How to **** Off an Arrogant Pedalcyclist

Scott en Aztlán wrote in message
>...
>On Tue, 24 May 2005 00:02:20 -0700, Zoot Katz >
>wrote:

>Ah, so FREDs are the guys who ride bikes but don't wear spandex?

No. The way it works is that anyone who either has a cheaper bike or doesn't
ride as fast as me is a Fred. Everyone who has a more expensive bike or
rides faster than me is a Poser. This definition may be used by any cyclist
at any ability level or price of bicycle and will remain universally true.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referr*al/Cpetersky

On 25 May 2005 07:38:48 -0700, wrote:

>
>
>Scott en Aztlán wrote:
>> On 24 May 2005 21:42:27 -0700, wrote:
>>
>> >He'll die soon enough. Odds are pretty good he's 30 pounds overweight
>> >and horribly frustrated with his life.
>> >
>> >That's what happens when you spend too much time in a tin box. All
>> >that teeth-gnashing raises the cholesterol and blood pressure! ;-)
>>
>> You proceed from a false assumption. I don't commute to work by car.
>>
>> How does it feel to be wrong all the time?
>
>I don't know. I've never come close to experiencing it.
>
>As evidence, I'll note that I did not say, nor imply, that you commute
>to work by car. IOW, you seem to have been proceeding from a false
>assumption.
>
>Say, how _does_ it feel? ;-)
>
>- Frank Krygowski

I did notice that he didn't deny being overweight, so apparently you
got that right.


Life is Good!
Jeff

Claire Petersky wrote:
> Scott en Aztlán wrote in message
> >...
>> On Tue, 24 May 2005 00:02:20 -0700, Zoot Katz
>> > wrote:
>
>> Ah, so FREDs are the guys who ride bikes but don't wear spandex?
>
> No. The way it works is that anyone who either has a cheaper bike or
> doesn't ride as fast as me is a Fred. Everyone who has a more
> expensive bike or rides faster than me is a Poser. This definition
> may be used by any cyclist at any ability level or price of bicycle
> and will remain universally true.

So who's a Barney?

Matthew Russotto wrote:
> In article . com>,
> > wrote:
> >
> >I'll bet not. DOT admin, state patrol costs, etc.
>
> I guess you're not a good gambler. (State patrol costs? What, are
> you kidding? State patrol is revenue positive; why do you think they
> have those ticket books?)

Maybe in PA, but not here in WA.

> >And the indirect costs are not even imagined.
>
> If you count costs you pull out of your ass, I'm sure they aren't.

So, now you're saying there are no indirect costs?

> >> Most places, once you work through the fancy accounting that transfers
> >> road money elsewhere then partially makes up for it by transferring
> >> other money into the roads.
> >
> >Not.
>
> Like in PA, the Federal fuel taxes which go to Washington, make a U-turn
> back to Harrisburg, and then are diverted into mass transit.

Which has nothing to do with transportation, I guess. If you add up
ALL the dollars that fuel and registration fees provide, and divide by
ALL the costs of roadway construction, maintenance, and administration
(including law enforcement) the number you get is not greater than or
equal to 1.0. This doesn't cover stuff like air transport, over-water
transport or any indirect costs having to do with building or
maintaining more road.

Like I said, the interstate system is funded fully from gas taxes.
Oddly, bikes aren't allowed there (for the most part - I've seen some
highways that allow bike riding on the paved shoulder.) Most
everywhere else, a large proportion of transportation funds come from
the general fund in - sales, income and property taxes. Last I heard,
most adult bicyclist pay those.

E.P.

"Claire Petersky" > wrote
> Scott en Aztlán wrote
>>On Tue, 24 May 2005 00:02:20 -0700, Zoot Katz >
>>wrote:
>
>>Ah, so FREDs are the guys who ride bikes but don't wear spandex?
>
> No. The way it works is that anyone who either has a cheaper bike or
> doesn't
> ride as fast as me is a Fred. Everyone who has a more expensive bike or
> rides faster than me is a Poser. This definition may be used by any
> cyclist
> at any ability level or price of bicycle and will remain universally true.

Ahhh. So my good friend Louise Taylor, now age 67 and riding a
Conalgo, who had #1 bib on last year's RAMROD (20th or so straight
years doing RAMROD) and who still holds several Triathlon Masters
records around the NW, is a poser? I'm sure she will be glad to know that!

