63 replies to this topic

[Enchy]

Fuck Fed Ex. I shipped my bike home for $70, and then they re-adjusted my quote to $137. I don't have that much money in my account. I'm calling them in the morning. Fuck Fed Ex. I accurately measured the box, and added two pounds to the weight. Fuck Fed Ex.

[PlayerOneStewy]

Buy a car. Bikes are dangerous and you're putting all the smart people who drive cars at risk of injuring or killing you.

[Wenny]

Buy a car. Bikes are dangerous and you're putting all the smart people who drive cars at risk of injuring or killing you.

I think that one makes my Top 5 List of Ty Garriot moments.

[KinectFan]

Motorcycles and Bicycles are the same thing. Love it when I learn new things! Greg is SO smart!

[PlayerOneStewy]

Really? So I can't go back and find the thread where one of our members ( I can't remember if it was Enchy) got hit by a car while on his bike and you intimated it was at least partially his fault for choosing such a dangerous mode of transportation?

Edit: I found it. It's not too far down the page. And the best part is you're the one who first equates riding a bicycle to riding a motorcycle in that thread.

[KinectFan]

Really? So I can't go back and find the thread where one of our members ( I can't remember if it was Enchy) got hit by a car while on his bike and you intimated it was at least partially his fault for choosing such a dangerous mode of transportation?

Edit: I found it. It's not too far down the page. And the best part is you're the one who first equates riding a bicycle to riding a motorcycle in that thread.

In black and white terms, you're correct I suggested they're similar.


However, I think Motorcycles are inherently more dangerous than bicycles because they have powered engines that push them to far higher speeds than bicycles. They also share highways and expressways with cars, which is where the most danger exists.

[Compeau]

In black and white terms, you're correct I suggested they're similar.


However, I think Motorcycles are inherently more dangerous than bicycles because they have powered engines that push them to far higher speeds than bicycles. They also share highways and expressways with cars, which is where the most danger exists.

What I can't figure out is why do cars have rigid noise and crash safety requirements, but motorcycles don't have to follow either of those?

[Rob]

Because fuck FedEx, that's why.

[PlayerOneStewy]

In black and white terms, you're correct I suggested they're similar.


However, I think Motorcycles are inherently more dangerous than bicycles because they have powered engines that push them to far higher speeds than bicycles. They also share highways and expressways with cars, which is where the most danger exists.

Indeed

[PlayerOneStewy]

In relation to the actual topic, I hear you. Back when we'd first started Gaming Age we ran a holiday contest where we were lucky enough to convince multiple publishers to donate prizes. GT Interactive were one of the biggest givers (they were also the first publisher to really support us). They sent a nice big box-o-swag our way through FedEx.

And it never arrived.

I had a tracking number and all that. And I was able to track it for few days. Then it just disappeared. And I was never given a satisfactory explanation outside of "it must have been lost."

[Wenny]

We ordered a portable AC unit for one of our machine rooms at work because of constant issues with the main AC over the weekend. It was signed as delivered to an address totally unrelated to any of our offices...and the the receiver refused to return it. After further investigation is became clear the driver and a mate were trying to steal it.

Fuck FedEx.

[KinectFan]

What I can't figure out is why do cars have rigid noise and crash safety requirements, but motorcycles don't have to follow either of those?

It's funny when you actually sit there and think about it, isn't it? Yet most people never really stop to think about it, so it's just accepted as is.



I'll give you another one. In many, if not all states, you are required by law to wear your seat belt while driving a car. Why is that? Because it's really freaking dangerous if you don't, and very bad things will happen to you if you get in an accident while not wearing one.

Yet I'm allowed to ride down the highway on a motorcycle, right next to the drivers of the cars wearing the seat belt? The more you think about it, the more absurd it gets.

[Wenny]

Yet I'm allowed to ride down the highway on a motorcycle, right next to the drivers of the cars wearing the seat belt? The more you think about it, the more absurd it gets.

It's not absurd at all. Safety belts exist in cars to (hopefully) keep the driver and passengers safe in the event of an accident. It doesn't make driving any more safe - your risk of accident is identical if you're wearing a seat belt or not. And a motorcycle rider's risk of accident is the same whether or not you're wearing a safety belt.

Motocycles do have to follow noise regulations and can be ticketed - as can cars - for violating it. And there are safety requirements for the manufacture of motorcycles. Every state in the US even makes bikers take an additional driving course and exam for a completely separate license. Those people are accepting the risk when they get on the motorcycle just like you're accepting a risk when you get in a car. Statistically, less than 2% of motorcyclists are involved in an accident each year but around 5% of automobile drivers are involved in accidents annually. What they're accepting isn't a higher rate of accident - it's a higher rate of injury when an accident occurs.

Edited by Wenny, 23 December 2010 - 11:41 AM.

[Enchy]

After an hour on the phone with FedEx, I seem to know less about why I was charged than before I called.

[Wenny]

Did you use a credit card? Call them up and dispute the charge.

After your bike is delivered.

