A moment on the ride home that was just So right.

That's why I said "mostly."

Why do cyclists want every and all rights to the road? Do they pay for any maintenance to the hwy?

+1
The professional cyclists doesn't bug me as much as those idiots who come to wine country and think it's a good idea to rent bikes and ride around from winery to winery, 2 or 3 wide in the middle of the road. 
Most of them probably should still be riding with training wheels.

This!!
The companies that rent gear out to these tourists and give em a map of Westside Rd ought to be held accountable. Scares the crap out of me to see these fools with the orange safety vests swerving all over the place staring at their plastic maps mounted on the handle bars. Half the roads out this way are hardly suitable for motor vehicles, let alone grandma and grandpa from Missouri on a beach cruiser.

There's nothing wrong with being from Missouri

There's nothing wrong with being from Missouri

oh dude...its MISSOURI...though there's nothing wrong with being from there....

LOL

I'm from San Francisco, let the jokes rain down

There are times, however, when stopping or signaling only confuses other drivers. The logistics, dangers, and difficulties of riding a bike are only fully understood by other cyclists.

Wow.  Really?  It's easy.  If the light is red ... STOP.  If the light is green ... GO.  What's so confusing about that?

I really don't mean to get down on cyclists here.  Shit like this doesn't bother me.  But these are my observations and denial doesn't change them.

-Allen

I'm not talking about lights. Yes, I agree. Red = stop, green = go.

But at stop signs it's a different story.

That that is the exact attitude which leave cyclists in bad light.  It is not a different story.  You may have your reasons, but it doesn't make it a different story.  Stop sign = STOP.

1. If I'm approaching a 4-way stop and planning to turn left, and an approaching car is there first and going straight, if I signal left, half the time he'll jolt to a stop, assuming that I plan to cut in front of him. Therefore, in that situation, I usually don't signal at all in order to not confuse/freak out the driver. I simply wait for him to go through and then make my left turn.

It's a self fulfilling prophecy.  Why do you think the motorist assumes you plan to cut in front of him?  Because many cyclist ignore stop signs!

2. If I'm approaching a 4-way stop and a car is approaching from either side, but I'm there first, and if I come to a complete stop, then the majority of the time, he'll roll through and take my right of way as I slowly pick up speed and enter the intersection. Therefore, in this situation, I slow most of the way down and then roll through (rather than make a complete stop) in order to get my right-of-way.

Just because you believe the motorist will do something wrong, does not justify your actions ... IMO.

Again, there are lots of subtle nuances that non-cyclists don't see, hear, feel, or understand when they're in their cars. Bikes are not cars and shouldn't be expected to behave exactly like cars in every situation.

The law says otherwise.  The rules of the road apply to all.

-Allen

I drive Hwy 128 between Geyserville and Healdsburg 4 times a day and see between 25 and 200 cyclist everyday. I take it pretty easy around them and they don't bug me, but Chad is right you really have to be careful around the rental bikes. There are 3 stop signs and I have seen maybe 2 cars run one in 5 yrs and I have never seen a bike stop at 1, so when a cyclist argues that point I find it hard to swallow couple of other things

Riding in packs should be illegal on roads with no bike lane if bikes want cars to pass them safely they should leave a space for a car to pull in between them.

Dark clothing that really surprises me they should be required to wear Day-Glo when riding on roads with no bike lane.

Biking with small children or infants on narrow roads with cars at highway speeds don't make your children pay for your stupidity.

When they have races they throw there water/gator bottles and gels pack everywhere, they send a crew though to pick-up but they do a crappy job.

It is surprising that Kayaker s aren't a little more tolerant, doesn't make a lot of sense to be in such a hurry to paddle at 4mph,  the train horn comment is well just childish and if it's not illegal it should be.

To me the bike should have a license and so should the rider. I remember a time when all bikes had to have a license on it. You need a drivers license to drive a car or ride a motorcycle. Why shouldn't you need a license to ride a bicycle on a highway or any road with a speed limit over 35mph. That way the LEOs are assured they know all the rules. Those fees can be used to create bike lanes. Many places it is just some paint. other places extra blacktop. And when making new highways putting in the lanes. Why should my taxes be raised. I don't ride on bikes on those highways I have more sense. Then you can argue that the people who don't drive why should they pay taxes. Well they do use the roads when getting a ride someplace. A license makes a lot of sense. 

One thing that also has me puzzled is why I rarely see a biker with a mirror on their handle bars, or helmet.  Wouldn't you want to know if someone is riding up on you, so you can move over or  be aware your about to be passed?

I don't agree. Reckless cyclists have almost caused me to get into an accident in a moment of panic trying to avoid them doing something. I have seen people almost getting into accidents with oncoming traffic due to a reckless cyclist and being forced to make a split second decision where they don't have time to assess the situation for the safest course of action / least catastrophic outcome.

I fail to see how this could happen if you are driving safely, that's like saying a reckless crawling baby made me fall down

I don't agree. Reckless cyclists have almost caused me to get into an accident in a moment of panic trying to avoid them doing something. I have seen people almost getting into accidents with oncoming traffic due to a reckless cyclist and being forced to make a split second decision where they don't have time to assess the situation for the safest course of action / least catastrophic outcome.

I fail to see how this could happen if you are driving safely, that's like saying a reckless crawling baby made me fall down

It's kinda like, driving safely at night or even broad daylight and out of nowhere a deer comes out. Same with cyclists who ignore stop signs/lights especially on a busy intersection/street like Mission where I live.

