AG: Country Roads
 

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:58:06 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 3/29/2015 7:54 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 12:37:48 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 3/29/2015 8:54 AM, smharding wrote:
Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 08/03/2015 03:31, Joy Beeson wrote:


On a lonely country road, ride far enough to the left -- this being a
multinational forum, make that "close enough to the center" -- that
you can make a dramatic and visible move toward the edge of the road.

When you hear a car coming, watch it in your mirror until you are
quite sure the driver can see you turn your head as if looking back
before you move toward the edge of the road.

On Thu, 26 Mar 2015 21:47:37 +0000, Andy Morris AndyMorris@DeadSpam
wrote:

Why do you feel you are responsible for the car behind? If they
want to
overtake they can change lane, if its not safe for them to do that do
you really want to encourage them to squeeze by?

Then, On 3/26/2015 8:41 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:

for one thing, the car behind you is bigger, stronger, faster and
harder then you are. The proverbial 600 lb. gorilla, in other words.

It is usually suggested that he gets to do whatever he wants to while
you the smaller, weaker, slower and softer creature stay out of the
gorilla's way.

It is often argued that if the gorilla stomps you into the ground like
a grease spot that the LAW will punish him. Which would seem to be of
little interest to you as you'll be dead.

Well, having tried pretty much every reasonable strategy, I've formed
these opinions:

First, if the lane is too narrow for safe passing within the lane, I
stay pretty much lane centered. As Andy said, I really don't want to
encourage them to pass until they can move over.

But if the lane is wider, and especially if it's of marginal width -
i.e., I might share it with a Geo Metro, but might feel uncomfortable
with a Cadillac Escalade - I find it's helpful to ride lane centered
long enough that the motorists visibly slow. Then I move right, as
Joy said. Almost all motorists seem to interpret that as "Oh, what a
nice guy." And the result is almost always a slow, careful pass.

And speaking of Escalades: It's _finally_ half-decent riding weather
here. Yesterday, riding to the hardware store on the normally busy 5
lane road (12 foot lanes, IIRC), I happened to be almost alone...
except for a white Escalade that came up behind me. Despite the open
left lane, he blared his horn in an unfriendly manner.

I stayed where I was (lane center) and waved a couple times, something
like either "Hello" or "Of course I know you're there." Then I gave
what I hope was an obviously displeased motion saying "So pass me,
dammit!" Which he did. No further trouble. And no conceding
anything on my part.

It's like this every spring. The Escalade drivers have had a whole
winter to glory in their supposed superiority and privilege. It takes
a few weeks for them to remember that "Oh yeah, those guys have a
legal right to the road, too."

Cowering at the right just slows their learning process.

While I generally agree with what has been said about being more assertive
in the lane to avoid those close shaves many motorists seem willing to
inflict
upon bicyclists, I've always gotten some amusement out of the vilification
of the "guy in the Escalade" when describing bicyclist-motorist negative
interactions.

It reminds me of some movie plots where bad guys doing evil things are
given the final negative character flaw of using a racist remark, making
the
audience feel that guy really deserves to be taken out.

I live in a heavy college age driver environment and I quite frankly worry
more about the five college area kid in a small Honda or Toyota pulling
that
stuff on bicyclists than people driving those oh so awful big SUVs.

It could be interesting to start an online project, where volunteers
would catalog the vehicle models used by impolite motorists. Maybe we
could learn something. Online sociology!

But the incident I described above really was an Escalade. Pearl white,
IIRC.

Although it appears to be the custom for cyclists to always blame "the
other guy", particularly when he/she is in a motor vehicle, the
California Highway Patrol study demonstrated that in more than half of
the motor vehicle - bicycle accidents the cyclist was in violation of
traffic regulations, and both the New York and London studies
mentioned cyclists injured while in violation of the law.

Unless one is to assume that these three studies were all erroneous it
may be useful to make a study of who actually is responsible for
cyclists being injured as if the majority of the injuries/deaths are
associated with the cyclists breaking the law a more forceful
enforcement of traffic laws relative to cyclists malfeasance might
well be the real answer.

Oh, I'm familiar with the data you mention. I was just talking about
the motorists who come up and blare the horn out of pure rudeness. IME,
they're extremely unlikely to cause a crash. They just want to show
dominance, and inform us that in their screwball opinion, we have no
right to the road.


I can only assume that you live in an area with a lot of very rude
people.

I can honestly say that it happens so rarely here that I even can't
remember the last time it happened to me.

Of, course I don't ride in a manner to impede others :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

AG: The best fluid for hydration
 

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 22:10:37 -0400, Joy Beeson
wrote:

On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 12:34:47 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

I've found that adding a little salt to my water makes it much easier to
"get inside the patient," especially on long rides in hot weather. And
for me, salt substitute works even better.

The little bottle I've had for years is "Cardia Salt" - part sodium
chloride, part potassium chloride, part magnesium sulfate.

I like a little fruit juice in my water -- but I *must* have plain
water in the other bottle.

