Bloodied but Unbowed - My first bike ride! - Page 5

12-28-2006, 09:25 AM

Claire wrote:
> Leo Lichtman wrote:
> > <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote: (clip) I think you need some parking lot time.
> > (clip)
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> > Yes. Parking lot time.
>
> Another place to practice would be a cemetary. It'd be quiet and no one
> minds if you're moving slowly in a cemetary.

Oddly enough, one cemetery here which serves as a very useful shortcut
for me has signs at the entrances: "No bicycles allowed."

Another has signs saying "Entrance is permitted for cemetery purposes
only." (Whatever _that_ means!)

Of course, if anyone should ask, I haven't seen those signs. ;-)

- Frank Krygowski

12-28-2006, 10:44 AM

<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote: (clip) Another has signs saying "Entrance is
permitted for cemetery purposes only." (Whatever _that_ means!)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
It means, "They check in, but they don't check out."

12-29-2006, 03:48 PM

"The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
news:1166988308.200720.223660@42g2000cwt.googlegro ups.com:

SNIP
>
> I'm still far from saying I'm in control of my bike, however. A 275
> pound guy isn't going to be very stable under the best of
> circumstances.

I am something of a Clydesdale myself at 6'1" 225 I have no problem
balancing. On my ten mile commute I nearly always ride with panniers
carrying an additional 25 pounds for a total of 250; all you really need
is practice.

> Add in his newness on a bike, hills on the route, and
> the high winds today and you are courting problems. And on the
> homeward leg, I ran into one. Or almost; I missed the mailbox, but in
> missing it I took a spill. Fortunately I was wearing jeans and lifting
> gloves, so I escaped with only a scraped and bruised left knee. I seem
> to be OK.

SNIP

As others have said, don't look at what you want to miss, look at where
you want the bike to go. I used to hit small rocks and debris all the
time until I realized that I was looking at them, now I look next to
them and they are no longer in the way, it works, try it.

Do not ride in the gutter... that is where the road debris and goathead
thorns live...

Now for traffic...
My policy is BE SEEN:
I dress in a bright florescent highlighter-yellow jersey or jacket. For
after dark I have four blinky lights on my bike, a blinky Cateye
headlight in front, a red blinky Cateye on my seatpost, two no-name
red blinkys, one on the side of each pannier, plus reflectors and a
reflective vest.

Wherever possible I ride about six to eight feet out from the curb in
the edge of the "car tire sweep zone", this keeps me visible and
somewhat of a minor obstacle to cars so they notice me and move away. As
a side benefit I am out of the debris zone (the area at the edge of the
road where the passing cars sweep road debris).

If I need the lane, I take it. In one part of my commute I have to pass
over a bridge with a three foot high concrete wall and no shoulder; I
take the center of the lane leaving no room for a car to squeeze between
me and the white line, the last thing I need is to be crushed against
the wall or pushed over the wall to fall to the riverbed below.

Use hand signals when in traffic lanes. I find that when I need to cross
a lane to get to a left turn lane, the cars nearly always slow to let me
cross over when I ask politely with the appropriate hand signal.

Ride in a straight line; do not swerve in and out of parked cars. Riding
in a straight line lets the drivers see you ahead of time and to
anticipate where you will be when they get to your position.

One final thing... stay out of the door zone; that is the area where the
door of the seemingly empty parked car suddenly flies open in front a
unsuspecting bicyclist sending him on a trip to the hospital.

Have fun, ride safe and with confidence.

Richard B.

12-29-2006, 07:35 PM

The Historian wrote:

> I tried riding today, only to be driven in my the cold. After ten
> minutes my fingers were numb, even with gloves. It's supposed to be a
> little warmer tomorrow, with less wind, so I'll try again then.
>

Your extremities will always be warmer if you keep your head warm. If
you're a helmet wearer, a thin lycra skull cap on your head under your
helmet will help retain heat. There are also thin wool beanies
(Smartwool, Rivendell, and probably others) that are a little thicker
than the lycra beanies but insulate much better. There are also lycra
balaclavas that will keep your head, neck and throat protected, making
you even warmer. A wool balaclava would be even warmer, if you can find
one that will fit under your helmet (if you wear a helmet). Bell makes a
rain cover to fit their "Metro" helmet, as well as plugs to fit the vent
holes and ear pieces to cover your ears in cold weather riding.

Mittens are inherently warmer than gloves, although the lack of manual
dexterity may make shifting and braking difficult, especially for a
novice rider. Glove liners (Thermax, Capilene, silk)are a relatively
cheap way to boost the warmth of any hand covering. Pearl Izumi offers
three fingered and two fingered cycling gloves that offer much of the
warmth of mittens and much of the manual dexterity of gloves.

Do you already know better than to wear cotton clothing (especially next
to the skin)in cold weather or should I explain why mountaineers call
cotton "the death fabric"?

mark

12-31-2006, 10:01 AM

On 24 Dec 2006 13:51:16 -0800, "The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:

>>you might feel the confidence affect your balance a bit.
>
>Thanks. Confidence is something I lack.

