On/off-ramp kind of situations are annoying. My usualy strategy is to leave the shoulder early (ideally, in a really obvious and pushy-seeming way), to minimize the chance that somebody will try to dangerously squeak by me, and then get out of the exit/entrance lane as soon as possible.
As far as knowing when a situation was genuinely dangerous, it may just take experience. One thing to note is that just as pedestrians often overestimate the danger they're in from bicyclists, it's easy as a cyclist to overestimate the danger you're in from cars passing you on the left, as long as they aren't turning; while they may be passing closer than would be safe in all circumstances (and closer than is comfortable), they're probably totally aware of you and think they're passing with plenty of room (as much as they would give a car, certainly). Only a very small percentage of bike accidents involve somebody getting clipped from behind like that; it's much more likely that you'll get turned into by somebody who's in front of you. Incidentally, that's part of why taking a lane when you need to is important. It makes you more visible, and it turns the situation from potentially being the latter sort of thing into more of the former sort of thing. Much better to be in the way and have a car see you than not be in the way and be invisible.
I had a couple of moments of "That hurtling mass of metal was distinctly within my personal space," but can't really tell if I was just being jumpy or what.
Biking in the situation you describe is inherently dangerous.
My guess is that you were responding to events that, from your vantage point, were indistinguishable from threatening situations. The thing that matters most, after all, is what's going on inside the head of the driver, and you can't know that.
My bike riding experiment ended after I got horrible migraine-y headaches after two successive tries. Probably not actually caused by the biking, but I'm not going again until the headaches stop. That is, I currently still get headaches on exertion, but small ones, so I think my sinuses are full or something and biking will trigger a huge pain.
The thing that matters most, after all, is what's going on inside the head of the driver, and you can't know that.
But using Sifu Tweety's patented Other Driver Psychology System, you can make an informed judgment!
I went for a shortish ride yesterday and some combination of the heat and not having eaten much (and not having eaten any carbs, particularly, for a long time) caused me to just totally melt down. I felt shockingly bad for quite a while afterwards, until I went and got an emergency beer. It was pretty darn strange.
Like LB, I have no idea how to tell when I am actually in danger but I don't have that kind of traffic. I compensate by being nervous all the time.
I use Moby's system.
I was once given a sage bit of advice about riding a motorcycle: Always assume you are invisible to drivers. That's how I ride a bike, and this disqualifies me from riding in places like the one LB describes. In that situation, you have to trust the drivers to see you and be minimally competent.
I was told to assume that I was invisible to drivers and bears. They forgot to tell me that bears can hunt by scent.
I used to intentionally try to be as invisible to drivers as possible. Seriously, I was really into riding at night with no lights wearing all black. It's a little hard to explain; ninja thing.
That said, it is of course the case that relying on drivers to see you and be minimally competent is nerve-wracking. And riding as if people don't see you is reasonable. But on the other hand, actually, you are depending on your visibility, and on the minimal competence of drivers, all the time, even if you ride as if that were not the case. Occasionally acknowledging that fact -- and making it extra easy for them to see you -- can be the safer option.
One thing I do a lot (but that wouldn't really apply in this case) is try to make eye contact with the drivers of cars up ahead who might be thinking about cutting me off or otherwise getting in my way. If I can, I know with I'd say about 70% certainty that they know I'm there. If I can't I know with approximately 100% certainty that they don't and can act accordingly. This obviously doesn't work for cars that are turning right; in those situations I usually get out into the lane and pass the car on the left (whether or not they've begun the turn). That obviously doesn't apply when people are making highway-style exits, which leads us back to the "kind of annoying" part of comment 1, and my solution of getting out of the gap as quickly as possible.
Also, don't wear the clothes you wore while cooking when you cycle.
2
Biking in the situation you describe is inherently dangerous.
I agree.
I was once given a sage bit of advice about riding a motorcycle: Always assume you are invisible to drivers.
This is excellent advice for cycling. One caveat: in London, the rule is "Always assume you are invisible to drivers, except for taxi drivers, who you should assume are all trying to collect the £100,000 price that East End crime lord Dickie "The Spanner" McDaniel has placed on your head".
I've had a few instances of cab drivers being specifically courteous to me while biking recently. It was odd, but welcome.
My new bike commute takes me through downtown Oakland; so far, drivers do seem to at least see me and be minimally competent. I don't put myself in situations where my safety depends on that, though. I haven't even been honked at when at the front of several cars in a lane.
13: The new butt implants bring out the best in people.
I've had a few instances of cab drivers being specifically courteous to me
Were you actually running over and injuring an immigrant at the time? It might have been an instance of professional courtesy.
I agree with the invisible part too. The closest I've come to getting harmed is from people trying to turn in front of me and people who open up their doors into the biking lane without checking for bikes first. The section that makes me really nervous, though, is where right after a light two lanes quickly merge into one lane. The cars in the right lane will frequently get super close to me because they're trying to merge ahead of cars in the left lane.
Also, have you guys had the experience where you're waiting at a light and some biker sneaks up to cut you off and then proceeds to go veeeery slooowly, thereby forcing me into the car lane to pass them? They should really figure out how fast I intend to go before trying to cut me off. I'm starting to suspect that bikers in general are more competitive than car drivers in general. Thus, I propose two biking lanes and one car lane!
So, for all I said earlier, looking at Riverside Drive on satellite, I'd probably go a bit further east and find an avenue. That's a pretty big road. I don't generally bike on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, which seems like it might be roughly comparable (but smaller/slower/signalized at entry and exit points).
I've been riding a lot on a trail, but the trail is completely flat, as they tend to be around here because they're old rail lines. I'd like to start riding on the side of the road to get to the grocery store and whatnot, but the road is not completely flat and I don't know if I could handle it. Need to find a place with hills to practice.
The section that makes me really nervous, though, is where right after a light two lanes quickly merge into one lane. The cars in the right lane will frequently get super close to me because they're trying to merge ahead of cars in the left lane.
One of the times it's safer to get a jump on the light if you can.
They should really figure out how fast I intend to go before trying to cut me off.
Or they should not cut you off when you're stopped at a light and take the traffic lane to pass themselves if they want to go faster than you are. I hate that shit.
16: "Cab drivers" is a category distinct from "immigrants" in your world?
I try not to bitch about people riding bikes -- because yay! people riding bikes! -- but the other day this woman in kit on a road bike (while I was on my commuter bike) sort of ostentatiously rolled past me at an intersection, clipped out, and took a drink from her water bottle like "excuse me, pro cyclist coming through." I tried to give her a look when I flew past her slow ass a half block later but I'm not sure she noticed.
16: Someone's not been reading their Transatlantic Stereotype Guide.
Also: I've been trying to jury-rig something to keep grease off my trouser cuffs, since I'm not satisfied with those reflecting cuff clips (too narrow). I cut some cuffs off another (torn) pair and fastened them together with stick-on Velcro, which worked for a few days, but it didn't stick well enough to the fabric. I might have to learn to sew or something.
21, 23: in London "taxi driver" is definitely not synonymous with "immigrant"; it's more like "loudmouthed right-wing bigot". Google "a taxi driver writes".
This is backed by evidence: the only person who has ever told me, in exactly those words, that he doesn't like black people and certainly wouldn't want his daughter to marry one, was a taxi driver.
I acknowledge things may be different over on the Left Shore.
That biking situation sounds terrifying to me and is one reason (another being the number of hills here) that I don't bike more.
OT wine/spirits bleg: My parents are both turning 60 this year and will have a big party later. Is there any wine/port/so forth from 1952 that would be worth buying to drink but not insanely expensive? I can make my three brothers chip in $10 each or so but I know I'll be on the hook for the rest.
you're waiting at a light and some biker sneaks up to cut you off and then proceeds to go veeeery slooowly
There was some pejorative for describing this behavior; it came up in a recent biking thread, no?
24: you could get a chainguard, like so, or if you're fancy, so, or if you're fancy and have a front derailleur (and a 110BCD crank, which you admittedly probably don't have), so.
I think I've mentioned before but so what - the trick is to do what an acquaintance of mine used to do, namely strap a Ruger Blackhawk to your left leg, clearly visible to passing drivers. Probably can't do that in NY due to the liberals and their freedom hating and stuff. Maybe you could strap a very aggressive looking personal injury lawyer to your leg instead.
27: I'm aiming for an existence as a cyclist that doesn't involve changing clothes eight times a day.
28: Hadn't thought of that, but in the attempt, my socks come up far below prior stains, and I shudder to think how high would be high enough.
Before I had a chainguard I rolled up my cuff on the drive side.
30: I saw references to "right-of-way thieves" on sfbike.org; is that it?
Rolling up the cuffs was the first thing I did; again, hard to get them up far enough, at least on my bike, and stains got on the underside of the pants, eventually seeping through.
...stains got on the underside of the pants, eventually seeping through.
Olestra-soaked chips will do that to you. Eat smaller servings.
33: Huh, maybe there's ABA swag I could wear that would be easily visible to drivers.
