[Digital_Cowboy]

Okay, here is a topic from that other web site that I visit.

For those out there that feel the need to correct their fellow cyclists/motorists. What is the "proper" etiquette for doing so? I.e. you see a cyclist who has just run a red light what do you do say to them? How to do you approach them? Or you see a cyclist who is hugging the curb encouraging motorists to pass not only them dangerously close but furthering the myth that cyclists do "not" belong on the road.

Or you see someone who is riding a bike that is too large/small for them. Or the seat post/handle stem is too low/high. How do you approach them?

[Nigal]

I say nothing. Unless they are doing something that directly effects me they are on their own ride and I am on mine. I do not feel it is within my pervue to educate others. I sometimes ride without a helmet. If someone came up to me and "educated" me on my choice I would kindly ask them to go fornicate themselves. LOL!

[rola643]

I wouldn't think the road would be the right place to "educate". I think people that want to know will look for information, ask for help, and look for things like this forum to try and get answers.

[Poolie]

I feel the same way that Nigal and Rola do.

[worthlees]

D.C. you have two valid points, Running a red light & hugging a curb. IMO, we have all
been guilty of that at sometime in our lives, how was it handled at that time? What do
you do when you see a cage talking on a cell? Do you tell them? Good point how do you
broach the subject with out causing a disturbance? As to bike size, there may be a
reason.

[kneedrachen]

I keep my mouth shut. Work in emergency services long enough and you'll see how fast a situation can spiral out of control. Weapons, EDPs, alcohol, drugs...You name it, it could be in the mix and you can find yourself in quite a predicament rather quickly.

I mind my own business. I wouldn't want someone infringing on my time during my ride and I wouldn't do it to someone else. Hugging the curb? Maybe they're a new rider? Remember when you first got your car license? I'm willing to bet you hugged one side of the lane or the other.

Bike fit? As someone mentioned there may be a reason for it. My wife rides a bike that may be "too small" frame size-wise but this is due to her back and hip problems. My stem is pretty short and at an obtuse angle on my road bike; I have had 3 shoulder surgeries and am going for a fourth and lost partial use of my left arm. Wouldn't it be cr@ppy for someone to lecture me on how things "should be" as an act of self-righteousness rather than letting each to their own?

[Digital_Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Nigal

I say nothing. Unless they are doing something that directly effects me they are on their own ride and I am on mine. I do not feel it is within my pervue to educate others. I sometimes ride without a helmet. If someone came up to me and "educated" me on my choice I would kindly ask them to go fornicate themselves. LOL!

I can understand that, but if you stop and think about red light/stop sign runners, ninja's, and salmon's, gutter bunnies, curb huggers. Do engage in behavior that directly effects all us.

As stop and think about it like this. A motorists sees a cyclist brazenly run a red light/stop sign. Sadly they're going to eventually equate all cyclists as being the same type of rider as the cyclists who run red lights/stop signs. Now add in the ninja's. Motorist doesn't see the ninja until the last second and nails him/her. Or we have motorist who encounter the salmon rider, who also ends up getting hit and injured or worse killed. And as we know gutter bunnies/curb huggers just reinforce the myth that bicycles "don't belong on the road."

Isn't it reasonable that the city or county or state is going to pass a law restricting where bicycles can and cannot be used? Also when it comes time to vote on funding for new and/or improved bicycling infrastructure, do you think that they are going to be more or less encouraged to do so based on seeing red light/stop sign runners, ninja's and salmon cyclist?

A short time ago (I can't really remember how long ago it was, but it was a year or less ago) I saw a gentleman who was riding a Giant Hybrid bike in the gutter pan. I approached him and said "As a suggestion you shouldn't ride in the gutter pan as you'll end up getting a lot of flats." That way hopefully I didn't come off sounding all "preachy."

