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| 5/17 |
| 2013/6/16-8/13 [Transportation/Bicycle, Transportation] UID:54694 Activity:nil |
6/15 http://www.mercurynews.com/crime-courts/ci_23472535/teen-and-dog-killed-at-vallejo-childrens-party Sure glad I bought a house in San Francisco, instead of the suburbs, like suburb-lover told me to do. \_ May I refer you to the crime stats of Oakland? Or should I take the bait to point out that there are good suburbs and bad suburbs, just like good cities and bad cities? \_ Oakland is a suburb. I don't know of any diverse, walkable suburbs that one can navigate with a bicycle and bus pass. But you and I define "good" and "bad" quite differently, I suspect. |
| 2012/5/21-7/20 [Transportation/Bicycle, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs, Transportation/PublicTransit] UID:54395 Activity:nil |
5/20 Suburbs sucking wind, cities recovering:
http://dc.streetsblog.org/2012/05/18/study-resilient-walkables-lead-the-housing-recovery
\_ 2 hours of commute a day could mean nothing (e.g. a young blue
collar worker who has all the time in the world) or it could
mean everything (e.g. really busy city person who has little
time and/or energy to spend with kids). |
| 5/17 |
| 2011/7/6-21 [Transportation/Bicycle, Uncategorized/Profanity, Academia/Berkeley/CSUA/Troll] UID:54139 Activity:nil |
7/6 RIDE BIKE!
http://video.fc2.com/a/content/201104205dsww3bS (NSFW) |
| 2011/6/20-7/13 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:54129 Activity:nil |
6/17 RIDE BIKE people, where does one buy a cheap < $100 commuter bike
that will be used by a visiting foreign student for 3 months then
thrown away?
\_ You can get a bike that cheap off of Craig's list but you will
need to do some work on it before it will be safe. I bought a
used Gary Fisher for $50 but it needed a new chain, new cables
new tires and new brakes. If you do the work yourself, you can
get away with something for around $100. -ausman
\_ Liberate one from campus. |
| 2010/5/17-26 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:53838 Activity:nil 80%like:53822 |
5/6 Next Thursday 5/13 is Bike to Work Day.
http://www.youcanbikethere.com
\_ I saw about five times as many bikes as usual when I drove along
Hwy 84 outside Sun Micro this morning.
\_ what does this 'Sun Micro' do? context?
\_ Free beverages and snacks at over 200 Energizer Stations in the Bay
Area: http://youcanbikethere.com/energizer -- OP |
| 2010/1/8-29 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:53617 Activity:nil |
12/8 http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/01/cyclist-sentenced.html Car driver gets 5 years for assualting bicylists with car. \_ How many years do cyclists get when they run red lights? I almost hit one last week when a cyclist ran a red light in front of me while I was about to start moving on my green light in Fremont. \_ How many years do motorists get when they run red lights? I almost got hit by one last week when a motorist ran a red light in front of me while I was about to start moving on my green light. (true, btw, not just a tongue-in-cheek copy of the pp) \_ True, but most people would (correctly) assume that it's the driver's fault if you did get hit. \_ How many years do car drivers get for speeding? As far as I can tell, every car driver breaks the law. And speeding kills far more people than cyclists running red lights. The real difference here is that a cyclist running a red endangers himself, car drivers endanger everyone. Don't get me wrong though, I think both cyclists and car drivers should obey the law. But the penalty for running a red light or speeding should be much less than for deliberately assaulting someone with a deadly weapon and causing great bodily harm. \_ But the problem is that when a speeding driver hits someone/something, people naturally assume that it's the speeding driver's fault; whereas when a driver hits a red-light-running cyclists, people naturally assume that it's the driver's fault given the current politics unless the driver can prove that the cyclist ran the red light which is hard to do unless there is a witness or a camera at the intersection. -- PP \_ Man, what city do you live in? Here in San Francisco car drivers who hit cyclists are almost never even cited, even when there are multiple witnesses to them being at fault. http://sf.streetsblog.org for many examples. \_ Fremont. -- PP \_ I've been hit on my bicycle by cars 3 times and all 3 times it was the drivers fault. All three times they didn't even bother to get out of the car. The last one hit me from behind, launching me over the car in front. The woman driving, yelled "your fault", turned up her stereo and drove off. We've created a society where people are too afraid to be concerned. \_ I'm Spike Bike. I hate cars. \_ Too afraid? It sounds like too selfish to me. Did you get a license plate any of those times? Witnesses? |
| 2009/12/11-2010/1/13 [Transportation/Bicycle, Recreation/Media] UID:53591 Activity:nil |
12/11 http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/251889 exactly. Words change their meaning. |
| 2009/7/29-8/6 [Transportation/Car, Transportation/Bicycle] UID:53219 Activity:nil |
7/29 I have a 70's road bike I ride to work. A few months back I replaced
the rear wheel and tire, then I put a set of old 70's rear baskets
on it. The baskets are great in general, with them I don't have to
wear a backpack and I can carry a lot more. However, they are heavy.
