The bikes in front of the library

[Claire Petersky]

I went to the library today, and took a look at the bikes at the
library bike rack. I figure these are transportational bikes, bikes to
get you to the library, and home again, maybe with a couple of books
in tow. The library is a high-theft location, and every bike was
locked.

There were three mountain bikes of department store vintage, one in a
kid's size. There was one ancient Peugot with a spring trap back rack;
an even more ancient-looking five speed Schwinn with its logo embossed
with "Made in Austria" being locked up by a white-haired man in plaid
shorts, black calf-high socks, and tennis shoes.

Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky )

Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Singing with you at: http://www.tiferet.net/
Books just wanna be FREE! See what I mean at:
http://bookcrossing.com/friend/Cpetersky

[Tom Keats]

In article >,
(Claire Petersky) writes:
> I went to the library today, and took a look at the bikes at the
> library bike rack. I figure these are transportational bikes, bikes to
> get you to the library, and home again, maybe with a couple of books
> in tow. The library is a high-theft location, and every bike was
> locked.
>
> There were three mountain bikes of department store vintage, one in a
> kid's size. There was one ancient Peugot with a spring trap back rack;
> an even more ancient-looking five speed Schwinn with its logo embossed
> with "Made in Austria" being locked up by a white-haired man in plaid
> shorts, black calf-high socks, and tennis shoes.

Lately I've been noticing a lot of parked BMXs that seem to be
used for commuting/utility purposes. I don't know if there's
some intrinsic quality in them that suits them for such use,
or if maybe they're the only bikes their owners have. Or maybe
their owners just plain prefer them.

I also see lots of fender-equipped ladies' step-thru old-time
cruisers, and the occasional e-bike. I've yet to see a parked
recumbent, although I see them en roulant with increasing frequency.
I even got clobbered (as in beat in a li'l "race") recently by one,
zooming down 45th Ave from Boundary Road to Kerr, although I prefer
to say I let him go ahead so as to trigger the traffic light for me.
Actually it wasn't so much of a race as me seeing if I could catch
up to him. And of course, there are plenty of the ubiquitous
bare-bones MTBs with the same knobbies & pedals they came with
at the shop. Those ones are usually parked by the trendy coffee
joints and bistros.

There are lots of bike racks around town here, but there never
seems to be enough. Here in Vancouver, the City used to have a
program where they'd chip-in for the price of a bike rack when
a business so requested. It would be good to get that back.
I can think of a number of my regular stops that could really
use some decent parking facilities.

I like the racks that resemble a row of coathangers best.
My bike always seems to want to fall over in those spirally ones.


cheers,
Tom

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[Hunrobe]

(Claire Petersky)

wrote in part:

>There was one ancient Peugot with a spring trap back rack;
>an even more ancient-looking five speed Schwinn with its logo embossed
>with "Made in Austria" being locked up by a white-haired man in plaid
>shorts, black calf-high socks, and tennis shoes.

So did you pass along a friendly wreck.bike.misc to Zoot's dad? <g>

Regards,
Bob Hunt

[William Blum]

"Claire Petersky" > wrote in message
om...
> I went to the library today, and took a look at the bikes at the
> library bike rack. I figure these are transportational bikes, bikes to
> get you to the library, and home again, maybe with a couple of books
> in tow. The library is a high-theft location, and every bike was
> locked.

I went to the library today, and took a look at the books on bicycling, as
my doctor has urged me in a non-subtle way
to try and get more exercise....

I went to not one, but both LBS to look around and ask questions.

One pointed me at a display bike, and the salesperson acted as if the only
way I was sitting on it is post-payment...

The other LBS asked what I wanted to do, asked my inseam... put me on a
bike, and literally pointed me out the door: "Go ride around for about
10-15 minutes. I'll have two other models ready for you to try when you
get back."


I pick up my new bike tommorrow, after which I will return to the library.

-bill

[Sorni]

"William Blum" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Claire Petersky" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I went to the library today, and took a look at the bikes at the
> > library bike rack. I figure these are transportational bikes, bikes to
> > get you to the library, and home again, maybe with a couple of books
> > in tow. The library is a high-theft location, and every bike was
> > locked.
>
> I went to the library today, and took a look at the books on bicycling, as
> my doctor has urged me in a non-subtle way
> to try and get more exercise....
>
> I went to not one, but both LBS to look around and ask questions.
>
> One pointed me at a display bike, and the salesperson acted as if the only
> way I was sitting on it is post-payment...
>
> The other LBS asked what I wanted to do, asked my inseam... put me on a
> bike, and literally pointed me out the door: "Go ride around for about
> 10-15 minutes. I'll have two other models ready for you to try when you
> get back."
>
>
> I pick up my new bike tommorrow, after which I will return to the library.

Excellent! So whadja get?!?

Bill "ride it by that first LBS and give 'em a raspberry" S.