A usually put a pretty strong dose of fruit juice in my tea, to supply
sugar as well as caffeine.

I drink more fluid when I ride through nap time, because I want to get
my caffeine inside before I get stupid.

One of the problems is that you don't "feel thirsty" until after you
are dehydrated, to some degree. The trick is to drink before you get
thirsty.

There is a research paper somewhere that demonstrates that dehydration
caused by 2 hours in a sauna resulting in a 1.5% decrease in body mass
effected the maximum weight that a trained weight lifter could lift.

In most people that is less then 1 litre of water. And most "water
bottles", on bicycles, hold less then 1/2 litre.
--
Cheers,

John B.

AG: Country Roads
 

On 4/1/2015 4:48 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:58:06 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:
I was just talking about
the motorists who come up and blare the horn out of pure rudeness. IME,
they're extremely unlikely to cause a crash. They just want to show
dominance, and inform us that in their screwball opinion, we have no
right to the road.


I can only assume that you live in an area with a lot of very rude
people.

I can honestly say that it happens so rarely here that I even can't
remember the last time it happened to me.

Actually, no. I'm the guy who says it's a rare occurrence. I think I
get a horn blare maybe once a month at maximum.

Of, course I don't ride in a manner to impede others :-)

That Escalade guy's "impedence" was that he actually had to change
lanes. He didn't even have to slow down. People like that might blare
their horn if I were walking my bike along a sidewalk. Screw 'em.


--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: Country Roads
 

On Wed, 01 Apr 2015 11:47:21 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 4/1/2015 4:48 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:58:06 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:
I was just talking about
the motorists who come up and blare the horn out of pure rudeness. IME,
they're extremely unlikely to cause a crash. They just want to show
dominance, and inform us that in their screwball opinion, we have no
right to the road.


I can only assume that you live in an area with a lot of very rude
people.

I can honestly say that it happens so rarely here that I even can't
remember the last time it happened to me.

Actually, no. I'm the guy who says it's a rare occurrence. I think I
get a horn blare maybe once a month at maximum.

Of, course I don't ride in a manner to impede others :-)

That Escalade guy's "impedence" was that he actually had to change
lanes. He didn't even have to slow down. People like that might blare
their horn if I were walking my bike along a sidewalk. Screw 'em.

As I said, apparently a land of many rude people.
--
Cheers,

John B.

AG: Country Roads
 

On 01/04/2015 7:32 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Wed, 01 Apr 2015 11:47:21 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 4/1/2015 4:48 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:58:06 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:
I was just talking about
the motorists who come up and blare the horn out of pure rudeness. IME,
they're extremely unlikely to cause a crash. They just want to show
dominance, and inform us that in their screwball opinion, we have no
right to the road.


I can only assume that you live in an area with a lot of very rude
people.

I can honestly say that it happens so rarely here that I even can't
remember the last time it happened to me.

Actually, no. I'm the guy who says it's a rare occurrence. I think I
get a horn blare maybe once a month at maximum.

Of, course I don't ride in a manner to impede others :-)

That Escalade guy's "impedence" was that he actually had to change
lanes. He didn't even have to slow down. People like that might blare
their horn if I were walking my bike along a sidewalk. Screw 'em.

As I said, apparently a land of many rude people.



It's not that it's a land of many rude people. It's that the rude
people are usually loud, obnoxious and often dangerous. Same here in
Quebec. It's rare that I agree with Frank but in this case he's right.
Screw 'em.

AG: Country Roads
 

On Thu, 02 Apr 2015 08:32:34 -0400, Duane
wrote:

On 01/04/2015 7:32 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Wed, 01 Apr 2015 11:47:21 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 4/1/2015 4:48 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:58:06 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:
I was just talking about
the motorists who come up and blare the horn out of pure rudeness. IME,
they're extremely unlikely to cause a crash. They just want to show
dominance, and inform us that in their screwball opinion, we have no
right to the road.


I can only assume that you live in an area with a lot of very rude
people.

I can honestly say that it happens so rarely here that I even can't
remember the last time it happened to me.

Actually, no. I'm the guy who says it's a rare occurrence. I think I
get a horn blare maybe once a month at maximum.

Of, course I don't ride in a manner to impede others :-)

That Escalade guy's "impedence" was that he actually had to change
lanes. He didn't even have to slow down. People like that might blare
their horn if I were walking my bike along a sidewalk. Screw 'em.

As I said, apparently a land of many rude people.



It's not that it's a land of many rude people. It's that the rude
people are usually loud, obnoxious and often dangerous. Same here in
Quebec. It's rare that I agree with Frank but in this case he's right.
Screw 'em.


And according to Frank, there are so many of them...
--
Cheers,

John B.

