The Lounge of Terrestrial Wheelmen

[M4FFU]

I've got basic Deore stuff that is not amazing.

XT: http://cycle.shimano-eu.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/nl/index/components/mountain/deore_xt.html

Could do with a new fork, too, as my Rock Shox Tora fork isn't exactly cutting edge.

Or, get a 105 specc'd road bike and keep MTB as is.

[Tom Servo]

I was seriously looking at a Giant Defy and still think that maybe I should have gotten that over the LHT, though I'm pretty sure I've carried enough cargo on occasion that it would have resulted in badness with the Defy. Seemed like a good road bike that had enough little compromises to make it a useful daily commuter as well. My only complaint was that I felt like it was slightly too pricey for what you got, I wanted at least a Tiagra equipped one and didn't feel like paying $1,100 for it. It's telling that I could barely find any being sold used, though, pretty sure the people who buy them end up really liking them and not getting rid of them.

[Yw-slayer]

I meant what is the bike frame/spec orverall?

Basic Deore is fine, actually. XT is nice, but SLX is the sweet spot IMO.

If you want to go fast on the road, get a road bike. Upgrade the MTB if you're going to go off-road.

Me, I'm going to try and sell my Remedy, in order to buy another Remedy in a proper size and with a good spec - thinking the 9.8/650b but with X01 and a Rockshox Pike. YEAAAHHHH

[overpowered]

In Florida, even the police hit and run:

Witnesses: Orlando police car hit bicyclist, then drove off (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-bicycle-crash-orlando-police-car-20140429,0,1639300.story)

[Cam]

All kinds of WTFs this week. :smh:

[G'day Mate]

You guys wouldn't believe the crap going on in Adelaide at the moment over a new bike boulevard.

[George]

Crocs and snakes lining up for breakfast?

[overpowered]

You guys wouldn't believe the crap going on in Adelaide at the moment over a new bike boulevard.I would.

[SportWagon]

Well, we won't unless he tells us about it!!!

[thesameguy]

I am totally going to put this here:

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?id=9517326

Enjoy.

[overpowered]

Random posted it on the previous page and I posted a follow up:


Remember that "road rage CEO" who beat up that driver?

The story isn't quite so simple as many thought at first:

Bike vs car: The rest of the story (http://www.cyclelicio.us/2014/mill-valley-bicycle-road-rage-arrest/)

[overpowered]

So a Montreal city official harasses a bicyclist telling him to get on the sidewalk.

http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/montreal/201404/30/01-4762242-un-cycliste-sermonne-par-un-employe-de-la-ville.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_vous_suggere_476163 3_article_POS2

The mayor responds that this is unacceptable, siding with the bicyclist.

Montreal > Toronto

[Tom Servo]

Wish I'd gotten the same response from our city officials.

We're headed out to Arizona this weekend for our anniversary. Wife just said "Ya know, we should really bring the bikes - we don't want to get there and think 'it'd be awesome to ride here!' and not have them."

Just bragging about my wife. Carry on.

[overpowered]

A TROUBLING CASE IN KENTUCKY (http://www.ohiobikelawyer.com/bike-law-101/2014/05/a-troubling-case-in-kentucky/)

[Yw-slayer]

Yeah, when we are going on holiday, mine usually goes "Camera, bike, child. Choose two."

[SportWagon]

You guys wouldn't believe the crap going on in Adelaide at the moment over a new bike boulevard.
I tried looking for links, and found a report on the plans, but not really the crap.

So, I was thinking about it, and towns where I have lived, and that's really the principal I have used in constructing my normal routes, except that the streets which had those characteristics weren't explicitly marked as "bicycle boulevards".

I grew up in Fort William, Ontario, and then Thunder Bay, Ontario. The streets were an old grid pattern, and by picking parallel roads, and taking stop signs and lights into consideration, you could get reasonable speed but avoid cars. An old town with lots of single-family dwellings, it at that time (early 1970's) didn't in practice have a lot of on-street parking.

In Waterloo, where I now live, a road not far from our house parallels the main drag, but is less straight, and marked with lower speed limits. It's still most-of-the-time reasonably pleasant for getting from one place to another, starting in the south end of the town. And then, at one point, there's a slow road which crosses the main drag (though with a very slow traffic light), taking you to a similar street, actually wider and straighter, but lightly travelled and rarely parked up, which takes you to the north, where you get to modern suburban developments with roads that tend to take you through them, if you know your way around.

It would seem to me that marking those roads of which I speak as "bicycle boulevards" would do more harm than good. But somehow the city planning(?) has made them effectively such.

[G'day Mate]

The fuss is all the NIMBYS and BANANAS up to their usual tricks, plus the whole car-centric group-think and confirmation bias that always gets thrown around. I can't find this one video that an idiot radio presenter made - clearly he's never looked both ways before crossing the road.

[edit] Aha! Here he is! It's complete nonsense


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtjF0df3N-w

And, of course, the next mayoral (is that a word?) candidate is promising to tear it all out in November if he is elected.

I've been going out of my way to use it to show some kind of support.

[M4FFU]

Brilliant. Try living in a country where space is not so much a luxury. Even with the 'reduced' width of ^^ that road, that's still plentiful in terms of what I've got it my local town.

[Tom Servo]

We're having a big fight to get the first real cycletrack installed here in LA. There's a big push to build something called "My Figueroa", which is a plan to take a lane away in either direction on Figueroa between USC and downtown (convert from a three-lane-each-way route to two-lane-each-way) and add a separated cycletrack and wider sidewalks. It's been approved by the city, the budget has been allocated, and it was greenlit. The local car dealership, USC, and even the local museums opposed it, which has led the city councilman, Gil Cedillo, to repeatedly try to block it.

Eventually, USC and the museums dropped their objections, but the car dealership kept fighting. To their credit, they said that if there was enough support from the local residents, they would drop their appeal and they did just that a day or two ago. That didn't stop Gil Cedillo from coming back asking that they just put sharrows in rather than do it. Our mayor is pushing to have this turned into one of his first "great streets", and still this city councilman doesn't want it to happen, despite overwhelming support from his constituents and the local businesses dropping their objections.

When I ride with my wife there's one section I ride on Fountain Ave. between Sweetzer and La Brea that's sharrowed. It's one of the worst parts of my commute due to impatient drivers. I sent an email to Gil Cedillo's office inviting him to ride along with us there to see if he considers sharrows to be good enough. I have not gotten a response.

[Yw-slayer]

Country where space is a luxury? I win, hands down.

[FaultyMario]

Matt, Deore's fine unless you are H4RDC0R5!

[overpowered]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb3iLnEalS8

[overpowered]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8TsUZhH4oU

[overpowered]

http://drunkcyclist.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/tumblr_n4l3248pCY1swtjjuo1_400.gif

http://drunkcyclist.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/tumblr_n4y49ffM641swtjjuo1_400.gif

[George]

^ gotta love the performance enhancing substances above.

Rode the Allez this afternoon for an hour and a half. Don't know how far that was but it was very fun. The bike is light, fast, and comfortable.

Also, I finally bought one of the new (to me) breathable polyester shirts, but I didn't spend $25 or so as the sporting goods stores want for Nike and Under Armour shirts. Old Navy has their store brand shirts in several colors for $12 at regular price, and they were on sale last week for $8, so I bought one to try. One I see if it disintegrates in the wash or not (I'm suspicious of the low price), I'll buy more. I sweat plenty while riding as today we got into the low 80s for one of the first times this year but when I got off the bike I was completely dry. Amazing to this sweat-hog who is used to cotton tee shirts so full of sweat that I can literally wring them out.

But I'm not surprised. I had the same reaction when I finally went to modern skiing clothing and retired my old white waffle-fabric cotton long johns.

Hopefully can get out again tomorrow (Sunday) and the upcoming week of weather looks good for commuting to work.

[Random]

Waffle fabric long-johns rule. :hard:

[neanderthal]

I haven't been as consistent as I want to be with the cycling, but I am managing to do at least one ride a week.

Last ride was during a windy night.. Of course the headwind was on the uphill, which is about 6 miles in total, even though most of it is slight.

29.91 miles.
2:21 hours.
12.6 mph avg.
Quickest mile; edit 3:02 minutes.

I wasn't trying at all to beat my previous best, but I ended up being only 4 minutes shy of it.
Highest speed; 41.8 mph. :D

I measured the steepest part of the climb. It's only 1/3 of a mile, but it slows me to 6mph, and there's been occasions when i got off the bike and walked. Lately, i've taken to keeping it in the middle ring and standing up on the pedals, where before i'd go straight to the small big combo and spin. Same effect, 6.8 mph or so. It's still an incline after that, so no respite. That entire part of the climb is 1.28 miles long and it took me 11 minutes to climb.

I'm super happy with my progress. The ride is getting easier and easier. It's getting easier and easier to maintain a higher cadence. My legs aren't giving up as much as they used to. I'm finding I have a lot more energy towards the end of the bike ride. Lots and lots of positives.

[George]

The ride is getting easier and easier. It's getting easier and easier to maintain a higher cadence. My legs aren't giving up as much as they used to. I'm finding I have a lot more energy towards the end of the bike ride

Nice! Hope to experience similar progress as winter finally releases its grasp on us where I live.


Waffle fabric long-johns rule. :hard:

They do when they're dry.

I've gotten sweaty skiing down the long runs we have out here in the west and then ridden the lift back to the top of the mountain and arrived at the top practically encased in ice under my outer layers.

Oh, and I finally have a reason to mention my bottom br

acket

I can pedal through almost any corner on my MTB but the road bike's pedals scrape the ground if I lean over too far without stopping pedaling and raising the inner pedal.

I can live with that, but it was a rather exciting surprise when it happened unexpectedly today. For 1/1000th of a second, I thought I was going down hard.

Speaking of pedals, these are what I have installed now - MKS Sylvan touring pedals, made in Japan, I think. I will probably go to SPDs or whatever all the cool kids ride eventually and move these to my MTB or my wife's bike or some future bike but Rome wasn't built in a day and I'm still learning about road bikes.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03648_zps3e82f07e.jpg

I wasn't trying for that shadow effect on the carpet to show another angle of the drive-side pedal but that came out pretty well, I think. They're classic-looking pedals that really work with this older steel frame bike, I think.

[Yw-slayer]

I'm not sure cool kids ride SPDs. It depends on the discipline.

I, for nor, run SPDs on all my bikes. INCLUDING my road bike, where most roadies would run SPD-SL.

I'm hardcore 2 d4 B0n3 y0

[CudaMan]

Some of you may have seen on FB I went on a short mountain bike ride a few days ago with my teammate and a GTA finalist who didn't quite win (Jett - he lives right by Laguna and bikes in the area all the time).

I hadn't been on a bike since 2011 GTA. Before that, it had been about 15 years since I rode my BMX up and down my street.

So the other day I'm riding this sweet mountain bike up steep sandy climbs and down rutted hills, going slow like the noob I am. Only fell off 3 times, and probably wore down a set of brake pads on the descents :p, but had a blast. My brain loves cycling among the trails and scenery. My body not so much but that's to be expected not having done it before. I was a much better rider on mile 8 than I was on mile 1. I love when the trail turns into a wide downhill section with no ruts and you can get some good momentum going! Speed junkie I am.

