
Why every cyclist needs a pool noodle - ubasu
https://qz.com/1620913/the-best-cycling-hack-is-a-pool-noodle/
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throwaway875u58
Side note: I commute to work on a bike occasionally. My commute isn't long
(~3miles) and I try to be considerate and move to the side when possible, stop
at stop signs, not run lights, not sneak up while waiting at stop lights, and
stay off the sidewalk. You know: behave like a considerate driver sharing the
road.

The reason I do this is because all the bikes I see when I drive are
flagrantly disregarding traffic laws and acting like they own the road. These
pool noodlers seem like they are doing more of the same.

I wish they got pulled over by cops more often because all they are doing is
endangering everyone else who is actually sharing the road.

Cyclists are why I have a dashcam.

~~~
blacksmith_tb
My response, when I hear someone tell me that they see cyclists breaking the
law, is to ask how many - in a given day. Five? Ten? Sure, I could believe
that. Then I ask them how many drivers they see breaking the law in a given
day...

~~~
projectileboy
Bicyclists where I live - even otherwise well-behaved bicyclists - routinely
violate traffic laws all the time. I guess we live in different towns, but
where I live I don’t also see drivers regularly blasting through red lights
when they get tired of waiting.

~~~
blacksmith_tb
Thanks for the honesty? Everyday I see dozens of drivers blow through
inconvenient stop signs - just like those lawless cyclists. But when they hit
people, they maim and kill them. You could argue reckless cyclists are in
contention for the Darwin Awards, but they're only going to get themselves
killed.

~~~
jjeaff
Do you live in the US? Because if so, having travelled and lived all over the
US, I call BS.

~~~
blacksmith_tb
I do, in Portland OR. And I have a dashcam on my bars, so I film plenty of
bikes and cars blowing through stops. But I may be a little overly sensitive,
I was run over by an inattentive commercial trucker who blew through stop
without braking, plowing into an SUV and then rolling over me head-on - when I
was stopped at the stop sign at the opposite corner, foot on the ground and
everything. I was in a wheelchair for months, and I have quite a collection of
Ti implants to show for it all. But I still ride to work every day, and I stop
at stop signs, even though that hasn't always worked out so well for me.

~~~
jjeaff
That sounds awful. I hope you got a good attorney and only work for the fun of
it now.

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swsh
I cycle and also occasionally tow (which puts me in the group of annoying slow
road users). My frustration with these type of articles is they only ever ask
for the road to be shared, but do not share the road themselves. As a slower
road user you should also be considerate of other road users. An example would
be when towing and driving at a more sedate pace, when it comes to passing
lanes - SLOW DOWN - to allow the pile up of cars behind you to pass. However
most people simply maintain their speed, ignorant of the building frustration
behind them. By slowing down you might add 30seconds to your travel time, but
give 10-20 people back minutes to their travel time (a net win for society!).

In this case if the cyclist periodically slowed down and moved to the shoulder
when going downhill (or in general), the pile up of cars and frustration might
be mitigated.

"Through my eyeglass-mounted mirror, I watch cars inevitably pile up behind
me. When the terrain flattens out and I move back to the shoulder, a stream of
cars pass me."

I'd argue that the pool noodle may have unintended consequences, and will most
likely increase road rage. It seems to scream EMPOWERMENT ("taking back the
road"), but I think it leans more towards SELFISH BITCH.

~~~
Zanni
If cars are piling up behind you, you should pull over to let them pass--even
if you are in a car--but only if it's safe to do so. The implication in the
article is that it's _not_ safe ("to protect myself from stumbling off the
edge"), so the "selfish bitch" is the one screaming at the cyclist, not the
cyclist herself.

~~~
swsh
Read the sentence immediately preceding the one you quoted, her reasoning is
to "bask in a glorious downhill". She needs the full width of the road to give
a larger margin of error due to speed and to maximize her enjoyment.

A simple considerate solution would be to slow down and pull over.

The crux of the issue is that people of every persuasion, be it cyclist or
driver, would never consider inconveniencing themselves or sacrificing their
enjoyment for the good of others. i.e. they are selfish.

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m1n1
This also deters the user from speeding between two lanes of traffic that has
stopped ... a deed that carries with it some risk and that probably irks some
drivers.

~~~
Pinckney
/r/Motorcycles had this posted a couple days ago:

[https://i.redd.it/59jp81szfdy21.jpg](https://i.redd.it/59jp81szfdy21.jpg)

A bicyclist likely would have lost their legs, if they survived at all.

Meanwhile, the risk of lanesplitting is that might sideswipe somebody and need
to pay to get their paint fixed.

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microwavecamera
I'll have to admit, that's pretty clever and the best actual use for a pool
noodle I've ever seen. I still don't understand what exactly you're supposed
to do with a pool noodle.

~~~
dfmooreqqq
I have a 5 year old who comes up with a new use for a pool noodle every time
he's in the pool. A raft, an octopus, blowing water through it, a spy
glass,... The simplest toys have seemingly infinite uses.

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willio58
The sad thing is that the type of driver that comes closer than 3 feet to a
cyclist has a good chance of being the type of person who would be enraged by
this. Could result in more conflict than its worth.

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viburnum
Use a metal pipe. Drivers care more about scratching the paint of their car
than they do murdering a human.

~~~
viraptor
You mean, if someone drives too close, you prefer your whole bike to be pushed
over? Because that metal pipe would have to be mounted in a secure way / not
fall off accidentally.

~~~
mantap
Only the end needs to be metal. In fact it just has to look metal. Wrapping
with kitchen foil would probably have the required deterrent effect. It would
also look hilarious.

