Bike Bells Bill

[Marc]

SMH <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm still trying to work out how bike bell bills get on a legislative agenda when they can't even
> pass a law to ban mobile phone use while driving.

Because having/not having a bell, is a nice easy to police, absolute offence. Either someone has it
or they havent got it and even plod can spot that, if they can be bothered. Useing, as opposed to
owning or holding a mobile phone, or something that looks like a mobile phone opens a huge can of
worms , will take lots of parlimentary time, lots of police time to investigate prosecute etc... and
no one wants to be seen to be hurting Mr. Mrs average. The bell legislation on the other hand only
affects a "minority" and will if/when it gets passed be almost universally ignored/pais lip service
to, and will lay there forgotten until plod want's to add the icing on the cake, or an insurance
company wants a bit of wriggle room.

 

[John B]

"David E. Belcher" wrote:

> John B <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> >
> > In the Engers years my brother did the same to an ordinary alloy pin which collapsed and broke
> > off at the turn of a club '10', leaving a ragged perch. He crossed the finish line holding the
> > saddle and remnants aloft, still winning the event in a short 24-something or other.
> >
> > He then had to ride the 15 miles home - also out of the saddle.
> >
> > Makes my eyes water thinking about it.
> >
> > I won't mention his using a 68 tooth drilled ring - on fixed too.
> >
>
> Seem to recall reading somewhere (think it was an interview with framebuilder Ken Bird) that Alf
> Engers himself used a plastic (prob. Nylon or Delrin??) headset to save weight - apparently they
> were absolute pigs, and prone to seizing up. Still, during that era, if you got bored with TTing
> you could always use the bike as a cheese grater ;-)

Had one of those too. It was white plastic (quite soft) and lasted about a week.

John B

 

[David Hansen]

On 27 May 2003 21:00:29 +0950 someone who may be SMH <[email protected]> wrote this:-

>I'm still trying to work out how bike bell bills get on a legislative agenda when they can't even
>pass a law to ban mobile phone use while driving.

Tokenism.

It also panders to groups of people who think that every passing cyclist nearly kills them.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E I will always explain revoked
keys, unless the UK government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

 

[David Hansen]

On Tue, 27 May 2003 20:07:02 +0000 someone who may be [email protected] (Marc)
wrote this:-

>Because having/not having a bell, is a nice easy to police,

At the moment that is not what is being planned.

I have no doubt that is the position the Department of Roads wants to get to, but they are
proceeding slowly so that the frogs don't notice that the water is getting hotter.

--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E I will always explain revoked
keys, unless the UK government prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

 

[Dave Kahn]

John B <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Richard Bates wrote:

> > Looks like he has even drilled a hole in his left leg!
>
> Didn't he have his kneecaps removed, allegedly to save weight?

Only one I think. It was removed after he'd broken it. He set national records with the kneecap
missing. If it was just a go faster tweak he'd probably have had them drilled and put back.

> And why do so many 'fast' riders have pointy noses <tries to stretch
> nose>?

You've noticed this too? It produces a lower drag co-efficient as with Concorde, and better wind as
with a racehorse. I always put my own mediocre abilities down to having a small nose.

--
Dave...

 

[Colin Anderson]

"John B" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "David E. Belcher" wrote:
>
> > John B <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > >
> > > In the Engers years my brother did the same to an ordinary alloy pin
which
> > > collapsed and broke off at the turn of a club '10', leaving a ragged
perch.
> > > He crossed the finish line holding the saddle and remnants aloft,
still winning
> > > the event in a short 24-something or other.
> > >
> > > He then had to ride the 15 miles home - also out of the saddle.
> > >
> > > Makes my eyes water thinking about it.
> > >
> > > I won't mention his using a 68 tooth drilled ring - on fixed too.
> > >
> >
> > Seem to recall reading somewhere (think it was an interview with framebuilder Ken Bird) that Alf
> > Engers himself used a plastic (prob. Nylon or Delrin??) headset to save weight - apparently they
> > were absolute pigs, and prone to seizing up. Still, during that era, if you got bored with TTing
> > you could always use the bike as a cheese grater ;-)
>
> Had one of those too. It was white plastic (quite soft) and lasted about a week.
>
> John B
>

I used one of those plastic headsets for 20 years on a touring bike. It had a rather unfortunate
side effect when used with a dynamo in that the front light would get dimmer and go out - until you
used the brakes - when all the electricity stored in the front forks discharged through your hands!
An earth strap cured the problem. As did throwing the dynamo away when it broke. The headset is
still OK but the frame broke the other day - too much off road cycling. Cheers Colin A

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Tue, 27 May 2003 13:42:27 +0100, Steve McGinty <stephenmcginty@ntlworld_DOT_.com> wrote:

>drilling everything was the fashion at the time, chain-rings, seat-posts. brake levers

Some even tried tyres...

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

 

[Just Zis Guy]

On Tue, 27 May 2003 22:51:52 +0100, David Hansen <[email protected]> wrote:

>It also panders to groups of people who think that every passing cyclist nearly kills them.

Just so. My Grandad once told me about a lorry which almost killed him when he stumbled off the
pavement one day. If the lorry hadn't been parked he'd have been dead for sure.

Of course, if people are really serious about on-pavement fatalities they'll have to ban cars from
the pavement first, as cars kill (from memory) ten to twenty times the number of pedestrians *on the
pavements* that bikes do.

Beats me why the govt. can't make the obvious connection and start doing away with lethal sh*r*d
*s* p*ths.

Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://www.chapmancentral.com (BT ADSL and
dynamic DNS permitting)
NOTE: BT Openworld have now blocked port 25 (without notice), so old mail addresses may no longer
work. Apologies.

 

[Sheldon Brown]

Steve McGinty wrote:

> Bells used to be compulsory in Northern Ireland, as I remember having to fit one to race there. As
> was the custom of the time lightness was all, so I took a drill to my bell which left the "ring"
> practically inaudible but induced a high pitched whistle at 25mph or so.

An Irish guy I used to work with had raced in Ireland in the '70s, and said the cool thing was to
mount the bell underneath the left chainstay where it was not visually offensive.

Sheldon "The Letter, Not The Spirit" Brown
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[Dave Larrington]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

> On Tue, 27 May 2003 13:42:27 +0100, Steve McGinty wrote:
>
>> drilling everything was the fashion at the time, chain-rings, seat-posts. brake levers
>
> Some even tried tyres...

This is true. At one time the P+nct+r+ Fairy was the Ladies Time Trial Champion of Becontree Heath
and The Surrounding Spaces.

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
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