It has rekindled my desire to get a MTB eventually, and find places to ride. I had been thinking I would like it, and it's good to know I do.


The climb up to the corksckrew is a long and steep one on a bike, in case you were wondering. :lol:

[George]

Careful, Cuda. It's a slippery slope. Less than a year ago I didn't even own a helmet and now i'm a full on bikin' fool.

I've dropped five pounds in the last two weeks, or maybe less without even trying - I just rode my bike a few times. I had to pull the belt one notch tighter this morning.

[Cam]

I'm getting Lori's Batavus ready to sell. I figure we can get a couple-hunnert bucks out of 'er. Lori commuted to work on it all year round when we lived in Hamilton. It doesn't owe her much. :lol:

[neanderthal]

Some of you may have seen on FB I went on a short mountain bike ride a few days ago with my teammate and a GTA finalist who didn't quite win (Jett - he lives right by Laguna and bikes in the area all the time).

I hadn't been on a bike since 2011 GTA. Before that, it had been about 15 years since I rode my BMX up and down my street.

So the other day I'm riding this sweet mountain bike up steep sandy climbs and down rutted hills, going slow like the noob I am. Only fell off 3 times, and probably wore down a set of brake pads on the descents :p, but had a blast. My brain loves cycling among the trails and scenery. My body not so much but that's to be expected not having done it before. I was a much better rider on mile 8 than I was on mile 1. I love when the trail turns into a wide downhill section with no ruts and you can get some good momentum going! Speed junkie I am.

It has rekindled my desire to get a MTB eventually, and find places to ride. I had been thinking I would like it, and it's good to know I do.


The climb up to the corksckrew is a long and steep one on a bike, in case you were wondering. :lol:


Welcome to the dark side.

If you read this thread you'll find of lot of "buy used" advice.
Buy used till you figure out if you want to do this constantly. And on a mountain bike tats actually going to go off road, avoid the WalMart/ Target red light special. You want a real mountain bike with real components and real suspension.

[Yw-slayer]

Used is best to start with.

[George]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao0Y9KlG8JI

[Tom Servo]

The climb up to the corksckrew is a long and steep one on a bike, in case you were wondering. :lol:

One of these years I am totally going to the Sea Otter classic and riding Laguna Seca. That climb looks amazing, then the descent looks even better.

[Tom Servo]

Just came back from the anniversary trip where we got to do a little riding in beautiful downtown Sedona. Learned a few things:

1) Traffic circles really do a great job of traffic calming while also keeping traffic moving. Most of downtown has no traffic lights, yet the tourist traffic was still moving pretty good through the area. Fantastic stuff.

2) Rolling hills are a bitch. We don't really have those here, but Sedona is all rollers, and it seems harder than long ascents to me. You can't get in a rhythm.

3) Sedona has an LAB "Bicycle Friendly Community" designation. It does have bike lanes on most major roads, which is nice, but I'm amazed that there were basically no bike racks or any sort of things to lock up to anywhere in the city. We wanted to ride around town and visit various spots, but there was nowhere to lock up.

Also, overpowered, that video of that lady was amazing.

[FaultyMario]

Rolling hills...rhythm.

:D

[Tom Servo]

Oh, also, I was super excited to drive through Fredonia, then shocked to not see the place full of dudes on carbon bikes in lycra.

[overpowered]

Cyclist Attacked After Asking Driver To 'Put Phone Away' (http://www.wsbtv.com/news/news/cyclist-attacked-after-asking-driver-to-put-phone-/nFCLY/)

BTW, the cyclist is 13 years old.

[Cam]

While that is a terrible story, it's dated March, 2011.

[G'day Mate]

Everesting (http://www.theage.com.au/executive-style/strive/everesting-a-new-mountain-to-climb-for-cyclists-20140425-379ip.html)

[Yw-slayer]

Ex7R3m31111111!!!111!1!!! Interval Training aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

[George]

Wait, there's now a verb "to everest"? Dat ain't right.

I had previously mentioned a trail I'd discovered (well, finally noticed is more like it) on my commute that reminded me of the video game Trials on the Xbox. It's the first video game I've been interested in, had available to me, and had just a little time to sneak away and play occasionally in many years.

Yesterday on the way home from work I approached it for the first time since I last mentioned it - I don't take this trail in the mornings - and I was in a low gear and ready to ride up it, until I saw the gaps between rocks and thought better of it. I'm sure a mountain bike can be ridden across this but yesterday wasn't my turn to find out.

I circled back and took pictures, however. Spring has sprung and the leaves are coming in on the trees. Very nice time of year here...or anywhere, I guess.


The approach...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03657_zps622aeaee.jpg

Uh, maybe not today...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03658_zps42a0d6eb.jpg

Signed,

Wimpy

[Tom Servo]

http://www.laweekly.com/informer/2014/05/07/yes-i-text-and-drive-no-im-not-sorry

[George]

Potential bike for my son - what do you guys think of this Giant with a missing seat for $35? Looks super-clean to me, and it's not far from home. Looks like it has a rear derailleur only, which I think is enough for a boy about to turn six.

Giant: Seat Missing: $35 (http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?49-Cycling/page10)

Only pic:

http://images.craigslist.org/00D0D_7NlCggA1BVg_600x450.jpg

Edited to add: crap, it was posted a month ago. Oh well, what the hell? Email sent.

[KillerB]

So if someone is riding on the sidewalk, would you expect them to follow the "walk/don't walk" signs?

I had someone blow right out in front of me as I was making a right while driving. Had the walk sign been up, I would have been prepared to stop and give way as I would for a pedestrian, but the sign was on the solid "don't walk" setting. I had to slam on the brakes, and the guy on the bike gave me the finger.

If I was riding, I: 1) would not have been on the sidewalk, as this street has a wide berm between the rightmost lane of traffic and the sidewalk, and 2) if I HAD been riding on the sidewalk - which I am loathe to do unless the road is VERY bike-unfriendly - I wouldn't have continued through the intersection without pause on a solid "don't walk".

IMO, if you're riding on the sidewalk you should act like a pedestrian.

[Tom Servo]

I obviously can't speak for everyone, but I think we're all pretty much in agreement with you (even if Rob thinks we aren't). I'm not sure what the legality of that is, assuming that it's not already illegal to ride on the sidewalks, but it helps demonstrate why it's significantly less safe to ride on the sidewalk even if it doesn't feel like it. If the rider had been in the road, you would have seen them and presumably made your turn behind them. Since he was on the sidewalk, he presumably came up much more quickly than you'd expect from one of the spots you're really not looking when preparing to make a right turn, behind you and to the right.

That said, I don't know at that point whether the rider is expected to pay attention to the traffic light or the walk/don't walk signs. They're in sorta a limbo spot if they're not walking their bike - they're not a pedestrian and they're not operating as a vehicle. Clearly, they can cross an intersection significantly faster than a pedestrian so the don't walk signal, especially if it's flashing, doesn't seem to fully apply to them. The law might say that you, as a driver, should not be using the status of the walk signal as an indicator of safety to turn, that it's still your responsibility to make sure that nobody is about to pop out as you make your right turn.

FWIW, when I go on the sidewalk I dismount and walk. I've seen so many near accidents exactly like what you describe here by my work and think the cyclist put himself in a bad situation and then reacted poorly.

Since most of these cycling on the sidewalk laws appear to be up to the city, at least here in California, you might want to contact the local PD and ask them about that. I'd be curious to know the answer, at any rate!

[Cam]

Yep, cyclist was a douche for illegally riding on the sidewalk and ignoring a don't cross signal. Alas, like Servo said, it's also your responsibility not to run over douches, no matter how douchey they're acting. :rolleyes:

[Yw-slayer]

I agree with Tom.

[overpowered]

Riding on the sidewalk is dangerous and I strongly recommend against it. However, it is not illegal in Costa Mesa. If you were not in Costa Mesa, what city were you in?

The law is not clear on the walk/don't walk signal with bicycles. Bicyclists are not legally pedestrians under California law, though they are often allowed in pedestrian spaces like sidewalks. Legally, they have the same rights and responsibilities as the drivers of vehicles, but not when the law specifies "motor" vehicle, which is why they can be on the sidewalk if not prohibited by local laws. If the light is green, the law appears to allow them to go, just like any other vehicle, regardless of the walk/don't walk signal.

In any case, sidewalk bicyclists tend to not be trained in safety and so they tend to do a lot of not-so-safe things like this. If you see a sidewalk bicyclist heading for an intersection, don't expect them to stop for a car coming up behind them. They are unlikely to even look back because most are not aware of the danger of right turning cars. This turning conflict is one of several reasons why riding on the sidewalk is dangerous. I see stories of collisions like this every so often.

[Cam]

Riding on the sidewalk ... is not illegal in Costa Mesa.
My mistake.

[George]

This weekend would work best. Saturday?

Stay tuned...

[G'day Mate]

I had someone blow right out in front of me as I was making a right while driving. Had the walk sign been up, I would have been prepared to stop and give way as I would for a pedestrian, but the sign was on the solid "don't walk" setting. I had to slam on the brakes, and the guy on the bike gave me the finger.

A guy in Sydney was killed recently doing the same thing (well, left hand side equivalent) in front of a bus.

There's a pretty chilling video of the last moments before the crash here: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/shocking-footage-shows-last-decisions-that-cost-cyclist-his-life/story-fni0cx12-1226902423130

You also might notice that some idiot roads minister thinks that this would have been avoided if the cyclist was registered :?

[KillerB]

Yeah, it was Costa Mesa. There are definitely places here where it's so unsafe to ride in the street that I don't blame someone for sidewalk riding - but this wasn't one of them.

He was on a junky cruiser, so definitely not a savvy bicyclist, who, in that location, would have been riding in the street as it's pretty safe there to do so.

I misspoke a bit in that I actually reached the intersection and turned first, so had I continued, he'd actually have run into the side of my car. But I saw him out of the corner of my eye and slammed on my brakes.

I guess the moral of the story is that, if the law is going to be gray enough to allow bikes to act as both motor vehicles and as pedestrians, that there need to be expectations about proper behavior in each situation. In my mind, riding in the street means you act like a car, and riding the sidewalk means act like a pedestrian. I suppose someone could walk right out in front of me in the same situation, but being on foot, they'd be moving more slowly and be closer to the intersection when I'm at my decision point. Of course, at that point, I'd have stopped early and probably given the pedestrian the finger for walking when it says don't walk. :lol:

Just to reiterate, it wasn't a blinking don't walk - when I'd be on the lookout for people crossing - but a solid don't walk.

[overpowered]

https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/t1.0-9/10176027_828581487171401_6896812885750116466_n.png

[overpowered]

Yeah, it was Costa Mesa. There are definitely places here where it's so unsafe to ride in the street that I don't blame someone for sidewalk ridingI disagree with that. You just have to know how to ride properly in the street. Riding properly in the street is always safer than riding on the sidewalk. Having straight through traffic on the turning side of potentially turning traffic is a recipe for collisions.
He was on a junky cruiser, so definitely not a savvy bicyclistSavvy bicyclists may sometimes ride junky cruisers. Savvy bicyclists don't ride on the sidewalk or against traffic and they often use the full lane.
I misspoke a bit in that I actually reached the intersection and turned first, so had I continued, he'd actually have run into the side of my car. But I saw him out of the corner of my eye and slammed on my brakes.You didn't see him as you were passing him as you approached the intersection? That really is something to watch out for when driving, just as looking for pedestrians at intersections is very important.

