As I was scrolling through a list of links to current cycling news and blogs, I came across a headline which caught my attention. It was about the rise of an upper class cycling culture.
The author of this article is located in Portland where, apparently, the cycling culture has changed in ways that we haven’t seen in Boston. The reasons for this difference are certainly multifactorial, but the most dominant reason probably relates to the composition of the residents. Continue reading ….
Commenting is an important part of blogging. It gives the author and readers a way to express their impressions and ideas and it facilitates discussion.
This blog receives quite a few comments for a personal blog. It may not be as big or as well trafficked as some of the high profile blogs, however, unlike those blogs, it gets comments that are insightful and thought provoking.
Over the past week, there has been a lot of traffic to this blog for the purpose of reading about and discussing whether cyclist drivers can run interference for cyclist bikers. Continue reading ….
A few days ago, I wrote a post about cyclist drivers running interference for cyclist bikers. The concept had been on my mind for quite some time. And I knew that my regular readers would be able to relate to it. In fact, one of my regular readers, who also follows me on Twitter, tweeted a response to this post to tell me that he also runs interference for cyclists with his car. I tweeted back a suggestion that we should start a trend in order to reduce the number of cyclists who are injured or killed by cars. Well, I may have gotten my wish.
Driving is very different when you ride a bike in addition to driving a car. This dual identity allows you to see the road not only as a driver, but as a cyclist. Both perspectives often come into play, simultaneously, when sharing the road and when watching other drivers share the road.
As a kid, I rode a bike almost unconsciously. Cars were an oddity, a foreign entity used by adults.
Naturally, I only rode in a car as a passenger, so my experience of automobile travel was one of watching the scenery go by and wishing we would get there already and get out of the car. In fact, my childlike view of cars was that people got in and out of them because it was time to go somewhere.
One of the perks of riding a bicycle is not having to worry about finding a parking space. Bikes are small and can be brought onto the sidewalk, so once a cyclist reaches his or her destination, the main problem will be finding something to lock the bike to.
For years, cyclists were few and far between. The small number of bicycles created a lot of latitude for the cyclists. They could lock their bikes almost anywhere, as long as they did not impede foot traffic. Continue reading ….
Cars are convenient. They make customized travel a breeze. As long as there are roads leading in the direction one wants to travel, a direct route can be taken. This drastically cuts travel time in comparison to public transportation or using multiple forms of indirect transportation to arrive at one’s destination.
There’s no doubt that cars have changed modern society a great deal. Everywhere you look, roads are crammed full of cars waiting one behind the other for an opportunity to move forward. Such situations are affectionately known as “traffic jams.” Continue reading ….
When you ride a bike as much as I do, you see almost every kind of riding at least once. Sometimes it seems as if there are as many ways to ride a bicycle as there are cyclists. Each one is unique in his or her riding style.
Watching how other people ride their bikes can be a source of amusement, consternation or anger. The latter response is only elicited when a cyclist does something either dangerous or illegal.
While I’m not in favor of having cyclists do illegal things on the roads, as long as they are only harming themselves, I can look the other way — most of the time. But, once in a while, I’m tempted to say something to the cyclist because I’m not certain that he realizes the danger he is in. Continue reading ….
A conversation has been underway on this blog about where cyclists should position themselves on the road for safety and efficient riding. Comments on this subject have spanned across several posts.
One of the problems with having a scattered discussion is that good and useful comments sometimes go unread by readers of this blog who have read the post prior to the comments being left.
Readers who leave comments often check back either by subscribing to comments for that post or visiting the blog. So, they know where the discussion on these matters stands.
Sometimes, a reader leaves a comment worth reiterating. And, sometimes that comment even deserves to be part of a post to serve as a starting point for further discussion. Continue reading ….
Today I will take a break from the recent discussions on this blog about where cyclists should position themselves when sharing the road with cars, to discuss — OK, rant — about something that really irks me.
As a long-time cyclist, who is in the process of trying to get back into shape after having taken time off due to injuries, I am presently following a training regimen of sorts. It’s not the type of regimen one would use for sport, as in training for road racing or triathlons, but rather a system of rebuilding strength and endurance which was lost through cutting back on physical activity.
I wasn’t sedentary for long. I only ceased activities completely for about a week. Then, I gradually began to ride my bike and lift weights again.
For several weeks, I was incredibly slow on my bike. More cyclists than usual were passing me — although fortunately, none of them were grandmas or grandpas. Many of them were just typical cyclists, like myself, who were fit and clearly did a lot of riding. Continue reading ….
Despite years of debate, there is still disagreement about where a cyclist should position him or herself when stopping at a traffic light. Different groups of cyclists have arrived at various conclusions about what constitutes the safest and most efficient approach to navigating an intersection. One’s riding style and tolerance for risk usually determine which of these approaches a cyclist takes.
Those who favor the “take the lane” approach to cycling believe that cyclists should stop directly behind the car in front of them, just as if they were another vehicle. They find the idea of riding alongside the cars abhorrent. And, the concept of controlling the lane intensifies their convictions about always using the full lane for maximum safety. Continue reading ….
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