Ride Captain Ride

The weather has been really rocky here. It is presently raining two days a week with another couple of days where they say it will just be cloudy and as I was getting ready to go out for a ride the sky would open up and drown the streets.

While the streets are fairly open the percentage of speeders seems to be way up. Now you would expect this to be the perfect occasion to tag speeders because this paucity of workers is going to nail the city's pocketbook but that's not the way things work in California. The few cops that become visible are simple divert traffic around the high speed crashes while the tow truck picks up the garbage.

But I choose my time to be out after empty road rush hour and as usual most of the people are pretty calm not having to compete for road space.

If it isn't too cold there are rather a remarkable number of people on the multiuse paths. The often walk "social distancing" meaning one on one side of the train and one the other. And invariably they are both walking with their backs to you.

IF you call out one of them will always pivot around their middle foot and end up directly in front of you and you then get to test your brakes in maximum mode. So I approach pretty fast and shoot between them. This startles those not paying attention to anything but their conversations and they will shout obscenities' at me.

It isn't as if I don't see their point but they are actually safest if not the less startled from this.

On yesterday's ride I decided to test my past experiences again and again I was careful to approach at not too great a speed because indeed they did just what I said, Pivoted directly in front of me and then jumped more than just startled but I stopped way short. So this isn't a false memory on my part but the real thing.

You would think that people wouldn't walk a long way out into nowhere on the bay trails but they appear to be a whole lot better at walking than I ever was. There are quite a few places where you can end up 5 miles from anything in either direction. Often the road less traveled when you get to the end. If your phone has lost its charge from too much rap music you can't call a lift or tell them what the name of the street is because no signs.

Well, good that people are exercising that much but a large number of them look like they shouldn't be that far away from an ambulance.

But maybe they're thinking the same about me. I know that Jay is. Or is that more hope in his eyes?

Tom Kunich wrote:

If it isn't too cold there are rather a remarkable number of people on
the multiuse paths. The often walk "social distancing" meaning one on one
side of the train and one the other. And invariably they are both walking
with their backs to you.

IF you call out one of them will always pivot around their middle foot
and end up directly in front of you and you then get to test your brakes
in maximum mode. So I approach pretty fast and shoot between them. This
startles those not paying attention to anything but their conversations
and they will shout obscenities' at me.

Hmm, some might wake up just early enough to cough in front of you. If the
freehub didn't work as designed, have you tried a good bell, early?
Mid-aged people in conversation (without a headset) might actually hear it
the third time and finish their dances within less than half a minute.

It isn't as if I don't see their point but they are actually safest if
not the less startled from this.

On yesterday's ride I decided to test my past experiences again and again
I was careful to approach at not too great a speed because indeed they
did just what I said, Pivoted directly in front of me and then jumped
more than just startled but I stopped way short. So this isn't a false
memory on my part but the real thing.

Yes, it is.

You would think that people wouldn't walk a long way out into nowhere on
the bay trails but they appear to be a whole lot better at walking than I
ever was. There are quite a few places where you can end up 5 miles from
anything in either direction. Often the road less traveled when you get
to the end. If your phone has lost its charge from too much rap music you
can't call a lift or tell them what the name of the street is because no
signs.

Well, good that people are exercising that much, but a large number of
them look like they shouldn't be that far away from an ambulance.

As with an expected decrease in wildlife traffic accidents, it might take
some more time for an increase in dead trail walkers to show up in
statistically relevant numbers.
https://roadecology.ucdavis.edu/files/content/projects/COVID_CHIPs_Impacts.pdf

But maybe they're thinking the same about me. I know that Jay is. Or is
that more hope in his eyes?

Given Jay's unclear Wuhan status, is he even permitted to chase ambulances
in California?


--
Two more Corona victims!! Honda safer than both Mercedes and Chevy!!!
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/woman-killed-in-3-car-crash-in-mission-valley-chp/2298258/

On Sat, 4 Apr 2020 14:34:56 +0200,
Sepp Ruf wrote:
Tom Kunich wrote:

But maybe they're thinking the same about me. I know that Jay
is. Or is that more hope in his eyes?

Given Jay's unclear Wuhan status, is he even permitted to chase
ambulances in California?

POTM

--
Ted Heise West Lafayette, IN, USA

On Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 6:56:12 AM UTC-7, Ted Heise wrote:
On Sat, 4 Apr 2020 14:34:56 +0200,
Sepp Ruf wrote:
Tom Kunich wrote:

But maybe they're thinking the same about me. I know that Jay
is. Or is that more hope in his eyes?

