does anyone else get any abuse on their commute?
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I knew a guy who used to be made keen on road cycling and commuted everywhere by bike. Him and his mate had their own solution to drivers abuse or aggressive driving. One had a steel bodied frame pump and the other had a chain sprocket tool thingy with extra chain links attached to make an impressive whip thing. Both were kept close to hand and the next lights someone's lights suddenly become less than legal. Not condoning, in fact I was totally shocked and changed the time I got into work so I'd miss him too.
I think helmet cams are good but if you report a kid in a didgy area that you can not avoid going through I doubt anything will happen to that kid but you are still going through that area and a kid now knows you reeported him/them. How bulletproof are you? I meant rock proof or impervious to anything else sent your way? I know the dodgy areas near me the only way to stop getting abuse involves violence. Kind of their language I guess. I keep out of them and the only parts of the dodgy areas I go through are on the main A-road or the estate nearest to where I work. Those areas are ok for me as I know people from there.0 -
I was heckled the other night by a man in a wheelchair!
I ride a brompton and as I rode home through a city centre a guy in a wheelchair shouted after me... "Somebody has nicked your bike mate".
Now I know as far as the "things with wheels" foodchain goes I would expect somebody on a carbon frame roadbike to look down their nose at me but a guy in wheelchair? and it wasn't even a fancy wheelchair either.0 -
Tangled Metal wrote:Other than that near miss I get cars that I have overtaken in traffic then overtake me and move right over into the gutter so I can't get past them at the next lights.
Yeah I get the same, noticing it more since I've managed to get my speed up a bit since I first started commuting. I was talking to the father in law about this the other night, he has a full sus MTB but has never used it in the 5 years of owning it, he was quite proud that he pulls into the gutter to stop cyclists undertaking. Think I might time my ride home one day to make a point... :twisted:One had a steel bodied frame pump and the other had a chain sprocket tool thingy with extra chain links attached to make an impressive whip thing.
Mad Max on bikes :?0 -
Don’t normally notice much in the way of abuse, but received some unfriendly gestures from a motorist for having the audacity to use a Toucan crossing yesterday.
I always look to see if there is a likely gap before pressing the button, but yesterday the traffic was pretty heavy. Then a car stopped to turn into a drive and I was able to scoot across just before the lights change. The driver was apparently peeved that he still had to stop even though nobody was crossing. I was a bit bigger than him, hence his relative restraint.Nobody told me we had a communication problem0 -
walkingbootweather
I never get why that bothers people. If pressing the button wsa a vaguely sensible thing to do at the time you pressed it then it doesn't matter if you wait or are able ot get across before the lights go. Either way the driver has to stop for exaclty the same amount of time.
But then people are stoooopid!
The other day I was being followed by a shiny new Merc. I thought the driver was being quite good, hanging back, waiting until there was plenty of space to overtake. Then I hear a quick toot of the horn, turn round and the driver is glaring at me whilst giving me the finger.
I ignored it, turned round and kept pedalling. He then passed with plenty of room, so I gave him the same 'thanks' wave I'd give anyone who'd waited for so long :?0 -
1st time in ages tonight.
I assume it was abuse by the snarly look but it was hard to tell because the super genius didn't wind the window down for me to hear his wit & erudition0 -
Its bad, I dont suffer on commute (South Birmingham/Solihull to West Birmingham) but I did a lot on after work and weekends rides and took to wearing headphones because so many people would think it was funny to beep the horn or shout something at you to try and make you fall off. Just enough noise to stop you from jumping but enough that cars revving, horns and cretin calls
A couple of times I have been coasting downhill and cleaning my glasses or something and this seems to invite people to try and make you wobble and fall off. They dont realise how nasty it would actually be I am sure, but I usually see red when made to jump and decided to tell them (luckily never caught them as Im sure I would calm down just as I'd got to them and probably get an ass kicking).
"Get a car" and "your back wheels going round the wrong way" seem to be the favourite calls (they are not an imaginaitive bunch).
Oh and loads of pulling in to stop you on the inside during commute.0 -
This morning I gave a bit back. Lorry cuts me off at the top of Park Lane by Marble Arch - indicates and changes lane simultaneously, forcing me to brake.
I shout, but no response - so I come up alongside him and bang my fist HARD on his passenger door and make him jump out of his skin. He shouts, we have a yes-you-did-no-I-didn't for a few seconds until the lights change. His argument - 'I saw you and I indicated';mine - 'none of that changes the fact that you swerved in front of me and forced me to hit the brakes'.
The best bit? He was driving a truck that said 'Keeping London Safe' on the side of it (right where I slammed my fist).0 -
Never had any abuse yet and I tend to wear all the cycle gear on my commute and I suppose I also put that down to being 6` 5" and built like a "brick sh*t house" Again if any body spat at me,I would be off the bike and wrapping my hand around their scraggy throat and making them lick the spit up with their tongue!
Trek 7.5fx0 -
I don't really get any abuse on mine - which either means I'm a very polite young man or frighteningly intimidating. (Although I did get beeped the other day by an old dear who was rather shocked to find me overtaking her (quite safely) at 30 mph - it was a slight downhill with a tailwind - made me chuckle)0
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Last time a couple of kids yelled something I doubled back and balled them out.
