Do road bikes make you stupid?

For every self entitled roadie or group of roadies that ride recklessly, there are about fifty drivers on the road that drive more recklessly. If you spend your time worrying what other people are doing wrong you (not speaking to anyone specific) will be a disappointed stressed and unhappy person.

 

I personally don't like road bikes! Give me a Mt. with some rocks and dirt PLS!

 

Wrecklessness is present in any human endeavor. Some guys are just jerks, some are dumb assess, most are pretty reasonable.

I think road riding can be done safely. I personally think the risks are too high for me to do it in the city that I live in. Thats a personal decision.

 

This is what people are talking about. The mentality isn't, ”I shouldn't run a red light because I might get hit by a car while doing something stupid and nobody cares about me so they're not looking out for me” but it's ”They might not see me while I'm playing in the streets”

I'm sorry but until you roadies understand no body gives a sh!t about you, there will be conflicts.

 

Interesting thread.... where are the very vocal and passionate STR members (not mentioning any names) who made it personal and called me "self centered" and an "ass" for covering similar material to this thread VERY recently in another thread? Love it..

 

Easy fix.. dress like Major League ballplayers.

 

That thread was about a man who got run over (and I thought you let it go).

BTW, will you be posting a video of your son when he breaks his neck?

 

I did let it go.. just thought the timing of this thread was interesting after that one.. and not sure what you're getting at with the comment about my kid.. seems like a cheap shot if you ask me..

 

yeah thats uncool kioti......why would you even say some shit like that??

 

Really ?

What a classless comment

 

Not a cheap shot, if a person who did not know you and your son saw the vids of you and your son riding, most people would say you are an unfit parent endangering the life of your child by letting him ride down dangerous trails...it's the perception...just like you and "your lane". I'm not saying you're an unfit parent, your kid, do what you want to with him, but 98% of the public would have your son taken away from you by what you post online.

 

i ride road on the river trail...the only part that sucks is there aint much climbing. im gonna be out on the streets very soon and it will take some getting used to for sure.....every time you step out of your home your in danger of something life threatening thats just the way it is!!!

 

Jim, I was recalling a rather horrifying video of your son landing on his face on Car Wreck or someplace. And I think the tone of your comments in the other thread didn't really do anything to reduce the tension between vehicle drivers and road bikers. If anything, they sounded hostile toward road riders while you went on and on about how concerned you were.

I also remember something about those cyclists being in "my lane," which is an attitude that if shared by someone not as concerned about cyclists as you are, will encourage actions that put cyclists at risk. Remember, whoever's right or wrong, road riders can be virtually anywhere on a road and at no danger from overtaking vehicles until there are vehicles present. Drivers with negative attitudes multiply the danger by feeling the need to teach cyclists a lesson. It happens to us all the time. There should be zero tolerance for operators of motorized vehicles who act out these feelings with 5,000 pounds of metal against 200 pounds of flesh and bone.

 

Wow.. I'm not gonna get off on this tangent and hijack this thread as I did before but comparing dirt to riding on streets with cars is beyond apples and oranges.. I do not allow my kid to share the road with cars, nor does he want to.. on the topic of perception of being unfit, I think you're insane.. my kid has been riding his bike for 5 of the 8 yrs he has been on this earth and he's a good rider, not reckless at all.. nor am I reckless for letting him ride trails we feel is qualified to ride based on his abilities..

 

Because all of us ride the road at some point and don't need someone like him encouraging bad attitudes and their ensuing harm against cyclists.

 

I hear you.. my tone initially wasn't intended to be hostile if you were to read the initial comments.. I think it became more hostile based on some the feedback I was getting which I felt was being taken out of context.. that being said I did decide to let that go.. you can't win every argument and as a cyclist I do care for other cyclists.. and I certainly care for my son more than anything, so let's hope this thread doesn't become another personal attack, but point taken on the whole "tone" thing..

 

Hey, I grew up riding motorcycles and started racing dirt track at age 13, we're my parents unfit for letting me race?...no, but a lot of people who didn't understand thought so. What they saw was a kid on a motorcycle...A MOTORCYCLE!!! Those things are dangerous! They KILL! That's the perception...some would say you're an unfit parent and don't deserve to raise your child.

 

Involving small kid? very cheap shot!

 

I'm not wishing anything bad on his son; I actually like watching them once in awhile. But he posted one where Ryan(?) could have easily broken his neck, so the question seems legitimate.

Plus I'm just tired of his comments on a public forum where he's ranting about something he admittedly doesn't understand. If there's a message in there that somehow keeps road cyclists from harm, maybe he could present it in a different way where other drivers could say, "Hey, I need to act responsibly here," rather than "Yeah, F-ing cyclists--I'll show 'em whose lane it is!"

 

I grew up doing all of it myself, including BMX racing, moto and snowmobiling.. I know folks who are overly protective would see more risk than others who are exposed to this a regular basis would see, but we're in a bike forum and some of face dangers in the dirt and others on the road obviously, so within this group, i wouldn't expect the unfit parent comments