rural amusement

asterope wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

just at the top of the hill, van moves into the left lane, and a rather
obese man smoking a cigarette with big fat wife next to him doing the
same pokes his big fat head out of the window, his multiple chins
wobbling and offers me some sterling advice:

"great way to get yourself killed, love."

Aah! Good one that. My weekend highlight was a huge guy (well over the
120 kg mark) on a bike near Bonython. He seemed to be hootin' along but
I couldn't quite work out what was going on 'cos he wasn't pedalling!
Once I'd caught up to him I realised he had a little electric motor on
the rear wheel doing the work. While I give him 10 points for getting
on the bike, he loses a couple for woosing out with the motor.

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 9 Oct 2006 13:53:35 +1000

asterope said:

"great way to get yourself killed, love."

i almost fell off my bike i was laughing so hard.

I had a bod on a Vespa tell me I ought to get a flag cos I was "so
hard to see".

If he can't see something 2 foot wide, a foot longer than most
bicycles, and where the rider's seat is as high as a car seat then I
think the RTA's eyesight test needs work.

Coming from a motorcyclist it was especially funny. For some reason I
didn't say "sure, when you get one, don't you know motorcycles are
hard to see?"

Zebee

Zebee Johnstone said:

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 9 Oct 2006 13:53:35 +1000

asterope said:

"great way to get yourself killed, love."

i almost fell off my bike i was laughing so hard.

I had a bod on a Vespa tell me I ought to get a flag cos I was "so
hard to see".

If he can't see something 2 foot wide, a foot longer than most
bicycles, and where the rider's seat is as high as a car seat then I
think the RTA's eyesight test needs work.

Coming from a motorcyclist it was especially funny. For some reason I
didn't say "sure, when you get one, don't you know motorcycles are
hard to see?"

Zebee

*gasp* no flag? Zebee, I'm shocked! don't tell me - oh my
god you probably don't even have facial hair!

;-)

Tam

asterope said:

just thought i would share an amusing anecdote from my weekend past.

sent my sister up the coast to our parents place in nambour/burnside
last weekend with all my textbooks/photography stuff (the heavy [censored])
in the car so i could have a pleasant saturday riding from work to the
train, then get to nambour station and ride to parents place, around
7pm.

the main street of nambour is 2 lanes, i was lit up like a christmas
tree, and almost at the end of the long but steady hill to get to right
turn at the lights near the KFC... this white van has been sitting
inches away from my rear wheel since i changed into the rightmost lane,
not bothering to move into the left lane which is empty and go around
me.

just at the top of the hill, van moves into the left lane, and a rather
obese man smoking a cigarette with big fat wife next to him doing the
same pokes his big fat head out of the window, his multiple chins
wobbling and offers me some sterling advice:

"great way to get yourself killed, love."

i almost fell off my bike i was laughing so hard.

Ah, they are simple folk up at Nambour. I used to work at 4SS, and used to ride
my bike out to Bli Bli via the scenic routes. Some good hills round there 🙂

You missed a nice LA ride this morning took, Asterope. You were missed.

--
Karen

If you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning.'
Catherine Aird

"Zebee Johnstone" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 9 Oct 2006 13:53:35 +1000

asterope said:

"great way to get yourself killed, love."

i almost fell off my bike i was laughing so hard.

I had a bod on a Vespa tell me I ought to get a flag cos I was "so
hard to see".

He's got a point. I mainly lurk here but when you were deciding on a bike I
almost piped up to talk you out of a recumbent. For a lot of drivers
they're practicaly invisible, they're less manouverable and wider so more
likely to be clipped. A flag doesn't cut it, a burning flare might be a
better option.

Quoted message said:

If he can't see something 2 foot wide, a foot longer than most
bicycles, and where the rider's seat is as high as a car seat then I
think the RTA's eyesight test needs work.

As you yourself have pointed out it's not about eyesight, it's about
processing what you see. People just aren't looking for recumbents so they
won't see them. I've seen recumbents so low they don't make it up to a cars
window, on top of that they keep getting stuck lane splitting. A driver
could do everything right and still hit them.

Maybe it sounds just like car drivers talking about uprights but you have to
draw the line somewhere.

