UK Road rage Ebiker?

[knoxie]

Hi

Don't know if he is a member here? but I found a fellow ebiker not too far away from me here in the UK who has been posting his ebiking shenanigans on YouTube with quite a frequency, looks like he has now gone upmarket and got himself a Gopro too so you can watch him interact with the traffic and consult in clear high def audio with the drivers! ha ha.

Some of the clips are brilliant and some quite scary too, the guy has got balls of steel to be honest! in one clip he holds up a motor home by riding in the centre of the road, he also has a rear facing camera to catch the drivers reactions!

Its a bit of ebike road rage to be honest so I know it will divide opinion on here, the videos are only short but highly entertaining and well worth a few mins of your time, I don't know what spec his bike is or anything about him other than he is 54 and lives in Bristol in the UK oh and he like a good old tear up with car/van/lorry drivers.

Very funny and scary in equal measure, from looking at some of the clips some of the drivers simply don't appreciate how fast he is going as is always the case, I think we all need to remember this and the other thing you cant be too self righteous on the road when riding a totally illegal 30+mph electric bike can you? I think you do have to think about that before you spout off or get too angry about things, esp if people turn in on you they just dont think you can go that quick, I mean car drivers still dont even get that when it comes to motorbikes either?

Have a look and a laugh

http://www.youtube.com/user/taypet21

Knoxie

 

[dogman dan]

Haven't looked yet, but sounds like he'll get under somebodies wheels in time.

Now that I've looked, he did get hit already. Hard to say whos the tosspot wanker in those vids. Having road rights is great, but getting in front of cars is just asking for it in my opinion. I doubt I'd be riding an ebike on those roads, I'd want at least 250cc's for that kind of ride. Good example of a bad place to ride slower than the traffic. But getting back in front of guys who give you no space is just plain dumb. Just more of em coming of course, but why make it worse passing them again?

 

[knoxie]

This is a particularly frosty altercation :lol: part 1 of 2 clips

[youtube]bc7BPEJH0C8[/youtube]

 

[gwhy!]

I did have a laugh at some of the stuff, and he is from my neck of the woods, I know the roads very well where most of the vids were taken ( Its not me thou, honest ) I would defo not put my self in front of something then start bad mouthing them.

Dogman: I must put a cam on my 500cc scoot it makes no difference to how some car drivers behave towards something on 2 wheels, if your doing 30,40,50mph in a 30 zone on a bike a car will still want to overtake you at all costs and the problem is with our roads there is less space to use the power to get out of trouble. I can understand why he would get a bee in his bonnet if he rides those roads every day because without fail something will really piss you at least once or twice a day.

 

[wineboyrider]

That's hilarious! I thought only yanks had a command of the f word, but he uses it quite well...
I hope he gets the video of him getting run over by the pissed off granma!
That will be when the credits will roll.

 

[Whiplash]

LOL! Too funny! I have to say though, the drivers there are a LOT more careless than I have seen in the states, at least here, its only because they don't see you, over there it seems like they TRY to hit you! LOL!

 

[Spacey]

That's hilarious! I thought only yanks had a command of the f word, but he uses it quite well...
I hope he gets the video of him getting run over by the pissed off granma!
That will be when the credits will roll.

We invented the F word

 

[knoxie]

Yes there are some really funny clips in there...Yoooo F*ckin Toss Pot!! W*nker!! ha ha he is pretty ballsy, I can see him coming to blows with someone though, keep the camera rolling for that one!

I too get pissed at drivers but never duel with them coz at the end of the day they only have to tap you and you are off and Like I said you have to remember you are most likely riding an illegal e-bike anyways so you cant go hooting and hollering to much because drivers just will never get over this sort of automated quick glance and go approach, in an instant their brains make a calculation and then go, they see the bike coming think OK got loads of time and just go, in that time you are on top of them on your super fast e-bike

 

[dogman dan]

Yeah same thing that happens if you ride a motorcycle. They'll left cross you all day. So what's the answer, maybe a faster bike or motorcycle isn't the solution for that place. I'm sure there are no wide safe routes nearly everywhere in Europe. At least none I've seen while watching the bike racing.

