What is your perception of the EUC community?

[PurpleRiderUSA]

Just the other day, Wheel Good Time, posted his educational video about dealing with wobbles on the EUC org forum Facebook group and had a few trolls come out. 

I've heard that Zen Lee was having issues with the community some years back, considering selling his wheels and moving on, before going to Spain and doing his thing there. 

While I fully acknowledge that this is the internet and it's how dudes often treat each other in relatively unmoderated spaces, I am hoping to hear your perspective or insight, especially issues or themes that may be specific to us. 

I may not the most sociable person myself at times, so perhaps EUC tends to attract a certain type of individual?

[null]

Not sociable nor analytical enough to really comment on this, but one difference I've noticed from when I started (early 2019) and now, is that there seem to have been an influx of more "motor sport" type profiles, where before it seems to have been people who where curious about things, and / or technical / nerdy. EUCs image have moved from weird / dorky to more agressive motorsport, and attracts different people.

(The Ninebot E+ design does not talk to the same people as the ET-Max)

Edited February 14 by null

[UniVehje]

When I started in 2017 this was the most polite and welcoming forum ever. Mostly forward thinking and curious nerds discussing their quirky hobby. I think we still are a good bunch of people. But it’s more mainstream now and our community starts to reflect normal distribution. That means more idiots and uncivilised guys fuelled by testosterone. On an international forum it’s also interesting to notice differences between countries. 
 

But yes, this hobby now attracts different people than before. Bad behaviour seems to correlate with demand for more top speed. 

[Robse]

Haven't been here that long, but despite the shorter time have already noticed that learning to ride the wheel and "having fun" is no longer a (the) big deal.  The big thing now is speed and performance and speed.   And as someone else has so wisely said, and I hereby allow myself to write backwards; "The demand for more top speed seems to correlate with Bad behaviour."

[Ronin Ryder]

To accept riding a one wheeled contraption, and for some, at high speed, you must be a bit on the weird side of things. Its a given. Therefore this crowd attracts sometimes negativity, especially mixed with passion and interest in a hobby.

I've seen the @WheelGoodTime trolling posts. I didn't like that. But at the same time, It goes with youtube and that crowd. Can't be helped.

When i started reviewing actively wheels a few years ago, i faced hard online bullying and trolling from a small minority of individuals in my own nyc community, often paired with implicit racism. I was very enthusiastic about eucs and the nyc community at that time and this episode gave me a reality check. I quickly distanced myself from the importance of what the internet says and would only focus on what i like to do. This resulted in positive feedback and growth.

My point is to not pay too much attention to this, and focus on the good part of this euc hobby. Also irl the attitude is way different than behind a phone, which shows how insignificant are these online negative interactions. Keep it going @WheelGoodTime! 

Edited February 14 by Ronin Ryder

[Aztek]

It was quite a nice community.

I feel it went a bit in the wrong direction together with the EUCs (pun intended, but true).

The wheels became much faster and this seems to have attracted different people. Reckless people.

The kind I'm not sure I like that much. It isn't good for the EUCs' public image and will bring us all down (in a way)...

From the wheels I would like to get more quality and safety, not more speed and certainly not more weight. Likewise, I would like more EUC enthusiasts appreciating the same qualities.

 

Edited February 14 by Aztek

[Mono]

I am not a fan of the EUC FB group, nor was I a fan of this educational clip. Neither is my cup of tea. It has probably less to do with EUCs and more to do with the human psychology of wanting to become an influencer and, as @UniVehje pointed out, testosterone. Or, as a wise man (Scott Alexander) recently wrote in a different context: "Advice is disproportionately written by defective people." which is a pretty strange insight into this world.

 

Edited February 14 by Mono

[WILSONEUC]

I had negative experience a few weeks ago with only a small amount of the "community" on my Youtube channel . I've come to the conclusion about a few things and it altered my perception of people in general , how much influence they can try to have on you.

In summary: We act like we are best friends with everyone in this enthusiast space  but in reality , just like anywhere on the internet, we are just a bunch of strangers (and sometimes, friends) that share a common interest.  While most the feedback and conversation is positive, and constructive, There are going to be a few people on the net that want to "rub against the grain" and test the other person who makes content online.  Some viewers think they know that negative or "opinionated" feedback can have an effect on the content producer because they believe if they subscribed, they are owed something .

When the person who views content does not see the content they subscribed for, or,  did not agree what the content creator did or say,  then the viewer may lash out, and say something negative and toxic to the creator . 

Also, to add another layer to this discussion, Some EUC enthusiasts have local group pride and do not like content creators in their local area speaking about "community" or representing their community in some way , if the content creator has not been a welcomed active participant with them in anyway. 

I've had a total of 7 people leave my Youtube channel just recently because i started uploading gaming, vlog content again and paused my euc content for a little bit. Why? I paused my EUC content because i had enough of viewers trying to threaten me that they will unsubscribe if I keep making NON-EUC  content. I Was  also very pissed some of my EUC content was used and shared by NON-PEV riders for helping draft  EUC regulation in a neighboring state without my consent . ;Local riders/viewers questioning my  allegiance to  "Community" or my self interests , , some telling me to take some of my content down. (which i did anyway). You just get burnt out trying to make everyone happy, and you just can't. So i stopped.

Sometimes, im assuming, some Euc enthusiasts are just plain assholes - They  had a bad day, had an argument with their loved one, jealous of the creators efforts online, doesn't like the creators face and personality and just want to ruin that person's day. I assume It gets personal at times.

You can't make anyone happy on here and if viewers can make toxic, mean , opinionated comments, I too as the content creator have the power to do whatever i want on my channel. I do not know these people personally in 95% of the time in this enthusiast space other than their social media /forum tag, maybe where they live and what they ride. They do not feed me, pay my rent, buy all my toys and gadgets. If they can make better content, then they can make their own channel. The people who say positive and constructive things have my ear.

 

 

Edited February 15 by WILSONEUC
edited to clarify my post

[onewheelkoregro]

Haters gonna hate. Ain'ters gonna ain't.

[PurpleRiderUSA]

7 hours ago, Ronin Ryder said:

To accept riding a one wheeled contraption, and for some, at high speed, you must be a bit on the weird side of things. Its a given.

When i started reviewing actively wheels a few years ago, i faced hard online bullying and trolling from a small minority of individuals in my own nyc community, often paired with implicit racism.

 Also irl the attitude is way different than behind a phone, which shows how insignificant are these online negative interactions.

A lot of us probably began to ride EUC because we may have been lacking some other fulfilment in our lives or perhaps we were trying to escape from some responsibilities in a way. The bullying for them is easy to do behind a screen especially if they are scrolling all day or constantly refreshing the algorithm. Not to mention, everybody has a different idea of what type of riding is optimal or acceptable and a lot of people think they already know best. 

How do you know when the criticism is helpful for you versus when to ignore it?

6 hours ago, Aztek said:

The wheels became much faster and this seems to have attracted different people. Reckless people.

The kind I'm not sure I like that much. It isn't good for the EUCs' public image and will bring us all down (in a way)...

That makes sense, there is much more possibility for reckless behavior with so much more power and speed. Sadly, there will probably be more serious collisions and death which you're right will bring the public image down in a way. Now, more jurisdictions are beginning to introduce e-bike legislation (like in Oregon where a 15 year boy got killed), so I imagine EUC's will become recognized as a legitimate motor vehicle soon.

4 hours ago, Mono said:

I am not a fan of the EUC FB group, nor was I a fan of this educational clip. Neither is my cup of tea. It has probably less to do with EUCs and more to do with the human psychology of wanting to become an influencer and, as @UniVehje pointed out, testosterone. Or, as a wise man (Scott Alexander) recently wrote in a different context: "Advice is disproportionately written by defective people." which is a pretty strange insight into this world.

 

Is it perhaps that the best way to learn is to teach?

From my perspective, I don't see somebody like Wheel Good Time as an influencer, but rather a content creator. If I were to put myself in his shoes, I see a person who is able to fully immerse himself into his passion and hobby. When he spends time working on EUC content away from the family, he's still able to bring in additional streams of income to support his wife and children. 

4 hours ago, WILSONEUC said:

Sometimes, im assuming, some Euc enthusiasts are just plain assholes - They  had a bad day, had an argument with their loved one, jealous of the creators efforts online, doesn't like the creators face and personality and just want to ruin that person's day. I assume It gets personal at times.

You can't make anyone happy on here and if viewers can make toxic, mean , opinionated comments, I too as the content creator have the power to do whatever i want on my channel. I do not know these people personally in 95% of the time in this enthusiast space other than their social media /forum tag, maybe where they live and what they ride. They do not feed me, pay my rent, buy all my toys and gadgets. If they can make better content, then they can make their own channel. The people who say positive and constructive things have my ear.
 

