Your Speed Is...

Claire Petersky said:

The city has put up radar signs where there are problems with speeding. I
now go by one of these just about every day.

I know these are to get the cars to slow down, but it has the reverse effect
on me. Even if my spedometer wasn't on the fritz, I'd still be pedalling as
fast as I could, such that my speed could be flashed in lights to everyone
on the road.

The one I go by all the time is just after things level off at the top of
the hill. I get to see the numbers grow from 11 mph, when I am still
struggling up the road, to 18 mph where it levels. So much fun!

The feeling of speed is definitely a good one! I pick my routes where I
can always crank it up at some point.

Claire Petersky said:

The city has put up radar signs where there are problems with speeding. I
now go by one of these just about every day.

I know these are to get the cars to slow down, but it has the reverse effect
on me. Even if my spedometer wasn't on the fritz, I'd still be pedalling as
fast as I could, such that my speed could be flashed in lights to everyone
on the road.

The one I go by all the time is just after things level off at the top of
the hill. I get to see the numbers grow from 11 mph, when I am still
struggling up the road, to 18 mph where it levels. So much fun!

I'd have thought they'd put it at the bottom of a hill, so you can catch
those rowdy cagers going even faster downhill! (As an added benefit,
you'd get to see how fast you can go downhill on a bicycle, too!)

Pat

"Pat Lamb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Claire Petersky said:

The city has put up radar signs where there are problems with speeding.

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

now go by one of these just about every day.

Quoted message said:

I'd have thought they'd put it at the bottom of a hill, so you can catch
those rowdy cagers going even faster downhill! (As an added benefit,
you'd get to see how fast you can go downhill on a bicycle, too!)

The one on the Parkway is on a slight downhill, so you do get this benefit.
My husband and I rode past it on our tandem -- woo-wee!

I think the one I go by on my bike everyday is at the top of the hill
because that's the part that's closest to the most expensive houses =8-o!

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Quoted message said:

The city has put up radar signs where there are problems with speeding. I
now go by one of these just about every day.

I know these are to get the cars to slow down, but it has the reverse
effect
on me. Even if my spedometer wasn't on the fritz, I'd still be pedalling
as
fast as I could, such that my speed could be flashed in lights to everyone
on the road.

The one I go by all the time is just after things level off at the top of
the hill. I get to see the numbers grow from 11 mph, when I am still
struggling up the road, to 18 mph where it levels. So much fun!

What about climbing a steep grade and you come across the yellow signs
telling you that you've got to speed up to 20 mph for that corner? I find
those a lot more challenging! :>😉

(And the 35mph ones I don't even try for.)

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Claire Petersky said:

I know these are to get the cars to slow down, but it has the reverse
effect on me.

LOL, I thought I was the only one! I've even adjusted my position in the
lane to make absolutely sure that the radar hits me.

The best fun I had was one by a freeway overpass. I was hammering out of
the saddle both to check my speed on the sign, and because I like to avoid
spending time in interchanges.

A guy in a classic ghetto rusty Chevy Caprice starts yelling at me, and
I'm thinking, oh dear, not yet another confrontation--I turn to him,
smile, and say what's up, and he goes "26 mph on a bicycle uphill, you one
crazy motherfu**er." I felt pretty good--well, after I'd just about popped
a lung laughing my ass off.

Claire Petersky said:

The city has put up radar signs where there are problems with

speeding. I

Quoted message said:

now go by one of these just about every day.

I know these are to get the cars to slow down, but it has the reverse

effect

Quoted message said:

on me. Even if my spedometer wasn't on the fritz, I'd still be

pedalling as

Quoted message said:

fast as I could, such that my speed could be flashed in lights to

everyone

Quoted message said:

on the road.

The one I go by all the time is just after things level off at the

top of

Quoted message said:

the hill. I get to see the numbers grow from 11 mph, when I am still
struggling up the road, to 18 mph where it levels. So much fun!

There is one through a residential area on my usual ride. Of course I'm
pretending to be Cippolini (or Petachi). There is a group that uses the
same route and the winner gets bragging rights for the rest of the
ride.

There are quite a few sprint spots on my usual route, a few hills one
rolling mile and one downhill then flat 2 miles. It took me a while to
teach them to my wife so that when we ride she'll know what to expect.

Andy

Claire Petersky said:

The city has put up radar signs where there are problems with speeding. I
now go by one of these just about every day.

I know these are to get the cars to slow down, but it has the reverse effect
on me. Even if my spedometer wasn't on the fritz, I'd still be pedalling as
fast as I could, such that my speed could be flashed in lights to everyone
on the road.

The one I go by all the time is just after things level off at the top of
the hill. I get to see the numbers grow from 11 mph, when I am still
struggling up the road, to 18 mph where it levels. So much fun!

I always sprint for these things when I see them. If you go fast enough,
they flash and make all sorts of commotion, but to get them to do that you
do have to go well over the speed limit, usually not possible unless it's
a downhill.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not
_`\(,_ | certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to
(_)/ (_) | reality. -- Albert Einstein

David L. Johnson said:

I always sprint for these things when I see them. If you go fast enough,
they flash and make all sorts of commotion, but to get them to do that you
do have to go well over the speed limit, usually not possible unless it's
a downhill.

