I need smoke

[02_2500hd]

This maybe a weird request, but is their a way to occasionally get a shot of black smelly smoke out of my Dmax??

Where I live, very rural, but close to other populated areas, we get these "herds" of people on bicycles on our(I do mean our, because I pay loads of county taxes to maintain our roads that the cyclist don't because they come from a nearby county) small country roads and they make it so you have to follow them until you have a .5mile or so of flat visible road in order to pass.

I would like to occasionally(and legally) blast them with some black diesel smoke when I do get to pass them.

I do have to jump on the throttle pretty good anyway. Is there more smoke if I push it to the floor?

This doesn't happen enough to warrent a modification to the Dmax, but if anyone knows of a throttle setting that produces more smoke, I'd like to hear it.

gary

[Black Dog]

Floor it. You can usually put out a pretty good black cloud that way.

[tbrowne]

Sounds like you'd make a great case study in anti-social behavior!

[AlaskaDmax]

I do not get black smoke when I punch it.

[ALLIMAX]

I have a 1986 Volvo Deisel 240 that works perfect for what you describe. It will layout a smoke cloud that you can't see through.

[konacat]

What a coincidence, I was just on a cycling web site and saw the strangest thing. A cyclist from NC was asking his forum where he could get lightweight spike strips like the police use that he could carry on his bike. He said he gets out on his bike and enjoys the country and the open air some guy comes along and blasts him with exhaust. He said he couldn’t understand why anyone would do that. Continued to say that it’s the vehicles that wear out the roads and cause pollution not the bikes. In fact he said he and his group pay a heck of a lot taxes just to repair and upkeep roads that they couldn't ever wear out riding bicycles. Just a thought LOL

[billnourse]

Gary,

I saw a post similar to this on another diesel forum, except he was smoking motorcycles. That's why when I ride I carry about 10 5/8" ball bearings. Screw with me, I pass you and start dropping ball bearings.

You might keep in mind that anytime you mess with someone in traffic it is dangerous, and/or illegal, and in some cases you might not like the consequences.

Regards,

Bill

[ndamico]

My Dmax definately puffs a cloud from a dead stop if i mash it, but not really if i'm already rolling...maybe you should pass them, stop on the gravel on the side of the road, wait for them to roll up, and punch it..then you'll get a two-fold benefit: 1)smoke from the lovely Dmax, 2)gravel thrown in their face.

just kidding smile.gif does sound kinda funny tho..however i always ride my bicycle on the dirt trails, not paved roads. i doubt i'll run into a dmax on a trail 3 feet wide unless its knocking down trees!

[mackin]

02_2500hd,

Every body has an agenda .......... Hey , what ever gives your nads a romping ........... Me, I like to pick on things my own size ... See sig ......... Just a word of advice ...... Watch out for flying lug nuts ............ They HURT ,and inflick damage to all sheet metal parts, no matter how they are tossed , in anger, or not ............... Oh ,to make smoke, add more fuel .........Get bigger injectors when they come out ....... Meanwhile, Have fun ....... PING, PING, PING,
MAC tongue.gif

[ 05-14-2002: Message edited by: mackin ]</p>

[JEBar]

02_2500HD .... live just south of you in Willow Springs...my D'max isn't much of a smoker either, guess we could form a 2 truck convoy and combine our efforts! :confused:

[AzKevin]

We can probably all recall a set of herding bicyclists that expect cars to slow down and drive behind them until it's safe to pass by straddling the double yellow line. I'd agree those are the ones that could benefit from a good old fashion diesel smoke out. :eek: Fight the passive aggressive with a dose of their own medicine. :D

[Colorado Kid]

Above it says "to make smoke add fuel" well the other thing that has been demonstrated to work is "subtract air" Mine will only make the slightest amount of brown smoke, but when the foil sticker blocks off half of the air filter the result is smoke. Shouldn't be too big a project to rig a "smoke lever" to a door that can restrict the intake on demand....

To REALLY make some smoke take a clue from the airshow industry and inject oil (diesel fuel would do nicely) into the exhaust manifold). That'll make a cloud they'll notice! :eek: (It won't be black, but sometimes you can't have everything).

