Bicycles and automobiles- can’t we all just get along? @Kah writes about this universal (do aliens have this issue also?) problem of us co-existing with humans in cars. We all drive cars too and have cursed the occasional cyclists for some good reason. Cars are our greatest threat. We can crawl away from our own bicycle crashes, thanks very much. We always lose when a car is involved. Thanks for contributing @Kah.
Yours in Cycling, Gianni
High-visibility jackets offend me. I’m not in the position to judge fashion really, and generally don’t care what other people wear, but something that tarnishes an entire mode of transport as unsafe and dorky is not okay. These garments misinform the general public that cycling is an unsafe activity (look, that cyclist looks like a lit up flare and a Christmas tree had a baby!), they make all other cyclists look like dorks.
Now, I’m not picking on genuinely introverted people, but people who are just less comfortable interacting with other vehicles on the road. As someone truly in love with spinning pedals on the road, I don’t see why there is this reticence to spend time on the road. The footpath is by far the worse option: congested with pedestrians, littered with signs, and unpredictable in its ebb and wanes.
There’s a spectrum of how happy you are with sharing the road: going from very uncomfortable to exuding quiet confidence before becoming attention-seeking and finally there is a thin line to obnoxiousness.
Uncomfortable, more introverted cyclists tend to hug the kerb, trying to stay out of everyone’s way. Every potential interaction is exaggerated; every passing car becomes a danger. Confident cyclists who are experienced know when to draw attention to their intentions, when to back off while negotiating between quickly moving cars, and how to tell the difference between a passing maneuvere that is actually dangerous and one that is not even worth commenting on. This comfort around other road users is something you can cultivate, but not one you can fake.
Attention-seeking cyclists and obnoxious cyclists tend to feel more self-entitled. “I’m a vehicle/road user too!” is the common mantra of these cyclists who don’t feel inclined to offer the same courtesy they demand to the other road users. To be fair these rolling douchenozzles tend to be the same regardless of vehicle.
My problem is, the introverts are trying to make up for their meekness with the artificial posturing afforded by the YJA. Their mistaken assumption of course is that this magical garment bestows visibility, and thus invincibility in traffic, leading some to jump to the illogical conclusion that they have automatic right of way in every circumstance by virtue of the highly visible jacket.
Magic jackets are not the answer to safer cyclists. Learning to share the road on a bicycle is the answer. Anticipation, not hindsight.
Fucking cyclists.
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@Daccordi Rider Difficult to tell as they are covered by the afore mentioned quick-tie laden helmet. But I hazard a guess they'd be funking awful.
@Kah
You misunderstand me, just as you misunderstand The Rules and this article.
Velominati Lead by Example. I would never tell a complete stranger that their socks are too long or their EPMS is an embarrassment.
The Rules are based on cycling history and lore, etiquette, and looking either pro or awesome (not always mutually inclusive). No one will force you to follow The Rules.
YJAs, in my experience, have no compunction about telling anyone within earshot what and how they oughtta ride, based on specious ideas of safety and advocacy. (Unsurprisingly, they are disproportionately represented in civil service, where they make laws based on the same bullshit.)
By all means, wear a YJA. Just don't try to make me join you. Brothers of the road, sure; brothers in dorkiness, no fucking way.
@ChrisO Spot on. Unless visibility is poor, an alert driver will spot a cyclist regardless of the colour of kit. If the visibility is poor a truly bright flashing light (angled properly) will do far more to make you visibly than a YJA especially when you take into account the state of most YJAs.
Yup, I'm all for a balance of safety & style.
When I'm on my townie/commuter though my equation for style/safety changes a whole lot. It's much more about function, whereas when I'm really out cycling on a road bike, I gotta keep style in mind.
Biked home from a social gathering last night with two friends, one of them being very unused to open roads. And pouring rain. And a small shoulder with cars traveling 85kph. Thus, I threw on a YGA and rode at the back to kind of shield her. That's a Yellow Gilet of Authority and the thing is magic. Two big broad strips of reflective material over a neon yellow vest that is race cut. If I do end up getting mashed like a squirrel...the fucker won't be able to claim they didn't see me. Plus, I feel that at least people might think I'm a manual laborer and not some pussy biker pussy, so they won't run me over just out of spite.
That said, I'd buy a sweet, race-cut, high-end jersey with similar large reflective stripes in a minute for winter/wet/low-light riding. I don't want the whole thing to be neon and I don't want it blowing in the wind, but I want more than reflective piping. I'd love to see a vendor making sharp stuff with real reflection. Where is the Rapha of the YJA world?
That little shoulder jacket looks like mini denim jackets that are/were? in style. I rarely can resist making a laundry mishap joke when I'm around someone wearing a half denim jacket.
what can a YJA possibly do to protect us from people like that
@Ron
Here, the hardshell from Rapha, I have one, it was a present, honest
BTW. It's CHARTREUSE, not fluo
@xced
Is this a joke? Surely the police should be alerted and this young lady have her licence removed.