The bicycle.

[Spiro C. Thiery]

Back in 1976, I got a nice 10-speed, one of those with the hunched-down handlebars, skinny high-pressure tires and a rock-hard seat. I rode the whee out of it for a lot of years and rebuilt it several times. Backn in '97, I was commuting routinely on it to/from work but I came down with pneumonia. Ended up in the hospital for almost a week because of a pneumothorax that wouldn't heal. I didn't get back on the bike for years, mainly because my lung function had been so compromised.

A few years ago, I began walking--a lot. Started making my way up big hills and taking long hikes daily. I lost 35-lbs. and brought my blood pressure down. My lung volume went up too. About a month ago, I got the old bike out again, lubed up the chain and blew some air into the tires. Hey, I'm riding again! The damned hunchy handlebars are gonna have to go though; I can't really bend over like that in my advancing years...sure feels good to be up on two wheels again!

Congrats!

I'm with you on the hunchibars. So impractical for my purposes. Likewise, I'll never buy another "male" ride; so much more freedom climbing on and off. Sure, I may look like a poncy-lad wheeling about all upright and whatnot, but it's a heck of a lot more comfy. And easier to look about and be aware of what's around you.

Hope this isn't off topic.

Bicycle Thieves* is one of the really great films: I've always been vehemently opposed to capital punishment, in all cases, without exception. But I must admit bicycle thieves have given me pause for thought.
*Plural! Ladri! Thieves! It's also one of the great movie titles, goddammit.

One of the more profoundly heartbreaking final scenes in all of cinema!

[Iamwhomiam]

I've only reached page 4 of this thread, but I do need to address this:

Burnt Hill wrote:
And just to reinforce my point, if the roads were completely safe for bicycles, we wouldn't need to incorporate bike lanes.

Our NY State laws require the roads to be shared, just as the do in California, Burnt Hill, and the roads, except for where the wrong type of drainage grating has been installed, are perfectly safe for bicycles. It's the uneducated automobile driver that's the danger to bicyclists.

Some older city streets are so narrow they had to be into one-way traffic streets and cannot accommodate a "Bike Lane." On a few streets in Albany bike lanes, only marked by a random bicycle image painted on the roadway and not a solid white dividing line, begin a full 3 feet beyond the area allowed for vehicle roadside parking. The idea is that a cyclist will not be nailed by some opening their car door. This puts a rider squarely into the center of the traffic lane.

Bicyclists have no obligation to yield to the motorized traffic behind them, but a wise rider will.

Next time, BH, ask a cop, or a judge and you should get a correct answer.

[Forgetting2]

I cried like a baby the first time I saw Bicycle Thief in an Italian cinema class at UCLA in the early 80's.

The picture is me around 1970. My first bike, a schwinn, to my left with banana seat, sissy bar (that's the name I knew it by) and the high handle bars, whatever they were called.

I busted my fledgling nuts on that thing more than once.

[Burnt Hill]

I've only reached page 4 of this thread, but I do need to address this:

Burnt Hill wrote:
And just to reinforce my point, if the roads were completely safe for bicycles, we wouldn't need to incorporate bike lanes.

Our NY State laws require the roads to be shared, just as the do in California, Burnt Hill, and the roads, except for where the wrong type of drainage grating has been installed, are perfectly safe for bicycles. It's the uneducated automobile driver that's the danger to bicyclists.

Some older city streets are so narrow they had to be into one-way traffic streets and cannot accommodate a "Bike Lane." On a few streets in Albany bike lanes, only marked by a random bicycle image painted on the roadway and not a solid white dividing line, begin a full 3 feet beyond the area allowed for vehicle roadside parking. The idea is that a cyclist will not be nailed by some opening their car door. This puts a rider squarely into the center of the traffic lane.

Bicyclists have no obligation to yield to the motorized traffic behind them, but a wise rider will.

Next time, BH, ask a cop, or a judge and you should get a correct answer.

