Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
Booked my tickets today. Cycling through the Balkans from August 2nd through September 18th. One of our big concerns is getting our bikes back. On the trip out we shoold be able to pack them up pretty well, but we'll have to discard all our packing material once we get there. We're flying in and out of Rome, so hopefully it wont be too hard to find packing material for the return trip. Also do any of your tourers have suggestions on keeping our stuff safe while camping?
Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
That's awesome excess!
In terms of planning - check out http://bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=47 There's probably some good info (and maybe some people who you could meet up with on the way).
Damn that sounds like fun!
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Associated Press
Published June 11, 2006, 1:41 PM CDT
CHICAGO -- To encourage more people to bike to their destinations, the city of Chicago is about to unveil a plan for a 500-mile network of designated bicycle routes, one that would include elevating bike lanes slightly above street level in a bid to make the city a bicyclist's heaven.
Realizing the biggest danger to bicyclists are car doors and right-lane passers, city planners looked around for safety ideas and decided to adopt a practice in Geneva, Switzerland of putting a layer of pavement above street level and below the curb, the Chicago Tribune reported in its Sunday editions.
The city hopes to experiment with raised lanes in several locations by 2010. By 2015, planners say they hope 5 percent of all trips shorter than five miles will be made by bicycle.
"It's truly putting Chicago on the forefront of improving cycling across the country," Andy Clarke, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based League of American Bicyclists, said of the city's track record of delivering for cyclists.
Chicago's Department of Transportation is putting together the 500-mile network of bicycle routes. The current plan does not say where in the city the new miles of bike lanes and improvements will be located.
When the city and its consultant, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, began researching a plan to replace one released in 1992, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley encouraged them to seek inspiration from other cities.
Next year, there are plans to shut down several streets for biking on Sunday morning -- something that is already done in Bogota, Colombia and Guadalajara, Mexico.
A key to encouraging bicycling, experts say, is to make riding safer.
Ben Gomberg of the city's transportation department said the city hopes to try teal markings at 10 intersections. The color could catch the eyes of motorists who may not be paying attention, said Joseph Schofer, a professor of civil engineering at Northwestern University.
Then there's the raising of bike lanes to see if it discourages motorists from entering the lane.
One potential drawback is that the raised lanes might make it harder for bicyclists to merge into the center travel lane to turn left, said Christopher Hagelin of the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida.
Chicago planners are also considering specially marked boxes at intersections where cyclists can line up ahead of cars. That gives them a head start when the light turns green and makes them move visible to motorists.
Copyright 2006, The Associated Press
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
Ooh...there's a bill proposed to extend commuter benefits to people who bike to work.
Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Mark Foley (R-FL) introduced H.R. 807 in February 2005. The bill has at least 46 cosponsors. On April 24, 2006, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Susan Collins (R-ME), introduced the companion legislation titled the Bicycle Commuters Benefits Act of 2006 (S. 2635) in the Senate.
Check it out, and let your officials know you want them to support it!
Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
Quoted from "Chivalrous"
And I learned something last night: THE QUEENSBORO BRIDGE CLOSES BETWEEN 10PM-5AM EVERY NIGHT FOR CONSTRUCTION UNTIL WHO-KNOWS-WHEN. Well, just the ped/bike lane anyway. Fortunately they do have a shuttle set up that comes by every 15 minutes or so, but it's still annoying. And the guy working there had no idea how long it would last.
You live in Queens, Chiv?
Sorry I couldn't join you guys. I had to retreat at the Queensboro. I'm still weak from my cold.
The 13 miles must have been very social. 40 minimum for me when healthy. :)
Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
Did anyone see or take part in the World Naked Bike Ride at the weekend? I did, in York, UK and it was awesome! The World Naked Bike Ride is a protest against oil dependency, climate change and a celebration of the human body. We had nearly 70 people in York on Friday and the London ride (which I couldn't go to, :cry: ) had 700 riders!
Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
Read about it!
It was a very social outing - but definately fun!
Mugsy - that's really freakin' awesome. Without removing a ton of street parking in NY that wouldn't work :( Wish they would do more here - I got cut off by a cop yesterday in the bike lane! WTF?!