[Zoot Katz]

15 Aug 2003 01:19:30 GMT,
>,
(Hunrobe) wrote:

(Claire Petersky)
>
>wrote in part:
>
>>There was one ancient Peugot with a spring trap back rack;
>>an even more ancient-looking five speed Schwinn with its logo embossed
>>with "Made in Austria" being locked up by a white-haired man in plaid
>>shorts, black calf-high socks, and tennis shoes.
>
>So did you pass along a friendly wreck.bike.misc to Zoot's dad? <g>
>
For Claire's sake, let's hope not, dad's quite dead.
That "white-haired man" could've been me except I can't read.
--
zk

[William Blum]

Well, I got the Giant Cypress ST.... I don't venture off pavement enough
to really need the wider tires that come stock with the Sedona ST, and in
both cases, the frame/equipment are nearly identical... So, I went for the
Cypress.

I'm out the door of the bike shop with bike/two locks/rack installed/helmet
for ~ $350.




"Sorni" > wrote in message
.. .
> "William Blum" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "Claire Petersky" > wrote in message
> > om...
> > > I went to the library today, and took a look at the bikes at the
> > > library bike rack. I figure these are transportational bikes, bikes to
> > > get you to the library, and home again, maybe with a couple of books
> > > in tow. The library is a high-theft location, and every bike was
> > > locked.
> >
> > I went to the library today, and took a look at the books on bicycling,
as
> > my doctor has urged me in a non-subtle way
> > to try and get more exercise....
> >
> > I went to not one, but both LBS to look around and ask questions.
> >
> > One pointed me at a display bike, and the salesperson acted as if the
only
> > way I was sitting on it is post-payment...
> >
> > The other LBS asked what I wanted to do, asked my inseam... put me on a
> > bike, and literally pointed me out the door: "Go ride around for about
> > 10-15 minutes. I'll have two other models ready for you to try when
you
> > get back."
> >
> >
> > I pick up my new bike tommorrow, after which I will return to the
library.
>
> Excellent! So whadja get?!?
>
> Bill "ride it by that first LBS and give 'em a raspberry" S.
>
>

[Pat]

x-no-achive:yes

> FABRIZIO LIVES!
>
> Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

Come on now, you didn't really doubt it, didja?

Pat in TX

[Bernie]

William Blum wrote:

> "Claire Petersky" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I went to the library today, and took a look at the bikes at the
> > library bike rack. I figure these are transportational bikes, bikes to
> > get you to the library, and home again, maybe with a couple of books
> > in tow. The library is a high-theft location, and every bike was
> > locked.
>
> I went to the library today, and took a look at the books on bicycling, as
> my doctor has urged me in a non-subtle way
> to try and get more exercise....
>
> I went to not one, but both LBS to look around and ask questions.
>
> One pointed me at a display bike, and the salesperson acted as if the only
> way I was sitting on it is post-payment...
>
> The other LBS asked what I wanted to do, asked my inseam... put me on a
> bike, and literally pointed me out the door: "Go ride around for about
> 10-15 minutes. I'll have two other models ready for you to try when you
> get back."
>
> I pick up my new bike tommorrow, after which I will return to the library.
>
> -bill

Please post a report? Congratulations on your decision!
Best regards, Bernie

[Buck]

"Bernie" > wrote in message
...

> yup, I think they are "Sora" racks. I feel more confident with them than
> with those hoops or with the concrete very low ones. (I'm just worried
that
> some poorly trained child will wreck my wheels)

In all my years of living in university housing as a kid, the dorms as a
student, and commuting as a grad student, the only bent wheels in hoop racks
I have ever seen were bent purposely. Some kids decided to "ride" my mom's
bike while it was still parked in the rack and were purposely swaying
side-to-side when we caught them. All of the other bent wheels I have seen
were front wheels still locked in the rack and the bikes that they once
supported were missing. So I decided to test out whether or not my back
wheel was safe while supported by a ring rack. I parked one of my beaters
with a tweaked rear wheel that I was planning to replace in the rack, then
leaned on it pretty heavily (I weigh a solid 200lbs.) in a toppling motion.
It had no problems holding me up. I think it has to do with the direction
which force is being applied. If someone falls on your bike, the wheel has
to be twisted to bend. The only way to taco the wheel is to pick up the bike
and move it sideways.

I figure that wheels are pretty safe in hoop racks with two exceptions:
first, if someone forcibly moves the bike sideways where the bending motion
is focused on the same plane as the bike (like a taco). Second, if you park
the bike front wheel in - the bike will no longer remain in plane with the
wheel and is easier to manipulate into a situation where the wheel will
bend.

Now those silly concrete ones are a completely different matter. It is
really easy to lean on a bike and taco a wheel.

As for the spirals and coathangers, it isn't clear how to properly lock up
the bikes on either of those, so you end up with a whole mess of bikes going
every which way. This results in lots of scratched frames...

I'll stick with the hoops.

-Buck