Iamwhomiam please do finish reading the entire thread, okay? You will find-
I have never argued against "Share the Road", in fact thoroughly I support it both as a rule of law and in reality, if anything I am overly courteous to bikers, both pedaled and motorized.
I have also expressed that both bikes and cars must follow the rules of the road.
My area has a high rate of bikers, and no bike lanes, its a matter of finances, not lack of concern.
And I have spoken with my county road supervisor, and now my town supervisor, (is that good enough for you?) you will find a post about it that pretty clearly state my and our County and Town rules for road building and maintenance, and they do not specifically consider bikes when they decide how to spend their limited finances.
And quite honestly your complaint to me actually considers the need for bike lanes. Why is that?
Allow me to also state that I have an abundance of friends who bike, primarily motorcycles, then mountain bikes and finally touring bikes, oh and I also have a close friend who races BMX, I nearly forgot about her.
My brother is a distance biker, and my dog bit him one day, he had his feet strapped to the pedals and couldnt stop to talk to the dog, who was going after the movement. I dont know anyone who has been bit by a dog while in a car, but thats a small and different point, simply about safety. And yes I blame myself for the dogs behavior.
And I just remembered we used to race off road on our minibikes, I had a little Honda 75cc, till my uncle crashed it, destroying the bike and breaking his arm, I just remembered that! Old age is real- and off topic!
But what I was getting at is that all the bikers I know have real concerns for their safety whenever on the streets, not because they dont have the right to be there, but because it can be hazardous.
As I said earlier when a car and bike collide, regardless of fault, the car is going to win (roads arent all that safe for cars either). So no kidding cars are a danger to bikes, again you confirm my point.
Tell the gentleman who was recently killed here, no, tell his family how safe the roads are for bikes.
Certainly bad drivers make it unsafe, right? and sometimes bad bikers, right? The key is safety, or the lack of it.
So I will restate, if the roads were completely safe for bikes, we wouldnt need bike lanes, is that not common sense?
Thats not infringing on bikers rights at all, In fact its granting a right they richly deserve. I want bike lanes everywhere.
And I am not pro-car, its a very expensive neccessity for my family. We have one that is great on gas, a five speed that is small and fun to drive, and a 4-wheel drive SUV, as we have a large family and long snowy, icy winters.
And I hate to repeat myself again, but if the roads are perfectly safe for bikers, than why are they not allowed on the interstates? And would you send your child out biking on a busy road without bike lanes?
As to this-

Next time, BH, ask a cop, or a judge and you should get a correct answer.

Guess what, my closest neighbor is the Town Judge, he was the one who told me to talk to the Road Supervisor!
And cops, yea, while I have a few in the extended family, as this forum often points out, they are not always the best source of information.

This is the sentiment which pretty much echoes the feelings of police officers everywhere: if you are riding a bike, you probably either can't afford a car, or have had your license revoked, and are fair game to be fucked with

Enough of a response?

[compared2what?]

I have nothing to contribute.

I just saw that picture in a book when I was a teenager and never completely forgot it.

[compared2what?]

Also:

[Gnomad]

Now, however, I live in Los Angeles. If you ride a bike here, you're taking your life in your hands. It is NOT relaxing. It is NOT fun. It is frightening and extremely stressful. There are, however, more and more people on bikes here. Which is good. The more awareness of bikes, the better. That being said, there is still a constant spate of incidents where bikers get hit by cars. Often fatally. Seems to happen about once a week or so here. One just happened a few days ago on the Pacific Coast Highway, right in Santa Monica.

My wife had to go to the emergency room a while back, and the other people there were all cyclists who had been hit by cars. Some were severely injured.

Personally I cannot use a bike to get to work because i work all over the region, and on any given day my job site might be as many as 40 or even 60 miles away.

...
Getting off topic, but I wanted to say this:

I wish bikers here would use some common fucking sense and drive as if they were cars. In the last few days I've almost slaughtered 2 cyclists. One of them driving down a major boulevard here suddenly swerved right in front of me. As I passed him, my heart pounding, fighting back a desire to yell at him "I'm almost killed you asshole!" I realized he had fucking HEADPHONES over his ears! He couldn't hear me (my car of my hypothetical yelling). What a fucking DUMBASS. If you're gonna ride a bike with the cars in Los Fucking Angeles, don't plus your fucking ears and fill your head with your fucking music! PAY ATTENTION.

Yeah, valid points. I'm lucky to live in a country and city that is more bike-friendly and sparsely populated, with numerous bike lanes and shared pedestrian/bike paths going all over the place, between cities as well, usually separate from the car lanes. Car drivers attitude can be negative, though, and Ive had my share of near misses and a couple of times where I have been hit by a car. Nothing serious, but any of those situations could have ended infinitely worse. Yet, you think about that now and then, put it out of your mind, do your best to ride carefully in the traffic too, and if it comes down to that, then it happens and that's that. On the other hand, a car once collided with me while I was walking over a road, on a pedestrian crossing, and he was talking to his phone and didn't notice a thing gave me a close shave but I had just enough time to jump out of the way so I wasn't hurt. Just ran over my bag...