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
Quoted from "Avatar"
Quoted from "Chivalrous"
And I learned something last night: THE QUEENSBORO BRIDGE CLOSES BETWEEN 10PM-5AM EVERY NIGHT FOR CONSTRUCTION UNTIL WHO-KNOWS-WHEN. Well, just the ped/bike lane anyway. Fortunately they do have a shuttle set up that comes by every 15 minutes or so, but it's still annoying. And the guy working there had no idea how long it would last.
You live in Queens, Chiv?
Sorry I couldn't join you guys. I had to retreat at the Queensboro. I'm still weak from my cold.
The 13 miles must have been very social. 40 minimum for me when healthy. :)
Yeah, I live in Astoria. And come on, the Queensboro? That's a [bleep!] bridge. Try crossing the Williamsburg someday. Or as Mario reminded me on our ride, the Biscayne bridge in Miami. :)
And yes it was very social. Stopped by the South Street Seaport for a few drinks, took the scenic route through Battery Park City. Ate some super heavy pizza. And in my case, before meeting, one trip over the bridge to Columbus Circle where I bought a straight-razor and got a lesson on how to use it, then rode down to Air's to meet up with them, and later the trip home minus the bridge since it's FECKING CLOSED.
Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
Quoted from "Air"
Mugsy - that's really freakin' awesome. Without removing a ton of street parking in NY that wouldn't work :( Wish they would do more here - I got cut off by a cop yesterday in the bike lane! WTF?!
Yep, the state of NYC cycling is really nuts. Especially when you consider this is one of the best cities around in terms of how useful it could be to encourage cycling. Besides being cheaper and reducing polution and traffic, it still amazes me that most places I ride to (even coming from Queens) end up taking about the same time as on the subway.
Only having the one bike lane in the city on 6th avenue is ridiculous in itself (there's not even one going south). But even that as Air points out is largely ignored by cars. Here's an... interesting take on how to solve the problem.
Which reminds me, I've been wanting to do a Critical Mass ride for a long time (minus the clown suit and annoying shouting). Anyone else interested?
Edited to add: I posted that first link before watching the full video. Geez those people give "peaceful protest" a bad name. Especially that one girl. They started off with a decent premise, but blew it by being mean-spiritted about it, and worse is NOT FUNNY. :green:
Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
I'd love to dress up like a clown and bug cars parked in the bike lane :lol:
There are lanes going both ways - check out the links on page one of this thread and you can see the lanes that are in the city and what's proposed. I use the one on 2nd Ave a lot - though it only exists below 14th st.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Originally posted Monday, June 12, 2006 (5 years ago)
I'm actually interested to see how they're going to accomplish this "raised" bike lane stuff. All the streets with bike lanes in Chicago still have stree parking - the bike lane is in between the parked cars and the main traffic. So I'm not sure how this will work.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Originally posted Tuesday, June 13, 2006 (5 years ago)
Today began the great experiment of biking to work.
I managed to get here just fine...now, going home will be another story.
It's a seven mile ride each way, and took me about 50 minutes door to door. If you want, you can check out my <a href="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=235263">route</a>.
Some things I learned:
[list=1:327ad42a29]
[ :327ad42a29]When starting at 6:30 AM, being sweaty isn't the issue, it's being COLD!
[ :327ad42a29]By the time you've gone about four miles, you're not cold anymore, you're sweaty
[ :327ad42a29]Tomorrow I will at least bring deodorant, but I think I'm okay biking in my work clothes
[ :327ad42a29]No, I don't really smell bad.
[ :327ad42a29]My hair looks funny when it gets a little sweaty under a helmet. I need a haircut.
[ :327ad42a29]Village Cycle did NOT fix my shifter yesterday, in fact, it's worse than it was before. I really miss gear 2/5.
[ :327ad42a29]My U-lock is not big enough to fit around my frame, my front tire (detached), and my rear tire. For now, I used the "accessory cable" to tie up the front tire and my detached seat, but I need a longer U-lock.
