Thread: Cyclists.

Originally Posted by debruiser

Excellent point! I've ridden with groups of 50+. Have you ever seen how big a group of 50 cyclists is? trust me you want us to take the lane and ride 4 or 5 abreast to make it safer for you to overtake.

Isn't there a law against semi trailers and larger vehicles driving for extended periods within a certain distance of each other? I assume that is because they would become extremely difficult or dangerous to pass.

Wouldn't it make sense for the same logic to be applied to cyclists so that it wouldn't be necessary to overtake a huge, single group that extended for a distance that could easily exceed the length of a couple of semi trailers?

Couldn't they break up into smaller groups with a reasonable distance between them the same way semi trailers do?

there is rapidly becoming another area where the cyclists think they own the area as well.

groups of cyclists converge regularly on certain cafes after or during their rides and they think because they go there often that it their ground.

just recently we had a family reunion on the gold coast and breakfasted at a nice cafe in the Mermaid Beach Hedges Avenue latte set area.

we actually booked our seating and there were about 40 of us all up. tables were officially reserved and when we got there a regular sunday cyclist group were arriving for their lattes.

some of them were sitting in our reserved seating and as management suggested we politely told them they were sitting at reserved tables and asked if we may sit down.

the ensuing outcry was quite bad from this group.....they had been coming for so long etc....who do we think we are etc.....very vocal....and when asked could they shift their bikes so some of our party could wheel their prams in the outcry was worse

we spoke to management and asked them to give us our tables and also some access and that just made things worse.

I don't think I have ever heard or met a more obnoxious group of people anywhere.

while we had our breakfast they kept up a snide tirade of comments......I would have liked to have gotten up and seriously busted one or two of their mouths.

is this part and parcel of the cyclist set? maybe this is why there is so much confrontation on the roads......maybe you have the attitude before you get on your bike.....I don't know , but there are quite a few family members seriously tainted by cyclist attitude following that breakfast.

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

there is rapidly becoming another area where the cyclists think they own the area as well.

groups of cyclists converge regularly on certain cafes after or during their rides and they think because they go there often that it their ground.

just recently we had a family reunion on the gold coast and breakfasted at a nice cafe in the Mermaid Beach Hedges Avenue latte set area.

we actually booked our seating and there were about 40 of us all up. tables were officially reserved and when we got there a regular sunday cyclist group were arriving for their lattes.

some of them were sitting in our reserved seating and as management suggested we politely told them they were sitting at reserved tables and asked if we may sit down.

the ensuing outcry was quite bad from this group.....they had been coming for so long etc....who do we think we are etc.....very vocal....and when asked could they shift their bikes so some of our party could wheel their prams in the outcry was worse

we spoke to management and asked them to give us our tables and also some access and that just made things worse.

I don't think I have ever heard or met a more obnoxious group of people anywhere.

while we had our breakfast they kept up a snide tirade of comments......I would have liked to have gotten up and seriously busted one or two of their mouths.

is this part and parcel of the cyclist set? maybe this is why there is so much confrontation on the roads......maybe you have the attitude before you get on your bike.....I don't know , but there are quite a few family members seriously tainted by cyclist attitude following that breakfast.

I'm disgusted by this story, those cyclists are a poor example of people in general. I used to enjoy stopping at the cafe after a ride to socialise with the others in my group. I can't believe people are so rude.

Another good thing we did NOT have in the old days , gangs of cyclists ( MIL ) darting flat out all over the place .

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

is this part and parcel of the cyclist set? maybe this is why there is so much confrontation on the roads......maybe you have the attitude before you get on your bike.....I don't know , but there are quite a few family members seriously tainted by cyclist attitude following that breakfast.

Short answer to this is of course, no. The cyclists infesting your cafe would probably be like this no matter what group sport they took up, because they are like minded arseholes. The wheels on their toys don't bend their minds in any particular way. Stereotyping a whole diverse group from a small subset of highly visible retards is in no way helpful. First and foremost they are humans with all the good and bad points that they share with the population in general. My cycling club has over 100 members and does not resemble your little vignette in any way. My fave local bike shop promotes the D*BAD shirt.

Bio-Mechanics Cycles and Repairs | D*BAD

Originally Posted by debruiser

I've ridden with groups of 50+. Have you ever seen how big a group of 50 cyclists is?

Again I must comment that Licenses apart from the problem of money for running a program would be near impossible to work. How do you license a 6 year old school kid who rides to school?

Why ride in such a large group? This is what annoys motorists. Why not split your 50 into say 5 lots of ten and spread out a bit? There is another law that I have just realized that is continually broken. Keeping a safe distance.

Now if 50 bikes are riding together like the first lap at Bathurst, what happens if one in the middle clips another and causes a fall?

As for licensing a 6year old. This is not needed. Just license lycra. Bikes only seem to become a problem when riders wear lycra, so this material must be the problem. Maybe there is some chemical in the fibres that is absorbed through the skin and affects the brain.

Funny thread, of coarse we are all perfect aren't we, my only gripe is when cyclist are in an 80, 100 or 110 zone and you come around the corner to find them riding 2 or 3 abreast, it's just luck I haven't cleaned any of them up, why, I'm assuming cyclist drive cars as well, why wouldn't you think that riding in this fashion would be wrong and dangerous to themselves, why do they continue to put themselves in these situations, why can't they move over to make it easier to get by or avoid these situations, why does the motorist have to do all the give waying, common sense tell you, riding 2 abreast in a 100 zone on a windy road is dangerous, or is that just your right to do so, so **** you, well all I can say is, it will only be you that will be ****ed, but even sader, the family will sufer over this and even the motorist will suffer for a long time afterwards too.

I've been involved in a road fatality, it's not something you get over very quickly, even when it is not your fault, it stays with you for a very long time.

So I say to both sides, show a bit of common sense, think about how you impact situations, give room when it's needed, especially you cyclist, because you are the one who will suffer the most, and to the car drivers, give a bit more distance when going around a cyclist.

Baz.

Originally Posted by d2dave

Bikes only seem to become a problem when riders wear lycra, so this material must be the problem. Maybe there is some chemical in the fibres that is absorbed through the skin and affects the brain.

Not a chemical absorption issue .................... it has more to do with the way that the clothing squeezes certain parts of the anatomy.