It would be nice if all bicyclists were properly educated in bicycle safety. I do what I can to promote education but if I had a dime for every time I've heard "I don't need to take a class to know how to ride safely" I would be a rich man.

[Yw-slayer]

Calm down, man.

[neanderthal]

Another good 30 mile ride. Even though it was windy I was able to keep up a good speed, even when I started climbing from Canoga/ Victory. I as doing 4:XX miles for 5 miles up a slight incline where normally I do 5:XX. Even the one mile with a steep climb was done 30 seconds quicker than my previous best. Picked up time on just about every place except the two fastest miles where I was slower. I didn't have the gas to push it and then I mistimed the light at the base of the hill where I get to about 40mph; went through at 23mph rather than 38mph.

2:09 hrs.


Making progress never hurt so good.

[G'day Mate]

I've gone from only riding to work to doing 100kms without flinching in about 12 months. Progress is rewarding.

30 miles is about 50kms - my first 50 nearly killed me. Now I'd be upset if I didn't average at least 30kmh (almost 20mph) over that distance

[neanderthal]

Oh, and i nearly ran into a parked truck with a stake bed because I was looking at an RV thanks to TSG's RV thread. 2 miles in. At 1 in the morning.

When I was a mechanic in Zimbabwe I used to ride a mountain bike to work everyday. I'm sure I had a few 100 mile days since I rode everywhere, and sometimes crossed the city thrice in a day.

[George]

More Zimbabwe stories, please. :up:

[Kchrpm]

I want to get a bike just to ride around the park with friends, have any advice for me other than don't buy a department store special (since I'm going to anyway, I'm not spending more than $200)?

[overpowered]

For $200 max, your best bet is finding a decent used bike. You won't find anything new for that price that doesn't suck.

[FaultyMario]

I want to get a bike just to ride around the park with friends, have any advice for me other than don't buy a department store special (since I'm going to anyway, I'm not spending more than $200)?


Used is best to start with.

:)

[Random]

I want to get a bike just to ride around the park with friends, have any advice for me other than don't buy a department store special (since I'm going to anyway, I'm not spending more than $200)?

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/4462405396.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/4454954071.html
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/4460826969.html <-- this guy seems to have a bunch of similar bikes for sale
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/4368669182.html

I searched for "hybrid" with a price floor of $50 and a ceiling of $200. That's a sample of the ones that looked interesting.

[Kchrpm]

:up:

[Random]

Or you could search for "cruiser" with the same price constraints, if you want to go that way--I don't know how fast your friends intend to ride. :)

A few samples:
http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/bik/4428984949.html
http://dayton.craigslist.org/bik/4444582623.html
http://dayton.craigslist.org/bik/4451681236.html

[overpowered]

I'd go with a hybrid over a cruiser -- less weight and multiple gears. Cruisers suck.

[overpowered]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHyaaAQyGhA

[George]

Friday afternoon pictures below.



It was dark and cold and ready to rain any second. I'm riding south under the power lines that run behind my house.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03659_zpsf107fe0f.jpg

I found the blue glove I lost at work the other day. I've also kept the inboard bar end setup and like it. This position is very comfortable. Note horseshoe tracks on trail in front of me.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03660_zps57a07465.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03662_zpsed6ce1d4.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03663_zps27160f7c.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03665_zps6f67516c.jpg

Controlling the lane...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03667_zpsc5023d1f.jpg

Traffic was fierce today, but I made it through unscathed.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03669_zps7ad57cef.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03670_zpsed208f38.jpg

I'm heading for some sweet single track over thataway.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03672_zpscf87c90c.jpg

Hard to see but straight ahead is a trail of single track switchbacks that climb this hill and then go up and over to get to some REAL single track. Was hoping to see how my street tires would perform on those trails but it was not to be today. More horse tracks on the left beside the road. Unfortunately I had to turn back or risk getting busted for a...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03673_zpsee19f1ab.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03675_zps9b287486.jpg

...federal felony. I'll have to wait until mating season is over to show you guys what lies beyond.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03679_zps9ee31fb4.jpg

Pretty country out here.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03680_zpsa7b25f7c.jpg

Controlling the lane again. This is 5:00 PM on a Friday afternoon - rush hour!

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03681_zps12af76c3.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03682_zps3e0e4f72.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03684_zpsc84abd17.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03686_zpsd155f555.jpg

Raining now, and I'm heading home...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03688_zps3d4a0b6e.jpg

[KillerB]

I wish you could get a cruiser with like 18 speeds.

[G'day Mate]

Anyone else following the Giro d'Italia?

[Yw-slayer]

Too Roadie.

[overpowered]

Can't get it on T.V.

[SportWagon]

After not getting around to any cycling last weekend, I managed to get out for a good couple of rides this weekend, but was surprised how tired I got, especially on the second day. Could probably have used about 12 hours sleep on Saturday night, too. Ten didn't seem quite enough.

Somehow a highlight of the the weekend was smiling at the playful puppy who sometimes chases me near West Montrose. Either he (probably she) has been retrained, or just didn't feel up to doing more than looking and smiling at me on Saturday. I don't think it was outside on Sunday. Earlier this year, I thought they'd moved away, but I think they went for a trip in their large motorhome, and the fellow across the road, likely a relative, seemed to be taking care of the place.

As I described in perhaps too much detail in the Android phone thread both rides recorded fully in the Strava app on my new phone, and a backup recording on another SIM-less phone was not needed.

http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?676-How-do-we-not-have-an-Android-phone-thread-yet&p=12934&viewfull=1#post12934

[Yw-slayer]

Good XC race yesterday. They forgot to tell me that my 5th lap was not my 6th lap (which is the final lap) so I wasted around 2 minutes going back to the start to ask them. But still, it was enjoyable, PARTICULARLY as we were racing in a thunderstorm of biblical proportions. The only bad thing is that this weeded out most of the more casual riders, who probably didn't show up, hence although I'm so much fitter now that I still had stuff in reserve I was probably still near the back of the field, LOL.

Oh, and we had grid girls/race queens, LOL.

[M4FFU]

^^^ Brilliant :D

And yes, I'm following the d'Italia. Also witnessed some of the Tour of Britain as it went through my home county this weekend :)

[G'day Mate]

Hah, great photo

[SportWagon]

Either I'm getting past pictures of other members mixed up with YW, or he's a lot more fit than he was not all that long ago.

And perhaps YW needs to recruit and train a pit crew to keep track of laps for him?

[George]

Either I'm getting past pictures of other members mixed up with YW, or he's a lot more fit than he was not all that long ago.

I agree, and the ladies apparently do too.

[Yw-slayer]

It's all due to diet and LIFTING, BRO. As for the ladies, they're paid to smile... Note also the one on my left pretending to have her hand on my shoulder.

[SportWagon]

But if you're indoors lifting, you don't get to smile at any playful puppies. Or enjoy the scenery in general. The rising mist of the morning air. The world before those Twilight Zone guys have quite finished building it. Etc.

Ah. I think you changed "the one on the left" to "the one on my left".

Yes, it looks like she could have her hand on her own shoulder.

[Yw-slayer]

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy all those things too. It's just sweeter when I do since I can now go HARDER, BETTER, FASTER, STRONGER

[overpowered]

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/3/27/1395933618898/ec589cea-5a50-4d53-8f0d-d8d634fc5e35-460x276.jpeg

[neanderthal]

That just reflects how much importance cyclists have in the eyes of the planning division, or the guys who laid down the bike route.

[Tom Servo]

It's Bike to Work day here in Los Angeles, where the weather forecast is for 98 here near the coast, 100+ just slightly inland. I have a feeling that the turnout won't be as high as one might have hoped. Still going to try to hit some of the pit stops to score lots of free stuff.

[Yw-slayer]

Dry heat is fine, it's humid heat that is killer.

[Tom Servo]

While I agree that humid heat is worse, I'd venture to say that dry heat isn't quite fine.

That said, looked like the turnout was pretty good this morning. Scored me some free bananas.

[overpowered]

Fires delay Bike to Work Day (http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/may/15/bike-to-work-day-san-diego-sandag-bicycle/)

[George]

Speaking of Bike To Work Days, Denver's is in June every year and it's a big deal...or at least for folks like me who notice.

It's the one day I won't ride to work. Hey, I'm a bike ommuting n00b as it is but I don't want to deal with a zillion bikes on the trails, packs of once-a-year riders looking bewildered at intersections, and a crowded bike cage and showers at work. I paid close attention to it last year and was very glad I passed. What made me notice was a corporate email saying they had ordered extra towels for the showers for bike to work day and I knew then it would be a fine day to drive the car instead.

I think I rode the next day and was about the only bike at work.

And like everything I post, of no interest to anyone but me, I just got back from seeing my deluxe cubicle in the building we're moving into tomorrow. I say deluxe because it really is - large, dark wood, high walls, a table behind me and a credenza too, but the coolest part is there is tons of storage, including a lockable locker about five feet tall that I can store my clothes in, in addition to the lockers in the shower room. I'm pretty stoked about getting out of this building and having an 8-story stairclimb to my office each day and I plan to stock my cube well with work clothes so I can ride, ride, ride this summer. The showers are on the same floor and right around the corner from my desk, and also near the stairs, which means I can sneak in and out without everyone saying, "Whoa! Are you okay?! Why are you all sweaty? You rode a bicycle? What? Why? Did your car break down? Got in a wreck? DUI?", etc. :)

[TheBenior]

Dry heat is fine, it's humid heat that is killer.
While I'd take an arid 90F over a swampy 80F in Chicago, over 100F sucks regardless.

[G'day Mate]

Well, we got our bike lane but they're already talking about tearing it out.

I was one of about ~1,500 cyclists that took part in a show of support by riding it on its opening day.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB4ftTSn7sU

It's not the fastest way to get to where I'm going but it's a bloody good piece of infrastructure so I'm using it for the sake of proving its worthiness to all the stubbornly grumpy motorists.

[Tom Servo]

I saw a ton of pictures of the big launch ride on Reddit. Don't know if I saw you in any of them, but it looks awfully nice.

For a company that's all about sustainability and all that fun stuff, I'm a little surprised I'm the only person that biked to work today.

[George]

NPR Article: Don't Salmon, Don't Shoal: Learning The Lingo Of Safe Cycling (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/05/15/312455673/dont-salmon-dont-shoal-learning-the-lingo-of-safe-cycling?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20140514)

[Tom Servo]

Their explanation of shoaling is kinda off - a shoal is when sediment at the bottom of a stream collects just past an object, kinda like how idiot shoalers behind you go around you and then all collect in front of you. A school of fish is a school of fish.

So, new level of just weird driver moves for me this morning. I'm on southbound Sepulveda Blvd. at Santa Monica Blvd. in the left turn lane. This is a pretty major intersection. We have a red light, and there's a red arrow.

Driver behind me pulls into the left of the through lanes, drives around me cutting back into the left turn lane but out in the intersection, then backs up into the crosswalk in front of me.

He then promptly gets distracted by something, misses the light turning green, I go around him and head off on my way.

