so there has been a bit of chatter on the bicycles.net forum which is what i alluded to last week in regards to bike path etiquette. we have been over this before and i don’t want to have to go through specifics of what the law is etc, etc. basically there are rules for riding on the road and there are rules for riding on the bike paths. if we are not following them in either situation then there is going to be consequences.
in the case of the path, it is not the first time that we have been singled out as a violator of the bike path rules and by the same guy again. however, i am not really happy about the way that this has been done as it looks like we are a group that always uses that path and just pushes everyone else out of the way. in actual fact we hardly ever use the path except to get across the freeway.
anyway, below is the link to the forum that started this latest round.
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=46736&p=710668#p710668
not only that, but now i am getting emails from this guys mates and we haven’t even had any encounters with him.
Hi
I’m a fellow rider with Brad Casserly and on occasion when I’ve been out by myself I’ve run across groups as well double and triple abreast on the freeway bike path. This is illegal to do so except when overtaking. Rides should be single file with the possibity of the last rider coming to the front only when it is safe and no corners or hills in sight if you want to be doing rollling maneuvers. Whilst I haven’t seen SPR kit on my rides yet I’m sure it will happen one day. I ride with a helmet camera and it is actively recording when on the bike path. I’m also riding on a touring bike loaded and will NOT move off my line. I take up the whole side of a path anyhow in the configuration. If anyone does hit me, I’ll have it on video and their bike will be trashed as it will most likely be carbon fibre running into my 19kg steel monster.
Please consider other path users on your rides, and your group members. Inform your riders that it is single file only on bike paths. Bike Force in Fremantle used to do this, unsure if they still do. Tell riders at start it’s single file on bike paths and indicate single file when they do get onto the bike path. Why can’t other arranged groups do this? Someone has already been killed in Subiaco on a bike path when they hit double abreast riders. Please don’t add to the fatality count.
Regards
Stuart
so basically, this guy has had no issues with us, but he has put us on notice that when we do have an encounter with him, we will come off second best…and we are potentially adding to the fatality count by using the path.
really, what i am trying to show here is that when you do something in our kit, there are consequences that you might not see in the 10 sec interaction that you have had. impressions count and some people consider us to be a menace on the bike paths. we did have the discussion about kit for members only, but i felt that we have a good enough culture within the group to be able to self police any misdemeanours. our safety values on the road and our interaction with traffic is quite good but we need to show the same courtesy and respect to the path users. again, i think that we need to minimise our path usage so as soon as possible, take the footbridge that gets us back on the road asap.
I began riding with SPR because of the good culture.
I love the fun, friendships and socialisation and would hate for anything to happen to any of my friends.
Stay safe, stay fast, stay left.
I agree with grant, As a non roady it was grate to have rules, signals, saftey and ettiquatte on the website and when i joined the club did several rides with the transitional groups where every one helped me with riding safely. Things i hadnt considered were pointed out. Think Peter and does more than bike force freemantle and every club to promote saftey, i remember aout a year ago mentioning this. There is nothing more that can be done as a club to promote safety (it does everything). Just a case for individuals to obey the rules, and not forget about them cause they were ahving an interesting chat.
I dislike the fact that we have a guy that is basically threatening other cyclists with injury and destruction of property, and somehow we’re the bad guys?
Yes, I understand, and subscribe to the view that whenever we’re in kit we represent the club. It just annoys me that a couple of people with axes to grind can undo all the positive work that we do.
2 Peanuts acting like Bully’s yes?
Agree with Others, do the right thing by yourself and the club but people like this will still try to drag you into “their World”…..
Got to laugh at “Better to sort it out than let it go on” or “Not here to poke sticks , just help out thru education” or even “I feel for the club if twits buy kit”….
They have only posted Negative comments all through that forum, nothing positive to say… Maybe we should ban them off the path and problem solved!!!! 🙂
“clubaGREENIE”..need I say anymore.
I haven’t been riding with SPR that long, but I know we don’t make a habit of riding 3 abreast – unless people are rolling off the front.
Sounds like the guy needs to chill out, get an eye test and maybe some deep breathing techniques to control his anger issues…..