But for sure the way he rides is no help. I just watched a lot more of em, and basicly what I see is a guy who cannot be behind another. He gets all pissed if a car passes him, and then passes the car back at the first chance. Then gets mad if the car wants to pass him again. An endless treadmill for him that he keeps making into the sisyphus stone by his riding style. Soon to be a darwin award recipeint. Meanwhile his language is a hoot in the vids.

Localy, the cars give us a lot of room. There was a time when the lycra guys all carried big nails and bottle openers in the left hand as they rode. Go ahead and pass them close. Screeeeatttch! Nice thing about riding in a pack too.

 

[gwhy!]

keep death off the roads.........

and ride on the pavement (sidewalk)

 

[gogo]

He does have a sense of humor though:

[youtube]iiHbOlAV7vg[/youtube]

drivers just will never get over this sort of automated quick glance and go approach, in an instant their brains make a calculation and then go, they see the bike coming think OK got loads of time and just go, in that time you are on top of them on your super fast e-bike

Maybe a solution to this for urban commuters would be a "Harley facade". Something that from the front would look like a big wide tire and fender, a big headlight with dual driving lights, and false ape hanger handlebars with faux tatooed arms velcro'd to your shoulders. Then you strap on a ZZ top beard and put a doo rag over your helmet.

For the rear view you'd put mount a child carrier with a bobble head doll without helmet.

 

[knoxie]

:lol: yes some good replies here! I have watched pretty much all of his videos and yes he forms a very definite impression of someone who is super defensive and almost inviting some of this to happen in a way? the fact is cars will get close to you, some folks sense of spacial awareness isnt good and there are a lot of older drivers who struggle.

Its no wonder people want to ride on the pavement / sidewalk is it? the fact is some of the clips are caused by the car or the van following him and trying to overtake and not being able to because he is going much faster than they are anticipating, its not really their fault :? some of the clips are of course not his fault esp the stupid woman who knocked him off.

Its easy to see how a cyclist could be permanently be jaded by their road going experiences though and turn in to this guy :lol: I normally find using the airzound horn is enough to scare em and make them jump. My commute is so short and sweet now I dont really experience this kind of thing too much.

He may be a member here? not sure, he does sound like a character though and would be fun hearing what he has got to say, I have subscribed to his channel anyway ha ha

 

[dogman dan]

Yeah, a debate here would be cool. I hesitate though, to post a lot of critical stuff on his comments page. I agree that lots of the people misjudge where they will pass him. I like to just take the lane if I can't be passed safe, then give way when it is. This guy tempts them to pass by riding to the right, then tries to keep them from passing by speeding up, then gets agro, and passes em back. It's the making them mad, then getting back in front of em that is really asking for a bumper up his ass.

Entertaining as hell to watch. I like his sense of humor in some of the clips too.

My first year ebiking, I got pretty ticked at cars too. Then I realized it was my problem to put myself in harms way less. Tweaks to my route, and bigger tweaks to my attitude worked to make my ride pretty safe and happy. Changing the cars habits wasn't working. So I started riding different to solve the problems. Even though I am blessed with some nice bike paths and bike lanes, I could make myself vulnerable or not by how I used them. My worst problem was using crosswalks to get across busy intersections. A garanteed right cross every time no matter what you were wearing. Now I take a space with the cars, but watch em like a hawk until they stop behind me.

 

[Memran]

Here's another UK biker (non E) who goes around with a video camera.
This incident looks pretty dodgy to me! But the yelling is awesome

[youtube]0fqACT1jNV0[/youtube]

 

[dingoEsride]

There certainly are a lot of bad careless drivers not seeing bikes well and not giving a hoot about them although his ways are funny but but it seems he tries to create a conflict and carries it further which might not be a good thing for a cyclists image, next you'll find them plowing cyclists down like at the Brazil critical mass and here where a group of lycras got slammed by an angry car driver

 

[dogman dan]

That one looked pretty scary. Doubtfull the lorry driver ever saw the dude. And if he did, he wasn't going to be stopping in time even if the bike had been a dump truck full of rocks. Another good example of being in a vulnerable position. With traffic circles it must be particularly hard to have a safe riding strategy. By thier nature, you must be seen by the other drivers for them to yield to those already in the circle.