18: So, for all I said earlier, looking at Riverside Drive on satellite, I'd probably go a bit further east and find an avenue.
Yeah, that means not doing it. Most of the distance of my commute is double-parking/erratic U-turns hell if you're on any of the convenient avenues -- I'm not saying biking on them would be impossible, and I'd do it for short distance, but for a couple of miles I'd be terrified and very very slow. It'd mean taking maybe an extra half hour/forty minutes to get home. Riverside Drive is at least orderly.
If I can talk myself into the RD route being acceptably safe, it solves my "Can't get home after dark" problem. This is what I'd need to do to avoid the blinding patch of the bike path.
I don't think I've ever really ridden much on roads that have slip-roads. Most UK roads that have slip roads like that would be dual carriageways, and while it's permitted to cycle on them, I wouldn't. People driving at 70mph right next to me? No thanks.
re: having someone open a door in your face. It hasn't happened to me since I was a teenager, at which time I just yelled a lot, but my Dad punched some fucker in the face who opened his door in my Mum's face. I'm not entirely opposed to that as a general strategy.
"I didn't seee ..."
[thump]
I don't think I've ever really ridden much on roads that have slip-roads. Most UK roads that have slip roads like that would be dual carriageways, and while it's permitted to cycle on them, I wouldn't.
It's a funny road -- looking at it from street level, the word that would come to mind is 'boulevard'. Wide, but it mostly has parking on both sides and sidewalks. But it has patches where it suddenly looks and acts like a highway for half a mile, and then reverts to being a street, and it has these things that aren't really on/off ramps but are streets that angle in and out controlled by stop signs rather than traffic lights.
in the attempt, my socks come up far below prior stains, and I shudder to think how high would be high enough.
Hmm. Works for me; we must have differently constructed bikes or legs or socks or something. I think it works not just by protecting the lowest bit of the trouser but also by restraining the bit further up from flapping about the place and getting hit by the chain.
A chainguard's probably the best solution. I'll get one when I get round to it.
by restraining the bit further up from flapping about the place and getting hit by the chain.
Right. I do that occasionally, and it doesn't work by covering the relevant bit of the pants, but by holding it tightly against the leg so it can't brush the chain.
My friend Chris did some calculation to see how often people should get a door opened on them in my town. Came out to once every ten miles or so. I confirmed that I do indeed get a door opened on me about once a week, and then we felt smug.
I ride very wide, and I shriek like anything when a door is opened on me, so I figure that person at least gets scared too. Perhaps them for a zombie attack, as well.
||
I'm supposed to go to the doctor on Friday to get my ears cleaned out. I was supposed to put Debrox drops in last night, but I didn't because I had food poisoning. I put some in this morning, and now the ear with the really impacted wax is crackling and full feeling. I'm going to have to rely on my right ear all day.
|>
I actually got doored, kinda, earlier in the commute yesterday. I saw the door opening in plenty of time, but there wasn't any room to get around it (narrow street, traffic) so I just stopped and waited. Guy got out, stared at me for a bit, then apologized.
I wonder if I'm slower than people who worry about getting doored -- if I'm in a situation where I have to be close to or in the door zone, I seem to generally be going slow enough that I've got time to stop or dodge as appropriate.
Most of the distance of my commute is double-parking/erratic U-turns hell if you're on any of the convenient avenues
Roads like that can be perfectly fast if you get used to reading drivers a bit; the erratic double-parking u-turn stuff slows drivers down too, making it easier to act vehicularly. That said, this:
it has patches where it suddenly looks and acts like a highway for half a mile, and then reverts to being a street, and it has these things that aren't really on/off ramps but are streets that angle in and out controlled by stop signs rather than traffic lights
makes RD seem relatively reasonable. The key (on an off-ramp or whatever) is to keep an eye peeled for a good hole in the traffic and get across the gap with alacrity. It requires the ability to produce a pretty good burst of speed over a short distance, but if that's doable it should be okay.
I'm usually agile enough (or riding wide enough) to avoid getting doored, but if I got caught fully unawares while riding at my regular cruising speed it would suck bad. Last time I got doored (on a relatively busy street without much clearance, so I couldn't ride as wide as I usually do) I was able to get clear enough that he only clipped my calf, but then the fuckhead laughed at me, so I turned around and rode back to yell at him. People who do dickish things to cyclists are very surprised when the cyclists come back to discuss it with them.
the erratic double-parking u-turn stuff slows drivers down too
I may just be me, but in the past couple of months I have really noticed an huge increase the number of asshole U-turns, especially the ever popular "I'm going to make a 3-point turn right here in the middle of the block during rush hour."
makes RD seem relatively reasonable.
It also has the virtue that it parallels a highway that's right next to it (quite a distance below, but no distance at all horizontally). So someone who really wants to be driving on a highway is down on the Henry Hudson -- RD is for people going a mile or two through uptown Manhattan.
People who do dickish things to cyclists are very surprised when the cyclists come back to discuss it with them.
People are also suprised when a pedestrian runs after them wielding a furled umbrella.
Also, by unexpectedly encountering loose otters in an urban setting.
I saw a ground hog yesterday that was so big I started to wonder.
re: 50
I know always say violent things (and that's mostly internet hyperbole, I'm not violent in person) but the guy that laughed? Certainly would be getting smacked in the mouth, unless he was genuinely gigantic.
29.2. A quick google suggests that 1952 was a fairly rubbish year for port and there's not a lot about. Have a look at this site and see if you fancy anything. It has to be said you're looking at well over a hundred dollars before you get anything much better than drain cleaner, so be warned.
I think it works not just by protecting the lowest bit of the trouser but also by restraining the bit further up from flapping about the place and getting hit by the chain.
That makes sense; I'll try that today.
I'm usually agile enough (or riding wide enough) to avoid getting doored, but if I got caught fully unawares while riding at my regular cruising speed it would suck bad.
Are the laws/norms in Taxachusetts such that you can't ride wide enough at all times? The principle in California is, if there's not enough room for a car and cyclist to share the lane safely, the cyclist can take the whole lane.
I totally co-sign on the shrieking like a banshee when people almost door me! I am hoping to negatively reinforce the behaviour enough to make it worth their while to check for bicyclists - I also try to positively reinforce polite drivers w/ smiles, waves, etc.
I have been driving more in the past couple weeks b/c of New Orleans' recent decision to have a monsoon season and I am discovering just how irritating it is when bicyclists go the wrong way down a one-way street. Food for thought when I get back on the cruiser!
50, 56: People often laugh to discharge the nervous energy of having the shit scared out of them. Nearly dooring someone is a startling experience.
With the near-daily running, I'm getting really good at my hand-on-the-hip/disdainful-glare combo for cars that fail to yield to pedestrians when going right on red. I'm sure those drivers feel genuinely bad for at least five to ten seconds after the encounter.
61: Work your way up to the fender slap. It startles them.
People who do dickish things to cyclists are very surprised when the cyclists come back to discuss it with them.
There was also that time when Tweety and I were riding home late at night and a drunk guy jumped out in front of me in the bike lane just to be a dick. He was enough ahead of me that I wasn't in danger of crashing due to him, and actually was able to calculate my swerve for maximal I-just-might-hit-you,-fucker effect, but what really scared him was when Tweety leapt off his bike and went after the dude to have a 'talk' with him.
No hitting involved (though the guy's friends clearly thought he was in for it), just some stern words about not being a dumbass, and how would you feel if you knocked someone off a bike into the front of a car, etc.
61, 62: After the fender slap, the umbrella-brandish.
63: That's why you should ride with a pickelhaube bike helmet. Someone pulls that shit you just drop your head and ride straight into them.
re: 60
You can usually tell the difference between nervous laughter, and the 'I am a cock' kind.
the 'I am a cock' kind.
If they're on the ridgebeam of the barn, and it sounds like "Cockadoodledoo", it's a dead giveaway.
66: Why take the chance of making a mistake and not hitting somebody when you should have?
Was just on the phone w/my cousin who lives near LB's neighborhood (I think) and says that she rides on Riverside Drive all the time. So there's a vote.
In my personal I'm not really a cyclist news, I really feel like I learned the power of gears for the first time recently. Like, I'd always felt like going into a low gear (whatever one makes it really easy to get up a hill) was somehow cheating or lame or something. But then reading something about maintaining consistent cadence from here clicked in, and who knew, it turns out it's really easy to get around even pretty big hills without much work or getting winded just by switching gears, and that doesn't slow you down that much. Kind of changes the bike from "fun exercise machine" to "plausible transportation device for getting around casually."
re: 68
Exactly.*
* I haven't actually hit someone for real in 20 years, so I must be making that mistake a lot.
There are definitely plenty of people on bikes -- this is about whether I'm comfortable, rather than whether it's an obviously non-bike appropriate road.
66: True. I tend to assume people are as minimally dickish as the facts permit. Which is not actually a great strategy for life, as I'm finding out.
I really feel like I learned the power of gears for the first time recently
It takes a really long time to figure out when what gear is appropriate! And it only gets more complicated when you start riding further and for longer. I think for inexperienced cyclists (I was certainly this way, at least), it feels like you have more control when you're in a higher gear. Dropping down into lower gears can feel like you're spinning/flailing madly all of a sudden.
72 to 70, and I've also made the same discovery about gears. 96th to 180th is a long slow climb that would be unpleasant if I tried to do it in high gear all the way (oh, someone stronger might, but unpleasant for me) but dropping down a gear or two means it's no thing.
Speaking of bad things that can happen on roads with cars, remember the poor woman who got convicted when a driver killed her child. She got a light sentence and the offer of a new trial.
I still have no feel for how to downshift when coming to a stop. Fortunately, my ignorance no longer hinders me, as my bike was stolen.
29.2, 57: I checked Winesearcher and there are a few ports and a fair number of Bordeaux available, but none of it in OH or KY, and it's all basically $500 and up. The non-sketchy stuff on Snooth, once you look closer, is similarly priced. This is by far the best deal I saw, and from a fantastic Barolo producer, but still pretty pricey, and you'd need to figure out how to get it shipped to you somehow as the store can't do it.
There was also that time when Tweety and I were riding home late at night and a drunk guy jumped out in front of me in the bike lane just to be a dick.
There are two classes of people who can be counted on to have appalling stories about the behavior of other people:
1. Serious bicyclists
2. Women
So I've resolved not to be either one of these, but I do admire and sympathize with people who have made these these lifestyle choices.
you'd need to figure out how to get it shipped to you somehow as the store can't do it.
If it were something you were interested in, and shipping were the only problem, it wouldn't be inconvenient for me at all. Email if you'd want that.
re: 73
Yeah -- I think most people probably are minimally dickish most of the time. The problem is what to do when confronted with someone being maximally dickish. They are a tiny minority of people, but they go about making everyone else's lives miserable.
I've also made the same discovery about gears. 96th to 180th is a long slow climb
MY BIKE ONLY HAS 90 GEARS
I can also figure out the shipping for you, and can save you 10% on that price if I order if as part of a case of wine for myself.
8: Long,long ago I traversed Glacier National Park on bicycle as part ofa longer trip. At the ranger station on the Continental Divide, the rangers included a very specific warning about a great deal of bear activity in the area recently. They told everyone to keep their car windows rolled up whenever they see a bear. I pointed out that this wouldn't work well for a bicyclist. The rangers were stumped. One thought that I could possibly outrun a bear on bicycle if I went downhill, which after the Continental Divide I was going to do anyway.
I didn't actually see a bear.
...you'd need to figure out how to get it shipped to you somehow as the store can't do it.
The guy at the shipping place in Napa said to claim I was shipping olive oil instead of wine.
84: I have to say the bear doesn't look very fast.
84: Should've paired up with a jogger.
I don't know-- I've tried pretty hard the last few years not to think about other people's motivations. Malice is rare, but greed and a strong attachment to status quo are very common.
It's uncommon for people who are comfortable to actually steal or create trouble for someone whose face is visible. But add even a drop of intermediation, of depersonalizing distance, and suddenly wanting something for nothing becomes less benign.
84 -- I think we're going to bike the Sun Road on the next full moon. I'm not really worried about bears -- we'll carry bear spray anyway -- but this is scary.
I haven't even been honked at when at the front of several cars in a lane.
Look at me, tempting fate. Happened this morning.
Thanks, ajay - tucking into socks worked well.
Also, by unexpectedly encountering loose otters in an urban setting.
Slut-shame the wildlife much, LB?
84, 89: I was on that Sun Road when I was a kid. Did they make it wider? I can't picture riding a bike up it.
Further to 89, eastbound at the triple arch means they were not in the lane adjacent to the uphill hillside. It's plenty steep there, but the rock must have been in free fall for what, at least 60 vertical feet, and had enough velocity when it last touched land to travel at least 30 more feet horizontally.
It takes a really long time to figure out when what gear is appropriate!
What do you mean by this? I choose gears based almost entirely on cadence, which, having checked a few times, I know that I prefer to sit between 80 and 110 (a bit high, I'm told), and which I now know just by feel. But are you saying that there's more to the game than that?
It's not wider. Bikes aren't allowed in the middle of the day.
But 100 or more bikes going up in the moonlight will create their own traffic condition.
re: 94
IIRC, that was Lance Armstrong's gimmick when he first started winning TdFs. He had a higher than was then standard cadence.
They used to keep Going to the Sun closed early in the morning, didn't they? So bikers could ride it? That's what I remember about my ride, which didn't include bears or falling rocks, thanks very much, though perhaps only because both were scared away by the huffing, puffing, dripping-with-sweat (even in the early morning cold, yes I'm afraid so) mess that was me.
I think I average around 90 (on geared bikes, obvs) but I've never measured and so could be way off.
99: that seems like a pretty challenging road, really.
94: For a new(ish) cyclist, keeping a steady cadence is tricky. I ride a fair amount (I've figured that I'm between three and four thousand miles since I got this bike three years ago), but it was a long time before I was pedaling in any kind of a steady way.
Are those numbers revolutions-per-minute?
98: he did ride with a higher cadence, yes, though I recall hearing from a friend who raced professionally that the announcers at the time were making more of a story of it than there really was to make. Which is to say, his real gimmick was an incredibly sophisticated regimen of performance-enhancing drugs (which, who knows, might have allowed him to pedal at a slightly higher cadence than his competition). I've actually begun to think that LA's real gift was a body that made the most of PEDs, such that while everyone in the peloton was surely doping, he just was better at it than all the rest. Anyway, what a horrible fucker he is, though I do wish that the feds wouldn't waste their time and money trying to convict him of past crimes.
Given the pervasiveness of doping on the professional cycling circuit, I feel weird thinking of anyone as particularly evil for joining in. If almost everyone is clean, and a particular guy is doping, he's a cheater. If more than, say, 20% of the participants at the top end are doping, and it's common knowledge, then everyone who's participating and not turning the cheaters in has accepted it as a norm.
100+ comments and this thread is still on topic? I don't even know who you people are any more.
Huh. I haven't checked, but I'd guess that I do substantially fewer than 90 pedal revolutions per minute (putting aside the consistency issue). Maybe I should lower gears even more.
Swim threads were never like this.
I'd guess (not being at all knowledgeable about race cycling) that a higher cadence partly shifts the load more to the CV system and reduces muscle fatigue, lactic acid, etc. And if you are taking the really good drugs that maximise your CV output ....
The latest Lance Armstrong atrocity of which I've recently been apprised is that Livestrong (TM -- don't sue me, Lance, you fucking fucker) is both a charity and a for-profit corporation, so that people who purchase Livestrong swag sometimes are supporting the charitable arm and sometimes are putting money directly into LA's pocket (as opposed to indirectly, I suppose, as he no doubt draws a huge salary from the charity regardless). I haven't verified the truth in any of this, I should say, but it seems to be in keeping with the man's character.
I don't particularly begrudge Lance, but I must say I reread a profile of him from several years ago in the New Yorker and it has all these quotes from Chris Carmichael about how of course he's not doping; his real secret is that he trains longer and harder than anybody else. Oh. You mean exactly what the drugs allow you to do? It read to me surprisingly close to straight-up admitting that was what was going on, but maybe the general understanding of performance enhancing drugs wouldn't make that such a red flag?
109: Me also. In fact, if I start to spin my feet that fast, I feel out of control on the bike.
111: well, but everybody knows/does that. Except for the sprinters, peak power output isn't really the key.
107: oh, Lance's doping never bugged me at all. As you say, with the whole peloton doping, I'm not sure it even rose to the level of cheating. Instead, I despise him for his ego, his ruthlessness to friends, his sanctimony coupled with dishonesty, and his misogyny. Basically, he's Bono in a biking kit.
I'm pretty comfortable at 80-90; if I drop down to 60 then I'm either loafing or I'm straining in too high a gear. 60 pops for me -- I can feel that I'm pedaling on a "one thousand one, one thousand two" rhythm, and I shift down if I hadn't already.
I don't think they ever closed the Sun Road for bikes. It's just a matter of how early motorized tourists wake up, what with their snooze buttons and all.
We're not going to ride the whole thing in one night. Just up to the top from some arbitrary starting point (ie, where we can find parking) on the west side -- between 8 and 16 miles from the top. And then back down.
The pie is way better on the east side, though, so we might have to think this through a little more. And, obviously, the moonlight is going to be better earlier on the east side.
Thanks, ajay - tucking into socks worked well.
90 represents my single greatest achievement today. Probably this week. Minivet's trousers have justified my decision to get out of bed this morning.
just some stern words about not being a dumbass, and how would you feel if you knocked someone off a bike into the front of a car, etc.
My dad knew somebody who was killed by being hit head-on by a bicyclist while walking on a trail.