Since I put them on 2 months ago I've had 3 flat tires in back,
compared to 1 in the year previous. I think the extra weight is wearing
out the tire faster and causing more flats. Do I need a tougher
tire or something? What can I do?
\_ For commuting, extra weight shouldn't be a big deal, so use heavy
tires. I've been very happy with Specialized Armadillo tires, but
I'm not sure if they make really thin road bike styles. Mine is
700C size.
\_ Extra weight will cause more flat tires, not because it wears
them out faster, but because there's more force on the tire when
you run over glass and thorns. (That's also why bikes get more
flat tires on the rear than on the front). For commuting with
weight, you probably want to get a fatter tire designed for
commuting. If your wheels are 700c, look for a 700x32 or 700x35
or even 29" slick tire, depending on what will fit in your frame.
My favorite is the Schwalbe Big Apple 28x2.0", but there are a
lot of decent commuter tires.
If you have 27" wheels, as a lot of bikes did in the 70s, your
selection will be a lot more limited, but you can probably still
find something better than what you have. -tom
\_ I have 27" wheels. I think I have a little more clearance for
wider tires, but not a huge amount. Are you saying I could put
wider tires on the same wheel I have now?
My local bike shop also has 27" Aramdillos for $45.
\_ Yes, you can put wider tires on your existing rim, if they'll
fit in your frame. The Armadillos seem pretty good; get the
widest size available (if there's a choice)
Also, make sure you have enough air in the tire; if your
tire is too low, your rim will bottom when you hit potholes,
giving you pinch flats. -tom
\_ Hmm. Googling around I haven't found any 27" tires
wider than the 1 1/4" tires I'm currently sporting.
\_ Like I said, the selection of 27" tires is pretty
limited; these days rims are pretty much not made
in that size. -tom |
| 2009/2/17-22 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:52592 Activity:nil |
2/17 Paris bicycles surrender
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7881079.stm
\_ Yeah, people suck.
\_ And this is why too much socialism is bad. People barely take good
care of their own stuff, let alone stuff that are not theirs.
\_ Each bicycle travels 10k km per year, so even if they had to
buy a whole new bicycle every year at the cost of 400 Euros, that is
4 cents/mile, which is really really cheap.
4 cents/km, which is really really cheap. |
| 2009/1/10-15 [Transportation/Bicycle, Academia/Berkeley/Classes] UID:52353 Activity:nil |
1/10 I'm looking for a used hybrid/road bike for my sister. $100-150 price
range. I'm going to take her to a couple of local shops, but is CL
the best place to buy a bike? Any other recommedations? --abe
\_ Can you get a decent bike for that price?
\_ At a shop you aren't going to get a bike worth getting at
that price. On craigslist you can, but you will have to deal
with a lot of idiots who think some ancient beater is worth $150.
\_ I got a used Specialized Crossroads for $25 at a garage sale, that
I spent another $90 on new tires and a tune-up. It works fine,
and I ride it back and forth to work most days, but parts of
it are pretty rusty. -ausman |
| 2008/10/22-27 [Reference/BayArea, Transportation/Bicycle, Transportation/PublicTransit] UID:51640 Activity:nil |
10/22 RIDE BIKES! Meet Thursday 6:30pm in SF, between Embarcadero BART and
the Ferry building.
