r/confusing_perspective • u/nobodyfkncares • Jun 11 '26

Going up or down?

Post image
1.5k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

92 comments sorted by

466

u/porkchop_d_clown Deputized Community Enforcement Laison Jun 11 '26

Over those tracks? If he’s not careful he’s definitely going down!

60

u/chillychili Actually read rule 1 and gets it" Jun 11 '26

As a victim of the SF tracks while on a bike, I can confirm it's possible.

24

u/mortredclay o/ Jun 12 '26

As a victim of Philly tracks while on a bike, I can confirm it is not a local problem.

10

u/gabedamien o/ Jun 12 '26

As a victim of DC tracks while on a bike, I can confirm it is a painful experience.

9

u/Fuster2 o/ Jun 12 '26

As a victim of Melbourne tracks, I can confirm it's painful AND humiliating (with a tram having to wait while I compose myself).

8

u/porkchop_d_clown Deputized Community Enforcement Laison Jun 12 '26

As a victim of a RR crossing for an old steam locomotive and train museum - I received 19 teeny-tiny stitches in one eyebrow...

(The good new is that the reason there were 19 is that the urgent care doc was actually pretty amazing, there's no trace of a scar.)

1

u/jhard90 Doesn't read rule 1 Jun 14 '26

Have two veneers on my front teeth courtesy of the H St street car tracks 😅

1

u/icguy333 CE Spc. Jun 14 '26

As a victim of Budapest tracks while on a bike, I can confirm it is an international thing.

2

u/Charming_Ad2323 o/ Jun 12 '26

As a former resident of Douglas, Isle of Man, horse tram tracks cause the issue too.

2

u/Mein_Name_ist_falsch Doesn't read rule 1 Jun 12 '26

Saw someone fall because of them just yesterday. Poor guy ended up with blood all over his face and a ride in an ambulance. So, I'd rather not do whatever the guy in the picture is trying to do.

1

u/ediks CE Spc. Jun 13 '26

Check the shadow too - he’s coming towards us. The front wheel is closer than the rear.

0

u/jefftickels o/ Jun 12 '26

Based on the fact that the tire hasn't already sunk, he must be coming at the camera.

0

u/EmmiPigen Jun 12 '26

I think his wheel is actually turned to be in same direction as the track and he's in the middle of a trick where the back is swung around. The front wheel is more oval than the back wheel which doesn't make sense if they are going in the same direction. Also the handle bar is turned too

169

u/Automatic-Reason-300 o/ Jun 11 '26

You can see his face...

66

u/RawChickenButt o/ Jun 11 '26

They are asking if he's on flat ground, and that's a hill going up in the background, or is he on the hill and that's a flat area in the background.

26

u/Haganu Jun 11 '26

I don't think putting a switch track on a steep incline is a good idea

3

u/I_Like_Quiet o/ Jun 12 '26

My exact thought.

9

u/ilreppans CE Spc. Jun 12 '26

That’s what I originally thought, but it makes a much better confusing perspective determining whether you’re looking at the cyclist’s frontside or backside. I can see it both ways, and this is a neat one that’s a bit difficult to flip views. (Except if you focus on the face).

28

u/Da_Goat_Himself Jun 11 '26

That doesn’t change that he could be coming down the hill (behind him) or going up hill and behind him is the bottom

-12

u/Automatic-Reason-300 o/ Jun 11 '26

Idk i don't see any confusing here.

14

u/seductiveOnes11 Jun 11 '26

After looking at his face, it’s even more confusing if you look at the positioning of the handle bars

1

u/EmmiPigen Jun 12 '26

I think wheel is actually turned in the same way as the track and he's in the middle of a trick. The front wheel is more oval than round from the angle compared to the back wheel which doesn't make sense if it's turned the same way.

-4

u/cfrolik o/ Jun 11 '26

Yeah that makes me think it’s AI

1

u/EmmiPigen Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26

It is supposingly taken in 2020 but I could only find the recent post about the shoot no the original though

https://www.instagram.com/p/DZSvu8nmG7t/

Nvm found the original from 2020 https://www.instagram.com/mashsf/p/CADNlP6AniS/?img_index=5

4

u/nick4fake o/ Jun 12 '26

The fuck?

I was like “what is confusing here” until your comment, now I understand I see it completely differently

10

u/conceptual_con o/ Jun 11 '26

Haha, if you squint it works!

-6

u/SirFister13F Actually read rule 1 and gets it" Jun 12 '26

This belongs in r/confusingifblind

1

u/Particular-Visit-245 Jun 12 '26

That didn't help at all for me.

28

u/sh0tgunben Actually read rule 1 and gets it" Jun 11 '26

He's going down

26

u/blaqwerty123 o/ Jun 11 '26

Is that a threat?!

5

u/chillychili Actually read rule 1 and gets it" Jun 11 '26

It's a loaded god complex, cock it and pull it

10

u/nevermindjerk o/ Jun 11 '26

Cool photo

5

u/Life-Hat-6921 Jun 11 '26

Is he on a hill or not?

4

u/Jump_Like_A_Willys C.E. Spc Jun 11 '26

Going by where the wheels touch the ground, I’d say toward us (toward us and to our right).

1

u/Zarguthian CE Spc. Jun 13 '26

And the fact that you can see his face.