Because of that he can get grumpy about cyclists who are too blase about riding fast and not paying attention to pedestrians. I understand that. In his case I think the grumpiness is reasonable.
There are two classes of people who can be counted on to have appalling stories about the behavior of other people:
The weirdest appalling stories are the guys in their early-twenties who will throw things at bicyclists. In separate incidents I've had a slushy thrown at me and a plastic fork. Neither hit, and both of those were when I was younger. I haven't had anything like that happen in the last ten years.
I've never been doored, however, for which I am very grateful.
I've not done much cycling for a year, but I expect my cadence when riding on flat roads is quite low.
re: 115
And even there, sprinting looks like a bit of a dark art. I wonder how Cavendish's power output figures compare to others?
Instead, I despise him for his ego, his ruthlessness to friends, his sanctimony coupled with dishonesty, and his misogyny.
Oh, that.
I find the whole phenomenon where he's (apparently) basically pretty cool for the duration of the ride if you're riding with him as a peer kind of fascinating.
I'm also fascinated by the dynamics between him and the two most popular bike bloggers, one of whom raises a shitload of money for livestrong, and who Lance evidently can't stand and barely has time for, and the other, who could give a shit about Livestrong or any of it, who apparently gets social calls from Lance in the middle of the night.
I was on the Sun Road in 1983, and at that time there was no accomodation for bicycles. Also it was foggy and drizzly, with some sleet, so I didn't actually see much of the glaciers. The rare instances when the fog lifted RV's generally blocked the views. The RV's were much more dangerous than the hypothetical bears. It was really the most disappointing day of a two month Connecticut to Olympic Peninsula trip.
117. From the article I'd say she had an open and shut case against the hotel - if fucking on the bed makes fittings fall off the wall they're not safely installed, period, so maybe going for worker's comp on top of that is just a teensy bit greedy.
I choose gears based almost entirely on cadence [...] are you saying that there's more to the game than that?
No, not at all! But at times I have struggled with figuring out when I'm exerting too much effort early on and really should be in a lower gear.
I turned a corner with it this past spring when I had a terrible ride where I was in too high a gear for most of the beginning of it and later bonked spectacularly. The terrible meltdown was caused by lots of other things (chief among them: eat more carbs, idiot!), but they got associated in my head with riding in too high a gear, and I've been a lot better about it since.
(chief among them: eat more carbs, idiot!)
I do have trouble understanding how anyone can do Atkins/Caveman/whatever diets and still get cardiovascular exercise. I can barely make 2 miles running if I haven't had a load of carbs at some point in the 12 hours before.
I dunno. I don't do really long low intensity exercise much, but when I do it's been fine -- I ran 10 miles with my distance running sister a few months ago no problem, and there are plenty of things at the gym (like yesterdays 40 minute workout of death) that require cardiovascular fitness. And I eat extremely low carb. Maybe eat more fat? Or maybe it's just one of those things your body transitions out of.
he can get grumpy about cyclists who are too blase about riding fast and not paying attention to pedestrians
On multi-use paths (or bike paths that are effectively multi-use, which ends up being lots of them) you do have to modulate your speed, sure. But the incident I described happened while we were riding on the road. Where you have to be aware of pedestrians, but can't really be held accountable for them, you know, jumping out in the street in front of you.
I completely gassed on my ride yesterday, but I think that was as much a function of not eating enough quantity period as it was of not eating enough carbs. Things like nuts and beans work well for me, I find.
maybe it's just one of those things your body transitions out of
That's the Atkins theory, anyway. I haven't had any trouble skiing etc while on Atkins. Well, no more trouble that I have otherwise.
I haven't had any trouble skiing etc while on Atkins.
There's a joke here, but it's kind of mean.
Does anyone here experience heartburn when they try to eat less? I've been trying to cut down my calories to 1500 so I can lose weight, but the heartburn makes me feel like the acid is burning a hole through my chest.
I've tried searching the internet for remedies, but the internet seems to think that heartburn is only caused by eating too much. Or eating red meats and I'm a vegetarian so it can't be that.
but then the fuckhead laughed at me, so I turned around and rode back to yell at him.
On Monday I was manning my post for the parade and marathon . That particular stretch of road has a bike lane. Some guy cut off a cyclist and naturally the cyclist called him a jerk. So right in front of me the middle aged guy driving the car proceeds to follow the cyclist, swerving dangerously close to him while laying on his horn and shouting at him out of his window. I pull him over and am yelling at him about what the hell does he think he's playing at and that I'm having a powerful urge to drag him out of the car and jail him. Apparently actual close quarters confrontation isn't his forte because he literally burst into tears. I still gave him a 500 dollar ticket.
The amount of nutritional common ground I have with a vegetarian who eats 1500 calories per day is so minimal as to be hilarious.
135: ahahahaha. I <3 you, copper.
134: Yes, but 1,500 calories is like 600 kinds of less. Prilosec works.
135: Where were you manning the parade? I had to bike through that mess on 200S to get to work. I was quite amazed that so many people are willing to get up at eight in the morning for a parade.
re: 134
Yes. Although it goes away, and does seem very dependent on what I eat. If I don't eat a lot of carbs I get heartburn sometimes.
138: I've thought about trying Prilosec. As long as there's no underlying issue. It's not esophageal cancer, right?
140: Ah good, then I'm not alone. Thank you!
To be clearer, when I eat less, I get heartburn when my stomach is empty. However, my "less" is still much more than 1,500 calories and probably much more than 2,000. I am especially prone to this kind of pain when I've eaten lots of raw vegetables and I don't know why.
The pain is very bad pain and the location of the pain is alarmingly close to the location of pain for various cardiac issues so I take Prilosec whenever I have problems.
Where were you manning the parade?...I was quite amazed that so many people are willing to get up at eight in the morning for a parade.
I was on the marathon route down on 800 S next to Liberty Park. People camp out overnight to get their viewing spots for that parade. Insanity.
[Just put a pic from Sunday showing some of the Sun Road in the pool]
143: They also set off too many fireworks. I live near Liberty Park and I'm really tired of all the fireworks. There was an article in the SLTrib about some guy getting arrested for pulling a gun on people setting off fireworks and my friends said that if the story had been about a woman, they might have thought it was me.
139/143: Well, it seems to be the closest LDS equivalent to Hegira, no?
but can't really be held accountable for them, you know, jumping out in the street in front of you.
My point, really, was that he was risking more than just the possibility of injuring Blume.
They also set off too many fireworks.
There's no such thing as too many fireworks you fun killer.
148: Ah, gotcha. It surely didn't help his judgement that he was drunk, but also, the bike I was on has swept-back handlebars and a big basket and was being ridden by a girl, so he probably underestimated how fast I was going as well.
135: just so you know, if there's any kind of exchange programme that would get you on the beat in central London, you'd be welcome with that kind of attitude.
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Given that the financial world is coming to an end, why did a bank just lend me a large sum of money? Seriously, we just refinanced, and I can scarcely believe how cheap funds are right now for a 15 year home loan. It's like the lenders haven't priced in the possibility that treasuries will no longer be risk free starting next week. Not that I'm complaining or anything; I'm just half astounded that we were able to get in under the wire and close this thing.
(OTOH, the mortgage broker told me that very few loans were getting approved right now. Unless the borrower has sterling credit and 80% loan-to-value, no chance.)
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153: Knecht, Kevin Drum needs your help. He keeps plaintively asking the same question of mine, that you answered, about why we'd have to default.
Don't fall for it KR. Kevin really wants help moving a sofa and 20 boxes of papers.
Thanks to Mr. Blandings, LB, and the lurkers advising me in email. I'm still not sure whether buying wine is a good idea, but the one Blandings linked looks like a good option and I could get it shipped to my uncle in BFLO and pick it up when we're there in August. I'll talk to my brothers and see if they're interested in a plan like this at all and, now that I think of it, whether the oldest of them is still avoiding drinking, in which case this would probably be kind of tacky and I should think of something else.
152: any kind of exchange programme that would get you on the beat in central London
This is one of the best movie ideas this blog has ever come up with. I'm seeing it as Gorky Park meets Lethal Weapon.
George Armour is a wisecracking, liberal cop from Salt Lake City. He's seconded to Scotland Yard to investigate the murder of two Mormon businessmen in an abandoned house in Greater London. His unwilling partner is Lionel Knight, a no-nonsense Anglo-Jamaican graduate of Eton and Cambridge who detests the American's flippant manner and unorthodox approach to solving the murder. As Knight and Armour investigate the seamier side of suburban English life, they're aided by Donovan MacBeth, an academic librarian, computer hacker and martial arts expert who helps them research the dealings of the murdered men. As their investigation digs deeper, the detectives uncover more than they bargained for in a plot that reaches the very top of British and Utah society.
I was surprised to get to the end of 157 and see that it wasn't written by Flippanter. You guys should become a Hollywood script-writing duo.
I could get it shipped to my uncle in BFLO
I would be afraid to ship wine during the summer. It doesn't take much heat to ruin a bottle of wine, and it would be heartbreaking for that one to have survived 50+ years just to get cooked in the back of a FedEx van.