That's why bicycing is so great. It boosts your confidence by
teaching self-reliance. That attitude affects all areas of your life
and that's why bicycling still gets branded as "radical"

Riding a bicycle is one of the most difficult things we ever learn to
do. That's why we don't forget how to do it.

One of the hardest lessons to learn is to get up and get back on the
bike. That is a life lesson.

You're over that hump.

Congratulations.
--
zk

12-31-2006, 12:48 PM

Zoot Katz wrote:
> On 24 Dec 2006 13:51:16 -0800, "The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
> wrote:
>
> >>you might feel the confidence affect your balance a bit.
> >
> >Thanks. Confidence is something I lack.
>
> That's why bicycing is so great. It boosts your confidence by
> teaching self-reliance. That attitude affects all areas of your life
> and that's why bicycling still gets branded as "radical"
>
> Riding a bicycle is one of the most difficult things we ever learn to
> do. That's why we don't forget how to do it.
>
> One of the hardest lessons to learn is to get up and get back on the
> bike. That is a life lesson.
>
> You're over that hump.
>
> Congratulations.

Thanks. I've been out again. I took the bike to a nearby field and we
spent an hour taking practice rides. I didn't fall once. I bought a
bike rack for the car, and later this week we will be going to a local
bike path. And yes, I am determined to ride. Nearly as determined as I
am to lose weight, in fact. BTW, I'm down another pound, making 111
pounds in 12 months.

12-31-2006, 12:55 PM

The Historian wrote:
> ... I am determined to ride. Nearly as determined as I
> am to lose weight, in fact. BTW, I'm down another pound, making 111
> pounds in 12 months.

Awesome. I have a friend that could use you as a role model.

Or is it "roll model"? ;-)

- Frank Krygowski

12-31-2006, 01:23 PM

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] wrote:
> The Historian wrote:
> > ... I am determined to ride. Nearly as determined as I
> > am to lose weight, in fact. BTW, I'm down another pound, making 111
> > pounds in 12 months.
>
> Awesome. I have a friend that could use you as a role model.
>
> Or is it "roll model"? ;-)
>
> - Frank Krygowski

If your friend will actually lose weight, instead of merely talk about
it, he can call me anything he likes.

12-31-2006, 02:39 PM

On 31 Dec 2006 13:48:49 -0800, "The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>
wrote:
\
>
>Thanks. I've been out again. I took the bike to a nearby field and we
>spent an hour taking practice rides. I didn't fall once. I bought a
>bike rack for the car, and later this week we will be going to a local
>bike path. And yes, I am determined to ride. Nearly as determined as I
>am to lose weight, in fact. BTW, I'm down another pound, making 111
>pounds in 12 months.

At that rate you will have lost me around the middle of March.

Be careful, bicycle riding can get addictive if you keep it fun.

As your fitness improves and your experience builds bicycling becomes
even more fun.

Then you don't mind the addiction so much.

bon route. bon courage.
--
zk

01-01-2007, 02:59 AM

In article <1166997076.171324.146080@a3g2000cwd.googlegroups. com>,
"The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:

>> Anyway, if you're getting intimate with mailboxes, but the street's not
>> busy, by all means ride in the lane. I'd say ride where your right
>> wheel would be with a car. Act like the vehicle that you are, powered
>> or not, and you might feel the confidence affect your balance a bit.
>
> Thanks. Confidence is something I lack.

Confidence is an interesting thing. It's like cholesterol --
we need some. But not too much, and not the wrong kind.

I've heard it opined that new drivers get into collisions,
not so much when they're first trepidatiously trying [to
remember] to do all the right things, but when they've gotten
a few incident-free miles in. That's when Confidence rears its
ugly head to bite 'em in the ... well, you know what I mean.

Drivers who got pasted while trying to beat trains at level
crossings had Confidence. Fat lot o' good it did 'em.

I guess confidence needs to be tempered with something.
Not fear, though. I honestly don't know what to call it.
Words like "discretion", "awareness", "intelligence" etc
spring to mind, but they don't really cover it.

Just remember there's no shame in bailing rather than
sticking one's neck out, and you'll be okay. For example,
when riding on narrow residential streets that are so
choked with parked cars on either side that there's not
enough room for two oncoming vehicles to pass each other
comfortably, I have no qualms about pulling over between
parked cars, enough to let an oncoming car get by. And
I frequently get an appreciative thank-you wave from the
driver when I do so. Unless another rider coming up from
behind me spoils it by unrelentingly and "Confidently"
squeezing between the moving car and the parked cars.

But I don't want to scare you. Cycling can be really
quite safe. It's just that we've got the onus to make,
or at least contribute to our own safety.

A certain amount of confidence is good. But there's more.
I wish I could articulate about it.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca