Davis, CA

I'm moving up to Davis, CA from Los Angeles for school in the fall, meaning I'm trading in my
air-polluting automobile for a lot more action on my road bike as my primary source of
transportation.

Anyone ever live in Davis or know what to expect?

Some friends have told me to be careful because bikes got stolen and it rains alot, so no exposed
wedges or frame pumps then and probably a rack and some fenders?

I also currently lock with a generic krypto-lock and a cable lock. Should I upgrade?

bcmuse@aol.com (BcMuse) wrote in news:20030429232211.13204.00000269@mb-m10.aol.com:
> Some friends have told me to be careful because bikes got stolen and it rains alot, so no exposed
> wedges or frame pumps then and probably a rack and some fenders?

Davis is a college town and does experience some petty theft. Bring a backpack. Central California
gets some rain during the winter, but you probably won't get much between May 1 and Thanksgiving.

In article <20030429232211.13204.00000269@mb-m10.aol.com>, bcmuse@aol.com (BcMuse) writes:

> I also currently lock with a generic krypto-lock and a cable lock. Should I
^^^^^^^^
> upgrade?
^^^^^^^^

To what? There's only so far we can go with [quality of] locks. Then, we've gotta worry about the
quality of whatever we're locking /to/. After that, we have to fill in the blanks with savvy and
anti-guile.

Keep your ride in your sight as much as possible. Bring it indoors with you whenever you can, and
when you can quickly reach it with a flying tackle lest anyone dare touch it. Parking meters are
good to lock to, so long as their stems aren't too fat to get a U-lock around, or they have those
rings to lock to. Signs stuck into a collar in the concrete, with an accessible, loosenable
retaining screw in the collar to hold the sign in, are bad things to lock to. So are kick-off-able
wood fence pickets. Park it where there's the most foot traffic, and visibility for passing cops who
might see the glint of a hacksaw in the sunlight. If there are any street ppl who regularly hang
around where you regularly park, maybe get to know them, and regularly slip them a wee stipend to
keep an eye on your bike.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

"Tom Keats" <tomk2003@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:94jn8b.5nu.ln@bud.garden.local...
> In article <20030429232211.13204.00000269@mb-m10.aol.com>, bcmuse@aol.com (BcMuse) writes:
>
> > I also currently lock with a generic krypto-lock and a cable lock.
Should I
>
^^^^^^^^
> > upgrade?
> ^^^^^^^^
>
> To what? There's only so far we can go with [quality of] locks. Then, we've gotta worry about the
> quality of whatever we're locking /to/. After that, we have to fill in the blanks with savvy and
> anti-guile.

My general rule of thumb is to try to put my bike next to more expensive bikes that are less
securely locked.

In article <3eaf5471$0$15480$626a54ce@news.free.fr>, "Robert Chung" <invalid@nospam.com> writes:

> My general rule of thumb is to try to put my bike next to more expensive bikes that are less
> securely locked.

That's one tactic, and often a good one (except for the people who get ripped-off).

I figure, when things /really/ go wrong, it's when a bunch of bad things happen simultaneously. And
when things go right, it's when a *bunch* of good things happen simultaneously. So, I've come to
believe in helping as much good stuff to happen as possible. Or at least, not hindering it.

When things go right, it's usually mere, random happenstance. But when they go wrong, it's with
split-second precision :-)

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

On Wed, 30 Apr 2003 03:22:11 +0000, BcMuse wrote:

> I'm moving up to Davis, CA from Los Angeles for school in the fall, meaning I'm trading in my
> air-polluting automobile for a lot more action on my road bike as my primary source of
> transportation.
>
> Anyone ever live in Davis or know what to expect?
>
Supposed to be a very bike-friendly area.

> Some friends have told me to be careful because bikes got stolen

Yeah? Those of us living in big cities really feel for you. Bikes get stolen eveywhere. Any lock can
be gotten around, given time. Keep your bike with you when you can, and lock it in plain sight when
you have to. Locking it in an alley is just as bad as leaving it unlocked.