Last night's ride was teh hott. Thursday's ride will be hottest. -ali |
| 2008/10/20-22 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:51591 Activity:nil |
10/20 RIDE BIKES. I'm meeting a bunch of people on Sproul at 6:30 pm
tomorrow (Tuesday) to ride bikes and drink beers. Pace is "considerate"
(no man left behind). Mail me if you have questions. Otherwise
just show up. -ali |
| 2008/8/10-13 [Transportation/Bicycle, Transportation/Car] UID:50833 Activity:nil |
8/10 Not just in San Francisco are car drivers rude, stupid and dangerous:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/10/fashion/10bikewars.html |
| 2008/8/6-10 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:50795 Activity:nil |
8/6 Here's an interesting little write up on bicycle efficiency and power
http://users.frii.com/katana/biketext.html
\_ Bicycle physics (mostly steering mechanisms):
http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~fajans/Teaching/bicycles.html -tom |
| 2008/7/8 [Transportation/Bicycle, Reference/Military] UID:50502 Activity:high |
7/8 Hey tom, what do you think of my carrying a gun on my bike?
\_ isn't there a law wrt to gun in the vehicle?
\_ I have a CCW permit |
| 2008/6/30-7/14 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:50426 Activity:nil |
6/30 Has anyone used this bicycle hoist? Is it good? Is it worth using if
I bike on a daily basis? -emarkp
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JBL3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=pricegrabber2-tools-20&linkCode=asn
\_ I use it to SAVE SPACE but it does TAKE TIME to put it on.
You're trading TIME for SPACE. Nothing comes for free. If space
is a PREMIUM like my little apartment, this is a really great
thing to have. By the way, I commend you for riding bicycle
to reduce our carbon footprint. Moving 200 pounds instead of
3000 pounds reduces pollution and our dependency on foreign
oil. Kudos to you! Lastly, how do you CCW when biking to/from
work?
\_ I've just been hanging it from the front wheel via a big hook. Is
that bad?
\_ It is if you leave it like that for any amount of time.
\_ How long is "any amount"?
\_ Dunno. But I left a bike like that for a few months and
it totally deformed the front wheel.
\_ Huh, I left it that was for months and... the wheel was
still deformed. I guess it's hard to tell when your
wheels are already way out of true.
\_ Hanging your bike by a hook shouldn't throw the wheel
out of true, if there's a reasonable amount of tension
in the wheel. -tom
\_ It was a pretty shitty bike. Shrug. Now I just
avoid hanging my bike by a hook.
\_ I've hung lots of bikes by two hooks and never
had a problem. I could imagine if you have a
really heavy bike then hanging off one wheel
may not be a good idea. Two should work, if the
bike doesn't deform itself just riding around
under its own + your weight already. |
| 2008/5/7-9 [Transportation/Bicycle, Transportation/PublicTransit] UID:49899 Activity:high 76%like:49910 |
5/7 Ride Bike question
Is it worth it to put Slime in my inner tubes? I just had a big
blowout and it blasted Slime everywhere. Good thing I still had my
winter fenders on.
\_ I'm not a big fan of any of the flat-reduction techniques. -tom
\_ I'm not a big fan of any of the breast-reduction techniques. -tom
\_ What about armadillo or other strenghtened tires? -op
\_ "...any of the flat-rediction techniques." Tires with
\_ "...any of the flat-reduction techniques." Tires with
more rubber can be OK for commuting, but don't believe
anything anyone tells you about "kevlar belts" or
whatever. You'll still get flats. -tom
\_ Of course you'll still get flats. The question is if you
will get fewer flats, and if these extra work/expense
is worth the reduction. Personally, I have never found
slime to be worth anything. I didn't even notice a
reduction in flats when I tried it. -jrleek
\_ Do I need to spell out "I have tried a whole lot of
different flat-reduction products, and have not found
the reduction in flats to be worth the extra weight,
expense, and wonky handling"? I thought that was
implicit. -tom
\_ Well, I was looking for more info than in your first
response, so I was hoping you'd elaborate (which is
why I asked about armadillo). I guess I shouldn't
have been surprised at your hostile response. Do you
actually interact with people in real life? -op
\_ I rarely interact with anonymous cowards in real
life. -tom
\_ So? You were a jerk to me too. -jrleek
\_ Reciprocating. -tom
\_ In tom's world, all people have wronged
him, so he's always justified in smacking
any random person in the face. -op
\_ What the hell is wrong with you people? Do you weep uncontrollably
on BART when people give you mean looks? Tom just gave his opinion
on shoving goo in your bike tires after you asked. Grow thicker
skin please.
\_ No, most of them are too misanthropic to ever ride BART. That
is why they live in the suburbs, so they don't have to interact
with potentially unpredictable strangers.
\_ No, most of them are too misanthropic to ever ride BART.
