ProHi Bikers: Please Learn how to Ride (BK ain't the 'Burbs)
Comments
-
Karl the Druid wrote: [add to joke below]
want me to brew you some lube?
a stroller, a bike, and skateboard walk into a coffee shop
the barista says... -
liftandcut wrote: A few weeks ago I was flying down a long-ass hill in the Slope probably doing about 25 and one of my wheels popped off. One of the worst spills I've taken that didn't involve a trick. It was one of those that I didn't see coming and I fell crazy awkwardly. Did something really bad to the gluteal muscles on my right side. Couldn't walk for a week.
Those are the worst kind. It is one thing when you are trying something, and you know you may make it or fail, but it is another when something just comes out of left field and smacks you down. Plus you have to make a good story to go with it.
liftandcut wrote: That's really cool that you got to skate with Vallely. I remember the kind of stuff he was doing back then. Really ill, dope tricks. I remember when he got on Powell around '86 people used to say he had orange eyes because he was so aggro. I was 15 and because of Vallely and Natas, all I did was spend hours busting up my hands learning ollie airwalks and ollie judos. Ahh, the good, young days... Yo, if I can, I'll try to make copies of his show and get 'em to you.
Ah, the good ole cowboy.
Yeah, that would be pretty cool, I'd even buy you a beer or something.
WhyFi, it was a reference to a TV show, no worries. But two .wav files.
http://dogwood.phpwebhosting.com/~tvshrine/buffy/b-wskanky.wav
http://dogwood.phpwebhosting.com/~tvshrine/buffy/b-wbored.wav -
Karl the Druid wrote: a stroller, a bike, and skateboard walk into a coffee shop. the barista says...
What is this, some kind of joke?
Does anyone here have a speedometer on their stroller? Otherwise we have no reason to believe claims about their speed or lack thereof. -
doctorj wrote: Does anyone here have a speedometer on their stroller? Otherwise we have no reason to believe claims about their speed or lack thereof.
Well, I don't, but my friend rode along side on his Vespa and unofficially clocked me at 17 blocks per hour. -
haha there's so much BS in this thread. none of you have ever been above 30 on a skateboard or 40 on a bike on flat land.
-
alafarinadia, doctorj, there are no correct answers, but here's mine:
a stroller, a bike, and skateboard walk into a coffee shop
the barista says...
1) you guys look tired
2) be gone, we don't serve the t-irish
3) is one of you the mommy? -
evan wrote: haha there's so much BS in this thread. none of you have ever been above 30 on a skateboard or 40 on a bike on flat land.
Although with a 100mph tailwind you can pick up a lot of speed, even in a stroller. The trick is not to become airborne, and not to attempt any sharp turns. -
Subject: good topic
Nice talk we had labor day morning. Things are so evident on what we discussed by the way your thread started and how it's ending.
Peace, see you at 48 paces from your location. -
On the plus side, this thread has helped inspire me to further pursue the purchase of a fixie. 'Cause I want to inspire vitriol as only "fix gear idiots" can. I promise to ride bare headed and not put any brakes on it.
-
brakes are overrated. I had this awesome 1975 mercedes when I was in high school (purchased for a whopping $1k) and, in addition to a bizarro starter - I had to pull out this one knobby thing, wait 30 seconds, then turn the key and push the knobby thing back in to start the fucker - it had a really weird gear shift. basically, every time you shifted gears, you needed to hang out in neutral for a few seconds to let the flywheel slow down before you shifted to the next gear or you ran the risk of breaking the flywheel. I believe modernization lead to this crazy synchromesh thing. in any "pumping" the brakes slowly. but a lot of the time, I'd be on the highway, heading toward a toll booth, and realize the brakes weren't working, so I'd have to begin the slow downshifting process while I "pumped" the brakes. took forever. which I sometimes didn't have. but. no accidents!! thankfully, a balsero had been sent by castro to germany to learn how to repair ancient mercedes so he was able to fix the brakes. sold the car for much more than $1k!!
so, dagnabbit, you don't need brakes! -
howdareu wrote: Nice talk we had labor day morning. Things are so evident on what we discussed by the way your thread started and how it's ending.
No doubt, man. Yeah, it's the same 'ol, same 'ol on DH, but hey, I guess I knew that would happen when I started this thread. We'll bivouac and have a cold one 48 paces from the drop location.
To set the record straight:
I have gone really fast on flat.
I have gone really, really fast downhill.
I have caught a late-night city bus going uphill on 2nd Ave. in the the upper east 70's on 53mm 100A wheels. Took me ten blocks but I did it. Driver said he would have slowed down but was having too much fun watching me chase him. I was 27, however.
