20February2008
Posted by todd under: Crashes.
I started a thread about embarrassing riding accidents (based on recent experience — aack!) over on the Bike Forums list, and people are coming up with some pretty tragic-funny stuff, check it out.
Here is one of my favorites, courtesy of ollo_ollo:
One hot summer day, commuting home from work, I was riding uphill & coasting to stop at a red light. I forgot to unclip & did a slow motion fall sideways to land in the gutter at the feet of a couple homeless guys sitting on the curb with their cardboard sign. One guy says, “I hate it when that happens”. The light changed to green, so I got up & out of there as fast as I could. Don
Hey — another great argument for riding in regular shoes! And this from SDBluefish:
Riding home from the store with a bunch of groceries in a rear pannier. Got to the place where I leave the bike lane and cut over to my street. Doing my usual rolling dismount coming up to the curb, but totally forgot the very long loaf of French bread in the pannier. Leg hit the bread, and the bike and I hit the pavement. Someone driving past in a minivan pulled over, but when they saw I was getting up and cussing a blue streak they decided I was probably OK enough and drove away fast. Now if I’d had a loaf of nice, soft, American bread none of this would have happened! I blame the French.
“I blame the French,” that is classic. Thanks to all on that thread for the laughs. Many of us have been there (if you are a new rider, or just getting back to riding, beware lest YOU go there! 
).
19February2008
Posted by todd under: Words from cycling sages.
“The forced turn technique must also be practiced intensely and consciously, since it by no means comes naturally. Initiating a left turn by steering right will probably require the beginning cyclist to overcome all sorts of reasonable inhibitions and demands lots of practice. Take your bike to a grassy area or an empty parking lot a few days in a row …”
– Rob Van der Plaas, The Bicycle Touring Manual, Page 131
15February2008
Posted by todd under: Burley D'Lite; Reviews; Riding with children.
Summary: Yessssssss!
****
I bought a used Burley D’Lite trailer off EBay, and it arrived two days ago. I put it together in the dining room. Even though I’m technically challenged it took only a few minutes. The assembly is intuitive, and the design is simple.
I love the hitch. It goes on and comes off quickly, and there is no part that has to stay on the bike. It’s also a very tight connection.
I fastened the trailer to my Breezer Uptown 8. The moment of truth came when Mary (3) and Jackson (1) piled in. It was a snug fit, but they didn’t seem to mind. Mary loved it right away.
Jackson had logistical trouble with the helmet, which was too big — we had to resort to Mary holding it up so it wouldn’t slip down over his eyes. He hollered the whole time while being buckled in, but once we got rolling he quieted down (as long as he could see). Caleb (7) rode alongside and gave me updates on Jackson’s facial expression, and most of the time it alternated between neutral and a half-smile.
(G picked up a Thomas the Tank Engine infant-size helmet at Meijer that looks like it will fit Jackson a lot better, so future rides should be less complicated.)
It was in the 40s, so I fastened down the plastic rain cover. It kept the wind off of them, and kept some heat in the trailer.
Today, I hitched the Burley to the Bridgestone XO-1 and took Mary with me to the bank and the library. It was about a 40-minute errand total, maybe 4 miles. I put a blanket on Mary and she was snug as a bug in a rug — her only complaint was that her helmet made her head itch.
Side note: When Bush set up the XO-1, it turned out that the granny (smallest) chainring wouldn’t fit. I don’t usually miss it, but I did today. Going up a hill, I suffered as I have never suffered before. Or at least as I have not suffered for a few months.
I will post pictures of the trailer later. Also watch for everyday-rider reviews of the new O2 3Flow rain pants; MKS-GR9 pedals; Carridice Nelson saddlebag; and the Bell Metropolis helmet.
14February2008
Posted by todd under: Riding.
OK, there are certain parts of the body a man should protect at all costs.
Fellas, are you with me here? Can you already see where this is going?
So I am riding the Raleigh Super Course to work yesterday. It has been snowing with freezing rain over the last couple of days. I am coasting up to this footbridge behind Central Baptist Hospital. The footbridge is metal, and it looks slippery, so I am not going to try riding across that.
I get ready to dismount, but as I’m doing so I notice, between me and the footbridge, a hump of slushy-looking snow and ice. This hump is maybe 8 inches high. It looks pretty soft. I figure I will sort of coast through this slush and then dismount. So I am off of one of the pedals and ready to put my foot down as soon as I am past this obstacle, when I find out the hard way that this is not slush — it is solid ice.
The front wheel stops, my body keeps going and The Parts You are Supposed to Protect at All Costs hit the stem with greater velocity than I care to remember. In fact I write this with my legs crossed.
I am proud to say that I did not cuss. All that came out of my mouth in fact, and this is a direct quote, was: “OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. OUCH. STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!”
After crossing the footbridge, while I am pedalling away (accelerating fast, in an attempt to deal with the pain), I notice a guy across the street. He is looking over and sort of taking a few steps my way as if to find out whether I am all right.
Buddy, if you’re reading this, I’m OK — stupid, but OK nevertheless.
14February2008
Posted by todd under: Riding with children.
The Burley D’Lite trailer arrived today. It’s in pretty good shape, except for some cracks in the tires and lots of dust — somebody has had this in the garage for a good while, I’m betting.
Well, it will gather no dust around here. Mary (3) was too excited when the package arrived — she was looking out the window watching me leave for work, and if we could have gone for a ride right then she would have done it in a second.
