London "Danger! Danger!"

John B. writes:

On Sat, 14 Dec 2013 15:57:29 -0800, Ben Pfaff
wrote:
Hmm. Maybe your bus drivers are more obnoxious than mine, then.
The honks to which I refer are brief and, subjectively, not
nearly as loud as an airhorn. They are startling, but not
painful. Maybe I made too big a deal of it in my previous
article.

Hearing a vehicle horn is startling? On the road? Really?

Horns are normally used here only to warn of dangerous
situations, so the number of honks I normally hear close to me
during my 45-minute commute is zero. Hearing one, just behind
me, even briefly, is startling. I realize that customs are
different elsewhere.

On Sat, 14 Dec 2013 23:09:43 -0800, Ben Pfaff
wrote:

John B. writes:

On Sat, 14 Dec 2013 15:57:29 -0800, Ben Pfaff
wrote:
Hmm. Maybe your bus drivers are more obnoxious than mine, then.
The honks to which I refer are brief and, subjectively, not
nearly as loud as an airhorn. They are startling, but not
painful. Maybe I made too big a deal of it in my previous
article.

Hearing a vehicle horn is startling? On the road? Really?

Horns are normally used here only to warn of dangerous
situations, so the number of honks I normally hear close to me
during my 45-minute commute is zero. Hearing one, just behind
me, even briefly, is startling. I realize that customs are
different elsewhere.

Over here it is quite common to hear a little beep, which usually
means, "I'm back here and I see you". Not every time someone is behind
you but during my usual Sunday ride I'll get "beeped" three or four
times. The "beeps" are harmless but when you hear "BE E E E E P" it
merits some attention as the next sound may be "CRASH!" :-)
--
Cheers,

John B.

Has anyone mentioned yet that this whole, long, ill-tempered thread is about AVOIDABLE CYCLING DEATHS? I grasp that Krygowski believes it is essential for some cyclists to die (as long as he isn't one of them) so that there can be statistics about cycling deaths for him to pontificate about*, but in this instance, without some stupid ****ups by the "authorities", there would have been FEWER CYCLING DEATHS IN LONDON THAN LAST YEAR. In short, cycling would have been seen to be even safer.

* That core of indifference about the suffering of others just about defines a born psychopath of the kind we normally shorthand as "fascist".

On Saturday, December 14, 2013 9:24:36 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Friday, December 13, 2013 11:04:42 PM UTC-5, Phil W Lee wrote:

Frank Krygowski considered Tue, 10 Dec 2013



In one major city, one knowledgeable cycling advocate I know is extremely frustrated because the local Bike Advocates In Favor Of Everything group is hounding the city to put in door zone bike lanes everywhere. They're convinced they can't safely ride on even narrow back streets without a paint stripe that tells them to skim the parked cars.


If the stripe of paint on the road "tells" people anything, they'd
best see someone about those voices in their heads.

The recent (and ongoing) protest in London was and is almost
completely opposite to that.
The problem is the high proportion of the deaths that have occurred on
poor quality infrastructure, and the need to either scrap it or sort
it.

The worst example (Bow interchange) has been made significantly MORE
dangerous by the cycling infrastructure, and the latest way of
"fixing" it was to make it far more difficult and dangerous to use the
safer alternative.

I've got no problem at all with criticizing or protesting badly done cycling infrastructure.


But can you point to some examples of infrastructure that is not "badly
done"? ... Please?

Our local bike club has attempted to do that with one particularly crazy situation, spending serious time in meetings with the offending agency. Unfortunately, we've had only small success in correcting it,


So you guys are wasting "serious time" (?)

... partly because there were other cyclists phoning in who said "Oh, I love the new facility!" That's despite guideline-violating collision hazards, written and verbal testimony from nationally known experts, and one cyclist made quadriplegic.


Just don't ride there.

snip


Perhaps cyclists are proposing workable designs for specific problem situations, and the press doesn't communicate that very well. But from what I've seen, the "Danger! Danger!" gets trumpeted far more than any "Here's a solution."


Dude! Where have you been since the beginning of history?

Ever seen a news report of a house fire? Of course; sensational stuff.
Ever notice how the cause is always reported as "under investigation"?
Ever see the cause eventually reported? Not often, I'll bet. Which is
more useful information to the public? Which can sell more soap?

That's the way it is. But you have every right to be a curmudgeon
about it if you think that will do anyone any good.

BTW, this proposal from Edinburgh seems to have potential:

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transpo...sons-1-3231777


Butts on bikes?

... although I'd also like strong publicity campaigns telling cyclists to stay out of truck blind spots, particularly at curb side. As with doorings, the legal fault may be with the motorist, but a cyclist is not wise if he trusts motorists to avoid him when he's nearly invisible.


Not wise - quite right.

You gonna "teach" wisdom?

