Signaling

Right, this one is up here for both bicycles and cars. Hell, if you're on a scooter you should probably read this. I'd advocate it for walking if I could get away with it...Signaling your intention to merge or turn. That's right...turn signals. Apparently, a lot of people don't think about this. I say this because easily half of the people I see on the road everyday don't seem to have the slightest idea how to go about signaling the intention to turn. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not exempting bikes, they need to do it as well. We'll start off by just ignoring people who claim ignorance, they should be arrested. Why? Because signaling is an ENTIRE CHAPTER in the 2007 California driver's handbook. Now, just to be sure, I'll show you what it says:

Always signal:
• Your left or right turn during the
last 100 feet before reaching the
turning point. Caution —Even
though you signal, do not
automatically assume that the
space you wish to occupy is
clear.
• Before every lane change. Also,
look over your shoulder and
check your blind spot before
changing lanes.

• At least five seconds before
you change lanes at freeway
speeds.
• To let other drivers know your
plans.
• Before pulling next to or away
from the curb.
• When you change directions.
• Even when you don’t see other
vehicles around. A vehicle you
don’t see might hit you.

Right. So, we have all that? I swear, I'm tempted to start a driving school, just so that I can start every single class with the car version of the "Developers" speech. Only I'll say turn signals 39 times. They are such easy to use devices, can prevent horrible death, and only deathly stupid painfully ignorant or dead people would choose not to use them! Alright, everyone forgets every once in a while, that's being human, but you should at least TRY to kinda signal properly. Now, bikes are better at this(probably because they are more likely to die if they fail) but they need to work on it too. If you are going to turn signal it! Right or left, doesn't matter. Maybe then people driving cars won't feel justified trying to run you over?

So, to review: Use your turn signals! Copy that onto the board 100 times. Maybe we can all remember it!

Cruiser Bikes

Usually when I see someone riding a bike I think "way to go, good for you!", even if they're breaking all kinds of traffic laws. This is not the case when I see someone riding a cruiser bike. The firs thing I think when I see someone riding a cruiser is "what a moron, what are you doing?" I can't help it, even if they aren't breaking any traffic laws, they just look stupid moseying along on their cruiser.

Its not the person its the bike. Cruisers are heavy, slow, and ugly bicycles. The frame of a cruiser bike is designed for looks and not much else. Those wide curves are just wasted steel. Steel is heavy and strong. Its strength and cost makes it a fairly good material to make bicycles with. On the other hand its weight is a drawback since the less a bike weighs the less work you have to put into overcoming its inertia and getting it up to speed. Really good steel framed bikes get around this by using as little steel as possible in straight narrow steel tubes to make the frame. Cylindrical tubes are strong and light and make for a pretty good bike frame. Cruisers curved, and stylized frames throw this out the window by using way more steel than should go into a good bike.

But all that steel isn't the only thing slowing you down if your riding a cruiser. Many cruiser bikes are single geared monstrosities that can't go very fast even if you want to. Gears are meant to give you a mechanical advantage. On a bike with multiple gears you can use low gears to get fewer turns of the drive wheel per turn of the petals. This is good for getting started and getting up to speed. Once you get up to speed you can switch to higher gears to get progressively more turns of the drive wheel to turns of the petals. This allows you to reach higher top speeds, by putting more energy into each revolution of the petals. Cruisers with only one gear have to use some middle ground where it doesn't take too much effort to get going, but can still deliver enough power to ride at a reasonable rate. But your top speed is limited by how fast you can turn the petals so once your going you just kind of cruise hence the name. Not bad if you want the cycling equivalent of taking a stroll but horrible if you need to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time, or if you run into any hills.

I guess that if cruisers are built for style and people by them, then they can't be unfashionable, but looks are subjective and I say they are ugly. Their appearance suggests all of their other problems and I say that makes them ugly. I certainly don't enjoy seeing them.

So loose the cruiser and get a real Bike!

Interactions with The Law

So today, in the Stanford newspaper, they had an article about how the police department is going to start ticketing bicyclists for running stop signs...*sigh*. There is so much wrong with this, I'm hardly sure where to begin. START ticketing cyclists who run stop signs?!? When was it ok to not do that? Are they not aware that as a vehicle bicycles are violating the same law as cars running stop signs? This lack of knowledge in the general public is, if sad, at least understandable, but you'd think police would at least PRETEND that they were upholding the law. To quote the article, they say that activities like running stop signs are "technically illegal", that's like being technically dead...you're still dead. Speaking of dead, it amazes me how many people seem willing to risk death just to be someplace faster, yet another quote: "I bike through stop signs all the time. But it's mainly to get to class on time. I mean, if we have to stop at stop signs, think how much time we would waste." It's like he's a poster child for the self absorbed. Now, there are thankfully organizations and individuals trying to correct this, but I think we can agree there is a problem...but this is not what bothered me about this article, frightening though that is. What really really bothered me was the picture that went along with the article. It was a cop issuing a warning to a bicyclist who had rolled a stop sign, right next to someone riding on the SIDEWALK! Not only that, but the WRONG WAY! What the heck is wrong with that cop, let's ticket the guy rolling a stopsign but not the crazy girl going the wrong way down the sidewalk? Imagine if they were cars...would the cop pull over the guy who rolled a stop sign, or the lunatic driving the wrong way down the road? I think we both know the answer to that. Seriously people, just obey the law. It's not complicated, if I car shouldn't be doing it, you probably shouldn't be doing it either. *sigh*

The downside of rainy weather.

Now that its started to rain, my commute to work has become a lot less pleasant . I know what your thinking. "Yeah no shit sherlock, riding in the rain sucks." but thats not it. I don't mind riding in the rain, its getting to the office that sucks.

About a year ago I coughed up a 20 bucks for a nice rain proof jacket and 90 bucks for some really nice rain pants. So riding in the rain problem solved. I don't get wet at all. Plus usually not too cold when its raining (around here anyway). However, as soon as I step foot in the office I'm baking to death, because of course every one else in the office isn't crazy enough to ride their bikes in the rain. So they have the heater on.

After my ride to work my office feels like its 25 degrees C when it really only 20. So I close the door and strip off all my rain gear. Now that I'm back in a T-Shirt and normal pants the temperature is just about right. Anyway who am I kidding commuting by bike + rainy weather = suck.

So get a bike, and if it rains get some rain gear!

Red Octagonal Doom

This weeks rant brought to you buy the letters "S", "T", "O", and by the letter "P". Thats right every cyclists mortal enemy the "Stop Sign". I don't know about you but to me stop signs are one of my biggest hassles when riding my bike.

Every time I have to stop on my bike I loose all that momentum that makes cruising down the street so easy. It takes a while to get up to full cruising speed in 18th gear. By the time I do it seems like there's another stop sign in my way and I have to slow down, shift gears and stop. Then look both ways and if its my right of way start working my way back up to speed. It is like that all the way to work, stop go stop go.

I ride 3.4 miles to work each day, and there are nine stop signs. Thats a stop sign every 600 meters or so. Which means that I basically have just enough time to get up to speed and in the zone long enough to enjoy it before I have to stop again. So...

Get a Bike, but be wary of the stop signs, they're out to get you!