I don't agree. Reckless cyclists have almost caused me to get into an accident in a moment of panic trying to avoid them doing something. I have seen people almost getting into accidents with oncoming traffic due to a reckless cyclist and being forced to make a split second decision where they don't have time to assess the situation for the safest course of action / least catastrophic outcome.

I fail to see how this could happen if you are driving safely, that's like saying a reckless crawling baby made me fall down

Unless you drive 5 miles a hour everywhere, cyclists can fly out of corners like a bat out of hell. In my case I was passing a bicyclist and there was a whole lane in between us. He decided to change lanes to the left lane to make a left turn and didn't even bother looking for cars. Bikers can turn a whole lot faster than a car can, and I had to swerve a few lanes over to keep him from getting run over by me even though I was over 10 feet away.

Or if you're driving down a 50mph zone with a curve and suddenly there's a cyclist going uphill at 5 miles a hour 3' into the driving lane like they do all the time on a local street here. It's only a one lane street so the only way to dodge is to drive onto oncoming traffic.

It's easy to avoid a responsible and safe cyclist. Not a reckless one who thinks it's everyone's else responsibility to accommodate him.

A one lane street with a 50mph speed limit? That sounds super hazardous!

Where is that?

To me the bike should have a license and so should the rider. I remember a time when all bikes had to have a license on it. You need a drivers license to drive a car or ride a motorcycle. Why shouldn't you need a license to ride a bicycle on a highway or any road with a speed limit over 35mph. That way the LEOs are assured they know all the rules. Those fees can be used to create bike lanes. Many places it is just some paint. other places extra blacktop. And when making new highways putting in the lanes. Why should my taxes be raised. I don't ride on bikes on those highways I have more sense. Then you can argue that the people who don't drive why should they pay taxes. Well they do use the roads when getting a ride someplace. A license makes a lot of sense.

Any fees on cyclists would barely make a dent in the costs of building more infrastructure. Besides, if you are such a proponent of bike lanes, and if they make you feel safer and more comfortable while driving, then why shouldn't you help pay for them?

If cyclists should start paying annual fees, then maybe those of us with cars in our garages that rarely get driven should pay lower annual registration fees, while those of us who choose to drive everywhere (adding to road damage and air pollution) should pay higher annual fees. Why should I pay the same for pot-hole repairs when I don't drive as much as others? My point is that we all pay taxes that benefit all of us in some ways, but if every user group has to pay extra taxes and get special licenses it opens many cans of worms; next us kayakers will have to pay registration fees for our kayaks. Remember that the next time you launch your kayak from a launch ramp for free, or paddle out of HMB harbor, or SC harbor, or Moss Landing, all harbors that were built for power boats.

That that is the exact attitude which leave cyclists in bad light.  It is not a different story.  You may have your reasons, but it doesn't make it a different story.  Stop sign = STOP.

-Allen

And if I'm approaching a stop sign at the bottom of a very steep hill? I'll be damned if I'm going to take left my hand off the brakes to make a hand signal that most drivers won't see anyway. If I do then I'll roll the stop sign. Same if I'm approaching the top of a very steep hill. Riding one handed up a steep hill you have less control and are more likely to weave. So you see, signaling can actually be dangerous for a cyclist in some situations.

This is called riding defensively. If briefly breaking a law makes me safer by lessening my odds of crashing or getting hit while not impeding others on the road, then in that instance I will do it. And please don't tell me to walk my bike in that situation.

As a stickler for the rules, I assume that while driving a car you always make full, complete stops at every stop sign, every time. And that you always use your turn signals 100 feet before turns, even when you don't see any other cars. And that you always pull over to use your cell phone while driving. Because if you don't, all credibility goes out the window.

You're setting a high standard for yourself.

As a stickler for the rules, I assume that while driving a car you always make full, complete stops at every stop sign, every time. And that you always use your turn signals 100 feet before turns, even when you don't see any other cars. And that you always pull over to use your cell phone while driving. Because if you don't, all credibility goes out the window.

You're setting a high standard for yourself.

This isn't about what I do.  It's about my observations of very noticeable differences in behavior between car drivers and bike riders.  What I do or don't do does not change those observations.

Speaking of hand signals, what are those?  Seriously, I'd think <10% of riders use them.  It's not about a handful of what you believe to be reasonable exceptions.  It's about what I perceive as commonly practiced regardless of situation.

-Allen

Fishing reports don't get this much attention. 

Well I drive 128, 1, and highway 20 all the time and only have problems with cyclists on parts of highway 1. 

Yeah there are a few SOBs that make some so frustrated that they felt joy to hear the police yelling at them.  The same frustration is felt with new or really old drivers, poor drivers, rvs, big trucks, kayaks and power boaters and crab thieves.

I in know way think anyone here thinks any one group has no right to the road.  But going out with a camera and being stupid so you can get video of the altercation is ridiculous and looking for trouble.   

And venting about an experience is better than actually snapping out on the road.  I have road bikes but not on hwy 1 because diving with sharks is safer.  I drive cars, rvs, kayaks and power boats so have seen it all. 

One of the best things said was to watch out for rental bikes or unexperienced riders.  That is about the same as someone out on the ocean with a rental kayak in shorts and no PDF.  They both need to be watched more than the more experienced and everyone knows why. 

For those of you that ride and do it safely thank you.