[slapshot44]

Last time I checked, a bicycle is a legal vehicle on a roadway, and has as much right to be on it as anyone else, no matter where you live or pay taxes. Maybe you should think about what can happen if you "mess" with another vehicle on a roadway and something happens. Do you really want to be reponsible for injuring or killing someone because you don't think they have the same rights as you do?

What is this hick attitude that just because you drive on a road everyday that you "own" it?

I personally like to carry my nine when I cycle, although my riding is done in the dirt. If someone does stupid s**t that I think is endangering me, well, think about what might be in that fanny pack...

[NutNbutGMC]

Quote:
well, think about what might be in that fanny pack...
__________________________________________________ ________________________
A free ticket to prison... :D Where the hicks, like boys.

[ 05-14-2002: Message edited by: NutNbutGMC ]</p>

[wangotango]

Personally I think I will respect bicyclists more (at all) when they pay the use taxes I do to use the roads.

Otherwise they suck.

But......live and let live.

Your Karma will gain for use in the future.

(and you won't even think it was because you're a decent guy)

relax, you'll have more fun

w/t

[Kennedy]

Save the smoke, and buy a super soaker...

When did I become politically correct??? :confused:

[AlaskaDmax]

If only someone would invent a device that emits a loud shrill when activated by a pushing or flipping a selection "switch". A loud burst of low tone would be ideal also. Just imagine.... :D :D

I tell you what, I am a firm believer in the horn, man. If some A-hole wants to drive like a loser, whether on a bike or in a car, I lay on the horn. There is no way they are going to continue their idiotic antics with a non-stop, everlasting blare from a Duramax purring Chevy.

Forget about the stupid crap that will land your butt in jail...

[Kennedy]

When all else fails, the wind/noise from a 5" tailpipe gives them an earful!

I had fun with a few Hondas on the trip to the Rendezvous showing them what a REAL exhaust system sounds like :D

[Livin2DMax]

Hell....I just spent months getting rid of my smoke and you want to add it in?

If you need more smoke you can contact my dealer for the defective injector he just replaced in my truck. Puts out plenty smoke.

As for your cyclist problem:
What goes around...comes around. Take a powder, cut them some slack and enjoy your non-smoking D-Max. And unless you pay taxes there you'd better stay off their county roads.

[AzKevin]

I'd be careful threatening any "hick" with anything I could carry in a fanny pack (assuming I'd even want to carry a fanny pack). :D :D

[stretch]

I know where Gary is coming from. I don't have a problem with cyclists that respect the law and ride down the road single file. The problem comes when you have groups that hog the whole road riding 2-3 wide. Those arrogant azzholes need a lesson taught to them. My personal method is when I see them ahead of me is to turn on the high beams, lean on the horn and drive at them in the most erratic manner possible - weaving,jamming on the brakes, rapid accellertion,etc. Usually they can't do enough to get out of your way as quickly as possible. I have had an instance where arrogant cyclists refused to travel single file and I was forced to wait over a mile to pass the 'hole. Let's just say that whoever the cyclist was, will never do that again unless they are totally retarded. :cool:

GO HICK POWER !!!! :D

[NickLeinonen]

the w/g on the older 6.5 chevys were easy to mod to make smoke if you wanted. splice a switch into the w/g solonoid. she would smoke like nuts when that happened. how about an electric servo motor or choke cable thing attached to the w/g lever. pull on it and boost goes away, while the fuel is up. that will smoke.. unless the pcm catches the map pressure signal and cuts the fuel back.

[David Utz]

Try washing your windshield as you go by. It's not a "supersoaker", but the mist will allow them to see better after they stop to clean there glasses.

[Jelisfc]

Try a set of train air horns to let anyone 2 or 4 wheeled know you are behind them and don't appreciate their driving habits. You won't have to worry about whether or not their Walkman is on too loud!!!!!

[sonofagun]

This is an interesting post. I ride a motorcycle and have had auto drivers all but push me off the road. I ride a mountain bike (sometimes on the road and rarely with more than one other person) and have had auto drivers all but push me off the road. I drive a sedan and a DMAX and have had auto drivers behave like a**h**** then too.

It seems to me this issue is more about road courtesy and less about the mode of transportation. I pay more than enough in taxes to cover my right to drive/ride wherever I want to. 02_2500hd, based on your thought process I suspect you never leave your county in a car/truck. If you do I suppose you always stop by the local county or state highway dept. and make a contribution to their county/state road upkeep fund??????? I wonder if what I am hearing is that it takes an a**h*** to deal with one?