[ :327ad42a29]Biking down Wells between the Merchandise Mart and Van Buren is a little scary, but it was actually pretty cool
[/list:o:327ad42a29]
Totally fun though. I'm glad I did it, and I'm looking forward to doing this every day.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Originally posted Tuesday, June 13, 2006 (5 years ago)
What kind of helmet did you get? Generally, paying for a more expensive helmet is paying for better ventilation. Also, why not bring the seat inside? It's nice to keep it dry.
Originally posted Tuesday, June 13, 2006 (5 years ago)
I'll probably start bringing the seat inside. I only locked it with the cable since I was already using the cable to lock my front tire, so threading it through the seat was no big deal.
I just got a Schwinn helmet, since it was more comfortable (and better ventilated) than the free Bell helmet I got with my bike. Eventually I might upgrade the helmet. It's not THAT hot for my ride, although we'll see how hot it is when I'm riding home at 3 PM.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Originally posted Wednesday, June 14, 2006 (5 years ago)
Congrats Mugsy!
Do you have grip shifters on that bike (so you have to twist the handlebars in order to shift?) If so have them swap those for some top mount index shifters. They work, are durable, and are easy to adjust on the fly in case something goes out of wack. They can also be turned into a rachet shifter by throwing a switch in case things get really dicey. They're basically an older and cheaper shifting system but with less things to go wrong with them. I wouldn't take home a bike that has grip shifters on without swapping them out. My lbs was going to charge 30 to do it if I bought the bike through them.
My mtb has top mounts, they were adjusted ONCE since I bought the bike over 12 years ago.
I've also heard a few stories of people hitting a bump and the grip shifters breaking in half since they get a lot of abuse from your hands.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Originally posted Thursday, June 15, 2006 (5 years ago)
:lol:
Some videos for ye:
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/bicycle/video/66402 - watch what happens when they try to door a bike rider!
http://www.digave.com/videos/red-web.mpg - right click and save (it's a little big but worth it). Put this on the biggest screen possible and try not to scream.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Originally posted Thursday, June 15, 2006 (5 years ago)
Speaking of dooring...
I collected my first door prize this morning. I was riding down Wells, under the L tracks, which gets kind of weird. If you look at this picture, it will help the story:
See how there's the area on the "outside" of the L tracks, where the cars are parked? I was riding in that area, on the west side of the street (Wells runs south). Some guy opens his car door suddenly, and whammo! I'm knocked over.
Luckily, there were no cars coming (I was knocked into the lane of traffic). The guy held his hand out to me and said "Oh my God, are you okay?"
I shrugged and said "You gotta watch where you're going, dude." He apologized. I looked down at my bike, and saw a crack in the plastic guard on the sprocket. The chain was mis-aligned as well.
A little upset, I told the guy I needed his info, since he hit me, and my bike was new, and I needed him to pay for any damage he did, since he was liable (I just read about that the other day). He started getting indignant "I'm sorry, is this the street? No, I think the street is OVER THERE" (pointing to the area under the tracks).
I told him that I was just a little freaked out, since it was a new bike, I had to make sure I could ride it the rest of the way to work, and back home again. I told him I wasn't trying to be an asshole, but I just wanted his information. So he gave me his card, apologized again, and said he was glad I wasn't hurt.
I agreed.
So once I got to the office, I pulled the guy's card out.
He's a lawyer.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Originally posted Thursday, June 15, 2006 (5 years ago)
Damn - you missed him!
The first ride through traffic I almost got doored but stopped literally a inch from the person. Didn't say anything, just stared them down.
Few days ago I had a feeling the door was going to open so I stopped and watched the guy behind me go around and hit them, lightly.
I'm learning to be a little more defensive in my traffic riding by becoming more offensive. If there's not enough room on the side to ride and worry about cars opening doors or pulling out I'll use the lane. I'll go as fast as possible so I'm actually keeping up with traffic most of the time (this is with 20" wheels and one gear!) but I've felt a lot more relaxed knowing that I'm also much more visible being in the middle of the lane then hidden on the side.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Originally posted Thursday, June 15, 2006 (5 years ago)
I called the police, and they told me I should file a police report. Although I'd need at least the color, make, and model of his car (plus the license plate if I could get it). The problem is, this happened about a mile from work, and I'm not 100 exactly where it happened. And I'm not quite sure that he'll still be parked there. And I'm not quite sure I remember exactly what his car looked like. I think it was silver.