AG: Country Roads
 

On 4/2/2015 8:16 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Thu, 02 Apr 2015 08:32:34 -0400, Duane
wrote:

On 01/04/2015 7:32 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Wed, 01 Apr 2015 11:47:21 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 4/1/2015 4:48 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:58:06 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:
I was just talking about
the motorists who come up and blare the horn out of pure rudeness. IME,
they're extremely unlikely to cause a crash. They just want to show
dominance, and inform us that in their screwball opinion, we have no
right to the road.


I can only assume that you live in an area with a lot of very rude
people.

I can honestly say that it happens so rarely here that I even can't
remember the last time it happened to me.

Actually, no. I'm the guy who says it's a rare occurrence. I think I
get a horn blare maybe once a month at maximum.

Of, course I don't ride in a manner to impede others :-)

That Escalade guy's "impedence" was that he actually had to change
lanes. He didn't even have to slow down. People like that might blare
their horn if I were walking my bike along a sidewalk. Screw 'em.

As I said, apparently a land of many rude people.



It's not that it's a land of many rude people. It's that the rude
people are usually loud, obnoxious and often dangerous. Same here in
Quebec. It's rare that I agree with Frank but in this case he's right.
Screw 'em.


And according to Frank, there are so many of them...

Not what I said! I said I get maybe one horn blare per month,
_maximum_. Re-read above! (I actually think it's considerably less.)

--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: Country Roads
 

On Fri, 03 Apr 2015 00:13:02 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 4/2/2015 8:16 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Thu, 02 Apr 2015 08:32:34 -0400, Duane
wrote:

On 01/04/2015 7:32 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Wed, 01 Apr 2015 11:47:21 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 4/1/2015 4:48 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:58:06 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:
I was just talking about
the motorists who come up and blare the horn out of pure rudeness. IME,
they're extremely unlikely to cause a crash. They just want to show
dominance, and inform us that in their screwball opinion, we have no
right to the road.


I can only assume that you live in an area with a lot of very rude
people.

I can honestly say that it happens so rarely here that I even can't
remember the last time it happened to me.

Actually, no. I'm the guy who says it's a rare occurrence. I think I
get a horn blare maybe once a month at maximum.

Of, course I don't ride in a manner to impede others :-)

That Escalade guy's "impedence" was that he actually had to change
lanes. He didn't even have to slow down. People like that might blare
their horn if I were walking my bike along a sidewalk. Screw 'em.

As I said, apparently a land of many rude people.



It's not that it's a land of many rude people. It's that the rude
people are usually loud, obnoxious and often dangerous. Same here in
Quebec. It's rare that I agree with Frank but in this case he's right.
Screw 'em.


And according to Frank, there are so many of them...

Not what I said! I said I get maybe one horn blare per month,
_maximum_. Re-read above! (I actually think it's considerably less.)

I had assumed from your description that it was a daily, or even more
frequent, experience. But once a month? That is verging on the
insignificant, isn't it? Good Lord, in the rainy season here I get wet
at least once a week. But I don't rant and rave about it :-)

--
Cheers,

John B.

AG: Country Roads
 

On 4/3/2015 6:31 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Fri, 03 Apr 2015 00:13:02 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 4/2/2015 8:16 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Thu, 02 Apr 2015 08:32:34 -0400, Duane
wrote:

On 01/04/2015 7:32 PM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Wed, 01 Apr 2015 11:47:21 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

On 4/1/2015 4:48 AM, John B. Slocomb wrote:
On Sun, 29 Mar 2015 23:58:06 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:
I was just talking about
the motorists who come up and blare the horn out of pure rudeness. IME,
they're extremely unlikely to cause a crash. They just want to show
dominance, and inform us that in their screwball opinion, we have no
right to the road.


I can only assume that you live in an area with a lot of very rude
people.

I can honestly say that it happens so rarely here that I even can't
remember the last time it happened to me.

Actually, no. I'm the guy who says it's a rare occurrence. I think I
get a horn blare maybe once a month at maximum.

Of, course I don't ride in a manner to impede others :-)

That Escalade guy's "impedence" was that he actually had to change
lanes. He didn't even have to slow down. People like that might blare
their horn if I were walking my bike along a sidewalk. Screw 'em.

As I said, apparently a land of many rude people.



It's not that it's a land of many rude people. It's that the rude
people are usually loud, obnoxious and often dangerous. Same here in
Quebec. It's rare that I agree with Frank but in this case he's right.
Screw 'em.


And according to Frank, there are so many of them...

Not what I said! I said I get maybe one horn blare per month,
_maximum_. Re-read above! (I actually think it's considerably less.)

I had assumed from your description that it was a daily, or even more
frequent, experience. But once a month? That is verging on the
insignificant, isn't it? Good Lord, in the rainy season here I get wet
at least once a week. But I don't rant and rave about it :-)

I think it's not only verging on the insignificant, it's deeply into
that territory.

I've been in so many discussions where people were (and are) expressing
deep fear of traffic, claiming they need all sorts of special facilities
and protective equipment to ride bikes, talking about how car drivers
will just run you over, etc. Many of them add explicitly that one dares
not ride anywhere near the middle of the lane because of the terrible
risk.