Duracell Bunny said:

Ah, they are simple folk up at Nambour. I used to work at 4SS, and used to ride
my bike out to Bli Bli via the scenic routes. Some good hills round there 🙂

You missed a nice LA ride this morning took, Asterope. You were missed.

tis true, some folk around there are pretty simple, but damn... they have some amazing scenery and kick-[censored] MTB tracks 😄 😄 😄 now that you have a mtb karen, we should all go up there sometime

im pretty peeved i didnt make the LA ride this morning either, was quite looking forward to it. I still hadnt slept when i sent lotte the txt msg... my calculations were out by a factor of 200 or so, didnt know why! needless to say i was feeling rather sleepy for my prac exam in the morning (but still kicked bum) and kinda went home and slept afterwards. *very norty*

i would say i'll join you next monday, but its the day after the brissy-goldie ride, which i will try to do return, and i daresay i will probably be sore. 😉
it will be just like riding to nambour and back, only less hilly and with less obese chimneys on the road, and more bikes.

Bean Long said:

asterope wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

just at the top of the hill, van moves into the left lane, and a rather
obese man smoking a cigarette with big fat wife next to him doing the
same pokes his big fat head out of the window, his multiple chins
wobbling and offers me some sterling advice:

"great way to get yourself killed, love."

Aah! Good one that. My weekend highlight was a huge guy (well over the
120 kg mark) on a bike near Bonython. He seemed to be hootin' along but
I couldn't quite work out what was going on 'cos he wasn't pedalling!
Once I'd caught up to him I realised he had a little electric motor on
the rear wheel doing the work. While I give him 10 points for getting
on the bike, he loses a couple for woosing out with the motor.

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

When reading this I was going to write ---

leave the guy alone; sure, he's big but he's trying (I've been - still am there).

Then I read the bit with the motor....

<sigh>

Let's hope this is his first step and he eventually loses the motor.

Scotty

Duncan said:

"Zebee Johnstone" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 9 Oct 2006 13:53:35 +1000

asterope said:

"great way to get yourself killed, love."

i almost fell off my bike i was laughing so hard.

I had a bod on a Vespa tell me I ought to get a flag cos I was "so
hard to see".

He's got a point. I mainly lurk here but when you were deciding on a bike I
almost piped up to talk you out of a recumbent. For a lot of drivers
they're practicaly invisible, they're less manouverable and wider so more
likely to be clipped. A flag doesn't cut it, a burning flare might be a
better option.

Quoted message said:

If he can't see something 2 foot wide, a foot longer than most
bicycles, and where the rider's seat is as high as a car seat then I
think the RTA's eyesight test needs work.

As you yourself have pointed out it's not about eyesight, it's about
processing what you see. People just aren't looking for recumbents so they
won't see them. I've seen recumbents so low they don't make it up to a cars
window, on top of that they keep getting stuck lane splitting. A driver
could do everything right and still hit them.

Well I would suggest that the driver wouldn't have done *everything*
right then. Especially as you just pointed out - you can see them.

How is a recumbent (even a low one like your talking about) different
from other similar sized objects likely to be found on the roads such as:
* Children?
* Domestic animals?
* Wheelie bins?

Saying that someone is putting themselves in greater danger because they
ride a bike which is deemed too small/narrow to be seen properly is a
cop out. The SMIDSY phenomenon is alive and well putside of cycling
circles. You only have to see the number of people who drive into the
back of other cars, busses and trucks to know that size doesn't make a
scrap of difference.

Cheers,

--
BrettS

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 9 Oct 2006 23:10:55 +1000

Duncan said:

He's got a point. I mainly lurk here but when you were deciding on a bike I
almost piped up to talk you out of a recumbent. For a lot of drivers
they're practicaly invisible, they're less manouverable and wider so more
likely to be clipped. A flag doesn't cut it, a burning flare might be a
better option.

And this is different to upright bicycles in what way?

I note that so far the only person who seems to have had a problem
seeing me was that motorcyclist.

As car drivers regularly say "didn't see you" to motorcycles they've
just hit, for a motorcyclist to use the same excuse is hilarious.

For a cyclist to buy into the same idea is equally hilarious.

It's been my experience that people process the bent just fine. If I
ride with my brain in gear, act predictably, and don't put myself in
silly positions.

