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/ |
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