On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 8:29:53 AM UTC-8, Phil W Lee wrote:
Jay Beattie considered Wed, 11 Dec 2013

20:09:03 -0800 (PST) the perfect time to write:



On Wednesday, December 11, 2013 6:21:46 PM UTC-8, Dan wrote:

"Mark J." writes:







On 12/10/2013 11:19 AM, Jay Beattie wrote:







TECHNICAL TOPIC CHANGE: Anyone have a great technique for beading difficult tires. My studs love to hang up and not bead, so they are like riding on square tires. Running up the pressure doesn't do the trick. I could soap them up before mounting, but short of that, anyone have tried and true technique?







-- Jay Beattie.







Pump to about 10 or 15 psi, then muscle them into place by gripping,



pushing "up" on sidewall with thumbs. Likewise, where the bead is



riding high, push "down". Works /sometimes/.











Yes - I've had some tires that will seat, but not "perfectly"



evenly, and manual manipulation with just enough pressure to



hold it (but not enough to prevent the manual manipulation)



was SOP with those.







In the motorcycle shop, we used soap and water slurry as lube



for mounting, which also helps pop them right up on the bead.







Or just build a set of wheels dedicated to your studs. I did. Makes



the last-minute morning decision to "stud up" easier to make, when



conditions are iffy and black ice is a possibility.



I have a bicycle dedicated to studs -- my son's abandoned Kona Dewdrop. He took his 29er and a lighter road bike to college. It weighs a f***** ton! I rode home on dry pavement last night, and the buzzing about drove me crazy - along with the bumping up and down on stuck beads. I was exhausted trying to keep up with some guy on a tourista bike with panniers. He was a total Frank, taking the lane and signalling and all that stuff. With all the racket I was making, he probably thought he was being chased by the angel of death.



When I have difficult-to-bead tires, I also wrestled them on to the bead and/or use soapy water as a lubricant. I like Andrew's idea of furniture polish, so I'll give that a whirl. My studs are super stiff and are pretty resistant to wrestling.



Manual manipulation is contra-indicated for tyres with ice-spikes,

unless you have some very substantial gloves and a grip of steel.

They're studs and not spikes, so there is little chance of personal injury -- but the tires are really stiff. They're like 35mm motorcycle tires.

I tried Muzi's recommendation, and it worked. It worked best on the front tire where I removed the tire and carefully furniture polished the inside rim wall/bead seat. It worked less well on the rear wheel where I just pushed the tire back and shot in some polish and ragged it down (I got lazy). Being lazy meant that I had to wrestle with the rear tire to get it to seat, but it finally did.

Now we're in to a warm spell with oscillating dry and wet weather and no new snow. That bike will sit around in the garage. BTW, there is a pitiful amount of snow for skiing in the mountains, and my son is coming in for winter break with no new snow and a pre-purchased ski pass. We're going to be stuck on groomers in spring conditions. Ice in the shade and slush in the sun. Sucks. That's how I've spent my last couple of weekends. The only bright spot are my new daily driver sale-table crud skis, which are a hoot. Low swing weight and high fun-factor. Imagine a really light touring bike.

-- Jay Beattie.

On Saturday, December 14, 2013 11:09:43 PM UTC-8, Ben Pfaff wrote:
John B. writes:



On Sat, 14 Dec 2013 15:57:29 -0800, Ben Pfaff

wrote:

Hmm. Maybe your bus drivers are more obnoxious than mine, then.

The honks to which I refer are brief and, subjectively, not

nearly as loud as an airhorn. They are startling, but not

painful. Maybe I made too big a deal of it in my previous

article.



Hearing a vehicle horn is startling? On the road? Really?



Horns are normally used here only to warn of dangerous

situations, so the number of honks I normally hear close to me

during my 45-minute commute is zero. Hearing one, just behind

me, even briefly, is startling. I realize that customs are

different elsewhere.

It *is* intended to be an alert. In fact I think it's illegal
(here, anyway) to use them otherwise. People use them more often
to communicate irritation and/or anger, but I believe that's
illegal (as if they care about obeying the law - hmmm... )

On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 12:07:53 PM UTC-5, Dan O wrote:
On Saturday, December 14, 2013 9:24:36 AM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:

In one major city, one knowledgeable cycling advocate I know is extremely frustrated because the local Bike Advocates In Favor Of Everything group is hounding the city to put in door zone bike lanes everywhere. They're convinced they can't safely ride on even narrow back streets without a paint stripe that tells them to skim the parked cars.

If the stripe of paint on the road "tells" people anything, they'd
best see someone about those voices in their heads.

Ah. Then people should stop painting them.

I've got no problem at all with criticizing or protesting badly done cycling infrastructure.

But can you point to some examples of infrastructure that is not "badly
done"? ... Please?

Locally, there was a historic bridge connecting two neighborhoods that was closed because of low load limit. The county wanted to tear it down due to liability worries. It was instead rehabilitated using historic preservation funds and opened as a bike & pedestrian facility, allowing residents to bypass the super-crowded main intersections in town.

Nearby, a residential collector street becomes a dead end for cars, but continues as a bike-ped path for a couple blocks, again allowing access to the village center without getting into the congestion.

I was on the committee that secured the former, and I was almost entirely responsible for preserving the latter.

