Messages

1

Urban Cycling / why bike?

« on: May 21, 2008, 09:13:46 pm »

My wife & I spend 6 months a year in Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley. Mission is a small town & I'm sure no kid here lives more than two miles from school. This is ideal bicyble tranportation country yet almost no one here cycles to work or to school. The climate is benign year round and the terrain is flat. At the end of the school day, there should be hundreds of kids on bikes streaming out of school yards.

Instead, the district BUSSES kids to & from school, a complete waste of money, IMHO. Those not on busses, get picked up by their parents, often driving 5,000 pound pickups and SUV's. This in a low crime small town with wide streets where it is safe for kids to cycle.

Crabby old John A.

2

Urban Cycling / what bike do you use for pure urban ridin'?

« on: May 21, 2008, 10:11:06 pm »

I have a mid eighties mountain bike that I have modified with narrow 26" wheels, freehub rear, a rear rack & alloy fenders.

An eclectic mix of old and new Shimano parts of various quality levels from XT to Tourney work together in amazing harmony.

There are two rear blinky lights (I don't trust just one) and a Nashbar LED front light, the latest of many front lights I have gone through over the years.

This bike has been ridden over bad roads, no roads, city streets & other unsavoury surfaces over the years, mostly in bad weather. I usually ride a better bike in good weather.

I tend to use Tioga City Slicker tires which always disappoint me with their fragile sidewalls and tendency to ozone crack prematurely.

I probably got this bike in 1998 or 1999.

Crabby old Uncle John

3

Urban Cycling / what bike do you use for pure urban ridin'?

« on: May 21, 2008, 09:56:45 pm »

I have two pair of this style pedal although they are not Shimano. One pair are Welgo and the other are Performance Bicycle's store brand.

They are OK and convenient for around town.

 Because of a hip rotation limitation on my right side, I can only use an SPD pedal for my left foot. I use a toe clip & strap on the other foot.

It takes a bit of concentration to flip the left pedal over to get the SPD side up so you can clip in.

Try before you buy, I'd say

Crabby old Uncle John

4

Urban Cycling / top bicycle-friendly cities and towns

« on: May 21, 2008, 10:40:44 pm »

My pet peeve is bike lanes or bike trails that just suddenly end for no reason, as if Scotty were there to beam you up.

Why should cyclists have to dismount to cross roads where they cross bike trails? Why can't cars yield to bicycles when the cars are coming out of side street?

Bike trails that are intended for transportation use should either follow major streets or be signed in such a way that orient the user by direction, distance, & destination.

Crabby old Uncle John