User login

Cycling, anyone?

30 replies [Last post]
LisaMurphy's picture
LisaMurphy
Offline
Administrator
female
California
Joined: 03/20/2010

Any followers of road cycling here? Who enjoyed the Tour de Suisse?

"Now you shall get an earful of my beloved sword! Behold, Pillow Talk! Let's rock, baby!"

ROB_88's picture
ROB_88
Offline
Citizen
male
up north
Joined: 11/11/2009

about time this topic get atleast one reply.
if you're talking cycling as a sport i couldn't care less, but i do like it as a means of transportation.
whenever possible i prefer to take the bike rather than car or bus, even in winter although the snow does make it a bit unsteady.

Things will not calm down, Daniel Jackson. They will in fact calm up

LisaMurphy's picture
LisaMurphy
Offline
Administrator
female
California
Joined: 03/20/2010

Thanks for replying, ROB_88. I'm afraid I'm the opposite to you: I love cycling as a sport, but would rather not ride. It's just too dangerous in the car-crazy USA. Here in San Francisco, they hold a big group ride on one Friday evening of every month. It's astonishing how car drivers foam at the mouth in rage and complain to the police - because cyclists want to use the roads one day of the month! Unbelievable.

The one time I rode Lance Armstrong's Ride for the Roses, there were people protesting it - and it's only one day a year! Insanity.

But, happy riding to you. You're making the world a better place. Smile

"Now you shall get an earful of my beloved sword! Behold, Pillow Talk! Let's rock, baby!"

Lilkanyon's picture
Lilkanyon
Offline
Citizen
female
Weed, CA
Joined: 11/05/2009

No kidding Lisa about dangerous. I used to ride every day to work when living in the Bay Area and it was life and death. I even had an orange thrown at me. (And I was on the bike path!) If it had went in my spokes, I would not be here today. I rode a mt. bike (and still do when I have time) as transportation but the US is not "bike friendly" even with the 'safety precautions' in place. You have a better chance of surviving in India on a bike then the US.

Here's to you as good as you are. Here's to me as bad as I am. As bad as I am, and as good as you are, I'm as good as you are, as bad as I am.

Fly Like an Eagle's picture
Fly Like an Eagle
Offline
Citizen
male
CBus, Ohizzle
Joined: 11/11/2009

I'm sorry but I fucking hate cyclists. They take up the whole road during the weekends and want to be treated as cars but then don't obey traffic laws and signals. It's ridiculous. One of these days I'm just going to plow through the lot of them.

Live by the creed, die by the creed!
Pussy, money, weed, that's all a n*gga need!

stabguy's picture
stabguy
Offline
Administrator
male
Honolulu, HI USA
Joined: 09/15/2009

I respect cyclists as long as they follow the rules of the road or the rules of the sidewalk. You're either a car or a pedestrian. Pick one set of rules and stick with them. I'm impressed with cyclists who can ride in traffic and keep up with the cars. What I don't like is the cyclist who holds up traffic (even though there's a perfectly good bike lane), gets to a red light and turns into the crosswalk because pedestrians have the green light. Angry

You won't even feel the blade.

LisaMurphy's picture
LisaMurphy
Offline
Administrator
female
California
Joined: 03/20/2010

Wow, FLAE. Got an opinion? Big smile

"Now you shall get an earful of my beloved sword! Behold, Pillow Talk! Let's rock, baby!"

IanXO4's picture
IanXO4
Offline
Administrator
male
Joined: 10/08/2009

i used to cycle A LOT (several hundred miles per week). i would say "if you want to be treated like a car, you gotta act like one." that means going an appropriate speed on the road so you dont hold up traffic, stopping at lights, not passing stopped cars at red lights, etc. if i wanted to use a crosswalk or sidewalk, i would get off my bike and walk to do so.

unfortunately, overwhelmingly most US cyclists dont follow this simple principle, which is too bad because it makes drivers bitter toward them. i think the once per month "critical mass" protest in SF is ridiculous. you dont get sympathy by acting like a jerk. "critical manners" is a much better approach.

ROB_88's picture
ROB_88
Offline
Citizen
male
up north
Joined: 11/11/2009

ok, i have to say i don't understand that.
here it's very bike-friendly. but of course we use the sidewalk. it's very rare to see a bike among the cars.

i do have one unrelated problem with the bike though. when i'm riding i for a long time at once my balls start to hurt, am i doing something wrong or what?
and yes, now you're thinking about my balls

Things will not calm down, Daniel Jackson. They will in fact calm up

lightchipster's picture
lightchipster
Offline
Citizen
male
Joined: 11/29/2009

I used to cycle to school, god its stressful, cars overtaking you, pulling out suddenly in front of you, I prefer the bus to be honest, I can relax there.

