Is this Cyclist a Jerk?

I am very glad that your turned out to be the cyclist.

While I like pickup trucks (and own one), I do NOT like vertical exhaust pipes on them, and invariably those people who drive such duded-up things are jerks.

Wells
 
Wearing headphones so that you are surprised when a car comes up from behind is a bad idea.

This sort of thing lets you know when the car you hear is leaving you a little room or trying to crowd you before it's too late http://www.rei.com/product/752285/b...ferralID=6a8a514b-9f7d-11e2-9389-001b2166c62d

Then there are those people who like to walk down the middle of a bike path listening to their I-pod and get all upset when a bicycle comes up from behind.
 
Haha. Ed is funny. I stopped reading after f250 with NASCAR sticker on the back. This thread is full of win. Time to fly.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 2
 
Captain said:
So, I'm driving my truck down the road. F-250 with dual vertical exhaust with NASCAR stickers on the back window. I'm driving with my buddy and we see a bicycle rider on the shoulder of the road.

Not a huge deal as traffic is light...but there is a side walk RIGHT THERE! Why should this guy be in the road. There wasn't any on coming traffic....but there COULD have been.

I slow down and pull along side him. My buddy riding shotgun rolled down his window and shouted at the guy. Told him to 'get off the road'. Of course the little bicycle man had headphones in and didn't say a word back. Probably oblivious to the fact he was on a road made for cars and trucks anyway.

Why can't bikes stay on the sidewalks where they belong?

So, was this bicycle guy a Jerk?
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If the guy was riding down the middle of the lane he would be a jerk, but you described him as riding near the shoulder. That is exactly where they should be. Riding on the sidewalk is illegal. Cyclists are required to ride on the road and obey all traffic laws. Yelling at the cyclist to "get off the road" in my view puts into question who the jerk was in that situation.
Todd
 
Captain said:
So, I'm driving my truck down the road. F-250 with dual vertical exhaust with NASCAR stickers on the back window. I'm driving with my buddy and we see a bicycle rider on the shoulder of the road.

Not a huge deal as traffic is light...but there is a side walk RIGHT THERE! Why should this guy be in the road. There wasn't any on coming traffic....but there COULD have been.

I slow down and pull along side him. My buddy riding shotgun rolled down his window and shouted at the guy. Told him to 'get off the road'. Of course the little bicycle man had headphones in and didn't say a word back. Probably oblivious to the fact he was on a road made for cars and trucks anyway.

Why can't bikes stay on the sidewalks where they belong?

So, was this bicycle guy a Jerk?
Click to expand...

The only jerks were the 2 hill rods behind the car in front of you.
 
I have never yelled at or even talked to a cyclist on the road, but i do think they are very inconsiderate when they elect to do their hobby on a busy highway with heavy truck traffic. Truck drivers need to get a run at a hill and deal with erratic car traffic and it is very stressful and often dangerous to have unnecessary soft targets in the mix. There are plenty of less travelled roads to choose from. Many bicyclists seem to have a chip on their shoulder and want to make a point that they own any road they choose.
 
Captain said:
I know, right. Except I'm not joking. That really happened and it happens a lot. The OP described the worst case so far...but people shout and honk a lot. There is an obvious disconnect between cyclists on the road with a right to be there and many motorists who think their job is to 'set them straight' and tell them to get on the sidewalk!
Click to expand...

Many cyclists are jerks, most are not. It is illegal to ride two abreast. They do it here all the time blocking the lane force vehicles to pass. If a loan biker is in the middle of the lane and I am coming up behind them I will tap my horn to let them know I am coming. I don't lay on the horn, just tap it. That is what we have horns for.
 
Geico266 said:
Many cyclists are jerks, most are not. It is illegal to ride two abreast. They do it here all the time blocking the lane force vehicles to pass. If a loan biker is in the middle of the lane and I am coming up behind them I will tap my horn to let them know I am coming. I don't lay on the horn, just tap it. That is what we have horns for.
Click to expand...

In Alaska it's legal to ride two abreast, and state law says that an automobile is SUPPOSED to tap their horn to signal the bikes to get out of the way. Until then the bikers have no duty to move.

You can imagine how this works out in reality ;)
 
Captain said:
So, I'm driving my truck down the road. F-250 with dual vertical exhaust with NASCAR stickers on the back window. I'm driving with my buddy and we see a bicycle rider on the shoulder of the road.

Not a huge deal as traffic is light...but there is a side walk RIGHT THERE! Why should this guy be in the road. There wasn't any on coming traffic....but there COULD have been.

I slow down and pull along side him. My buddy riding shotgun rolled down his window and shouted at the guy. Told him to 'get off the road'. Of course the little bicycle man had headphones in and didn't say a word back. Probably oblivious to the fact he was on a road made for cars and trucks anyway.

Why can't bikes stay on the sidewalks where they belong?

So, was this bicycle guy a Jerk?
Click to expand...

No, you and your buddy are jerks. Bicycles are vehicles, they belong on the road. Sidewalks are for pedestrians.
 
This thread needs to have "Read Post 18" in the title or in bold on the OP.
 
Naah we...we just need a "first read, then post: FAIL" smiley.
 
He should not have been wearing headphones but I don't think yelling at him helped anything.
 
I'm quite honestly surprised anyone took post #1 at face value considering the tongue in cheek, insulting description of the truck.
 
Captain said:
So, I'm driving my truck down the road. F-250 with dual vertical exhaust with NASCAR stickers on the back window. I'm driving with my buddy and we see a bicycle rider on the shoulder of the road.

Not a huge deal as traffic is light...but there is a side walk RIGHT THERE! Why should this guy be in the road. There wasn't any on coming traffic....but there COULD have been.

I slow down and pull along side him. My buddy riding shotgun rolled down his window and shouted at the guy. Told him to 'get off the road'. Of course the little bicycle man had headphones in and didn't say a word back. Probably oblivious to the fact he was on a road made for cars and trucks anyway.

Why can't bikes stay on the sidewalks where they belong?

So, was this bicycle guy a Jerk?
Click to expand...

I actually got yelled at by an old lady for riding my bike on the sidewalk in a college town. The law in my city permits bikes to ride on the sidewalk or road.
 
Captain said:
The main point of my post is to spread awareness that cyclists do belong on the road and they have right of way too. Give space please. I'm in Florida.
Click to expand...

I hear you and am all for the message as well. I give out 'i share the road' stickers all the time. Which reminds me, I need to order another batch. As a fellow pedal pusher, I make sure I give cyclists space on the road when I'm driving. At the same time, I make sure I ride responsibly when I'm in the pedals instead of the driver's seat. I use lights, even during the day, and wear a florescent vest. IF I listen to music, it's only with the curb side in so that I'm not shut off. As such, I usually get respect when I'm riding (actually more so from trucks than cars), but I have been honked/revved/yelled at in the past. Hopefully, that phenom will drop off a bit as more people come out. But just in case, some places are enacting laws that specifically target those who rage against cyclists.
Thanks for bringing this up, OP. As more people turn to their bicycles for transportation, anything that minimizes adverse interactions among road users is great. Two cyclists died recently on area roads, and one was in a bike lane. So everyone stay safe out there, but especially you. I hear FL tops the list of most dangerous states for cyclists and pedestrians.
 
Actually, Captain, given the traffic laws which you are presumed to know, your buddy acted liked a jerked screaming at the cyclist. Instead of jumping at an incorrect conclusion perhaps it may be better to first think before resorting to pompous jerk mode. It's part of the reason I prefer to be a mountain biker; most road bikers are pompous self important jerks.
 
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