Do road bikes make you stupid?

I've wanted a road bike for a while now. But I'm scared, truly I'm scared that they make you stupid. You see, I live in Irvine and I see them riding in the middle of the street 3 wide in a 45MPH road section on a regular basis. They also run red lights for like a continuous 30 seconds in huge droves. This is just mind blowing to me. I drive an F250 and have literally had to slam on my brakes coming around a corner to avoid killing a dozen people or so. (cant swerve into other lane without destroying someones car). I've even honked and received no other reaction besides a middle finger like I'm the one doing something wrong.

So, do road bikes make you stupid, or just turn you into giant selft important a holes?

Maybe I should just stick to dirt.

 

Ohhh man did you really need to go there.....

http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/general-discussion/64532-bicyclist-hit-killed-pch-hb.html

You can read several pages of this if you didn't get your fill....

 

Yikes... I meant no disrespect to anyone. Was just kinda goofin on the tards in irvine that think it's ok to be in the middle of the street on a blind curve in a 45.

 

Are all F250 Drivers Backward Redneck Monster Truck Loving NRA Right Wing Gas Guzzling War Mongers? I mean, most of the F250s I see have bumper stickers that support all this, so all F250 drivers must be like this or the F250 turns the drivers into this type of person. It must be the vehicle right? When I see a F250, I already know what kind of driver they are because most of the F250s I see have bumper stickers and drivers that look like they fall into this category. I'm really not interested in being a Backward Redneck Monster Truck Loving NRA Right Wing Gas Guzzling War Monger so I'll stick to my Dodge Durango.

 

I believe it makes you fit?

 

Wow. Great topic. Not every Roadie is stupid, but I see where wheezy is coming from. We often drive through Santiago Canyon and come upon a Peloton that is spread across the entire road. Then, heading into Silverado Canyon, again....three wide, no bike lane, and speeding above the speed limit, acting like they are in the Tour de France. Yes, they are stupid and suicidal.

 

Maybe just keep it in your mind that the street you were referencing might have cyclist taking the lane?

Get a road bike and start doing some road rides with people. Then you'll see why certain roadies do what they do.

 

I will never own a roadbike cause its just way too dangerous.

Im also not a fan of the roadies that you describe. I used to live in rancho santa margarita and most of the roadies out in that direction are complete assholes. Now I live in Anaheim and get all the young kids on fixies weaving in and out of traffic.....sigh

 

Ha ha ha. This is going to be an awesome thread...

But, honestly the answer is of course not!

I have a road bike and enjoy it and it gives me a big benefit to riding on the dirt--added endurance and power mostly.

No object (i.e. road bike, gun, fast car, downhill bike) makes you do anything--people choose to act the way they do for their own reasons.

If you don't want to be inconsiderate of drivers, don't ride the way you see some (not all) groups of roadies ride.

Of course, that probably means you can't ride in their club/group but for me that's a good thing. Not joining their club/group means I don't have to shave my legs or do other stupid things which have no reason other than conformity. I can also wear a visor on my helmet and not worry wear the label on my tire is in relation to my valve stem or where my sunglasses are positioned in relation to my helmet strap. I can eat a hamburger and drink a beer and not worry how it'll make me look in spandex, because I don't have to wear lycra if I don't want to.

I enjoy the freedom of a long, solo road ride at my own pace--I can push it when I want and cruise when I feel like it. The thought of being in a fast-paced group of aggressive roadies, trying to avoid rubbing the wheel in front of me or bump into the riders around me is the opposite of what bicycling is to me. I'm not out there to see how fast I can go in a paceline while drafting, I'm out there for exercise and relaxation. I like looking at the scenery, not the a$$ in front of me.

That doesn't mean the folks who enjoy the group rides are wrong, that's what they enjoy. More power to them.

But riding inconsiderately and violating traffic laws puts the rest of us who ride predictably and considerately in a bad light and probably puts us in harm's way with some people (i.e. redneck F250 drivers who like to buzz roadies...).

 

Share the road boys. Roadies in a group or "peloton" will often roll through lights if the first part of the group made it through on the green and it changed before the entire group made it through. Most of the time courteous drivers will wait. If they are just running them, they are putting themselves in danger. Especially at intersections where cars may turn into their path on the green believing they have the right of way, and that the bikes can/will stop.

 

It's actually a very old, very tired topic. Do a search and you'll find dozens of threads on this and related topics, including the fresh, painful one that bvader linked above.

 

I'm most definitely a gun toting so cal redneck, and I drive an F250 to tow my off road race car. I also have a degree in computer science. So red neck or not, I'm smart enough to ride IN the bike lane on the rare occurences that I need to take the street to connect trails.

It's NOT just the big group rides where these morons ride in the middle of the street. OFTEN times it's a solo rider, MOST OFTEN it's a very small group of two or three. Just seems way too common. Perhaps it's mainly an Orange County self importance thing more than stupidity. Either way, I still kind of want one.

 

Don't forget the Truck Nuts.:lol:

 

I often ride by myself (300+ miles a month by myself on the road). I noticed I take a few local turns wider, pretty much taking the lane. I'm tired of cars trying to pass on these blind turns with no shoulder or debris (sand up here) filling the shoulder. I take the lane around the turn so cars can see me sooner, once the turn ends I move back to the far right side of the road. If I do not take the lane and another car is approaching in the opposite direction I've had many cars, trucks, vans, trucks with trailers try to pass. When they try to pass they have pushed me off the road a few times. I know many people will not understand until they actually try road biking. Ride about 100 miles on the road and you'll see why roadies do what they do. Some things they do are selfish and wrong while others are for their own safety.

 

I own a road bike and used to ride a lot...just for clarification. I never endanger riders, even if they are five wide in my lane. I stay behind until it is safe to pass them without endangering the riders, myself or an oncoming car. Still, it is very bothersome to see.

 

I have a road bike too and enjoy it and it gives me a super big benefit to riding on the dirt.... adds endurance and power on the mountain bike rides. I ride my road bike two to three times during the week and my mountain bike on the weekend. Just my two cents.

 

It doesn't make you stupid, it just makes you feel entitled.
Just wait until the Tour de France starts. There will be entitled posers everywhere.

 

:bang::bang::bang:

 

It's not a roadie thing, it's an entitlement thing that many have in south OC.

 

do spoons make you fat?