And my problems have always been insignificant ever since I accepted and
acted on the fact that I have full legal rights to the road. Go figure.


--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: Carrying stuff
 

When I put a plastic bag of stuff into my panniers, I usually tie the
handles to the panniers, so that it won't bounce out when I hit a
bump, or spill if I fall. If I want the stuff to stay put and not
jiggle, I put both handles through the same hole in the wire panniers,
pull until the stuff is snug and non-shifting, then tie the handles
through a different hole.

Panniers can be piled up without losing stuff if the stuff can't
jiggle.


--
http://joybeeson.home.comcast.net/
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ -- needlework
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
joy beeson at comcast dot net

AG: Engine insulation
 

When wool tights went out of fashion, I had to make do with sweat
pants.

Sweat pants are too long as purchased. I have learned the hard way
that it's a bad idea to shorten anything before it's been washed, and
I didn't want to wash them until after they had gotten dirty. Well,
pants that are pinned close around the ankles aren't going to draggle
or get tripped over, and I can push the excess up above my knees and
put garters just below the knees.

When pants are short enough to walk in, pinning leaves a gap that I
usually cover with gaiters; too-long pants can be brought right down
to the tops of my shoes. And that doesn't leave all that much to be
held up; if I'm not wearing multiple layers, I can dispense with the
garters.

So now all my winter cycling pants are too long to walk in.

--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Twist-ties
 

You should have a sheet of twist ties in your wallet or card case. You
never know when a little piece of wire will come in handy.

--
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
joy beeson at comcast dot net

AG: Twist-ties
 

Joy Beeson wrote in
:

You should have a sheet of twist ties in your wallet or card case. You
never know when a little piece of wire will come in handy.

Twist ties are not strong enough. Nylon wire ties in your bonk bag are more
useful.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

AG: Riding is Communication
 

Safety on a shared roadway is achieved entirely by communication: you
tell other operators what you are going to do, and they tell you what
they are going to do.

When you are learning a new language, memorizing vocabulary and
grammar help -- but actual learning takes place only when you go out
and communicate.

There is no substitute for on-the-road experience.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Shopping
 

I have mastered the art of folding a canvas bag neatly so that it
doesn't take up much space in my pannier.

Now I need to master the art of remembering to take it into the store
with me.

Tip: If you need to go back to your bike, leave your cart next to the
restrooms so the cart boy won't clean it out and put it away.

Leaving personal property in the cart isn't enough; he will turn it in
to lost and found.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Shopping
 

On 5/2/2015 9:38 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:

I have mastered the art of folding a canvas bag neatly so that it
doesn't take up much space in my pannier.

Now I need to master the art of remembering to take it into the store
with me.

I've often thought it would make sense to just remove the two open-top
shopping panniers from my bike and carry them into the store, instead of
taking in separate shopping bags. Then I'd know to stop shopping when my
panniers were at capacity. If I needed more goods, I could replace some
less-essential items on the shelf. My handlebar bag could carry any
small overflow items.

Trouble is, my ancient Performance brand shopping panniers are a bit too
tricky to get on and off the bike's rear rack. Installing requires some
fishing about with the lower hook, which then gets cinched upwards with
a buckle and velcro. To release, the buckle must be opened, but it's
sort of hidden behind a rack strut.

So I'd say, before buying shopping panniers, it's worthwhile to be sure
they're easy to take off, and very easy to put on.


--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: Shopping
 

On Sun, 03 May 2015 18:17:52 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

So I'd say, before buying shopping panniers, it's worthwhile to be sure
they're easy to take off, and very easy to put on.

Doesn't work as well as I thought it would. You have to let the
bag-boy pack the basket after the groceries are checked, and he
doesn't know how, and wouldn't have time to do it right if he did know
how.

But the handle was convenient when I impulsively stopped at the
Trailhouse to buy a new rack, left the bike and walked home, and
didn't want to leave the basket for them to have to keep track of.
Probably wouldn't have remembered to remove the basket if I'd meant to
go to the Trailhouse when I left.

(I didn't like the rack that came with my Trek Pure
cane/walker/pedal-powered wheelchair and finally decided to stop
putting up with it.)

--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Shopping
 

Joy Beeson wrote in
:

On Sun, 03 May 2015 18:17:52 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

So I'd say, before buying shopping panniers, it's worthwhile to be sure
they're easy to take off, and very easy to put on.

Doesn't work as well as I thought it would. You have to let the
bag-boy pack the basket after the groceries are checked, and he
doesn't know how, and wouldn't have time to do it right if he did know
how.

But the handle was convenient when I impulsively stopped at the
Trailhouse to buy a new rack, left the bike and walked home, and
didn't want to leave the basket for them to have to keep track of.
Probably wouldn't have remembered to remove the basket if I'd meant to
go to the Trailhouse when I left.

(I didn't like the rack that came with my Trek Pure
cane/walker/pedal-powered wheelchair and finally decided to stop
putting up with it.)

