What is the craziest comments you have heard about your bike commute?

[rocketman48097]

I seem to be quite the novelty in my suburban building.  I always get comments about my bike commute, today it was a young male who said,

"Oh, you bike here, aren't you exhausted by the time you get here?"

Me:  Nope, I am more awake when I arrive than I ever have been.  I used to drive and looked like the Zombie apocalypse when I arrived."

Him:  "Yeah, that's how I am each morning."

Another older lady, upon a CHANCE of rain in the afternoon asked me,

"Don't you check the weather?"

My response:  It wasn't raining this morning when I biked here. 

I could go on and on, I was told by one lady that she was jealous that I lived close enough to bike commute.  The other comments are just all around strange, I only live 3.5 miles away and these people think I must sweat like a pig, which I don't, when I arrive. 

What kind of comments do you hear about your bike commute that make you think your colleagues view you as a weird alien life form? 

[kendallf]

My bike commute is 18-19 miles one way, depending on route.  I work at a former Naval Air Station that's on the edge of the city, so it's a few miles to anything -- it's 2 miles from my office to the front gate!  Many people ask me where I live/how far I ride.  When I answer, there's a pause, and I can see them trying to bridge what is, for most people, an inconceivable distance by bike.  Most of the time this is followed by a remark on how insane I am, how bad traffic is, how unsafe the roads are for cyclists.. I'm not sure if I've ever gotten a positive response.  :-)

[Dr.Vibrissae]

I get a lot of comments about how unsafe/not bike friendly my area is.  There are literally designated bike lanes and bike routes (with signs through a neighborhood) from the door of my house to my office.  It's miles ahead of other areas I've lived in.  It's not perfect, but I can't beleive it could be called 'unfriendly'.

I forgot to add I get a lot of "what about when it rains?' which happens maybe once a month for part of the afternoon around here.  I've been biking for 2 years, and have been caught in the rain exactly twice that whole time.

[destron]

I bike 4 miles each way (hardly enough to qualify as a commute, it takes me 15 minutes) and... my coworkers have been nothing but cool about it.

[KingMe]

The weather comments always amuse me. Half the year I hear that it's too hit. The other half I hear that it's too cold. But I have a roughly 2 mile ride, which I acknowledge is fairly short.

During the summer, I say that I would get just as hot and sweaty regardless of how I got to work. The response is usually some variation of "yeah, that's right."

During the winter, I tend to respond to the "isn't it cold?" question by saying I wish my commute were longer because I'm just warming up when I get close to the office and want to do a few more miles. The reaction is usually confusion or nodding agreement.

I also get questions about it being dangerous. I point out that I mostly take bike lanes, which not only make it safer but also allow me to bypass traffic. Driving doesn't save me any time.

[Jimbo]

The craziest : I wish I could bike... followed by a bunch of complanypants reason why they could not. Which are not very good.

[dweebyhawkeyes]

Only concern and a repeating of the last bicycle fatality that happened in the area. I just tell them about the last car accident I saw on the road and how concerned I am for them driving until we're all a bunch of nodding heads agreeing how dangerous commuting is. It's actually pretty amusing in a morbid way.

[SwordGuy]

Mostly supportive at work, though one of the sergeants in the command group above my unit expressed concern that I had lost my driver's license to a DUI.

"No, sergeant, I'm just FAT and I don't want to be."

[Peanut Butter]

I'm a 5'3" woman. I get my male co-workers telling me all the time that they're too scared to cycle through town at midnight. (I work graveyard shift, midnight-0830.)

And then of course there's the perennial "But what if you have to go shooooopiiiiiiing???"

[kms]

Not at my current job but the one before: "What, you're biking here? What are you, too poor to afford a car?"

And then there's the usual "what about the rain"? Other than in Dr.Vibrissae's case it rains a lot here, especially in late winter / early spring and fall, but I usually just point at my bought-used-on-eBay raingear and tell them there's no bad weather just bad clothing. And since we also get shitloads of snow in winter there's always the "isn't it too cold / too dangerous to drive in winter?"

In general people are fine with biking to work around here. Infact a lot of people do it, Europe is very different in that regard from the US. I actually prefer biking in winter because there are too many idiots on the bikeways in the summer.

[GuitarStv]

When we get a heavy snowfall and I commute in, people ask me "Are you crazy, it must take you hours to bike in with all that snow."