\_ The most effective thing you can do to prevent flats is to inspect
your tires frequently. Look closely at the surface for things that
are embedded in the rubber, or little cracks that have picked up
debris from the road. Most flats don't happen suddenly; they
happen slowly as road debris gets pressed through your tire, then
gets pressed into your inner tube. Before you go for a ride,
check your tires. Every square inch. Look closely. Pull out
that staple, dig the grain of sand out, remove the chip of glass.
If you're doing this, then tires made of slightly thicker rubber
will make a difference (I ride on Vredestein Fortezzas, but my tire
selection is somewhat limited by my wheel size -- 650C).
--alawrenc
\_ Do you ride a triathlone bicycle?
\_ No, I ride a recumbent. --alawrenc |
| 2008/4/25-30 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:49827 Activity:nil |
4/25 Riding your bicycle on THE 10 and THE 405. Further proof that
LA is a total dump full of dimwits on the road.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NLmiuyLa98
\_ Huh? How does this video show that LA is full of dimwits? Because
of traffic? Honestly, those bike guys were pulling some pretty
stupid crap. |
| 2008/4/3-9 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:49662 Activity:nil |
4/3 Need some advice from tom or tom-clones. I'm actually using my
mountain bike in SF now and I bought some panniers but the metal
loops that hook onto the back of the bike rack thing are so tiny as
soon as I hit a pothole they fall off the bike. What's a good one to
get that has long loops so they won't fall off the bike? I don't know
why this is so hard, in Europe the loops are about 2-3 inches long
and much bigger so there is never an issue -eric
\_ Generally panniers have some sort of elastic cord which attaches
to the bottom of the rack and keeps them in place. Yours don't
have anything like that? -tom
\_ I was wondering how that worked -- thx tom very helpful -eric
\_ losing weight helps too.
\_ Um, what? When they are empty they are most likely to
come off.
\_ oh, nevermind. I thought it was a case of the
thing (pannier) being too heavy hence they fall
off. Then again, I have no idea what a pannier is.
I hate bikers, and I hate the SF Mass Chaos, it's
making SF as unpleasant as LA to live in.
\_ Move. Everyone will be happier.
\_ It is only once a month, how could it have that much
effect? |
| 2008/3/22-25 [Transportation/Bicycle] UID:49534 Activity:moderate |
3/21 Cyclists twice as likely as cars to be at fault in collisions:
http://www.csua.org/u/l3k (sfgate)
\_ "unsafe speed" and "riding on the wrong side"; these are children
riding on the sidewalks, which is known to be dangerous. -tom
\_ Fine, but the bulk of the riders are in the 20-50 range.
Are you trying to disingenuously portray this as "kids who
dont know better" than a common problem among adult cyclists.
Look at the number for intoxicated cyclists.
Why are you trying to disingenuously portray this as "kids who
dont know better" rather than a common problem among adult
cyclists?
\_ Because most injuries to adult cyclists in bike-car collisions
are caused by driver errors. There have been numerous
studies on this subject. -tom
P.S.: I should note that, while the three most common
bike-car collisions involving adults (the right hook, the
door, and the left hook) are all legally the fault of the
driver, good cycling habits can help avoid all three.
See "Effective Cycling," Forester. -t |
| 2008/3/10-12 [Transportation/Bicycle, Transportation/Motorcycle] UID:49400 Activity:low |
3/9 If I get a few moving violations from my motorcycle, will it
affect my car insurance rate? What about the reverse? Just curious.
\_ hell, getting violations on your bicycle (for which you need no
license) can affect your rate.
\_ So I have always wondered about this. What if when the cops
pull you over on your bike, you refuse to give them your
driver's license? You are not required to carry ID, are they
just going to arrest you for not being able to prove your
identity? Perhaps when you bicycle, you should carry an ID
other than a driver's license.
\_ People like Tom just carry a California ID, no big deal.
You know not everyone in the state has a driver's license.
\_ If they are pulling you over for a moving violation they
have the right to know your identity. If you can't
give them some proof that you are who you say you are they
have the right to take you in to determine you identity.
It isn't being arrested though.
\_ This is basically correct. One thing I am not sure about
is whether bicycle moving violations show up on your
driving record. Cops say that a fair amount, but cops
generally have little idea what the law is, and I haven't
been able to find any code which is explicit on the matter.
It's hard to believe that a 14-year-old who gets a ticket
for running a stop sign on his bike would start with
points on his driver's license.