Our local bike club has attempted to do that with one particularly crazy situation, spending serious time in meetings with the offending agency. Unfortunately, we've had only small success in correcting it,

So you guys are wasting "serious time" (?)

You sound like you have very little experience in bike advocacy.

We were unsuccessful at getting those in charge to rebuild what they had wasted money on. However, one agency director eventually told us that if they knew then what they know now, they would have originally built it as we asked. One former trustee publicly stated that he still does not understand why our proposed modifications have not been completed.

However, at our last club meeting, several of us were told that the agency in question wants to form a bike advisory committee - something we suggested many years ago. I was among those invited to be on that committee, and I will join that effort.

What have you done, Dan?

- Frank Krygowski

On 12/17/2013 11:27 AM, Jay Beattie wrote:
On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 8:29:53 AM UTC-8, Phil W Lee wrote:
Jay Beattie considered Wed, 11 Dec 2013

20:09:03 -0800 (PST) the perfect time to write:



On Wednesday, December 11, 2013 6:21:46 PM UTC-8, Dan wrote:

"Mark J." writes:







On 12/10/2013 11:19 AM, Jay Beattie wrote:







TECHNICAL TOPIC CHANGE: Anyone have a great technique for beading difficult tires. My studs love to hang up and not bead, so they are like riding on square tires. Running up the pressure doesn't do the trick. I could soap them up before mounting, but short of that, anyone have tried and true technique?







-- Jay Beattie.







Pump to about 10 or 15 psi, then muscle them into place by gripping,



pushing "up" on sidewall with thumbs. Likewise, where the bead is



riding high, push "down". Works /sometimes/.











Yes - I've had some tires that will seat, but not "perfectly"



evenly, and manual manipulation with just enough pressure to



hold it (but not enough to prevent the manual manipulation)



was SOP with those.







In the motorcycle shop, we used soap and water slurry as lube



for mounting, which also helps pop them right up on the bead.







Or just build a set of wheels dedicated to your studs. I did. Makes



the last-minute morning decision to "stud up" easier to make, when



conditions are iffy and black ice is a possibility.



I have a bicycle dedicated to studs -- my son's abandoned Kona Dewdrop. He took his 29er and a lighter road bike to college. It weighs a f***** ton! I rode home on dry pavement last night, and the buzzing about drove me crazy - along with the bumping up and down on stuck beads. I was exhausted trying to keep up with some guy on a tourista bike with panniers. He was a total Frank, taking the lane and signalling and all that stuff. With all the racket I was making, he probably thought he was being chased by the angel of death.



When I have difficult-to-bead tires, I also wrestled them on to the bead and/or use soapy water as a lubricant. I like Andrew's idea of furniture polish, so I'll give that a whirl. My studs are super stiff and are pretty resistant to wrestling.



Manual manipulation is contra-indicated for tyres with ice-spikes,

unless you have some very substantial gloves and a grip of steel.

They're studs and not spikes, so there is little chance of personal injury -- but the tires are really stiff. They're like 35mm motorcycle tires.

I tried Muzi's recommendation, and it worked. It worked best on the front tire where I removed the tire and carefully furniture polished the inside rim wall/bead seat. It worked less well on the rear wheel where I just pushed the tire back and shot in some polish and ragged it down (I got lazy). Being lazy meant that I had to wrestle with the rear tire to get it to seat, but it finally did.

Now we're in to a warm spell with oscillating dry and wet weather and no new snow. That bike will sit around in the garage. BTW, there is a pitiful amount of snow for skiing in the mountains, and my son is coming in for winter break with no new snow and a pre-purchased ski pass. We're going to be stuck on groomers in spring conditions. Ice in the shade and slush in the sun. Sucks. That's how I've spent my last couple of weekends. The only bright spot are my new daily driver sale-table crud skis, which are a hoot. Low swing weight and high fun-factor. Imagine a really light touring bike.

-- Jay Beattie.


The physics of it remains obscure to me but, yes, removing
the tire and laying a light mist of wax all around teh rim
is dependably effective and yet glops of it shot under a
tire remains hit or miss. Theories welcome.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 18/12/13 05:34, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 12:07:53 PM UTC-5, Dan O wrote:

If the stripe of paint on the road "tells" people anything, they'd
best see someone about those voices in their heads.

Ah. Then people should stop painting them.

Is there any political pressure being applied to repeal "must use bike
lane" laws there? Assuming you have such laws as we do.

--
JS

In article ,
James wrote:

On 18/12/13 05:34, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 12:07:53 PM UTC-5, Dan O wrote:

If the stripe of paint on the road "tells" people anything, they'd
best see someone about those voices in their heads.

Ah. Then people should stop painting them.

Is there any political pressure being applied to repeal "must use bike
lane" laws there? Assuming you have such laws as we do.

From bicycledriving.org: "Bicycle lane use is mandatory in the
Netherlands, Denmark, Germany (if there is a bike lane sign), France (if
required by local authorities), Ireland, the Canadian Province of Quebec
and the U.S. States of Alabama, California, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland,
New York, and Oregon." I admit I had no idea that it was mandatory
anywhere, and I've biked in at least 3 of those jurisdictions.