That's a good point. It doesn't seem like society is necessarily getting happier day by day. There are a lot of things going wrong in the world and the optimism is not nearly as high as it has been. Especially with wealth inequality and a lot of people feeling squeezed, it adds to the stress level that we all have to deal with. 

I notice that in my YT Shorts, I get a lot of negative comments, teasing, and sometimes harassment from people outside the EUC hobby while in my longer, regular videos I get more support and positive attention. I do accept people's criticism though while still staying true to my own beliefs and values. 

---

Followup question:

How do you all feel about people drinking alcohol and smoking weed at group rides?

 

[Tomallo]

1 hour ago, PurpleRiderUSA said:

Followup question:

How do you all feel about people drinking alcohol and smoking weed at group rides?

 

I feel that's the sort of thing that in 10-20 years we'll look at it the same way people now see drunk people on regular bicycles, ebikes etc. Some people like to think that they're above the law in some way, because they are trailblazers and/or a part of a new thing that's still unregulated I guess.

[Planemo]

13 hours ago, UniVehje said:

That means more idiots and uncivilised guys fuelled by testosterone. On an international forum it’s also interesting to notice differences between countries. 

Bad behaviour seems to correlate with demand for more top speed. 

11 hours ago, Ronin Ryder said:

To accept riding a one wheeled contraption, and for some, at high speed, you must be a bit on the weird side of things.

9 hours ago, Aztek said:

The wheels became much faster and this seems to have attracted different people. Reckless people.

I've snipped the above because they all ring true for me. Theres definitely some strange folk in the hobby. I'm 51 and had never met a flat earther until I got into EUC's and almost immediately I bumped into two in rapid succession. An odd statistic.

The speed/recklessness/billy big spuds attitude is the main thing for me. I've never had a hobby where such a high proportion of enthusiasts flex and rate themselves so much and I've had a lot of interests - I've been on numerous forums and met with many people from motorcycles, modified/race cars, RC aircraft, amateur radio, sailing, shooting, archery, airsoft, golf, music production, high end watches, martial arts and numerous others. Not one of them even came close to the self-elevated attitude that I have seen in EUC. And I find it laughable that we have so many 'I did 55mph!! I am da leet!' EUC riders after having being around so many sportsbike/race car pilots where 150mph is slow. In addition the fact that such a high proportion of EUC riders mix this testosterone loaded 'look at me!' attitude with such reckless abandon for everyone else is rather depressing. I ended up jacking it all in like some others because of all this and sold all my wheels. I came back because I loved EUC but not without some big decisions being made about who I ride with. Safe to say I seriously thinned out the numbers as I just couldn't bear seeing (and being associated with) so much inconsideration around me, especially given the legal situation in the UK nor the incessant narcissistic garbage that emanated from said riders mouths. The real funny thing is that the majority of the public think that a power ranger lookalike, blaring trap music on a circus wheel whilst blasting around people/kids is a ridiculous and dangerous pain in the ass yet the riders themselves think they are heros who everyone admires in awe of their talents.

I sound like a right miserable old git I know but it's not like I haven't been exposed to many other groups, all of which were fine aside from the odd few which you are always going to get. It's the proportion of idiots which matter and as I say, EUC in my experience is unique in that regard. All that said, the riders I have settled with are now lifelong friends for sure. Decent, straight-up folk who are considerate, would do anything for anyone and who I would never have met without EUC so I have that to be thankful for

 

[Robse]

2 hours ago, Planemo said:

The speed/recklessness/billy big spuds attitude is the main thing for me. I've never had a hobby where such a high proportion of enthusiasts flex and rate themselves so much and I've had a lot of interests - I've been on numerous forums and met with many people from motorcycles, modified/race cars, RC aircraft, amateur radio, sailing, shooting, archery, airsoft, golf, music production, high end watches, martial arts and numerous others. Not one of them even came close to the self-elevated attitude that I have seen in EUC. And I find it laughable that we have so many 'I did 55mph!! I am da leet!' EUC riders after having being around so many sportsbike/race car pilots where 150mph is slow. In addition the fact that such a high proportion of EUC riders mix this testosterone loaded 'look at me!' attitude with such reckless abandon for everyone else is rather depressing. I ended up jacking it all in like some others because of all this and sold all my wheels. I came back because I loved EUC but not without some big decisions being made about who I ride with. Safe to say I seriously thinned out the numbers as I just couldn't bear seeing (and being associated with) so much inconsideration around me, especially given the legal situation in the UK nor the incessant narcissistic garbage that emanated from said riders mouths. The real funny thing is that the majority of the public think that a power ranger lookalike, blaring trap music on a circus wheel whilst blasting around people/kids is a ridiculous and dangerous pain in the ass yet the riders themselves think they are heros who everyone admires in awe of their talents.