I think he's going to get away with it. If the LBS tells me there's damage to my bike, I'll probably just call him and ask him to not be a jerk about it.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Originally posted Thursday, June 15, 2006 (5 years ago)
The upshot is, at least the guy gave me his actual card - the woman from the police department said that his card wasn't good enough, because he could have given me ANYONE's card.
Well, I went to the website on the card, and looked him up with the firm. There's a picture of him, and that's totally the guy.
, partner in 's Chicago office, is a member of the firm's Securities Litigation, Enforcement & Regulation and Transactional & Securities Practice Groups. A partner since 1993, he represents securities broker-dealers, the Chicago Stock Exchange and other exchanges and financial institutions in securities and commodities regulatory and compliance matters and general corporate issues.
I think the guy should have no problem paying for a new chain guard for me.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Originally posted Thursday, June 15, 2006 (5 years ago)
Haven't had any door incidents yet, but there have been a decent number of times a cab or other car suddenly decides to cut over and stop or make the turn which caused a few near misses. A couple of times that may have resulted in me taking out the mirror or at least smacking on the car a couple of times and calling him an a-hole (yeah, that helped a lot). What bugs me more is in pretty much every circumstance it's someone who just passed me, so it's not like they didn't know I was there.
Twice actually I had the same thing happen where a livery cab passed by me and started to slow down and pull to one side of the road so I knew they were stopping. I switched over to the other side so I could get around easily and in the last second they swerved to that side almost taking me out.
Yesterday though I was the bad guy. Riding home I thought there was a bit more room between the car and the curb and my handlebars took out a cab's mirror. I stopped and put it back, but he kept yelling at me and I rode off, still full of adrennaline and in my own world. Looking back on it I'm not sure that I didn't actually break it. I know they pretty much all have their own mechanics and can replace stuff like that for practically nothing, but I still feel bad now. :oops: :(
Obviously there's no way I can find him again, but I'd like to find some way of paying back the universe for that.
Originally posted Thursday, June 15, 2006 (5 years ago)
Careful what you wish for!
What do you guys think of a night ride? Times Up! organizes monthly moonlight rides through Central Park (first Friday of every month) and Prospect Park (second Saturday). I'd like to go to the one on July 7th in Central Park and the one in Prospect Park the following night on July 8th.
Any takers?
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
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Booked my tickets today. Cycling through the Balkans from August 2nd through September 18th. One of our big concerns is getting our bikes back. On the trip out we shoold be able to pack them up pretty well, but we'll have to discard all our packing material once we get there. We're flying in and out of Rome, so hopefully it wont be too hard to find packing material for the return trip. Also do any of your tourers have suggestions on keeping our stuff safe while camping?
arthur
dp
That's awesome excess!
In terms of planning - check out http://bikeforums.net/forumdisplay.php?f=47 There's probably some good info (and maybe some people who you could meet up with on the way).
Damn that sounds like fun!
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Chicago planning 500-mile bike network by 2015
Associated Press Published June 11, 2006, 1:41 PM CDT
CHICAGO -- To encourage more people to bike to their destinations, the city of Chicago is about to unveil a plan for a 500-mile network of designated bicycle routes, one that would include elevating bike lanes slightly above street level in a bid to make the city a bicyclist's heaven.
Realizing the biggest danger to bicyclists are car doors and right-lane passers, city planners looked around for safety ideas and decided to adopt a practice in Geneva, Switzerland of putting a layer of pavement above street level and below the curb, the Chicago Tribune reported in its Sunday editions.
The city hopes to experiment with raised lanes in several locations by 2010. By 2015, planners say they hope 5 percent of all trips shorter than five miles will be made by bicycle.
"It's truly putting Chicago on the forefront of improving cycling across the country," Andy Clarke, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based League of American Bicyclists, said of the city's track record of delivering for cyclists.
Chicago's Department of Transportation is putting together the 500-mile network of bicycle routes. The current plan does not say where in the city the new miles of bike lanes and improvements will be located.
When the city and its consultant, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, began researching a plan to replace one released in 1992, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley encouraged them to seek inspiration from other cities.
