I am recovering from illness and I am basically taking it easy at home doing nothing. A few days ago I headed out for my first ride. It was to be a super low-effort short ride, so I just wore regular clothes. It went well, and I did the same for a few days to get back into the swing of things. Yesterday I decide to go for a longer ride, so I suited up in my full lycra gear and headed out for a 1 hour ride. It was great to be back on the road, and there were no incidents to speak of, but I get the distinct feeling that motorists gave me more room when I had regular clothes on!
Has anyone ever noticed this? Do motorsists have less patience with racer wannabes than with average joes?
:: Has anyone ever noticed this? Do motorsists have less patience with :: racer wannabes than with average joes?
No.
Quite. If anything, I've had much more negative interactions with drivers while I was on my old, very ugly, grocery bike while I was wearing street clothes. [1] Interestingly enough, I've always observed the largest behavioural difference in the more affluent part of town.
[1] T-shirt, cargo shorts, etc.
-- Dane Buson - [email hidden] When you meet a master swordsman, show him your sword. When you meet a man who is not a poet, do not show him your poem. -- Rinzai, ninth century Zen master
I am recovering from illness and I am basically taking it easy at home doing nothing. A few days ago I headed out for my first ride. It was to be a super low-effort short ride, so I just wore regular clothes. It went well, and I did the same for a few days to get back into the swing of things. Yesterday I decide to go for a longer ride, so I suited up in my full lycra gear and headed out for a 1 hour ride. It was great to be back on the road, and there were no incidents to speak of, but I get the distinct feeling that motorists gave me more room when I had regular clothes on!
Has anyone ever noticed this? Do motorsists have less patience with racer wannabes than with average joes?
Joseph
No I haven't noticed any difference in the distance given to me by motorists no matter what I am wearing. The only time I notice that they give me much more room is when I have my panniers on my rear rack, any then they tend to give me a wide berth.
Ken -- Messengers and mountain bikers share a common chromosome. ~James Bethea
I am recovering from illness and I am basically taking it easy at home doing nothing. A few days ago I headed out for my first ride. It was to be a super low-effort short ride, so I just wore regular clothes. It went well, and I did the same for a few days to get back into the swing of things. Yesterday I decide to go for a longer ride, so I suited up in my full lycra gear and headed out for a 1 hour ride. It was great to be back on the road, and there were no incidents to speak of, but I get the distinct feeling that motorists gave me more room when I had regular clothes on!
Has anyone ever noticed this? Do motorsists have less patience with racer wannabes than with average joes?
No. (You may get more comments from young-ish people, however.)
The answers, so far, are given from the experience of the cyclist. I'll try to answer from the perspective of the motorist. I try to judge the future behavior of everyone on the streets from how they look, and how they are acting. If I see a middle-aged man wearing a felt hat, on a girl's bike, with the seat too low, I am pretty sure he is not going to dart into the traffic, or do anything very fast. But he might do something dumb, like ride slowly across a lane where he should have waited. So my treatment of him will be different from the way I drive near a youngish, fit rider in lycra on a good-looking bike, who pedals at just about the speed of traffic, and who looks back over his shoulder as we approach an intersection.
The answers, so far, are given from the experience of the cyclist. I'll try to answer from the perspective of the motorist. I try to judge the future behavior of everyone on the streets from how they look, and how they are acting. If I see a middle-aged man wearing a felt hat, on a girl's bike, with the seat too low, I am pretty sure he is not going to dart into the traffic, or do anything very fast. But he might do something dumb, like ride slowly across a lane where he should have waited. So my treatment of him will be different from the way I drive near a youngish, fit rider in lycra on a good-looking bike, who pedals at just about the speed of traffic, and who looks back over his shoulder as we approach an intersection.
You mention felt hat. Would you use the presence or absence of a helmet in your evaluation, and if so, to what effect?
<[email hidden]> wrote: You mention felt hat. Would you use the presence or absence of a helmet in your evaluation, and if so, to what effect? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ First, let's not get into a discussion on the efficacy of helmets. But they are a part of the bike culture. The presence or absence of a helmet, in conjunction with riding style, speed, physique, type of bike, and a whole lot of other stuff, makes a picture of a cyclist. An ill-fitting helmet cocked on the back of a child's head tells me something different from a helmet that's obviously part of riding outfit.
This is all part of how we judge people in every encounter. It's not something special about bicyclists.
<[email hidden]> wrote: You mention felt hat. Would you use the presence or absence of a helmet in your evaluation, and if so, to what effect? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ First, let's not get into a discussion on the efficacy of helmets. But they are a part of the bike culture....
Discussions on the efficacy of helmets are certainly part of the culture of Usenet cycling groups.
The answers, so far, are given from the experience of the cyclist. I'll try to answer from the perspective of the motorist. I try to judge the future behavior of everyone on the streets from how they look, and how they are acting. If I see a middle-aged man wearing a felt hat, on a girl's bike, with the seat too low, I am pretty sure he is not going to dart into the traffic, or do anything very fast. But he might do something dumb, like ride slowly across a lane where he should have waited. So my treatment of him will be different from the way I drive near a youngish, fit rider in lycra on a good-looking bike, who pedals at just about the speed of traffic, and who looks back over his shoulder as we approach an intersection.
That is sort of my theory. Kids riding bikes too big, weirdos on depatment-store bikes with 2 shopping bags hung over the grips, and others weaving along at a walking pace at the edge of the road back and forth across the white line almost catching their wheel on the edge of the pavement every 3 seconds just look like a disaster waiting to happen. At least they look that way to me whan I am driving (or overtaking on my bike). Contrast with a racer type riding a line as straight as a railroad track at 40km/h in a 50km/h zone. I give all cyclists a huge margin when I am driving, but there is no doubt most racer types do seem more predictable. Perhaps "normal" motorists pick up on that as well, and it affects their behavior.