There used to be a maxim that all bikes in the city weighed 40 pounds. A 20-pound bike needs a
20-pound lock, a 30-pound bike needs a 10-pound lock. A 40-pound bike needs no lock.

>*and it rains alot, so no exposed wedges or frame pumps then and probably a rack and some fenders?

Rains a lot? In the Central Valley?* You will see absolutely 0 rain from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
It will occsaionally rain in the rest of the year, but annual rainfall is maybe 15 inches. There is
a reason all that grassland is brown.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all _`\(,_ | mysteries, and all
knowledge; and though I have all faith, so (_)/ (_) | that I could remove mountains, and have not
charity, I am nothing. [1 Corinth. 13:2]

Bring an old clunker bike that is functional for riding around campus. Save your good bike for real
cycling. There are more than a few bicycle vs. bicycle accidents each year. It rains more in Davis
than in L.A.

BcMuse wrote:

> I'm moving up to Davis, CA from Los Angeles for school in the fall, meaning I'm trading in my
> air-polluting automobile for a lot more action on my road bike as my primary source of
> transportation.
>
> Anyone ever live in Davis or know what to expect?
>
> Some friends have told me to be careful because bikes got stolen and it rains alot, so no exposed
> wedges or frame pumps then and probably a rack and some fenders?
>
> I also currently lock with a generic krypto-lock and a cable lock. Should I upgrade?

"David L. Johnson" wrote:

> Rains a lot? In the Central Valley?* You will see absolutely 0 rain from Memorial Day to Labor
> Day. It will occsaionally rain in the rest of the year, but annual rainfall is maybe 15 inches.

Those 15" typically fall in a few short weeks, so winter quarter can be very wet. The clouds that
drop 500" of snow on the Sierra crest pass over Davis, dropping rain.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://www.terrymorse.com/bike/

=v= It's pretty flat there, so if you're worried about theft, you might want to consider a cheap
beater bike. <_Jym_

"Tom Keats" <tomk2003@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:94jn8b.5nu.ln@bud.garden.local...
> In article <20030429232211.13204.00000269@mb-m10.aol.com>, bcmuse@aol.com (BcMuse) writes:
>
> > I also currently lock with a generic krypto-lock and a cable lock.
Should I
>
^^^^^^^^
> > upgrade?
> ^^^^^^^^
>
> To what? There's only so far we can go with [quality of] locks. Then, we've gotta worry about the
> quality of whatever we're locking /to/. After that, we have to fill in the blanks with savvy and
> anti-guile.
>
> Keep your ride in your sight as much as possible. Bring it indoors with you whenever you can, and
> when you can quickly reach it with a flying tackle lest anyone dare touch it. Parking meters are
> good to lock to, so long as their stems aren't too fat to get a U-lock around, or they have those
> rings to lock to. Signs stuck into a collar in the concrete, with an accessible, loosenable
> retaining screw in the collar to hold the sign in, are bad things to lock to. So are kick-off-able
> wood fence pickets. Park it where there's the most foot traffic, and visibility for passing cops
> who might see the glint of a hacksaw in the sunlight. If there are any street ppl who regularly
> hang around where you regularly park, maybe get to know them, and regularly slip them a wee
> stipend to keep an eye on your bike.
>
>
> cheers, Tom
>
> --
> -- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
> [point] bc [point] ca

If you follow this advice, you'll get a ticket at Davis. There are a million bikes on campus (my
daughter goes there)...fortunately, there are also a million bike racks. Sometimes it's hard finding
one open, but locking it to something like a tree or a parking sign will get you cited for sure
(and, if your bike isn't registered with the city, they'll impound it).

Most theft takes place off-campus. Best advice is to bring it into your apartment, if possible.

BTW - Davis is a great place to ride...reasonably flat in town, with challenging hills to the west,
and lots and lots of bikes.

GG

Ken <nospam@no.spam> wrote:

>bcmuse@aol.com (BcMuse) wrote in news:20030429232211.13204.00000269@mb-m10.aol.com:
>> Some friends have told me to be careful because bikes got stolen and it rains alot, so no exposed
>> wedges or frame pumps then and probably a rack and some fenders?
>
>Davis is a college town and does experience some petty theft. Bring a backpack. Central California
>gets some rain during the winter, but you probably won't get much between May 1 and Thanksgiving.

