Bike Boom 2008

[Wild Style]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

Getting on an airplane in 10 hours. Sorry they are not original

Amsterdam

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/onblac...large&bg=black

Japan

http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadragebunny/128875042/

Thank you! Great shots, See your a Nikor guy. I shoot with Canon, thinking about going Nikor by the winter.

[skijoring]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

I'm glad my thread sparked some discussion. I lived in Portland for 12~years and now I'm in northern Vermont, but brought my bike commuting habits. In addition to MORE BIKES, I see housing construction workers are no longer driving F-150's to a man. They are driving their wives' cars to the worksites while the truck sits in their driveway, slowly sinking down on squishy tires.

Just some observations. I'll try to do some posting to the PHOTOPLOG. Can Junior Itulipers do that, or only Super Duper Seniors? :confused:

[EJ]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

Great topic for the weekend.

I ride bikes for fun and, secondarily, for exercise rather than for commuting. I have noticed when I ride the nine mile Minuteman Bikeway that runs into Cambridge from Bedford, Mass. that there are more commuters on it than in years past. I hope this trend continues.

While I was CEO of Bluesocket, one of the requirements for new space that we moved into that was requested by employees was a shower so that they could on hot days take a shower after riding to work. Quite a few employees took advantage of it.

I worked with an engineer at Stratus Computer who commuted, as I recall, 25 miles each way to work every day, rain or shine, even in winter – a hardcore commuter.

There are dozens of bicycle trails that families can enjoy in the area, an inexpensive and health alternative to shopping for unnecessary things and playing video games.

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race." – H. G. Wells

A few months ago I traded up from my old Gary Fisher and bought a new Specialized mountain bike that I ride on the bikeway to trails that run off the path along the way, such as the Arlington Meadows. Today rode about 20 miles – nothing on my road bike but a decent ride on a heavy mountain bike. Only fell off once. If you don't fall off your mountain bike occasionally on trails, you're not really trying. As usual, minor injuries only. The new technology developed for mountain bikes is allowing me to ride more difficult trails even as I age.

Caliper brakes for better stopping power even after rising through mud


Active rear shock locks out when climbing hills
and keeps the wheel on the ground on descent

[skijoring]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

EJ,

That is quite a nice bike. I have ridden dual suspension MTB's a few times, and they make bumpy trails smooth enough to stay seated and keep traction on climbs.

Would love to see your road bike also ...

I commute on a cyclo-cross bike with BRIGHT YELLOW fenders and wider tires. A slightly more upright position than a roadbike gives me better views and more comfort.

[Andreuccio]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

I've got a low end Gary Fisher that I love. It's very sturdy: sort of an urban assault bicycle. I was commuting to work two years ago, but when my son started kindergarten I needed to drop him off in the morning so biking was no longer an option. He'll be out of school for summer in a couple of weeks, so I'm planning on starting again. For me, though, a shower's not optional. It's a must, hot day or not.

[nitroglycol]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

I bought a 70s vintage Eaton Glider (which is actually a Raleigh rebadged for sale by the now defunct Eaton's department store chain) on the weekend. It's a 3 speed planetary-in-the-hub type, in pretty good shape, and only cost me $40 (plus the cost of a new tire and tube). Yeah, those 3 speed hubs don't have a big spread in gear ratios, but then I live in the prairies, so that's a non-issue.

[jimmygu3]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

I've got a low end Gary Fisher that I love. It's very sturdy: sort of an urban assault bicycle. I was commuting to work two years ago, but when my son started kindergarten I needed to drop him off in the morning so biking was no longer an option. He'll be out of school for summer in a couple of weeks, so I'm planning on starting again. For me, though, a shower's not optional. It's a must, hot day or not.

My employer gives me a free membership to the employee gym with a locker and free laundry service, just for being a bike commuter. Even with my short 3-mile trip, I can't imagine not having a shower before work.

[tree]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

I see a lot more bikes in D.C. Two things:
1) What is the logic in not having "rat traps" on the pedals, that I recall making pedaling so much more efficient. Do people just not know about them, or can they be dangerous?
2) So many people riding on the sidewalk now, it feels like freaking Berlin, i.e. dangerous to be a ped.
p.s. I saw a very cool looking thing parked the other day -- had bike handlebars and wheels, but one stood and paddled with the feet, so center of gravity was much lower, so much less further to fall, or no fall at all, in an accident. seems like it would work very well in flat/flatish areas.

[jmdpet]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

No extreme weather, but still some decent pictures here of everyday bike use in Amsterdam. Young, old, casual, suit & tie. With kids, with dog. Never a helmet.

http://www.ski-epic.com/amsterdam_bicycles/

The commentary is provided by someone who isn't Dutch, FYI.

Taking the bike in the Netherlands (and certainly a small-ish, dense city such as Amsterdam) is often simple the fastest method to get where you are going.

[Rajiv]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

Never a helmet.

I think bicycle helmet laws in the US deter the casual use of the bicycle -- and are probably a hinderence to a more widespread use.

[jmdpet]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

I agree. It's tough to look cool in a helmet, unless you're on a 10-speed with full Armstrong gear. Also, "studies show" that bike riders with helmets may be in more danger than those without:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...et/5334208.stm

Cyclists who wear protective helmets are more likely to be knocked down by passing vehicles, new research from Bath University suggests.
The study found drivers tend to pass closer when overtaking cyclists wearing helmets than those who are bare-headed.