I can see why Burley has a reputation for quality — the fabric and snaps are very heavy duty. The tubing is simply arranged and sturdy. The wheels go on with no fuss.
This is gonna be a blast. I will give a ride report ASAP, and it likely will be sooner rather than later, since the forecast calls for temperatures in the 50s tomorrow.
12February2008
Posted by todd under: Words from cycling sages.
“Do that (make a quick turn) by sharply steering away from the turn just before you get there. You and the bike will immediately start to lean over in the direction of the turn. You would risk a disastrous crash, as your bike moves away precipitously from the mass center, if you were to continue in a straight line. You have very quickly achieved a considerable lean angle in the direction of the turn. This must be compensated by steering quite abruptly in the same direction. Since this is the direction of the turn, you are set up just right to make a sharp turn. Once completed, steer back into the turn just a little further, to get the lean for regaining the roughly straight course …”
– Rob Van der Plas, The Bicycle Touring Manual, page 131
12February2008
Posted by todd under: Raingear; Reviews.
Sometimes companies mess up badly when it comes to customer relations.
You might remember that AOL phone call, when the rep simply refused to cancel a poor guy’s service. It was a PR disaster.
But then there are times when a company stands behind its product — no dissembling, no waffling, simply: We are better than that. We will prove it to you.
I’m happy to report a prime, praiseworthy example of the latter in the case of the leaking rain pants.
Last month I gave a favorable review to my O2 3Flow rain pants. Soon after that, they leaked on a couple of rides. I e-mailed company owner Adam Ziskin and informed him of the problem.
He e-mailed back and asked for a little more information.I provided it.
He asked for the size. I gave it.
I will put some pants in the mail, he said.
That was it! I got the pants a few days later.
There several things to note here, and all of them speak well of Ziskin.
First of all, he’s not afraid to put his own e-mail address on the company Web site.
Second, he responded within a few days of my original message. (You might be surprised at how few cycling-related companies answer their e-mail.)
Third, after I responded, he followed up.
Fourth, he kept after the problem until it was fixed (if you’re counting, he wrote me a total of four messages — at least two of them on the same day, within hours of each other).
Fifth, he made no excuses, and he didn’t blame the customer.
Look, nobody’s product is perfect. Even the best stuff is going to fail from time to time. Somewhere, someplace, somebody is going to screw up. Quality control is going to fail. The question is, how well will a company respond when that happens?
It’s about trust.
Will the company seize the chance to keep a customer, and defend its name?
I own four Rainshield garments. Three have been excellent. The fourth failed — but it was replaced with minimal hassle.
That means I can continue to recommend Rainshield, and I will continue to buy its products. And I will do both with confidence.
Mr. Ziskin, I applaud the way you do business, and I hope you succeed wildly.
9February2008
Posted by todd under: Riding with children.
Not that kind of expecting! (Although we have done a good bit of that around here over the past 8 years or).
Nope, we’re expecting a brand-spanking-new-to-us Burley D’Lite bike trailer, purchased in an eBay auction by yours truly on Friday.
I have had a couple of cheap-model trailers with unacceptable designs over the years — notably some durable but (to me) untrustworthy InStep models.
The newer ones might be better, but ours attached to the bike with a metal part that had to go between the rear wheel’s quick-release and the frame. I did not care for that set-up because it could scratch the frame; because you had this ugly metal part always hanging off the dropout; and because it just didn’t look very sturdy. Plus, the trailers were hard plastic inside — quite uncomfortable, unless the kids had blankets to sit on. Still, we put a lot of miles on them.
The D’Lite has an excellent reputation (this review is typical), such that used ones routinely fetch more than $175 in auctions. (They are $450 or so new.) This one was “buy it now” for $150, with $55 shipping (GULP! Yes — I know.) So I am fairly happy with the deal.
Very soon, Maryboo (3) and her 1-year-old brother Stonewall will be happily joining in family rides, I trust. I can’t wait!
I will let you know how it rides.
9February2008
Posted by todd under: Words from cycling sages.
“You will often be confronted with situations that don’t allow you to wait until you are conveniently leaning the appropriate way to make a gradual turn. Deficiencies in the road surface or the presence of other traffic in the road may force you into a narrow predetermined path, with only a few inches to deviate sideways. Or a sudden obstacle may force you to divert suddenly. Finally, you may have to get around a curve that is too sharp to be taken naturally at your current riding speed. These situations require the second method of turning, which I call the forced turn. In this case, the turn must be initiated quickly, regardless which way the bike happens to be leaning at the time. You have to force the bike to lean over in the appropriate direction and under the right angle consistent with the direction and radius of the turn. And it has to be done quickly.”
– Rob Van der Plaas, The Bicycle Touring Manual, Page 131
8February2008
Posted by todd under: Riding in the Bluegrass.
While strolling the links today I came upon Christopher Rowe’s site and this poster for an upcoming event here in the Bluegrass.
Sounds like fun, and I think the poster is nice.
How much fun would it be to show up at one of these riding an Electra Townie in long pants, bicycle-toe sneakers, an electric-yellow rain jacket, and a Bell Metro helmet complete with rear-view mirror and a flashing light clipped on the back?
In fact, I almost ALWAYS wear one (while riding a bike anyway). (On the other hand, if YOU don't want to wear a helmet, I have no problem with it.) I don't remember what happened on this particular day. Fortunately for all of us it makes for a less-nerdly picture. My exceptionally talented professional photographer friend Charles Bertram took this photo.
I asked my 6-year-old son, Caleb, an avid bicyclist and artist, to draw a bike for me. I think he did a great job!
