I, Anonymous

Comments

Is that an actual photo of you? Is your right arm that long? In any case, the guy should be lucky you didn't smash his window... what's a little air between friends. War on Cars? Hardly... war on everyone else BY CARS in Seattle...

gogetemtiger on June 24, 2015 at 8:15 AM

Tech tip: Cars usually have a spare tire, so a single flat is an inconvenience - but a readily fixable one. Two or more flats presents a more frustrating and costly situation. Deploy this tactic sparingly.

ctmcmull on June 24, 2015 at 8:51 AM

Congrats, I think you did the RIGHT thing!

woofy on June 24, 2015 at 3:18 PM

Can I buy you a beer? You did alright. They were an unrepentant asshole and had it coming. That you don't make a lifestyle out of this further suggests that you chose the moment wisely. The only issue is potential safety if they drive off not knowing one tire is flat. Next time shove some durian pulp, dog shit, limburger cheese into their cabin air intake (below the windshield on most cars.

sasha on June 24, 2015 at 4:00 PM

I'm pretty sure this the same Eastlake schmuck who insisted I take out my earbuds so they could tell me how much I frightened them while passing on the left on my own bicycle. Biking's not for you. Take the bus.

shredhead on June 24, 2015 at 4:22 PM

On behalf of all cyclists in Seattle - THANK YOU, ANON!

bioavailable on June 24, 2015 at 4:24 PM

Why, oh why, wasn't this one headlined as "Deflater Mouth"?

Oh, and by the way, you done good. Stop guilting yourself.

avast2006 on June 24, 2015 at 9:17 PM

No need to apologize. The creep you deflated had it coming. They were totally in the wrong at every step.

AlaskanbutnotSeanParnell on June 24, 2015 at 10:08 PM

Whatever....another passive aggressive pussy. Why not confront him straight up? I doubt you let the air out when he was around to see it. But, boy, you sure showed him (and everyone reading this) your PA pussiness in all its glory. Congrats?

EonBlueApocalypse on June 25, 2015 at 9:47 AM

LPT: a small pebble placed in the valve stem cap, then screwed on, allows for efficient tire deflation without you having to hang around; additionally, you can do this on multiple tires at the same time, if your target is truly an asshole.

Looking For a Better Read on June 25, 2015 at 1:00 PM

@9- Did you read the article? IA DID confront the A-hole driver. I (and everyone else who ride) get this crap from drivers all the time. Calling them out out on it is totally appropriate, and takes some balls. Well done.

dvs99 on June 26, 2015 at 1:07 AM

#11 Sure, he called him out initially, but the follow-through was way weak. Sorry, but letting someone's air out after they've left is a passive aggressive pussy move. See it through the whole way or don't write checks you can't cash and just call 911.

EonBlueApocalypse on June 26, 2015 at 9:00 AM

I am completely confident that absolutely everything stated in this anonymous and self-righteous letter to a similarly-minded publication was utterly objective and conveyed without bias.

Knat on June 26, 2015 at 9:17 PM

Yet another entitled Seattle Bicycle douche bag. I'm sure he followed up by cracking a PBR.

Arthur Zifferelli on June 27, 2015 at 12:35 PM

Shredhead, you nailed it! I was pregnant and hormonal and shouldn't have been riding. I'm sorry I was an asshole to you. Thanks for the support, everyone. Let's all stay safe and respectful out there.

leg of the meg on June 28, 2015 at 12:36 PM

@12 I don;t think you know what passive aggressive means. Your understanding of the term is like, way weak bro.

estabien on June 29, 2015 at 6:45 AM

I understand the regret of being dragged down to the driver's level. I think it's good to take some action though, however passive-aggressive it was. So don't sweat it, but I could see not making a hobby of it or else you might spiral downhill.

HW3 on June 29, 2015 at 1:04 PM

@7 - The title references a German opera called Die Fledermaus (pronounced roughly like deflator-mouse).

CQ1 on June 29, 2015 at 1:11 PM

Hell, if you're going to make the effort to feel sorry about it and go to the trouble to write an apology, at least let the air out of ALL the tires. If you're going to apologize, do something worth apologizing FOR. One tire? Pffft.

Cordwainer on June 29, 2015 at 1:22 PM

What would've really been awesome is if that driver didn't notice the deflated tire and then got into an accident. Then your near-accident may have caused a real accident and, if we were all lucky, maybe even harmed an innocent bystander! Job well done, biker!

The driver was a horrible dick and deserves ridicule, shame, and probably an ass kicking. At a minimum, a ticket. Confronting the driver for being a dick? Awesome. But making a car less safe? That's also being a dick since they're sort of dangerous when the driver has even less control (which is what happens when you have a deflated tire).

herpaderpa on June 29, 2015 at 1:48 PM

@21 - Did you not read the article? The cyclist did apologize and acknowledge that they made the wrong choice.

Also, if a driver can't notice they have a flat tire prior to gaining enough speed for the tire to have an adverse effect on safety, they aren't fit to drive anyway.

jjak on June 29, 2015 at 2:46 PM

@22, Just make sure you deflate a tire on the Driver's side?