They were terrified and will hopefully think twice about yelling at random strangers. Especially one's who're in a foul mood and pumped up on a few miles worth of adrenaline.
Anyway, I recommend this, it's cathartic and makes the next hill flatten out a bit.I used to just ride my bike to work but now I find myself going out looking for bigger and bigger hills.0 -
Huh, I must live in a really nice town.0
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Last night as I cycled up my own road on the way home, a young guy was coming the other way on a BSO MTB. He was looking behind him, not paying any attention to what was coming ahead and at the same time was slowly swerving across to my side of the road. I was about to say something but he looked round at the last minute and righted his course, but I was already staring slightly disapprovingly at him. After he had passed me he turned back and shouted "pussy!" at me.... Pleasant chap...Do not write below this line. Office use only.0
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in the last couple of years been sworn at a few times, spat on once
-demented youths cycled up beside me and spat on my arm, then rode off, was quite stunned, wish I hadnt been really and had given them a wack.
- green man crossing took me by surprise, was going fast so just slipped through, my bad, but no danger of accident or anything. Woman saw fit to shout "wanker" at me
- Was in middle of lane, delayed car behind me for about 2 seconds before moving over to side of road and waved an apology just at the moment a yobbo scum in the car stuck his head out and shouted "F'cking C'nt" at me..0 -
- approaching a junction when a young child almost stepped out in front of me, luckily their mother was holding their hand and said "watch out for the cyclist" in a raised voice
- overtook a roadie last Monday, he piped up with "good morning there young chap!" in a threatening manner0 -
Once had an empty drinks can thrown from a passing car, got nervous when the car pulled in ahead of me. Then saw the driver thump the passenger whilst telling him that if he ever did that again he'd be the one thrown out. Got a nice sorry from the driver and a red faced one from the passenger.0
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I got an egg thrown at me on one ride which clipped the bike rather than me. A couple of weeks later in a completely different area the same thing happened again. Luckily a Police car was just behind me as this happened and stopped the car the egg came from. I didn't stop and kept going so never knew if it was about the egg or perhaps they were uninsured. Still couldn't help but think, bet they wish they didn't do that, they have egg on their face now.
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Specialized Hardrock Pro/Trek FX 7.3 Hybrid/Specialized Enduro/Specialized Tri-Cross Sport
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cyclepooch wrote:I got an egg thrown at me on one ride which clipped the bike rather than me. A couple of weeks later in a completely different area the same thing happened again. Luckily a Police car was just behind me as this happened and stopped the car the egg came from. I didn't stop and kept going so never knew if it was about the egg or perhaps they were uninsured. Still couldn't help but think, bet they wish they didn't do that, they have egg on their face now.
Shame you didn't have some flour and milk with you. Then you could have battered them.Nobody told me we had a communication problem0 -
walkingbootweather wrote:cyclepooch wrote:I got an egg thrown at me on one ride which clipped the bike rather than me. A couple of weeks later in a completely different area the same thing happened again. Luckily a Police car was just behind me as this happened and stopped the car the egg came from. I didn't stop and kept going so never knew if it was about the egg or perhaps they were uninsured. Still couldn't help but think, bet they wish they didn't do that, they have egg on their face now.
Shame you didn't have some flour and milk with you. Then you could have battered them. 0 -
Only an irate black cab driver near tower bridge who had gone into the ASL and I positioned myself so he could see me, and then called me a F*cking w@nker as shouting "ohh you are one of those are you", not a word left my mouth, I just looked back to see where the nice words were coming from then turned back to watch the lights.0
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Nulli wrote:Never had any abuse yet and I tend to wear all the cycle gear on my commute and I suppose I also put that down to being 6` 5" and built like a "brick sh*t house" Again if any body spat at me,I would be off the bike and wrapping my hand around their scraggy throat and making them lick the spit up with their tongue!
I'm 5ft 10 and skinny, but in god knows how many years of commuting, i can only remember two incidents and i dont even out them down to envy/anger.
One was a yoof on a MTB who spat as i went past, not even sure it was aimed at me, the other was a passenger in an Escort who threw an empty plastic bottle as they passed me.
Two in 30 years of commuting...jeez you guys are unlucky.0 -
+1jamm13dodger wrote:If somebody spat at me he next thing thy'd be doing is spitting their teeth out. You're clearly a better man than I am keeping your cool in that situation.
But not before they'd licked the spit off first....... :twisted:"Get a bicycle. You won't regret it if you live"
Mark Twain0 -
wilshawk wrote:- green man crossing took me by surprise, was going fast so just slipped through, my bad, but no danger of accident or anything. Woman saw fit to shout "wanker" at me
Not to be inflammatory, but I'd have done the same. If traffic crossings are 'taking you by surprise', then couldn't a pedestrian/dog/bus?0 -
About a year ago the kids of the local estate (near Old St, London) got the bug for jumping in front of passing cyclists. After the first few, I stopped swerving or caring. It hasn't happened for a while and nothing worse has happened since.0