I'm relatively certain that motorcycle violations would
show up, though. -tom
\_ I would argue from a practical implemntation standopint
that they would. Bicycle violations are so rare that
I think the state wouldn't bother differentiating them
from normal motorized vehicle ones in their record
keeping and processing methods. -ERic |
| 2008/2/25-29 [Transportation/Bicycle, Politics/Domestic/Immigration] UID:49247 Activity:nil |
2/25 Hey tom, how did you ever become such a fan of big government
socialist? Is it from riding bike or hanging out with hippies?
\_ hey anonymous coward, fuck off. -tom
\_ by any chance are you an illegal immigrant sympathizer?
\_ and why do you hate america? |
| 2008/2/23-26 [Transportation/Bicycle, Transportation/Car/Hybrid] UID:49222 Activity:nil |
2/23 Suburban loving conservative leaning family oriented people will
suffer from record high gas prices. Meanwhile, stinky bike riding
Linux loving liburals sneer at everyone else with
"I told you so [wrt to Peak Oil]!"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12400801
\_ key word: troll
\_ What about Prius-driving environment-loving conservative-leaning
family-oriented people like me?
\_ You have children? You don't RIDE BIKE? You are further right
than that sellout Feinstein? You are a traitor to mother earth
and all clear thinking people. |
| 2007/12/17-19 [Transportation/Bicycle, Transportation/Motorcycle] UID:48815 Activity:low |
12/17 I ride a Kawasaki EX500 for recreation and now I'm looking for
a real commute bike. I'm getting married and will be moving 30
miles away from work, and I'm looking for something that is
1) COMFORTABLE 2) light weight (I'm only 140 pounds, so that
rules out Goldwings and heavy Harleys) 3) very quiet and
smooth even at 80MPH. What are some bikes that fit in this criteria?
\_ Probably a BMW is your best bet. No bike is going to be quiet
at 80mph though.
\_ Agree that no bike is going to be quiet but that is mostly
due to the wind/helmet noise dominating engine noise. This
is where high windshields + fairing help tremendously.
\_ You are a 140 pound weakling and your wife is going to let
you keep riding? I wouldn't get something too expensive,
because you'll be selling it soon enough.
\_ A-
\_ Your troll adds to -8 value to this thread.
\_ I am not much bigger than you and I have ridden a Ducati Monster
for years. They are light (~400 pounds) and comfortable. They
aren't really quiet, but with stock pipes, they are not that
loud either. The M900 or 1000 will do 80 no problem. A new one
is not cheap though, about $12k. Want to buy my 96? -ausman
\_ Ducatis get really really really hot when you're moving
less than 10mph in traffic jam, and it is anything but
"comfortable." In fact 99% of the sportbikes are simply
too stiff and too uncomfortable for long daily commutes.
You're a very very bad man for trying to dump your Duc.
\_ Have you ever ridden a Moster? They have an extremely
\_ Have you ever ridden a Monster? They have an extremely
comfortable and normal feeling riding position, better
than most cruisers. I can't really comment on the heat
issue, since I split lanes, but I have never had a
problem. -ausman
\_ Bullshit. Most sportbikes are fine for daily commutes.
Although honestly if I was commuting on a bike I'd look
at getting the Kawi enduro. |
| 2007/11/27-12/3 [Recreation/Activities, Transportation/Bicycle] UID:48700 Activity:high |
11/27 So how do you keep the stupid RIDE BIKE people off of the trails? Is
it legal for them to ride on hiking trails? I've almost been killed
a few times now by bikers barreling down quiet mountain trails that
they thought they owned. I hate them.
\_ So you support bike-only trails? Great! -tom
\_ I do. Why not? What's happening now doesn't work. I don't
think I support as many of those as bikers would hope,
though, but why not have some small percentage devoted to bikes?
\_ There are plenty of trail-sharing plans out there (such as
odd-even days); the problem is that the anti-bike crowd
doesn't want to share trails or give any access to bikes.
In most places it works just fine, it's only in California
that it's still a big problem, and that's due to the actions
of a small handful of NIMBY, "we were here first" types. -tom
\_ I think it's because of the actions of a lot of
reckless riders, many of which I have encountered.
\_ Bikers don't want to run into hikers any more
than hikers want to get run into. In most
cases, conflicts can be reduced by improving
the trail design. But the political issue is
that a small handful of hikers simply want no
bikes on any trails. Right now, I'm being
stalked by a long-time anti-bike nut, who came
\_ I recommend giving him a
soda account.
by my office twice, sent mail to my boss and to
the chief of staff of the chancellor's office.