Sandiai on June 29, 2015 at 2:57 PM

Next time take a picture of the plate and dial 911. Even attempted vehicular assault is a serious crime. The driver may harass you, but he won't harass the cops who have come to his door to cuff and stuff him.

libertine on June 29, 2015 at 2:58 PM

You a criminal guilty of sabotage, life endangerment (what I he needed the car to get to the hospital or some other crisis) - but you are little self-absorbed cyclist who is too self-absorbed to think of such possibilities. But at least you regret it and are apologetic. That's good.

raindrop on June 29, 2015 at 3:07 PM

People needing to get to the hospital tend to also dial 911, especially if it is dire enough to endanger their lives.

libertine on June 29, 2015 at 3:11 PM

My hero.

DOUG. on June 29, 2015 at 3:36 PM

I use a knife - much more crippling to the owner's wallet. And I do not drink PBR.

Achaiwoi on June 29, 2015 at 3:41 PM

I don't think cyclists should be allowed to make left turns anyway. It always causes backups and confusion. Better to pedal to the next intersection, then walk your bike across the street, and then continue.

raindrop on June 29, 2015 at 3:46 PM

@28:

That would probably constitute some form of vandalism that would most likely be covered under the driver's insurance, so, depending on their deductible, they might not pay that much out-of-pocket.. And of course, the carrier just jacks up everyone else's premium to cover their expenditure, so we all lose a bit in the end.

Not that I'm condoning the AP's actions, but deflating at the valve-stem is rather more benign method since it doesn't do any real damage to the tire itself. And FWIW, this is an excellent reason for carrying either a can of instant tire inflator or a $20.00 emergency pump that plugs into your 12-volt receptacle.

COMTE on June 29, 2015 at 3:59 PM

I did this once many, many, years ago. As I waited for the dude to return to his Suzuki Samurai so I could go "Ah-HAH! Got-chu mother fucker!" it... uh... turned out I got the wrong car and it was this nice lady with her kid. So I had to painfully pretend I was just some nice do-gooder (which was creepy in itself) and helped her change her tire... and she insisted she give me ten dollars for the help. Which I immediately gave to a homeless dude. Who then told me he saw the whole thing. Jesus.

tkc on June 29, 2015 at 4:00 PM

Should have busted out his windows with your Kryptonite lock. A more diabolical trick, if it's a tall truck or SUV is to unscrew his oil drain plug down to the last thread.

TheBadSeed131313 on June 29, 2015 at 4:18 PM

Gee, I'll have to remember some of the asshat trickery next time some idiot cyclist nearly hits me and knocks me flat in a crosswalk. Didn't know it was so cool to take revenge! Since I'm just a novice to this type of payback, what do you think? knife to the tires? wire snips to a few spokes? or just big ole dog turd to the seat?

hmmm...I need advice, but I'll feel might guilty about it, I promise!

Painless on June 29, 2015 at 4:34 PM

Ha ha! Bikes win again!

Gurldoggie on June 29, 2015 at 4:39 PM

@22 The driver already proved he wasn't fit to drive. This guy deserved everything the cyclist could give him EXCEPT disabling the car's control functions by cowardly vandalism. No wonder it's bothered his conscious.

Jim Detwiler on June 29, 2015 at 4:46 PM

@29 You have a profound misunderstanding of what it is to ride a bike in traffic. But commenting on things you have 100% ignorance of is your specialty.

Some Old Nobodaddy Logged In on June 29, 2015 at 5:27 PM

@29 - cars making left-hand turns also cause backups, therefore they shouldn't be allowed either. Better to drive a block past where you want to turn left and instead make three right-hand turns around the block? Fair is fair.

SuperSteve on June 29, 2015 at 5:40 PM

@38: Actually, at my age I do that fairly often.

raindrop on June 29, 2015 at 5:53 PM

@39 I hope u tell all drivers this same thing. And I'm sure that's how u have always gone left, not just at your current age. I'm also sure everyone drives with as much care for the lives of cyclists as you. Silly cyclists when they complain-- what could possibly be so wrong that they're always complaining about their lives being in danger. It's not like a cyclist has ever died on the roads.

PistolAnnie on June 29, 2015 at 6:13 PM

General road awareness is a spoon full of medicine to be shared all around the spectrum. Drivers need to be more aware of bikers & bikers need to take their own safety seriously. While this narrator presented themselves as a responsible biker, often times in Seattle this is NOT the case. I can't imagine what it would be like to accidentally hit a biker with my car, but often times both parties share blame. Moving forward, I hope the driver learned a lesson from the confrontation and will contain their frustration with stop lights, but also I hope all bikers commenting on this IA story will continue to use sound judgement when engaging with traffic.

alafyre on June 29, 2015 at 6:31 PM

28:

Oh, bullshit. And what will your dearest Sydney think of your property destruction? Or is the tough-guy act your new plan to woo her?

Yo. on June 29, 2015 at 8:27 PM

Disabling safety features on heavy machinery is a really fucking shitty thing to do. Those who claim, "well they should have figured it out" aren't helping - what if they don't?

I get that the driver was a shithead, but this is the sort of thing that gets people hurt or killed. Fuck off.

Solk512 on June 30, 2015 at 6:11 AM

Oh come on, it was funny (@28), right?

Does anyone else get the feeling that I Anon recycles the same three subjects over and over? Up tomorrow: Another rant at a douchebag UBER driver!

Emma.B.Ovary on July 23, 2015 at 12:38 PM

I, Anonymous

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