All of you who have chosen to take my original post the wrong way, become sensitive and mad about it, and cried over and over in your posts like babies: go find a therapist. Brooklyn Social Therapy Group is excellent. I used to go. Go drink to much and feel guilty about it. Or better yet, come join me for a beer or a fruity drink sometime.
All of you maroons who have been throwing the "gas guzzler" speech around need to do this: first, throw out all of your paraffin wax candles,(yes, i know it's hard for you candle addicts to imagine), don't EVER take a plastic or paper grocery bag home again, replace your plastic tupperware with glass tupperware; start to replace all of your cool t-shirts with organic cotton and organic dye shirts, begin to replace and phase out the rest of your wardrobe, and quit smoking. I have done all of those things. Secondly, wear masks in the subways because the steel and iron dust from the train wheels is linked to higher rates of lung cancer in people who work in, or ride the subway frequently. Go do something real to make an impact on the environment, instead of pulling that borish and trite "fossil fuel" card again, and never, ever, call a car service, or take a cab again. Lastly, please recycle your Metrocards. -
liftandcut wrote: No doubt, man. Yeah, it's the same 'ol, same 'ol on DH, but hey, I guess I knew that would happen when I started this thread.
Do you think that the tone of your criticisms allows anyone to take them seriously? I give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you're a wise-ass in person, and that most of what you say would be delivered with a smirk, thus your tone makes me want to bust your balls over absurd claims, like 40mph on flat ground. -
alafairnadia wrote: brakes are overrated. I had this awesome 1975 mercedes when I was in high school (purchased for a whopping $1k) and, in addition to a bizarro starter - I had to pull out this one knobby thing, wait 30 seconds, then turn the key and push the knobby thing back in to start the fucker - it had a really weird gear shift. basically, every time you shifted gears, you needed to hang out in neutral for a few seconds to let the flywheel slow down before you shifted to the next gear or you ran the risk of breaking the flywheel. I believe modernization lead to this crazy synchromesh thing. in any "pumping" the brakes slowly. but a lot of the time, I'd be on the highway, heading toward a toll booth, and realize the brakes weren't working, so I'd have to begin the slow downshifting process while I "pumped" the brakes. took forever. which I sometimes didn't have. but. no accidents!! thankfully, a balsero had been sent by castro to germany to learn how to repair ancient mercedes so he was able to fix the brakes. sold the car for much more than $1k!!
Lol. About a lifetime ago I was kid with a '69 VW squareback that I paid a whopping $700 for. But it fit boards, bikes, guitars, amps, friends, etc, so it was alright. Overnight once someone cut my brake lines. That was interesting at the first corner. Luckily the car possessed an adequate e-brake, activated by a hand lever along the driver. As a possessor of _no_ money, I quickly figured out that the hand brake could be used for _all_ braking. That worked for several weeks before it was burned out, and freaked anyone out riding in the car to boot. I was always worried that we would have to pop the doors and Fred Flintstone it at some point. My buddy had a motorcycle that was braked by putting your feet down in the same era, he went through a hell of a lot of shoes before he sold it.
so, dagnabbit, you don't need brakes!
It is a wonder youth isn't _more_ fleeting with stories like these... -
liftandcut wrote:
haha you give yourself far too much credit, first in your claimed abilities to hit high speeds on various wheeled contraptions and secondly in your ability to effect folks on here's mood. i don't see anyone getting worked up. just cause people dispute your claims or argue your points doesn't mean anyone is bothered.howdareu wrote: Nice talk we had labor day morning. Things are so evident on what we discussed by the way your thread started and how it's ending.
No doubt, man. Yeah, it's the same 'ol, same 'ol on DH, but hey, I guess I knew that would happen when I started this thread. We'll bivouac and have a cold one 48 paces from the drop location.
To set the record straight:
I have gone really fast on flat.
I have gone really, really fast downhill.
I have caught a late-night city bus going uphill on 2nd Ave. in the the upper east 70's on 53mm 100A wheels. Took me ten blocks but I did it. Driver said he would have slowed down but was having too much fun watching me chase him. I was 27, however.
All of you who have chosen to take my original post the wrong way, become sensitive and mad about it, and cried over and over in your posts like babies: go find a therapist. Brooklyn Social Therapy Group is excellent. I used to go. Go drink to much and feel guilty about it. Or better yet, come join me for a beer or a fruity drink sometime.