Other cyclists who don't know or don't follow traffic rules are a menace, really. Many honestly don't have a clue as well - one girl riding without hands in the middle of the two-way bikepath, with earphones on, and texting on her phone at the same time comes to mind . When I was young, I tended to run red lights too, but it's been probably a decade since I stopped doing stupid stuff like that. If there is a red light, I wait there. And you must act like a vehicle driver, obey the rules of the road and signal turns etc. Otherwise you are risking both yourself and others. What makes it more difficult sometimes is that when others don't do so, situations arise where f.ex. someone comes towards you on the wrong side of the road, and you must decide which side to pass on safely, and of course slow down in anticipation of possible danger.

I do need to confess that sometimes one loses the zen on the road, and have yelled some adrenaline fuelled obscenities now and then. That is something one is not proud of, and that needs constant work to get rid of and stay positive even when things don't go smoothly in traffic or someone does something stupid or malevolent. People are assholes and sadly, I'm one of them if one is thruthful. Have never caused an accident or crashed with anyone on foot or on bike, and hope I never do.

Also, not all people can realistically ride everywhere, or at all. Thats perfectly ok...Cars in some shape won't be going anywhere anytime soon, and they have good uses too. But at the moment, cars are more of a problem than a benefit, and it needs to change.

[Gnomad]

http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/20 ... afety.html

excerpts:

The Netherlands is the safest place in the world to cycle. This is sometimes put down to a "safety in numbers" effect, but actually the infrastructure design is the vital component and shouldn't be overlooked. A lot of people would like their own country to emulate the Dutch success, but often they don't realise what is needed.

I used to do cycle promotion work in the UK, travelling from city to city and talking to a great number of people about cycling. They all already knew that cycling was healthy, good for the environment etc. Many people would like to be able to cycle. The number one reason that the average person in the street would give for not cycling was "it's too dangerous". So, what did they mean by this ?

There are three measures of safety, all of which have their place in Dutch bicycle provision:
Actual safety - How many km you can expect to travel before you're injured on your bike.
Subjective safety - Are you near fast moving traffic ? Is it easy to make a turn across traffic ? Do you have to cycle "fast" in order to keep up ?
Social safety - Is there a mugger around that blind corner ? Will I be attacked in the street if I cycle ?

...............
When people make the decision about whether it is "safe to cycle", they generally mean the second and third of our three different types of safety: Subjective Safety and Social Safety.

Also, if they're making a decision for someone else - perhaps their child or their partner - these issues become even more important.

How do you improve Subjective Safety ? Here's a partial list:

Cyclists should never mix with high speed or high volume motor traffic. A third of all roads in the Netherlands have a speed limit of 30 km/h or lower, most 50 km/h (30 mph) roads provide cyclists with a segregated path, as do many 30 km/h roads with higher volumes of traffic.

Bike lanes and cycle paths without sufficient separation from the road are not suitable with high speed or high volume motor traffic.

Reductions in speed and volume of traffic always help. All residential streets and a third of the entire road network has a 30 km/h (18 mph) speed limit or lower.

Fully segregated cycle paths provide a good degree of subjective safety but must be built to a suitable standard. In this area they have a minimum width of 2.5 metres if for single direction use and 4 m for bidirectional use. Paths for pedestrians are separate.

Junctions should be designed to make sure that cyclists are not left out. They should cause as little inconvenience as possible for cyclists.

In Assen, the new standards require that cycle paths which follow the line of roads are separated from them by 2.5 metres. Where this isn't possible you will find a metal barrier is used, to provide a feeling of subjective safety as well as actual safety from crashing vehicles.

Where possible, cycle routes follow a completely different line to the roads, which of course improves the feeling of safety further.

Reducing the noise of motor vehicles by using quieter road surfaces and installing noise barriers between the road and cyclists helps.

For social safety:

You should always be able to see out of any tunnel as you enter it.
Blind corners on paths are not acceptable.

Cycle paths should be wide to allow cyclists to move out of the way of others.

A low crime rate and a good conviction rate are needed. Cyclists should not feel that the police do not take their complaints seriously.

Areas that are clean, litter free, graffiti free, where grass is mowed and plants are not allowed to overhang the cycle path have a better feeling of social safety.

Cycle paths should be lit at night so that you can see potential muggers, obstacles on the path etc.

If subjective and social safety are improved then people will cycle. They will want to. and so they will do it.