The big arrogant bike groups (motorized or pedal powered) are truely a pain (watch the motorized guys some of them are quite anitsocial and carry bigger than nines and don't just brag about it).

All this said, I kinda like David's windshield washer idea for the occasional obnoxious large pedal bike group who think they have the right (not to the road) but to impede traffic in an arrogant manner.

Bob

[ 05-15-2002: Message edited by: son of a gun ]</p>

[02_2500hd]

I never thought that I would see this topic get this much traffic, but then I guess I'm not the only one to see this.
First, not all the cycles on the road are arrogant discourteous, just a few. Not Motorcycles, just bicycles that I've experienced. I used to ride a motorcycle and I would do the speed limit, and I had pay for license tags for it too.

If the rural speed limit is 45-55mph and a 4500lb truck is rounding a curve and approaching a bicycle pack, and has to lock-up to stop in time, whose fault is it? I've not seen too many bicycles that could do 45mph for very long. Interstate highways have a MINIMUM speed posted in many areas for this same reason. It's very dangerous to have vehicles traveling at greatly different speeds.
I can never understand why they can't take their packs and go ride where the speed limit is 25-35 in town. Seems it would be a lot safer.

Yes the NC LAW says that bicycles are to be treated just as another car, same rights and responsibilities (rules). But too many times to count, I've had a cycle come right up the right side of me when I was stopped for a traffic light or stop sign and never stop.

I would get thrown under the jail if I got on my bicycle and pedaled down the main 2 lane road during rush hour and held-up traffic for 10 miles. How's that different? I would have to follow a cycles for 3 miles before I can find a passing zone.

I would be all in favor of bike trails where bicycles pay a "license" fee and bike lanes are added to the side of the road.

But in my opinion, bicycles and cars don't mix well.
I value my life too much to get out there with anything so small and slow with much larger and faster coming that close to me.

gary

[Kennedy]

We have a similar situation here with Amish buggies, and Amish in jacked up small tractors.

Some are good, and others are piggy.

Whether in the truck or on the Harley, how they are passed depends on how they are acting...

[slapshot44]

son of a gun,
Thanks for posting so eloquently what I was trying to say earlier...

gary,
I agree with your last post 1,000%. Every point you made is valid, and expresses completely the reasons why I don't ride bikes on the road, except for the licensing fee thing. Although there may be a couple people (I've never met one) whose only choice of wheeled transportation is a bicycle, every other cyclist also owns and operates cars and/or trucks. So, they do pay license and use fees for public roadways.

If the "roadies" (I'm an off-roader, remember, and the "kidding" between roadies and mountain-bikers is legendary) are not riding single file and are impeding traffic, then by all means complain and get the police out there and have some citations written. As you said, they are subject to the same traffic laws as motorized vehicles. If they are riding within the law, then accept it. I'm sure you sometimes inconvenience other people also. I know I do, especially when I take so much time trying to get that last two gallons of diesel in my tank.

BTW, I wasn't intending to "threaten" anyone. Guess it was a futile effort to try and get a point across about what the consequences of assaulting someone with a deadly weapon can be. Yes, I consider a deranged person driving like they are trying to run over someone with a 7000 lb. vehicle an assault with a deadly weapon (I'm not a district attorney, but I believe the law does also.) I don't think very many people would think someone driving in such a manner was "just funnin' with them" or trying to show them who's boss. And yes, I am fully aware of what the consequences of defending myself could be, although the alternative of just taking down the license plate number and having the individual arrested would indeed be the smarter approach. The reason I carry a "waist-mounted munitions carrying device" (some of you seem to have a problem with the term "fanny-pack") is because I like to ride way back in the woods and made the mistake of watching the movie "Deliverance"...

I think some of you have the word "hick" confused with the word "country-boy". I was born and raised in a "rural" setting and consider myself one of the latter. Therefore, no, I'm not too concerned about the "hicks" in prison (or outside of it for that matter.)

hick: (dictionary def.) An awkward, uncouth rustic; a rube; a bumpkin.
My intended use: the human counterpart of a dog gone bad, don't walk by "my" yard or I'm gonna come out and bite you.
Another alternative definition: watch the aforementioned movie...