 . . . not realizing that it's significantly faster than driving since I can go around all the accidents . . .

[tfordon]

I've gotten pretty similar comments to everyone else.  Mostly overblown concerns over safety and weather.

"what do you do when it rains?"
I get wet.  Turns out, water isn't that bad.

I only started bike-commuting 10 months ago, so I can remember having the same overblown safety/weather concerns.  When a coworker says: "I wish they could commute, but <insert complainy-pants excuse>."  I try to acknowledge I used to be concerned about the same thing, but it isn't really that bad.

[jpo]

Middle of winter in NC, gets down to about freezing in the mornings.

"You're that guy who bikes in, right? How do you do it in the cold?"

"I wear clothes."

[mpbaker22]

The first time I biked-commute it was 97 degrees on the way home.  People at work were legitimately afraid for my life (despite the fact that I've previously talked about riding 30+ miles in 90+ degree heat for fun).  The woman behind me at work always asks me what if it's raining?  To which I pull my rain jacket out of my desk and say, I'll wear this.  I don't bike to work if it's raining, but a little water won't keep me from riding home.

[StarswirlTheMustached]

I find the worst is "I wish I could, but..."
and absolute seething anger when I tell them they can. What? I'm just pointing out that I'm not better than you!

When we get a heavy snowfall and I commute in, people ask me "Are you crazy, it must take you hours to bike in with all that snow."

 . . . not realizing that it's significantly faster than driving since I can go around all the accidents . . .

Hah! Yes! Though I'll admit, in the absolute worst heavy, wet, mucky snowpocalypse days I find it's often faster than either just to walk. Especially if you have snowshoes! Someone passed me on a pair of cross-country skies on one of those days, and lo did I have consumer envy. ("If you can do that, why not just take your snowmobile, then?" er. Yeah, about that... no consumer envy for one of those, thank you very much. )

[zinnie]

"Do you have the ride on the freeway?"

Two people at work have asked that question. Two. Some people here have a hard time imagining that there are non-freeway ways to get places. My MIL has asked my husband this twice, too, for some reason.

"Isn't it supposed to rain today?"

Yes, I might get a little wet. I probably won't melt...especially we rarely get real rain around here. It sprinkles briefly and that's it.

Most people are nice about it, though. They probably think I'm weird but they act interested and impressed. They do tell me to be careful a lot, though!

[mpbaker22]

"Do you have the ride on the freeway?"

I got this question to which I responded, "Yes, I rode 7 miles out of my way to take the freeway so I could go 20 miles instead of 13..."

[Russ]

"Isn't it supposed to rain today?"

This is my favorite question. I usually tell people one of:

I'm waterproof
I don't melt
It'll save me from taking a shower when I get home

then they either chuckle a little, or just look at me like I'm nuts for not minding a little water.

[GuitarStv]

When we get a heavy snowfall and I commute in, people ask me "Are you crazy, it must take you hours to bike in with all that snow."

 . . . not realizing that it's significantly faster than driving since I can go around all the accidents . . .

Hah! Yes! Though I'll admit, in the absolute worst heavy, wet, mucky snowpocalypse days I find it's often faster than either just to walk. Especially if you have snowshoes!

I'm not walking 10 miles to work in a snowstorm!  What, are you crazy?  :P

[rocketman48097]

I am 37.  It is by the grace of God that my parents were born in 1936 and 1940 as my upbringing in a suburban hole was QUITE different than most others where I lived.  You see, my parents ACTUALLY remember an America where walking and biking were the NORMAL ways to get around, and actually encouraged me to do so with very little supervision and a lot of trust, the right way in my opinion.  So instead of give in to the car where I live, I have started commuting by bike in a suburb of Nashville (other than Whole Foods next door, I never see a commuter bike around here, ever, though I do see recreational bikers since it's a wealthy area). 

My biggest irritation is the "wear a helmet" comment.  "Are you wearing a helmet now?"  No, and I don't plan to.  "Did you buy a helmet yet?"  Yes, and it sits in my garage, I don't like it.  Then I get a big lecture about so and so knew a friend of a friend who got injured on a bike.  It's ALWAYS A SUPER SILLY HIGH SPEED BIKE RACE.  ALWAYS.  I tell them I never bike at these speeds and it's silly to bike in a group like that.  These car drivers, almost all of them non bikers, always respond, "you should wear a helmet." 