Thanks to SBIzokronus for the fantastic sig!

JoeyFogey's picture
JoeyFogey
Offline
Administrator
male
Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 02/16/2010
IanXO4 wrote:
i think the once per month "critical mass" protest in SF is ridiculous.

I guess we can assume that Ian is in/from San Francisco. We'll find out who you are one day! Wink

PSN: JoeyFogey

Steam: JoeyFogey

Instagram: thatsketchyhero

lightchipster's picture
lightchipster
Offline
Citizen
male
Joined: 11/29/2009
JoeyFogey wrote:
IanXO4 wrote:
i think the once per month "critical mass" protest in SF is ridiculous.

I guess we can assume that Ian is in/from San Francisco. We'll find out who you are one day! Wink

I just like to think of him as a mysterious figure who has "wicked skills" at AC. Ian, if your reading this, I still remember that convo on chat when I first joined acmaps though Wink

Thanks to SBIzokronus for the fantastic sig!

IanXO4's picture
IanXO4
Offline
Administrator
male
Joined: 10/08/2009

haha! thx. there are only a handful of non-family members who know who IanXO4 is, and id like to keep it that way.

LisaMurphy's picture
LisaMurphy
Offline
Administrator
female
California
Joined: 03/20/2010

Well, Ian could have heard about some dust-ups at Critical Mass a few years ago when the former mayor of S.F. (an attention hog if there ever was one) inserted himself in a silly way and everything blew out of proportion. He wouldn't need to be in San Francisco to hear about that.

He can keep his secrets!

And Ian is right about many cyclists having bad manners, but a lot of car drivers do too.

Sorry, ROB_88, but I can't help you with your problem. Shy

"Now you shall get an earful of my beloved sword! Behold, Pillow Talk! Let's rock, baby!"

lightchipster's picture
lightchipster
Offline
Citizen
male
Joined: 11/29/2009

Sig quoted Rob Wink

Thanks to SBIzokronus for the fantastic sig!

ROB_88's picture
ROB_88
Offline
Citizen
male
up north
Joined: 11/11/2009
joecool280 wrote:
Sig quoted Rob Wink

haha, that's pretty funny when taken out of context. Big smile
secon time total i've been sig quoted

EDIT: stabby, what did i do? why is this post separete?

Things will not calm down, Daniel Jackson. They will in fact calm up

stabguy's picture
stabguy
Offline
Administrator
male
Honolulu, HI USA
Joined: 09/15/2009
ROB_88 wrote:
when i'm riding i for a long time at once my balls start to hurt, am i doing something wrong or what?

Man up and have one of them surgically removed. That's the secret to Lance Armstrong's success.

You won't even feel the blade.

YurkleNorf's picture
YurkleNorf
Offline
Citizen
male
Northern Indiana
Joined: 11/17/2009
stabguy wrote:
Man up and have one of them surgically removed. That's the secret to Lance Armstrong's success.

Evil

You're evil and I love you for it, stabguy.

Big smile

Livebythecreed9's picture
Livebythecreed9
Offline
Citizen
male
Joined: 01/11/2011
stabguy wrote:
I respect cyclists as long as they follow the rules of the road or the rules of the sidewalk. You're either a car or a pedestrian. Pick one set of rules and stick with them. I'm impressed with cyclists who can ride in traffic and keep up with the cars. What I don't like is the cyclist who holds up traffic (even though there's a perfectly good bike lane), gets to a red light and turns into the crosswalk because pedestrians have the green light. Angry

Exactly, I'm learning to drive at the moment and I get fustrated at cyclists that pedal 2 a breast and don't keep up with the flow of traffic. If the cyclist is obeying the law, I have no problem. Also some do swerve around a bit, mostly for potholes which are in desperate need of constant maintainance here in the UK. I am taking my Theory/Hazard perception test tomorrow and I just want to pass so bad. I am very committed to revising it Stare

يمثل الحشاشون أشياء عدة ولكن فوق كل ذلك هو العدالة
(The Hashashin stand for many things, but above all it's justice)

Double McStab with Cheese's picture
Double McStab w...
Offline
Citizen
male
San Diego, CA
Joined: 03/29/2012

Maybe replying to this will bring Lisa back from the depths...

I love road cycling as a sport, hate riding myself, hate cyclists that don't follow the rules of the road and respect those that do.