As for the helmet thing, it is a personal matter (at least for adults), and at that other site we've been presented with links to research that indicates that in some cases that a helmet might cause more damage/injury than it prevents. Personally I have to do more research before I can come to that conclusion. But I do know/understand that a helmet is not going to protect one in every crash scenario. Such as it is not unusual for me to ride on roads with some pretty high speed traffic. In those cases I know full well that if I get hit by a car no helmet that I wear is going to provide me with any kind of protection. Nor do I always wear it on short trips such as visiting the leasing office in my apartment complex, or going to the paperbox to get a newspaper.

[Digital_Cowboy]

Originally Posted by rola643

I wouldn't think the road would be the right place to "educate." I think people that want to know will look for information, ask for help, and look for things like this forum to try and get answers.

Ah, but not everyone knows where to look for information. And in the case of salmon riders they are probably going by what they were told by friends and/or family members. Who learned that it is "safer" to ride against traffic as they can "see" what the car(s) are going to do and can get out of the way easier.

What they fail to understand is that by riding against the flow of traffic that they can't see the traffic signs, as well as when they finally hit one of those cars that their speeds are combined. So let's say we have a street with a posted 40MPH speed limit and the motorists are (surprise, surprise) actually following the speed limit and are dong 40MPH. Now we have a cyclist who is traveling against the flow of traffic traveling at 20MPH.

At the point of contact their comparative speed will be 60MPH. What do you think that the chances of survival for that cyclist is going to be?

Whereas (if I am not mistaken) if we have the same participants at the same speeds. Their "combined" speed is considerably less and thus more survivable.

So by correcting a salmon rider you could be eventually saving their life. Isn't that worth taking a few minutes out of one's ride?

[Digital_Cowboy]

Originally Posted by worthlees

D.C. you have two valid points, Running a red light & hugging a curb. IMO, we have all been guilty of that at sometime in our lives, how was it handled at that time? What do you do when you see a cage talking on a cell? Do you tell them? Good point how do you broach the subject with out causing a disturbance? As to bike size, there may be a reason.

As I sad in another post, I started the conversation with "May I suggest. . ." At that other site we have a rider who thinks that it's "safer" to hug the curb thinking that it provides him with an out if a car passes too closely. Claiming that in part that he can "step off of his bike onto the curb, and/or pull his bike along with him."

In regards to the driver yakking on their cell phone I'll make the sign of hanging up a phone.

You're right about there might be a reason.

[Digital_Cowboy]

Originally Posted by kneedrachen

I keep my mouth shut. Work in emergency services long enough and you'll see how fast a situation can spiral out of control. Weapons, EDPs, alcohol, drugs...You name it, it could be in the mix and you can find yourself in quite a predicament rather quickly.

I was a medic in the Army, and I'd heard some interesting stories when going through Ft. Sam.

Originally Posted by kneedrachen

I mind my own business. I wouldn't want someone infringing on my time during my ride and I wouldn't do it to someone else. Hugging the curb? Maybe they're a new rider? Remember when you first got your car license? I'm willing to bet you hugged one side of the lane or the other.

So if someone sees that you are about to ride around a corner/curve and into a potentially dangerous section of road you don't want them to warn you? Is that what you are really saying? Or if you've just rounded a corner/curve and know that there is a large pot hole in the opposite road that and you see another cyclist in that road you wouldn't warn them about what they are riding into?

If they're a new rider how are they going to learn if other more seasoned riders aren't wiling to take a few minutes our of their day to help them learn how to ride safely and legally?

You'd be wrong, as I do not have a drivers license and never had one.

Originally Posted by kneedrachen

Bike fit? As someone mentioned there may be a reason for it. My wife rides a bike that may be "too small" frame size-wise but this is due to her back and hip problems. My stem is pretty short and at an obtuse angle on my road bike; I have had 3 shoulder surgeries and am going for a fourth and lost partial use of my left arm. Wouldn't it be cr@ppy for someone to lecture me on how things "should be" as an act of self-righteousness rather than letting each to their own?

I can understand that, what I am talking about is person who is riding a bike that is considerably either too large or too small. And the look on their face is that it is obviously an uncomfortable ride.

IN both your and your wife's situation might a recumbent not be more comfortable?