Most Annoying ...

Hi Drkangel
What do you use for a flasher with those car lights? I already have the 12 volt converter for my 36 volt battery.
otherDoc
 
Pure said:
NeilP said:
For those of us in Uk Europe...what are the rules on this 4 way stop junction?

I am coming over to USA/Canada in October and am looking to hire a harley for a week or so. Would be good to know what the rules are.

In fact I may start a new thread on this subject
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First person to the 4-way has the right-of-way. If 2 or more vehicles arrive at the same time, the person to the furthest right has the right-of-way.
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Exactly, but it doesn't solve issues due to most people being retards. My approach is to avoid the stopping at the same time issue. If I'm in a hurry (rare), then I'll stop quickly to be the first and start to go quickly, IOW claim my right of way quickly. More commonly, since I don't trust them I brake firmly at first and slowly roll to the stop sign so I'm the last to stop and immediately start waving for the idiots who don't know it's their turn to proceed. If I'm in no hurry at all and no one behind me and feel like a bit of fun, then I stop short, roll stop, roll stop to confuse the proper order. That doesn't work as well here, because so many are accustomed to claiming their space on the road in heavy traffic where position and size rule. Those people commonly proceed regardless of whether it is their turn or not...another reason I prefer to be last.

Regarding the topic of annoying, people here have a thing about horns, which for me is just noise pollution. Their most annoying habit is honking the horn a split second after the light turns green. If I'm driving and we're the only 2 cars in that line, I completely stop and wait until they stop honking before I proceed. As often as they honk when I'm driving, even when starting immediately on green, it's never happened on my bikes. I think they're too interested in wanting to watch me go to play with their horns.
 
My buddy here said the horns are hooked up directly to the wheels. When the wheels stop turning, the horn blows.
 
docnjoj said:
Hi Drkangel
What do you use for a flasher with those car lights? I already have the 12 volt converter for my 36 volt battery.
otherDoc
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This looks like the item I bought 2 years ago - turn signal project.
It flashed too quickly for turn signals, should be perfect for strobing lights.
12V LED Flasher - $2.20
 
1st - much better 12V flasher!


DrkAngel said:
My pet peeves!
...
The person who asks: "Can you charge it back up, by pedaling?"
My reply:
"Wouldn't that defeat the whole purpose?
The purpose of an eBike is to make pedaling easier!
You would have to pedal, twice as hard as a normal bike, for 2 hours, to make 2 cents worth of electricity!"
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I'm afraid I did something today that I am ashamed of.

Seems like the hundredth person ... well ...
As I pulled up to a local store, a man walked up to me, fairly excited and asked "Is that one of those electric bikes?"

Now, in my defense, the last 2 days were mid 70's and I got a bit of sunburn, then today it peaked about 27 degrees with stinging sleet and a 20mph headwind.
Still, I was ready to sing the praises of electric bikes ... then he asked ... yes, "Does it charge up when you pedal".

Probably my attitude and tone, I said something like, "Well, you would have to pedal twice as hard as a normal bike ... kinda defeats the purpose of an electric bike."
He listened , but walked away his enthusiasm clearly dampened.

I have a tough time dealing with stupidity ... but he was merely ignorant. I had a chance to inform and inspire, and fell short.
 
"... All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men..."

So you blasphemed a bit about ebikes. About as serious as having a wank.

I'm the last person who should be quoting scripture, will probably be struck down this afternoon for going there... But hey, we lead our lives by example, hopefully that dope will wake up tonight and ask himself.... "Why was that guy riding an ebike if it really is twice as hard to pedal??? Doesn't make sense, let me think about this... Maybe ebikes really do work?"

Say a couple Hail Mary's or whatever, and ride on.
 
Just ran into this for the umpteenth time!

The driver at a 4 way stop intersection who refuses to go, motioning for you (the cyclist) to go 1st.
Then, gets annoyed when they have to follow and pass you ...

I started circling my bike when they refused to go.
 
They onle E-bike related annoyance I have experienced is when people ask if it has regen in downhills, and when I say no they go on explaining to me the incredible amounts of energy I would save if I just had regen.

Bike-related annoyances include people who try to scare me off the road by almost killing me.
 