132: [body adjust to low-carb for exercise] That's the Atkins theory, anyway.
I do recall years ago reading a study with road cyclists successfully adapting to a low-carb diet and after a not very fun period of adjustment being able to match their previous endurance abilities. Searching for verification on the web, I wonder if it might have been a study done by Dr. Steve Phinney which makes me a bit suspect as he is a vocal advocate of the low-carb cult. I believe it is uncontroversial that you do not have the same ability for quick bursts of energy and that is certainly my experience*. This article on long-distance running and carbs and fat (but not about low-carb diets per se) is a quick and interesting read which touches on some of the physiology.
*In an act of noisy semi-desperation I've been low-carbing since the weekend before last and am experiencing the usual both better and worse aspects, but despite feeling better (and being 5 lbs. lighter) during racquetball last night I clearly had not adjusted to my new response function.
Little styrofoam cooler, icepacks? Cold short of freezing shouldn't hurt it, right? Although that's sounding cumbersome.
And gswift is clearly the best cop ever. There's scope for advancement in NY, if you wanted to try the east coast.
when I've eaten lots of raw vegetables and I don't know why.
The lesson here is to always know why you are eating raw vegetables.
160: That article is people at a whole different level of trying to work out. For one thing, they don't mention Swedish Fish as a carb.
159: I just assumed the places who ship wine knew what they were doing, but it's another good reason not to bother.
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FUCK the liberal New York Times. This week's right-wingnut profile is of James O'Keefe!
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He keeps plaintively asking the same question of mine, that you answered, about why we'd have to default.
Felix Salmon says my answer is wrong, and you should probably listen to him over me. In truth, I had some doubts myself along those lines after I wrote that comment.
N.B. Salmon underscores that the U.S. would default on some other obligations, just not treasury bonds. Any default would trigger debt downgrades. But downgrades are different from default.
157 is great, and I'm liking the subtle Sherlock Holmes reference.
Regarding taxis, the other vehicles to watch out for are white vans - bound to be either a team of dodgy PIs working for News International, or a team of undercover cops tailing them. If you see three in a row, call Tom Watson MP.
166: Why did I read it? They repeat the canard:
He also began to work on his Acorn prank, in which he and a woman named Hannah Giles posed as a pimp and a prostitute and secretly recorded officials advising them on how to break various laws.No. At the offices he posed as her boyfriend trying to help her. And although it does not mention the "get up", given previous disinformation (including in the Times), a reader might assume that they wore the flamboyant costumes into the offices. But the biggest hoot is when it relies on the words of disgraced public editor Clark Hoyt who was an institution-defending piece of shit on this story.
Clark Hoyt, a former public editor for The New York Times, reviewed O'Keefe's raw footage and edited tapes and concluded that "the most damning words match the transcripts and the audio, and do not seem out of context."
Right, the US does not have to default on Treasuries in the short run, and if comes down to it I'm sure that they won't. They almost can't, since they need to roll over existing debt as it comes due.
The question is what happens when the government suddenly cuts spending. This will contract the economy, which will in turn cut tax revenues.
157: Full marks, with the following notes:
- Change Knight to "Leona Knight." The man-woman thing opens up new sources of humorous conflict, after the fish-out-of-water thing runs dry. Single mother?
- There is no such thing as "Utah society."
- Donovan MacBeth: Gay? (All Brits are gay, right?) Can we add a scene in a theater, where no one is willing to say his name?
As i understand it, just write the checks, fuck the Treasuries as they are what is bound by the debt ceiling. See if the Fed has the balls to bounce them.
So, bicycles.
Um.
Additional things to say about bicycles.
Yesterday some dude yelled "nice bike!" out of his car at me. That was pleasant.
I mean, it is a nice bike. I'm just glad he noticed.
174 is part of why I have never been given any real financial responsibilities. At work or home.
It's apparently illegal for the Fed to let the Treasury overdraw its account. Though who knows what they would do if the Treasury tried to do it. If we ever get in a position where the debt ceiling will cost a bank one dollar, I'm sure the Fed will invent some loophole.
166: And written by Zev "Truth to Power" Chafets:
In an interview on WNYC's On the Media regarding his profile of Rush Limbaugh for The New York Times Magazine, Zev Chafets asserted: "I'm not an apologist for Rush Limbaugh, but I'm a little bit defensive because I think that the liberal media takes such an unfair view of him."
OT: Based on what I have seen at the gym without sound, that woman from The Millionaire Matchmaker is goddamned terrifying, like a Gorgon child of Candace Bushnell. Cripes.
There is no such thing as "Utah society."
Well, sure, but we can have Very Important Families. Like the Romneys or the Udalls. I'm not entirely sure how we can create connections to the English upper class...
I'm not entirely sure how we can create connections to the English upper class...
What's the dramatic purpose of all those missionaries if none of them ever gets into trouble?
Recumbent bicycles: any thoughts?
I've actually daydreamed for a long time about building a low-rider cruiser type bike that was sort of recumbent style, so that you'd actually be sitting between two full sized (or extra big, even) wheels, and have a long fork and ape hanger bars and etcetera. The chain routing wouldn't be easy, but I bet it would be doable.
As i understand it, just write the checks, fuck the Treasuries as they are what is bound by the debt ceiling. See if the Fed has the balls to bounce them.
Felix Salmon has an opinion on that, too.
The great thing about that solution is that, under the new Fed rules, the Treasury would have to opt in to the $37 per overdraft fee schedule.
180.last: Well per this map, Utah leads the way (with Maine) in claiming "English" ancestry.
There are two classes of people who can be counted on to have appalling stories about the behavior of other people:
1. Serious bicyclists
2. Women
Yet, didn't Science just tell us that if you combine the two, drivers act better, something about greater following distance? That's what I put my faith in: my long flowing hair and the fact that I look like the prow of a ship.
185: Yeah, it was the Carney post he cites where I had seen the argument put forward.
I'm not entirely sure how we can create connections to the English upper class...
Isn't it obvious? The CIA likes to hire Mormons, and MI-6 likes to hire toffs.
183: A pear-shaped American Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson had been abducted, possibly at gunpoint, and taken to a cottage in Devon. There he was shackled to a bed and subjected to three days of kinky sex with Joyce McKinney, a fellow American, originally from North Carolina, who claimed to have done it all for love.
"Looks like we've got"--puts on sunglasses; removes them because it's cloudy and may rain--"a missing missionary position."
Tonight on CBS, 9 Eastern, 8 Central: Knight and Armour have to find a kidnapped Utah college student; Knight tries to explain to Armour why missionaries can't call their parents whenever they feel like it; MacBeth's pet ocelot makes a meal of Knight's favorite Timberlands!
185: In the comments people point out it's illegal.
182: I have a visceral negative response to them, based on some (entirely in my own head, no doubt!) notion that anyone riding one is saying "Look at me! So wacky!" to the world. Like a unicyclist in a Doctor Suess hat. So, you know, haaate. But I am like 20% Mean Girl and ought to be ignored.
I've invented a loophole. The Treasury sells a real asset, say the Pentagon, for a hundred trillion dollars, as part of a repo agreement -- they agree to buy it back for the same amount of money in two years. The buyer in turn borrows a hundred trillion dollars from the Fed, using the Pentagon as collateral, and uses it to pay the Treasury. In two years, the Treasury buys back the Pentagon, and the buyer uses the proceeds to pay back the Fed.
The CIA likes to hire Mormons, and MI-6 likes to hire toffs.
"Who shot an unidentified American in Hyde Park? When Knight and Armour get warned off the case by a mysterious British government official, Knight goes it alone and walks right into trouble. Plus, MacBeth's mother is in town, and she borrows Knight's favorite pleated Dockers for a fancy-dress party! Thrills, chills and laughs on Knight and Armour tonight, with special guest star Lord Mountbatten!"
182, 193: Someone who commented here and I'm drawing a blank on who, rode a recumbent for back problems. So, a respectably non-wacky reason for it. OTOH, they make me nervous -- I'm not sure what the rider can see down there or how successfully he can steer, so I tend to sprint past them so as not to be involved in the wrecks I believe they will cause.
notion that anyone riding one is saying "Look at me! So wacky!" to the world.
PDBS is a popular destination for recreational bicyclists, and you can see just about every variety of bicycle around town on a summer weekend. So I'm usually not surprised by anything. Until a couple of weeks ago, when I saw two adults and two children riding, I swear to Cthulhu, a bicycle built for four. Now there's a piece of machinery that says "I think nothing of shelling out $3,000 to get a few curious and perhaps envious stares about town."
182, 193: Recumbent bicycles: any thoughts?
My one brother-in-law has discovered them in his retirement and now has two. He is basically a pretty good guy, but he has a Slate-ish contrarian streak which tends to annoy me*, and his recumbent enthusiasm has its roots right smack within that aspect of his personality. (He also went to some big rally**--I think several thousand recumbentists in one place Drop bomb here X.might be a bit much).