To summarise... No-one will do anything that feels too dangerous to them. Everyone wants their child to be safe and their partner to be safe. That's why so many journeys which ought to be cycleable are made by car. There is no point in arguing with people's decisions, or ridiculing them. The person making the decision to use a car has made it for quite logical reasons. Their level of confidence about cycling in the conditions around you is not the same as your own.

http://www.bakfiets-en-meer.nl/2008/10/ ... therlands/

Nationally the total of bicycle accident deaths hovers around 200.
In Amsterdam about 6 people die in bike-related accidents yearly.
16 million Dutch own 18 million bikes.
About half the population of the NL rides a bike once a day.
The average distance traveled by bike per person per day was 2.5km in 2006.
The bicycle is used for almost a quarter of all journeys, and 35% of journeys below 7.5km.
Overall traffic safety in NL is the best in Europe with 45 deaths per million inhabitants per year.
The US has 147 deaths per million inhabitants per year.
You’re more likely to die of murder in the US than by cycling in the Netherlands.
You’re more likely to die by drowning in the Netherlands than by cycling.

http://www.tobysterling.net/2008/04/bik ... lands.html
http://www.tobysterling.net/2007/12/bik ... m-and.html

http://trafficsafety.org/safety/sharing ... fatalities

Two percent of motor vehicle-related deaths are cyclists although bicycle trips account for less than 1 percent of all trips in the U.S. In 2006, more than 44,000 bicyclists in the U.S. were injured in traffic crashes and 773 bicyclists died as a result of bicycle-related injuries.

Eight-five percent of bicycle deaths are persons 16 and older. The most serious injuries among a majority of those killed are to the head, highlighting the importance of wearing a bicycle helmet. Ninety-five percent of the bicyclists killed in 2006 reportedly weren’t wearing helmets.

Bicycle Crash Facts

The number of reported bicycle-related injuries has risen in recent years, following a decline from the 1990s. However, only a small fraction, possibly as low as 10% of crashes causing injury are ever recorded by the police.

In 2006, the average age of bicyclists killed in motor vehicle crashes was 41, and the average age of those injured was 30.

Children are at particularly high risk for bicycle-related injuries, with those under 14 years of age accounting for 13% of the fatalities, making this one of the most frequent causes of injury related death for young children. Bicycle helmet use by children 4 to 15 would prevent 39,000 to 45,000 head injuries and 18,000 to 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually.

Deaths among bicyclists younger than 16 have gone down by 84% since 1975, while deaths among bicyclists 16 and older have more than doubled.

Twenty-four percent of bicyclists killed in 2006 were alcohol impaired with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08%.

Bicyclist deaths in 2006 occurred most often during June-September and between the hours of 6pm and 9pm.

Children are at particularly high risk for bicycle-related injuries, with those under 14 years of age accounting for 13% of the fatalities, making this one of the most frequent causes of injury related death for young children.
Deaths among bicyclists younger than 16 have gone down by 84% since 1975, while deaths among bicyclists 16 and older have more than doubled.

More than 7 times as many bicyclist deaths in 2006 were males compared with females. At every age more male than female bicyclists were killed and the rates of bicyclist deaths per million people were higher for males than females. The highest rate of bicyclist deaths per million people occurred for 50-54 year-old males.

Reasons for Bicycling

Recreation
26%

Exercise or health
23.6%

To go home
14.2%

Personal errands
13.9%

To visit a friend or relative
10.1%

Commuting to school/work
5%

Bicycle ride
2.3%

Other
4.9%

Where Bicyclists Ride

Paved roads
48.1%

Sidewalks
13.6%

Bicycle/Walking paths or trails
13.1%

Shoulders of paved roads
12.8%

Bicycle lanes on roads
5.2%

Unpaved roads
5.2%

Other
2.1%

How Far Do Bicyclists Ride?

The average length of a bicycle trip taken on a typical summer day was 3.9 miles. Trip length was dependent upon purpose. Trips taken for recreation or fitness were longer at 5.6 miles while trips for other purposes averaged 2.2 miles.

Trips of:

1 mile or less
35.6%

1.1 to 2 miles
18.5%

2.1 to 5 miles
23.8%

5.1 to 10 miles
11.5%

Over 10 miles
7.3%

Most Common Types of Bicycle-Related Crashes

Motorist failed to yield
21.6%

Bicyclist failed to yield at intersection
16.8%

Motorist merged or turned into bicycle
12.1%

Bicyclist failed to yield mid-block
11.7%

Motorist overtaking bicyclist
8.6%

Bicyclist turned or merged into motorist
7.3%

Annual Crash Data to Download
from http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov

Traffic Safety Facts 2006: Bicyclists and Other Cyclists
Traffic Safety Facts 2006: Children

[beeline]

.