Floyd

"fbloogyudsr" > wrote
> "Claire Petersky" > wrote
>> Scott en Aztlán wrote
>>>On Tue, 24 May 2005 00:02:20 -0700, Zoot Katz >
>>>wrote:
>>
>>>Ah, so FREDs are the guys who ride bikes but don't wear spandex?
>>
>> No. The way it works is that anyone who either has a cheaper bike or
>> doesn't
>> ride as fast as me is a Fred. Everyone who has a more expensive bike or
>> rides faster than me is a Poser. This definition may be used by any
>> cyclist
>> at any ability level or price of bicycle and will remain universally
>> true.
>
> Ahhh. So my good friend Louise Taylor, now age 67 and riding a
> Conalgo, who had #1 bib on last year's RAMROD (20th or so straight
> years doing RAMROD) and who still holds several Triathlon Masters
> records around the NW, is a poser? I'm sure she will be glad to know
> that!

Forgot the smiley ;->

Also, forgot to mention that it's good to see your posts, Claire; they're
very refreshing and cheery.

Floyd (in Renton/Issaquah)

dgk wrote:
> On Fri, 20 May 2005 19:58:16 -0500,
> (Brent P) wrote:
>
> >Hey Scott, I ran into an actual arrogant pedalcyclist today.
> >
> >I am waiting in a queue at a traffic light. About 6th in line, I'm in the
> >center of the lane behind a minivan. A guy on a mountain bike passes me
> >in the gutter and starts passing the motor vehicles ahead... the light
> >turns green and he nearly gets right hooked twice. He cuts through the
> >intersection in front of the minivan that I am behind. Now the minivan is
> >slowed to his speed, and thusly so am I. In a few seconds, the minivan
> >was able to pass, and then I got to pass mr. mountain bike.
> >
> >I said to him 'lovely gutter passing', He responded with an arrogant
> >"Whatever".
> >
>
> You're waiting in a lane behind five cars - or 4 motor vehicles and a
> minvan. I can't even imagine such a thing. What's a gutter? You mean
> the area where bikes pull up to the red light to wait? I should wait
> in a lane so that when the light turns green they run me over?
>
> I think I bike in a different environment than you do. Manhattan.
> Sometimes I'm in a bike lane. Sometimes there are so many cars and
> ped-cabs and pedestrians in the bike lanes that I end up in the middle
> of the road with cars all around.
>
> I can't even conceive of just waiting in line with cars. I pull up to
> the intersection as best I can, and usually don't bother waiting for
> the light to turn green.

You don't bother *what?* so you're an "accident" (deliberately in
quotes) waiting to happen, is what you're saying. Hope you figure out
why before you end up as Ford fodder.

nate

In article >, Alex Rodriguez wrote:
> In article >, .
> says...
>
>>I don't slow it down like bicycles do.(I'm usually on the high side of the
>>speed limit)
>>I move my GSR along quickly enough,and I'm no sloth driver,either.
>>And headwind or road slope does not affect me like they do a pedalist.
>
> True, but stopped cars in front usually don't slow down a cyclist.

Stopped cars slow me down all the time. Most drivers don't accelerate
from a stop fast enough either.

In article >, Claire Petersky wrote:

> No. The way it works is that anyone who either has a cheaper bike or doesn't
> ride as fast as me is a Fred. Everyone who has a more expensive bike or
> rides faster than me is a Poser. This definition may be used by any cyclist
> at any ability level or price of bicycle and will remain universally true.

This thread is the first I've heard of the term 'FRED'. However, posers
to me have always been people on expensive bicycles who can't ride them
well. I used to embarass these people rutinely years ago when I was
riding my POS raliegh. Of course now I have a good bicycle and still go
fast. Although I don't think Im as fast as I was years ago.

Brent P wrote:
> In article >, Alex Rodriguez wrote:
>
> > True, but stopped cars in front usually don't slow down a cyclist.
>
> Stopped cars slow me down all the time. Most drivers don't accelerate
> from a stop fast enough either.

I agree with this. I'm definitely slowed more by cars than I ever slow
them.

In particular, there are many times I'm on my bike, trapped by an
expired left-turn arrow because the road zombies in front of me didn't
bother to go when the light turned green. Or, they moved just barely
fast enough for _them_ to make it through.

If it weren't for all the blasted cars, my biking would be noticeably
faster.

- Frank Krygowski