*And given the nature of family a whole lot o other things that annoy me but are just about me being a hater.
**In Wisconsin.
193: honestly that's largely my reaction as well, tempered by a deep-down curiousity that I am concerned may result, decades-hence, in my owning one.
198: they definitely don't handle as well as upright bikes, from everything I've heard, so you aren't necessarily wrong.
199: you can get surprisingly cheap three-person bikes (shitty cruiser-type bikes, but still) on ebay. Wouldn't surprise me if it was the same deal for four. Or was it one of these ridiculous things?
I was in PDBS on a recreational bicycle ride just yesterday, in fact. That water fountain in the center of town is just the thing.
182: Yesterday I saw a guy who must have been preparing for a career in a ZZ Top cover band and he was riding a recumbent bike down the center lane of a hugely busy street.
My deeply held conviction about recumbent bikes is that only engineering professors ride them, to the extent that if I find out that someone who isn't an engineering prof is riding one, I'd want to know why that person is trying to impersonate an engineering professor. It seems like an odd thing to pretend to be.
202: yeah there are always beards involved for some reason.
Because most engineering professors have beards. It all fits.
I mean, you can't tell from looking at a recumbent bike rider whether the guy is a Civil or a Mechanical, but for damn sure he's an engineering professor.
If this guy was an engineer, he was a civil engineer.
My colleague rides a recumbent. He does it for some medicalish reason: bad back, numb cock, something else again? Out of sense of deep kindness and collegiality, I don't laugh at him when he rides by. But I do sometimes toss rotten fruit. Or a slushee. Or really whatever else is on hand.
Also, I just went for a bike ride -- on a real bike -- and it was nice. A bit hot, actually, but still nice.
And finally, this is the first comment composed on my new MacBook Air, which is awesome!
In my experience, a mechanical engineers tend to look less like their main hobby is getting stoned.
Now I want to go on a bike ride. Maybe I should just ditch work and go take one.
My colleague is a historian. (Not an* historian.) And he is clean-shaven. Theory: disproved.
* Is anything more annoying? No, you pretentious twit.
The problem with recumbents is that you're very low to the ground. Solution: recumbent tallbike.
A historian who wants people to think he's an engineer, and for reasons only he can comprehend, chose the recumbent but not the accompanying beard.
211: And my brother-in-law was some who-the-fuck-knows-what*? civilian employee of the Air Force.
*But not an engineer.**
**And not bearded.***
***Usually.
Having just praised my new computer, it did something truly awful and spiteful. Maybe it's a masochist and doesn't want to be lauded?
It's testing the bounds of your affection. Be stern with it, but not cruel.
216: that looks like an impressively terrible idea.
Also, you oughtn't to misplace modifiers so.
Solution: recumbent tallbike.
I still do not get tallbikes. As a trick, silly thing? Sure! Go ride them at the park or the circus or at Burning Man all you want! But I not seldom see them on the streets here, among traffic, which just freaks me out.
217: Did you tweet pictures of your balls? If so, that's not a very good excuse.
Alternately, a recumbent whose lift off the ground derives from its gigantic wheels.
220: So you're saying that you'd like to re-write my book, then?
My neighbor was explaining to me why he didn't ride his unicycle to work (executive summary: it doesn't have gears so he gets really tired) and I was trying to figure out if I'd ever seen anybody communiting by unicycle anywhere except on a campus.
221: I saw a pennyfarthing on the bike path a few weeks ago. Entertaining to look at, but boy does it look like a bad idea.
225: There is a guy in Salt Lake City who commutes to work on a unicycle. I see him on State St. before or after work at least once a week.
220: So you're saying that you'd like to re-write my book, then?
I'm sure your publisher will assign it a copy editor and proofreader, right? I'm afraid I won't have time to take the task on myself but if I did, you'd find that my rates are reasonable.
(Oh, who am I kidding, no publisher in the world—especially no academic publishers in the world—gives two shits about copy editing anymore.)
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Pray tell me, dear gmail ad placement algorithm: What words or phrases in my email history could possibly have led you to conclude that this was a relevant advertisement? "Sack Flag. A combination of sack racing and flag football, this unique game is sure to become a favorite with students."
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228: it's being published by a so-called crossover press, and one that has a reputation for excellent copy editing, thanks very much.
Not enough donkey saddle makers to go round?
What about commuting by bicycle, but just wheelie-ing the whole way?
one that has a reputation for excellent copy editing, thanks very much.
Oh, well, that's great!
I've just seen lots of really embarrassing mistakes in books published by seemingly top-flight presses (Oxford and Harvard especially), so I am jaundiced. But if you say that this press has a good editing rep, then I am gladdened.
229: Gmail served me ads for kill-floor de-bristlers.
I have some MIT Press books with really utterly horrendous copy editing.
233.2: uh oh. But it won't happen to me! I'm sure of it!
Actually I might be misremembering about Harvard; the one book I was specifically thinking of was actually published by Chicago.
So what's it about, roughly?
250 pages.
237: the fight over memorializing an Indian massacre that happened at the tail end of the US Civil War. The problem, I've found, is that I've employed a relatively complicated (for a historian, at least) narrative structure, which relies on flashbacks to tell both the modern and the c19 story if not simultaneously at least not adjacently (if you see what I mean). Anyway, I really need a team of neb, Megan, Flippanter, Natilo, and perhaps a few others to make it better. But, alas, I see that in my time of need no help is on the way.
238: I knew everything would work out! Is this not truly the best of all possible worlds?
Someone in my neck of the woods drives a tall recumbent bike, looking like a beardy engineer and weaving all over the place. He scares me.
198 - likely me, though I'm not sure. Anyway, it's true.
The thing about recumbents is that the design space is substantially larger than for uprights and nowhere near as well explored. There might be designs out there that compensate for the drawbacks at least enough to convince a critical mass of people to adopt them.
It has, in addition to the Civil War backdrop, real live Indians; casino magnates; big-belt buckle-wearing Westerners struggling with the Feds over land use and whatnot; Indian hating heritage types; forensic scientists not really saving the day; fights over competing epistemologies (or maybe just ways of knowing the past); bodies being desecrated, displayed, dug up, and reburied; complicated plot twists; and no argument to speak of!
245: Sounds epic. Remind us when it's actually purchasable.
They were desecrated and displayed prior to being dug up?
248: it was kind of an underground thing.
They were desecrated and displayed prior to being dug up?
Totally!
Strictly speaking, the tick-tock went like this: desecrated, displayed, buried, dug up, reburied.
Though, other relevant bodies were merely desecrated, displayed, and then buried. Those bodies, one hopes, have rested in peace ever since.
251: Wasn't there an initial updigging before the desecration (or at least before the display)?
251: Wasn't there an initial updigging before the desecration (or at least before the display)?
That's what I assumed, but maybe what happened is that they were desecrated and displayed before they were ever buried.
This is interesting, because I took desecration to be something that only applied to an already-buried body. Like, just any old dead body lying where it died can't be desecrated; you have to be put in the ground first.
Couldn't you descrate a body without digging it up even if it was buried?
No, you could totally desecrate a body still in the funeral home. What happened to Alistair Cooke? Definitely desecration.
254: Well, legally, isn't it usually "interfering with a corpse" or something like that? I mean, if I died, and someone found my body, and dressed me up in a Harry Potter (tm) costume and put a copy of USA Today in my hands, wouldn't that be desecrating my body?
255: I think you could desecrate it, but you couldn't display it without digging it up.
258 cont.:I suppose, barring some kind of underground cutaway display. But you couldn't do that to many different sets of bones -- it wouldn't scale.
258: dig next to it and install a window. hey, presto!
What if it was like a long tunnel with a series of window displays? Spooky fun!
No, you could totally desecrate a body still in the funeral home.
Well, sure, but my initial unthinking reaction to "desecration of a body" involved exhuming as a component.
The ones you really want helping you write text are Cryptic Ned and k-sky, especially speeches.
I haven't refused to help you. I've stated my entirely reasonable terms and the negotiation is languishing on your end.
Like, just any old dead body lying where it died can't be desecrated; you have to be put in the ground first.
This surely is not the case.
You could dig right down to it, but not remove it; that wouldn't be digging it up.
I'm lukewarm about making Lionel into Leona. That seems to turn it into Scarecrow and Mrs. King in a way that doesn't ring true to me. Although, I suppose if it were a feature film, rather than a TV series, I would have to figure out some way to make it pass the Bechdel Test.
If you wanted to make it more socially relevant, there could be a number of subplots about how Leona Knight is always being tokenized at Scotland Yard, even though she's a sincere Tory and not at all a chancer.
I still like it better as a movie franchise though.
I'm being really timely with my comments here.
Say, VW, what's your book about?
259: I've been to fossil bed that had great heaps of bones that were exposed but not really dug up.
Although, I suppose if it were a feature film, rather than a TV series, I would have to figure out some way to make it pass the Bechdel Test.