Next year, there are plans to shut down several streets for biking on Sunday morning -- something that is already done in Bogota, Colombia and Guadalajara, Mexico.
A key to encouraging bicycling, experts say, is to make riding safer.
Ben Gomberg of the city's transportation department said the city hopes to try teal markings at 10 intersections. The color could catch the eyes of motorists who may not be paying attention, said Joseph Schofer, a professor of civil engineering at Northwestern University.
Then there's the raising of bike lanes to see if it discourages motorists from entering the lane.
One potential drawback is that the raised lanes might make it harder for bicyclists to merge into the center travel lane to turn left, said Christopher Hagelin of the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida.
Chicago planners are also considering specially marked boxes at intersections where cyclists can line up ahead of cars. That gives them a head start when the light turns green and makes them move visible to motorists.
Copyright 2006, The Associated Press
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Ooh...there's a bill proposed to extend commuter benefits to people who bike to work.
Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Mark Foley (R-FL) introduced H.R. 807 in February 2005. The bill has at least 46 cosponsors. On April 24, 2006, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Susan Collins (R-ME), introduced the companion legislation titled the Bicycle Commuters Benefits Act of 2006 (S. 2635) in the Senate.
Check it out, and let your officials know you want them to support it!
http://capwiz.com/lab/issues/alert/?alertid=8647031&type=CO
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
You live in Queens, Chiv?
Sorry I couldn't join you guys. I had to retreat at the Queensboro. I'm still weak from my cold.
The 13 miles must have been very social. 40 minimum for me when healthy. :)
Did anyone see or take part in the World Naked Bike Ride at the weekend? I did, in York, UK and it was awesome! The World Naked Bike Ride is a protest against oil dependency, climate change and a celebration of the human body. We had nearly 70 people in York on Friday and the London ride (which I couldn't go to, :cry: ) had 700 riders!
Read about it!
It was a very social outing - but definately fun!
Mugsy - that's really freakin' awesome. Without removing a ton of street parking in NY that wouldn't work :( Wish they would do more here - I got cut off by a cop yesterday in the bike lane! WTF?!
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Yeah, I live in Astoria. And come on, the Queensboro? That's a [bleep!] bridge. Try crossing the Williamsburg someday. Or as Mario reminded me on our ride, the Biscayne bridge in Miami. :)
And yes it was very social. Stopped by the South Street Seaport for a few drinks, took the scenic route through Battery Park City. Ate some super heavy pizza. And in my case, before meeting, one trip over the bridge to Columbus Circle where I bought a straight-razor and got a lesson on how to use it, then rode down to Air's to meet up with them, and later the trip home minus the bridge since it's FECKING CLOSED.
Martinis do not contain vodka. —Rachel Maddow
Yep, the state of NYC cycling is really nuts. Especially when you consider this is one of the best cities around in terms of how useful it could be to encourage cycling. Besides being cheaper and reducing polution and traffic, it still amazes me that most places I ride to (even coming from Queens) end up taking about the same time as on the subway.
Only having the one bike lane in the city on 6th avenue is ridiculous in itself (there's not even one going south). But even that as Air points out is largely ignored by cars. Here's an... interesting take on how to solve the problem.
Which reminds me, I've been wanting to do a Critical Mass ride for a long time (minus the clown suit and annoying shouting). Anyone else interested?
Edited to add: I posted that first link before watching the full video. Geez those people give "peaceful protest" a bad name. Especially that one girl. They started off with a decent premise, but blew it by being mean-spiritted about it, and worse is NOT FUNNY. :green:
Martinis do not contain vodka. —Rachel Maddow
I'd love to dress up like a clown and bug cars parked in the bike lane :lol:
There are lanes going both ways - check out the links on page one of this thread and you can see the lanes that are in the city and what's proposed. I use the one on 2nd Ave a lot - though it only exists below 14th st.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
I'm actually interested to see how they're going to accomplish this "raised" bike lane stuff. All the streets with bike lanes in Chicago still have stree parking - the bike lane is in between the parked cars and the main traffic. So I'm not sure how this will work.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Today began the great experiment of biking to work.
