"Cyclists" are the problem

steinone

Does he have a fixed gear? Or even a single speed?
Grass track racing 12oc this Saturday at Eamonn Ceannt park, all about sprinting with the short course.

blorg

steinone wrote: »

We know your two brakes would slow you faster than we would, aint no point.

Happy to do the challenge on my track bike with one brake up front

cdaly_

Raam wrote: »

cycle along the coast towards Howth from town.
Turn right at the second available opportunity.

IIRC the second available opportunity is a slipway...

ROK ON

steinone wrote: »

Does he have a fixed gear?

He possibly has the sexiest fixed gear on this forum.

niceonetom

It's not a fixie. It's a track bike.

el tonto wrote: »

My new track bike, which I just finished building last night. Bianchi Pista Concept:

blorg

ROK ON wrote: »

He possibly has the sexiest fixed gear on this forum.

Yes but he never rides it. I want to get him out in the fixed posse for at least one sportive.

Chips Lovell

steinone wrote: »

Does he have a fixed gear? Or even a single speed?
Grass track racing 12oc this Saturday at Eamonn Ceannt park, all about sprinting with the short course.

Intriguing as racing on grass sounds, I can't make that. Once the Wednesday evening track racing starts I'll gladly race you at that some night.

blorg wrote: »

Yes but he never rides it. I want to get him out in the fixed posse for at least one sportive.

I f**king ride it several times a week! But you can forget about me riding a sportive on it.

ROK ON

el tonto wrote: »

Once the Wednesday evening track racing starts I'll gladly race you at that some night.

Are there evenings where complete noobs can learn stuff and race against other noobs?

Chips Lovell

ROK ON wrote: »

Are there evenings where complete noobs can learn stuff and race against other noobs?

They have track training at which you can learn the basics and get accredited to race. On race nights, they split races into A and B groups.

steinone

niceonetom wrote: »

It's not a fixie. It's a track bike.

Hey hey, I never said fixie, I said fixed gear which it is, fixie would be a derogative for that nice of a bike

Raam

el tonto wrote: »

I f**king ride it several times a week! But you can forget about me riding a sportive on it.

Blorg rode his on the Swords sportive and got spanked... severely

blorg

Raam wrote: »

Blorg rode his on the Swords sportive and got spanked... severely

Also did the Martin Early on it, I wouldn't exactly say I got spanked in either. I'll probably do the Virginia 300 on it, I think that is quite flat. There is a great sense of zen and connectedness with the bike.

Chips Lovell

I'd happily try ride something like your Bowery in a sportive, but my own just isn't suitable for that kind of long distance stuff.

blorg

el tonto wrote: »

I'd happily try ride something like your Bowery in a sportive, but my own just isn't suitable for that kind of long distance stuff.

Cool, you can borrow the Bowery, I'll be on my new audax bike.

BostonB

So where does cake come into this then?

niceonetom

Well done blorg. Bluff called.

MetzgerMeister

It's my opinion that a lot of motorists have problems with cyclists. I am more often than not driving and have never had any problems with cyclists/pedestrians etc. I think it all boils down to having a bit of courtesy for other people.

If I ever see a cyclist on the same road as me, I keep in mind that they are there and I do my best not to put them, myself or any other road user in danger.

Cyclists are not the problem. It's the ignorance and selfishness of some road users that's the problem. If more people started thinking about others, rather than just about themselves, the roads would be a nicer, safer place for everyone.

Chips Lovell

I doubt it it would be big enough, but if it fits, yeah I'd be willing to give it a go.

blorg

el tonto wrote: »

I doubt it it would be big enough, but if it fits, yeah I'd be willing to give it a go.

It's a Giant L, Giant are quite flexible, I'm sure we can make it fit :pac: Recommended height range 5ft 11 – 6ft 3

Chips Lovell

Might work so. That Brooks is coming off though.

Raam

blorg wrote: »

Also did the Martin Early on it, I wouldn't exactly say I got spanked in either. I'll probably do the Virginia 300 on it, I think that is quite flat. There is a great sense of zen and connectedness with the bike.

I only said that to wind you up

ROK ON

blorg wrote: »

. . . zen and connectedness . . .

Its precisely that sort of tripe that gives them a bad rep.

ROK ON

el tonto wrote: »

Might work so. That Brooks is coming off though.

Dont do it man. You'll be cycling around town with a trailer next:rolleyes:.

tomasrojo

ROK ON wrote: »

Dont do it man. You'll be cycling around town with a trailer next:rolleyes:.

