Drivers' Atttitudes

Umm, don't follow Bhima's advice.

Take a strong secondary position for general riding so that you are visible and cars need to make a positive move to overtake you rather than just fly by.

Take primary position (ie the middle of the road) when needed ie pinch points etc.

Be courteous to drivers and treat them with respect and the majority will respond in kind.
Be as assertive as you need to be but don't seek confrontation (like by riding on the right hand side of the road).

I tend to think that the people who are "aggressive" toward cyclists are the same people
who are aggressive toward all other vehicles on the road. They just have road rage in them no matter what you drive or ride. Nothing really personal. It's just that, to them, EVERYONE else out there is an *sshole.

There is a difference between being confident and assertive and claiming your rightful place on the road and being confrontational. In a confrontation with someone in a car/van or whatever the cyclist will always lose. Don't risk it.

Riding aggressively is ok, if you're able to back it up when required.
I assume ladybee is a lady, therefore less likely to go toe to toe with a toss pot driver!
Just keep your head when being hassled, keep to your line and don't be intimidated.
You'll still come across the odd t1t...
I'll probably tempt fait now, but, I have only come across one idiot in the last two-three years

ladybee wrote:

Can. Worms. Open?!

Everyone is going to have their own opinion on it. However, I think everyone will agree that a key point is not ride right up against the kerb, and to ride at least in the secondary position. You need to leave yourself somewhere to go if a motorist passes too close to you.

Personally, I try and take a courteous but assertive approach to my riding.

I also find that making eye-contact with motorists (especially in urban areas) helps.

All that aside, some motorists are just d*cks.

Only ever used another type of bike for getting around town/shops/etc, so have no idea how motorists react to different types.

I assume most don't notice/care.

Well, whatever you do, this is NOT recommended.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4XxCZagAjk

I seem to remember reading some stuff about research that shows that the more "serious" you look, the less space drivers give you: the guy who went round with a video & measuring gear on his bike for a start, he found that people gave him less space when he wore a helmet (just to throw another can of worms into the mix) - and more space when he wore a blonde wig...
I'm sure that's not the only research I've read about, but I can't be bothered to go searching just now - anyone got any links?

Ladybee to answer the original question which has been kinda missed - I ride a road bike for training and I commute to work (in winter at least) on a slicked up MTB with mudguards. I don't particularly notice any difference in the way motorists behave towards me between these bikes.

ladybee wrote:

So noone else finds they get treated differently on different types of bike then? Maybe it was just bad luck today; but if next time I go out on the road bike and it happens again, I'll get even more cynical.

I only have road bikes, so I can't comment on that bit!

I think it depends partly on where you're cycling. I'm lucky living up in the N Pennines, where the roads are pretty traffic-free. When roads are fairly quiet, there's far less chance to encouter an already frustrated motorist.

Most drivers here are very courteous and allow plenty of room; indeed, while I was out on Sunday there were at least three occasions during my 2-hour ride when drivers waited patiently behind me because they could see the road ahead was twisty and potholed and therefore not great to be overtaken. I of course reciprocated by waving them past at the earliest opportunity and also giving them a thumbs-up to show my appreciation. Riding assertively yet with consideration and courtesy to other road users works well most of the time - of course, there's always the odd tw@t...