diff --git a/lib/capybara/server.rb b/lib/capybara/server.rb
index a26487e2..e5182e50 100644
--- a/lib/capybara/server.rb
+++ b/lib/capybara/server.rb
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ module Capybara
     end
 
     def responsive?
-      return false if server_thread && server_thread.join(0)
+      return false if @server_thread && @server_thread.join(0)
 
       res = Net::HTTP.start(host, @port) { |http| http.get('/__identify__') }
 
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ module Capybara
           Capybara.server.call(@middleware, @port)
         end
 
-        Timeout.timeout(60) { server_thread.join(0.1) until responsive? }
+        Timeout.timeout(60) { @server_thread.join(0.1) until responsive? }
       end
     rescue Timeout::Error
       raise "Rack application timed out during boot"
@@ -84,8 +84,6 @@ module Capybara
 
   private
 
-    attr_reader :server_thread
-
     def find_available_port
       server = TCPServer.new('127.0.0.1', 0)
       server.addr[1]
diff --git a/spec/server_spec.rb b/spec/server_spec.rb
index f533dea1..13e4124a 100644
--- a/spec/server_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/server_spec.rb
@@ -99,52 +99,10 @@ describe Capybara::Server do
     end
   end
 
-  context "#responsive?" do
-    let(:app) { lambda { [200, {}, ['hello']] } }
-    let(:server_thread) { stub('Server Thread', :join => false) }
-    let(:subject) {
-      Capybara::Server.new(app).tap do |server|
-        server.stub!(:server_thread => server_thread)
-      end
-    }
-
-    let(:http_response) {
-      stub('HTTP Response', :is_a? => false)
-    }
-
-    before(:each) do
-      Net::HTTP.stub!(:start => http_response)
-    end
-
-    it "returns false if the server thread is present but no longer running" do
-      server_thread.should_receive(:join).with(0).and_return(true)
-      expect(subject.responsive?).to eq false
-    end
-
-    shared_examples_for "it receives an HTTP response" do |response_class|
-      context "when the Net::HTTP response is #{response_class}" do
-        before(:each) do
-          http_response.should_receive(:is_a?).with(response_class).and_return(true)
-        end
-
-        it "returns true when the Net::HTTP response body is equal to the application's #object_id" do
-          http_response.stub!(:body => app.object_id.to_s)
-          expect(subject.responsive?).to eq true
-        end
-
-        it "returns false when the Net::HTTP response body is not equal to the application's #object_id" do
-          http_response.stub!(:body => "Incorrect")
-          expect(subject.responsive?).to eq false
-        end
-      end
-    end
-
-    it_behaves_like "it receives an HTTP response", Net::HTTPSuccess
-    it_behaves_like "it receives an HTTP response", Net::HTTPRedirection
-
-    it "returns false when the Net::HTTP calls raise a SystemCallError" do
-      Net::HTTP.should_receive(:start).and_raise(SystemCallError.allocate)
-      expect(subject.responsive?).to eq false
-    end
+  it "is not #responsive? when Net::HTTP raises a SystemCallError" do
+    app = lambda { [200, {}, ['Hello, world']] }
+    server = Capybara::Server.new(app)
+    Net::HTTP.should_receive(:start).and_raise(SystemCallError.allocate)
+    expect(server.responsive?).to eq false
   end
 end