I managed to get here just fine...now, going home will be another story.
It's a seven mile ride each way, and took me about 50 minutes door to door. If you want, you can check out my <a href="http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=235263">route</a>.
Some things I learned:
[list=1:327ad42a29] [ :327ad42a29]When starting at 6:30 AM, being sweaty isn't the issue, it's being COLD! [ :327ad42a29]By the time you've gone about four miles, you're not cold anymore, you're sweaty [ :327ad42a29]Tomorrow I will at least bring deodorant, but I think I'm okay biking in my work clothes [ :327ad42a29]No, I don't really smell bad. [ :327ad42a29]My hair looks funny when it gets a little sweaty under a helmet. I need a haircut. [ :327ad42a29]Village Cycle did NOT fix my shifter yesterday, in fact, it's worse than it was before. I really miss gear 2/5. [ :327ad42a29]My U-lock is not big enough to fit around my frame, my front tire (detached), and my rear tire. For now, I used the "accessory cable" to tie up the front tire and my detached seat, but I need a longer U-lock. [ :327ad42a29]Biking down Wells between the Merchandise Mart and Van Buren is a little scary, but it was actually pretty cool [/list:o:327ad42a29]
Totally fun though. I'm glad I did it, and I'm looking forward to doing this every day.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
What kind of helmet did you get? Generally, paying for a more expensive helmet is paying for better ventilation. Also, why not bring the seat inside? It's nice to keep it dry.
I'll probably start bringing the seat inside. I only locked it with the cable since I was already using the cable to lock my front tire, so threading it through the seat was no big deal.
I just got a Schwinn helmet, since it was more comfortable (and better ventilated) than the free Bell helmet I got with my bike. Eventually I might upgrade the helmet. It's not THAT hot for my ride, although we'll see how hot it is when I'm riding home at 3 PM.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Congrats Mugsy!
Do you have grip shifters on that bike (so you have to twist the handlebars in order to shift?) If so have them swap those for some top mount index shifters. They work, are durable, and are easy to adjust on the fly in case something goes out of wack. They can also be turned into a rachet shifter by throwing a switch in case things get really dicey. They're basically an older and cheaper shifting system but with less things to go wrong with them. I wouldn't take home a bike that has grip shifters on without swapping them out. My lbs was going to charge 30 to do it if I bought the bike through them.
My mtb has top mounts, they were adjusted ONCE since I bought the bike over 12 years ago.
I've also heard a few stories of people hitting a bump and the grip shifters breaking in half since they get a lot of abuse from your hands.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Funny that you should mention grip-shifters.
My folding bike has grip shifters and I think that's fine.
One of the things I do is not grip so tightly because 1) that's wasting energy 2) I don't want my hands getting numb.
I can understand that some MTB folks may be doing stuff with their bike that would require stronger grips.
I'm hard on everything I own :D
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
HEY-OOOOOO!!!! :)
Martinis do not contain vodka. —Rachel Maddow
:lol:
Some videos for ye:
http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/bicycle/video/66402 - watch what happens when they try to door a bike rider!
http://www.digave.com/videos/red-web.mpg - right click and save (it's a little big but worth it). Put this on the biggest screen possible and try not to scream.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
Speaking of dooring...
I collected my first door prize this morning. I was riding down Wells, under the L tracks, which gets kind of weird. If you look at this picture, it will help the story:
<a href="http://home.att.net/ keiichiro/chicago/photo/Wells.jpg"><img src="http://home.att.net/ keiichiro/chicago/photo/Wells.jpg" width=300></a>
See how there's the area on the "outside" of the L tracks, where the cars are parked? I was riding in that area, on the west side of the street (Wells runs south). Some guy opens his car door suddenly, and whammo! I'm knocked over.
Luckily, there were no cars coming (I was knocked into the lane of traffic). The guy held his hand out to me and said "Oh my God, are you okay?"
I shrugged and said "You gotta watch where you're going, dude." He apologized. I looked down at my bike, and saw a crack in the plastic guard on the sprocket. The chain was mis-aligned as well.
