LA Weekly Promotes Bicycle Film “To Live & Ride in LA,” Rando from SF Rants About my Mom

Tibby Rothman posted an article on LA Weekly’s “Style Council” blog this morning promoting David Rowe‘s (director) film To Live & Ride in LA and it’s worldwide premiere at the Royal/T in Culver City this Saturday (‘book event). They interview TOLA blogger Sean Martin and fixed gear freestyle pioneer Keo Curry who are both in the film.

And as with most (bicycle) articles on the Internet, it comes with (bicycle) haters. This guy is so ignorant l think he might be a troll. Enter Sfsmuglefty (you may need to read the article to understand some of this):

5 things: 1-Bike in the photo not in bike lane or even on the right side as car behind approaches-cars did build the road he’s on, 2- the guy in the story is riding on a busy shared street on a vehicle without brakes if it were any other vehicle it would be illegal, 3-the guy is riding without insurance which would also be illegal, 4-people do stupid acts whether a bicyclist running down a pedestrian or a car driver not looking before turning I ride here in SF I’ve bailed on bicycles and motorcycles and I’ve been hit by a car while in a car and as a pedestrian nearly run over by cars and bicycles I’m not whining about either. I surf there are several surfers who have been attacked by sharks they don’t bitch about the shark’s mistake if a surfer wants to ride a tsunami hey they’ll go for it but the surfer isn’t going to whine about the wave when they get beat up, 5- there is a difference between someone making a mistake and someone who chooses to do something stupid don’t throw yourself into LA traffic without brakes and expect that tsunami to watch out for you-when you’re in traffic you to have a responsibility to those around you even on a bike.
PS why are bicycle fanatics such a bunch of irresponsible cry babies-did your mothers stick helmets on your heads at birth cover your houses in padding and have one of those “baby on board” stickers in the rear window of her passive aggressively driven Volvo? Is that how you got such a warped perspective your mothers filling you with absurd expectations of what the World owes her little baby?

I shouldn’t even give this the time of day, but since an intern from LA Weekly asked me to post their article, this was the funnest way I could do them the favor.

1 – The rider on the left, Sean Martin, is legally overtaking a slower cyclist occupying the right lane.

2 – But it’s not illegal. And what is your point anyway? Fixed gear bikes have one brake (your legs resisting the direct drive), it’s not a redundant system and can be safer (by adding cable brakes). If you think riding a fixie without brakes isn’t right for you (which it shouldn’t be for most people, the fad will fade), don’t do it.

3 – Which would also be illegal in your fantasy world? It’s not illegal to ride a bicycle without health insurance or insurance on the bike. And if it were illegal to ride a bicycle without health insurance, wouldn’t it, in your fantasy world, be illegal for people to drive cars without health insurance too?

4 – People need to be held accountable to the predictable consequences of their actions. If a car hits a pedestrian or cyclist the consequence is usually much worse than if a cyclists hits a car or pedestrian. That’s why bikes aren’t supposed to be on sidewalks and deserve their own separated lane; so they don’t hit pedestrians. It’s your right to surf, it’s not your right to drive. Driving is a privilege. As for being attacked by sharks. Isn’t that a predictable risk of surfing? Driving is a privilege to make sure there aren’t any sharks on our roads to kill innocent surfers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

5 – You’re right. Everyone needs to be held to the predictable consequences of their actions. Drivers and cyclists need to respect each other (reciprocity) so we can all get where we need to go as safely and quickly as possible.

P.S. What’s up with your Freudian analysis of cyclists? We expect too much because our mom’s were over protective? I ride a bicycle because I can’t afford a car.

Oh, and btw, fuck you.