# This is why people hate bicyclists **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 7, 2014, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582 "2014-04-07T19:55:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/21 "2014-04-07T21:39:04Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > If all the people you meet on any given day are all assholes…it ain’t them. Its a good thing nobody said anything like that, then. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/22 "2014-04-07T22:02:32Z")
It’s those god damned cutters! [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/gDakPTnSUDU/maxresdefault.jpg "Breaking Away (1979)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDakPTnSUDU) ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/23 "2014-04-07T22:33:34Z")
In my bicycle courier days we’d go for drinks after work Fridays, and the rule was if you couldn’t trackstand when we came out of the bar you were too drunk to ride home. Not quite getting the OP. There were plenty of things I did while riding in those days that qualified me as an asshole, but trackstanding? Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/24 "2014-04-07T22:38:49Z")
[quote=“Omar\_Little, post:22, topic:685582”] It’s those god damned cutters! [/QUOTE] That’s my town! Went to college and high school there, and then lived there for a long time after. I have biked on that road many times. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/25 "2014-04-07T23:17:58Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > The seat should be high enough so that the leg is almost but not quite fully extended at the bottom of the downstroke. When the seat is lower than that it’s hard on the knees. Right. Similar deal with shoes that attach to the pedals - things that seem ridiculous to casual (or non-) cyclists are important to reduce injuries when you ride frequently. Most people have their seats too low, not too high. Go on a long ride like that and you’ll regret it later. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/26 "2014-04-07T23:24:13Z")
Let me get this straight. The cyclist was STOPPED at a light, where running lights is a typical anti-cyclist rant, and now you are complaining about HOW he’s stopped? Really? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/27 "2014-04-07T23:33:33Z")
I saw a feller with those fancy foot strap/restraints actually tip right the fuck over. He was stopped at the same red light as me (I was in a gas powered vehicle), and he started to tip. It was just Timbe-eeeer and forget about it. I felt bad for him, because he tried to prevent it, but he could not. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2014, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/28 "2014-04-07T23:38:53Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > I didn’t say I hate all bicyclists; just adding an anecdote in support of the general drivers vs bicyclists war – which I feel is caused by a sense of entitlement that bicyclists have, that road rules don’t apply to them. And no bicyclists here seem to be denying that. Do you think cars are entitled to go a few miles per hour over the speed limit? If not, why does pretty much every car on the road do so? Do drivers believe the road rules don’t apply to them? Look, I’m like everyone else and usually go over 25 in a 25 zone. But unlike many drivers, I’m not going to pretend it’s only cyclists flouting the rules. We all do little things that we think are plenty safe, and as long as we aren’t taking it to the extreme (like driving 40 in a 25 zone or blowing through a light on your bike without looking), it usually works out OK. The war isn’t drivers vs bicyclists. It’s the jerks against the rest of us, and there are plenty of jerks on both sides. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/29 "2014-04-08T00:02:57Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > I saw a feller with those fancy foot strap/restraints actually tip right the fuck over. He was stopped at the same red light as me (I was in a gas powered vehicle), and he started to tip. It was just Timbe-eeeer and forget about it. I felt bad for him, because he tried to prevent it, but he could not. This happens to everyone who takes up clipless pedals, but after that first fall most riders won’t let it happen again. It’s pretty embarrassing when it does. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/30 "2014-04-08T00:58:15Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > When I’m driving, I hate pedestrians. When I’m walking, I still hate pedestrians. Hey, me too! I also hate vehicle drivers, but only because they’re all trying to kill me. > [@elucidator](#): > > If all the people you meet on any given day are all assholes…it ain’t them. It _could_ be - there are a LOT of assholes in the world. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/31 "2014-04-08T01:37:52Z")
Read it on the intertubes, thought everyone had heard it by now. These days, go from one liner to meme to cliche in a matter of hours. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/32 "2014-04-08T01:38:23Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > This happens to everyone who takes up clipless pedals, but after that first fall most riders won’t let it happen again. It’s pretty embarrassing when it does. Yah. It happens _once_, and hopefully with no more damage than to one’s ego. Similarly, getting jammed in a streetcar or train rail only happens once…unfortunately, I’ve seen some nasty TBI as a result. As for trackstanding? I can do it, or could, but don’t bother much any more. When I was riding a lot in town, yeah, I’d pause without putting my feet down if I knew it would be a brief stop. Nowadays, I don’t ever ride more than a few miles, and just figure fuck it, I’ll put a foot down. (And FWIW, I live in the People’s Republic of Portland, and there are very few days I don’t at least roll my eyes at an idiot or asshole on a bike. But I find drivers are as bad or worse.) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/33 "2014-04-08T02:38:13Z")