A little upset, I told the guy I needed his info, since he hit me, and my bike was new, and I needed him to pay for any damage he did, since he was liable (I just read about that the other day). He started getting indignant "I'm sorry, is this the street? No, I think the street is OVER THERE" (pointing to the area under the tracks).
I told him that I was just a little freaked out, since it was a new bike, I had to make sure I could ride it the rest of the way to work, and back home again. I told him I wasn't trying to be an asshole, but I just wanted his information. So he gave me his card, apologized again, and said he was glad I wasn't hurt.
I agreed.
So once I got to the office, I pulled the guy's card out.
He's a lawyer.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Damn - you missed him!
The first ride through traffic I almost got doored but stopped literally a inch from the person. Didn't say anything, just stared them down.
Few days ago I had a feeling the door was going to open so I stopped and watched the guy behind me go around and hit them, lightly.
I'm learning to be a little more defensive in my traffic riding by becoming more offensive. If there's not enough room on the side to ride and worry about cars opening doors or pulling out I'll use the lane. I'll go as fast as possible so I'm actually keeping up with traffic most of the time (this is with 20" wheels and one gear!) but I've felt a lot more relaxed knowing that I'm also much more visible being in the middle of the lane then hidden on the side.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
I called the police, and they told me I should file a police report. Although I'd need at least the color, make, and model of his car (plus the license plate if I could get it). The problem is, this happened about a mile from work, and I'm not 100 exactly where it happened. And I'm not quite sure that he'll still be parked there. And I'm not quite sure I remember exactly what his car looked like. I think it was silver.
I think he's going to get away with it. If the LBS tells me there's damage to my bike, I'll probably just call him and ask him to not be a jerk about it.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
That's probably your best approach. You might be able to have a trace done to find out what type of car he drives based on his name.
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
The upshot is, at least the guy gave me his actual card - the woman from the police department said that his card wasn't good enough, because he could have given me ANYONE's card.
Well, I went to the website on the card, and looked him up with the firm. There's a picture of him, and that's totally the guy.
, partner in 's Chicago office, is a member of the firm's Securities Litigation, Enforcement & Regulation and Transactional & Securities Practice Groups. A partner since 1993, he represents securities broker-dealers, the Chicago Stock Exchange and other exchanges and financial institutions in securities and commodities regulatory and compliance matters and general corporate issues.
I think the guy should have no problem paying for a new chain guard for me.
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Haha - hell's no!
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
I meant, the guy should have no problem AFFORDING to pay for my new chain guard :)
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Haven't had any door incidents yet, but there have been a decent number of times a cab or other car suddenly decides to cut over and stop or make the turn which caused a few near misses. A couple of times that may have resulted in me taking out the mirror or at least smacking on the car a couple of times and calling him an a-hole (yeah, that helped a lot). What bugs me more is in pretty much every circumstance it's someone who just passed me, so it's not like they didn't know I was there.
Twice actually I had the same thing happen where a livery cab passed by me and started to slow down and pull to one side of the road so I knew they were stopping. I switched over to the other side so I could get around easily and in the last second they swerved to that side almost taking me out.
Yesterday though I was the bad guy. Riding home I thought there was a bit more room between the car and the curb and my handlebars took out a cab's mirror. I stopped and put it back, but he kept yelling at me and I rode off, still full of adrennaline and in my own world. Looking back on it I'm not sure that I didn't actually break it. I know they pretty much all have their own mechanics and can replace stuff like that for practically nothing, but I still feel bad now. :oops: :(
Obviously there's no way I can find him again, but I'd like to find some way of paying back the universe for that.
Martinis do not contain vodka. —Rachel Maddow
<i>I'd like to find some way of paying back the universe for that. </i>
How about you replace my chainguard, Chiv? ;)
We are the keepers of Funny, the Judges, the Whisperers. We are Superior Naysayers And Rebukers of Knavery. We are SNARK. - Boosh!
Careful what you wish for!
What do you guys think of a night ride? Times Up! organizes monthly moonlight rides through Central Park (first Friday of every month) and Prospect Park (second Saturday). I'd like to go to the one on July 7th in Central Park and the one in Prospect Park the following night on July 8th.
Any takers?
Do you know how awkward it is to have a political argument with a naked man?
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