Cycling

[Jonathan]

The only trolleys we have now are really just shuttle buses made up to look like trolleys, heh.

Fixed the link.

All the info at those links is a bit much. I've been trying to wrap my head around how we do it, dropping all presumptions. So far I'm at a stage where every answer leads to several more questions. It strains my capacity to think clearly about these things at the moment.

(Is that a question?)

Slight misinterpretation of intent on my part.

Other main roads can be a bit more hectic, however. I mean, going uphill in a 35mph zone (where everyone drives 45mph) with a car on your ass and others whizzing by ain't so fun. For me, anyway.

Wha?

[sinewav]

Saw this at the athletics store today, purchased immediately and installed in the parking lot. Went for model "Disc-O" (cycles through all colors) because I can't make decisions. Looks nice on my all black bike with black hardware.

[Jonathan]

Adding epicycles?

Yesterday I encountered a pair of cyclists who needed all of a 5.5 m (18 ft) wide road. You literally (literally literally) couldn't pass anywhere without risking a collision. I did try one time without drawing their attention (which tends to be time-consuming if not slightly dangerous with such people), but one of them swerved all the way to the left well ahead of their turn at the next junction, forcing me to brake. Swerve some more, never look or indicate. At least they were out of my way pretty soon.

[Lucifer]

We have bicycle cops in downtown and around Zilker park. They're supported by squad cars parked out of the patrol zone with cops standing by ready to come in with the car if an arrest is needed. But even when there's an arrest, the bike cop will tend to just walk the suspect to the nearest patrol car.

Every weekend downtown thousands of people gather and they barricade certain streets.

Every. Damn. Weekend.

We used to have a lot more mounted cops, but I think Phyto's right that bike cops are displacing the mounted cops. One thing bike cops can do that a lot of squad car cops can't: Chase a suspect that's on foot.

So, yeah, they're there ffor presence, and under the old adage "You might able to outrun the cops, but you can't outrun the radio". The bike cops always have generous support. They're the most vulnerable cops on the road, after all.

[nux]

So, yeah, they're there ffor presence, and under the old adage "You might able to outrun the cops, but you can't outrun the radio". The bike cops always have generous support. They're the most vulnerable cops on the road, after all.

Are there no on-foot cops where you live? I live in a small city (i believe we are close to 200k inhabs) and there arent many motorized cops on patrol; only a handful and distributed throughout the city.

[Lucifer]

So, yeah, they're there ffor presence, and under the old adage "You might able to outrun the cops, but you can't outrun the radio". The bike cops always have generous support. They're the most vulnerable cops on the road, after all.

Are there no on-foot cops where you live? I live in a small city (i believe we are close to 200k inhabs) and there arent many motorized cops on patrol; only a handful and distributed throughout the city.

No, foot cops have been rolled into cycle cops. No more horses or walking, all cycling, basically.

[Phytotron]

All the info at those links is a bit much. I've been trying to wrap my head around how we do it, dropping all presumptions. So far I'm at a stage where every answer leads to several more questions. It strains my capacity to think clearly about these things at the moment.

And that's just one city!

Are there no on-foot cops where you live?

I can't remember the last time, possibly never, that I saw the old-fashioned "cop on the beat." The old foot patrols strolling through the town square, twirling their batons while whistling a jaunty tune, greeting every passerby with a polite hello.

That is of course excluding ones you see stop into a store, or working security at an event or what have you.

Saw this at the athletics store today, purchased immediately and installed in the parking lot. Went for model "Disc-O" (cycles through all colors) because I can't make decisions. Looks nice on my all black bike with black hardware.

Way to follow Tom Owen's safety observations—be seen! And with that thing, be fierce (::snap::) while you're at it, I guess, heh.

[sinewav]

Way to follow Tom Owen's safety observations—be seen! And with that thing, be fierce (::snap::) while you're at it, I guess, heh.

My girlfriend in Austin yelled at me today about not wearing a helmet. So I went to the store and looked at them, but damn, they seem pretty flimsy. I guess anything is better between your skull and cement/metal/glass, but I haven't been able to visualize myself in safety gear yet. This is the immature 10 year old sinewav on dirt BMX trails taking over my reasoning again. Strangely, this is counter to how I am at work. On the job I wear full safety gear (glasses, gloves, steel-toes, etc) where the other guys only wear steel toes when they remember.

I'll get there soon. Austin girl was like "you are important in my life don't die" and I was like "oh, yeah, I should work on that..."

[Phytotron]

I don't know what kind of helmets you saw, but keep in mind it's also the design, not just the material. Totally speculating here, but the ones you saw may have been very lightweight, but also high-quality, and thus more expensive. By law, they all have to meet minimum safety standards set by the CPSC, so you're not going to be getting something useless. Just make sure you know how to fit it properly.

Maybe the BMX kid in you would prefer a half shell style, like these from Bell.

[sinewav]

Maybe the BMX kid in you would prefer a half shell style, like these from Bell.

Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind. But, there are no plain half-shells anywhere within reasonable biking distance, so I will have to order one separately, then do my own custom paint job when it arrives. In the meantime I picked up a generic Bell pavement helmet. It's got some flashing LEDs built into the back of it, which was a selling point for me. And I started to think the heavy ventilation was a good idea considering it's still 90+ degrees here and will be for some time (too... hot...).

[Phytotron]

I will have to order one separately, then do my own custom paint job when it arrives.

Do I foresee a Tron (original, of course) helmet design? You could get that blue one and put some pearlescent paint on it, heh.

it's still 90+ degrees here and will be for some time

Jealous.

[Lucifer]

it's still 90+ degrees here and will be for some time

Jealous.

He's misstating the situation, I believe. It's been 70s/80s with some low 90s every now and then for the last couple of weeks. At least, in Austin. And every morning we've been overcast.

Beautiful, lovely weather. Not cold, but looks like winter. I love Texas (but I hate Rick Perry).

[Jonathan]

A lovely blog by David Hembrow, expat from the UK: A view from the cycle path. Dispelling myths and showing what cycling really means in the Netherlands. If you ever wonder about anything, look there.

If you want a more critical but well-informed source, focused more on longer distances and such, try recumbent/velomobile riders (Hembrow happens to be one, but doesn't usually write from that perspective) who are usually pretty serious about it. I find I align with their values very well. Most of them only write in Dutch, however. Keep in mind that it's on an entirely different level than the ignorant nonsense often coming from outside the country; they don't want to invalidate most of our current approach. Compared to those differences they're really speaking of refinements and applying best practices consistently.

[delinquent]

Sweet Christ, I need those things that Sine has for my wheels too.

Wait... what if I put them on my car?

[Jonathan]

Beware of centrifugal force, I'd say; car wheels are smaller, but above all the force is proportional to speed squared.