[overpowered]

That's a special kind of stupid. I once had someone use a right turn lane to get in front of me like that as I was stopped in the right through lane. There were two through lanes to the left of me (three total) as well as right and left turn lanes.

[overpowered]

Sometimes, nice guys don’t even finish (http://pvcycling.wordpress.com/2014/05/16/sometimes-nice-guys-dont-even-finish/)

[Tom Servo]

Video:
http://youtu.be/Rq_7oMiGa7Y

[G'day Mate]

Hah, what a douchebag

[Yw-slayer]

Yup.

[G'day Mate]

My ride today looked more or less like this for the most part:

http://i375.photobucket.com/albums/oo193/insaneogram81/BasketRange.jpg

Jealous? I reckon I've got you all beat for scenery and options ;)

Also on races with caravans too! A car towing a caravan and I started out along this segment at about the same time - http://www.strava.com/segments/634110. After about a kilometre I passed him and built a gap because he was slow around the corners, but on the uphill sections he nearly caught me again. Got to the "finish line" in Lobethal about ten seconds before him and earned big smiles and a thumbs up from the occupants :D It was really cool

[overpowered]

http://vimeo.com/78882170

[LHutton]

They did seem to be a long way out from the kerb. I can honestly understand the beeps.

[Cam]

Um, LHutton... they're riding on sharrows. :|

[LHutton]

Okay, strange term, maybe I misunderstood, what's a sharrow for UK folk?

Okay, I've watched it again and I see the cycle markings on the road. That's pretty foreign to me to have cycle markings that far from the kerb. Obviously the law is the law but the concept honestly seems antagonistic to motorists and I'm saying that as a cyclist.

[Random]

Shared lane markingA shared-lane marking or sharrow[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_lane_marking#cite_note-twothree-1) is a street marking installed at locations in Australia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia), Canada (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada), and the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States). This marking is placed in the center of a travel lane to indicate that a bicyclist may use the full lane. According to the US Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manual_on_Uniform_Traffic_Control_Devices), shared-lane markings are used to:


Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in a shared lane with on-street parallel parking in order to reduce the chance of a bicyclist’s impacting the open door of a parked vehicle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Door_zone);
Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in lanes that are too narrow for a motor vehicle and a bicycle to travel side by side within the same traffic lane;
Alert motorists of the lateral location bicyclists are likely to occupy within the traveled way;
Encourage safe passing of bicyclists by motorists; and
Reduce the incidence of wrong-way bicycling.[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_lane_marking#cite_note-MUTCD-2)

The name sharrow was coined by Oliver Gajda, of the City and County of San Francisco Bicycle Program, and is a portmanteau (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau) of share and arrow.[3 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shared_lane_marking#cite_note-3)]


..

[overpowered]

They did seem to be a long way out from the kerb. I can honestly understand the beeps.It's unsafe to ride close to parked cars due to the risk of doors opening. It is not possible to reliably see people sitting in parked cars.

The gaps between parked cars are too short to safely move over to allow passing in the lane. When bicyclists move over in short gaps like this, they sometimes/often cannot get back into the lane safely and are forced to stop and wait for traffic to clear before moving back into the lane. Some don't stop and as a result get hit by cars whose drivers for some reason don't expect a bicyclist to move over to go around a parked car. Those gaps also contain driveways which create risks for cars turning right into them and cars pulling out of them.

The front bicyclist is Keri Caffrey, co-founder of Cycling Savvy, which many consider to be the best bicycle safety education program going right now.

Sharrows generally indicate that the given stretch of road is unsafe for riding near the edge and that bicyclists should use the full lane for their own safety. That is the case here.

There is at least one sharrow in the U.K.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharrow

Just not that kind of sharrow. :p

[LHutton]

^Okay thanks. I understand the concept now. However I imagine that if that happened somewhere like London, drivers would throw a fit of epic rage.:p

Could it be that they're a relatively new thing and the beeping driver wasn't familiar with them?

I'm now going to make a really stupid suggestion and put forward the idea of cars parking on the verge.

[overpowered]

They were added to the national Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices in 2009 and they have been deployed in various places around the country since then. They were experimental and available in a few places before that.

Using the full lane to avoid crossing conflicts and other dangerous circumstances is nothing new. It is one of the core techniques of vehicular cycling. John Forester published Effective Cycling in 1976, describing it in detail. He got the idea from riders in the Netherlands in the 1940's IIRC. The dutch did not have the massive infrastructure then that they have now.

Vehicular cycling is taught in the U.K.:

http://bikeability.dft.gov.uk/

Yes. Some people throw fits. That's because they are ignorant of the rules of the road and of bicycle safety and believe that they are entitled to not deal with bicyclists in the road.

Drivers here are generally poorly educated in the rules of the road. They hand out driver's licenses like candy at a kid's birthday party here. Many people still don't know what sharrows are despite some media campaigns and the introduction of "bicycles may use full lane" signs which often accompany sharrows. The common ignorant idiot believes that bicyclists have to ride at the edge or on the sidewalk at all times. Bicyclists using the full lane doesn't exist in their tiny little minds, despite it being allowed pretty much all along when safety required it.

[Tom Servo]

I'm going to start describing lanes with sharrows as "bike lanes you're allowed to drive in" rather than "lanes that bikes can/will be in", much like how I think we need to change the language people use around sharrows from "Bikes are allowed to be here" to "Bikes will likely be here." Just like with the "Share the Road" thing, the dopier among us seem to have managed to misinterpret these signs.

[overpowered]

I've been thinking that "bicycles may use full lane" signs should instead say "bicycles should use full lane". I've seen a lot of edge riders in sharrows.

[Tom Servo]

I'd like them to say "Bicycles may always use full lane", but should is also a good way to go. They're still all better than share the road, but I still really liked the LA Metro "Every Lane is a Bike Lane" campaign. Too bad they only did it for a couple of weeks, it seemed like.

On the way home from brunch today we saw two cars nearly collide, then one of them start raging on the other and start chasing him. They ran a traffic light and nearly hit a woman and her two kids riding down the bike lane. Called 911, and now have been able to follow up with helmet cam footage of the drivers in question, so the helmet cam is coming in nice and handy.

[overpowered]

Premature celebration:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sci6Y4COzCI

[Cam]

On the way home from brunch today we saw two cars nearly collide, then one of them start raging on the other and start chasing him. They ran a traffic light and nearly hit a woman and her two kids riding down the bike lane. Called 911, and now have been able to follow up with helmet cam footage of the drivers in question, so the helmet cam is coming in nice and handy.
Wow.

[SportWagon]

Rode my ride today through dull scenery, twisting into a river valley and over a single-lane girder bridge, up a climb. Then on through the bedroom community and past, to farmlands, through the covered bridge and up the twisty road by more dairy farms, and a little castle. Up a little climb behind campers in the wood, past the point where a large deer once galloped across the road in front of me. Into and through the tourist trap to turn around and come home in the reverse of the same way.

A number of incidents.

At the first traffic light on my way, it turned yellow just as I got there, so I went through. Nearly colliding with a cyclist on the sidewalk who decided to cross his light before it turned fully green.

Up around Winterbourne I spotted a horse and rider up ahead, on my side of the road in the defacto bicycle lane (paved shoulder). I was closing on it so quickly I thought it must be riding towards me, but eventually I realized not. I slowed visibly, even crouching with my forearm on my thigh as sort of a "relaxed signal", slowing right down hoping to pass with lots of clearance when no cars were behind. Perhaps because the wind was behind me, the horse got a little spooked before I arrived, but the rider seemed to mostly get it back, and some cars had passed and I was able to make a wide pass as I wanted. It occurred to me that the slowing right down and waiting was an example of what car drivers need to do very occasionally because of bicyclists.

A little while later some people were coming towards me, walking dogs. That's tricky, you can never be sure if, even though on leashes, the dogs will charge towards you. But the dogs were kept under control though, to be honest, there had been one more motor vehicle behind me than I thought, but there was room for us both to pass them at the same time.

Don't remember any other incidents until I got to my turnaround in Elora. Cam and Lori may remember the steep downhill going into the Tourist Trap area, and the left turn taking you back up a less steep hill, though with lots of parked cars. Just after my turn, as I started up the hill, I thought I heard someone clicking into real modern racing pedals instead of the ancient toe-clips I persist in using. I prepared myself for someone to zoom by with one of those cheerful but somehow depressing greetings. But that didn't happen. I saw them behind me in my little mirror, never getting really close, until I eventually made the left turn for my return, much more easily than my usual stop and wait at the right-hand lane of the cross-road. Looking back as they went straight-through the intersection behind me; possibly a commuter, after all. The bright yellow was perhaps not a warm-up jacket, but a visibility vest.

As I climbed up by the castle, someone strong passed me near the top, giving one of those greetings which, while probably well-meant, do make me feel old. I watched them disappear into the distance. Slowly at first, then it seemed increasingly faster. As I went by the Mennonite meeting hall for the second time, nearly all the cars had left. On the way up, the parking lot had been full. Somehow I'd timed things just right so I didn't encounter them on the road in either direction. More by luck than judgement. Especially as I seemed to take an especially long time to get ready and start going this morning.

Then when I got to the highway just before West Montrose, the fast guy was stopped doing something on the other side of the road, preparing to ride on the busy road, I guess, rather than through West Montrose, and probably getting a snack. I shouted "Hello there!", and he returned the greeting.

At the house just at the end of Letson Drive, I spotted a bull-type dog looking at at the road. I called out "Hello there" in a cheerful voice, and he seemed to remain unfazed and calm.

After climbing up from the covered bridge, I stopped at the stop-sign to have a snack before turning to ride home through Winterbourne. A group of about five cyclists went by me. I was glad to see at least one of them wearing tights and long sleeves like myself. Soon after they'd gone by, I set off myself, and they pulled gradually ahead. I observed the problem which occurs when a group like that wants to exchange the lead occasionally while basically riding single file in the paved shoulder defacto bike lane.

Oh yes. Had a little embarassment as a sidewalk cyclist managed twice to get ahead of me. First was because he went straight to a bike path I actually used, but approached with a curvy route. After I'd caught him just after them bike path ended, I went up to turn left at a slow-changing light, and, well, he rode up the sidewalk on the left side of the road, allowing him to turn immediately at the intersection and continue on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the road. Doing this required him to cross three or four driveways of the Canadian Tire parking lot. Oh well, after I got my left-turn, I had caught him by the next light where I turn right, then quickly left to coast towards home on a secondary street.

Oh well. When I got home, all the GPS recordings appeared to have worked properly, including the Strava app. So the Strava upload was easy and I didn't decide to need to find time to the upload from a GPXLogger file. Did the fact I once managed to use GPXLogger on the second SIM-less phone to make up for a munged Strava recording scare the Strava app into working better?

In the evening, however, I tried to map the Hawkesville Hill using the same two smartphones in my car. I guess I hid them too well, or haven't set the settings well enough for car speeds, and got no useful results from either. So determining the possible steepest grade of the hill will need to wait for another day.

[Kchrpm]

Guess what I saw last night for the first time ever, and wouldn't have known what they meant if not for this thread?

Sharrows.