Which is what everyone on the road's supposed to do, eh?

Zebee

BrettS said:

How is a recumbent <snip> different
from <snip>
* Wheelie bins?

Did you really ask that?

Donga (having sport with snipping)

Duracell Bunny said:

You missed a nice LA ride this morning took, Asterope. You were missed.

DB what's the LardArse schedule these days? Clearly you've shifted from
Friday to Monday? When and where? Never know I might make it along
sometime.

Donga

quote='Donga'BrettS said:

How is a recumbent <snip> different
from <snip>
* Wheelie bins?

Did you really ask that?

Donga (having sport with snipping)[/QUOTE]
awwwh... come on donga... you can race wheelie bins too you know :p

scotty72 said:

leave the guy alone; sure, he's big but he's trying (I've been - still
am there).

Then I read the bit with the motor....

<sigh>

Let's hope this is his first step and he eventually loses the motor.

Naah, lets hope he actually starts pedalling. There are a lot of people
that could use this technology for mobility and the more it is seen, the
better.

I always thought these motors were assistance only and not strong enough
to actually hoot you along with out pedalling.

If he is seen again, try to find out what system/gearing/other specs
please and how long he has had it.

I need to play wth something similar for hill boosting for a cargo trike
I am planning.

asterope said:

Donga said:

BrettS said:

How is a recumbent <snip> different
from <snip>
* Wheelie bins?

Did you really ask that?

Donga (having sport with snipping)

awwwh... come on donga... you can race wheelie bins too you know :p

Never been beaten yet!

*Cue dueling banjos*

Bwhahahaha, I could tell a familar story from the Deep South, although people tell me Lachlan has changed sinced the '80's. 😄

Donga said:

BrettS said:

How is a recumbent <snip> different
from <snip>
* Wheelie bins?

Did you really ask that?

Well, it looks like I did! ;-)

--
BrettS

In aus.bicycle on Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:17:39 +1000

asterope said:

Donga said:

BrettS said:

How is a recumbent <snip> different
from <snip>
* Wheelie bins?

Did you really ask that?

Donga (having sport with snipping)

awwwh... come on donga... you can race wheelie bins too you know :p

Yeah but only in the fixie category.

Zebee

In aus.bicycle on 9 Oct 2006 18:18:42 -0700

Donga said:

asterope said:

Donga said:

BrettS wrote:
> How is a recumbent <snip> different
> from <snip>
> * Wheelie bins?

Did you really ask that?

Donga (having sport with snipping)

awwwh... come on donga... you can race wheelie bins too you know :p

Never been beaten yet!

But some of those wheelie bins came awful close....

Zebee

"Zebee Johnstone" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In aus.bicycle on Mon, 9 Oct 2006 23:10:55 +1000

Duncan said:

He's got a point. I mainly lurk here but when you were deciding on a

bike I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

almost piped up to talk you out of a recumbent. For a lot of drivers
they're practicaly invisible, they're less manouverable and wider so

more

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

likely to be clipped. A flag doesn't cut it, a burning flare might be a
better option.

And this is different to upright bicycles in what way?

An upright is a lot taller and is wide at the level of a drivers eyes.

Quoted message said:

I note that so far the only person who seems to have had a problem
seeing me was that motorcyclist.

Not everybody is going to be vocal about it.

Quoted message said:

As car drivers regularly say "didn't see you" to motorcycles they've
just hit, for a motorcyclist to use the same excuse is hilarious.

For a cyclist to buy into the same idea is equally hilarious.

In the rare case I mentioned where a bike is 100% obscured it may be a valid
excuse. I didn't mean to suggest that otherwise it was a valid excuse at
all.

Quoted message said:

It's been my experience that people process the bent just fine. If I
ride with my brain in gear, act predictably, and don't put myself in
silly positions.

It's not a risk I'd personaly be prepared to take on a regular basis and I'm
not known for living a risk free life..

Quoted message said:

Which is what everyone on the road's supposed to do, eh?

What people are supposed to do is irrelevant when your saftey is on the
line. It doesn't take too many experiences to realise that a significant
portion of drivers are not paying enough attention. By decreasing your
visibility you're dramaticaly increasing the number of people who aren't
paying enough attention to see you.