3 Feet Please

I found this today (click on the picture to visit the website) while looking around various cycling websites. I wish I was paying more attention so I could give credit to whoever called my attention to it. It seems like a pretty good idea. I don't really believe that most motorists want to do us harm. Maybe a little visual reminder will help.

Check out the media section of the website. I am surprised by how closely the cars pass him in the video. Personally, I think that video should be used to show why you should not ride on the shoulder, but I do not know the specifics of the route. He may have a good reason for doing so.

I'll probably get one once the weather gets a bit warmer here. There's really no point in me getting on now. It will be covered by a jacket for the next three months. Plus, I blew my cycling budget on a rain cape earlier this morning.

Sphere: Related Content

When did it become us vs. them?

While searching Google News for something interesting to read, I came across an article from Fort Collins, Colorado. They have installed bike friendly sensors at their stop lights. My first thought was to post a "we need this in Columbus" type of post. After all, I can wait to turn left at the light at Kenny and Treemont every day. I'll admit it, I typically run that red light because it does not know I am there.

When I read the article, I was not expecting the negative comments. I expect them whenever a bicyclist complains about drivers. "We'll respect bikes as soon as the follow the rules of the road." Yeah, we have all heard it. There is nothing new there. I expect the negative comments whenever a cyclist is injured (or killed) by a car. "Roads are for cars. Take your toys on the sidewalk."

Cyclists respond in the familiar way. We say, "Laws are on our side," or "You can easily kill us with a single mistake." This argument is played out whenever the word "bicycle" finds its way into any article.

It's the same argument over and over. I grew tired of it a while back and excused myself from all discussions. To be frank, I have no idea why the negative comments in the article caught me off guard.

Why does it have to be this way?

Last weekend I was stopped at a stoplight in a small town. A guy in a pick-up truck pulled up next to me and said, "Pedal your ass right out of town city boy."

A few weeks ago, a guy in a dump truck told me, "I could run you over and never notice."

What encourages people make comments like that to a complete stranger?

A while back, I was passed with inches to spare. Then, the same driver stopped for a group of geese in the road. The driver waited until all geese were out of the road before passing.

Why do geese get more courtesy than a human being?

Why does it have to be us vs. them?

Sphere: Related Content

Bike plans get OK

A while back I wrote about Columbus's bike plan. Most great ideas are simply that, great ideas. Sometimes though, those great ideas get put into action. This seems to be one of those. Last night, the Columbus City Council voted to approve the funding for the plan.

Good job Columbus.

Sphere: Related Content

My personal ride of silence

I love to ride at night. If I had to list the top three conditions to ride in, it would be snow, night, and warm rain. Tonight I decided I needed some ice cream, so a trip to Handel's was on.

(A lighter side note here, Handel's has the best ice cream ever. If there is one remotely close to you, you need to get there.)

I headed out, then decided to take the long route. The silence of the neighborhood made me pause. Earlier today was Columbus's Ride of Silence. I was not able to make it, but I did stop and make my daughters say a little prayer with me as everyone left the statehouse around 7:00.

I rode for about an hour tonight. I thought about the time I was hit by a car. Twelve years ago a car right hooked me. I remember looking her in the eye right before impact. I was knocked off my bike and unconscious for a short period. The worst of my injuries were a separated shoulder and a sprained wrist. The lady that hit me drove off. I was lucky. I could have been seriously injured. Instead, I was only hurt enough to take an evening off work.

I don't know why I keep torturing myself, but I cannot look at any of the ghost bikes without getting emotional. I wonder if these have the same affect on non-cyclists.

Sphere: Related Content

Patent Bending

If you want me interested in  something, all you have to do is insert a bicycle into it.  Patent Bending is a show on Discovery/Science Channel that takes old patents that were never produced and puts them to use.

Tonight's episode combined two things I love.  First, bicycles.  Second, reel lawnmowers.  Here are some great facts about gas-powered lawn mowers: 

• The lawn mower that was tested for the show ran at 111 dB.  A jet engine is about 120 dB.  At 140 dB, hearing damage can occur.  
  
• A new lawnmower puts out about 40 times the smog as  new car.
  
