Posts by William Alvarez35

Alexander Kern42 said:Saw a Cannondale Bad Boy locked up near Downtown the other day with nothing but a cheap $33 cable lock. 🙄

I honestly don't get people like that. You drop a fortune on a high-end bike just to protect it with some budget-bin junk that barely works. Then comes the inevitable "Wait, where did my bike go?" moment when someone walks by.

🤣🤣 isn't exactly playing fair; the guy was totally cutting 😁😁 off. Honestly, thank god he stopped at the red light, otherwise he would've been chasing him down and just stuck in his rearview forever without ever catching up. For those longer commutes to work, an e-bike is actually a pretty solid investment—you don't deal with all that sweating and you're surprisingly quick.
I'm more of a traditionalist 😁 myself, and my commute is only about 2.8 miles, so I barely have time to break a sweat, except when I'm sitting at a red light in this summer heat waiting for the light to turn green 😁

Patrick King7 said:Not if I had my way (link) for those who couldn't (make it out) 😢

Oh, and yeah, work had to get done 😠 but for everyone who showed up 👋👋 BRAVO GUYS

rowdyharbor said:I can already hear the ladies on the forum complaining about 😁..... but honestly, this whole back-and-forth is starting to feel like neighbors bickering over a property line😍

Yeah, and all we need now is for him to be declared some kind of enlightened saint🤣🤣🤣🤣

Jacob Stewart2 said:Indirectly, you mentioned in your first sentence that you were running a red light.

At least, that’s how it comes across to me.

Anyway, doesn't matter. I don't get why everyone is getting so worked up at each other.

You're both decent people who realize that US traffic laws are pretty strict, and if people don't follow them, someone's going to get hurt.

Cyclists play by a different set of rules; it's much easier to hurt yourself than anyone else. Every single cyclist has wiped out at some point.

So, bending a rule while keeping an eye on your own safety isn't really the same kind of taboo as, say, blowing through a red light in a Ford F-150.

Keep it cool, just keep it cool. 😁

I'm totally with you on this. 👍 We all drive—or ride—with the goal of looking out for ourselves and others.
Between poorly placed bike lanes and those stupidly timed traffic lights, sometimes we're forced to bend the rules a little, provided we aren't putting anyone else in danger.
As a pedestrian, I've lost count of how many times I've started crossing on green only to have it turn red halfway across. Am I technically breaking the law? Sure. But it's not my fault.

Whatever, it's all good. Let's just keep moving and look out for one another on two wheels. 😁

jadetiger962 said:Look, I don't respect them sometimes (okay, rarely), but I actually try to do better. You? You just flat-out disrespect them and then play the victim, acting like it's their fault because they don't show you any respect first.

What are you even talking about? What movie are you watching right now? Seriously, what planet are you on?
Cry baby, cry.

jadetiger962 said:Oh, right. So road signs aren't actually part of the rules of the road? I guess traffic lights are just there for decoration, not mentioned in the legal code or anything?

I can see you've done your homework. 🙄

Look, I already said I’m done talking about this.
Traffic laws are a much broader concept than just what's printed on a sign.
Where did I ever claim I was running red lights?

First, you admit you don't always follow the rules yourself. Then, after everyone else admits we all commit minor infractions, you cherry-pick my post just to start acting holier-than-thou and being condescending. What's your deal? That's what people are asking—you're out here calling everyone else out and insulting them, yet you're doing the exact same thing.

And let's not drag everyone else into our argument. Let's just grab a coffee somewhere, meet face to face, without the aggression or whatever. Just a normal human conversation.

jadetiger962 said:You’re dodging my point again. We're talking about traffic laws and running red lights, not pedestrian crossings or bike lanes.

The fact that you're getting older just makes this more embarrassing since you still haven't grasped the basics.

Look, we are discussing rules of the road here, not individual signs. There is a massive difference.

As for my age, I actually put mine to good use. I’ve learned enough from life to know better, which clearly isn't a concept you've mastered yet.

I'm done going in circles with you on this.

jadetiger962 said:You're full of it again.

Which first post specifically? I just pulled out the relevant points.

You didn't "pull out the relevant points" because I was responding to what that guy said. Look, obviously I follow the rules, but let's be real—when I'm crossing a crosswalk, I'm not pushing my bike in front of me like a toddler; I’m pedaling through it, technically breaking a rule, but just coasting on foot power where there isn't a dedicated lane. I don't ride into traffic; I stay on the sidewalk, making sure I'm being respectful to pedestrians and everyone else out there. It's not like I'm some maniac blowing through red lights weaving between cars. Same goes for the red bike lanes—sometimes I'll ride just slightly beside the arrow if I'm alone and there's nobody around. Honestly, Miškooooo nesti, enough with the heavy accusations. And please, watch your mouth; based on my age, you could be talking to your father.

placidbadger18 said:Anyway, total tangent here, but I’m sitting there waiting for the light to turn green on a bike lane in downtown Chicago, just minding my own business, when this elderly lady storms up. She gives me this look of pure fury and demands to know who gave me the right to "claim the whole damn red light all for myself," then orders me to move.
So, I moved. 😁

🤣🤣🤣🤣

jadetiger962 said:Because that thing isn't a "zebra strip," it's just a "crosswalk. If there isn't a bike lane right next to it, you're expected to hop off the bike. Generally speaking, anywhere the sidewalk bike lane ends, you have to get off and walk your ride until it picks up again somewhere else.

Before anyone starts another war here—I don't do that. I just don't ride on streets that have those kinds of lanes; I avoid them entirely.

