Being from the UK. What on earth is coal rolling?
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Youâre just going to get hit for different reasons. The pickup is trying to see how far you can fly, the cool downtown kid is just playing on his phone.
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I think its when a boy racer revs his engine
Thanks, I was afraid to sound like an alien for asking.
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Itâs when someone in a big ass pickup (probably with suspension lifted to an unsafe height) puts on a modified exhaust so that when they step on the gas a big cloud of dark smoke comes out of their truck and into your face.
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A modified diesel engine that dumps a bunch of black soot when stepping on the accelerator.
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Funny I had the same experience riding through the city with my USA jersey as others describe in the countryside without. Almost like I had a target on my back, funny how that works. Nobody threw stuff at least, probably nothing handy
Yuk, thanks for all the explanations on what that is. Glad donât get anything like that in UK.
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Every bad encounter Iâve experienced has been in within the metro/urban area an overwhelmingly left/woke area in a state with 2 out of 3 people registered Democrat. And nothing but positive experiences in the rural conservative areas. N=1 and all that.
Iâve been independent my entire adult life and your comment made me think of AOC wanting to make lists.
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try wearing that jersey and riding through a very urban area and youâll get the same treatment as you would without it in the countryside
I mean this is definitely true in some form, many drivers of all backgrounds are lazy to downright negligent.
But there is definitely an aspect of rural conservative culture that is very negative towards outsiders. Cyclists definitely stand out as outsiders, and get some intentional aggression because of that. At stops in some of the rural areas I ride there is a huge difference in reaction when I walk in during the ride in full kit, versus after the ride pulling up in an old truck and jeans.
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And I see the same with progressive urban elites and cancel culture.
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They are but the lazy and ignorant are certainly not unique to any area, we can all agree there. I mean it more in the sense that people in left leaning areas tend to have more of a disdain for the flag and patriots they see as the âenemy holding back Americaâ and people in more rural areas have more of a disdain for city folk and liberal cyclists they see as âtakin our country awayâ.
At the end of the day, I think itâs important to recognize both sides and not just point fingers at someone else. As someone who leans right I can recognize and call out and disagree with extreme idiocy on my side, everyone should be able and willing to do the same instead of blindly following what everyone does
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Apparently itâs about politics?!
You should all move to Canada. We are a really egalitarian society. You will get run off the road regardless of what you wear.
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I just realized I left âfor wearing patriotic clothingâ off my comment. Iâm guessing thatâs why people are responding the way they are. My mistake and I see what I did wrong there. I agree that people are cut off driving in heavy traffic. Thatâs part of heavy traffic. Iâm also not saying people in urban areas donât yell at cyclists for riding (the âget out of the roadâ people). Again, sorry for taking us off track there.
What we are talking about here though are strategies for not being assaulted for no reason other than being on a bicycle while riding in rural areas. Areas where people try to run you off the road intentionally, throw beer bottles at you, and call you names for wearing Lycra. Wearing patriotic gear helps in this situation.
If we want to have a discussion about riding in heavy traffic or highly populated areas, I think thatâs a totally different subject.
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I think it is just a notable flash point in my neck of the woods. We have a small but pretty wealthy city that has suburbs to the south but geographic boundaries preventing the city moving north which means that it goes from very blue city, to very red rural in a short distance.
Riding to the north is really appealing especially after work in the summer where there are a ton of good 20-40 mile routes, but you have to deal with aggressive drivers. Coal rolling, swerving at you and screaming happen almost every ride to go along with the regular close passes. Where the close passes are a wide group of cars, the aggression always comes from loud and proud right wingers (always one or more of the following stickers Trump, Gadsen, NRA, Thin Blue Line, Punisher).
This is the group that we are able to identify and doing things like the Patriotic jersey that OP mentioned is something that riders throughout the local clubs have noticed reduces those negative interactions.
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Devon likewise, no-one has asked who I voted for before nearly killing me! Although I might have called people Brexit voting gammons as an insult.
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I donât see that as totally different because just like some in rural areas would target you for their generalization of liberals, some in urban areas would target you for wearing a US jersey because they believe you are whatever generalization they have of republicans. I think attributing that to only high traffic and population and ignoring the idea that MAYBE someone would target you for your patriotism is a bit shortsighted. As a republican I can recognize and condemn the foul actions of people on my side when they happen, but I see people struggle to even recognize fault on their side (whatever side theyâre on).
Yeah, sorryâŚI donât see a need to ârevereâ a piece of cloth.
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