Given Jay's unclear Wuhan status, is he even permitted to chase
ambulances in California?

POTM

--
Ted Heise West Lafayette, IN, USA

Presently the pretense in California that "shelter in place" is keeping the infection rate down. If so, why is everyone out of the test kits because now they are only testing those with severe symptoms (fever of 100 or over, coughing and trouble breathing). The bay area has a population about 80% of New York City but only 10% of the fatalities. And yet we are where most of the people visiting Wuhan originated because of Stanford and Cal Berkeley.

The more people they test the more they discover are silently infected or have recovered from the virus. So rather than try to make a baseline that would show the true mortality rates, they have reverted to only testing the upper 10% - those with the worst symptoms. Should it be any surprise that this therefore makes the mortality rate look more and more like SARS and MERS which gives the government an excuse to turn this state into a dictatorship with cops on a beach arresting a lone surfer?

Andrew has a very good point about the government spending money far and away outside of an already unbalanced budget. With no one going to the Kennedy Center for the Arts and no one capable of working there why did Nancy Pelosi double that bill for things like improving the Kennedy Center for the Arts or funding baby murderers incorporated?

At this point it looks like at the very least the GDP will be down 10% of likely 20%. And what for? To "save" people from a virus to be killed by the same conditions that the virus did nothing more than hurry along very slightly?

All of the local hospitals are bracing for law suits as a result of deaths that would have occurred very soon anyway without the virus. On the TV they are saying that perfectly healthy nurses are dying because of the virus. Is that right? Then why don't then include the results of the post mortem?

On Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 5:34:59 AM UTC-7, Sepp Ruf wrote:
Tom Kunich wrote:

If it isn't too cold there are rather a remarkable number of people on
the multiuse paths. The often walk "social distancing" meaning one on one
side of the train and one the other. And invariably they are both walking
with their backs to you.

IF you call out one of them will always pivot around their middle foot
and end up directly in front of you and you then get to test your brakes
in maximum mode. So I approach pretty fast and shoot between them. This
startles those not paying attention to anything but their conversations
and they will shout obscenities' at me.

Hmm, some might wake up just early enough to cough in front of you. If the
freehub didn't work as designed, have you tried a good bell, early?
Mid-aged people in conversation (without a headset) might actually hear it
the third time and finish their dances within less than half a minute.

It isn't as if I don't see their point but they are actually safest if
not the less startled from this.

On yesterday's ride I decided to test my past experiences again and again
I was careful to approach at not too great a speed because indeed they
did just what I said, Pivoted directly in front of me and then jumped
more than just startled but I stopped way short. So this isn't a false
memory on my part but the real thing.

Yes, it is.

You would think that people wouldn't walk a long way out into nowhere on
the bay trails but they appear to be a whole lot better at walking than I
ever was. There are quite a few places where you can end up 5 miles from
anything in either direction. Often the road less traveled when you get
to the end. If your phone has lost its charge from too much rap music you
can't call a lift or tell them what the name of the street is because no
signs.

Well, good that people are exercising that much, but a large number of
them look like they shouldn't be that far away from an ambulance.

As with an expected decrease in wildlife traffic accidents, it might take
some more time for an increase in dead trail walkers to show up in
statistically relevant numbers.
https://roadecology.ucdavis.edu/files/content/projects/COVID_CHIPs_Impacts.pdf

But maybe they're thinking the same about me. I know that Jay is. Or is
that more hope in his eyes?

Given Jay's unclear Wuhan status, is he even permitted to chase ambulances
in California?

Huh, did you say something? I was hallucinating with fever.

Here in Ory-gun, Wuhan wheeze level is about 4-5 and cloudy. I'm going to borrow a Burley trailer and help with community body collection. "Bring out your small dead!"

BTW, there are far too many dogs and dog(s) walkers, and the new normal is runners and walkers in the road because of low auto traffic. I'm hoping they'll stay out of my way with my new jersey:

https://www.cyclingjerseys.org/image...seys-21642.jpg


-- Jay Beattie

On 4/4/2020 8:34 AM, Sepp Ruf wrote:
Tom Kunich wrote:

If it isn't too cold there are rather a remarkable number of people on
the multiuse paths. The often walk "social distancing" meaning one on one
side of the train and one the other. And invariably they are both walking
with their backs to you.

IF you call out one of them will always pivot around their middle foot
and end up directly in front of you and you then get to test your brakes
in maximum mode. So I approach pretty fast and shoot between them. This
startles those not paying attention to anything but their conversations
and they will shout obscenities' at me.