I will make a deal with you overweight people, when you wear a helmet driving your car to work, I will wear a helmet when driving my bike to work, lol. 

[etselec]

"I wish I could, but it's just so far."

From two co-workers who both live roughly 2 miles from the office, totally flat terrain, with very nice buffered bike lanes running nearly the whole way. I ride nearly 5 miles each way, including a few big hills.

Funny enough, one of them has since started bike-commuting daily - but only after losing her transit pass near the beginning of the month. Apparently she didn't mind shelling out the first $80, but there was something psychological about shelling out an additional $80 that convinced her to try biking. By the end of the month, she was converted & now the second one is shopping for a bike.

[ace1224]

them: did you get a dui?

me: no

them: you can't fix your car until payday?

me: no

them: so why?

me: because i can

[Posthumane]

I don't commute very often to work since it's 38km (about 24mi) one way, and I'm lazy. But I did get a number of those types of comments when riding into the city for various things, including one guy asking me if I've gotten a DUI. Usually the only people who comment when I cycle to work are other people who I've bike with, and so they're generally positive comments, or a comment about whether there was a head or tail wind that day. A few people ask me how long it takes, and when I tell them about 90 min on a good day most will say something along the lines of "Oh, that's not bad, I thought it would be much longer." So I guess all in all I work in a pretty supportive place. I suppose it helps that they're mostly engineers/scientists/military working on army projects, so there's a selection bias there.

[Russ]

Oh here's another one I got a couple of times: "I saw you riding through that storm yesterday and thought about offering you a ride home, but didn't"

thanks I guess?

[rocketman48097]

Our 60 year old secretary here made a comment inferring that I of course wouldn't be doing this in the winter.  I quickly said I would be doing this year round, and biking in the summer in the South is much more challenging than our snow free winters.  Seriously, we don't get snow where I live, it's above freezing daily in the winter, in fact, driving a car here is quite easy in the winter, biking will be a breeze.  Will I be cold?  That's the beauty of a bicycle, I will only be cold until I start pedaling faster :)

[zinnie]

"Do you have the ride on the freeway?"

I got this question to which I responded, "Yes, I rode 7 miles out of my way to take the freeway so I could go 20 miles instead of 13..."

Nice!

"Isn't it supposed to rain today?"

This is my favorite question. I usually tell people one of:

I'm waterproof
I don't melt
It'll save me from taking a shower when I get home

then they either chuckle a little, or just look at me like I'm nuts for not minding a little water.

I'll have to try some of these :)

[Lans Holman]

"Don't ride your bike any faster than your angels can fly."

[kms]

Funny thing happened to me yesterday... I've injured my left knee two weeks ago and have been unable to bike to work since, which is why I was forced to take the scooter instead. Yesterday, one of my co-workers started making weird comments along the lines of me growing up and finally being sick of biking to work every day after so many years, ready to give up and get a car like normal people do (I kid you not...). I looked at him in utter disbelief, pointed at my crutches that I keep in the corner of my office because I'm still having trouble climbing up and down stairs, and asked him whether or not he noticed that I've been hobbling around the office and using these for the past two weeks. Yes, he did notice, but it never occured to him that there may be a link between these two incidents, me hobbling around on crutches and me not arriving by bike but scooter instead. For some reason his brain instantly jumped to the conclusion that obviously, I must finally be 'growing up' and getting a car like 'normal' people do. Man I wish I could cut open people's brains in situations like this and see what really going on on the inside.

Strictly speaking this is probably the craziest comment I've heard about NOT biking to work :)

[martynthewolf]

Funny thing happened to me yesterday... I've injured my left knee two weeks ago and have been unable to bike to work since, which is why I was forced to take the scooter instead. Yesterday, one of my co-workers started making weird comments along the lines of me growing up and finally being sick of biking to work every day after so many years, ready to give up and get a car like normal people do (I did you not...). I looked at him in utter disbelief, pointed at my crutches that I keep in the corner of my office because I'm still having trouble climbing up and down stairs, and asked him whether or not he noticed that I've been hobbling around the office and using these for the past two weeks. Yes, he did notice, but it never occured to him that there may be a link between these two incidents, me hobbling around on crutches and me not arriving by bike but scooter instead. For some reason his brain instantly jumped to the conclusion that obviously, I must finally be 'growing up' and getting a car like 'normal' people do. Man I wish I could cut open people's brains in situations like this and see what really going on on the inside.

