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bikers = bad < inline skaters? (Read 1134 times)

    In case my ghetto formula is confusing, I've come to the conclusion that rollerbladers/inline skaters might be more evil than bikers. Here are my supporting arguments... Almost all bikers know how to stop going downhill. Judging by the deer-in-headlights look on their faces, most skaters do not. Bikers occupy approximately 30" of space or less in terms of width. Skaters need about 17 feet from side-to-side. Bikers wear ill-fitting jerseys. Skaters wear gender inappropriate tank tops. 12% of bikers wear helmets. -6% of skaters wear helmets. Bikers will scream, "On your left," 3" from your left ear as they rocket by forcing you to jump into traffic. Skaters will yell, "Oh @#$%, look out dude!" as they rocket into you forcing you to into long discussions with your insurance provider about what medical services are not covered. Some bikers are considerate, courteous, and professional. Some skaters at least have the sense to stay off trails and bother tennis players instead. This data is not scientific and has been gathered only through my own personal experience. In the past couple weeks I have been kicked in the ankle, which really freakin' hurt, and used as a downhill crashpad (luckily I was able to keep my balance and hold us both up). I would like to start a grassroots movement to pass legislation to wrap these adventure seekers in bubble wrap and adorn them with wind chimes before sending them back to the tennis courts and grocery store parking lots where they belong.
    2008 Goals Don't attack the guy that passes me like I'm standing still when I think I'm running fast...I can't catch him anyway and I'd just look silly
    JakeKnight


      Bikers wear ill-fitting jerseys. Skaters wear gender inappropriate tank tops.
      Pictures of these inappropriate tank tops would help assess your formula. I have a feeling they'll be sadly disappointing, however, and serve only to bolster your arguments. Fortunately, monkeys consider in-line skaters to be a delicacy, and we are thus not burdened with this menace in my local parks.

      E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
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        Technically I guess this is a guy's shirt. At least a male is wearing it. What I saw was a softer pinkish color with more distinct trim around the neck. It was quite fetching.
        2008 Goals Don't attack the guy that passes me like I'm standing still when I think I'm running fast...I can't catch him anyway and I'd just look silly
          2008 Goals Don't attack the guy that passes me like I'm standing still when I think I'm running fast...I can't catch him anyway and I'd just look silly
          pitrunner


            I don't think I've seen an inline skater since 1994. From your description, I now consider myself very lucky.
            JakeKnight


              I don't think I've seen an inline skater since 1994. From your description, I now consider myself very lucky.
              That was my other question - who inline skates these days, anyway? I can't remember the last time I saw one. I'm guessing the OP lives somewhere warm, sunny, and coastal. Where they do silly stuff like this. --------------------- Also - those tank tops were as disappointing as I expected. Sadly. But they're still better than spandex.

              E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
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              C-R


                Thanks for tha image which will now haunt me for the rest of the day. I have now come full circle and agree with the Gorilla on bikers being the scourge of the earth (and I'm one that likes to bike and does it quite often - of course I am exepmted from this hatred). I would disagree with inline skaters being worse and here is why. Inline skaters on our trails are very polite and actually follow the rules of the trail. I've had no issues with them as most smile at us runners when passing in the opposite direction and the one's passing me (and they are quite many) make a comment about being on the left and provide plenty of space. As for their outfits, it must be a local thing. The guys wear normal shirts and shorts and the ladies seem to wear shorter shorts and appropriate tank tops (sorry Jake no phots but I will take my digital with me on the next run). The bikers on the other hand seem to be hell bent on causing the most damage. Last night on my long run (which was a bear for me), I was passed at nauseum by bikers in ill fitting sandex with garrish colors that neither bothered to say "on your left" or anything. Most seemed to be in time trial mode or trying to become the next Lance Armstrong. There is a posted speed limit on the trail but most of these guys seemed to think it was a minumum. The last straw for me was when three of them were riding side-by-side and nearly forced me into a ditch with not a single apparent acknowledgement of my existence on the trail. And to top it off, these guys were riding the usual $3k bikes and actually looked like they logged lots of miles in the saddle. So here I am, a runner that enjoys biking and now has a haterd of bikers on my local trails that burns with the furry of a thousand suns (to copy someone else's theme). So to sum it up. I think the equation is bikers = bad > inline skaters (at least when on the Monon Greenway). If anyone ever catches me doing anything like this when I'm riding, I hope you stop me and give me the pummeling I deserve. Ack!