And here I was expecting the usual 'Wah! A cyclist didn’t come to a full stop at a stop sign I was doing a rolling stop at!" complaint. instead we get some whining about…trackstands. For the record, you really can get out of those easily. When you are new to them there might be a fall moment once (or twice). Annoying but not lethal. andros’ comment about street rails is right: I taco’ed a wheel once - it will not happen again. I have clipless because it really does make the ride the most efficient. I am not riding for cardio, I am not riding ‘to look like I am in the Tour De France’, I am riding to get from point A to point B. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/34 "2014-04-08T04:08:02Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > I don’t buy the cardio bullshit benefit either. Most cyclist buy into the gear crap, when most of them are just exercising. If you are cycling for exercise, why do you care about wind resistance, or stopping for traffic and restarting. The more resistance should be adding to your work out. Unless it’s not about really working out, but having a certain look… There are cyclists who write - and presumably read - entire webpages concerning appearances, and there are also cyclists who could not give a flying fuck about achieving a look, as long as their gear helps them go fast or is cheap or is ostentatiously expensive or etc, etc. It’s a bit like motorists: there are, I’m sure you wouldn’t deny, plenty of people who ensure their car looks fast. There are also people who ensure their cars are fast. Weirdly enough, cyclists are kind of like, yanno, people. Which is to say, they come in all shapes, sizes and motivations. Just as motorists do. As to the resistance/more work out thing, admittedly there isn’t much logic to it. Thing is though, many cyclists like to go fast, improve their times, be faster than their riding buddies etc. It’s more fun to do 40km/hr on a fast bike than 35km/hr on a crappy bike, even if the latter would give you the same workout. > [@jsc1953](#): > > TroutMan: I didn’t say I hate all bicyclists; just adding an anecdote in support of the general drivers vs bicyclists war – which I feel is caused by a sense of entitlement that bicyclists have, that road rules don’t apply to them. And no bicyclists here seem to be denying that. As others have said, every road user commits breaches of road rules. Though to routinely see breaches that actually endanger people you have to watch motorists rather than cyclists, of course. But what is breathtaking is the way it is not at all uncommon to see comments like yours: some motorists have a sense of entitlement so strong, so absolutely woven into the fabric of western society, that they see cyclists as displaying an undue sense of entitlement when they show any entitlement at all. You are like those dumbass Christians who feel there is a war on their religion the moment anyone else gets a look in. > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > A lot of bicyclists have their seat too high, because they raise it to a racing height. You should be able to comfortably put your foot down, and get going again quickly, but some people think they need to look like they’re in the Tour de France. What a load of crap. If you don’t know about something, keep your ignorant trap shut. Seat height should as others have said be such that your leg is very slightly bent at the bottom of each stroke. More or less is bad for your knees. This is true for everyone from TdF riders down, and even at that height you can put your foot on the ground unless you have a bike with a weirdly high bottom bracket. > [@Telemark](#): > > This happens to everyone who takes up clipless pedals, but after that first fall most riders won’t let it happen again. It’s pretty embarrassing when it does. I’m glad you said “most”… 🙂 It leaves me some room not to feel like _quite_ such a klutz. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/35 "2014-04-08T04:10:20Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > If you are cycling for exercise, why do you care about wind resistance, or stopping for traffic and restarting. The more resistance should be adding to your work out. Unless it’s not about really working out, but having a certain look… Actually, a bicycle is a mode of transportation. It’s a vehicle we use to get to a destination. The more efficient the bike, the further I can get to, and faster. And seemingly useless things like clipless pedals (those “restraint” pedals) and tight-fitting clothes make a big difference in efficiency. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/36 "2014-04-08T14:47:42Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I’m glad you said “most”… 🙂 It leaves me some room not to feel like _quite_ such a klutz. If it helps any, I fell over the first time I used clipless pedals, and I’ve managed to do the same thing with toe clips. Honestly, I’ve probably fallen over with platforms. But I’m an uncoordinated dork. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/37 "2014-04-08T15:01:12Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > **If you are cycling for exercise** , why do you care about wind resistance, or stopping for traffic and restarting. The more resistance should be adding to your work out. Unless it’s not about really working out, but having a certain look… > [@scr4](#): > > Actually, a bicycle is a mode of transportation. It’s a vehicle we use to get to a destination. The more efficient the bike, the further I can get to, and faster. And seemingly useless things like clipless pedals (those “restraint” pedals) and tight-fitting clothes make a big difference in efficiency. You must have overlooked the first phrase in the part of my post that you quoted…I bolded and underlined it for you. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/38 "2014-04-08T15:05:15Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I’m glad you said “most”… 🙂 It leaves me some room not to feel like _quite_ such a klutz. I vividly remember my first (and so far only) time falling over with clipless pedals. Fortunately for me I fell onto a grass strip next to the road. I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve fallen over on my Mountain Bike and couldn’t get my cleats out but I think those qualify under a different category. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/39 "2014-04-08T15:13:05Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > …If you are cycling for exercise, why do you care about wind resistance, or stopping for traffic and restarting. The more resistance should be adding to your work out. Unless it’s not about really working out, but having a certain look… Because, cycling for exercise is more fun with a fast, light bike. You can go further, go faster, all in the same amount of time. And, having the rest of the gear also makes it easier to go further and faster in the same amount of time. It would be pretty frustrating to try and push a rusty, squeaky bike with underinflated fat tires for an hour – sure, you’d get exercise, but it would be boring and frustrating. There’s something exhilarating about cruising along at high speed, and that will keep you biking, rather than giving it up. Hey, if it’s for exercise, why ever use an actual bike? Just use a stationary bike. Why run outside? Just use a treadmill. Why get light running sneakers? You’d get more exercise running in work boots. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582/40 "2014-04-08T16:25:50Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > You must have overlooked the first phrase in the part of my post that you quoted…I bolded and underlined it for you. No, my statement was a response to that phrase; I was correcting your implied assumption that most cyclists on the road are doing it for exercise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-why-people-hate-bicyclists/685582.md?page=3)