road rules.

[OakLeaf]

What 7r was trying to say, and what I agreed with, is that it doesn't have anything to do with cars OR bikes.

It has to do with PEOPLE.

I see just as many rude and oblivious pedestrians ... we all have.

Nothing to do with cycling or cyclists.

[Owlie]

I get that. The problem is, nobody ever says "drivers don't follow the rules" or "pedestrians don't pay attention." It's often "cyclists don't follow the rules, so they shouldn't be on the road and if I hit one, I shouldn't have to face the consequences."

We don't have the protection pedestrians have, nor do we have the strength of numbers or (in many, if not most) places to constitute a political force. A few bad apples...

[Crankin]

I agree that people, generally, are rude.
But, what I think the op was trying to describe is that bad feeling I get when I see another cyclist do something rude, illegal, etc. Because I am a member of that group, it makes me feel like I am going to be judged or compared to the cyclist who is being rude. While i do get mad other drivers, it's not the same feeling; I think it has to do with being a member of a "minority" group, that others always are not so keen on. The best thing I can compare it to is the way I feel when another Jewish person is accused of a crime or something immoral. It's like his/her actions speak for the whole group.
Perhaps not everyone who rides gets this "feeling," when observing other cyclists behaving badly, but I know that my DH and several of my riding friends do

[Owlie]

I agree that people, generally, are rude.
But, what I think the op was trying to describe is that bad feeling I get when I see another cyclist do something rude, illegal, etc. Because I am a member of that group, it makes me feel like I am going to be judged or compared to the cyclist who is being rude. While i do get mad other drivers, it's not the same feeling; I think it has to do with being a member of a "minority" group, that others always are not so keen on

This is exactly what I was trying to say.

[zoom-zoom]

This is exactly what I was trying to say.

And it's exactly why I get riled-up when I see it. Partly because it paints us all in a bad light, but what got me yesterday is that one would think that cyclists would look out for other cyclists--I know I do. Apparently not everyone on a road bike got that memo.

[PamNY]

I get annoyed at the road bike/spandex people because they are dangerous. Period. They go way too fast in crowded conditions, they veer waaaay into my lane on curves and I'm frightened they will hit me.

During the Nautica Triathlon recently, I was nearly in tears. Some of these people were terrifying. I know they weren't familiar with New York, but if you can't understand new conditions, stay home. I saw one biker ride directly at a child on a skateboard. For some reason, he was the one who went down but he YELLED AT THE CHILD.

I don't feel like part of a minority group, I don't think other bikers make me look bad (only I can do that). I certainly don't think there's a shortage of complaints about pedestrians or car drivers. I don't think people are generally rude; I see way more good than bad.

I took the OP's post to mean she was frustrated and wanted to let off steam.

[Crankin]

I don't see too many other road cyclists blatantly ignoring the laws the way I see commuters do when I go to the city. When my son started commuting last year he called me up after his first week and asked if it was OK to do the stuff the other riders were doing, i.e. running reds and being just generally crazy. I told him no, it's not OK, you will still get there! He now likes to "race" these people, showing them that he can keep up, even with obeying the law.
Occasionally I see, mostly riders who are alone, running reds out where I live, but there just aren't that many lights. The large club rides that come through here generally obey the stopping stuff, because the police are watching, but at times, they don't ride single file when they should be.

[Eden]

What 7r was trying to say, and what I agreed with, is that it doesn't have anything to do with cars OR bikes.

It has to do with PEOPLE.

I see just as many rude and oblivious pedestrians ... we all have.

Nothing to do with cycling or cyclists.

+++1

And it certainly has nothing to do with spandex.....

People like to generalize about those who look different from themselves and ignore those who seem to similar. Why else would it be perfectly fine to perform a California stop in a car (I *rarely, rarely* ever see a car come to a full and actual stop behind a stop sign here) and then turn around are totally rail about the cyclist who did the same thing?

[DebSP]

A trainer at my Gym holds an informal ride one night a week. My DH and I decided to join them one night. Well it was only the trainer and us. He shot across the road in front of cars and I, (being a follower), was right behind him. He called my DH a chicken because he went to the lights at the corner to cross the road properly. On the way home I was no longer following his lead and that was the only time I went for one of his informal rides. He took us mountain biking that night so it was only to access the trails that we were on the road. Other days he does a road biking night. Heaven help them! (And no I did not report his actions to anyone because it is a small privately owned Gym and I am not very assertive and not good at making waves.)