All of you maroons who have been throwing the "gas guzzler" speech around need to do this: first, throw out all of your paraffin wax candles,(yes, i know it's hard for you candle addicts to imagine), don't EVER take a plastic or paper grocery bag home again, replace your plastic tupperware with glass tupperware; start to replace all of your cool t-shirts with organic cotton and organic dye shirts, begin to replace and phase out the rest of your wardrobe, and quit smoking. I have done all of those things. Secondly, wear masks in the subways because the steel and iron dust from the train wheels is linked to higher rates of lung cancer in people who work in, or ride the subway frequently. Go do something real to make an impact on the environment, instead of pulling that borish and trite "fossil fuel" card again, and never, ever, call a car service, or take a cab again. Lastly, please recycle your Metrocards.
anyway, i ride all the time in prospect park. lemme know when you want me to put my computer back on my bike and we can check your top speed on your bike and skateboard. i'm not saying you can't go "fast", but that what you think feels like 30 or 40 mph is probably significantly less. -
Frankly, who cares how fast you can go on a bike or a skateboard? and i've yet to understand why i need a lecture from you on how to bike, esp. since you're now a driver. As a public school teacher i must say, if you wanted to educate others as opposed to just coming across like a prick, you took the wrong approach.
Lets face it, the bigger problem is that most cars don't know how to bike with cyclists, thinking they need to drive in the middle of the road when one lane has enough room for both the car and the cyclist.
I too hate people biking on the sidewalks, its hard to know if/when they are coming going to come on the streets, and its just dangerous.
I lived in Amsterdam for five months this year, where no one wears helmets and biking down small, narrow, one way streets is commonplace. Its legal for riders to ride two abreast, and cars yield for cyclists. Bike lanes are mostly off street and have their own traffic light system. Instead of complaining that bikers aren't as cool as you because they don't follow some set of rules you've decided they need to follow, why don't we all work to get better bike lanes, to educate people to look for bikes when crossing streets and to share the road with each other? Thats what i experienced in the Netherlands, and in some other major cities in Europe like Paris and London and it could be possible here. -
I lived in Amsterdam for five months this year
Frankly, who cares if you lived in Amsterdam for five months this year?
And to whyfi and evan and anyone else, I lied. I can actually do 55 on flat, and I basically walk 3 inches above the ground. I make things appear like high level Guptas, and I melt snow around me like Tibetan monks. What else... Oh, I'm supper cool, 7' tall, and I have really big hands. Now I'm at the point where I'm thrilled you all love the content of my post so much that you are all calm and not mad and have given a lot of thought to it. Thanks! I still love you all, and I look forward to having you all over to my place. Peace! -
daver wrote: [quote=bill c]doored on my way into work today. fortunately not seriously hurt. you people.
That blows. Words of advice:Getting doored accounts for up to 8 percent of bike-car accidents, according to the bikers' bible "Effective Cycling" by John Forester. A Metropolitan Area Planning Council study of bike-car accidents in the Boston area (within Route 128) in 1979-80 put the figure at 5.3 percent, said Paul Schimek of Boston, a certified Effective Cycling instructor.
http://www.ltolman.org/99arch/502doored.htm
The problem is that cyclists are afraid a car will strike them from behind, so they ride too close to parked cars, said John S. Allen of Waltham, author of "Street Smarts: Bicycling's Traffic Survival Guide."
However, that fear is misplaced, Allen said. Straight-line, rear-end collisions account for only about 0.5 percent of bike-car collisions. Car doors are a greater threat.
The solution is simple: Ride at least 3 feet to the left of parked cars. If that doesn't leave cars room to pass, the drivers will just have to wait, Allen writes in his guide "How to Ride in Boston Traffic -- Or Anywhere."
the guy was double parked in my lane and i tried to go around him. i've been riding to work pretty much every day for the last 16 years and this was my first dooring incident. but thanks for the good advice. -
Daver yuo are avoiding me and i want answers!
-
liftandcut wrote: ...and I basically walk 3 inches above the ground.
Two I can believe, but three? Doubtful. -
WhyFi wrote: [quote=liftandcut]...and I basically walk 3 inches above the ground.
Two I can believe, but three? Doubtful.
Three's not so hard, like doing 55 on flat. All you need is a category 5 storm. The tricky part is leaving it at 3. Best to wear spoilers on your arms, to take advantage of the ground effect. -
duckie wrote: Frankly, who cares how fast you can go on a bike or a skateboard? and i've yet to understand why i need a lecture from you on how to bike, esp. since you're now a driver. As a public school teacher i must say, if you wanted to educate others as opposed to just coming across like a prick, you took the wrong approach.
Good point. I concur. I wish we would catch up with Europe in that way, and others too (like health care, energy conservation efforts etc.).