• According to the EPA, lawnmowers account for about 5% of the pollution in the U.S.
• Abut 17 million gallons of gasoline are spilled each year while refueling lawnmowers.(The Exxon Valdez spilled a tad under 11 million gallons of oil.)
• 80,000 people a year are sent to the hospital because of lawn mowing accidents.

Personally, I own and use the Scotts Classic mower.  I think it is great.  I love being able to mow the yard and talk to my wife.  I can mow around the swingset while the kids are on the swings. I can listen to my iPod without turning it up to an intolerable volume.  And best of all, I am still using the two gallons of gas I bought in 2006.  

For those thinking about a reel mower, do it.  I was worried about pushing it thought the grass.  Because it is lighter than a gas-powered lawnmower, it takes about the same amount of effort to push.  You should not bag those clippings, so don't worry about the bagger.  

If you are serious about reducing the amount of gas you use, a reel mower is a great option.  While you may think "every little bit counts," small engines are gas hogs.  Getting rid of your gas powered lawnmower is not a "little bit."

Sphere: Related Content

With whom do we share the road?

An actual letter to the editor from the Columbus Dispatch

This is a letter to the car full of teenagers (and others just like you) that ran right through a stop sign in front of the Mall at Tuttle Crossing and laughed like idiots when I almost ran into you. Yes, isn't it funny that you could have ended up dead! Yes, isn't it funny that I could have destroyed my vehicle! Personally, I don't care what happens to you, but I certainly don't intend on ruining my vehicle that is worth more than any of you will ever earn in your lifetime. Nor do I want to waste my time waiting for emergency personnel to arrive and pronounce you dead. By judging from your actions and obvious inability to read street signs, my guess is that you did not complete the 8th grade and are probably not a decent contributing member of society, so please get your parole officer to read this letter to you! Next time, maybe I won't be able to stop my vehicle in time, or maybe I won't even try.

My suggestions to everyone, LEARN HOW TO READ, be sure to STOP at Stop signs, and DON'T STOP when there aren't any stop signs. How difficult is that?

Diana Momeyer, Columbus

I have been debating about posting this since I saw it on Tuesday. My goal here is to convince people to ride a bike, not scare them away from it. Honestly, this is scary. I do not condone kids not paying attention while driving. But this lady cares more about her car than a group of teenagers. Read it again, "I don't care what happens to you, but I certainly don't intend on ruining my vehicle that is worth more than any of you will ever earn in your lifetime. " If that isn't unsettling enough, "Next time, maybe I won't be able to stop my vehicle in time, or maybe I won't even try." So, I guess a suitable punishment for running a stop sign is ramming another person's car.

How would you like to have her behind you while you are on a bicycle?

When I was learning to drive, my grandfather used to say, "There are three types of drivers on the road, idiots who drive slower than you, maniacs who drive faster than you, and the perfect driver, you."

Sphere: Related Content

Flat tires suck

I read Commute by Bike's recent post about flat tires with a bit of smugness. My last on the road flat tire was in 2001. I remember it vividly. I was doing the GOBA trip. I was between Wellston and Nelsonville. I was busy chatting to my riding partner and hit a giant piece of metal in the road. It went right through my tire and sliced the tube. I was able to patch the tire with a Power Bar wrapper and electrical tape. I always carry extra tubes, so that was an easy swap. It was also the first time I realized using a mini-pump while sitting with my back to the road looks a lot like I was masturbating. I still hear about it from friends who saw it.

That flat tire sucked. If you have ever been on a trip like GOBA, the best camping spots go to the people who ride the fastest. Because of the flat, I spent the night on pea gravel. To tell you it was uncomfortable would be a joke. It was awful. It was not as bad as the next night where the rain flooded my tent, but it was awful.

After that, I became obsessive about preventing flats. The day I got back, I ordered Conti's Ultra Gator Skins. I religiously checked air pressure. I started carrying two tubes, just in case. It must have worked because I have not found myself changing tires on the side of the road in almost seven years.

My luck ran out yesterday. I took the girls up to the post office to buy some stamps. My general pre-ride check did not turn up anything. We rode around the neighborhood with the four-year-old saying hello to everyone she saw. We got to the post office without a problem. On the way back, the trailer felt funny. I pulled off and found a chuck of glass in the trailer's tire.

I never thought about beefing up the standard tires on the trailer. I'll be heading to the bike shop tomorrow to figure out my options.

Sphere: Related Content