You still have baggers down south? I use the self check-out and pack my own
bags. If I were to go through a cashier I would invariably find myself
lining up behind old folks.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

AG: Buying groceries
 

I've only a tad over a mile and a half to ride after buying groceries
these days, so I don't fret if a bottle of milk ends up in the other
pannier from the rest of the cold stuff. Sometimes I slide a bag into
a pannier and leave it the way the bag-boy packed it.

One of my quarter-century rides has a place where I can buy a pound of
cheese at the turn-around point. On these occasions, I insulate one
of my panniers with newspapers and plastic bags, and carry my extra
water in quart bottles filled with ice cubes. Keeps my lunch cold on
the way out, my cheese cold on the way back. And refilling one's
bottle with ice water goes a long way toward encouraging hydration: I
pour only a half-cup or so into my bottle at a time, and try to drink
it before it gets warm.

I used to live in a place where the nearest supermarket was in the
next town, and the return route averaged uphill. On a hot day, food
might have become not just warm, but rotten if I had packed as I do
now. I went to the market seldom enough that I wanted every cubic
inch for groceries; carrying ice and insulation wasn't an option.

So at every trip, I would buy a can of frozen juice, pack the cold
stuff around it, and insulate it with the shelf-stable stuff and any
spare clothing I might be carrying. At home I would put the juice in
the fridge to finish thawing, and mix it up the following day. (That
was when I learned that juice is *much* easier to reconstitute if you
thaw it first.)

In those days I had a luxury that is no longer available: paper
grocery bags were still common, and plastic bags were the same size as
the paper bags. My panniers are designed to fit a standard grocery
bag. So I'd put a paper bag into a plastic bag, line my pannier with
the combination, and put another plastic bag in so the paper wouldn't
get wet. The plastic made the package slick to slide down into the
pannier, and provided handles to pull it out again. The paper made it
stiff so groceries wouldn't stick out between the wires and lock the
package into the pannier.

This was so convenient that I didn't replace my wire panniers with my
nylon panniers for multi-day tours: I would line a pannier with paper
and plastic, line the paper with another plastic, put in stuff I
wouldn't want until later on, fold down the bag, put another plastic
bag in, pack the next layer, and so forth. When the pannier was full,
I'd drape a plastic bag over my luggage and tuck it between the
outermost bag and the wires all around. Once I was caught in rain so
heavy that I couldn't see to get off the road, but everything in my
panniers was bone dry when I unpacked at the hostel that night.

And it's loads of fun to check into a fancy hotel with grocery bags
for luggage! (They don't turn a hair, actually, just summon a bell
boy to carry the bike up the stairs.)


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Pit stops
 

In public facilities, have the paper actually in your hand before you
commit yourself to using it.

--
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
http://roughsewing.home.comcast.net/ -- needlework
http://n3f.home.comcast.net/ -- Writers' Exchange
joy beeson at comcast dot net

AG: Freezing Bottles
 

If you frequently freeze water in a plastic container that wasn't
designed for it, the expansion of the ice will sooner or later crack
the container at the mold mark. You can get around this by filling a
bottle a little at a time, tipping the bottle to maximize the surface
area of the water when you put it into the freezer. Tipping also
keeps the ice from getting a square push.

Freezing bottles became much easier after I found a valve-cap that
fits the bottles that "spring water" comes in. Disposable bottles
also allow me to build up a stock of frozen beverage without buying a
lot of California Springs bottles.

If a bottle which had been entirely frozen now has a few drops of
water in it, pour them out on the ground. They will contain every
molecule of salt that was in the water.



--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGESEW/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Freezing Bottles
 

On 5/23/2015 9:59 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:

If you frequently freeze water in a plastic container that wasn't
designed for it, the expansion of the ice will sooner or later crack
the container at the mold mark. You can get around this by filling a
bottle a little at a time, tipping the bottle to maximize the surface
area of the water when you put it into the freezer. Tipping also
keeps the ice from getting a square push.

Freezing bottles became much easier after I found a valve-cap that
fits the bottles that "spring water" comes in. Disposable bottles
also allow me to build up a stock of frozen beverage without buying a
lot of California Springs bottles.

If a bottle which had been entirely frozen now has a few drops of
water in it, pour them out on the ground. They will contain every
molecule of salt that was in the water.

Nice tip, except I'm the guy who purposely _adds_ a little salt to his
water! I think it helps prevent leg cramps.


--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: Four feet
 

I'm always seeing reminders that cars should give bicycles four feet
of clearance when overtaking, but I seldom see a reminder that
bicycles should give cars four feet of clearance.

Ample clearance is particularly important when the car is parked. A
moving car seldom throws open a door, nicks the end of your handlebar,
and steers the bike out from under you, whereupon you fall under the
wheels of a bus.

Example:

There is, not too far from my house, a street with two lanes exactly
wide enough for cars, and two bike lanes that look to be about a yard
wide.