[Random]

:up:

[Tom Servo]

A while ago I had a lady try to pass me on the right in a non-existent lane on our local VA Hospital's grounds, then get stymied and decide to buzz me on the left once she got the chance to, all while yelling "asshole" at me, I guess because I didn't allow her to run me over to try to bypass other cars on a single lane road. I'm riding through there today and coming up to a four way stop. A car comes up on the street to my right and stops at the stop sign. Car behind them starts laying on the horn at them for stopping at the stop sign. Sure enough...it's her again. Good to know the people working at the VA Hospital take the safety of all the veterans who use the walking and cycling paths around there for rehab so seriously...

[overpowered]

http://www.bicyclelaw.com/blog/index.cfm/2014/5/19/Burn-Out

[FaultyMario]

Hah, what a douchebag

Was I the only one bemused by the ring of that, Like, wow! totally Yank phrase used by an Aostraelian?

[George]

It's a global village, mate.

*takes bite of vegemite sammich*

[FaultyMario]

But, but... In my head it sounded Deutsch-bag.


mk?

[overpowered]

This is a case of a driver thinking he had clearance, when he didn't:

http://www.kpho.com/story/25548602/gilbert-bicyclist-killed-2-hurt-in-cornville-crash

While the driver is responsible for trying to pass too close and hitting them, the bicyclists are the ones who suffer. If they had used the full lane, it's likely that the driver would not have hit them.

[George]

Saw this online and thought of G'day cycling with the crocs down undah! :lol:

https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3286/2470656573_9c88e0b7a3_z.jpg

And here's an interesting video - bikes on train tracks in the city:

http://indavideo.hu/video/Day_in_the_Life_-_Dani_Budapest

[SportWagon]

I dragged pegman in strava to get a couple of examples of the dull scenery I tolerate while I'm riding.


Conestogo River Valley
http://gtxforums.net/album.php?albumid=6&attachmentid=590
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=590&d=1400619544

Playful Puppy Paradise
http://gtxforums.net/album.php?albumid=6&attachmentid=591
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=591&d=1400619544

Both could benefit from a proper photograph, with an eye to reducing the distance stretching effect.

P.S. Is it (not) possible to in-line your own gtxforums.net album photos?
A: You must cut-and-paste from the boxes in the bottom right of the album page; there seem to be different attachment ids for inclusion versus reference in an album
Duh: The reference in an album is a link to an HTML page contining the picture...

[G'day Mate]

Saw this online and thought of G'day cycling with the crocs down undah! :lol:

Our crocs are much bigger than that.

SportWagon - that scenery does look rather nice. I also like the term "pegman" ...

[overpowered]

There is no bike lane here. There is a bicycles may use full lane sign.


http://vimeo.com/95852464

http://www.wtop.com/41/3626211/Bike-commuter-releases-helmet-cam-video-of-crash

[G'day Mate]

Bloody hell

[Yw-slayer]

That truck driver needs to be put in exactly the same position. After that, he should have his licence taken away from him for life. People like that should not be allowed to operate motor vehicles.

[M4FFU]

Bought me a road bike. £300 for a 2013 Merida 903 that had more dust on it that sign of usage. Think it cost the dude £800-900 last year.

Ahhhh, fads. :D

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2916/14049909110_1b8f703d87_z.jpg

[Cam]

Sweet deal, M4FFU!

I don't think I want to watch the most recently posted video. :|

[G'day Mate]

Good buy Matt

[FaultyMario]

Well Done Powerpuff Dude! With the money you saved you can certainly buy a Look carbon (http://www.lookcycle.com/en/uk/route/accessoires/tige-de-selle-look-carbone.html) seat post for added road dampening or a Thompson Elite (http://bikethomson.com/seatposts/) for extra strength if you need to use it so far out.

With the Look your ass can definitely feel the difference.

[George]

I don't think I want to watch the most recently posted video.

Good choice. Wish I could un-see it.

[Yw-slayer]

Nice one mate! However, I think the seat's probably a bit high at the moment...

[George]

That seat does look mighty high, but maybe the idea is to get a smaller frame than normal so you can get the bars WAY down low for the super-aero riding position? I meant to comment earlier but the video got me angry and distracted.

Nice score, though M4FFU, although I can't help but notice they spelled 'merica wrong.

[SportWagon]

SportWagon - that scenery does look rather nice. I also like the term "pegman" ...

It's the official term...
http://maps.google.co.nz/intl/en/help/maps/streetview/learn/pegman.html

[Yw-slayer]

That seat does look mighty high, but maybe the idea is to get a smaller frame than normal so you can get the bars WAY down low for the super-aero riding position?

If so, all of those are really bad ideas.

[Tom Servo]

YW - I seem to remember one of the big name pros does that, he gets a smaller than normal frame so he can get a bigger drop. Forget who it is though, I don't pay enough attention to professional racing, I'm afraid.

So, this happened to me when I went to lunch yesterday. Went to one of my favorite burger joints that happens to both have a) great signs to lock up to and b) a nice patio to sit on to keep an eye on your bike, so you don't necessarily have to do the full locking job if you're feeling lazy. On the downside, the patio was full and the place was overall packed, so I had to do a full locking job anyway. I hear a guy's voice with a thick Australian accent behind me, "What's with the camera?"

I turn around while working on locking up the bike and see a couple sitting at a table on the patio. I turn to the guy and reply, "Oh, I've had a few people try to run me off the road or threaten me, and I got tired of being unable to prove it, so I have it as insurance and find that it works as a nice deterrent towards bad behavior as well."

The woman answers back and I suddenly realize it was the same voice, and feel kinda bad that I totally answered the wrong person. Also, doesn't help that he was not a particularly convincing transvestite - plenty of makeup and a long dress, but it turns out that as soon as it's more than a passing glance, it's pretty obvious it's a guy. Now, I'm not sure if he was like pre-op transgender or just a transvestite, but I'm going to assume the latter and go with "he". He replies "Well, why don't you ride on the footpath?"

"It's more dangerous for me, it's certainly more dangerous for the pedestrians, and it's illegal in many areas around here."

"Oh. So you ride in the street then?"

"Yep."

"Do you ride in the middle?"

"Sometimes."

"Why can't you stay to the right?"

"Well, people don't pay attention when they open their doors, and sometimes there's debris and potholes, so you don't want to be hard right, then suddenly have to swerve into traffic without warning." This is when I pull out my favorite trump card that proves I don't hate cars or drivers, "As I learned when I went to auto-racing school, if you're not the fastest person out there it's really important to be predictable and hold your line. It might seem counter-intuitive, but that makes it much easier for people to pass."

"Why don't you just get a car?"

"I have a car, two actually, and have you seen the traffic and parking out here? It's a nightmare to park at this restaurant, but now I just get to lock up to the sign. That, and there have been days where it's taken me over 90 minutes to drive 5 miles, it never takes me more than 25 minutes on the bike, no matter what the traffic is. And then I don't have to go to the gym either, saves me a ton of time."

He got quiet after that, I finished locking up, and said "I hope you two have a great day" and he said back "Yeah, you too."

I know that was long, but it was like that fantasy conversation you have in your head after some dipshit yells at you or honks at you for no reason. That chance to very calmly explain things when having every anti-cyclist trope thrown at you, and the even the person who clearly is anti-cyclist has no comeback, just almost seems like maybe the seed has been planted that maybe, just maybe, they'll think twice before being all irritated at a cyclist in the road. I have no idea if it'll help, but it certainly didn't hurt, and I hope that guy thinks a little bit about that conversation the next time he sees a cyclist.

I am surprised he didn't say anything about a non-existent road tax, though.

[Tom Servo]

Oh, and also, it was Mark Cavendish, he's 5'8" but riding a 49cm frame, apparently: http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/pro-bike-mark-cavendishs-omega-pharma-quickstep-specialized-s-works-venge

[FaultyMario]

I'm pretty sure he gets bespoke S-Works frames that have that peculiar adjustment accounted for.

Oh, and :up: on the convo.

[Cam]

Oh Swervo, you sweet-talking thing you.

[G'day Mate]

Did you get shim's phone number?

[Tom Servo]

She/He was on a date, it seemed like. Well, it could have been His/Her Dad, I suppose. Either way, it seemed inappropriate when I planned to flirt with waitresses who were bringing me Yeti Stouts (http://greatdivide.com/beer/year-round/yeti-imperial-stout/)

[Cam]

593

On second thought, let's not go to Camelot. It's a silly place.

[Yw-slayer]

Yeah, but Cavendish is SPECIAL (not saying Matt is special, but)...


Given the smaller frame's similar reach but lower stack, one might rightfully assume that Cavendish has switched by suggestion of his fitter in order to get himself even lower and more aerodynamic during sprint finishes.

That may very well be the end result but according to Specialized Body Geometry fit manager Sean Madsen, it's all about feel.

"He just made this change on his own," Madsen said. "The reason he gave was that he liked the feeling; no real reasoning behind it."

"The tough issue is that how he sprints is unlike anyone else," he continued. "He twists and torques the bike much like loading a ski or snowboard in a turn and then uses the rebound to accelerate further. You can’t quantify this, nor fit specifically for this, so you have to go on his feedback."


This is when I pull out my favorite trump card that proves I don't hate cars or drivers, "As I learned when I went to auto-racing school, if you're not the fastest person out there it's really important to be predictable and hold your line. It might seem counter-intuitive, but that makes it much easier for people to pass."

"Why don't you just get a car?"

"I have a car, two actually, and have you seen the traffic and parking out here? It's a nightmare to park at this restaurant, but now I just get to lock up to the sign. That, and there have been days where it's taken me over 90 minutes to drive 5 miles, it never takes me more than 25 minutes on the bike, no matter what the traffic is. And then I don't have to go to the gym either, saves me a ton of time."

Awesome #humblebrag bro. This truly brought tears of joy to my eye. I can't believe his last resort was to ask why you don't "just get a car". :lol:

Me, I have access to 5 cars and 4 bikes.

[G'day Mate]

On second thought, let's not go to Camelot. It's a silly place.

I was hoping someone would notice that :D

[Tom Servo]

Awesome #humblebrag bro. This truly brought tears of joy to my eye. I can't believe his last resort was to ask why you don't "just get a car".

I've heard it enough times to not be shocked by it.


Me, I have access to 5 cars and 4 bikes.

Showoff.

[overpowered]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vb0S3W6yOs

[G'day Mate]

So now that we've got our new separated bikeway in the city the same people who never gave a rat's arse about the safety of cyclists (especially not if it affected their own convenience) are suddenly using cyclists' safety as an excuse to tear it out :smh:

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2014/05/22/4009616.htm

[overpowered]

They're not wrong about the increased risk of turning conflict collision.

Are you sure that it's the same people?

[M4FFU]

Well Done Powerpuff Dude! With the money you saved you can certainly buy a Look carbon (http://www.lookcycle.com/en/uk/route/accessoires/tige-de-selle-look-carbone.html) seat post for added road dampening or a Thompson Elite (http://bikethomson.com/seatposts/) for extra strength if you need to use it so far out.

With the Look your ass can definitely feel the difference.

Genuinely? I've always been dubious about carbon this and that, but just had my first ride out and it was a bit...bumpy! They really make a difference?

And just to point out, yes - that seat high is mental high. I'd just got it out the car and took a quick pick. It's at a pretty reasonable height now.