 

[John in CR]

Though I believe any raging ebiker needs to have more power and speed on tap to minimize inconveniencing motorists, I love the way the guy stands up to them. That's exactly the kind of stuff I do, but I avoid foul language (unless it's turned on to meet theirs). I have no problem whatsoever straightening out motorists in the wrong, and I look at it as standing up for all cyclists. After I've had my say I have no doubt the subject driver will behave differently around cyclists. I give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they just don't understand the danger their illegal moves expose us too.

My attitude and strength of it varies depending upon the severity of their invasion of my space and their attitude in response. Just yesterday an a$$ in one of those boxy Mercedes 4x4 thought it was appropriate to attempt a pass as we are turning left from a stop sign where I was in front. Needless to say I denied the pass using greater acceleration, my typical response to drivers attempting to pass me at inappropriate times or speeds. The vehicle and occupants indicated to me that he obviously thought himself "privileged", which may very well be true, just not out on the road where everyone is equal, so I decided a lesson was in order and I slowed to 3-4mph for a very short stretch where he had no escape to pass. Then as space opened up I moved to the other lane and slowed to have words with him on the drivers' side. I told him simply that he needs to learn some driving courtesy. I could tell by the look on his face and the lack of honking while I had him slowed to a crawl, that he knew exactly what he tried was wrong, so I left it at the single statement.

For those who think "What if road rage makes them retaliate using their vehicle as a weapon?", therein lies a major benefit of having a powerful bike. Not only can I chase offenders down, and often disallow inappropriate passes with greater acceleration, but in the case of the overweight brick of a vehicle Mercedes, there was just no way he could run me down. I would hear his engine rev and could easily accelerate out of harms way even if he intentionally tried to do so. I did have one try to squeeze me off the road once after I denied a pass, but I just hit the brakes to easily avoid harms way. That guy claimed not to see me, after chased him down and laid into him with a real and proper tirade appropriate for the circumstances.

This stuff really needs to be addressed in proper education for obtaining a license, because the few of us doling out lessons to drivers one at a time will take too long.

 

[Gordo]

After watching the video & listening to the words, we in NA may need a little help with translation? Is a "pot tosser" someone who cooks badly or one who empties chamber pots? Or maybe BOTH? :lol:

 

[icecube57]

This ish is freaking hilarious. I feel sorry for the guy but damn.... he has a colorful bank of words.

 

[Partycat]

Fortunately , there are not enough cyclists around here that anyone knows what is going on, and cares about sidewalk/shoulder riding. I have enough close calls with people in my car that on a bicycle, it would be an unpleasant nightmare (and often is) to use a major roadway. With the lack of cyclists, you're simply an obstacle that will impede their progress and they don't care about you or want you out of their way. I get cut off on lane merges all the time by jokers in huge mercedes, bmw, etc SUVs, since they figure they're large and expensive they're going to slide right in. I usually let them have the choice between my car and the barrier, and they stop. They sure get pissed though. Even if they don't intend to run you over, their inability to place their vehicle between the lines in the road does not inspire any confidence in their ability to stop before running me over on a cycle, even if they are just "showing off" or something.

I did almost get canned once driving up a road at night, my cheesy LED headlight was fading out, and some guy comes up the road in between the lanes on a n angle (!) with no lights and had to swerve to avoid me.

I agree with the earlier posters' sentaments - if it means spending some more $ on battery to give me range so I can take some backroads, well, rather spend it on that, than hospital bills or funeral arrangements.

 

[dogman dan]

Despite my earlier comments, don't get me wrong, I'll knock on windows and have words in a heartbeat. The flat of your hand on the fender sounds like a big impact to the driver but doesn't actually dent it. I don't chew out drivers and then place myself back in front of em though.