(I haven't actually measured the bike lanes in this stretch. About
half a mile further out, I measured the other bike lane at sixty-nine
inches including two four-inch white stripes in one place, and
fifty-four (again including stripes) in another.)

Three observations: An overtaking car cannot pass a bicycle in the
bike lane without taking part of the oncoming lane. Traffic in the
oncoming lane is nearly continuous. Good pavement extends well beyond
the edge of the "bike lane".

When eastbound on this stretch of road, I ride just outside the bike
lane.

--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Roadside Repairs
 

When you take the cap off a valve, put it into your pocket. If you
forget to put it back on, at least you'll have it with you.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Getting chain grease off the calf
 

This post is late because I was too tired to write when I came home
yesterday -- so tired that I woke up with a gray spot on my calf this
morning.

Well, I forgot the chain grease when I was showering partly because
that was only the second time I didn't wear long pants this spring,
and partly because it rained heavily during the last half mile of the
ride and I was in a big hurry to get my clothes off.

But that gives me a topic: when you lather up the black spot and
rinse it off, it turns gray -- then you have to scrub really hard to
get the rest of it off and your calf is red instead of black.

Well, it's that way for me. Younger folks with greasier skin might
shed the dirt more easily.

Go to a beauty-supply store and buy one of the hard plastic sponges
that they sell as cheap substitutes for pumice stones. Mine is
labeled "pumice contour" and has a logo of a weightlifter named "Mr.
Pumice."

After washing your leg, rub soap on the gray spot and rub soap on the
wet "pumice". One or two light strokes and poof! the grease is gone,
with no skin irritation.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Getting chain grease off the calf
 

On Sun, 14 Jun 2015 20:13:02 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:


This post is late because I was too tired to write when I came home
yesterday -- so tired that I woke up with a gray spot on my calf this
morning.

Well, I forgot the chain grease when I was showering partly because
that was only the second time I didn't wear long pants this spring,
and partly because it rained heavily during the last half mile of the
ride and I was in a big hurry to get my clothes off.

But that gives me a topic: when you lather up the black spot and
rinse it off, it turns gray -- then you have to scrub really hard to
get the rest of it off and your calf is red instead of black.

Well, it's that way for me. Younger folks with greasier skin might
shed the dirt more easily.

Go to a beauty-supply store and buy one of the hard plastic sponges
that they sell as cheap substitutes for pumice stones. Mine is
labeled "pumice contour" and has a logo of a weightlifter named "Mr.
Pumice."

After washing your leg, rub soap on the gray spot and rub soap on the
wet "pumice". One or two light strokes and poof! the grease is gone,
with no skin irritation.


Those "grease spots" are a combination of oil, or grease, and dirt.
Gasoline removes them quite easily :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

AG: Getting chain grease off the calf
 

In article , John B.
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jun 2015 20:13:02 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:


This post is late because I was too tired to write when I came home
yesterday -- so tired that I woke up with a gray spot on my calf this
morning.

Well, I forgot the chain grease when I was showering partly because
that was only the second time I didn't wear long pants this spring,
and partly because it rained heavily during the last half mile of the
ride and I was in a big hurry to get my clothes off.


I use the spray on sun-screen to remove chain grease. Works well (for
some reason)

--
Jim

AG: Getting chain grease off the calf
 

On 6/15/2015 7:53 AM, Jim wrote:
In article , John B.
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Jun 2015 20:13:02 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:


This post is late because I was too tired to write when I came home
yesterday -- so tired that I woke up with a gray spot on my calf this
morning.

Well, I forgot the chain grease when I was showering partly because
that was only the second time I didn't wear long pants this spring,
and partly because it rained heavily during the last half mile of the
ride and I was in a big hurry to get my clothes off.


I use the spray on sun-screen to remove chain grease. Works well (for
some reason)

On a recent club ride, someone demonstrated that standard
cream-in-a-tube sunscreen also works well.

I wax my chains, so I don't have much need for these tricks.

--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: Water
 

Never pass a water fountain without topping off your bottles, even if
you've taken only a few sips since the last fountain.

Always taste water before mixing it with good water.

Tasting first doesn't always help. When touring Saratoga, I stopped
at a mineral spring, noted that the water tasted better than what I'd
brought from the hotel, emptied my bottles and refilled them. Then
half an hour later, when the water had warmed to the ambient
temperature . . .


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Water
 

On Sun, 21 Jun 2015 00:18:12 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:


Never pass a water fountain without topping off your bottles, even if
you've taken only a few sips since the last fountain.

Always taste water before mixing it with good water.

Tasting first doesn't always help. When touring Saratoga, I stopped
at a mineral spring, noted that the water tasted better than what I'd
brought from the hotel, emptied my bottles and refilled them. Then
half an hour later, when the water had warmed to the ambient
temperature . . .

When out and about I always drink bottled water as sometimes "local
water", even though it may be sanitary, can contain chemicals that
upset one's stomach.
--
cheers,

John B.