Just did my normal loop and it's so much more pleasureable and easier on a road bike. Think I'm going to need to add on a bit to the circuit! My shoulders and neck hurt a bit, but I guess that's jsut getting used to the new position? Did feel I was reaching out a fair bit when on the drops, brakeshood, so maybe ponder a shorter stem?

[Yw-slayer]

You'll experience a lot more back, shoulder and neck stretch on a road bike anyway. Having said that, you may want to get at least a basic bike fit done, particularly if you're going to spend more than an hour on the bike and be knocked around on it by the ground (which is inevitable).

An alternative to adding more to the loop is to do 2 or more of them. ;) But that does get boring.

[G'day Mate]

They're not wrong about the increased risk of turning conflict collision.

I've got nothing to back me up statistically, but I don't buy that. If a cyclist is level with the rear of your car then you'll have to turn your head a lot further to see them the closer they are to the side of you. Also, a left-hand turn is now much wider so as the car begins to turn there's a much greater opportunity to see a cyclist than there is if you had to make a sharper turn. The car's intentions are also telegraphed much earlier so a cyclist gets a bit more warning about somebody who is making a turn.


Are you sure that it's the same people?

No, not entirely, I'm just being suspicious ... but I don't think I'm far from the truth.

The Lord Mayor of Adelaide was criticised for likening the treatment of cyclists to apartheid. It's not the most sensitive of analogies, but I've been yelled at, deliberately run off the road and even assaulted just for being on a bike, so when people start calling for cyclist registration and licensing it's hard not to like they really would rather just get rid of us all together.

[Yw-slayer]

I think when OP refers to the increased risk, he refers to how most car drivers, when seeking to make a (in this case) left-turn, would only check their left and rear-view mirrors, which may in turn not afford a wide enough field of vision to show a bike in the bike lane.

Of course, in theory, the island would be unnecessary if everyone looked in their mirrors and saw the cyclist alongside them.

Anyway, in this case the lane may make cyclists feel safer when both parties are going straight, but may be counterproductive in "left-turn" situations.

[G'day Mate]

Hmmm ok

[Tom Servo]

It ends up having a similar effect on drivers that riding on the sidewalk does. On the other hand, I'd assume that the expected increase in ridership that those cycletracks would bring would increase driver awareness, nullifying the potential negative effect.

[Yw-slayer]

I'm not sure about that. I think the only way to get people to fully empathise is to insist that you ride a bike on a real road as part of your driving test, and to make people have to repeat that every 5 years. I don't give a fuck if they claim that they can't ride a bike, as they should learn how to.

[FaultyMario]

Genuinely? I've always been dubious about carbon this and that, but just had my first ride out and it was a bit...bumpy! They really make a difference?


It will be bumpy, after all, road bikes are designed for HARDCORE RACERS at the top of the RACING PYRAMID (Morishige, 2000)!!!


But IME, a good carbon fork will suck up a lot of road noise. A carbon seat post is a distant second but still, a genuine improvement, most noticeable on long rides (2+ hours), so don't expect to feel the difference right away, if you keep the bike to your liking (hence, echoing what Dave and YW said about the pro fitting) and ride it for a number of months, the difference the carbon makes will be, immediately noticeable when you borrow somebody else's ride.

So yeah, learn to love it as is, with minor adjustments, if not completely satisfied, well then
-wash it
-lub it
-list it
-???
-profit

[Yw-slayer]

Not only that, but a pro-fitting with good geometry analysis can be re-used for when you get your next bike, so that you get something that REALLY suits you.

[SportWagon]

Road bikes are designed to be ridden for many hours continuously. Their design therefore must be inherently comfortable, given proper adjustment.

[overpowered]

I think when OP refers to the increased risk, he refers to how most car drivers, when seeking to make a (in this case) left-turn, would only check their left and rear-view mirrors, which may in turn not afford a wide enough field of vision to show a bike in the bike lane.

Of course, in theory, the island would be unnecessary if everyone looked in their mirrors and saw the cyclist alongside them.

Anyway, in this case the lane may make cyclists feel safer when both parties are going straight, but may be counterproductive in "left-turn" situations.Motorists tend to ignore whatever they think that they can ignore. The further from the center of a driver's attention that you are, the more they will ignore you. Put a barrier up and even if they see you, their mind will discount you as irrelevant, even though they are about to make a turn across your path.

Even the dutch and the danes have had a lot of problems with this. They've tried to get around it with separate bike signals at intersections but they don't have those everywhere and they greatly reduce overall throughput.

One thing with these turning collisions with the cycle tracks: the turning radius gets tightened due to the separation, which slows down the turn. This results in lower fatalities which is part of why dutch/danish death rates are so low. They typically don't talk about their collision rates, which are still not great.

The problem is putting straight through traffic on the turning side of turning traffic. It always creates conflicts.

[overpowered]

Genuinely? I've always been dubious about carbon this and that, but just had my first ride out and it was a bit...bumpy! They really make a difference?

And just to point out, yes - that seat high is mental high. I'd just got it out the car and took a quick pick. It's at a pretty reasonable height now.

Just did my normal loop and it's so much more pleasureable and easier on a road bike. Think I'm going to need to add on a bit to the circuit! My shoulders and neck hurt a bit, but I guess that's jsut getting used to the new position? Did feel I was reaching out a fair bit when on the drops, brakeshood, so maybe ponder a shorter stem?Carbon does tend to be more rigid than steel. This does give a harsher ride but also translates energy more efficiently into the rear wheel. The difference is not as severe as it once was as carbon frame design has continued to progress over the years. I find mine to be quite comfortable.

[Tom Servo]

I'm not sure about that. I think the only way to get people to fully empathise is to insist that you ride a bike on a real road as part of your driving test, and to make people have to repeat that every 5 years. I don't give a fuck if they claim that they can't ride a bike, as they should learn how to.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I don't think it'll make drivers more tolerant, but it will get them more used to it and tend to cut down on overall stupidity. Santa Monica is a good example of that, not only is there good bike infrastructure, but even when there isn't the drivers down there are generally just better about interacting, and it's mostly because there are so many people on bikes down there. In the absence of any real driver training, experience sharing the road with other modes of transport does wonders, and the more people there are using other modes of transport, the quicker people get used to it. They might not like it, but at least they're aware of it.

[Yw-slayer]

True.

[overpowered]

Piedmont man charged after viral video threatening cyclists (http://www.annistonstar.com/news/article_752b90ae-e203-11e3-beed-001a4bcf887a.html)

[neanderthal]

That truck driver needs to be put in exactly the same position. After that, he should have his licence taken away from him for life. People like that should not be allowed to operate motor vehicles.

YW for President.

[Drachen596]

people don't know how to drive around or understand laws regarding bicycles on the road. why? because of the government/DMV.
the Indiana drivers manual has basically what amounts to three paragraphs on it. there is more information on what to do after an accident or while driving in bad weather than about bikes.

also i see one bike lane rule i strongly disagree with even though i dont ride.(another i partially disagree with.. mainly because who has a pedal moped anymore?)

[overpowered]

Which rule do you disagree with and why? (I might agree with you, BTW)

[Drachen596]

being in the bike lane for official use. its not a huge issue in this city because generally the only places with mailboxes that'd require that are in the country or in housing additions. as far as i see it if you're not a bicyclist stay out of the damn lane.

though i know of at least 4 or more areas where you HAVE to cross the bike lane to get into the turn lane to make a right onto another street. they're marked to say 'check for cyclists' or something before the crossing has to be made but i don't feel like drivers ever look.

[overpowered]

Assuming no right turn lane, it is best if motorists merge into the bike lane before making a right turn rather than making a right turn across the bike lane. This is because turning across it involves timing it right and as most of us know, some motorists tend to cut it too close. Merging into the bike lane as you would another lane involves much less judgement of the timing. That's why California law, CVC 21717, actually requires merging into the bike lane before making a right turn -- not that most people are aware of this.

Right turn lane crossings over bike lanes can get tricky. Merging doesn't really make as much sense, though you can (and I think should) do it. That absolute crossing point is always a problem for timing. Signs saying to yield have little to no effect, even in the instances that drivers notice them.

As for mail trucks, road maintenance vehicles, emergency vehicles and emergency stops, that makes sense don't you think? Mail trucks need to reach road side mail boxes. Maintenance vehicles and emergency vehicles and emergency stops need to stop as far right as they can.

I'm not a big fan of bike lanes. My last collision might not have happened had I not been in a bike lane. As far as I'm concerned, most bike lanes are road ghettos. Separate but "equal" never really works out all that great. I know of a few rare bike lanes that have no crossing conflicts for large distances. I don't mind those so much. It's the majority that have crossing conflicts every few hundred feet or less that I have a problem with.

[overpowered]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/10155073_10203188574826571_8292451638011625244_n.j pg

[overpowered]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/t1.0-9/10308748_10152762375666729_1175426960232791941_n.j pg

[Cam]

Wow. :| (About the bike lane rumble strip. Superbad PS job too.)

In other news, Lori and I checked out Poinsett State Park. It has favorable ratings among the local mountain biking crowd. Unfortunately, it's over 40 miles away instead of the 14 to our usual mountain biking spot, Harbison State Forest. It was enjoyable, but I don't know if it's worth the extra drive for a very similar ride. It was nice to check it out and have a change. Tomorrow we're going to check out the Forks Area Trail System (FATS) near Augusta. Unfortunately, it's 80 miles away. It sounds pretty good. However, ratings for Poinsett seem higher than Harbison, but I thought they were very similar. I've never liked driving somewhere to go riding. It better be good.

[overpowered]

I don't think that the photoshop "artist" cared about making it realistic. It was about making a point. The original photo had a bike lane symbol where the FU sign is now.

Original is here:

https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/10367189_804154716269115_8584395216697042562_n.jpg

[Cam]

Lori cancelled the trip to FATS because she's too tired and sore from yesterday. :(

[Yw-slayer]

#humblebrag?

[Cam]

I'm sure that would be hilarious if I knew what it meant.

[Kchrpm]

He's insinuating that you made her sore and tired yesterday from intense sexual activity.

[Cam]

:random:

[Cam]

605

[overpowered]

Aggressive law breaking motorists never cease to amaze me with their excuses for their bad driving around bicyclists:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYXYsjLsz78

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/motorcyclist-hits-cyclist-posts-video-youtube-124261

[overpowered]

News flash for drivers: Cyclists are helping subsidize your ride (http://www.biv.com/article/20130730/BIV0319/307309939/-1/BIV/news-flash-for-drivers-cyclists-are-helping-subsidize-your-ride)

[SportWagon]

Aggressive law breaking motorists never cease to amaze me with their excuses for their bad driving around bicyclists:

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/motorcyclist-hits-cyclist-posts-video-youtube-124261
Is that really a bicycle lane? It looks like a very stupid place to put it. Is the lane for both directions? It actually looks like buffer space for traffic which needs to veer out of lanes in either direction, or something. No, I don't think it's a bicycle lane.

But the motorcyclist should be ashamed of not being able to properly pull fully into the other lane of traffic before attempting to pass. "Undertaking" doesn't really seem to apply; many of the cars were "undertaking" according to that definition. But they do it while fully in the other lane.

Here's the full version...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7rv38Sq7ECY

[overpowered]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIGZn-Kyb60

[Cam]

Can you give me a brief about the video so I don't have to watch?

