctive one, or I had looked scared, maybe it wouldn't have worked in my favour.

Generally, I feel much safer on a bike round south London late at night than on foot, waiting for buses. I was shocked to find that many of my fellow students had routinely been mugged of mobile phones or wallets in Peckham, Lewisham, or New Cross area. They almost seemed to regard it as par for the course.

GerryM · June 2007

Out near WIndsor on Sunday me and my mate were riding side by side it was relatively early and fairly quiet it was in a little hamlet so it was a thirty zone which we were doing or were close to. A little fat man in a big car, mercedes soft top for those interested, shouted obscenities but then after about 100 yards had to stop to carefully negotiate his way round two horseriders riding very slowly side by side.
I must admit I am a tad confused as to why we warranted lots of abuse and not the horseriders? He nearly lost control of his car he was so intent on abusing us cyclists.
Not that I am advocating the abuse of horses, the quadraped b'stards that they are :-).
Anyone offer an explanation or is this for the X-files
cheers

Jacomus-rides-Gen · June 2007

Pretty damn simple GerryM old chum, if he had mowed you down, chances are that a bit of polish and the blood and cratches would come off his car. Hit a horse, or startle it and have it kick you precious car and it will do a lot of expensive damage.

Such a shame that the price of a cyclists life is a can of t-cut from Halfuds.

_________________________
Quote: "25mph is pretty fast when you aren't wearing a car..."

Verbal Abuse

Comments

Categories