Amazing bike handling?

[Badger]

Talk about bike handling! I am in awe of a rider that I passed on the road
the other day, and only hope that someday I'll be as adept at riding as
this person.

As I came up behind them it reminded me of the infamous TdF rider who rides
with his head cocked to the side.

"What is she doing", I wondered, looking at the bike, one of those with a
built-in seat for a child on the back, being piloted by a 20-something
female biker. "The child she has in the back can't be more than 2 or 3
years old", I thought to myself.

I came up for the pass and got around safely, and tried to glance around,
but couldn't see why the strange head position. For a moment, I thought the
unthinkable, "Could she be talking into her...naw, that's not possible.
Nobody would be yapping with a baby on board"

On the way back I passed her again, only coming from the opposite
direction. "OMG, I can't believe it...yep, this chick was cycling down the
road, holding a cell phone between ear and shoulder, yakking away".

One can only imagine the phone slipping or something, or the bike wobbling
due to the odd visual of the head to the side starting a catyclysm ending
with a bike crash.

So I guess it's not just the province of the cagers, endangering life while
using the cell phone. ;-/

-B

 

[Roger Zoul]

Badger wrote:
|| Talk about bike handling! I am in awe of a rider that I passed on
|| the road the other day, and only hope that someday I'll be as adept
|| at riding as this person.
||

The entire friggin world as gone insane.

 

[Badger]

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 15:41:07 -0500, "Roger Zoul" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Badger wrote:
>|| Talk about bike handling! I am in awe of a rider that I passed on
>|| the road the other day, and only hope that someday I'll be as adept
>|| at riding as this person.
>||
>
>The entire friggin world as gone insane.

shee-yeh, I was trying to figure out how you got there from here. IOW, what
circumstances made her think it was ok to do that, and how did she get such
confidence in her riding that she could do it.

Heh, I mean, I might imagine someone talking briefly on a cell while
cycling, but for >15minutes? ...with a kid squirming on back? C'mon, at
least use a headset.

I can't even ride a few seconds with my head to the side, b/c I get, uh,
not exactly dizzy, but certainly disoriented; not to mention - major neck
cramp, much? ;-)

I can see it now: phone starts to slip: save phone...or baby? Phone...or
baby?

Well off to get wet and muddy for an hour or so...

-B

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"Badger: wrote: (clip) I can see it now: phone starts to slip: save
phone...or baby? Phone...or baby?(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Maybe she borrowed an idea from the strapless gown area--maybe some kind of
spray adhesive, or double-face tape.

A few days ago two of us were riding back down a Marin County trail which we
had just gone up (riding some and pushing some.) A young lady came up on
her bike, holding the handlebar with one hand, and a phone to her ear with
the other. She proceded to pedal up a slope where we had to walk.

 

[Zoot Katz]

Sat, 20 Nov 2004 21:10:54 GMT,
<[email protected]>,
"Leo Lichtman" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
>"Badger: wrote: (clip) I can see it now: phone starts to slip: save
>phone...or baby? Phone...or baby?(clip)
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Maybe she borrowed an idea from the strapless gown area--maybe some kind of
>spray adhesive, or double-face tape.

Possibly attached to a harness like couriers have for their radios.
--
zk

 

[maxo]

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 15:29:13 -0500, Badger wrote:

> So I guess it's not just the province of the cagers, endangering life
> while using the cell phone. ;-/

Ever been to Amsterdam? Seems like half the cyclists are on phones and
none wear helmets, yet there's no sense of danger for some reason, there's
just this nice Dutch flow about them--like watching groups of fish in an
aquarium.

 

[Badger]

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 22:31:02 GMT, maxo <[email protected]> wrote:

>On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 15:29:13 -0500, Badger wrote:
>
>> So I guess it's not just the province of the cagers, endangering life
>> while using the cell phone. ;-/
>
>Ever been to Amsterdam? Seems like half the cyclists are on phones and
>none wear helmets, yet there's no sense of danger for some reason, there's
>just this nice Dutch flow about them--like watching groups of fish in an
>aquarium.
>
>

Haha, well I'm sure there are cyclists who ride juggling flaming batons,
too... ;-p

-B

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"Badger" wrote: (clip) yet there's no sense of danger for some reason,
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^
In case of a crash, the phone provides protection to the head. Phone use
while cycling should be mandatory.

 

[Blair P. Houghton]

Badger <[email protected]> wrote:
>shee-yeh, I was trying to figure out how you got there from here. IOW, what
>circumstances made her think it was ok to do that, and how did she get such
>confidence in her riding that she could do it.

You're putting cause before effect.

She's 20-something, and has been an expert cellie for her
entire life.

Adding a bicycle to that is just putting the mobile in "mobile".

--Blair
"I bet she doesn't know how that
kid ended up in her gut, though..."

 

[Blair P. Houghton]

Zoot Katz <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>Possibly attached to a harness like couriers have for their radios.

Still. Headsets are like $9.