Generally true. This year might be an exception.

I lived in Davis for two years. Very hot in the summer (>100 F many days), but it cools down at
night, unlike the midwest or the south/southwest. Winters are rainy and chilly, but with the right
gear you can ride year-round.

Any bike left unlocked will get stolen in Davis. I had a truly trashy 5-speed (derailleur!) bike
that wasn't locked stolen after one night left unlocked. This was a bike that wouldn't have brought
$5 at a garage sale.

Maybe OT, but I have a friend who moved from Maine to Davis, CA and his welcome was a ticket for
riding through a stop sign. Lets not argue about obeying traffic signs, etc... but just appreciate
moving from Maine to CA and in the first week getting a ticket on your BIKE!

"BcMuse" <bcmuse@aol.com> wrote in message news:20030429232211.13204.00000269@mb-m10.aol.com...
> I'm moving up to Davis, CA from Los Angeles for school in the fall,
meaning I'm
> trading in my air-polluting automobile for a lot more action on my road
bike as
> my primary source of transportation.
>
> Anyone ever live in Davis or know what to expect?
>
> Some friends have told me to be careful because bikes got stolen and it
rains
> alot, so no exposed wedges or frame pumps then and probably a rack and
some
> fenders?
>
> I also currently lock with a generic krypto-lock and a cable lock. Should
I
> upgrade?

bcmuse@aol.com (BcMuse) wrote in message news:<20030429232211.13204.00000269@mb-m10.aol.com>...
> I'm moving up to Davis, CA from Los Angeles for school in the fall
>
> Anyone ever live in Davis or know what to expect?

Davis is a really neat town. You'll love it there and will want to try and find work there after you
get out of school.

Since it's a college town petty theft is pretty endemic. Put all of your stuff in a backpack and
take it with you. Do not use a good bike for transportation especially around the campus. You can
ask the campus cops when they hold the yearly auction and pick up a junker for commuting between
classes. Use a Krytonite lock at all times and be sure that whatever you lock to can't be moved
easily. As someone else suggested, lock your bike up near better bikes with cheaper locks.

The Davis bike clubs (I think there are two of them, a town club and the college club) have some
really great members with lots of experience and knowledge of all the best routes. The riding around
that area is fantastic with routes that go all the way to Nevada City if you know how. There is just
about any kind of riding you want from dead flat to damned steep and long. And you can enter the
Dunlop TT next spring.

Rain is not a problem since it rains so seldom as a rule that you look forward to it in order to
have some time off of the bike. It rains more in the SF bay area and last year I put in 3,000 (dry)
miles in the first four months and it was a wet year. It isn't LA basin, but that's good.

bcmuse@aol.com (BcMuse) wrote in message news:<20030429232211.13204.00000269@mb-m10.aol.com>...
> I'm moving up to Davis, CA from Los Angeles for school in the fall, meaning I'm trading in my
> air-polluting automobile for a lot more action on my road bike as my primary source of
> transportation.
>
> Anyone ever live in Davis or know what to expect?
>
I have only limited experience, having gone to Davis for a few brevets. But from my observation
Davis, CA is the most bicycle friendly town I have ever seen. There are intersections in town where
a special walk button exist in the bike lane for cyclists. San Diego (my home) is a decent place to
ride but the city of Davis seems built for cyclists.

Tom

The Davis Police are extremely strict at enforcing automobile driving laws and also at enforcing the
DMV laws that apply to bicycles. It is common for bicyclists to get cited, especially for cruising
through stop signs.

Ralph

"KBH" <kbh9@hollasch.com> wrote in message news:Vqtsa.732607$S_4.756754@rwcrnsc53...
> Maybe OT, but I have a friend who moved from Maine to Davis, CA and his welcome was a ticket for
> riding through a stop sign. Lets not argue about obeying traffic signs, etc... but just appreciate
> moving from Maine to CA and in the first week getting a ticket on your BIKE!