The Mormon businesspersons were women; as the investigation proceeds and clues are put together, we get flashbacks (filtered through the developing knowledge of the investigators) showing what they were doing, which of course includes talking to each other about their business and the secrets they're gradually uncovering.
They dig you up, your mum and dad.
You may not want it, but they do.
They desecrate the bones you had
And then display them, just for you.
245: Sounds a lot like Tony Hillerman via Carl Hiaasen. But I'm sure it is much better than that would imply.
One thing I've always been interested to see explored is the pretty stark contradiction of having NAGPA protecting Native graves, or even graves that might be Native graves, on US soil, but having nothing to say about any tomb robbing outside the country.
What are the competing epistemologies?
"What if it was like a long tunnel with a series of window displays?"
266: Did you ever watch Keen Eddie?
I was thinking the big evil conspiracy should connect the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics scandals with the as-yet-unknown (?) scandals behind the 2012 London Olympics.
Also, there's a role for the Detective Inspector who doesn't understand Armour's maverick ways. If she's a woman, she and Knight can talk about solving cases properly, rather than in the flashy Utahn style.
. If she's a woman, she and Knight can talk about solving cases properly,
Sounds riveting.
269: That works pretty well, and you could work in a lot of stuff about gender roles in the LDS that would not be as crass as Study in Scarlet.
This is getting less funny though.
276: Nope, first I've heard of it. I do dimly recall watching a few episodes of Dempsey & Makepeace though.
The funniest movies are made with the straightest faces.
as-yet-unknown (?) scandals behind the 2012 London Olympics.
Depends on your definition of scandal. They're annihilating an entire working class community - closing their shops, expropriating their allotments, building hideous structures that make it hard to get around. OTOH, the Tories and NuLab probably think this is a good thing, as they'll be able to sell the land at a premium after all the tourists are out of sight.
What are the competing epistemologies?
Like I said, just incompatible ways of knowing the past: oral versus written sources, archaeology versus traditional Native practices, etc.
As to your point about NAGPRA, the whole thing gets very complicated if one takes seriously -- as the federal government does not -- tribal sovereignty.
275: Picture the sober discussion taking place in front of a window, as Knight careens by outside with his tie caught in a Segway he can't get under control.
281: Armour, I take it you mean, who is beginning to sound a bit Clouseauesque.
281: "where'za doors in this ossuary!" [ LAFFS ]
Speaking of Segways, I could easily manage my whole commute on one. Less sweaty than biking.
And come to think, I'm not sure Segways go fast enough to be described as careening. Possibly I'll leave the screenplays to Natilo.
The one where the two Segways just brush wheels and one goes down hard is good. Shows lots of promise for chase scenes.
Can Idris Elba play Knight? Who do you want for Armour?
(Re gmail ads - I was getting ones earlier this week for bedwetting. I don't know why.)
Sounds a lot like Tony Hillerman via Carl Hiaasen.
Based on my experience, this is a pretty realistic description of the wild, incredibly sleazy world of Indian gaming.
I'm not sure Segways go fast enough to be described as careening
Didn't one of them careen over a cliff with the company owner riding on it?
...<man searching>
290: And because I'm a bad person, it makes me think of this classic scene.
Speaking of Indian remains, I'm kind of surprised no one has gone either the Tony Hillerman/Whitey-is-murdering-our-past or the Chariots of the Gods route w/r/t Kennewick Man yet. John Sayles or Michael Bay, as applicable, can e-mail me for a treatment.
Regarding google ads, I got "Colonoscopy for Dummies" earlier today, and I wondered if the goog thought I should get one or learn to perform them. Either way, I was being called a dummy, though, which is just rude.
Colonoscopy make Stanley smarter. Sifu get colonoscopy, now see all kinds of things Sifu never see before.
293: Let's see you have Edgar Bergen's hand up your ass for 40 years and not get yourself checked out every once in a while.
(Re gmail ads - I was getting ones earlier this week for bedwetting. I don't know why.)
They're trying to sell you stuff to make you wet the bed?
Knight and Armour is truly splendid. Clearly Jim True-Frost has to play Armour. And Ewen Bremner as Donovan.
So, inspired, I rode my bike into work today, i.e. rode it the mile or so to the station, took it on the train, and rode the mile or so at the other end. Thoughts: MTBs are fecking heavy. The Reynolds-tubed road bike I had as a teenager was light enough that my scrawny self could lift it easily with one hand. With my current bike,* it's a bugger running up and down a few flights of stairs with it.
* aluminium-alloy, and not particularly chunky, either.
Does this count as desecration? If you had hoped for a simple tomb in the classical style?
The Reynolds-tubed road bike I had as a teenager was light enough that my scrawny self could lift it easily with one hand. With my current bike,* it's a bugger running up and down a few flights of stairs with it.
Yep. My commuter is Reynolds-tubed, and I cheerfully run trudge up a couple flights of stairs with it every day. That 531 was some great stuff.
Hmm, according to Dawes website* it's about 33-34lbs. Feels like more. I'm guessing my old road bike was about 20lbs.
* mine is another brand Dawes they had out a few years ago, but the same basic bike they still sell under their own name.
302: I think the 20->30 lb. range is a "sensitive" one in that it is where for many people things transition from easily manageable to "heavy". I had the same sense working with one of my kids on their mountain bike and looking it up it is "only" 29 lbs.
A bren gun weighed 28lb and was usually diassembled and carried by two guys behind the line by reason of its weight. At the front (where it needed to be in one piece) it was common for the bren gunner to offload a lot of the rest of his kit on the rest of the section for the same reason. So yes, 33lb is heavy.
I was trying to load some 30-odd-pound piece of equipment into a truck this morning left-handed (because my right hand was occupied). I was laughably short of being able to lift it high enough. Probably because I don't eat enough bison or something.
305: Couldn't stop for even a minute?
If that fruit hadn't weighed more than 30 lb, Stanley might have been able to hang it slightly higher up.
My Brompton's supposed to be 24 Lb or so, and I'd prefer not to haul it around much. People keep on suggesting commuting variations that would involve schlepping it home on the subway, and the prospect of maneuvering a 25 Lb weight with a lot of sort of pointy corners on it through a rush hour subway with a bunch of stairs is profoundly unattractive. I could do it, but I'd rather not.
But I see the occasional other Brompton on the subway, being carried by people who look stronger than I am.
I saw an episode of How it's made where they built a Brompton. Welding was involved.
Yeah, I suppose re: points about the weight. I hadn't really thought of it in those terms. Plus bikes are long, bendy and awkward when you are on stairs surrounded by people.
308.2: But I see the occasional other Brompton on the subway, being carried by people who look stronger than I am.
You just need to hire PalanquinBrompton-bearers.
Do Brompton's have, like, a handle? They don't seem like they'd actually be all that handy to carry.
When it's folded up, it's natural to grab it by the, um, is it called the crossbar? The bar that goes horizontally from the back wheel to the front. Grabbing it isn't the problem, it's just that it's still a big heavy thing with corners. (I keep on meaning to get myself a nylon webbing strap with a snap buckle to make it into a loop, that I could use as a shoulder strap for it. But I haven't encountered exactly the right thing.)
That doesn't seem terrible. The nice thing about a regular diamond-frame bike is that you can put it on your shoulder and carry it that way; much easier than actually carrying all the weight in one hand.
Diamond-encrusted bike frames, on the other hand, are all stabby.
I've got two mixte-framed bikes, and they are a bitch to carry.
My nice bike is actually kind of annoying to carry, although it's a diamond frame; the brake cable is routed along the underside of the top tube (for looks) and I have a frame pump under there as well, so I can't do the shoudler thing or pick it up by the top tube. Luckily it's quite light, and also it fills me with joy and wonder when I touch it, so it's not that big a deal.
I just put a carbon fork on my MTB (which I use as a commuter bike) and the bike shop told me that it was now nineteen and a half pounds.
It's now a little bit too rigid. I might get used to it, or I might decide to put a different saddle on it which would add a couple ounces.
318: is it aluminum? Aluminum can often be kind of painfully rigid.
Titanium, though slightly more rigid than my previous ti MTB (but still a much nicer frame for reasons that I can't describe very well).
Why do you commute on a titanium mountain bike?
... and what kind of fork did you have on it before?
Why do you commute on a titanium mountain bike?
Because I can . . .
Seriously, it's just about perfect for my commute (which isn't that long, has bike lanes or paths for most of the distance, but does have a number of intersections that I need to be careful about); it's comfortable and the upright riding position makes it easy to look around. I don't have to lock it up outside, I just bring it up into the office.
Besides high-end ten year old titanium mountain bikes aren't that expensive on ebay; everybody wants disk brakes, and I'm happy with V-brakes.
... and what kind of fork did you have on it before?
A Fox suspension fork, I think. On my previous bike I had a spicer Ti fork which I loved, it was incredibly comfortable, but I got nervous reading online about forks of that design tending to break, so I didn't swap it over.