Lets face it, the bigger problem is that most cars don't know how to bike with cyclists, thinking they need to drive in the middle of the road when one lane has enough room for both the car and the cyclist.
I too hate people biking on the sidewalks, its hard to know if/when they are coming going to come on the streets, and its just dangerous.
I lived in Amsterdam for five months this year, where no one wears helmets and biking down small, narrow, one way streets is commonplace. Its legal for riders to ride two abreast, and cars yield for cyclists. Bike lanes are mostly off street and have their own traffic light system. Instead of complaining that bikers aren't as cool as you because they don't follow some set of rules you've decided they need to follow, why don't we all work to get better bike lanes, to educate people to look for bikes when crossing streets and to share the road with each other? Thats what i experienced in the Netherlands, and in some other major cities in Europe like Paris and London and it could be possible here.
And to all the boys one-upping each other...b-o-r-i-n-g! -
Here's the thing:
I don't care if you know how to bike well, and you just have to let me know, and that you think the drivers are the problem. I don't need to know any of that. Why some of you need to constantly stress the fact that you know how to ride a cruiser, a fix, a hybrid or a road bike is completely beyond me. Congratulations, and good for you. Hooray for the fact that you are a good biker. Whoopee. But how is any of that relevant to my original post?
I never said that all bikers are a menace. I used words like "so many of you," (who don't know how to ride), and "most of you" (who don't know how to ride). I was ticked off at those bikers who really cause problems in the streets. I didn't even mention the sidewalks which is another problem entirely. Bikers should move with the flow of traffic as best they can, and be defensive, and vocal. Getting doored is just a risk that has to be accepted. If you're scared of that, don't bike at all, and definitely don't bike in the path of cars. Riding in the middle of wide, multi-lane, one-way streets (like 6th Ave. in Manhattan) is an old messenger and aggressive biker trick which keeps bikers visible to drivers. Yes, it's harder to do in Brooklyn, and yes, many Brooklyn drivers are horrible drivers. I didn't think it was necessary to write over an over that I wasn't addressing all bikers in my OP so as not to upset some of you. Wow. Such typical DH thread disintegration, and misreading. Everybody needs to puff out their chests. "Wah, wah. I'm not a bad biker."
"Wah, wah. Drivers are bad, and cars are bad for the environment."
Hey duckie: This is not Paris, London, or the Netherlands. This is NYC and it wasn't well designed for cars or bikes, and that's the way it is. I'm so happy for you that you've traveled to those places and had a good biking experience. Here's a medal. This is America and we are Americans and we work together sometimes and sometimes we are real selfish. Go move to Europe if the biking is so good there. Jeez. -
liftandcut wrote: This is NYC and it wasn't well designed for cars or bikes, and that's the way it is.
Oh c'mon. Huge chunks of the city are constantly being torn up and reconfigured. Buildings get knocked down and new ones put up. Whole neighborhoods, even. So why would anyone think that the streets can't be reconfigured to accomodate bike lanes?
Then if the bad bikers are in their own lane, liftandcut won't even be bothered a bit. -
Then if the bad bikers are in their own lane, liftandcut won't even be bothered a bit.
YAY!
Actually, parts of the city have been reconfigured over the years, Manhattan's West Side promenade has been expanded, bike lanes with island dividers have been built, bike lanes have been removed, and other things have been tried but in the end, it's too many cars, too many people, too many bikes, and scooters. Too many everything. That's New York. -
so much whining
-
liftandcut wrote:
And don't forget, the tinfoil you use for your hat. Stop buying it.howdareu wrote: Nice talk we had labor day morning. Things are so evident on what we discussed by the way your thread started and how it's ending.
No doubt, man. Yeah, it's the same 'ol, same 'ol on DH, but hey, I guess I knew that would happen when I started this thread. We'll bivouac and have a cold one 48 paces from the drop location.
To set the record straight:
I have gone really fast on flat.
I have gone really, really fast downhill.
I have caught a late-night city bus going uphill on 2nd Ave. in the the upper east 70's on 53mm 100A wheels. Took me ten blocks but I did it. Driver said he would have slowed down but was having too much fun watching me chase him. I was 27, however.
All of you who have chosen to take my original post the wrong way, become sensitive and mad about it, and cried over and over in your posts like babies: go find a therapist. Brooklyn Social Therapy Group is excellent. I used to go. Go drink to much and feel guilty about it. Or better yet, come join me for a beer or a fruity drink sometime.