[ness08]

I'll give you another one. In many, if not all states, you are required by law to wear your seat belt while driving a car. Why is that? Because it's really freaking dangerous if you don't, and very bad things will happen to you if you get in an accident while not wearing one.

Yet I'm allowed to ride down the highway on a motorcycle, right next to the drivers of the cars wearing the seat belt? The more you think about it, the more absurd it gets.

Yeah, what else is funny is that some states have helmet laws for motorcycles yet I drive in my car next to them and don't have to wear a helmet.

Really absurd, glad I started thinking about this.

[Outlaw Moogle]

Buy a car. Bikes are dangerous and you're putting all the smart people who drive cars at risk of injuring or killing you.

No, the only reason drivers are at risk of injuring and killing bikers is because most drivers are stupid assholes that don't know how to share the road with bikes and follow the law.


I hate shipping with FedEx and UPS, they're too expensive and they screw up too much. We once wanted to ship a rather bulky Christmas gift to my grandfather in New York. UPS wanted $120 for it for ground shipping and USPS wanted $30 to ship it Priority. Guess which service we ended up using?

[KinectFan]

Yeah, what else is funny is that some states have helmet laws for motorcycles yet I drive in my car next to them and don't have to wear a helmet.

Really absurd, glad I started thinking about this.

So the helmet makes the motorcycle as safe as being in a car?

No, the only reason drivers are at risk of injuring and killing bikers is because most drivers are stupid assholes that don't know how to share the road with bikes and follow the law.

I know. It's not like bikes are less safe than cars, so obviously they should be right next to them on the road. It's also not like bikes are harder to see in a blind spot or anything, so if those stupid fucking drivers just got a clue there would never be another injury sustained on a motorcycle or bicycle. Stupid cars!

Edited by Tigerriot, 28 December 2010 - 09:58 AM.

[BeauRosser]

God, I fucking hate black people.

Wait, what? Racist jokes are racist.

(Note: Beau Rosser is not an actual racist, he just likes making jokes. If you cannot understand the breadth of his comedy, you probably have a small brain - like a woman.)

(Further Note: The above note can be used in regards to Beau's jokes where misogyny is the sole comedy anchor.)

[Outlaw Moogle]

I know. It's not like bikes are less safe than cars, so obviously they should be right next to them on the road. It's also not like bikes are harder to see in a blind spot or anything, so if those stupid fucking drivers just got a clue there would never be another injury sustained on a motorcycle or bicycle. Stupid cars!

Bikes are less safe than cars because drivers of said cars drive in a way that endangers the bikers. And were you not tested on checking your blind spots when you got your license?

[Enchy]

I got hit (see the "I'm Broken" thread) because the woman who hit me failed to signal and check her blind spot. I've been perfectly safe on the road since, and still consistently. I've added a helmet to my cycling gear, and when I ride at night I have reflectors and lights. I'm a perfectly safe cyclist, it's drivers that are fucking retarded.

[ness08]

So the helmet makes the motorcycle as safe as being in a car?

No it doesn't make it as safe as a car, but it fits the vehicle. Why the hell would you put safety belts on a bike? So if it flipped you could get smashed and get road rash? The whole point is that both activities are dangerous so they have laws forcing people to wear equipment that decreases the likely hood of serious/deadly injuries.

[SickBoy]

I believe Tigerriot's stance is that a minimum amount of glass and steel should exist around motor vehicle users (possibly mandated by law?), which motorbikes do not meet.

[KinectFan]

Bikes are less safe than cars because drivers of said cars drive in a way that endangers the bikers. And were you not tested on checking your blind spots when you got your license?

Motorcycles couldn't possibly be less safe because they have 2 wheels instead of 4, and they provide the driver far less protection than a car? Human beings make mistakes. There is no way to get around that fact. So if we're going to travel down roadways at high speeds we should be choosing the safest mode of transpiration possible. Motorcycles do not meet that common sense standard, therefore if you get fucked up on one, that's your problem.

I believe Tigerriot's stance is that a minimum amount of glass and steel should exist around motor vehicle users (possibly mandated by law?), which motorbikes do not meet.

Correct. Cars have safety standards they must meet in order to be sold in the U.S. Motorcycles would fail every one of those tests, and yet they're allowed to travel on the exact same roadways as cars.

[PlayerOneStewy]

Motorcycles do not meet that common sense standard, therefore if you get fucked up on one, that's your problem.

See, your stance that motorcycles are less safe than cars is perfectly fine. It's when you start putting out thoughts like this that the crazy train has left the station. Your stance that motorcycle and bicycle riders should be held responsible somehow if someone hits them with a few thousand pounds of steel and glass is completely ridiculous. When you're operating a car it is your responsibility to know what's around you - especially at highway speeds. Yes, humans make mistakes. And yes, car drivers can't compensate when someone around them does something stupid. But those are the risks both motorcyclists, bicyclists, and car drivers take when they choose to travel.

If you're driving your car properly, not being able to see a motorcycle in your blind spot shouldn't be a problem, because you should already know they're there. (Again, assuming the motorcycle is being operated safely.)