I regularly ride through a nice old upscale neighborhood and it is not unusual to see seniors riding in street clothes. The typical ride is either an older cruiser looking bike or a knobby tired mountain bike. At least around here, they seem to ride pretty predictably, be alert to the vehicular traffic and stay on the pavement. Some of them do ignore modern conventions and consistently ride against traffic. Almost none wear skid lids. Younger mountain bike and hybrid riders tend to be a mixed lot, but generally wear street clothes. No long pants like the seniors generally wear. Some wear helmets but many don't. Road bike riders tend to mostly wear cycle clothing and almost all wear helmets. Theh roadies tend to be less predictible about stopping at signals and stop signs, but otherwise do not do many things that are unexpected. At least in this neighborhood, most motorists seem to interact well with all of them, probably because there are so many of them that they have gotten used to them. In my experience, the most careless and unaware of cyclists are those driving the big SUVs, transporting kids to and from school.
Well, I was thinking this thread might be one about catcalls from spectators regarding how you look in tights. Actually, I live in a
Quoted message said:
Quoted message said:
mixed<< neighborhood in a resort area. Once in a while I receive a catcall about my >>spandex<< or something else. The last incident it was some ignorant kid in a group of them. I wonder if this would be be due to the beer belly I'm carrying these days. I used to cycle in lycra when younger, more fit and in training, but only got the catcalls when running in the winter in tights. Otherwise, I do find being in an area where there are a number of cyclists on the road for recreation, I'm given more distance than when I was cycling the suburbs.
catzz66 said:
I regularly ride through a nice old upscale neighborhood and it is not unusual to see seniors riding in street clothes. The typical ride is either an older cruiser looking bike or a knobby tired mountain bike. At least around here, they seem to ride pretty predictably, be alert to the vehicular traffic and stay on the pavement. Some of them do ignore modern conventions and consistently ride against traffic. Almost none wear skid lids. Younger mountain bike and hybrid riders tend to be a mixed lot, but generally wear street clothes. No long pants like the seniors generally wear. Some wear helmets but many don't. Road bike riders tend to mostly wear cycle clothing and almost all wear helmets. Theh roadies tend to be less predictible about stopping at signals and stop signs, but otherwise do not do many things that are unexpected. At least in this neighborhood, most motorists seem to interact well with all of them, probably because there are so many of them that they have gotten used to them. In my experience, the most careless and unaware of cyclists are those driving the big SUVs, transporting kids to and from school.
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi All,
I am recovering from illness and I am basically taking it easy at home doing nothing. A few days ago I headed out for my first ride. It was to be a super low-effort short ride, so I just wore regular clothes. It went well, and I did the same for a few days to get back into the swing of things. Yesterday I decide to go for a longer ride, so I suited up in my full lycra gear and headed out for a 1 hour ride. It was great to be back on the road, and there were no incidents to speak of, but I get the distinct feeling that motorists gave me more room when I had regular clothes on!
Has anyone ever noticed this? Do motorsists have less patience with racer wannabes than with average joes?
Joseph
You're missing the obvious. People pass you too closely when you are in your full kit because they are paying more attention to you. It's the same reason police get get run over when they've pulled someone over. The car tends to go where the eyes do.
"Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Leo Lichtman said:
<[email hidden]> wrote: You mention felt hat. Would you use the presence or absence of a helmet in your evaluation, and if so, to what effect? ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ First, let's not get into a discussion on the efficacy of helmets. But they are a part of the bike culture....
Discussions on the efficacy of helmets are certainly part of the culture of Usenet cycling groups.
To my regret. Either put the word HELMET in your subject line, or shut the *&%$ up already.
I never really noticed any real difference between the way moterists regard me wether I'm in spandex or denim. But one possible reason may be that in spandex you look more experienced and less likely to do something stupid, so they feel that you require less breathing room than the "iggerent novice" who might weave right in front of them at any moment.
Somehow my previous post was cut off. Actually, I think it depends on how you look in your tights and who is doing the looking. Sex would be a big factor. If you are being chased by someone of the opposite sex on another bicycle, you might attract more attention. I was walking in the city once and an extremely attractive gal in lycra was hit by some guy behind me at an intersection. She started screaming bloody murder. The guy froze in his car. She was on the street at a minor intersection. I approached her, not knowing what to do. She started to rise. I told her, No, something might be broken. Someone used a cell phone and an ambulance arrived. I think back and wonder happened to the guy.
Gooserider said:
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Hi All,
I am recovering from illness and I am basically taking it easy at home doing nothing. A few days ago I headed out for my first ride. It was to be a super low-effort short ride, so I just wore regular clothes. It went well, and I did the same for a few days to get back into the swing of things. Yesterday I decide to go for a longer ride, so I suited up in my full lycra gear and headed out for a 1 hour ride. It was great to be back on the road, and there were no incidents to speak of, but I get the distinct feeling that motorists gave me more room when I had regular clothes on!
Has anyone ever noticed this? Do motorsists have less patience with racer wannabes than with average joes?
Joseph
You're missing the obvious. People pass you too closely when you are in your full kit because they are paying more attention to you. It's the same reason police get get run over when they've pulled someone over. The car tends to go where the eyes do.
Also, a blonde wig will get you an additional 6 inches of clearance.
Pardon me while I get my coat and head off to the wig shop.
-- Dane Buson - [email hidden] A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in a national election. -- Bill Vaughan