For the definition of "country-boy", I will defer to Hank Williams Jr's. defining song...

[DmaxMaverick]

02_2500hd

Boy oh boy!! I feel your pain. That happens around here. It is just a select few of AH's that cause the problems, and not too often. If the bikers (and I use the term loosely) back me up, I lay on the horn. I've done the windshield washer thing when it was really bad. I don't have any problem with rolling down the window and voice my opinion in regards to his/her use of the road, and have been known to wave at them with less than 5 fingers (probably makes it worse for the next driver).
A nine in the fanny pack?? That would be like beating a grizzly bear with a stick (I don't have any guns that tiny).
Anyone on a bike (unless they are deaf) will hear a roaring engine, horn blowing and howling 33" mud tires bearing down on them.

Seriously though, I'm pretty sure that every state has a law on the books that apply to impeding traffic, and does apply to bicycles. Most states have it posted on the roadside. A person takes the law into his own hands any time he interferes with the operation of another's vehicle of any type. You cause someone to roll off a cliff, and they will having BBQ's with the rest of their rude bicycling friends at the house you used to own, and will be hauling his rude self and his bike around in the Dmax you used to own.

The bicycles do belong on the road. It's the riders that make the problem. Most of them are very courteous. There are AH's in every crowd, no matter what they drive/ride. That's fact, not opinion.

However, IMO, if a hick is driving a Dmax, somebody is missing one :D

[Greg Watkins]

I too come from the same lovely section of NC as some of the others. The bicycle riders (roadies I believe smile.gif ) are very much a nuisance around here. I have NO problem sharing the road with them as long as they drive (ride) as they are supposed to. The single file riders are fine. It is the PITA groups (and there are a LOT of them around here) that annoy the mess out of me (and most others around Wake County) The real problem is they think they own the road. They ride 3 or 4 wide (at WAAAAY below the speed limit) and DARE someone to try and pass them.

BUT these arrogant folks will SWEAR they have the same rights to the road as a car. I agree, they have the same rights as long as they follow the same RULES. Besides if cars were to run three or four wide in the same direction, we'd call it racing :~&gt; (except for I-40 in the morning and evening)

So, to you bicyclists reading this, please understand the rules of the road. I don't think most people mind "sharing the road", but it has got to be a common goal and not ONLY apply to people in vehicles giving way to people on bicycles.

My thoughts,

greg

[02_2500hd]

Greg
yes, hwy 55 in Wake County is the road I was talking about riding my bike down one morning tward RTP. Of course I'd have just purchased 5million extra life ins. :D

Out my way in Chatham Co, the farmers with their tractors pull over to let you pass, and some of them go much faster up the hills than the bicycles do and are only 10-15' front to back. And they have a big orange triangle reflector on the rear.

I just about saw one get creamed on the way home for lunch today. A big hill, and a lone bike barley moving going up the hill. I had a big F450 with a welder engine and fuel tank, with the READING conversion rear in front of me, and all of a sudden he cuts over the yellow line and then a car comes down the hill and he almost ran into the ditch trying to get out of the way. Then there's this guy poking up the hill on his bike, and almost caused a 3 car pileup.

For good or bad, I've told my wife that before she goes head-on into another car/truck when she's passing a bike, she'd better take out that bicycle instead, as least that way only one person is killed.

gary

[NutNbutGMC]

^... a heard of six bicyclists ---&gt; ........thump-thump, thump-thump thump-thump, thump-thump, thump thump, thump (oops, got the last one with only one wheel) :D :D

[AzKevin]

Now I was a roadie before my knees started complaining so this is just in fun...

What does a Lucerix Power Extended mirror sound like when it meets a heard of 6 wreckless bicyclists???


thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump :D :D

[Silver Bullet]

Gary,
I used to do a lot of road riding on my bicycle...100+ miles a week. A bicyclist is just as vulnerable as a pedestrian, or maybe more since they are moving 20-30mph. Here are some points from a bicyclist point of view...

- City riding is dangerous...too many cars and people preoccupied with the cell phones, putting on make-up, etc.