Right cross me turning into the parking lot , and I've kicked big dents in the doors. You throw a right sliding turn, and a snap kick to the door keeps you out from under the wheels, and makes a satisfying dent in the car.

Then you dare the driver to call the police.

 

[dingoEsride]

I agree with the earlier posters' sentaments - if it means spending some more $ on battery to give me range so I can take some backroads, well, rather spend it on that, than hospital bills or funeral arrangements.

Thats exactly what I tend to do, whether you have the right or not it takes just one bad accident to change your life forever, so I'll go further to avoid bad traffic set ups like bottle necks and use paths or cycle lanes, backstreets more scenic or rider fun routes where possible and try to avoid those dangerous tosspots

 

[deecanio]

Gordo,

its not easy to explain but i'll try........
A "tosspot" is an old skool term made from the word "Tosser", which is another word for a "wanker" (more comonly used expression of the same thing), meaning both mastrubater or someone who is generally not nice or a bit of a dick.
Essentially its such an old english expression that i havent heard it since about 1979 LOL, this guy cracks me up with his vocabulary, i would also say that he is on borrowed time, if he abused the van drivers i know locally like that he'd probably have been beaten, at least once.
The vids are very entertaining cheers knoxie

D

 

[John in CR]

I agree with the earlier posters' sentaments - if it means spending some more $ on battery to give me range so I can take some backroads, well, rather spend it on that, than hospital bills or funeral arrangements.

Thats exactly what I tend to do, whether you have the right or not it takes just one bad accident to change your life forever, so I'll go further to avoid bad traffic set ups like bottle necks and use paths or cycle lanes, backstreets more scenic or rider fun routes where possible and try to avoid those dangerous tosspots

You guys should try a high power ebike capable of matching traffic speeds. Our bikes take up such little space that it's really quite easy to fit in the space available without counting on the wankers to allow space for you. I mix it up with traffic daily, because there is no other place to ride but the street. My bikes would be totally inappropriate for bike/pedestrian paths and sidewalks anyway. Because my bikes are capable of much greater speed than I ride (except on the highway) and have greater acceleration than many if not most cars, I feel quite comfortable in traffic. When I'm matching their speed I use them as a 3000lb steel shield protecting me from other cars. When traffic forces them slower than I want to go, they become slow moving objects (relative to me) that are quite easy to avoid.

Sure I have to keep a sharp eye out for cross traffic, turning cars, etc., but I feel an accident can only come from my own mistake. I place zero reliance on motorists not making mistakes, because they make mistakes and kill each other regularly, so I consider myself invisible to them until I know I've been seen. A high power ebike is more nimble than a moto, and makes riding in the available space much easier.

 

[dingoEsride]

You guys should try a high power ebike capable of matching traffic speeds. Our bikes take up such little space that it's really quite easy to fit in the space available without counting on the wankers to allow space for you. I mix it up with traffic daily, because there is no other place to ride but the street. My bikes would be totally inappropriate for bike/pedestrian paths and sidewalks anyway. Because my bikes are capable of much greater speed than I ride (except on the highway) and have greater acceleration than many if not most cars, I feel quite comfortable in traffic. When I'm matching their speed I use them as a 3000lb steel shield protecting me from other cars. When traffic forces them slower than I want to go, they become slow moving objects (relative to me) that are quite easy to avoid.

Sure I have to keep a sharp eye out for cross traffic, turning cars, etc., but I feel an accident can only come from my own mistake. I place zero reliance on motorists not making mistakes, because they make mistakes and kill each other regularly, so I consider myself invisible to them until I know I've been seen. A high power ebike is more nimble than a moto, and makes riding in the available space much easier.

I would love to do what you do there in Costa Rica but there absolutely no way I could do that here, we'd get busted for all sorts, I used to ride big road bikes with full protection and still didn't like riding in traffic, it was mostly used for nice long sunday country runs, this city is very cycle friendly so to ride like a cyclist with added electric power seems the way to go but with less effort and at a swift 40 kph aint that bad