I was on a comfortable part of my commute. The road is more than 60ft wide with 2 lanes each direction and a bike lane on each side. I was traveling in the bike lane at ~20mph when I noticed that I had a driver that was afraid to pass me. I was in a 3-4 foot bike lane and her lane was 15-16 feet wide (plus there was another lane to her left). Plenty of room for everyone. What was annoying was that she sat about 3-4 feet to the left of my rear tire. After about ½ a block like this I decided to pull to the curb and stop. She stopped also, in the lane. After about 5 seconds or so, she changed into the left lane and passed me. I waited until she was several hundred feet up the road before I started again. Eventually she turned into a driveway. When I get to the next intersection, I stop in my usual spot; on the line between the right turn only lane and the through lane (about 80% of the cars turn right to go on the freeway, the rest split between the left turn lane and through lane). The same driver from before shows up in the right turn lane but stops ~20-25 feet behind me, apparently still terrified of bicycles. After a full cycle of the signal light (our direction was never going to get a green light because no cars could make it to the light even though there was 10-15 commuters piled up behind her waiting to get on the freeway) I started waving for her to pull up and make her right turn. After another 30 seconds or so she turned in to the corner gas station and cut through their parking lot to make her right turn. Finally all the cars that had been stuck got to make their right turns. After about 4-5 minutes, my light turned green. Yeah!

Interestingly, this is the 3rd time in the last few months that someone has refused to pass me (when I’m in a bike lane and their lane is 15-20 feet wide and they have a lane to the left they could use).

P.S. When I get the pedal to generate question, I tell them that “It’s like coasting down a hill. I can just coast or I can pedal and go just a little bit faster.” It's easier then trying to explain the physics.
 
I am a big complainer so here goes......

It really pisses me off when a bike shop will give you the cold shoulder the instant they know you are in the electric camp. It seems there are folks that shun the power assist bike thinking we are going to shread the trails but riders that skid coming down the steeps are the real problem when it comes to erosion on the trials.

Goofy laws are also a sore spot that put a watt limit instead of a speed limit on the pedal assist movement. Who should care if I have a high power set up that can climb hills or to get my groceries home as long as I am not being a jack ass in the process?

It is also a shame that I can not ride my e-bike through a rain storm in the same care free way I could on one of my old ICE dirt bikes.

With the above being said I am still pretty amazed at how much fun e-biking is. I am hooked for good!
 
A car that doesn't take their turn at a stop sign. They see a bike and wait until you're completely stopped. Because of this, it costs everyone time. I never go thru a stop sign out of turn.

Also, traffic signals that don't sense bikes. It will never turn green for you. So you have to run the red and cross traffic far away thinks you're a scofflaw cyclist.
 
veloman said:
Also, traffic signals that don't sense bikes. It will never turn green for you. So you have to run the red and cross traffic far away thinks you're a scofflaw cyclist.
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We wouldn't even have such traffic controls if it weren't for the murdermobiles. I say do what you gotta do to get around.

I don't think we should have push-button crosswalks unless car drivers have to get out and use them too.
 
Bit my lip ... and spent 15 minutes trying to explain to a person why adding a generator to an eBike wouldn't charge up the battery, while cruising along.
Seems more than 50% of "normal" persons think they have just discovered a perpetual motion machine?

Well, didn't take a full 15 minutes ...
After crushing his generator idea, same person, I had to help him understand that pedaling to charge it back up wasn't a feasible option ...

A double whammy, 1st time I had the same person ask the 2 most annoying questions!

I'm getting better though.
I did not, even unintentionally, belittle or insult the person for his ignorance or lack of reasoning ability!!!
 
friedwires said:
and why the hell wont oncoming cars turn their high beams off for a bicycle.
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They do not turn them off for cars and trucks ... why would you expect them to be more courteous to someone they are more likely to run over?
 
ALLOY .... this or that alloy bicycle component.
An alloy is any combination of two or more metals. That includes mild steel, high-tensile steel, chromoly steel, stainless steel, brass, bronze and pot metal.
I think the only non-alloy metal objects one can still purchase are cast iron skillets and lead fishing sinkers (and I am not certain about those).
 