That said, I only follow the TdF, Tour of California, cycling in the Olympics (but that's different, I love the olympics in general and follow nearly everything) and, depending on the year, the other two grand tours.

“Force has no place where there is need of skill." Herodotus

gerund's picture
gerund
Offline
Citizen
male
The Netherlands
Joined: 10/29/2012

*reads thread title*

I'm Dutch. We're born on bikes.

Nah seriously, because I live in a rural and remote area, I'm used to cycling long distances every day. When I have the energy for it, I like to go as fast as I can on a 2km stretch on my route. I sometimes watch cycling on TV, only Tour de France. I never really got into it. I know there's probably no other way, but the fact that it's a team-based sport is somehow weird to me. I'm more into football.

"...and if I had no self-awareness, I think I'd know."

LisaMurphy's picture
LisaMurphy
Offline
Administrator
female
California
Joined: 03/20/2010

+1 for thread necromancy!

One of the many things I love about the Netherlands is the bicycles everywhere. (I'll be honest; I love *everything* about the Netherlands.) I would even get on a bike and ride it myself if I was in Amsterdam right now.

Only the Netherlands could have that effect. Laughing out loud

"Now you shall get an earful of my beloved sword! Behold, Pillow Talk! Let's rock, baby!"

161803398874989's picture
161803398874989
Offline
male
Joined: 12/13/2010

It's so weird to hear people talk about bicycling in the Netherlands and how it's awesome. For us it's like just kinda there and it's the most normal thing in the world to go somewhere by bike.

_________________

"Betraying the Assassins is never good for one's health."
"Well, neither is drinking liquor, but I'm drawn to its dangers all the same."

LisaMurphy's picture
LisaMurphy
Offline
Administrator
female
California
Joined: 03/20/2010

Ha ha, yeah, I know what you mean. I do envy you that, though.

I think it's because in the Netherlands (and in Europe generally) you have a much older culture that is better able to withstand assaults on its traditions. Perhaps "assaults" is too strong a word. Here in the U.S., our culture is still so new - and a strong aspect of our young culture that we do have is to discard the old and traditional in favor of the new and shiny. The result is that long historical traditions don't really have much of a chance to take root.

This can have advantages, but on the other hand there is a major disadvantage that I see: in the U.S. we are much more prone to manipulation by giant corporations, which don't have to compete with historical memory and strong traditions of behaviour to win us over.

The prevalence of bicycles in Europe and the lack of bicycles in the U.S. are to me a good illustration of what I mean. If you are Standard Oil, or the Ford Motor Company, you will certainly wish to discourage bicycles which are an easy, cheap and healthy method of transportation. In fact, any kind of public transportation which accommodates large numbers of people is to be discouraged by companies such as these. The oil companies and the car companies were the major players in dismantling the rail and subway networks which used to exist, and bribing the U.S. government into building roads and housing developments far away from job centers (cities), so that private car transportation became ever more necessary. They are still major opponents of any attempt to re-create a viable public-transportation system anywhere in the country.

Even though the Dutch were historically at the forefront in Europe in creating market capitalist economies, you also had at the same time a long historical common culture with traditions that acted as a counter-balance to the market forces which attempt to manipulate people's behaviour to their own profit. We don't have that counter-balance in the U.S., and since we are the most capitalist country in the world, the net result is that market capitalism itself has become the dominant element of our public culture.

So, enjoy those bicycles! You're striking a blow for freedom when you ride! (Only half-joking.)

"Now you shall get an earful of my beloved sword! Behold, Pillow Talk! Let's rock, baby!"

Double McStab with Cheese's picture
Double McStab w...
Offline
Citizen
male
San Diego, CA
Joined: 03/29/2012
LisaMurphy wrote:
The prevalence of bicycles in Europe and the lack of bicycles in the U.S. are to me a good illustration of what I mean. If you are Standard Oil, or the Ford Motor Company, you will certainly wish to discourage bicycles which are an easy, cheap and healthy method of transportation. In fact, any kind of public transportation which accommodates large numbers of people is to be discouraged by companies such as these. The oil companies and the car companies were the major players in dismantling the rail and subway networks which used to exist, and bribing the U.S. government into building roads and housing developments far away from job centers (cities), so that private car transportation became ever more necessary. They are still major opponents of any attempt to re-create a viable public-transportation system anywhere in the country.

Since you brought it up...

I just moved back to the Best Coast (... err... West Coast... okay, not really a typo).