🤣🤣

and you hit me with this:

OK, but why don't you think traffic culture could start with you?

Typical balkanac mentality.

Man, jadetiger962, we really need to grab a coffee sometime. ☕

jadetiger962 said:I was just quoting myself. Where on earth did I write that I always follow every single rule? It just seemed silly to suggest you should wait for the world to become perfect before you start occasionally following the rules.

I honestly don't see what the big deal is here. Have you ever even ridden your bike outside of Washington, D.C. or your own little neighborhood?

Look, I’m not waiting for some utopia to appear before I occasionally decide to play by the rules. I follow them—that's what I stated in my first post—but let's be real: minor slip-ups happen. Most of us do the same thing, like when we don't hop off the bike at a crosswalk but just coast along at a walking pace, or ride on the sidewalk where there isn't a dedicated path and the width allows it without bothering anyone. There's so much nonsense with bike lanes that we're often forced into a tiny infraction just to get by. And for your information, I've ridden far beyond my own neighborhood—well past Washington, D.C., and even traveled way outside the USA, both on two wheels and in a car. Of course, according to you, we're all just typical balkanac cyclists, right? Ha. Honestly, I'd rather be a typical balkanac than a hypocrite.

Jacob Stewart2 said:You don't have control over even the tiny things, let alone something as complex as traffic.

Just look at that horrific wreck from a few days ago over on Cherry Street.

But hey, good on you for not running red lights and actually paying attention to everyone else on the road.

The real question is whether they’re paying attention to you.

Trust me, I do. I don't speed. I track the drivers ahead of me and behind me, watching the ones coming from the left and right too—noticing their mistakes, their lapses—and I always react in time.
Of course, some idiot can always fly out of nowhere and screw everything up regardless of how careful I or anyone else is being. That mess on Cherry Street? That's just a symptom of years of ignored laws, a corrupt legal system, and all that other junk. Since we're on the subject, looking at the damage to the cars and how they ended up after the crash, I'd say the Audi driver was at fault. It looks like he aimed straight for the Porsche that had already cleared the intersection; his front end is totaled, the Porsche's rear is smashed... if someone is supposed to be yielding to you, and you're driving a car like Mickey's, you shouldn't be slamming into them like some total moron.
Sadly, a mother and son paid for someone else's mistakes with their lives.

Kenneth Reed7 said:😕 🤷

Does this even need a response? 😁

The justification is obviously sitting right there a few posts down. 🤣

Dennis Collins38 said:How am I supposed to respect the rules when the geniuses at that messy intersection near Vrbik and the interstate decided to install yet another pedestrian push-button signal? Like, are these people intentionally malicious or just born this way? Is there a specific recruitment process for idiots? They probably just shake your head during the interview—if it sounds like a jar of loose rice rattling around, you're hired. Honestly, passing through red lights on those ridiculous signals along the newly paved highway doesn't even give me a flicker of guilt anymore.

And now you're shaking in your boots because of jadetiger962 😁😁

jadetiger962 said:Look, that whole "disclaimer" thing is basically irrelevant. It’s like how I might roll through a red light if I see the coast is clear and claim I wasn't putting anyone at risk.

I don't run reds, ever. And even when the light actually turns green, I’m still checking left, right, front, back... just making sure some idiot isn't trying to beat a yellow light by sliding right into my path on their red. I like to have everything within a 50-meter radius under total control.☕

jadetiger962 said:Alright, but why don't you think road etiquette could actually start with you?

Classic North American mentality. ☕

In my first sentence, I specifically wrote ".......but still in a way that doesn't endanger other drivers" — anyone with half a brain should have caught that. ☕

When I'm behind the wheel, I go out of my way to respect everyone else on the road. A million times over, I’ll yield to pedestrians and cyclists at crosswalks where there isn't a light, or slow down so someone can pull out from a side street onto the main road.
Yap, I guess I'm just a rude North American. 😁

casualharbor9 said:while at the exact same time, the bike lane right next to it was basically a parking lot for cars

Honestly, it’s exactly this kind of blatant hypocrisy that makes me lose all respect for traffic signs—though, don't worry, I'm not out here being a menace to anyone else on the road. It's just... look. People only start caring about rules when they feel things are fair. Once those "authority figures" finally have a lightbulb moment and realize they need to actually penalize people for parking cars, scooters, or delivery vans in the middle of bike lanes—and once those lanes are actually continuous and free of those stupid wooden bollards blocking the way—only then will we see any actual sense of civic duty develop. Until everything is functional and fair, why should I care? If there isn't a soul in sight within a mile radius, what's the big deal if I run a red light? It's all a joke until it's not. But hey, whatever, keep on truckin'.

Jamie Palmer said:Look, if you actually know what you're talking about and you've run the numbers, fine—but if that works, you're basically looking at free energy.

Well, great then. If we're talking consumption, I'm burning through at least two breakfast burritos every 100 miles, which is basically $13. And that’s assuming perfect conditions, which they never are. 👍

Must be nice. My baseline is two huge plates of BBQ brisket and four Bud Lights. 😍

Look, it doesn't really matter if you're on an e-bike, a scooter, a motorcycle, or even driving a car—you aren't breaking a sweat either way. The whole point of this thread is "commuting by bike" while managing the sweat factor. Whether you want to arrive bone-dry, slightly damp, or you're currently soaked through and looking for ways to deal with it, prevent it, or just neutralize the smell... (sorry, I'm starting to ramble here :-D)