I sound like a right miserable old git I know but it's not like I haven't been exposed to many other groups, all of which were fine aside from the odd few which you are always going to get. It's the proportion of idiots which matter and as I say, EUC in my experience is unique in that regard. All that said, the riders I have settled with are now lifelong friends for sure. Decent, straight-up folk who are considerate, would do anything for anyone and who I would never have met without EUC so I have that to be thankful for

 

I think it all comes from the fact that anyone and everyone, regardless of age, criminal history, permits or lack thereof, can buy a wheel, and ride it almost anywhere at any speeed.  No permits, not a sh*t.  On top of this, we are in the lawless wild west, and it is even seen unfolding somewhere in the middle of big cities... Unfortunately, again a manifestation that it will be necessary to legislate for the amount of thumpers who are not able to think and act responsibly.     Sad, but true.

[Planemo]

1 hour ago, Robse said:

I think it all comes from the fact that anyone and everyone, regardless of age, criminal history, permits or lack thereof, can buy a wheel, and ride it almost anywhere at any speeed.  No permits, not a sh*t.

I think you have nailed it there. Up until the boom of PEV's or even fast ebikes we didn't have much; morons had to take their chances in cars or on motorbikes which, given reg plates, are relatively easily traced/identified so not an easy path to go down and certainly not for recreational use. Now we have 60mph EUC's and 70mph escooters/ebikes the floodgates have opened to all and sundry. Untraceable and with a perception as not being as naughty as jumping into an uninsured/unlicenced car. It's no wonder that idiots are jumping on and simply blasting everywhere as quick as they can because its 'fun'.

[Planemo]

9 hours ago, PurpleRiderUSA said:

How do you all feel about people drinking alcohol and smoking weed at group rides?

I don't really have an issue with that as long as it's sensible. I myself will often have a pint at each of the 2 charge stops we normally make during a long ride out. I don't smoke but a guy we ride with likes a good toke but he's very careful about where. We will only ever stop where theres no one around and we're more than happy to do that a few times during a ride out to enable him have a joint with a group chat/rest. It doesn't (appear) to affect his riding ability or his consideration for others so it's all good as far as the rest of us are concerned.

Smoking weed whilst around the public then no, I don't think our riding group would be OK with it, just from the public perception aspect.

[jimjam.nyc]

Like everything else social media has influenced.. This hobby has become part of that reality. I just tune out most of the social media things. This forum is not a bad place to hang out and talk about this thing we do. 

I pretty much unfollowed all the influencers on instagram, FB and even most on youtube. I only follow a few people who I actually enjoy their stuff and even support the few I really like. Its been a much more pleasant life. Even outside of wheel riding. 

I even started blocking/ignoring people on here who are straight up just looking to be disruptive. 

After like 20 years of social media and internet I am learning you need to curate your own experience a bit.. or fall into the black hole of meaningless stuff the internet provides. It starts off as a blessing and a nice bottomless pit of curiosity.. then turns into a cesspool of negativity at some point. 

Nice topic! 

[UniVehje]

4 hours ago, Planemo said:

And I find it laughable that we have so many 'I did 55mph!! I am da leet!' EUC riders

1 minute ago, jimjam.nyc said:

Like everything else social media has influenced..

I think this hobby is gaining popularity mostly due to social media influencers. I remember how much attention I got by just riding to work at 30 km/h a few years ago. It's very easy to get a lot of attention on social media also. And the faster you ride and higher you jump the more attention you get. It incentives influencers to ride faster and do crazier things. This brings in followers who like this kind of riding. We normal commuters, who just think this is a really handy way of moving, are left without attention on social media and by manufacturers. Who wants to look at commuters riding about calmly?

I've never seen a hobby where more enthusiasts are wannabe influencers. Everybody seems to ride with a camera now. 

[Robse]

2 minutes ago, UniVehje said:

I've never seen a hobby where more enthusiasts are wannabe influencers. Everybody seems to ride with a camera now. 

it is also one of the few pleasures where you can control a vehicle and at the same time have both hands free

[jimjam.nyc]

Just now, UniVehje said:

I think this hobby is gaining popularity mostly due to social media influencers. I remember how much attention I got by just riding to work at 30 km/h a few years ago. It's very easy to get a lot of attention on social media also. And the faster you ride and higher you jump the more attention you get. It incentives influencers to ride faster and do crazier things. This brings in followers who like this kind of riding. We normal commuters, who just think this is a really handy way of moving, are left without attention on social media and by manufacturers. Who wants to look at commuters riding about calmly?