Has there been ANY progress on the proposed high speed rail from the Bay Area to SoCal? And has East Bay BART made it to San Jose yet?

The only BART coverage I heard was the movie "Fruitvale Station."

“Force has no place where there is need of skill." Herodotus

stabguy's picture
stabguy
Offline
Administrator
male
Honolulu, HI USA
Joined: 09/15/2009

One time I mentioned bicycling in the Netherlands to LadyVe and she basically said that was a myth about the Dutch. I had already seen it firsthand in Amsterdam. There's a parking lot near the train station that must have had 5,000 bikes. The streets have three types of lanes: automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian. I kept forgetting about the bike lane and stepping into it. One time a scooter honked at me. Shy

LadyVe lives in a rural town. Maybe bikes aren't as commonplace there.

You won't even feel the blade.

161803398874989's picture
161803398874989
Offline
male
Joined: 12/13/2010

I don't know what part of the Netherlands she's in, but comparatively to other countries we bike a lot. Like, my mother goes grocery shopping on her bike, which has saddle bags for that purpose (I believe they're called that). For the stuff that comes in large quantities (beer, milk, etc.) we take the car. If you live in a more rural area (read: further away from the store), you typically don't have much use for the bike as it takes ages to get anywhere.
Lot's of kids from rural areas go to high school on their bikes though. So there's that.

_________________

"Betraying the Assassins is never good for one's health."
"Well, neither is drinking liquor, but I'm drawn to its dangers all the same."

JoeyFogey's picture
JoeyFogey
Offline
Administrator
male
Indianapolis, IN
Joined: 02/16/2010

I'd probably comment on this thread if I ever learned how to ride a bike. My parents tried teaching me with one try and, after falling and scraping my elbow slightly, decided not to try again. I'm a bit annoyed they did that. Having a bike would've helped me a lot in the past.

PSN: JoeyFogey

Steam: JoeyFogey

Instagram: thatsketchyhero

LisaMurphy's picture
LisaMurphy
Offline
Administrator
female
California
Joined: 03/20/2010
Double McStab with Cheese wrote:

Since you brought it up...

I just moved back to the Best Coast (... err... West Coast... okay, not really a typo).

Has there been ANY progress on the proposed high speed rail from the Bay Area to SoCal? And has East Bay BART made it to San Jose yet?

The only BART coverage I heard was the movie "Fruitvale Station."

Hooray, the best coast is better now!

Sadly, no BART to San Jose yet and almost no progress on high-speed rail. *shakes fist at Standard Oil and Ford Motor Company*
*also shakes fist at politicians* *also shakes fist at voters, just for some equal-opportunity fist-shaking* *collapses into inertia*

"Now you shall get an earful of my beloved sword! Behold, Pillow Talk! Let's rock, baby!"

Double McStab with Cheese's picture
Double McStab w...
Offline
Citizen
male
San Diego, CA
Joined: 03/29/2012
JoeyFogey wrote:
I'd probably comment on this thread if I ever learned how to ride a bike. My parents tried teaching me with one try and, after falling and scraping my elbow slightly, decided not to try again. I'm a bit annoyed they did that. Having a bike would've helped me a lot in the past.

whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa ... whoa whoa whoa ... whoa ... whoa whoa whoa whoa ... whoa whoa ... whoa

there are people old enough to play AC games that don't know how to ride a bike!?

“Force has no place where there is need of skill." Herodotus

Double McStab with Cheese's picture
Double McStab w...
Offline
Citizen
male
San Diego, CA
Joined: 03/29/2012
LisaMurphy wrote:
Double McStab with Cheese wrote:

Since you brought it up...

I just moved back to the Best Coast (... err... West Coast... okay, not really a typo).

Has there been ANY progress on the proposed high speed rail from the Bay Area to SoCal? And has East Bay BART made it to San Jose yet?

The only BART coverage I heard was the movie "Fruitvale Station."

Hooray, the best coast is better now!

Sadly, no BART to San Jose yet and almost no progress on high-speed rail. *shakes fist at Standard Oil and Ford Motor Company*
*also shakes fist at politicians* *also shakes fist at voters, just for some equal-opportunity fist-shaking* *collapses into inertia*

Sad! I figured high speed rail was a long shot... but no BART to SJ progress really annoys me. They should just go down both sides of the bay to get to SJC... follow CalTrain or whatever it is on the west: San Mateo, Foster City, Redwood City, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Jose... with an off-shoot to the new 49ers Stadium to ease traffic and parking there... (they really didn't think that through, did they?)

“Force has no place where there is need of skill." Herodotus