Time to eat my words!

On May 15, 8:48 am, Camilo wrote:

It's clear that this is a RealSeel (tm) bicycle frame....

Of course I meant RealSteel (tm).

In article ,
wrote:

I'm unfamiliar with the ride-single-file bicycle sign. It claims to be
an official California Vehicle Code sign, but it may not even be real:
"The real signs always list the CVC number of the cited code."

That sign is posted on private property. Last time I read the CVC
there was no such statute. A bicycle, as a slow moving vehicle, is
obliged to move out of a traffic lane if there is traffic backed
up behind.

--
Michael Press

On Mon, 14 May 2007 21:34:34 -0600, wrote:

Previously, I've expressed a certain skepticism about another RBT
poster's occasional observations about big black SUV's.

Here's an utterly devastating reply to my mistaken disbelief:

http://i1.tinypic.com/505ukc2.jpg

Yikes! Such SUV's may be useful somewhere, but a Colorado rancher once
told me that trucks with tires like that end up floating downstream
instead of getting across the creek.

I'm unfamiliar with the ride-single-file bicycle sign. It claims to be
an official California Vehicle Code sign, but it may not even be real:
"The real signs always list the CVC number of the cited code."

The tall yellow bicycle frame and matching pump, plus the down-tube
shifters, should make it clear who sent me the picture, which was
"taken last week on Cliff drive a bit north of Capitola CA (Santa
Cruz)."

But in case the photographer's identity is stil unclear, the subject
line of the email with the picture was "Drive truck!"



No more squabbling from me about big black SUV's--you can roll a
bicycle with a normal-size frame under that thing!

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

And here's that same tall bicycle before it was painted yellow:

http://www.nostalgic.net/bicycle377.htm

Over the years, the owner also switched to a 6-gear derailleur instead
of shaft drive and swapped his 28-spoke front wheel for a 36-spoke
model.

The seat post, handlebars, and pedals were changed, too, and some
salmon-colored caliper brakes were added, but you can see that it's
the same tall custom frame for a 6'5" rider.

(Read the caption if you don't believe me.)

Here's a better view of the kind of seat post that was replaced, from
another bike:

http://www.nostalgic.net/pictures/1733.htm

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On May 15, 3:42 pm, wrote:
On Mon, 14 May 2007 21:34:34 -0600, wrote:
Previously, I've expressed a certain skepticism about another RBT
poster's occasional observations about big black SUV's.

Here's an utterly devastating reply to my mistaken disbelief:

http://i1.tinypic.com/505ukc2.jpg

Yikes! Such SUV's may be useful somewhere, but a Colorado rancher once
told me that trucks with tires like that end up floating downstream
instead of getting across the creek.

I'm unfamiliar with the ride-single-file bicycle sign. It claims to be
an official California Vehicle Code sign, but it may not even be real:
"The real signs always list the CVC number of the cited code."

The tall yellow bicycle frame and matching pump, plus the down-tube
shifters, should make it clear who sent me the picture, which was
"taken last week on Cliff drive a bit north of Capitola CA (Santa
Cruz)."

But in case the photographer's identity is stil unclear, the subject
line of the email with the picture was "Drive truck!"



No more squabbling from me about big black SUV's--you can roll a
bicycle with a normal-size frame under that thing!

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

And here's that same tall bicycle before it was painted yellow:

http://www.nostalgic.net/bicycle377.htm

Over the years, the owner also switched to a 6-gear derailleur instead
of shaft drive and swapped his 28-spoke front wheel for a 36-spoke
model.

Hey, if shaft drive was good enough for Major Taylor, then it's good
enough for you.

On 15 May 2007 23:12:55 -0700, Hank Wirtz wrote:

On May 15, 3:42 pm, wrote:
On Mon, 14 May 2007 21:34:34 -0600, wrote:
Previously, I've expressed a certain skepticism about another RBT
poster's occasional observations about big black SUV's.