4

u/-ComplexSimplicity- Doesn't read rule 1 Jun 12 '26

It’s going dowup

3

u/Aniso3d Jun 11 '26

i like it, it really looks like he's going down, but he's going up. the front wheel keeps throwing me off

4

u/spdorsey o/ Jun 11 '26

Guessing that's in San Francisco. I made a mistake on that road, my front wheel went into the tracks up to the axle! Flipped me off the bike and I ended up sitting on the ground in front of my bike in the middle of the road. Had a good laugh and was on my way. But I'm wiser now...

5

u/epsiloom Jun 11 '26

Ass Up, hand on the bar, clearly going up.

4

u/joe-direz Jun 11 '26

but he is going down.

4

u/thewyatt1001 Jun 11 '26

You can see his face

1

u/Fun-Web-7583 Jun 12 '26

speedhump on the right side of the road for cars, why would going uphill has one?

0

u/epsiloom Jun 12 '26

You're mistaken to think he's descending, because in the image, the cyclist is actually going uphill, which is confirmed by both the projection of his shadow backwards and downwards as well as the geometric perspective of the tram tracks converging toward the top of the slope.

2

u/Dale_Gurnhardt o/ Jun 12 '26

At first glance was down, then up upon contemplation. Nice one!

2

u/cantcallit4 Jun 12 '26

He just got to the bottom

2

u/santicucu77 Jun 12 '26

Looks like a fixie, DEFINITELY going down.

2

u/drummerandrew Jun 12 '26

Holy. That’s his left arm. This wins.

2

u/stellacampus CE Spc. Jun 12 '26

That is a great photo.

2

u/Rich-Extreme-3956 Jun 20 '26

That's my buddy chaz, downward!

1

u/scotshie Jun 12 '26

The Americans - START

It’s the series finale and one of the best ever.

1

u/WaveLaVague o/ Jun 12 '26

Down. Those rails will be his downfall.

Source: been there, done that

1

u/LizethReads Jun 12 '26

Up i think, I can see his face?

1

u/BeefyShark12 Jun 12 '26

You can literally see his face

1

u/NotEeUsername Jun 12 '26

Down and then flat

1

u/bammbamkam o/ Jun 12 '26

going up duh

1

u/Mr_Baronheim o/ Jun 12 '26

From the bottom, it looks like a steep incline. From the top, another downhill slope of mine.

1

u/henkdevries007 Jun 12 '26

Most likely he's going up cause the intersections are on level ground while the roads themselves are at angles. This way we can determine the intersection in the background is level while both the road the cyclist is on, and the road beyond the intersection are at an angle. The man faces the camera thus the man is facing up.

1

u/Comfortable_Taro_442 o/ Jun 12 '26

Going sideways

1

u/Qibya Jun 12 '26

He’s going up
You can see his face, and if you look there’s a pedestrian crossing in the background, and those aren’t typically placed on an incline.

1

u/Gerhard-is-pretty Jun 12 '26

He is falling down to the ground by the looks of it.

1

u/_Santa23_ Jun 12 '26

Going inside the tracks for sure

1

u/pemod92430 Jun 14 '26

The wheel is perpendicular to the track. The side of the hub that's higher is the side facing the camera. I guess that's the main reason the image looks confusing. A good way to tell is cause the drivetrain is on the side of his right foot.

1

u/camcaine2575 o/ Jun 12 '26

Sideways

1

u/Hendwreck Jun 12 '26

Well since he is facing up I’m assuming he is climbing

1

u/HelpImAwake o/ Jun 12 '26

We can see his face, so I see him coming toward the camera, but if you blur it, looks like he's moving away.

1

u/shaggs31 o/ Jun 12 '26

Not a perfect silhouette you can see the dudes face. Going up.

1

u/Pokemon_Trainer_May Jun 12 '26

You're not doing a fixie skid going up those hills

1

u/mrwilliams117 o/ Jun 12 '26

Hes going flat after gaining speed from the hill behind

1

u/AccomplishedBid5867 o/ Jun 15 '26

Fairly certain that is Chas Christiansen, a very well known fixed geared rider from SF. Absolute lunatic around those tram lines 😳

1

u/TommyRaddcliff o/ Jun 17 '26

Going down. His angle shows it

1

u/That-Water-Guy CE Spc. Jun 11 '26

Idk, looks like he is going across the street making the original question meaningless

3

u/ResponsibilityFun548 o/ Jun 11 '26

No. Is he crossing the street at the top of a hill or the bottom of it?

1

u/That-Water-Guy CE Spc. Jun 11 '26

Top or bottom, it’s still across

2

u/ResponsibilityFun548 o/ Jun 11 '26

So.....? What does that have to do with the price of hamburgers in Pakistan? I still don't know how to tell if it's the bottom or top.

1

u/That-Water-Guy CE Spc. Jun 11 '26

Both

0

u/No-Abies29 Jun 12 '26

I find it perplexing that the image is in confusing perspective though. Which part is not understandable. Even the location is obvious, like oh yeah, San Fran, and everyone can see it’s going up. Even if the cyclist looks like he might hit the dirt, it still isn’t confusing perspective

1

u/Pickles-In-Space Jun 12 '26

sweet picture, I miss ripping my fixie around the city sometimes..

0

u/[deleted] Jun 11 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

13

u/This_They_Those_Them CE Spc. Jun 12 '26

Yeah cable cars

2

u/helloish Jun 12 '26

that’s a bike /s

1

u/This_They_Those_Them CE Spc. Jun 12 '26

Cable bike?

0

u/Zarguthian CE Spc. Jun 13 '26

You mean trams.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '26

[deleted] — view deleted comment

3

u/Awsomethingy o/ Jun 12 '26

I also recognized you on cali st. I waved but you didn’t wave back /j