Speaking of trailers: I finally, as of this evening, have some ballast to put in my Cougar Chariot 1 child trailer. 3.45 kg of ballast.

CramCycle

tomasrojo wrote: »

Speaking of trailers: I finally, as of this evening, have some ballast to put in my Cougar Chariot 1 child trailer. 3.45 kg of ballast.

Congratulations

dubmess

Just to drag this thread out a bit more, beyond the bromance messages, if the only way you have to avoid an accident in town is heavy braking, then perhaps you need to learn now to ride a bike a bit more :eek:

Chips Lovell

dubmess wrote: »

Just to drag this thread out a bit more, beyond the bromance messages, if the only way you have to avoid an accident in town is heavy braking, then perhaps you need to learn now to ride a bike a bit more :eek:

It's not the only way of avoiding an accident, but it certainly is one alternative any sensible person would want to have.

redmaxi

mvt

tomasrojo wrote: »

Speaking of trailers: I finally, as of this evening, have some ballast to put in my Cougar Chariot 1 child trailer. 3.45 kg of ballast.

Great news! Pics as soon as possible

tomasrojo

mvt wrote: »

Great news! Pics as soon as possible

Well, I don't want to derail this thread, but here's one.

Eve is her name, which I think is commendably short.

Vélo

tomasrojo wrote: »

Well, I don't want to derail this thread, but here's one.

Eve is her name, which I think is commendably short.

It looks like there was a load of girls born in that hospial today.

You can now say good bye to your cycling but congrats all the same.

tomasrojo

Vélo wrote: »

It looks like there was a load of girls born in that hospial today.

How do you know which hospital it was? Is there a clue in the photo?

Vélo wrote: »

You can now say good bye to your cycling but congrats all the same.

Thanks! Well, I'm only a utility cyclist (no audax or long training spins for me), and I have no car, so I think I'll be doing about as much cycling as before, but with a child trailer in tow now for a lot of it. Hope the kid ends up liking cycling too, as it'll make my life a lot easier.

Doctor Bob

tomasrojo wrote: »

How do you know which hospital it was? Is there a clue in the photo?

I'm guessing it's something to do with the blue blanket...

Anyway, congratulations! In light of your commitment to the trailer, I thought this article might be of interest- Bicycle Helmets For Babies?

We have no idea how hard can you jiggle a baby's brain without provoking injury. Trailer owners report good experience, but it seems difficult to know if a child is suffering harm back there. They normally cry if stressed, but can a baby whose brain is being bruised or neck is being overstressed communicate that? While asleep? We often pass trailers whose occupants are crying, and always wonder: wet diaper, or shaken brain?

That's some nice, calm, rational writing right there, I think you'll agree. :rolleyes:

(Bad science aside, the article does still ask some pertinent questions. They just could have been asked differently...)

tomasrojo

Doctor Bob wrote: »

I'm guessing it's something to do with the blue blanket...

Aha! So hospitals have colour-coded blankets? I had no idea.

Doctor Bob wrote: »

Anyway, congratulations! In light of your commitment to the trailer, I thought this article might be of interest- Bicycle Helmets For Babies?

That's some nice, calm, rational writing right there, I think you'll agree. :rolleyes:

(Bad science aside, the article does still ask some pertinent questions. They just could have been asked differently...)

Thanks! The BSHI is a curious organisation though. As I was saying here before, it's a one-man helmet promotion site, run by Randy Swart. He has a strong tendency to see opportunities for helmets absoutely everywhere, and never seems to find, for example, the Australian or New Zealand experiences of any importance.

It's a common attitude in North America. For example, Canada has made it illegal to use a bicycle trailer for children under 1 year of age. I suspect it's mostly because there are no helmets for children under 1 year of age.

The other arguments Randy Swart puts forward are probably there to discourage anyone ever cycling anytime without a helmet, or cycling with a child who isn't wearing a helmet. In my experience of his writing, he's a zealot. On the other hand, at least he has a page that admits there is a problem with strangulation of children who wear helmets while at play other than cycling. Some other helmet proponents won't address this issue for fear of putting parents off using helmets.