Here's an utterly devastating reply to my mistaken disbelief:

http://i1.tinypic.com/505ukc2.jpg

Yikes! Such SUV's may be useful somewhere, but a Colorado rancher once
told me that trucks with tires like that end up floating downstream
instead of getting across the creek.

I'm unfamiliar with the ride-single-file bicycle sign. It claims to be
an official California Vehicle Code sign, but it may not even be real:
"The real signs always list the CVC number of the cited code."

The tall yellow bicycle frame and matching pump, plus the down-tube
shifters, should make it clear who sent me the picture, which was
"taken last week on Cliff drive a bit north of Capitola CA (Santa
Cruz)."

But in case the photographer's identity is stil unclear, the subject
line of the email with the picture was "Drive truck!"



No more squabbling from me about big black SUV's--you can roll a
bicycle with a normal-size frame under that thing!

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

And here's that same tall bicycle before it was painted yellow:

http://www.nostalgic.net/bicycle377.htm

Over the years, the owner also switched to a 6-gear derailleur instead
of shaft drive and swapped his 28-spoke front wheel for a 36-spoke
model.

Hey, if shaft drive was good enough for Major Taylor, then it's good
enough for you.

Dear Hank,

T'wasn't mine!

The owner emailed me the picture of his tall yellow bike against that
massive black background. I can't think of a better rejoinder to all
the doubts that I expressed about big black SUV's in California.

I'm not 6'5", I moved to Colorado shortly after my debut at Stanford
University Hospital over fifty years ago, my bike is painted a speedy
red, I use a short black Topeak Road morph pump (often), and I'd never
give up my state-of-the-art 7-gear cassette for anything so retro as a
6-sprocket.

Not long ago, I was tempted by shaft drive, but luckily prices and the
lack of obvious novelty discouraged that fancy.

Now I'm fighting the urge to invest in a replica high wheeler by
remembering that I still wouldn't come up to the driver's window of
that SUV.

Incidentally, here's a page with _dozens_ of antique U.S. bicycle
patent numbers. Clicking on the links takes you to a patent search
page, where you have to select search-by-pat-num and type in the
patent number from the original link:

http://www.pennyfarthingworldtour.com/patents.htm

Stick in 373850, click on images, and . . .

http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=...iew+first+page

It's the shaft-drive of 1887, patented by Taylor's sponsor, the Pope
Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. (Albert Pope headed
the company. Harry M. Pope, his relative and the name on the patent,
was the superintendent of the Connecticut factory.

Darned curious to find a real Connecticut yankee inventor with the
initials H.M. who was superintendent of the world's largest bicycle
factory in Hartford, where Mark Twain moved in 1872 and published a
certain novel set in King Arthur's Court in 1889.

You may need the viewers with download links mentioned here for
Windows, Apple, or Linux:

http://www.uspto.gov/patft/help/images.htm

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On May 15, 2:28 pm, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On May 15, 12:17 am, Daniel wrote:

if I were riding a recumbent...I wouldnt mind getting ran over by the
truck...

What? There's probably someone out there that will lend you a 'bent if
you're serious(ly mad enough to want to be run over....)

On May 14, 8:28 pm, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

A recumbent might be lower than a diamond frame but would it not still
get hit by the axels or the axel bunions?

Peter

Well, I was thinking of riding *between* the axles of the truck.
There's plenty of clearance under the frame.

Many years ago, when I was building recumbent trikes:
http://home.comcast.net/~jeff_wills/aerocoupe/index.htm , I amused
myself one day by riding circles around the rear tires of a semi-
trailer in the parking lot. Loads of fun... better than mud-bogging!

Jeff

On May 14, 11:34 pm, wrote:
Yikes! Such SUV's may be useful somewhere, but a Colorado rancher once
told me that trucks with tires like that end up floating downstream
instead of getting across the creek.

The body lift is too high to make it safe for rock scrambling and
other off-road activities. These trucks are used for playing in the
mud. Nothing else. Hence the term "mudders" for the tires.

Considering that this vehicle is in California and its off-road
nature. I wonder how many whipsnakes per mile this thing can manage to
kill