Strictly speaking this is probably the craziest comment I've heard about NOT biking to work :)

Wow, what a patronising dick! I feel grateful for my working environment. I never really get snarky comments, if anything my biking has actually encouraged two other people to ditch the cars.

I do wish someone would say something ridiculous just so I could have a decent story to put in here :)

[kt]

Funny thing happened to me yesterday... I've injured my left knee two weeks ago and have been unable to bike to work since, which is why I was forced to take the scooter instead. Yesterday, one of my co-workers started making weird comments along the lines of me growing up and finally being sick of biking to work every day after so many years, ready to give up and get a car like normal people do (I kid you not...). I looked at him in utter disbelief, pointed at my crutches that I keep in the corner of my office because I'm still having trouble climbing up and down stairs, and asked him whether or not he noticed that I've been hobbling around the office and using these for the past two weeks. Yes, he did notice, but it never occured to him that there may be a link between these two incidents, me hobbling around on crutches and me not arriving by bike but scooter instead. For some reason his brain instantly jumped to the conclusion that obviously, I must finally be 'growing up' and getting a car like 'normal' people do. Man I wish I could cut open people's brains in situations like this and see what really going on on the inside.

Strictly speaking this is probably the craziest comment I've heard about NOT biking to work :)

there was a dreadful advert in the uk a few years ago warning against dangerous or drink driving. it had a pic of a kid's toy steering wheel and said 'without a license, you're just a kid again'. drove me insane! same idea, no car = not an adult

[dragoncar]

The craziest : I wish I could bike... followed by a bunch of complanypants reason why they could not. Which are not very good.

I wish I could... But I don't want to!

[afictor]

I have been biking to work more or less every day for about five years now, ever since moving to the city where I work. I live really close to my office, so my commute each way only takes appx. 12 minutes (I have it really easy).

I've never really had any outlandish comments made, most of the time when people mention it to me they are making positive remarks and admiring that I can bike to work. I get the usual stuff about the weather ("How do you manage to bike EVEN IN THE WINTER?"). I never understood the fear of biking in winter. In fact, I much prefer it to the heat and extreme humidity of the summer. I live on the east coast, and it doesn't even get THAT cold in the winter. Maybe a few days in the 20's, but the average temps are in the high 30's/40's. Ear muffs and a nice pair of gloves, as well as an insulating coat for the really cold days, go a long way to making the ride very, very comfortable if not enjoyable.

I guess the craziest thing said to me was when a co-worker was asking about my biking, and then went on to explain that he and his wife (who works at the same company, and in the same building) both drive to work in separate cars, paying separate monthly fees for the parking garage (about $200/month per person!!!!!!). They both live roughly the same distance from work that I do...in the city. Unreal.

[wing117]

I'm the only person in my department of 130+ that bikes to work. I've been doing it for going on 3 months now, and every day is a conversation about commuting, biking, cycling, etc... My CTO wants to bike, but doesn't have a 'safe path'. Another is 2 miles away and lives right off the same MUP I use and refuses to bike in! "I'd rather just drive. That's why I own a car."

I get asked about or told about the weather every day: It's so hot out! So humid! It's going to rain today! I hear a storm is rolling in - yeah, at 6pm!

Some people are in awe that I bike at all and are inspired, but not enough to join in. Some folks come check out my bike as they are event cyclists (5K charity cycles, etc...) but they don't bike outside of these events.

Lots of crazy stuff. Oh, and lets not forget that it costs each of the 130 employees $600/yr to park on site.

[galaxie]

My biggest irritation is the "wear a helmet" comment.  "Are you wearing a helmet now?"  No, and I don't plan to.  "Did you buy a helmet yet?"  Yes, and it sits in my garage, I don't like it.  Then I get a big lecture about so and so knew a friend of a friend who got injured on a bike.  It's ALWAYS A SUPER SILLY HIGH SPEED BIKE RACE.  ALWAYS.  I tell them I never bike at these speeds and it's silly to bike in a group like that.  These car drivers, almost all of them non bikers, always respond, "you should wear a helmet." 

I do wear a helmet.  A couple of weeks ago I was biking around on a slightly rainy day, and totally wiped out going around a turn because the rain had made it a little slippery.  I didn't get hurt very much (mostly just a very impressive bruise on my hip) but I hit my head pretty hard, and the helmet probably prevented a concussion/some blood & stuff.  This was my first bike wipeout in probably 20 years, and it was minor, but I was glad I had the helmet.