- City riding sucks...too many stops especially when your feet are locked on to your pedals (stop signs, traffic lights, and dodging preoccupied motorists)

- Country riding is dangerous...the people on the road don't respect the riders

- Overall, country riding is much better than city riding...most serious bicyclists would rather deal a few discourteous drivers in the country than deal with all the city dangers

- Country riding is better…fewer stops, longer stretches of road (really good if the road is a smooth asphalt surface)

- I would guess all bicyclist pay taxes...they more than likely own vehicles...cycling is not a cheap sport to get into. You will not see a Huffy in riding the road in the country unless someone is riding it in a ditch picking up aluminum cans!!!

I don't want bash you for your views, but I took it a little personal since I am a bicyclist and have been hit by a car driven by a lady that thought she owned the road...I still have scares on my hand from hitting the concrete at 20+ mph and it happened 17 years ago!

Also, I am not condoning "pack" riding (blocking the entire lane)...the bicyclist need to be more considerate of the traffic they are sharing the road with and ride single file.

On a lighter note...give me a puddle in the road and couple kids walking down the sidewalk...there is some fun!!! smile.gif

[imported_]

silver bullet.... from a fellow roadie...AMEN BRUTHA AMEN......

[NutNbutGMC]

^....AzKev....LMAO...... :D Don't break a mirror :D

[hoot]

I noticed in Washington State, (and I'm sure many others) they do a lot for bicycle riders. Lots of shoulders specifically designed for them.

[ralphrah]

I know it is probably a waste of type but, here goes.

I live in a rather crowded area (Harris county just out side Houston) and try to ride my bike at least twice a month.

Hopefully if some of you will let me live long enough I'll retire and get far enough away from the crowds to be able to ride my bike with out some jerk trying to run over me.

I know there are jerks that ride bikes just like there are jerks that drive trucks and cars.

Just so happens that one of my friends was killed by a jerk that got upset because some one was on a bike riding on his road. The other three riders were a little more lucky. That happend almost to the day one year ago. The other three are still in therapy.

I still wonder why he had to cross three lanes to run over them on a feeder rode with very little or no traffic.

He will have plenty of time to think about it but, not near enough to satisfy me, to wonder why he did it from inside a jail cell.

Believe me when I say that most of the people I ride with understand we are no match for a 3000 lb car much less a 6000 lb diesel truck.

There was one incident that some yahoo almost drove in to the ditch in an attempt to hit me with the right had side west coast mirror.

To this day I still wonder it the idiot was drunk or would have done that if it was his dad, brother, sister, son, daughter, or mother.

As to who owns the roads. In Texas, now listen up all you Texans, The public easment in all counties is seventeen feet. That means the first seventeen feet into you supposed land is public domain. And in Texas it doesn't matter what county you are in because the money to support the roads is passed on the counties by the state.

Stay safe and keep a cool head. You might save the life of someone you love. You can't tell whose on that bike from behind.

[TURBOJOE]

02-2500HD, be thankful that's all you have to worry about when you drive! Around Chitown, we have cabbies, dotheads, no body puts covers over anything-lots of flying debris(landscapers, dumptrucks ETC), every other foreigner that can't speak English or drive but somehow got their license, potholes the size of 18" pizzas, and bums who run out in slow traffic and try and get you to hit them!! But hey, I still like driving my truck!! :D :D ;)

[ 05-16-2002: Message edited by: TURBOJOE ]</p>

[Livin2DMax]

With all the heat being packed these days it's not good IMO to harass anybody anywhere. It's not taking much these days to push anybody over the edge.

Aside from mountain biking I put about 2-3k miles annually on my road bike. Much of that is commuting so I can do my part to stick it to the Middle East but I also compete in multi-sport so it's my training rides too. SilverBullet gave a really good roadie point of view. I'd like to add to it:

City/urban/town roads...bad, long country roads...good, shoulders...priceless.

The only thing worse than riding behind a pack of arrogant cyclists is riding with them. IMO they have no good reason to ride in a pack that hogs up an entire lane. I hate pack riding myself and ride solo.

02_2500hd mentioned frustration with cyclists pulling past motorists on the right at intersections. We hold up alot more traffic if we have to hold a normal spot in line or have to get through an intersection from a dead stop so you actually want cyclists to pull up to the front and keep moving if the situation permits. Unfortunately some folks just seem to hate the fact that anyone is getting through the intersection before them and they'll do the craziest stuff to try and stop you.

You would be surprised how many motorists only know one hand signal....and it's not in any state drivers manual.