All of you maroons who have been throwing the "gas guzzler" speech around need to do this: first, throw out all of your paraffin wax candles,(yes, i know it's hard for you candle addicts to imagine), don't EVER take a plastic or paper grocery bag home again, replace your plastic tupperware with glass tupperware; start to replace all of your cool t-shirts with organic cotton and organic dye shirts, begin to replace and phase out the rest of your wardrobe, and quit smoking. I have done all of those things. Secondly, wear masks in the subways because the steel and iron dust from the train wheels is linked to higher rates of lung cancer in people who work in, or ride the subway frequently. Go do something real to make an impact on the environment, instead of pulling that borish and trite "fossil fuel" card again, and never, ever, call a car service, or take a cab again. Lastly, please recycle your Metrocards.
Oh yeah, don't use money either. It takes so much to make paper and especially metal money. -
evan wrote: so much whining
That's what it comes down to
For my birthday I just changed my Raleigh 10 speed to a fixed gear... wish me luck
But yea I think liftandcut just likes to hear himself speak -
But yea I think liftandcut just likes to hear himself speak
Hmm, is that what we're doing now- "hearing" written words? Looks like you need one of my tinfoil hats too. -
Subject: wax and plastic bags...
...do not a gas guzzler make.liftandcut wrote:
howdareu wrote: Nice talk we had labor day morning. Things are so evident on what we discussed by the way your thread started and how it's ending.
No doubt, man. Yeah, it's the same 'ol, same 'ol on DH, but hey, I guess I knew that would happen when I started this thread. We'll bivouac and have a cold one 48 paces from the drop location.
To set the record straight:
I have gone really fast on flat.
I have gone really, really fast downhill.
I have caught a late-night city bus going uphill on 2nd Ave. in the the upper east 70's on 53mm 100A wheels. Took me ten blocks but I did it. Driver said he would have slowed down but was having too much fun watching me chase him. I was 27, however.
All of you who have chosen to take my original post the wrong way, become sensitive and mad about it, and cried over and over in your posts like babies: go find a therapist. Brooklyn Social Therapy Group is excellent. I used to go. Go drink to much and feel guilty about it. Or better yet, come join me for a beer or a fruity drink sometime.
All of you maroons who have been throwing the "gas guzzler" speech around need to do this: first, throw out all of your paraffin wax candles,(yes, i know it's hard for you candle addicts to imagine), don't EVER take a plastic or paper grocery bag home again, replace your plastic tupperware with glass tupperware; start to replace all of your cool t-shirts with organic cotton and organic dye shirts, begin to replace and phase out the rest of your wardrobe, and quit smoking. I have done all of those things. Secondly, wear masks in the subways because the steel and iron dust from the train wheels is linked to higher rates of lung cancer in people who work in, or ride the subway frequently. Go do something real to make an impact on the environment, instead of pulling that borish and trite "fossil fuel" card again, and never, ever, call a car service, or take a cab again. Lastly, please recycle your Metrocards. -
Bicyclists are certainly rude and thoughtless -- about 1/10 as much as drivers are. I both ride and drive, and the bicyclists have the short end of the stick.
If you, as a driver, never park in bike lanes, never double park (and yes, if a car is double-parked so there's barely enough room for a car, I will ride in the middle of the street and I will take my lane which I have a legal right to until I get past that double-parked car, regardless of whether you honk like a ----head.), always yield when you''re turning, and never open your door into traffic without looking, then maybe you have a right to talk.
But you do all of those things without thinking about it, I'm sure, like 99% of the drivers in NYC including myself. So calm your cranky self down, drive your car, and remember that that bike could be another car getting you stuck in traffic.
Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
- 40K All Categories
- 27.1K Neighborhoods
- 5.1K Crown Heights/Prospect Lefferts Gardens
- 7.1K Prospect Heights
- 2.3K Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy
- 8K Park Slope
- 549 Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick
- 442 Flatbush/Midwood/Ditmas Park
- 657 BoCoCa (Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens)
- 151 Red Hook
- 104 Gowanus
- 304 Bay Ridge/Bensonhurst
- 130 Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay
- 270 Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO and Downtown
- 598 Windsor Terrace / Kensington
- 673 Greenwood Heights and Sunset Park
- 749 Brooklyn and Beyond
- 6.3K Stuff
- 86 Brooklyn Back When
- 1.2K Brooklyn Pets
- 257 Brooklyn Kids
- 241 Brooklyn Eats
- 51 Brooklyn Booze
- 3.6K The Lounge / Random Stuff
- 611 Brooklyn Politics
- 122 Brooklyn Sports and Fitness
- 111 Brooklyn Photos
- 339 Site Issues
- 8 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- 6.2K Listings
- 1.1K APARTMENTS and REAL ESTATE
- 1.3K Sales Openings Events
- 2.3K The Classifieds