Well, whatever works for you. I'm hardly one to talk about other people's possibly-idiosyncratic bicycle choices. You could put a steel fork on there, potentially, although then I guess it would be heavier.
I've long dreamed of having two forks on my bike: one named Tene and the other named Dor.
I'm curious if there's a standard reason other than cost, not to use Ti MTBs for commuting? I'm aware that it's idiosyncratic, but it seems like such an obviously good thing I'm always surprised that more people don't do it.
I have been pleasantly surprised at how good the fork is at dealing with chatter and vibration. It's quite comfortable in most situations, but you do feel it when going over curbs or railroad tracks.
Well, modern MTB geometry is generally designed to be responsive when navigating things like steep dirt singletrack full of roots or boulders or whatever. These are not obstacles that are usually encountered commuting. There are purpose-built bikes that are designed to travel efficiently and comfortably across all manner of road surfaces, but they're generally, you know, road bikes, and generally don't feature aggressive upright geometry, super high bottom brackets and tons of tire clearance, because on the road it's more important to have comfortable (yet relatively aerodynamic), low-center of gravity stability and smooth power transfer. It's not particularly weirder than commuting on a super-tight-clearance, steep angle track bike, but it's still a bit idiosyncratic.
Also, do you really ride straight over that many curbs or non-flush railroad tracks? If I need to get up or down a curb for some reason I'll hop it, but it doesn't come up much.
I commute to work on a Ti mountain bike. Except when I commute to work on a Ti road bike. My commute is short enough that rider position is largely irrelevant, though I do enjoy being upright and riding on fat tires when on campus, as the added (perceived) stability is comforting.
Well, I commute on a forty year old British touring bike "upgraded" with smaller-than-original wheels, fixed drivetrain, poorly fitted fenders and plastic platform pedals, so it's possible I shouldn't be listened to. I still think it's weird, though.
Also, do you really ride straight over that many curbs or non-flush railroad tracks?
No, not really. Mostly where I've noticed it on my commute is either changing from pavement to trail where I'm going over a slight lip, or particularly aggressive cracks in the pavement.
Mostly though it's very comfortable. I just got the fork swapped out on Tuesday and I feel like it's taking a bit of getting used to, but mostly a clear improvement (except for the lack of way to mount a fender).
There are purpose-built bikes that are designed to travel efficiently and comfortably across all manner of road surfaces, but they're generally, you know, road bikes
Heh, fair enough. Von Wafer understands me.
I guess I'm just not understanding the weirdness. Presumably the Ti mountains bikes (both mine and Nick's) in question are from an era when full suspension was rare. Given that, they're v-brake equipped (awesome stopping power that shames double-pivot brakes), have 26" wheels (which accelerate and decelerate more quickly than 700s), take fat tires (which allow for riding on poorly maintained streets), and offer a riding position that, while it's relatively inefficient (but who cares on a short commute?) is comfortable and produces the illusion of added control and safety. And beyond all of that, mountain bikes of the vintage I think we're talking about, basically provided a blueprint for many of the innovations we now see on high-end road bikes: threadless stems, sloping top tubes (another nice feature for stop-and-start commuting), shorter chainstays than were once the norm, etc. I mean, they're good all-around bikes and very well suited to commuting. And then there's this: titanium is as close to a bombproof material (again, perfect for commuting) as you'll find. Sure, it flexes (one more time: who cares on a commuter?), but can be ridden hard and put away wet and will still last a long, long time.
How does a sloping top tube help in commuting? This is a real question; I am ignorant about the practicalities of bike geometry.
but can be ridden hard and put away wet and will still last a long, long time.
I think Von has found a bike for you, urple.
Damnably well argued.
I think I just find the riding position so weirdly inefficient and bouncy (at least when on a rigid-ish surface, but even on a rigid bike) that it seems like you're giving up this large amount of go-forward-ability for gains (bigger tires, quick acceleration) that can be gained back on tons of bikes that were more-or-less designed for the road (and other gains that are illusory). But okay, I am willing to concede that it's not, like, really weird.
333: a sloping-top-tube bike that fits you will have more standover clearance than a straight-top-tube bike (of the same BB height) that fits you.
BREAKING NEWS
On twitter dsquared referred to "craft beer" in a non-derogatory way.
Damnably well argued.
Indeed, I'm impressed.
I just find the riding position so weirdly inefficient and bouncy (at least when on a rigid-ish surface, but even on a rigid bike)
Wait, are you arguing that a rigid bike feels more inefficient and bouncy than one with suspension?
I don't think the difference in efficiency is as large as you're making it out to be -- particularly for shorter rides with sections where you're doing a lot of stopping and starting but, mostly, I like feeling like I don't have to crane my neck to see what's going on around me.
Wait, are you arguing that a rigid bike feels more inefficient and bouncy than one with suspension?
No, no. Just that a rigid mountain bike on a rigid surface still feels weirdly inefficient and bouncy to me.
I don't think the difference in efficiency is as large as you're making it out to be
Oh, I'm sure the practical difference is probably pretty small. I'm just used to the feeling of (also possibly illusory) ultra-efficient power transfer that you get with a road bike (and the relatively stable upper body position that comes with it). I should say as well that I feel quite a bit less safe in traffic on a bike with upright bars, just because I'm much more used to manuevering road bike with drops, so maybe that's why I'm not feeling that (illusory) feeling of safety.
Damnably well argued.
But poorly edited and written. Go me!
335.2: based on the logic here, nobody should ever, no matter the kind of riding they'll do, consider anything other than carbon frames with Ksyriums on them. I mean, if efficient power transfer is your most important goal in commuting, this makes sense. But I want, in some order or other, safety (including being able to see the lay of the land and also clear any obstacles that may be littering said land), comfort, low maintenance, and then and only then do I begin to care about efficiency. I mean, I don't want to ride a noodle to school, but a Ti mountain bike, though assuredly flexier than your awesome road bike, is still plenty stiff to get me to work as quickly as I need.
Anyway, I get what you mean, but it occurs to me to ask: have you done a lot of riding offroad? On a rigid mountain bike? Made out of ti? Because this conversation might be a byproduct of your sense that such bikes are just weird and ill-suited to goodness no matter what.
342: well, right. And obviously I have plenty of more pressing concerns given that I don't own a carbon frame.
I think I just don't really get the benefits that accrue; I feel like I can see fine riding my road bike, and generally don't have problems with unclearable obstacles, even riding four seasons in a town not noted for its excellent roads. And as far as maintenance goes, I guess I could do more on the rust prevention front, but I find I've eliminated almost all maintenance headaches (almost all maintenance!) by commuting on a bike without derailleurs and with a secondary, non-rim-based braking system.
Possibly this all dates back to the day that I switched from an aluminum MTB ("switched" is probably a strong word; the MTB got stolen) to a steel road bike when I was like 19 or so, and how completely awesome it made everything. Maybe if I rode a nice Ti MTB on slicks I'd be like "damn! This is a good time!"
343: I haven't. I would certainly like to. And that's certainly possible, as alluded to in my last comment, but I feel like I have no problem understanding why a MTB would be fun as shit offroad. It's just that in my imagined fun time riding a Ti MTB offroad, a lot of the fun comes from things like using the leverage of the bars to pull up over things and standing up and cranking, neither of which are things I find much call to do when on-road.
345: yeah, they're totally at their best off road. But they work pretty well on the road as well -- so long as going fast for sustained periods of time isn't your biggest priority.
I find derailleurs almost completely maintenance free. In fact, I don't think I've ever had to do anything to one except a bit of lubrication and adjusting the travel a bit when it drifts. V-brakes, otoh, are a bastard.
I find a hybridised MTB quite OK for commuting. When I used to ride regularly in Oxford mine was fine -- but I do miss the lightness of road bikes and I do find them more comfortable. I grew up with road bikes; we were a cycling family. If I buy a cheap old road bike that'd be a nice way to get back into seeing if I like them.
I find derailleurs almost completely maintenance free.
Some combination of road salt/sand and weather generally just chews them up around here. Freewheel bearings, too. I'm sure it'd be fine if I thoroughly cleaned everything at the end of the winter, but even easier to have nothing to clean.
I probably don't do the miles to chew them up. In Oxford I probably rode about 20-25 miles a week. In London I've ridden twice in the past few weeks, and not at all for months before that. Even years back when I rode more I probably didn't do the miles that a serious or even half-arsed recreational cyclist does. I had a few summers when I did 60-70 miles a week commuting, but no issue with salt/sand.
Anyhow, I concur that v-brakes are a big pain in the ass. They may not stop as well, but boy, the ease of maintenance on my dual-pivots is A+.
Single pivots are kind of a hassle to keep centered, but not nearly as bad as cantis, let alone v-brakes.
I've never had a problem with v-brakes.
I wonder if there's a difference between higher end, and middle of the road components, if I'm just lucky.
I wonder if there's a difference between higher end, and middle of the road components
This has certainly always been my experience, especially with brakes. I've never had a bike with high-end v-brakes, so.
