How you look on a bike seems to influence how drivers treat you? (hexbear.net)

submitted 1 year ago by 7bicycles@hexbear.net to c/urbanism@hexbear.net

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Kinda wanna know if other people have this experience. I noticed if I'm on my bog-standard boring bike on my commute, people are absolute fucking dicks with overtaking, trying to squeeze in front and such.

If I'm on my singlespeed with a messenger bag, that gets a lot better for some reason and people give me more space.

On the touring bike it's a mixed bag, allthough it seems that both the area becoming more touristy, like rolling hillsides, or I look absolutely out of place, like in city centers, people also get nicer.

I get the feeling that it's down to perception. Commute-bike-7bicycles is an elitist rich twat who can afford to live near work and has no obligations and such. Singlespeed-7Bicycles has a U-Lock in reach and doesn't look afraid to use violence, like all the crazy bike messengers, touring-7bicycles in aforementioned areas is just fulfilling some sort of dream, like we all have.

Is there merit to this? What are other possible explanations?

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[-] combat_brandonism@hexbear.net 14 points 1 year ago

on my commute, people are absolute fucking dicks with overtaking

part of it's also that ime people drive the least considerately on their commute to/from work. I only have 1 bike and look more or less the same riding around town and the commute's always the most dangerous. of course I'm riding like an asshole at that time too so shrug-outta-hecks