[Kchrpm]

From the description on the video.


This lady felt strongly that I don't belong. So much so that she tried to physically detain me.

From reading comments it sounds like a young lady was riding her bike on a street, and someone in a car felt like she should act as a traffic cop and prevent her from doing so.

[Tom Servo]

Article showing that building the cycletracks in Australia has brought out so many cyclists, in some places they're carrying more people on bikes than in cars at peak hours: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/executive-style/fitness/blogs/on-your-bike/this-is-why-bike-lanes-are-working-20140528-394nq.html

[SportWagon]

Can you give me a brief about the video so I don't have to watch?
The woman recording the video, and occasionally narrating, was riding her bicycle and was, as far as one could judge from her own video, riding well out into the right-hand lane, perhaps as far as just to the right of the lane marking. (There is no bicycle lane). This did not appear to be a real issue to me, since the road had two other lanes going in that direction, and the fast-moving automobile traffic seemed to be quite smoothly going around her. It almost looked like driving practice there was in general to not use her lane at all.

At one point the cyclist goes by many stopped cars because her lane is so unused, stopping roughly in the middle of the lane behind the few cars stopped in her lane at a red traffic light. At that point there is a right-turn-only lane beside her. But that's not the incident. She starts up, the right-turn-only lane ends, and she continues riding well out into the middle of the right lane through several intersections.

At just before 3:00 a white Subaru wagon pulls alongside her, and slows down so that the passenger can begin complaining that she (the cyclist) is impeding traffic. Instead of pointing out that there's ample capacity for traffic to pass her, the cyclist actually replies that only motor vehicles can be cited for impeding traffic. The conversation continues for a good 40 seconds, with the white Subaru maintaining the slow speed so as to remain near the cyclist (all the while sufficiently out into its own lane), and several cars are able to pass this potential joint obstacle. At about 3:50 they are both stopped by a traffic light, and the argument continues. And at some point the cyclist says she is going to call the police about this incident. In fact, you see the cyclist using both hands while stopped to operate her cell phone. While stopped at the light, the occupants of the Subaru appear to decide to argue no longer, and roll up their window, and drive off when the light turns green. (about 4:45)

At about 5:30 the cyclist pulls into a McDonalds and does indeed appear to call the police to report this harassment (at about 6:00).

Apparently the Subaru occupant had said something about having a "share the road license plate" and not wanting to support the sort of cycling the cyclist was doing.

Although the call does last about three minutes, we never see any final resolution of the matter. For all we know the cyclist could be having a conversation with no-one on the other end.

I watched the video in full with the sound early this morning. These notes have been produced using the bar to move the video forward with sound off.

Edit: No, as I watch the video more slowly, I see there is no passenger in the Subaru. The driver is intentionally distracting herself by arguing with the cyclist while also driving. It probably took a little bit of skill to keep the car going that slowly and maintain the argument from the driver's seat. I suppose I hoped nobody would be stupid enough to try that.

[overpowered]

Can you give me a brief about the video so I don't have to watch?About 35 seconds in, a woman who had stopped and parked and gotten out of her car walked out into the lane to yell at the bicyclist for being in the road. The bicyclist avoided her and kept going. The woman got back in her car and caught up to the bicyclist and slowed to bicycle speed in the middle lane of road with 3 lanes in the given direction so that she could berate the bicyclist. The bicyclist called the cops due to the harassment.

EDIT: SW, you missed the part where the driver stepped out into the lane.

Yes, the rider was controlling the lane the whole way. I would too given the road conditions.

[SportWagon]

That's the pedestrian in the zebra crossing at about 40 seconds? I (obviously?) hardly even noticed her.

[Cam]

Thanks. SW, I said a brief. :lol:

[George]

Beggars can't be choosers. :)

[SportWagon]

I'm sure you can read my post in less than 9:50.

[G'day Mate]

Article showing that building the cycletracks in Australia has brought out so many cyclists, in some places they're carrying more people on bikes than in cars at peak hours: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/executive-style/fitness/blogs/on-your-bike/this-is-why-bike-lanes-are-working-20140528-394nq.html

That's awesome.

I reckon there's more and more people on the Frome street bikeway in Adelaide each day (I use it every day) and the cars seem to have found ways around it too because there's less traffic backed up.

[Cam]

I'm sure you can read my post in less than 9:50.
:lol:

[overpowered]

Some people are angry that SFPD's bait bike anti-theft program uses bikes that are expensive enough to make theft of those bikes a felony.

http://blog.sfgate.com/stew/2014/05/28/do-s-f-s-bait-bikes-stop-thieves-or-entrap-poor/

They also call it entrapment. I'm not sure how it's entrapment when the bikes are locked up and the thief has to defeat the lock to steal the bike.

[George]

I saw this elsewhere on the web and think it is retro-awesome.

http://sfcitizen.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/2931485_orig-copy.jpg

[G'day Mate]

:up:

[G'day Mate]

So the Giro is winding up. Looks like it's Quintana's to lose at this sage ...

[overpowered]

The new XTR (mountain bike) version of Di2 only has one shifter, so you only tell it if you want a higher or lower gear. It works out whether to shift the front, the back or both, including optimizing chain line:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/05/bikes-and-tech/lennard-zinns-take-shimano-xtr-di2_330064

[Yw-slayer]

Seems pointless now, although I suppose give it a few years to trickle down to XT level then it may be worth it.

Wait, I still can't see the point given the availability of 1x11 drivetrains.

[G'day Mate]

It works out whether to shift the front, the back or both, including optimizing chain line:
Interesting! I'm not sure I'd like that though, seems like something a human would do better as long as they don't crossfire too often

[overpowered]

1x11 gives up a lot of range. I thought those were mostly only used on downhill bikes.

[Yw-slayer]

Or all-mountain. My impression is that it's good enough for pretty much everything apart from pure XC, but that could be just marketing.

[overpowered]

Legal defense fund for Cherokee Schill, who is being threatened with jail for riding her bike on the road.

http://www.gofundme.com/8uvfkw

Story:

http://www.kentucky.com/2014/05/01/3222461/woman-biking-daily-to-lexington.html

[George]

Sunday afternoon cycling pics.



Sunny. 80 degrees F. Low humidity. Went with my next-door neighbor, who rode his Cannondale CAAD CX bike with cute skinny little knobbies. I rode my MTB with street tires. I thought those two bikes were a good match for each other - not where one guy always had to wait for the other as if road vs. mtn bikes. We were gone about two hours.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03784_zps606cc565.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03783_zps0d8ac6c8.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03785_zps2331bfd5.jpg

Pike's Peak is visible here, about a third of the way from the left edge of the photo as you move toward the right.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03787_zpsf806248f.jpg

Looking down on Denver off in the distance to the north. Denver is about 1000 feet below here in altitude.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03792_zps11ac604b.jpg

That speck in the sky is a plane coming in to land at an airport over thataway.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03795_zpsfc798cab.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03796_zps1ee13bcb.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03809_zpsb31bad65.jpg

Elevation 6280 feet above sea level, or a mile plus 1000 feet. There are 360-degree views from here that my camera just can't adequately show, and it's as if one can see from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins on a really clear day.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03799_zps4b61299e.jpg

Off to the far left in the pic below, the black & white vehicle is a police Ford Explorer. Guy was just making his rounds, I guess. He was very friendly and I got the impression he'd much rather be up here than down in town on traffic patrol.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03801_zps9fe8c3d9.jpg

Working Ranch - Please Stay On Trail:

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03802_zpsacfd9755.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03803_zps3e6461da.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03804_zps3f14a50f.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03805_zps6cfdd8cf.jpg

I live down there in the sea of rooftops in the cloud's shadow. This is the "edge of town", you might say. The houses (mostly) just stop.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03806_zps7c924ac7.jpg

I probably wouldn't survive 30 minutes in LA or SD or NY traffic but I do enjoy not having to fight with automobiles (except cops in SUVs who like to stop and chat) on the trails.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03808_zpsdaf44380.jpg

[G'day Mate]

Lovely! Pity the paths aren't sealed. How far did you ride Mr. No-Strava?

[SportWagon]

I find I'm getting less tired after my rides now. First couple of 40km rides immediately wiped me out this year. But last Saturday I managed to go from my 40km ride straight into cutting the lawn for about 1.5 hours. And then we did our usual Saturday routine of lunch at Country Boy followed by a little shopping and then grocery shopping.

Mind you, that evening I did begin getting tired, and slept in somewhat Sunday morning, and didn't get out for my 60km ride until about 11:30. And after that ride I was quite tired, and somewhat dehydrated. So after a bath I slept for about 1.5 hours before we went out to dinner for chili and salad at Wendy's.

Until I gain more strength and speed, I don't think it's worth going for more than 60km rides. At my age it seems you can't force strength any more by simply persisting for one day; it's more likely to set you back than build strength, speed, or even endurance.

Gotta start getting out for some short har early morning rides soon. To try and build up some speed.

[George]

How far did you ride Mr. No-Strava?

About two hours. :)

[overpowered]

Craig Premack, B.C. randonneur cyclist, shot during Cache Creek 600 (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/craig-premack-b-c-randonneur-cyclist-shot-during-cache-creek-600-1.2661218)

Cyclist shot while participating in Cache Creek 600 cycling event (http://globalnews.ca/news/1367330/cyclist-shot-while-participating-in-cache-creek-600-cycling-event/)

[overpowered]

Prospect Park Rope Trap Snags Cyclist, Cops See No Crime (http://gothamist.com/2014/05/31/prospect_park_trip_wire_leaves_cycl.php)

[Cam]

:smh:

[neanderthal]

I guess today is the day I try a metric century.
Pump tires. Check.
Spare tube in hydration pack. Check.
Liberally apply Chamois Glide. Check.
Fully charged cellphone. Check.
Switch out lenses from clear to tinted. Check.
Nutrition X3. Check.


I guess I should leave now...

Gonna deviate from the normal route.

[overpowered]

Caught a bee in my teeth at 35mph.

Didn't get stung but otherwise, it's as gross as it sounds.

[SportWagon]

At least you had your teeth closed, I guess?

After being somewhat tired on Sunday afternoon I found myself awake before 5am the next morning, with thunderstorms predicted for late morning. So I left at 6:15am for 40km. It was a little windy, and I can feel the tiredness in my legs after several days in a row. I mean, I finished this ride less than 24 hours after I started the previous. But weather was generally perfect. A few more clouds to obscure the early morning sun would be nice, and the temperature was a little nippy going into the valleys.

Discovered there are actually two dogs at that one house in Playful Puppy Paradise. One's more of a chaser than the other.

I need to try to signal my intentions more clearly when I zoom across a lane to get to a left-turn lane appearing on a generally quiet rural two-lane road. And remember that some drivers will want to zoom quickly up to end up tailgating the motor vehicle which was in front of them. But sometimes you're just going to get honked at on principle, I guess. I need to think calm, reassuring thoughts.

In the Cherokee Schill case, she must be riding in the dark with lights in the early morning. But it's not clear to me whether the tickets have been for then (when the road might be largely empty?) or for the afternoon ride home. No mention seems to be made of darkness as a problem.