Hmm, some might wake up just early enough to cough in front of you. If the
freehub didn't work as designed, have you tried a good bell, early?
Mid-aged people in conversation (without a headset) might actually hear it
the third time and finish their dances within less than half a minute.

I occasionally (rarely) ride on a very popular, 16 foot wide multi-use
path. (It was a park road that became closed to motor vehicles.) I find
a bike bell used early does help. It's certainly not perfect, because of
earbuds, conversations and general cluelessness, but at maybe 15 grams
it's worth having for that situation. I'm still careful to pass at a
distance.

On narrower paths, etc. I'm much more careful, passing very slowly. If
necessary I call out "Bicycle!" when they don't seem to respond to the
bell.

My bells are simple "single ding" versions, one ring per flick of the
thumb. I suspect the geared "BRRRING" version would be a bit more
effective. But hey, those gears are heavy!


--
- Frank Krygowski

On 4/4/2020 10:49 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 4/4/2020 8:34 AM, Sepp Ruf wrote:
Tom Kunich wrote:

If it isn't too cold there are rather a remarkable number
of people on
the multiuse paths. The often walk "social distancing"
meaning one on one
side of the train and one the other. And invariably they
are both walking
with their backs to you.

IF you call out one of them will always pivot around
their middle foot
and end up directly in front of you and you then get to
test your brakes
in maximum mode. So I approach pretty fast and shoot
between them. This
startles those not paying attention to anything but their
conversations
and they will shout obscenities' at me.

Hmm, some might wake up just early enough to cough in
front of you. If the
freehub didn't work as designed, have you tried a good
bell, early?
Mid-aged people in conversation (without a headset) might
actually hear it
the third time and finish their dances within less than
half a minute.

I occasionally (rarely) ride on a very popular, 16 foot wide
multi-use path. (It was a park road that became closed to
motor vehicles.) I find a bike bell used early does help.
It's certainly not perfect, because of earbuds,
conversations and general cluelessness, but at maybe 15
grams it's worth having for that situation. I'm still
careful to pass at a distance.

On narrower paths, etc. I'm much more careful, passing very
slowly. If necessary I call out "Bicycle!" when they don't
seem to respond to the bell.

My bells are simple "single ding" versions, one ring per
flick of the thumb. I suspect the geared "BRRRING" version
would be a bit more effective. But hey, those gears are heavy!



uh, technically, you could make phenolic resin gears

https://industrial-stores.com/images...cts/123220.jpg

with CARBON FIBER! A bell dome could be thinner/lighter
using tempered alloy steel.

Kickstarter!

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

On Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 9:39:43 AM UTC-7, AMuzi wrote:
On 4/4/2020 10:49 AM, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 4/4/2020 8:34 AM, Sepp Ruf wrote:
Tom Kunich wrote:

If it isn't too cold there are rather a remarkable number
of people on
the multiuse paths. The often walk "social distancing"
meaning one on one
side of the train and one the other. And invariably they
are both walking
with their backs to you.

IF you call out one of them will always pivot around
their middle foot
and end up directly in front of you and you then get to
test your brakes
in maximum mode. So I approach pretty fast and shoot
between them. This
startles those not paying attention to anything but their
conversations
and they will shout obscenities' at me.

Hmm, some might wake up just early enough to cough in
front of you. If the
freehub didn't work as designed, have you tried a good
bell, early?
Mid-aged people in conversation (without a headset) might
actually hear it
the third time and finish their dances within less than
half a minute.

I occasionally (rarely) ride on a very popular, 16 foot wide
multi-use path. (It was a park road that became closed to
motor vehicles.) I find a bike bell used early does help.
It's certainly not perfect, because of earbuds,
conversations and general cluelessness, but at maybe 15
grams it's worth having for that situation. I'm still
careful to pass at a distance.

On narrower paths, etc. I'm much more careful, passing very
slowly. If necessary I call out "Bicycle!" when they don't
seem to respond to the bell.

My bells are simple "single ding" versions, one ring per
flick of the thumb. I suspect the geared "BRRRING" version
would be a bit more effective. But hey, those gears are heavy!



uh, technically, you could make phenolic resin gears

https://industrial-stores.com/images...cts/123220.jpg

with CARBON FIBER! A bell dome could be thinner/lighter
using tempered alloy steel.

Kickstarter!

I suspect that a bell is about all Frank can carry at his 25 watt output.