AG: Riding is Communication
 

I had a conversation on the road Saturday:

I was riding down a lightly-traveled county road when I saw a pick-up
truck coming toward me, and a car in my mirror. So I turned my head
as if looking back, then shifted toward the middle of my half of the
road. Once the truck was past, I looked back again and shifted to the
edge of the pavement. The car promptly overtook me properly.

In English:

Me: Oops, it's not safe to pass right now.
Driver: Now that you mention it, I can see that.
Me: Now it's safe.
Driver: So it is.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Riding is Communication
 

On 6/21/2015 7:53 PM, Joy Beeson wrote:

I had a conversation on the road Saturday:

I was riding down a lightly-traveled county road when I saw a pick-up
truck coming toward me, and a car in my mirror. So I turned my head
as if looking back, then shifted toward the middle of my half of the
road. Once the truck was past, I looked back again and shifted to the
edge of the pavement. The car promptly overtook me properly.

In English:

Me: Oops, it's not safe to pass right now.
Driver: Now that you mention it, I can see that.
Me: Now it's safe.
Driver: So it is.

Beautiful!

It's sad that so many people think that's impossible.


--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: On being overtaken
 

Always check your mirror immediately after a motor vehicle passes you.
There might be another hidden in its noise.

That includes low-flying airplanes! (Luckily, the driver of the truck
that I didn't see saw me. After that I looked back every time the
cropduster passed.)

--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Twist-ties
 

(written 24 June 2015)

I solved a problem with twist-ties yesterday.

I stopped at a fruit market, where I bought a bag of Jonagold apples
and, for lunch, a ham sandwich and a small bag of potato chips.

As usual, I ate only half my lunch. (I ate all of the taco salad that
I bought for supper, and lived to regret it.) The sandwich was no
problem; I re-wrapped it in the sheet of plastic it had come in and
put it beside the bottle of ice in my cooler.

But I had no clothespin to close the potato-chip bag, and there was no
use in searching my pockets for a paper clip: I'd inventoried my
pockets before the ride. (Gets up to string a couple of paper clips
on the safety pin in my emergency bag.)

Perhaps if I wrap the bag around the remaining chips instead of
rolling it down -- that works, but if I wedge it in tightly enough to
keep the bag from unrolling, I'll crush the chips. What I need is a
piece of string. There was a little paper bobbin of linespun-linen
carpet thread in the first-aid kit in the lost toolkit. I'll never
see linespun linen again, but upon thought, I do have some pre-wound
"bobbins" (they are actually cakes of thread, so wound as to hold
their shape with no actual bobbin) of nylon sewing thread. (Gets up
to pop one into a "pill pouch" (mini zip-lock bag) and add it to
emergency kit.)

Then I remembered that I had a sheet of twist-ties in my memo-book
case, peeled off four, hooked them end-to-end, secured my potato
chips, and tossed them into a pannier.


--
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/
The above message is a Usenet post.
I don't recall having given anyone permission to use it on a Web site.

AG: Twist-ties
 

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 01:19:19 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:

(written 24 June 2015)

I solved a problem with twist-ties yesterday.

I stopped at a fruit market, where I bought a bag of Jonagold apples
and, for lunch, a ham sandwich and a small bag of potato chips.

As usual, I ate only half my lunch. (I ate all of the taco salad that
I bought for supper, and lived to regret it.) The sandwich was no
problem; I re-wrapped it in the sheet of plastic it had come in and
put it beside the bottle of ice in my cooler.

But I had no clothespin to close the potato-chip bag, and there was no
use in searching my pockets for a paper clip: I'd inventoried my
pockets before the ride. (Gets up to string a couple of paper clips
on the safety pin in my emergency bag.)

Perhaps if I wrap the bag around the remaining chips instead of
rolling it down -- that works, but if I wedge it in tightly enough to
keep the bag from unrolling, I'll crush the chips. What I need is a
piece of string. There was a little paper bobbin of linespun-linen
carpet thread in the first-aid kit in the lost toolkit. I'll never
see linespun linen again, but upon thought, I do have some pre-wound
"bobbins" (they are actually cakes of thread, so wound as to hold
their shape with no actual bobbin) of nylon sewing thread. (Gets up
to pop one into a "pill pouch" (mini zip-lock bag) and add it to
emergency kit.)

Then I remembered that I had a sheet of twist-ties in my memo-book
case, peeled off four, hooked them end-to-end, secured my potato
chips, and tossed them into a pannier.

I tried plastic "wire ties", or "cable ties" they are sometimes
called. Bad Move. They are impossible to get loose without a knife or
a pair of shears :-)

I've been using rubber bands, or just throwing the half bag of chips
away :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

AG: Twist-ties
 

John B. wrote in
:

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 01:19:19 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:

(written 24 June 2015)

I solved a problem with twist-ties yesterday.

I stopped at a fruit market, where I bought a bag of Jonagold apples
and, for lunch, a ham sandwich and a small bag of potato chips.