[Yw-slayer]

Prospect Park Rope Trap Snags Cyclist, Cops See No Crime (http://gothamist.com/2014/05/31/prospect_park_trip_wire_leaves_cycl.php)

It would be REALLY FUNNY and there might be INCONSISTENCIES or might even be an ACCIDENT if someone strung a rope about 2" from the ground at the entrance of a busy Police Station. Wouldn't it?

[George]

Morning commute pics



The weather in late May and early June in Colorado is hard to beat.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03810_zps2025a3a3.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03811_zpsa01ed670.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03812_zpsae9c3657.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/craigslistuser/DSC03813_zps2af7dd6f.jpg

[overpowered]

In the Cherokee Schill case, she must be riding in the dark with lights in the early morning. But it's not clear to me whether the tickets have been for then (when the road might be largely empty?) or for the afternoon ride home. No mention seems to be made of darkness as a problem.She uses bright flashing lights, front and rear, even during the day.

The sheriff and the county attorney are trying to create a back door in the law so that they can ban her from this road. That's all that this is.

[overpowered]

Cyclist attacked but not hurt in Dana Point. He gets it on video. It's actually being investigated for a change.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/video/10227339-oc-cyclist-records-pickup-truck-driver-trying-to-run-him-off-road/

[overpowered]

It would be REALLY FUNNY and there might be INCONSISTENCIES or might even be an ACCIDENT if someone strung a rope about 2" from the ground at the entrance of a busy Police Station. Wouldn't it?I think that you meant 2'. If it was 2", a bike wheel would probably just ride right over it with a slight bump.

That said, yes, I think are correct it would be very different if it was the entrance of a busy police station. It should be noted that this is NYPD, which has a history of doing nothing about anything that harms bicyclists, ever and generally doing whatever they think they can get away with to make life harder on bicyclists.

[Yw-slayer]

Do you really always have to give everything the most negative and/or bike-related spin?

I was thinking about the effect of tripping over a Policeman exiting the station - I assumed 2" would do the job. 2' is a bit too high. Maybe I should have suggested 5-6".

EDIT: Originally wrote positive, meant negative.

[SportWagon]

Is YW asking rhetorical questions again?

[Tom Servo]

I managed to win a cat 6 race against a new Jaguar F-Type S from Beverly Hills to my house yesterday, over the course of about four miles. He didn't know we were racing, of course, but that doesn't change the fact that I beat him.

It was super close near the end, so I just sprinted as hard as I could for the last stretch before my house. That used to be a Strava segment, and now I see that it's been marked as hazardous. So have almost all the other ones near my house, including ones that are uphill, don't cross any stop signs or traffic lights, and have bike lanes. Segments, as far as I can tell, are the main selling point for Strava over other apps like Endomondo - I'm surprised it's so easy to mark non-hazardous segments as hazardous, and as far as I can tell from doing a little research, I'm not the only one that's noticed this.

[Random]

It should be noted that this is NYPD, which has a history of [...] generally doing whatever they think they can get away with [...].

Fixed that for you. ;)

[neanderthal]

Did the damned thing. I even thought about just going for a century after I stopped to fill my hydration pack at just under 40 miles. But about 5 miles later the gentlemans area and the sit bone area both vociferously nixed that idea.

Legs were a bit wobbly yesterday. But I pushed through and even went to play a nice and competitive game of touch rugby. INstead of biking again today (I normally do Monday and Wednesday) I think I will just do 100 pushups and situps and a bunch of planking.

i took off and kept a relatively slow pace all day. Ended up being about a 10mph average. Could have been a lot higher, but I had to stop at every traffic light, it seemed, and there were some sections of road there were very unfriendly to the family jewels. Lets say i'm not riding there again.
BUT, I can see that adding 40 more miles wouldn't be that untoward. And could possibly even be done this month too....

[George]

Nice job neanderthal. You guys who ride real distances certainly have the respect of this five-mile commuter and all-around slowpoke.

[G'day Mate]

Well done neanderthal! 100kms in no mean feat. 100mi is a whole 'nother thing though. Marathon runners say "Half of 42 is 32" - I reckon when cycling a century half of 100 is at least 65.

You've broken the 100km mark now though - after I did that I found it easy(ish) to keep piling on the distance. My best effort to date is 182km (113mi) with 2,884m (9,450ft) of climbing :cool:

[George]

G'day, I don't doubt your word for a second, but did I read that right? You climbed 9,450 feet in altitude in ONE RIDE? :twitch:

[Random]

Sounds like the Death Ride: five passes, 15000 feet of climbing. :o

[G'day Mate]

G'day, I don't doubt your word for a second, but did I read that right? You climbed 9,450 feet in altitude in ONE RIDE? :twitch:

No, I only climbed 9,450 feet on my longest ride. My best ever climbing effort is 3,300 metres, or 10,750 feet. I did three laps of a circuit that included one very long climb and one very steep climb. Here's the Strava activity (http://www.strava.com/activities/129283026).


Sounds like the Death Ride: five passes, 15000 feet of climbing. :o

Yeah I'm actually training for something with about that much climbing involved - the Three Peaks Challenge (https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/scody-3-peaks-challenge/).

[Random]

Noice!

Here are the Death Ride's five passes (technically, it does three mountain passes, but uses both sides of two of them):
http://www.deathride.com/images/photos/elemaplg.jpg

:cool:

(On a side note, that's a pretty epic drive, too--just don't do it on the weekend of the Death Ride. :lol:)

edit: when we win the lottery we'll fly you over here to do the DR and the Davis Double Century. :D

[SportWagon]

Did the damned thing. I even thought about just going for a century after I stopped to fill my hydration pack at just under 40 miles. But about 5 miles later the gentlemans area and the sit bone area both vociferously nixed that idea.

If you had it on strava, we could (and would) give you kudos...

[So assume kudos here too...]

[George]

Oh, so if you ride up 100 units of measure and then coast downhill for 100 and then climb 100 again on the next hill, that's considered a 200 unit climb? (where unit = feet or miles or KM or rods or whatever you want)

I guess that's how it must be. I couldn't imagine 9000+ feet in one ride. For example, Denver up to the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70 is at least a 6000 foot climb and takes at least an hour in a car, depending on where you start from. I was thinking maybe G'day rode up the Australian equivalent of Pike's Peak or something.

Hey, I'm still impressed. I just did't understand how climbs were measured. I'll crawl back in my hole now.

[overpowered]

Yes, the descents are ignored in climbing stats. Why would it work any other way?

Even when you climb a very big mountain, there tends to be some flat or even downhill sections along the way.

[George]

Well, living in Colorado, I can't help but think about elevation because there are signs everywhere telling you how high you are.

I drive my car up 2000' feet, stop, and get out, I'm now 2000' higher than when I started. Therefore I climbed 2000', right? That's regardless of any downhills along the way.

If you look at Random's map, it would have said it's an elevation gain of about zero because it looks like the start and finish line are both at around 6000'.

I had just never thought of it any other way but I understand how it works for cycling stats now.

http://www.deathride.com/images/photos/elemaplg.jpg

[FaultyMario]

It's the effort, not the gain.

[Tom Servo]

Stats are the same for hiking too. You hear it referred to as "elevation gain" or just "gain", and it's the sum of all the climbing you do. I've done hikes where the start and turnaround points are nearly the same elevation, but it's officially considered to have a couple thousand feet of gain.

[overpowered]

It's the effort, not the gain.:up:

[Cam]

Bloody hell, it's hot here. (Just like you said, George.) Makes cycling to school icky. High humidity hasn't even started yet. :sadbanana: That's not a tear coming off the banana, that's sweat. :lol:

[George]

http://www.skewsme.com/img/you_were_warned.jpg

[G'day Mate]

Well, it might be time to retire the Big Friendly Giant. It needs a new drivetrain and last night one of the gear cables broke (as I suspected it was about to), setting the rear derailleur to "difficult" and leaving me with only the front (which is a triple, thankfully) to adjust with. The seat has also been busted for a while, but I've been getting away with duct tape to keep that together so no biggie. One of the drink bottle cages is also duct taped to the frame ... it's a real mess and it's no wonder people on roadies shoal in front of me at the lights hahaha :D

So if the cost of replacing all that turns out to be anywhere near the $500 mark then I might as well just get a new cheap-and-cheerful flat-bar commuter I reckon. The guys at the local shop know me pretty well by now so that will work in my favour. If I do get a new bike it'll be the fourth one I've bought there, although the shop has probably changed hands a number of times in that 20 years.

[G'day Mate]

In fact, this is probably what I'll end up with based on what they stock - a Merida Speeder S1:

http://99bikes.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/800x600/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/p/speeder_s1_silk-black_my2014.jpg

Bog-standard POS flat bar that I can get all wet and grimy and not give a fuck about :D Hopefully it has the same size tyres as by existing bike so that I don't need two types of tubes.

Not that I want a new bike - I'm still very attached to my big old Giant. I've done 16,500kms (>10,000mi) on it!!

[overpowered]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwqRqIvo4GU

http://road.cc/content/news/120692-video-irish-bus-company-investigates-driver-who-told-cyclist-ill-run-you-over

[G'day Mate]

I got a pretty satisfying response from a bus company I complained to recently. Their driver had yelled at a colleague and me (we were riding side-by-side) to "get in the bike lane" as he passed us (and a car that was in the bike lane ahead of us) as he went by. It was a three lane road with no other vehicles in sight, and the bike lane only operated in the afternoon so we were doing absolutely nothing wrong. I told the company that as a professional driver that it was his job to know the rules and, even if we were in the wrong, it certainly wasn't his job to enforce them. They responded in time saying that the driver had been "counselled in relation to the road traffic act". Win :D

[George]

...it's a real mess and it's no wonder people on roadies shoal in front of me at the lights hahaha :D

How embarrassing for you. :sadbanana:

Speaking of embarrassing, I just bought a handlebar bag for the road bike so I can ride it to work tomorrow. I've decided it's time to ride it to work, if only because I can, and I've already planned a almost entirely paved route that shouldn't be too much longer than my usual mixed-terrain route.

I figure a handlebar bag is a good thing to own with a family growing into bikes.

I actually tried to move my rear rack to the Allez. It has all the eyelets but the one side of the rear brake where the cable connects is exactly in line with one of the frame mounts under the seat. I'm guessing this was the frame designer's way of saying, "you may put fenders on this bike if you insist, but thou shalt not installeth a rack on a road bike."

Pics tomorrow, maybe.

[Tom Servo]

Well, it might be time to retire the Big Friendly Giant. It needs a new drivetrain and last night one of the gear cables broke (as I suspected it was about to), setting the rear derailleur to "difficult" and leaving me with only the front (which is a triple, thankfully) to adjust with.

That's what I had happen the other day on the Roubaix, which is only a double. It also sounded like shit when I was crosschained, so I basically just went top gear the whole way home. That was a good time.

[G'day Mate]

How embarrassing for you. :sadbanana:

It's more embarrassing for them once I pass ;)

I'd recommend riding to and from work to anyone that's able - it wakes you up in the morning and helps clear your mind at the end of the day. If I ever have to drive to work now instead of riding I find myself incredibly grumpy as I sit in traffic watching all the happy cyclists go by

[Yw-slayer]

I do love zooming past 10 cars at the lights just before I get to work.

That Speeder S1 looks pretty sweet, and is a good sleeper for someone like you. ;)