Why do all these lance armstrongs have to ride thier bikes in the middle of the road?

I live along the beach, and every morning i am slowing down and stuck behind some lance armstrong that is riding outside of the bike lane, I know we should "share the road" but shouldn't that work both ways?

I hear you!!!! I live in a college town and it seems like the broke students prefer to ride bikes to schools. Fortunately, most of the roads here have a bike lane. That way, we can both share the way without problems.

I don't know the particulars of your situation, but there are lots of time riding in bike lanes isn't practical or safe.

For example, my town has some bike lanes in which sewer grates run parallel to your line of travel. You can't go over these on a road bike without risking your life. I've always got to pull into the traffic lane to get over these grates.

As others have pointed out, because bike lanes are not swept clean by the wind from passing cars and trucks, they often accumulate lots of broken glass and other debris. Trying to dodge the crap in the bike lanes can be both trying and dangerous.

Though illegal, cars often use bike lanes for parking.

Even worse, passengers in cars will throw open their doors without looking backwards for cyclists.

Bike lanes often make it difficult to make a left turn if there is heavy car traffic. I know from long experience, if riding in the bike lane, cars will not yield right-of-way so a cyclist can make a left hand turn. While riding in a bike lane, I have been forced to stop and wait for a line of traffic to pass, so I can make a left hand turn. When I need to make a left hand turn, I get out of the bike lane when there is a break in the traffic and ride along the center line until I get to my turn. Now, I know this pisses some motorists off, but, in theory, I have the exact same right to the road as a car and I know they won't yield if I am over in the bike lane.

Finally, an alert and astute cyclist always needs an escape lane in case of emergency. Thus, personally, I like to ride as close to the white line marker of the bike lane as possible. This does three things. It makes me more visible to cars. Hopefully, it forces cars to go a bit wide to get around me leaving me a bit more room to manuver. Also, it leaves me most of the bike lane as an escape zone, if necessary.

As I said at the top, I have no idea why these guys are out in the middle of the lane. In my experience, most cyclists are pretty respectful of cars and want as few negative interactions as possible. There are situations like I've outline above where it just has to happen, though.

Hope this helps.

i know the guys i ride with try and be respectful, but thier may be reasons. i know if the shoulder or bike line is in bad shape it is safer to ride in the lane. over the winter shoulders tend to gather rodes and debris, or just flat out fall appart. a road bike is unforgiving, and hitting this can be dangerous, or at least cause flats. if that is the case, sometimes the lane is safer.

in ohio, bikes are like any slow moving vehicle under the law, like a farm tractor. that is the bike's lane, and if you are passing it is on you to make a safe pass. it isnt on the cyclist to get off the road. like i said, i know my friends and i try to be as respectful as we can. usually if we are out in traffic more, there is a reason we need to be there.

The question could be why do all these Mario Andrettis drive so aggressively and park in the bike lanes. It does go both ways. Cyclists need to respect drivers. Drivers need to respect cyclists. I drive and bike often, and I encounter a significantly higher number of rude drivers than cyclists. Next time you go to work count all the times you get slighted by a jerky driver, and compare that to all the times you get slighted by a jerky cyclist.

Here's some schoolin' for ya':
http://bikesarerad.com/bikes/modules.php...

It should indeed work both ways.
Here's a pretty good resource for driver and riders alike:
http://www.yieldtolife.org/tips

HTH
Nate
http://porkchopwi.spaces.live.com/

completely needs to go both ways! sign say "Bike Lane". I got screamed at by a biker because I had to pull off the road and was blocking the bike lane--telling me to stay off!!! unbelievable

Yes it should work both ways.

eh...roadies...what do you expect?