My crime? Riding a unicycle on a trail. I
didn't even ride past him; I dismounted and
walked past. There's nothing that can be done
to reduce complaints from someone like that. -tom
\_ Many of those trails were originally created by RIDE BIKE people,
then later used by hikers. Why do you think *you* own them? -emarkp
\_ damn, emarkp is sort of my motd ron paul. There's a ton
of stuff ron paul stands for that should be poison to all
good liberals everywhere, but he speaks his mind and doesn't
say anything too delusional so lots of grassroots progressives
think he is awesome.
\_ The trails are maintained by the government and I don't
think I own them, but I am not killing anyone by using them.
Maybe motorcycles should be allowed on them, too. It's a free
country, right?
\_ Actually, the trails are mostly maintained by volunteers, and
by far the largest volunteer group is mountain bikers. -tom
\_ Neither are all the bicyclists killing people. Rude people
are rude people, on bike or on foot. -emarkp
\_ Point is that bikes don't belong on walking trails
just like people shouldn't walk in the bike lane. You
must be one of the bike fuckers, huh?
\_ Nope, never ridden a bike on a trail in my life. I do
bike to work however. You may have seen my comments in
the past calling Critical Mass, "Thugs on Wheels".
Where are the trails defined as "walking trails"?
-emarkp
\_ Well, they weren't built for bikes originally.
Here is a site that attempts to be fair to both
sides of the issue, but it is true that the
hiking trails are becoming unsafe for hikers and
I would be in favor of keeping bikes off of them
given my close calls with bikers. I don't even
think I could safely bike many trails in a
leisurely manner what with the people screaming
down the hillside at 30mph. At least as a walker
I can jump out of the way. If I was on a bike
I'd be screwed. BTW, people who take their dogs
on trails without leashes should be banned, too.
http://tinyurl.com/3avlzz
In Palo Alto:
http://tinyurl.com/2tavm7
\_ I wasn't aware of so-called "gravity bikers".
That *does* sound scary. -emarkp
\_ Downhill bicycle racers should stick on trails far, far
away from everyone else. Actually if you just let them
race for a while, they eventually die, that sport is the
most dangerous I've ever witnessed.
\_ Bring a spike strip with you next time you hike. USE FEET!
\_ some trails are marked to disallow bikes. If you don't like sharing
trails with bikes, stick to those. Unless othewise marked,
the bikers have just as much right to be there as the hikers.
\_ some trails are marked to disallow bikes. If you don't like
sharing trails with bikes, stick to those. Unless othewise
marked, the bikers have just as much right to be there as the
hikers.
\_ Maybe bikers should behave the same as horse back riders. You
could potentially ride pretty fast on a horse, but that would
be dangerous. Could be almost as dangerous as fast bikes.
\_ horses, at any speed, are more dangerous than bikes, at any
speed.
\_ That's clearly false and you are stupid for suggesting it.
\_ You clearly don't know anything about horses.
\_ I find it amusing that the bikers complain about how rudely cars
treat them (Critical Mass) but when someone slower than themselves
is put at risk by their actions, it's "stay off the trails!" and
"who said you hikers own them?!".
\_ nice straw man.
\_ http://www.csua.org/u/k3c (flickr)
\_ Not at all. I honestly find it amusing. There's no strawman
here. If you're a hypocritical biker, wear it with pride.
\_ Right because all cyclists are exactly the same and in
fact all the same people, whether they are black clad
bicycle messengers in Critical Mass or gortex clad
Marin yuppies mountain biking. They even switch to
khaki's and button down shirts when they impersonate
mild-mannered commuters. Those dastardly villians!
\_ not to mention, no one is saying "stay off the trails"
\_ not to mention, no biker is saying "stay off the trails"
\_ That would take a lot of audacity as mountain
biking has only been popular for 30 years. Give
them more time, though, and they'll become brave
enough to get there. They're already touting
numerical superiority as they drive everyone
else away.
\_ keep beating that straw man.
\_ I love the motd. You replied to my "this isn't a
strawman" by strawmanning me again. I'm your biggest
fan, Strawman Debate Guy. Please strawman me again.
