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Old February 21st 20, 12:27 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
jOHN b.
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Posts: 2,421
Default A real reason for gravel bikes?

On Thu, 20 Feb 2020 08:10:48 -0600, AMuzi wrote:

On 2/19/2020 11:40 PM, John B. wrote:
On Wed, 19 Feb 2020 06:44:06 -0800 (PST), jbeattie
wrote:

On Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 7:27:28 PM UTC-8, John B. wrote:
On Tue, 18 Feb 2020 18:29:23 -0800 (PST), jbeattie
wrote:

On Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 3:47:53 PM UTC-8, AMuzi wrote:
On 2/18/2020 5:08 PM, John B. wrote:
On Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:36:28 -0500, Frank Krygowski
wrote:

“In 10 years, we’re going to start turning roads back into gravel” if
nothing changes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/b...sin-roads.html

As I've mentioned, Ohio has 88 counties. Some, like mine, have many more
miles of county roads than do others. But the state's funds distributed
for county road maintenence gives each county 1/88 of the total instead
of giving on a per-mile basis. I frequently see the effects when riding
from one county into another.

Are roads in the U.S. really as bad as described here? I grew up in
New England, went to school in Florida, lived in a number of states
including Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, California and Maine, drove coast to
coast a couple of times and while I wouldn't say that all the roads
were as smooth as a billiard table I would say that they were pretty
damned good.

Granted I left the U.S. in 1972 but have U.S. roads deteriorate from
"pretty damned good" to the wilderness of chuck holes that I see
described here?
--
cheers,

John B.


I'm also of the glass-half-full school on that. Are there
roads in poor repair? Sure. But there are long term
replacement schedules which can be reviewed at your State
DOT web site.

Example- WI Hwy 19 from Springfield Corners to Mazomanie, a
road I use weekly, was about 1/4 literally AWOL. With an
oncoming milk truck, the best technique was to pull over
where possible and stop because two vehicles couldn't pass
in large sections. That was rebuilt in 2018 and is now an
absolute joy.

#2- WI Hwy 60 in front of our building is being replaced
this year. Sure it needs help, but I'm much less excited
because this will involve an assessment and months of dust.

#3- The loudest bitching about the Governor and road
maintenance usually centers on condition of city streets and
township roads which are not his problem. I don't much care
for The Current Occupant in the statehouse either but let's
hang him for his own sins.

And then there are bridges. I go over this one to see my brother. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVSTcKLJ5gw From above: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOmnC05Ou7w It's scary narrow, and its scheduled to be replaced as soon as the bridge toll piggy bank is full.

Looks like a normal two lane bridge built for trucks and automobiles,
one lane each way. What more could one want?

Well, I could want lanes that were not scaled for Model Ts and could do without a metal deck that steers the car (particularly with the usual high wind), and I could want a bridge that allows bicycles, but apart from that, nothing.

-- Jay Beattie.


But the bridge, the second oldest road bridge across the Columbia
between Washington and Oregon, was built by the Oregon-Washington
Bridge Company and opened on December 9, 1924, when the Model T sold
for 265 gold backed dollars.

Of course, you could advocate tearing it down and building a new
bridge... didn't San Francisco do something like that :-?
--
cheers,

John B.


Perfectly normal:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-i...-idUSKCN1SS1DE


Hate to have to tell a guy named "Muzi" but:
The Pons Fabricius, in Rome, built in 62 B.C to replace a bridge that
had fallen down.
The Ponte Vecchio, in Florance, built in 1345 to replace a wooden
bridge.
The Ponte Di Rialto, built in 1591 to replace a wooden bridge, in
Venice.

Then, of course, there is the Arkadiko Bridge. the oldest surviving
arch bridge still in use. Believed to have been built during the Greek
Bronze Age, around 1300 BC. But of course that is in Greece :-(

All still in use :-)


--
cheers,

John B.

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