Roadies have loads of time to memorize license plates and often carry cell phones so your satisfaction may be short lived. I've called in a couple boneheads that were worth stopping my bike for.

I cried when I sent in my tax return this year. It wasn't pretty. Don't tell me I don't pay enough to bike any public road/land in the good old USA. In fact I should get a tax break because I get about 15-20mi/granola bar on the bike(that is what roadies eat don't ya know). smile.gif

I have seen people riding with full headphones on and believe it or not one person riding while talking on a cell phone. I almost went in the ditch in disbelief. They deserve to be culled from the herd.

[slapshot44]

OUCH! You guys are hurting my feelings... tongue.gif

Besides, I LIKE beating on things with a stick :D (see display name)

"There's nothing more beautiful than a perfectly landed hip-check, as long as your not on the receiving end..." :eek:

[David Utz]

02_2500hd mentioned frustration with cyclists pulling past motorists on the right at intersections. We hold up alot more traffic if we have to hold a normal spot in line or have to get through an intersection from a dead stop so you actually want cyclists to pull up to the front and keep moving if the situation permits. Unfortunately some folks just seem to hate the fact that anyone is getting through the intersection before them and they'll do the craziest stuff to try and stop you.
This will get you killed! Passing on the right is illegal. No one expects you to be there. There is no better way to **** off a driver who just spent the last few minutes waiting for a chance to safely pass you than to force your way back in front of him and make him do it again after the light changes. If you want respect on the road, follow the rules and give other drivers the same respect. OK - I done venting ---Breath deep --- Think of a happy place -----

[MountainMax]

I understand both sides frustration. Leadville Colo. is the highest alt. city in the U.S. 10400'. For some reason, it seems like every bycle club for 200 miles loves to use the City for base camp to start these big organized rides. On a good day.hwy 24 to vail is treacherous enough with the incline, switchbacks etc. Get a slow moving truck, R.V. into the mix and people start doing crazy stuff to pass. Especially the locals who use the road to commute to work in the Vail valley. Now add an organized bike ride with 200-500 riders who won't ride near the shoulder but 2-3 abreast going 2-3 mph uphill. On top of that it's always during the weekend when everyone from Denver and the tourists are trying to get to the mountains. It's a bad mix and it's starting to get ugly. One local I talked to said he is starting to drop thumb tacks on the road during these rides. He doesn't really want to hurt anyone. The tacks easily puncture the thin bike tires but not car tires. He said he and others are not against organized rides or bikes per se. It's just they don't want them on dangerous mountain roads during the busiest days of the week because they are a "challenge" to the bike riders. They're hoping the tacks send a msg. and if enough get disabled they may pick a different venue for their rides.

[MountainMax]

I understand both sides frustration. Leadville Colo. is the highest alt. city in the U.S. 10400'. For some reason, it seems like every bycle club for 200 miles loves to use the City for base camp to start these big organized rides. On a good day.hwy 24 to vail is treacherous enough with the incline, switchbacks etc. Get a slow moving truck, R.V. into the mix and people start doing crazy stuff to pass. Especially the locals who use the road to commute to work in the Vail valley. Now add an organized bike ride with 200-500 riders who won't ride near the shoulder but 2-3 abreast going 2-3 mph uphill. On top of that it's always during the weekend when everyone from Denver and the tourists are trying to get to the mountains. It's a bad mix and it's starting to get ugly. One local I talked to said he is starting to drop thumb tacks on the road during these rides. He doesn't really want to hurt anyone. The tacks easily puncture the thin bike tires but not car tires. He said he and others are not against organized rides or bikes per se. It's just they don't want them on dangerous mountain roads during the busiest days of the week because they are a "challenge" to the bike riders. They're hoping the tacks send a msg. and if enough get disabled they may pick a different venue for their rides.