I've never seen a hobby where more enthusiasts are wannabe influencers. Everybody seems to ride with a camera now. 

I agree with you.. I just dont ride for attention, so the social media stuff just doesn't do it for me... I don't miss the posts of the same stairs, one leg rides, and extreme carving at all!  I genuinely do it because I enjoy it. I do ride with a camera attached to my wheel. But i do it because in NYC i feel it necessary to be recording just incase i get into an accident or have a run-in with someone. I have had so many run-ins with people who are aggressive here.. Most of them believe it or not cyclists. Since plastering a gopro on the front of my wheel.. those interactions have pretty much stopped. I probably don't even need to turn it on lol. 

I don't even do group rides, I pretty much ride solo all the time. The community here is not bad. I have bumped into a few people here and there and they were all really cool, nice and supportive. If you go by online interactions, you would think most of the community here is aggressive. Its just not true. Which has basically led me to disconnect a bit. Its been much more enjoyable.

[Cerbera]

I've never done group rides myself, but I think I've been in this long enough to get a decent impression of how I am seen by various groups of people that encounter me...

If I had to generalise, <12 yr olds think I am the coolest thing ever, and their parents usually smile along in a 'don't get any ideas, son' sort of way.

As we climb the age ranges, we get into the giggling schoolgirls, who find me hilarious for reasons I can only guess about...

Groups of youths around the same age generally think the wheel is very cool and instantly gets 'respect' points from them, until they get to college age, and are in large groups and drunk, in which case sometimes they can get challenging or even confrontational, at which point they are best avoided way in advance.

People on scooters know they are outclassed on the whole, so a certain amount of deference / respect is usually coming from them, and I feel a certain sense of camaraderie with them as well, as we are all in the same PEV boat so to speak, and subject to the same legality worries...

The middle-aged are something of a mixed bag I find. Some are very interested and supportive, others largely indifferent, and some actively choose to be Karens about it.

This group are most open to your behaviour affecting how they find you, and because I always try to be as polite and considerate as I possibly can (way over the normal British standards) encounters with them are usually positive except in situations where circumstances put me in conflict with what they are trying to do. For example, the poor owners of the 3 large black dogs in town that have to deploy their entire bodyweight to restrain their animals if I am trying to wheel past them, the less considerate, who let their dogs free-roam all over the cycle path, and people I have held up somehow because of something wheel-related. Those guys tend not to like me for obvious reasons so i am even more nice and apologetic with them whenever we meet, which must help...

As we climb the age ranges thing get a bit more polarised and we get a bit more disapproval. I am getting quite good at spotting from afar those gentlemen of a certain age who are absolutely NOT going to move an inch further over on the pavement to let you past (as they would without a second thought for another pedestrian), and are going to take exception for any number of reasons, some of which will be valid. If there is time / situational convenience I feel I should stop and talk to these people and try and change their minds - full-on 'ambassador mode' kicks in for me then and I will try and present a case for EUCs, and attempt to change their minds and reassure them.

But more often than not, and due to the permanently rolling nature of most encounters, I find the curmudgeonly only have time to get out a few words, usually 'illegal', 'not allowed' or 'dangerous', and I only have time to shout 1 pre-prepared phrase back at them before I'm gone ! I feel bad about these encounters, but not because I think I am doing anything wrong, rather that I am frustrated they can't see the effort I put into doing it considerately.

Continuing along an age-related theme I must point out that certainly not all the over-50's disapprove. I get a lot of cheeky smiles and thumbs up from old gents too, whom I get the impression rather wish they had something similar ! And recently I have had a glut of eccentric really old ladies coming up to me and expressing HUGE enthusiasm about my wheel much to my surprise and delight.

I can also report on the novelty factor being a certain influence. The first time I appear in a new town with a wheel reactions are much more polarised. When people haven't seen you before there is a lot of stopping and staring, and interest, both positive and not while people try and work out what to think of you, and I suspect that the type of riding they first see you doing has a big effect on how they view the community ever afterwards !

