Messages

61

General Discussion / Bicycle Trip form Arizona to Alaska

« on: October 10, 2008, 12:02:41 pm »

I did the part from Banff to Jasper many years ago. You can stay in hostels, which I thought were fun. Lots of Brits, geologists, etc. Be prepared for hills. There aren't a lot of stores or restaurants along the way like in Wisconsin, for example. We went in August and had some snow in the mountain passes. There was a lot of traffic but you can bike on the shoulder.

62

General Discussion / Cross Country Bike Trip

« on: June 28, 2008, 03:04:13 pm »

Don't forget that carrying gear can slow you down noticeably.

63

General Discussion / Where's your bike taking you this summer!?

« on: March 22, 2008, 08:15:23 pm »

I want to take Amtrack from St. Paul to either Minot or Devil's Lake, ND, overnight on a Friday, bike ND for a day, then Amtrack back to St. Paul Sat to arrive on Sun morning.

Otherwise, I'd like to bike from Fort Snelling in the Twin Cities along the Minnesota River to Mankato on a mountain bike.

64

General Discussion / Bicycle Friendly States

« on: January 08, 2007, 10:52:59 pm »

I live in Minnesota but grew up in Wisconsin. Both are good bicycling states but for different reasons.

Wisconsin has a lot of secondary roads that are asphalt-covered, and the traffic levels are low enough that they are quite pleasant for bicycling. There are also a lot of small towns, close together. These are nice to stop in for a meal and/or a drink.

Minnesota has a lot fewer asphalt-covered roads and the towns are farther apart, but many more major roads are OK for bicycling, like state highway 1 that crosses the northern part of the state.

Both states have a lot of trails.

I would guess that West Virginia and Pennsylvania might be bad states unless you plan your route well. They are mountainous and the traffic is probably funnelled into the valleys. The population density is relatively high.

Some day I'd like to bike across Kansas. I've heard that their road system is good and I picture the area as unspoiled and unassuming. Also, relatively few hills.

65

General Discussion / Lazy North Americans?

« on: December 09, 2006, 09:09:40 pm »

Very interesting topic. Good to hear from other serious bikers on this matter.

I have a theory that in America most bikes have more miles put on being transported than being ridden. That might be an indicator of our laziness. I put on a lot of miles this year but I might have put on more miles carrying it on my car. I took it down to St. Louis, 1100 miles round trip, to ride on the Katy Trail in 105 degree weather.

66

General Discussion / Do I really need to carry a spare tire?

« on: November 12, 2006, 05:58:21 pm »

I shredded one just a few weeks ago. While going downhill at about 25 mph and checking behind me to change to the left lane I ran over a thin piece of spring steel that put a huge transverse cut in my tire and tube. I bike in the city mostly and never carry a spare tire. Luckily I was just a couple of blocks from home, so it wasn't a big problem.

67

General Discussion / Need info about Glacier-Banff

« on: August 17, 2006, 10:33:29 pm »

I rode this route in about 1980. I drove out from Minnesota with three others but the fifth person in our group drove to Winnipeg and took the Canadian train from there to Banff, I believe. He claimed that the Canadian train is better than Amtrack. You don't say where you are travelling from but if it were me I'd probably take the Canadian train. Watch out for snow, though. I did that route in mid-August and we got snowed on one day, though it didn't accumulate on the ground. You might have trouble in September.

As far as transportation between Banff and Glacier, have you checked the Glacier hotels or called Amtrack? I would think you could find something.

I checked the Empire Builder schedule. There is nothing listed there.

68

General Discussion / Cycling maps?

« on: June 09, 2006, 06:28:40 pm »

I've found that changing preferences to the "shortest" route can give you a reasonably good bike route. The programs generally give you the "best" or "quickest" route for a car.

69

General Discussion / Bicycle Lawyers

« on: May 11, 2006, 02:29:16 pm »

Interesting questions. I did a search on "Bicycle Lawyer" and a ton of them popped up. The first one, with the address "bicyclelawyer.com", looked pretty good. He's a California lawyer who specializes in bicycle cases, is an avid bicyclist, and has published several articles. In one of the articles he said:

"What should you do if you're involved in an accident?
First, get medical care if you need it. Cooperate with the police, even if they seem hostile. Get names and addresses of witnesses. Police officers, especially those in big cities, are often too busy to do this. And preserve evidence. Don't fix your bike, don't wash your clothes-they're important indicators of how the accident occurred. If you feel your rights have been violated and you have sustained a serious injury-something beyond scrapes and bruises-contact a lawyer."

So to answer your questions:

when should an injured person contact a lawyer? If you feel your rights have been violated and you have sustained a serious injury.

should the lawyer be a specialist in bicycle laws? My opinion is that a good specialist would generally be a better choice.

should the lawyer be local? Depends on where you are, I suppose, but in a more populous area I'd opt for local.

how do you find such a lawyer? As in anything, word of mouth is best but I was able to find many candidates through a web search.

have you personally had experience with a bike accident where you got a lawyer? I haven't. In nearly 50 years of cycling I've had a few close calls but nothing with significant damage. A couple of times I've skidded about 30 feet. Let me tell you it gets your blood pumping. Expect to be raging. I'm pretty mild-mannered but that's how I reacted.

70

General Discussion / anyone biked across the US in 15 days or less?

« on: January 11, 2006, 08:11:21 pm »

I remember an article in Bicycling magazine about a guy who had the speed record for many years. He rode a penny farthing bike on railroad tracks in the 1890's. I can't say for sure how long it took but the number that comes to mind is 10 days. Is that possible? The article I'm refering to appeared in the late 1970's or early '80's.