--Blair
"And look 10X cooler."

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"Blair P. Houghton" wrote: You're putting cause before effect.(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Isn't that the expected order? ;-)

 

[The Real Bev]

"Blair P. Houghton" wrote:
>
> Zoot Katz <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >Possibly attached to a harness like couriers have for their radios.
>
> Still. Headsets are like $9.

Not at the 99-Cents-Only Store.

--
Cheers,
Bev
======================================================================
"Steve Balmer, CEO of Microsoft[0], recently referred to LINUX as a
cancer. Unsurprisingly, that's incorrect; LINUX was released on August
25th, 1991 and is therefore a virgo." -- Kevin L

 

[Michael Warner]

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 15:29:13 -0500, Badger wrote:

> So I guess it's not just the province of the cagers, endangering life while
> using the cell phone. ;-/

When I'm on group rides, sometimes people will answer their mobiles
or suddenly decide to check for messages without remembering that
there's someone right on their wheel, and a rotation relying on them,
and that they need to drop back first.

It's really annoying.

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo

 

[Blair P. Houghton]

Leo Lichtman <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>"Blair P. Houghton" wrote: You're putting cause before effect.(clip)
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Isn't that the expected order? ;-)

Not as long as a Bush is in office.

--Blair
"It's the bizarro world from now on."

 

[Ed]

In article <[email protected]>, Leo
Lichtman says...
>
>
>"Badger: wrote: (clip) I can see it now: phone starts to slip: save
>phone...or baby? Phone...or baby?(clip)
>^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>Maybe she borrowed an idea from the strapless gown area--maybe some kind of
>spray adhesive, or double-face tape.
>
>A few days ago two of us were riding back down a Marin County trail which we
>had just gone up (riding some and pushing some.) A young lady came up on
>her bike, holding the handlebar with one hand, and a phone to her ear with
>the other. She proceded to pedal up a slope where we had to walk.
>
>

Someone who once lived in Pennsylvania told me he would see Amish women on their
single speed bikes easily ride up hills that were difficult for him. Of course
they had been doing this since they were young girls.

 

[Badger]

On 21 Nov 2004 11:58:34 -0800, Ed <[email protected]> wrote:

>In article <[email protected]>, Leo
>Lichtman says...
>>
>>
>>"Badger: wrote: (clip) I can see it now: phone starts to slip: save
>>phone...or baby? Phone...or baby?(clip)
>>^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>Maybe she borrowed an idea from the strapless gown area--maybe some kind of
>>spray adhesive, or double-face tape.
>>
>>A few days ago two of us were riding back down a Marin County trail which we
>>had just gone up (riding some and pushing some.) A young lady came up on
>>her bike, holding the handlebar with one hand, and a phone to her ear with
>>the other. She proceded to pedal up a slope where we had to walk.
>>
>>
>
>Someone who once lived in Pennsylvania told me he would see Amish women on their
>single speed bikes easily ride up hills that were difficult for him. Of course
>they had been doing this since they were young girls.

I always attribute such things to osteoporosis. <g>

-B
....and mutter 'bird bones' under my breath.

 

[Paul R]

"maxo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 15:29:13 -0500, Badger wrote:
>
> > So I guess it's not just the province of the cagers, endangering life
> > while using the cell phone. ;-/
>
> Ever been to Amsterdam? Seems like half the cyclists are on phones and
> none wear helmets, yet there's no sense of danger for some reason, there's
> just this nice Dutch flow about them--like watching groups of fish in an
> aquarium.

heh heh, in Amsterdam i've seen: a women with two kids on the handlebars and
a third kid holding the groceries while sitting on the back rack, someone
riding a bike with a roughly 3'x3' platform over the back wheel upon which
about 5 dogs were sitting, lots of groups of 3 on the bike etc.

It's a place we cyclists in North America can only dream of.

 

[Ravi]

Badger wrote:

> On the way back I passed her again, only coming from the opposite
> direction. "OMG, I can't believe it...yep, this chick was cycling down the
> road, holding a cell phone between ear and shoulder, yakking away".

similar story: couple of months ago, when i was battling a headwind,
there was a wrong way cyclist in the bike lane i was in and the
interesting thing is he was reading a book or something - book on one
hand, handle bar in another and i doubt whether he saw me until i yelled
"hey! wrong way!!".


> One can only imagine the phone slipping or something, or the bike wobbling
> due to the odd visual of the head to the side starting a catyclysm ending
> with a bike crash.

if there was such a crash, i think that woman would be arrested for
negligence - like the case where the woman left her kid in the car -
with all the doors & windows locked.

i think this kind of acts are taking multi-tasking to a whole new-level
- where it can be down right dangerous...

i think may be we should do something whenever spot such negligent
cyclists - warning them or scaring them by telling some stories about
crashes etc...

+ravi

> So I guess it's not just the province of the cagers, endangering life while
> using the cell phone. ;-/
>
> -B
>
>