[MountainMax]

I understand both sides frustration. Leadville Colo. is the highest alt. city in the U.S. 10400'. For some reason, it seems like every bycle club for 200 miles loves to use the City for base camp to start these big organized rides. On a good day.hwy 24 to vail is treacherous enough with the incline, switchbacks etc. Get a slow moving truck, R.V. into the mix and people start doing crazy stuff to pass. Especially the locals who use the road to commute to work in the Vail valley. Now add an organized bike ride with 200-500 riders who won't ride near the shoulder but 2-3 abreast going 2-3 mph uphill. On top of that it's always during the weekend when everyone from Denver and the tourists are trying to get to the mountains. It's a bad mix and it's starting to get ugly. One local I talked to said he is starting to drop thumb tacks on the road during these rides. He doesn't really want to hurt anyone. The tacks easily puncture the thin bike tires but not car tires. He said he and others are not against organized rides or bikes per se. It's just they don't want them on dangerous mountain roads during the busiest days of the week because they are a "challenge" to the bike riders. They're hoping the tacks send a msg. and if enough get disabled they may pick a different venue for their rides.

[Livin2DMax]

Dave Utz,

If there is not enough room (3' according to a number of states) on the right hand side or if I were turning left I would wait in line. Otherwise MN and other states often designate decent shoulders (not always clearly) as bike routes/paths. I'm no lawyer but the MN, OH and CO drivers manuals state that drivers must be aware of and yield to bikes that are approaching on the right. Text is different but the same theme. I could find nothing that says it is illegal for a bike to pass a car on the right when there is adequate space.

Just so I can say I stayed on topic (sort of)here's a quote from the OH manual:

"Bicyclists should not ride more than two abreast in a single lane, except on paths set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles."

I saw similar text in the CO and MN manuals. Didn't check any others. As an alternative to using smoke, horns, tacks, super-soakers, etc. on pack cyclists maybe just call the cops. I'm sure they would love writing a dozen or so tickets in one stop if they could.

[NutNbutGMC]

^....thump-thump.....

[Redhawk]

Around here the country roads are narrow and twisty - the logging trucks, United Parcel and D/A duallys barely fit. You never know what you might find around the next curve, where 45mph is a good speed for me and 1mph is good for the guy on his bike, often with a baby in a trailer, or weaving back and forth because he has been struggling up a long steep grade. God has blessed me with the smarts to take better care of my son or daughter, or not to place me in such a perilous situation on purpose. So, I just cuss my wife sitting next to me and flog it up the hill when I can, over the double yellow if I must.

I don't mind sharing the road, but I do mind sharing it with a stupid, unconscious bike rider who is in over his head physically. The logging trucks don't have time to be curteous and I shudder to think how they handle those situations, but I think a lot of bikers check their seats for brown stains after those encounters, and I know that some haven't been able to.

A lot of bikers get religion after a few of these chance meetings, but the problem is that a whole new crop of idiots show up the next weekend.

I don't mean to say that all these people are idiots, but only that I must be seeing the ones who are. Sorry to vent, but where I live it is a big problem.

[Redhawk]

Around here the country roads are narrow and twisty - the logging trucks, United Parcel and D/A duallys barely fit. You never know what you might find around the next curve, where 45mph is a good speed for me and 1mph is good for the guy on his bike, often with a baby in a trailer, or weaving back and forth because he has been struggling up a long steep grade. God has blessed me with the smarts to take better care of my son or daughter, or not to place me in such a perilous situation on purpose. So, I just cuss my wife sitting next to me and flog it up the hill when I can, over the double yellow if I must.

I don't mind sharing the road, but I do mind sharing it with a stupid, unconscious bike rider who is in over his head physically. The logging trucks don't have time to be curteous and I shudder to think how they handle those situations, but I think a lot of bikers check their seats for brown stains after those encounters, and I know that some haven't been able to.

A lot of bikers get religion after a few of these chance meetings, but the problem is that a whole new crop of idiots show up the next weekend.

I don't mean to say that all these people are idiots, but only that I must be seeing the ones who are. Sorry to vent, but where I live it is a big problem.

[GBurton]

I can't resist sharing a story about bike riders and a friend of mine. He was driving from Point Reyes in Marin County California while he was working. He was driving on a two lane road when ne approached a group of bike riders riding in a bunch blocking the intire lane of traffic. He tapped the horn, no reaction as the bikers were involved in a race a no one wanted to move over. Since the horn didn't work he turned the other noise maker - that's right, he was a county Sheriff. The biker riders would not move or get into a signal file for a Sheriff driving a sheriff vehicle. So much for called the police and expecting the bike riders to respect them.

Not all bike riders are that stupid but I understand the frustration that has been expressed in theis topic.

George