As usual, I ate only half my lunch. (I ate all of the taco salad that
I bought for supper, and lived to regret it.) The sandwich was no
problem; I re-wrapped it in the sheet of plastic it had come in and
put it beside the bottle of ice in my cooler.

But I had no clothespin to close the potato-chip bag, and there was no
use in searching my pockets for a paper clip: I'd inventoried my
pockets before the ride. (Gets up to string a couple of paper clips
on the safety pin in my emergency bag.)

Perhaps if I wrap the bag around the remaining chips instead of
rolling it down -- that works, but if I wedge it in tightly enough to
keep the bag from unrolling, I'll crush the chips. What I need is a
piece of string. There was a little paper bobbin of linespun-linen
carpet thread in the first-aid kit in the lost toolkit. I'll never
see linespun linen again, but upon thought, I do have some pre-wound
"bobbins" (they are actually cakes of thread, so wound as to hold
their shape with no actual bobbin) of nylon sewing thread. (Gets up
to pop one into a "pill pouch" (mini zip-lock bag) and add it to
emergency kit.)

Then I remembered that I had a sheet of twist-ties in my memo-book
case, peeled off four, hooked them end-to-end, secured my potato
chips, and tossed them into a pannier.

I tried plastic "wire ties", or "cable ties" they are sometimes
called. Bad Move. They are impossible to get loose without a knife or
a pair of shears :-)

I've been using rubber bands, or just throwing the half bag of chips
away :-)

I use Bulldog Clips (paper clamps) to hold chip bags closed.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

AG: On being overtaken
 

On 6/28/2015 12:12 AM, Joy Beeson wrote:

Always check your mirror immediately after a motor vehicle passes you.
There might be another hidden in its noise.

Yep. That's precisely the reason I began using an eyeglass mirror, way
back in the 1970s, when they were even weirder than they are now!

That includes low-flying airplanes! (Luckily, the driver of the truck
that I didn't see saw me. After that I looked back every time the
cropduster passed.)

Cropduster? I hope you were holding your breath!


--
- Frank Krygowski

AG: Twist-ties
 

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 18:29:21 +0100, Phil W Lee
wrote:

John B. considered Sun, 28 Jun 2015 19:55:46
+0700 the perfect time to write:

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 01:19:19 -0300, Joy Beeson
wrote:

(written 24 June 2015)

I solved a problem with twist-ties yesterday.

I stopped at a fruit market, where I bought a bag of Jonagold apples
and, for lunch, a ham sandwich and a small bag of potato chips.

As usual, I ate only half my lunch. (I ate all of the taco salad that
I bought for supper, and lived to regret it.) The sandwich was no
problem; I re-wrapped it in the sheet of plastic it had come in and
put it beside the bottle of ice in my cooler.

But I had no clothespin to close the potato-chip bag, and there was no
use in searching my pockets for a paper clip: I'd inventoried my
pockets before the ride. (Gets up to string a couple of paper clips
on the safety pin in my emergency bag.)

Perhaps if I wrap the bag around the remaining chips instead of
rolling it down -- that works, but if I wedge it in tightly enough to
keep the bag from unrolling, I'll crush the chips. What I need is a
piece of string. There was a little paper bobbin of linespun-linen
carpet thread in the first-aid kit in the lost toolkit. I'll never
see linespun linen again, but upon thought, I do have some pre-wound
"bobbins" (they are actually cakes of thread, so wound as to hold
their shape with no actual bobbin) of nylon sewing thread. (Gets up
to pop one into a "pill pouch" (mini zip-lock bag) and add it to
emergency kit.)

Then I remembered that I had a sheet of twist-ties in my memo-book
case, peeled off four, hooked them end-to-end, secured my potato
chips, and tossed them into a pannier.

I tried plastic "wire ties", or "cable ties" they are sometimes
called. Bad Move. They are impossible to get loose without a knife or
a pair of shears :-)

Not if you get the reusable ones with the longer locking tab - easy to
flick open with a fingernail, and last almost forever.


I don't believe I ever saw such a thing.... not to say that they don't
exist, of course, as I am not really a major user of cable ties.


I've been using rubber bands, or just throwing the half bag of chips
away :-)

I also have a resealable sandwich bag in my normal kit, so could use
that as an alternative.
--
cheers,

John B.

AG: Twist-ties
 

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 18:29:21 +0100, Phil W Lee
wrote:

I also have a resealable sandwich bag in my normal kit, so could use
that as an alternative.

And I had a snack bag full of sandwich bags in the cooler! I wonder
whether I'd have remembered that if I hadn't figured out how to close
the potato-chip bag.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

AG: On being overtaken
 

On Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:24:13 -0400, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

Cropduster? I hope you were holding your breath!

I don't think he was actually dusting crops -- they were the wrong
kind of crops, for one thing -- but he was flying back and forth in a
cropdusterly manner. Perhaps sight-seeing, or practicing turns -- or
trying not to get too far from the airstrip before it was his turn to
land, though I don't know of any airstrips in that area.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/