\_ Do you honestly think that "bikers" are a unified
group who think and act in unison? Are you really
that simple minded? If not, give me even one example
of your hypocritical biker, or admit that you just
made it all up. |
| 2007/11/12-16 [Transportation/Bicycle, Transportation/Car/RoadHogs] UID:48609 Activity:moderate |
11/12 I just started riding bike again, and the joys of maintaining tire
pressure are once again mine. Is there a device or compressor out
there that can have a fixed cut-off pressure? -emarkp
\_ I love Mormons because many of them ride bikes and are very
eco-conscious. -libural
\_ I just pump the damn thing up until it's really firm.
If I notice it's a little slack the next morning, repeat.
\_ You aren't talking tires anymore are you?
\_ Except for the eight kids thing.
\_ At the Shell gas station that I go to, you can set the desired
pressure at the pump and it stops autmoatically when it reaches the
pressure. I don't know if there are portable ones that you can use
for your bike.
\_ Ah, never mind. Found one on my own.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000IE0YIQ/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top/105-2878297-2866811
-emarkp
\_ Just get a floor pump with a gauge. An air compressor is
serious overkill for a bicycle, and won't work as well on
Presta valves, which is what you should be using unless you
are doing something strange. -tom
\_ Bike fanatics prefer presta for accuracy, durability,
and other factors. People who bike 1-2 miles a day
will most likely not notice any significant difference.
\_ How is a Presta valve more accurate or durable? My tires
are wide, and I ride about 5 mi/day. -emarkp
are wide, and I ride about 50 mi/day. -emarkp
\_ If you have to ask... nevermind.
\_ Um, I want to know, and haven't seen any claims like
that in the comparisons I've found about accuracy or
reliability (what does "accuracy" even mean here?)
-emarkp
\_ Something strange like riding to work on an old bike?
What's wrong with Schrader valves? -jrleek
Why do I need Presta valves? -jrleek
\_ I have a foot pump with a gauge already. And I'm happy with
Schrader valves, but I'll take your advice into consideration.
The comments about Presta I've seen suggest they're important
for narrow tires, and that tubeless mountain bike tires use
them. Okay, I don't have either, so I'll stick with Schrader.
-emarkp
\_ I don't care what valve you use, but I'd recommend just
buying a cheap set of non-knobby, narrowish tires if you
are riding on the road. Why would you use wide tires?
\_ I agree here. Riding on skinny tires is so much easier.
On the other hand, if you want a workout, I guess
big tires may be good...
\_ In San Francisco at least, with all the train tracks
and the rough roads, I feel more secure on wide tires.
Maybe this is foolish, I don't know. -!pp
\_ Well you don't need super-skinny racing tires. Are
yours knobby? I think even if you want fatter tires
you can use semi-slick or slick ones. Knobs are
probably the biggest energy drain.
\_ I prefer the wide semi-slick. Primarily because on
the side of the road there can be lots of debris,
and the wide tires seem to do better with fewer
flats. -emarkp
\_ Yeah, mine are knobby. Thanks for the info, I
think I will switch to some big smooth ones.
\_ If you're on the street, get semi-slick.
\_ Presta valves simply work better with
hand pumps. Having to press in the
valve stem isn't a problem when you're
using a high-pressure air compressor,
but if you're using a tiny hand pump
it is sometimes impossible to fill the
tire faster than the air leaks out.
On the question of tires, wide slick
tires are what I would recommend on a
commuter. The Schwalbe Big Apple is
a great tire, but there are plenty of
others. I don't think you need tires
narrower than 700x28 unless you're
specifically riding for speed. -tom
\_ I carry a foot pump in my saddlebags, so I
don't care about the resistance of the
valve spring. But since the pin on a
pump depresses the spring, why would the
Presta give any advantage there? -emarkp
\_ The ability of the pin on the
pump to depress the spring
depends on the geometry of the
valve stem and the pump; it is
far too common to be unable to
pump up a Schraeder valve tube
with a bike pump, and it's
especially a problem when the
tire is flat, making it
difficult to have the leverage
to get the pump on the valve
stem. The Presta is just more
robust for the application. -tom
\_ That makes perfect sense. I've done
my roadside repairs before, and
agree that it sucks to have a hand
pump, and can see that the Schrader
could be more of a problem, but
haven't don't the roadside fix
experience with a Presta valve.
That's why I started carrying a foot
pump with me. On the other hand, if
I were offroad, I wouldn't want to
be lugging saddlebags. -emarkp |
| 5/17 |