Once the novelty has worn off, like in my home town for example, nearly everyone there has seen me regulalrly on the wheel now, and the vast majority know they don't have to worry about me, have never seen me doing anything inconsiderate or dangerous, and so just think I'm nothing they have to worry about - part of the every day scenery, which is exactly what I want them thinking ! I am trying to 'normalise' this, which is admittedly quite hard when you are in the only one in town, so by doing it every day I hope to make my appearance in urban settings... 'uncontroversial'.

Cyclists, on the other hand, I find at least, view us with what I presume must be some mix of derision, suspicion and jealousy. I try and wave enthusiastically at most cyclists I pass (fairly sure it doesn't look sarcastic!), and that wave is very rarely returned ! I don't know why, but most cyclists round here seem to be miserable bastards in their attitudes towards me ! Which is a shame, because I used to do nice things like go up hills very slowly behind them in solidarity with their struggle, but now, having proved themselves to be 'mostly arseholes' these days I do find a certain joy in powering past them with a more cheeky wave of my own !

Lastly I have to consider the 'Britishness' of my 'audience', which means that some people who find it ridiculous, laughable, dangerous or idiotic would be too polite to say so, so I can't judge what proportion of that there might be going on. But despite that, strong feelings usually find a way to make themselves known somehow, and I don't sense much hostility to me and my riding from them on the whole. In a typical 22 mile ride that passes right through a town centre then out to a country park I might typically get 2 or 3 positive interactions, 3 -5 passing thumbs up / waves, and if I am unlucky, perhaps 1 angry car hoot or snarky comment from a passing driver / pedestrian perhaps 1 ride in 5.  Roughly once every 6 months I meet a genuinely angry individual who wants to actually physically stop me doing it for some reason or other. 

So in summary, I would say that in my town at least I am mostly tolerated and accepted, occasionally lauded, but there remains a very small group of people within that who have 'taken agin me' and I don't think there is anything I can do about that other than try to spot them coming in advance and  to avoid them if possible !

 

Edited February 15 by Cerbera

[techyiam]

15 hours ago, Cerbera said:

Groups of youths around the same age generally think the wheel is very cool and instantly gets 'respect' points from them, until they get to college age, and are in large groups and drunk, in which case sometimes they can get challenging or even confrontational, at which point they are best avoided way in advance.

 The part that I am pleasantly surprised about is that there are always a few people from all walks of life that I don't expect to, would genuinely think euc's are cool. These persons can be anyone. Sometimes, I would assume that no way a particular person would care. And after our interaction, I would be pleasantly surprised.

Overall, I have to say, unlike previous years, people on the street don't pay much attention to euc riders anymore. I am now treated like if I were riding a bicycle.

Although, I rarely encounter another euc rider, but when I do, they are usually friendly, and would wave back, or initiate a wave. This is pretty much what I encounter when I am out riding a motorcycle.

 

Edited February 16 by techyiam

[novazeus]

1 hour ago, Cerbera said:

I don't know why, but most cyclists round here seem to be miserable bastards in their attitudes towards me ! Which is a shame, because I used to do nice things like go up hills very slowly behind them in solidarity with their struggle, but now, having proved themselves to be 'mostly arseholes' these days I do find a certain joy in powering past them with a more cheeky wave of my own !

my county has hills in it's ne corner and attracts these same cyclists. and they wonder why one dies every other day in florida. they'll ride in groups and completely block the lane. 

[Cerbera]

1 hour ago, novazeus said:

they'll ride in groups and completely block the lane. 

And that's been going on for quite some time as well - I saw that happen in an episode of Columbo the other day ! William Shatner makes an excellent villain.

Edited February 15 by Cerbera

[Mono]

11 hours ago, PurpleRiderUSA said:

How do you all feel about people drinking alcohol and smoking weed at group rides?

Setting the law aside, it all depends on how these people ride afterwards. For a start, the more mind-altering substances they have taken, the slower they must ride. If that's not a given, it's not for them, IMHO.

1 hour ago, novazeus said:

my county has hills in it's ne corner and attracts these same cyclists. and they wonder why one dies every other day in florida. they'll ride in groups and completely block the lane. 

Sport cyclists are probably allowed to do that.

[Robse]

1 hour ago, Mono said:

Sport cyclists are probably allowed to do that.

No 

But as soon as they put on their spandex pants, any sense and consciousness for the letter of the law evaporates.

OT:

Last year, one of the spandex lunatics was killed in a traffic accident right here in the neighborhood (RIP)  They came riding up a hill in a sharp right turn, 5 men next to each other, using both lanes.  Then, strangely enough, an oncoming car came around the corner...