I like this and I’m a cyclist. It irks me to no end when I see a spandex pack on Hill Road riding two abreast and mostly NOT in the bike lane. They’re all chatting and only paying attention to the cyclist directly in front of them. They are very difficult to drive around, even on the relatively wide sections of the road.

Come on, my spandex friends, ride single file on these busy roads. When you get out beyond the crazy streets, feel free to go two abreast. BUT like the guy out front who uses hand signals to warn the pack of road hazards ahead, the guy in back should use a whistle to warn the pack of the approaching cars so everyone can split to single file until the cars pass.

It’s not rocket science. Keep riding and stay safe.

“No fashion sense”? You’ve got that right!
I would much rather be unfashionably alive than cool in a coffin.

“Didn’t cost enough”? Maybe by some standards, but “she’s got it where it counts, kid”.**
Anyone who has been in the market for high power bicycle lights knows that they don’t come cheap. On the other hand, the investment is minimal compared to the cost of an emergency room visit, or a funeral.

My motto when it comes to visibility is: “Better overkill than be killed”.

**(with apologies to Han Solo)

Those toys of which you speak allow us to get exercise per doctor’s orders, make your air cleaner than you are making it, and reduce the country’s reliance on foreign oil. What does your toy do? The fact that you pay next to nothing to pollute our air makes you a little hypocritical.

You need to get used to the idea of sharing the road. I’m a big fan of the t-shirt that reads “one less car”. I long for the day we close off downtown to them and you have to lumber that butt of yours on two legs. It’ll be good for everybody.

However, for all the times a motorist has gotten impatient an put a cyclist in danger by passing too close, etc., it is rare that they are being delayed from anything more pressing than catching back up to the bumper of the preceding vehicle.

In my mind, tailgating is not sufficient justification for snuffing a cyclist, no matter how boneheaded the cyclist’s behavior.

Your point is well taken. I try to signal every time it’s necessary and/or warranted, but admittedly there are times I do not.

I agree with your point that “defense survival riding dictates that [a biker should] expect the worst.”

Jimv, We see your point of view. How about some real life solutions? Changing laws will be tough and not attainable in this forum. I refer you to my post on July 23 at 1:55 pm. I admit cyclist have a public image problem. Bikeboy’s linked article admits this frustration too. But we come up with a solution to help the spandex crowd get along better with motorist.

I remember the first time being pulled over for speeding at age 16. Officer Ruska gave me a stern warning and told me not to let it happen to again. I was never pulled over by Officer Ruska or anyone else in that county. Enforcement through education can work for cyclist as it did for me.