                "He conquers who endures" - Persius
                "Every workout should have a purpose. Every purpose should link back to achieving a training objective." - Spaniel

                http://ncstake.blogspot.com/

                JakeKnight


                  (sorry Jake no phots but I will take my digital with me on the next run).
                  Try not to get arrested. While you're stalking inline skaters on the Moron Greenway.

                  E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
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                    I'm not coastal, unfortunately, but in and around our nation's capital. Granted, there are a gazillion bikers for every skater so perhaps the numbers alone don't support my conclusion and I do not believe they intend evil, while I'm convinced that some bikers are the devil's spawn. I think I'm more sensitive because I used to skate to train for downhill skiing; that and getting to make a new friend on the trail yesterday who couldn't even bother to feel bad after crashing into me.
                    2008 Goals Don't attack the guy that passes me like I'm standing still when I think I'm running fast...I can't catch him anyway and I'd just look silly
                    JakeKnight


                      I'm not coastal, unfortunately, but in and around our nation's capital. Granted, there are a gazillion bikers for every skater so perhaps the numbers alone don't support my conclusion and I do not believe they intend evil, while I'm convinced that some bikers are the devil's spawn. I think I'm more sensitive because I used to skate to train for downhill skiing; that and getting to make a new friend on the trail yesterday who couldn't even bother to feel bad after crashing into me.
                      See, when I think of inline skaters, I envision Daisy Dukes and bikini tops. That makes it really hard to muster up some good hate.

                      E-mail: eric.fuller.mail@gmail.com
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                      A Saucy Wench

                        I havent seen an inline skater in ages. I do have a pair somewhere in my closet. I never wore daisy dukes or inappropriate tank tops with them though. Sorry. I know you wanted pictures. I did almost get taken out by a bike the other day. I heard the whizz of coasting bike approaching me on the path. I was about 18" from the right side of the path so I moved to the edge. Apparently the biker had the notion that it would be easier to pass me on the 18" gap to my right rather than the 3ft gap to my left. As she barely swerved around me and I dove in to the bushes she mumbled a weak apology. My beef is on that trail there are not supposed to be biking. There is a road 2 feet away with a wide bike lane. If you want to be like lance, use the bike lane. If you are bumbling along with a kiddie trailer and a 4 year old on his first bike, use the path. And learn how to pass and be passed.

                        I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

                         

                        "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

                        kcam


                          There's a few where I run. Bikepath about 6ft wide and they do tend to take up the whole path with their side-to-side strides but they also almost universally interrupt that stride to let me by. There's one guy who comes out all decked out in racing gear complete with the long powerful strides and hands behind his back. That guy is fast! I think he must be an off-season ice speed skater.
                          xor


                            There's a lake here in Seattle (Green Lake) that has a 3ish mile paved trail around it. Popular place for runners, walkers, groups of moms/dads with babystrollers walking 5 wide... and inline skaters. Bikes too, but skaters seem a bit more numerous. And yes indeedy, hazardous to runners' health. Yikes. However, in the big picture and at places not Green Lake, bikers can be worse because there be a lot more of them. Now, let me introduce you to another user of the Green Lake path: dude on a skateboard with his dog. Picture a water ski situation, where the dude on the board is the skier, and the dog is the boat... the method of propulsion. With the right dog, this situation is harmless. With the wrong dog, this dude is The Bringer of Death to all in his path.

                             


                            A Saucy Wench

                              dude on a skateboard with his dog. Picture a water ski situation, where the dude on the board is the skier, and the dog is the boat... the method of propulsion. With the right dog, this situation is harmless. With the wrong dog, this dude is The Bringer of Death to all in his path.
                              We used to have a guy who delivered newspapers that way. This was "the right dog" for the most part. Good thing because this was in streets, not on sidewalks. The dog knew the route cold, was good about looking for cars before crossing, never tangled with bikers or walkers. It was all fun until one day they were doing paving and put up one of those barricades, they rounded the corner full speed and the dog went right under the barricade. Newspaper boy would have made funniest home videos if it had existed at the time. Ouch. Turns out fresh asphalt makes nasty road rash. He bought a bike after he healed.

                              I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

                               

                              "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

                              AroundTheHorn


                                Bikers=failed runners
                                Roads, where we're going we don't need any....roads.
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