[jimmygu3]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

I agree. It's tough to look cool in a helmet, unless you're on a 10-speed with full Armstrong gear. Also, "studies show" that bike riders with helmets may be in more danger than those without:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/e...et/5334208.stm

Link didn't work for me.

From my point of view, a helmet is essential. In Atlanta, the roads are narrow and the motorists are in a hurry. I have plenty of friends who have been hit or otherwise wiped out on the roads. In some cases, their helmet is trashed after the accident. Better the helmet than your head.

[jmdpet]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

Link didn't work for me.

From my point of view, a helmet is essential. In Atlanta, the roads are narrow and the motorists are in a hurry. I have plenty of friends who have been hit or otherwise wiped out on the roads. In some cases, their helmet is trashed after the accident. Better the helmet than your head.

Strange, the BBC news link seems to work in both the original post and your quoting of the post. In any event, it was included somewhat tongue in cheek. That said, the researcher seems to have found that car drivers take more risk around bikers wearing helmets than around those without.

When biking on the road in the US, I would be more inclined to wear a helmet than in the Netherlands, but I rarely do. In the Netherlands, bicycles are a first class citizen on the road. When you learn to drive a car there, learning how to interact with bicyclists on the road is mandatory. Protected bike lanes reduce unwanted interactions between cars and bikes as well.

http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/09/2...ted-bike-path/

[EJ]

Re: Bike Boom 2008

Strange, the BBC news link seems to work in both the original post and your quoting of the post. In any event, it was included somewhat tongue in cheek. That said, the researcher seems to have found that car drivers take more risk around bikers wearing helmets than around those without.

When biking on the road in the US, I would be more inclined to wear a helmet than in the Netherlands, but I rarely do. In the Netherlands, bicycles are a first class citizen on the road. When you learn to drive a car there, learning how to interact with bicyclists on the road is mandatory. Protected bike lanes reduce unwanted interactions between cars and bikes as well.

http://www.streetsblog.org/2007/09/2...ted-bike-path/

I have always worn a helmet. A skull, in spite of appearances, is not durable. When it comes in contact with asphalt or metal at even relatively low speeds, such as on a Sunday 15 MPH cruise on a bike path swarmed with children and skate boarders, serious injury can result. Cars are not at all soft. While the side panels can be flexible and bounced off of if you hit them in the middle, the front, the part most likely to make contact with you, is rigid and designed to absorb energy from another multi-ton metal box, not your soft flesh covered frame.

I ride road and mountain bikes. Peak trip speed recorded on my bike speedometer is frequently over 40 MPH from downhills, but I occasionally get my mountain bike above 30 MPH. Yesterday, for example, I rode my mountain bike six miles from my home to the base of Park Avenue at the intersection of Park and Mass. Ave. then up to the top of Arlington Heights, a 230 ft climb in .8 miles. The view of Boston is inspiring. I rode down the other side into Belmont, easily keeping up with traffic. Not tired from it, I turned around and rode up again, then down, then up again. Then I was tired and rode home. The entire ride took a little over an hour, a fun workout.

On single track trials through the woods, contact with rocks and trees is not uncommon. We say that if you don't fall off once in a while you're not really trying. I have never cracked a helmet but have rode with bikers who have. More common injuries are to collar bones and wrists.

A riding companion used to say when we'd pass a teen ager not wearing a helmet, "If you don't wear one, you don't need one." Meaning, the wearer has little to protect. I'd argue the stats show that helmet wearing is strongly correlated to education level not intelligence.

The #1 risk to road riders is cars. The stats are unambiguous:

• There are 85 million bicycle riders in the US.
• 770 bicyclists died on US roads in 2006, down just 14 from the year before. Over 90 percent died in crashes with motor vehicles.
• The "typical" bicyclist killed on our roads is a sober male over 16 not wearing a helmet riding on a major road between intersections in an urban area on a summer evening when hit by a car.
• About 540,000 bicyclists visit emergency rooms with injuries every year. Of those, about 67,000 have head injuries, and 27,000 have injuries serious enough to be hospitalized.
• Bicycle crashes and injuries are under-reported, since the majority are not serious enough for emergency room visits. 44,000 cyclists were reported injured in traffic crashes in 2006.
• 1 in 8 of the cyclists with reported injuries has a brain injury.
• Two-thirds of the deaths here are from traumatic brain injury.
• A very high percentage of cyclists' brain injuries can be prevented by a helmet, estimated at anywhere from 45 to 88 per cent.
• Direct costs of cyclists' injuries due to not using helmets are estimated at $81 million each year.
• Indirect costs of cyclists' injuries due to not using helmets are estimated at $2.3 billion each year.
• Helmet use in the US varies by orders of magnitude in different areas and different sectors of our society. White collar commuters probably reach 80 per cent, while inner city kids and rural kids would be 10 per cent or less.
  
• Helmets are cheap. The typical discount store price has risen from under $10 to about $20, but there are still models available for under $10 at major national retailers including Target and Wal-Mart.

I strongly recommend to readers who ride: wear a helmet. A modern one is so light you can hardly tell it's there.

[World Traveler]

Sending to 21 year old son

Thanks, EJ. I am forwarding this to my 21 year old son who has become a big bike rider in Austin Texas. He wears a helmet, but when I stress being careful around cars, he tells me that I worry too much and that I don't have enough faith in his abilities. I've told him I have faith in him, it's the cars and some drivers that worry me...

He's an engineering major and only cold, hard facts will convince him. I'm forwarding the stats in your post to him tonight!