This man has an opinion that is not based on fact, but it is how he feels. Can we not say that we would like to convince him that we are not what he thinks and invite him to come for a ride with our transitional (or any other group) to see for himself. We try very hard to always instill in our various groups the requirement to be courteous to all other road users and to follow the Law and Ruels of the Road. Certainly M3 has taken this task to heart and Steve, Gary and Shane work hard at pulling up people that don’t do it right.
No use converting the converted. It is the Stuarts of this world that need to be influenced.
I would like to see his video because I can’t think of anytime where any of us ride two abreast on the path. We are all wheel suckers on the path.
Stuart is a little mixed up, almost promises to trash one’s carbon bike if they hit his bike.. Then uses please often..
I personally hate riding as a group on the path. Luckily we do not do this often.. I always peel off at the first cross over of the freeway to stay away from the freeway bike path as allot of commuting bikes (which is a good thing)…
We are the biggest club out there and many people are wearing the kit so easy for a jilted person to poke a stick at us for something we potentially did not do.. Many many groups use the freeway bike path between narrows and canning hwy but most groups are from all different clubs so hard to poke a stick at them..
Stuart is more than welcome to come riding with us, as is anyone else.. Provided they bring a positive and safe attitude.. Quite funny that people on a forum are spending time trying to bad mouth us… Not too much one can say about them, would love to go poke holes in their arguments but I will resist..
As you were, keep on enjoying your riding, the weather has even enticed me to get out a few times during the week over the last few weeks. I am getting fit, just in time for the summer and the beach.. Noice..
Just had a look at the forum.. Not too bad really.. Sounds like there was a close call on the bridge on Tues morning. It would not have been intentional and would have been at a slow speed as it is where we all head up and over the bridge after the dash to Raffles. Care needs to be taken at all times I guess, even when going slow.
Thankfully no collision and no boxing undertaken. 🙂
In any event this Mad Max, steel monster cyclist got everyone’s attention with his email. Maybe he should use his talents writing ads for Coca Cola. I would also like to know his thoughts on 2 abreast joggers and trashed bones
Jokes aside, Mad Max has a point, common sense as well as extra care has to be taken always in any riding situation.
some more interesting reading here. so it is not just us. he hates everyone.
http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=45921
Hows this guys signature? “my dad touched me like that once” Hmmm, sad, creepy or strangely amusing? Im still not sure…
Hi,
I’m the “sli123” in that thread. I hope I my comments were taken in the right text. My initial reaction to the comments on the thread (prior to mine) was “dislike”!
I’m very fond of SPR and I like the friendly and positive ride culture promoted. In my thread response I was trying to defuse a possible negative thread mentioning “my club”. I didn’t want to sound too biased toward SPR and so I mentioned that at times “individuals” might not always be angels. That was my intended context and I hope it came across that way. Apologies if it didn’t.
Cheers.
Accidents can happen at anytime, but that section of path is a high risk area so behaviours have to reflect that risk.
Constant awareness of others, concentration on what you are doing, and calling others to account when they don’t do the right thing.
It applies whatever jersey you wear.
He needs to get a life!
As if anyone has a 19kg Bike.
I’ve got a 17kg clunker which I use to commute on and frequently head up and down that same b/path for a bit of exercise before work. I too have had problems with silly commuters thinking they’re on the Td F & overtaking walkers or other riders in the narrow black bitumen sections – and of course there’s always the testosterone boy racers fanging it northwards after the Tues or Thurs Narrows ride – not too mention the cool dudes paired up in their matching team lycras as they ride 2 up towards me (one even told me to move over . . . .what into the sand ? as if . . . . .) and after a few very generous & choice words I have found that nowadays, most on seeing my fluoro yellow top seem to neatly tuck back inline as they approach.
I can understand and have previously experienced his frustration – but one can be assertive and safe without being agressive. Most importantly though the Club can relax, as without exception, every time I have headed south & come across the SPR chaps heading north, they have always been riding singled out and not pushing it . . . . its just so easy to cast nastersions and tar everyone with the same brush . . . . but his is not my experience with those wearing the black and green.
wow, the guy has a pretty agressive attitude. he hopes to educate riders with this approach?
he’s tarnished the good name of steel frame riders, and probably beard and sandal wearers too.