Near some schools in my neighborhood, there are a few of those radar speed
display signs that activate at speeds below the limit.

It is kinda fun to play with them. :-)
--
Darin McGrew, [email hidden], http://www.rahul.net/mcgrew/
Web Design Group, [email hidden], http://www.HTMLHelp.com/

"The handwriting on the wall may mean you need a notepad by the phone."

"Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The one on the Parkway is on a slight downhill, so you do get this

benefit.

Quoted message said:

My husband and I rode past it on our tandem -- woo-wee!

I got a single, and have been tracking my speed...so I finally convinced my
husband to move the speedometer to the back of our tandem so I can watch. I
always asked him if we ever hit 40mph, he would always say nope. Well, on
our normal route we do every time, but apparently he was too intent watching
the road to notice... Yep, those tandems can haul on the downhill, ain't
gravity wonderful.

Cathy Kearns said:

Quoted message said:

The one on the Parkway is on a slight downhill, so you do get this
benefit. My husband and I rode past it on our tandem -- woo-wee!

Quoted message said:

I got a single, and have been tracking my speed...so I finally
convinced my husband to move the speedometer to the back of our
tandem so I can watch. I always asked him if we ever hit 40mph, he
would always say nope. Well, on our normal route we do every time,
but apparently he was too intent watching the road to notice...
Yep, those tandems can haul on the downhill, ain't gravity
wonderful.

You could get a speedometer that captures max speed and I'm sure
you'll find even higher speeds because you don't always look at the
display at such moments.

[email hidden]

Cathy Kearns said:

"Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The one on the Parkway is on a slight downhill, so you do get this

benefit.

Quoted message said:

My husband and I rode past it on our tandem -- woo-wee!

I got a single, and have been tracking my speed...so I finally convinced my
husband to move the speedometer to the back of our tandem so I can watch. I
always asked him if we ever hit 40mph, he would always say nope. Well, on
our normal route we do every time, but apparently he was too intent watching
the road to notice... Yep, those tandems can haul on the downhill, ain't
gravity wonderful.

Hi, you need to get a computer that records max speed, then you don't
have to pay much attention when hammering.
With the tandem, why not just get another computer, wire one to the
front wheel and one to the rear.

Would having cadence, be helpful? I've never rode a tandem, so I have
no idea. If so, there have been some good prices on Cateye Astrale 8.

Life is Good!
Jeff

Quoted message said:

Cathy Kearns said:

The one on the Parkway is on a slight downhill, so you do get this
benefit. My husband and I rode past it on our tandem -- woo-wee!

I got a single, and have been tracking my speed...so I finally
convinced my husband to move the speedometer to the back of our
tandem so I can watch. I always asked him if we ever hit 40mph, he
would always say nope. Well, on our normal route we do every time,
but apparently he was too intent watching the road to notice...
Yep, those tandems can haul on the downhill, ain't gravity
wonderful.

When the speedometer was working on the yellow tandem, and my daughter and I
did the big long downhill on the Lake Hills Connector. The speed limit is
35. We were coming down the hill, and I asked her how fast she thought we
were going, considering the speed limit. She did not even come close to
guessing the correct answer, which was about 42 with me feathering the
brakes the whole way down. I don't have the confidence as captain to really
let it rip down a hill like that -- yet!

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Claire Petersky said:

When the speedometer was working on the yellow tandem, and my
daughter and I did the big long downhill on the Lake Hills
Connector. The speed limit is 35. We were coming down the hill, and
I asked her how fast she thought we were going, considering the
speed limit. She did not even come close to guessing the correct
answer, which was about 42 with me feathering the brakes the whole
way down. I don't have the confidence as captain to really let it
rip down a hill like that -- yet!

I believe the road condition is more important to worry about than raw
speed, as us the runout at the end of a steep part and the probable
consequences of a failure, such as rock walls or an adjacent abyss.
In Northern California we have the east descent of Tioga pass that
isn't steep enough to achieve unaided 60mph but is wide, straight,
with has broad shoulders. In contrast Sonora pass has smooth pavement
with greater than 20% grades but without enough straight road to get
50mph even with hard cornering into the straight runs.

The east descent right after the summit has a dip that reliably gets
53mph followed by hard braking up an 18% grade in order to not fly off
the road on the gentle curve at the crest of that rise.

It's not all speedometer. Don't push your safe limits.

[email hidden]

Claire Petersky said:

The city has put up radar signs where there are problems with speeding. I
now go by one of these just about every day.

I know these are to get the cars to slow down, but it has the reverse effect
on me. Even if my spedometer wasn't on the fritz, I'd still be pedalling as
fast as I could, such that my speed could be flashed in lights to everyone
on the road.

Definitely fun...

Hey -- maybe some century organizer should consider putting one or two
out on a course...

Smith