Most annoying.... It has to be when a car tries to overtake you when your less then 200 feet from a stop sign. It feels like it is cutting in line. They seriously couldnt wait a couple extra seconds ? Now sometimes I start to accelerate a bit when I see a stop sign coming up, just so nobody tries to cut.
 
It is more often here that they will gun it and accelerate hard to pass you just as you are having to pass a parked vehicle, as if it were some sort of race to see who can pass it first. Commonly this happens when there is opposing traffic on the road so there is no room to do this, and they either squeeze past far too close, or some other maneuver dangerous to other traffic on the road.

This happens to other cars, too, not just bicycles, and is more often done by drivers of large vehicles like SUVs and the like.
 
Bit my lip ... and spent 15 minutes trying to explain to a person why adding a generator to an eBike wouldn't charge up the battery, while cruising along.
Seems more than 50% of "normal" persons think they have just discovered a perpetual motion machine?

Well, didn't take a full 15 minutes ...
After crushing his generator idea, same person, I had to help him understand that pedaling to charge it back up wasn't a feasible option ...
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Me too lol. How do you explain it? I just relate human power into watts, and that's usually enough logical comparison for them. It really is a surprising misconception, but it's cute how innocent it is though.

Also, good one Lewtwo, on alloys, excellent point. Weasel word!
 
LewTwo said:
friedwires said:
and why the hell wont oncoming cars turn their high beams off for a bicycle.
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They do not turn them off for cars and trucks ... why would you expect them to be more courteous to someone they are more likely to run over?
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Many vehicles have their low beam headlights adjusted too high and rudely annoying to everyone else. :x
 
DrkAngel said:
The person who asks: "Can you charge it back up, by pedaling?"
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Someone just asked me the same exact thing. I wasn't annoyed, and they were not particularly dumb. The dumbest thing anyone said was asking if you could put a dynamo generator on it to keep the batteries charged when riding.
 
People who don't assert their own right of way. Like they are about to take a right, and I am about to take a left, and they slow down and wave me to go first. If they would just not slow down they would not be in my way. I don't love thanking them for their courtesy as I prefer the rule of law. I also know that if they were to surge forward and hit me, it would be my fault as they had the right of way. I do use a dash-cam in my car.
 
I was first in line at a red-light. The light turned green and I went across the intersection. A 20-something year-old in a car behind me passed, honked, and gave me the finger.

I am not sure what I did except maybe slow him down. I didn't react back.

Maybe very cheap front/back DVRs would be good for eBikes since we always have power.
 
tahustvedt said:
They onle E-bike related annoyance I have experienced is when people ask if it has regen in downhills, and when I say no they go on explaining to me the incredible amounts of energy I would save if I just had regen.
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I get this too a lot. Usually this is pretty easy to solve just by asking: and those great hills are...exactly where? There is not much hills around here on the coastline.
With a velomobile everybody just asks: does it have a motor? Ten times every day. People run behind you to catch you to ask this, they shout it middle of an intersection, etc. 7-year old kids and women ask this a lot. Actually they are most often middle-aged women who ask, i don"t know why. Five year old toddlers who have just learned to speak, voicing out mutterings of their parents.
Now, i don"t basically mind to answer to that 1000th time, but their reaction to my answer is why i have started just to become deaf to that question occasionally.
They don"t say with a word that they think you are "cheater", but they often give this speechless expression like they have just caught you using dope on olympic games or something.
When they ask that question they just want to know are you a "honorable, pure cyclist" :)
Last spring when i rode few hundred kilometres without a motor, and answered "no", people started to bat my back. "Yeah, man. That"s the way it should be...no motor..." :p
So i am occasionally deaf if people ask me something these days. That possibly makes me appear slightly ignorant at times, but that"s the price to pay of your peace of mind.
E-biking really makes those sociological underlying value undertows visible.
 
rsilvers said:
The dumbest thing anyone said was asking if you could put a dynamo generator on it to keep the batteries charged when riding.
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We get threads about doing that every few months. Some of them can't be dissuaded from it; they may stop posting but they don't believe us when we tell them it won't work like they want it to. :/
 
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