My co-workers are pretty supportive about biking to work, but they tell me to "have a safe ride" so often that it kind of primes me to worry about safety when I normally don't.  Kind of like the friend that is so insistent that you need someone to walk you home that you start to worry that bad guys are going to leap out of the bushes (after you finally convince him to let you walk home by yourself).

[rocketman48097]

I completely understand.  I live in the South, the capital of car clownery in the US, and bike unfriendliness.  Even worse, I live in the suburbs off a major freeway.   I am the only person in my entire six story building that drives a bike to work, the only one.  We also have bike lanes around here and sidewalks on both sides of every street, so it's not bad to bike in.  Yet people in my neighborhood that work in our suburb still drive their cars to work, about the same distance I do.  In fact, one in my neighborhood works in my building and says he can't do it because he "dresses up" for work.  This "dressing up" does not include a tie, though.   

[MichaelR]

In fact, one in my neighborhood works in my building and says he can't do it because he "dresses up" for work.  This "dressing up" does not include a tie, though.

Its all about overcoming our excuses isnt it? I used this one for a long time.

Now I leave my jacket and shoes at work and put my shirt and pants in my back pack. Carefully folded they dont get creased.

[Insanity]

Middle of winter in NC, gets down to about freezing in the mornings.

"You're that guy who bikes in, right? How do you do it in the cold?"

"I wear clothes."

that is awesome.

Wonder what the look would have been if you said: I do the polar bear club swim as well.

[ktsac]

I work in a building that houses around 175 office workers, with only two year-round bike commuters, myself being one of them.

The comment that irks me the most is when someone asks me how far I commute by bike.  I say "26 miles round trip."  They say "Oh, that's not so bad."

I always get caught off-guard when I get that response, and it's usually from someone that could benefit from  some time on a bike.

[Russ]

I work in a building that houses around 175 office workers, with only two year-round bike commuters, myself being one of them.

The comment that irks me the most is when someone asks me how far I commute by bike.  I say "26 miles round trip."  They say "Oh, that's not so bad."

I always get caught off-guard when I get that response, and it's usually from someone that could benefit from  some time on a bike.

Complementary to the "I can't do that because ______" excuse is the "I know I could do that, so I don't have to prove it to anyone (whether I actually can or not)". Kinda saying the same thing, but on the other end of the spectrum as far as self-confidence goes. It's actually pretty sneaky IMO; I catch myself saying the something similar every so often (in my head of course. I do my darnedest to not let it slip out).

[theSchmett]

Nobody hears positive comments?

Here goes:  All you bike commuters are fucking amazeballs.

Keep it up and stay safe!

Yours truly,

Transit Rider theSchmett

[avonlea]

I've heard only encouraging words, but I ride with kids.  Most people love to see mini-bikers out and about.  My husband gets the snarky comments occasionally but mostly positive feedback.

[rocketman48097]

I DO get some positive comments here and there, but they are mostly in awe and amazement, like I survived a carmageddon to get here, which I didn't.  I have bike lanes the entire route, which I skip some since I have a super easy shortcut through a no traffic subdivision, which I see other bikers in every morning, EXCEPT THEY ARE YOUNG CHILDREN.  I am taking some time off to let my plantar fasciitis heal, but I plan to let go of my car clownery right after this starts feeling better and it's safe to bike again.  I only have been driving one day and I already miss my bike.  I was such a zombie at work this morning, just totally out of it due to lack of exercise and resulting heartbeat. 

[Dr.Vibrissae]

Sure I get a lot of positive comments, but that's not what the OP asked :) It'd be kind of a boring thread anyways, there are only so many ways to say " You bike in? Good for you!"  Whereas snark and complainypants can be endlessly varietal.

[AJDZee]

Today was a big day. I rode my mike to work for the first time! (Since living at my condo... I used to bike to work occasionally in the last place I lived which was half the distance to my work)

It's about 45 minutes each way. I got some comments today, "wow you biked?? That's crazy!" (Meant in a good, endearing way)

I gotta say, I enjoy the bike ride home much more than to work in the morning haha

It was nice not to care what the traffic report said, but I must admit I am a bit worried about being hit by these cars zooming past a foot away from me. A lot of the bike ride has a trail, just about 15 minutes is on busy streets... It just takes one driver trying to send that text and drift a bit at the wrong time...