Your theory falls completely apart (and generally gets updated, if the "I'm broken" thread is any indicator ) when you introduce pedestrians into the mix.

[BeauRosser]

It's encouraging that my racist post was overlooked for yet another Sewart/Gerriot comment-off.

[Rob]

It's encouraging that my racist post was overlooked for yet another Sewart/Gerriot comment-off.

That sounds like white folk problems.

[Wenny]

I know. It's not like bikes are less safe than cars, so obviously they should be right next to them on the road. It's also not like bikes are harder to see in a blind spot or anything, so if those stupid fucking drivers just got a clue there would never be another injury sustained on a motorcycle or bicycle. Stupid cars!

It's a motorists responsibility to be aware of their blind spot and to ensure that it's empty before changing lanes/turning. Sadly, for you, there's the weight of law behind what I just said.

[Enchy]

I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllyyy want a cr-48.

[Rigby]

Nobody should drive or ride anything that way no one can get hurt!

[DistantStorm]

once i figure out where exactly in my not very large one bedroom on the top floor of a 5 fl. walkup i can store a bike, i am TOTALLY getting one.

i can cruise along the west side greenway all the way downtown to my firehouse. fuck the motherfucking MTA.

[Enchy]

Infinite Jest is killing me.

[Enchy]

I have Conan tickets!

[atat23]

I have some rants and am full of rage:
1. what is it with me and queues, the person standing behind me in them always seems to have fucked up depth perception and is constantly bumping into me! Also if you want to hold your jacket please stop rubbing it off me when you turn around!

2. toddlers on planes, why don't the parents give them the window or aisle seats so I don't have to look after thier kid as well. Aw you want to play? well it's a ten hour flight and I want to sleep so get your sticky hands off me and stop spilling juice on me! Throwing your Buzzlight year toy on the ground so I'll pick it up is a great game but I'm not playing it anymore, You got brownie points for hitting that old woman in the head with it but they ran out 8 hours ago so you can go without, oh, you're crying now........shit, checkmate I guess.

3. not to open old wounds but.....drivers who park in cycling lanes, or even a van stopping there to make a delivery just so they're nearer the door and don't have to wheel a dolly of boxes an extra ten foot. They realise that it means I have to put myself in danger by entering the actual car lane where people like Ky lay in wait to smush me. Then you get beeped at even if you've just been signalling for ten minutes,

Another good one is trying to turn right on the bike (maybe left in America), you have to cross two lanes of traffic, always fun. Signal, make sure it's safe, cross the lane, BEEP. Once you get to the middle of the road and are waiting for a break in the oncoming traffic lane, BEEP, oh theres a car who wants to turn right too and somehow I'm in his way even though we're going the same way and even though he can't go through the oncoming traffic either.
Same thing seems to happen when you try to turn right at traffic lights, you can obviously get to the front of the queue using the cycle lane, you move across to the right hand side of the lane and the moment the light goes green, BEEP, or maybe it's just a beep from someone going straight on who seems to think the foot of road on the right hand side of the lane that the bike is taking up is some kind of impassable barrier and they can only proceed once I've taken my turn. Go around retard before I beat you to death with my helmet!



ah I feel much better now, thanks for the thread Enchy

[Enchy]

Getting honked at while riding a bike has to be the most annoying thing ever. Yes, I am allowed to be in the left turn lane, stop honking at me. Yes, the right turn lane and the bike line are the same, but I'm a bike, and I'm not gonna move just so you can turn 30 seconds before the light turns green.

The worst is when bitches decide to honk at me because I am riding in the middle of a car lane when there isn't a bike lane and there are cars parked on the side of the road. I'm doing this so I don't get doored. I'll get over if I have an opportunity, but right now I'm worrying about my own safety, not about whether or not you get where you're going.

When people yell at me is when I get really pissed. Usually I'll give them the bird and pull out my U-lock threateningly. They won't yell at you anymore. I've also thrown several water bottles at cars. Best feeling ever.

[juanster]

No offense, but having you bike riders on the road is so annoying.

[Compeau]

No offense, but having you bike riders on the road is so annoying.

God, yes. If you insist on riding a bike, remember that you are annoying hundreds of good people every day, and yet you continue to do so day in and day out. That's douchy in my book.

If you want to get exercise, go for a jog.
If you want to save the world, join the Peace Corp.

[Kirbutashi]

The bikers in my area typically tend to put themselves above the law and fly through intersections.

And count me in as someone that hates that traffic is backed up because someone decided they get to ride their bike on the road during rush hour on a busy two or even four-lane road. The worst.
Those are usually the people killed by the blind senior drivers Florida attracts so well.

[Wenny]

Tough shit, whiney bitches. I'll call you a waaaaahbulance if you think it'll help.

[Compeau]

Tough shit, whiney bitches. I'll call you a waaaaahbulance if you think it'll help.

Or I'll call you an ambulance after I run you over.

Just kidding. I wouldn't call an ambulance.