I ride my bike to and from work every day, about 7.5 miles each way. I just recently upgraded from a 1970 Schwinn Suburban to a brand new Fuji mountain bike. Huge improvement, especially going up hills. The frame alone weighs less than half of what the Schwinn weighs. I am lucky, in that the majority of my commute is along a riverside shared bike/pedestrain path, so I only have to deal with ignorant car and ignorant pedestrian traffic for a mile or two at either end of my trip (yes, there are ignorant pedestrians that will walk into the middle of the street and cross at red lights when bikes have the right-of-way, just because there is no automobile traffic. A hearty "comin' through!" usually clears the way, although some people still think it's OK for them to jaywalk, at which point my vernacular ususally becomes somewhat more colorful and descriptive.)

I do own a car also. Carrying multiple cases of beer or ten bags of groceries isn't really feasable on my bike, as much as I wish it were.

Bicycling is an inherently dangerous method of transportation, you have to keep your head on a swivel, and even that won't stop your rear wheel from slipping out underneath you when you take a wet corner to fast. So I always wear a helmet.

But I wouldn't want to commute to work any other way. Driving is way more frustrating with traffic (and there will always be too much traffic), and if I took the train or the bus, it would (a) be way more expensive and (b) wouldn't guarantee me a punctual arrival at work.

Plus, I get to check out pretty girls on the path as I ride to and from work. What's the downside?

Oh rain. Rain in the morning will stop me from riding in, I can't show up at work totally soaked (I can change a t-shirt when it is hot out), and before you say 'rain gear,' I do own some. It's just that I wind up getting totally soaked from sweat when I wear the rain gear, as it is designed to keep water out, it also keep water in.

[barracuda]

Also:

You beat me to it. There have been some beautiful sculptures made of bikes - I love Weiwei's constructions:

[barracuda]

You’re more likely to die by drowning in the Netherlands than by cycling.

This is a point I was trying to make earlier in the thread. In the US, you are about five times more likely to drown than to die on a bicycle.

Also, in California, riding a bike while drunk is a DUI.

The next thread I'm going to start along these lines has to do with swimming.

[Burnt Hill]

The next thread I'm going to start along these lines has to do with swimming.

I still swim to work everyday, upstream both ways- it has to do with the tides and strange currents.
When my kids started school I would tow them along on a surfboard and take the canal in to town and drop them off right behind the school.
When the lake freezes over I use one of those ice-breaking swim caps, it really helps increase my strength- I can cut through ice at least a foot thick now.
And the cold water is excellent for my circulatory system, my blood pressure has dropped and pulse has slowed and strengthened.
The polar bear club has nothing on me!
The only problems are those damn motor boats and jet-skis, those idiots claiming they cant see me in the water.
They are loud as hell and the fumes stink.
It was so much better when it was just swimmers and sailboats, how I long for those days.

[Canadian_watcher]

The next thread I'm going to start along these lines has to do with swimming.

I still swim to work everyday, upstream both ways- it has to do with the tides and strange currents.
When my kids started school I would tow them along on a surfboard and take the canal in to town and drop them off right behind the school.
When the lake freezes over I use one of those ice-breaking swim caps, it really helps increase my strength- I can cut through ice at least a foot thick now.
And the cold water is excellent for my circulatory system, my blood pressure has dropped and pulse has slowed and strengthened.
The polar bear club has nothing on me!
The only problems are those damn motor boats and jet-skis, those idiots claiming they cant see me in the water.
They are loud as hell and the fumes stink.
It was so much better when it was just swimmers and sailboats, how I long for those days.

[barracuda]

Oh, the hilarity. Stop. My sides hurt.

[Elvis]

---

And the winner is....

I still swim to work everyday, upstream both ways- it has to do with the tides and strange currents.
When my kids started school I would tow them along on a surfboard and take the canal in to town and drop them off right behind the school.
When the lake freezes over I use one of those ice-breaking swim caps, it really helps increase my strength- I can cut through ice at least a foot thick now.
And the cold water is excellent for my circulatory system, my blood pressure has dropped and pulse has slowed and strengthened.
The polar bear club has nothing on me!
The only problems are those damn motor boats and jet-skis, those idiots claiming they cant see me in the water.
They are loud as hell and the fumes stink.
It was so much better when it was just swimmers and sailboats, how I long for those days.