[Christof]

I am a bit worried about being hit by these cars zooming past a foot away from me. A lot of the bike ride has a trail, just about 15 minutes is on busy streets...

Do not drive so far on the right side of a lane so that cars can pass you while staying in their lane. You have to ride so far left that the driver has to consciously switch lanes to pass.

If your bike has a pannier rack you could also put a thin stick on there that is a bit longer than you and your bike are wide. The stick should now be the widest part of your bike standing over left and right. Then add a small red flag to either end to the stick, just like you would do in a car when you carry very long goods. Doesn't look cool, but makes car drivers to pay a bit more attention and they would hit the stick before hitting you.

[Nudelkopf]

My biggest irritation is the "wear a helmet" comment.  "Are you wearing a helmet now?"  No, and I don't plan to.  "Did you buy a helmet yet?"  Yes, and it sits in my garage, I don't like it.  Then I get a big lecture about so and so knew a friend of a friend who got injured on a bike.  It's ALWAYS A SUPER SILLY HIGH SPEED BIKE RACE.  ALWAYS.  I tell them I never bike at these speeds and it's silly to bike in a group like that.  These car drivers, almost all of them non bikers, always respond, "you should wear a helmet."

It's the law in Australia.. $110 on-the-spot fine for not wearing a helmet. I guess because I've always worn one since a kid, I feel quite naked without it.

A [large] lady at work exclaimed, after I told her I only ride 5km to work.. "Only 5km!! I'd die" (3 miles). Hehe. Maybe that's why she's so large.

[Micheal]

I don't commute by bike currently but I do walk most nights.  When I lived in another town, my work was 6.5 miles away from my house, I walked in 7 days a week, rain, snow, (I would duck undercover for hail though till it passed).  When co-workers found out that I actually enjoyed walking 13 miles a day I would get all the questions "what if you get wet" Id show them my bag of bags with extra clothes in it.  "What if it's really hot?".  Water bottle.  "Aren't you sore?" Id just shake my head.  "is it safe?" was the most common question, Id remind them I've been doing it for 5-6 years so yes for me at least.  For the complete picture I am 300 lbs, have been since 5 years after I got out of the army, so the assumption is I'm out of shape.  I let it roll off my back and use it to emphasize my commitment to my job.  My new boss here knew I was having car trouble so he hesitated to ask me to come in to work one night because it was raining and was genuinely surprised when I said Ill be there in 15 mins, it's only a short walk.  It's like people forgot that feet are for more than pushing down an accelerator.

[GuitarStv]

I am a bit worried about being hit by these cars zooming past a foot away from me. A lot of the bike ride has a trail, just about 15 minutes is on busy streets...

Do not drive so far on the right side of a lane so that cars can pass you while staying in their lane. You have to ride so far left that the driver has to consciously switch lanes to pass.

If your bike has a pannier rack you could also put a thin stick on there that is a bit longer than you and your bike are wide. The stick should now be the widest part of your bike standing over left and right. Then add a small red flag to either end to the stick, just like you would do in a car when you carry very long goods. Doesn't look cool, but makes car drivers to pay a bit more attention and they would hit the stick before hitting you.

The stick idea is good advice!

I used to have a large green, three foot wide bucket tied to the top of my rear rack on my mountain bike.  The first day that I went riding with that on the bike I remember being amazed how much space people were giving me.

[AJDZee]

I am a bit worried about being hit by these cars zooming past a foot away from me. A lot of the bike ride has a trail, just about 15 minutes is on busy streets...

Do not drive so far on the right side of a lane so that cars can pass you while staying in their lane. You have to ride so far left that the driver has to consciously switch lanes to pass.

If your bike has a pannier rack you could also put a thin stick on there that is a bit longer than you and your bike are wide. The stick should now be the widest part of your bike standing over left and right. Then add a small red flag to either end to the stick, just like you would do in a car when you carry very long goods. Doesn't look cool, but makes car drivers to pay a bit more attention and they would hit the stick before hitting you.

The stick idea is good advice!

I used to have a large green, three foot wide bucket tied to the top of my rear rack on my mountain bike.  The first day that I went riding with that on the bike I remember being amazed how much space people were giving me.

Great advice, guys!

[avonlea]

Today was a big day. I rode my mike to work for the first time!

Way to go, AJDZee!