I'm not going to use the trailer till Eve is a little bit older anyway, but I bought the baby sling, which is like a hammock inside the trailer (still with a five-point harness attached to the frame of the trailer) so she should be safe from most vibrations, and the trailer also has adjustable leaf-spring suspension and the tyres are kept at relatively low pressure, so if I keep speeds very moderate and slow down for potholes it should be a fine, non-brain damaging ride. If I believed otherwise, I would certainly not do it!

tomasrojo

I mean, Randy, give me a break:

We would recommend that you do two things before using a trailer: if you can find one that accommodates your weight and size, ride in a trailer yourself for at least 10 miles.

tomasrojo

I actually agree with this bit (kind of), but I've added a mudflap to the rear fender to take care of that.

"Unknown to riders sitting high above the ground, bike wheels throw up a surprising amount of dirt and grit, even on apparently dry pavement. On gravel, this becomes a veritable shower. Adding moisture makes it even worse. We've been amazed at the amount of crud plastered on the front and even the top of our trailer, despite having full fenders on the towing bicycle. All this debris will fly into the face of an infant in a [forward facing] trailer unless the front covers are in place. Infants may lack the communication skill to report this bombardment, and recognition of the problem may not come before the first eye injury. In addition, breathing swirling street dust cannot be healthy."

Anyway, this looks like completely derailing this thread, so I'll just leave it there. I'm not going to hurt Eve! Honestly!

mvt

Btw,I meant a picture of the baby in the trailer
She looks lovely,I know she is going to be happy with such a proud father.

tomasrojo

mvt wrote: »

Btw,I meant a picture of the baby in the trailer
She looks lovely,I know she is going to be happy with such a proud father.

Ah! I'll certainly do that. Yes, I'm very proud indeed. She looks quite like me. I feel like Jerry Seinfeld when he started dating a woman exactly like him.

JERRY: Now I know what I've been looking for all these years......myself! (Kramer is speechless) I've been waiting for me to come along and now I 've swept myself off my feet.

Vélo

Tomasrojo,

It was the blue blanket alright. When my 1st was born he was given a pink blanket, as the hospital ran out of blue ones.

droidus

She's beautiful Tomasrojo. Congrats to all involved. Your first?

doozerie

tomasrojo wrote: »

It's a common attitude in North America. For example, Canada has made it illegal to use a bicycle trailer for children under 1 year of age. I suspect it's mostly because there are no helmets for children under 1 year of age.

Just to briefly derail the thread once more:

I understand that it is illegal in the US to carry a child in a trailer without a helmet. Which is bizarre given that many trailers are not designed with the space to allow a helmet to be worn in the first place. It seems like a law designed to tackle a problem which doesn't really exist as any decently designed trailer should make a helmet unnecessary anyway.

In the same vein there seems to be a lot of hysteria generally about children in trailers, and even more so with babies. When researching trailers online I encountered at least one site, purporting to be some sort of authority on child cycling/transportation safety, which bluntly stated that children under a certain age (don't recall the age, but something relatively old like like 3 years of age or so) should not be transported by bike at all. They gave no justification, just some general nonsense about the dangers which would have you never leave the house if you were to take it to heart.

After several weeks of use now, we and our daughter have been very happy with our Chariot trailer, and don't have a single bad thing to say about the Cougar 1 model. The only change we made to our bikes to work with it was to add kickstands and these have proved very useful when attaching and detaching the trailer.

So, congratulations on the birth of your daughter and good luck with using your trailer to carry her about. If she is in any way curious, she will be delighted with the number of kids that come over to peer inside, as the side panels/windows give great visibility outwards.

tomasrojo

droidus wrote: »

She's beautiful Tomasrojo. Congrats to all involved. Your first?

Yes, first child! Thanks for all good wishes, and advice!

nomdeboardie

tomasrojo wrote: »

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/09/power-struggle-sucking-and-sucking-it.html

goddamit I just spent the lifetime of a small child reading that article and the neverending links from it! (but then I'm a slow reader)

oh, and congradulations (now that I'm at the other end of the thread)!

Lumen

Doctor Bob's quote wrote: »

We have no idea how hard can you jiggle a baby's brain without provoking injury. Trailer owners report good experience, but it seems difficult to know if a child is suffering harm back there. They normally cry if stressed, but can a baby whose brain is being bruised or neck is being overstressed communicate that?

LOL.

Normally cry if stressed?

Whoever wrote that never had a baby. They're pre-programmed to spread their misery within a 5 mile radius.

ROK ON

Lumen wrote: »

LOL.

Normally cry if stressed?

Whoever wrote that never had a baby. They're pre-programmed to spread their misery within a 5 mile radius.

LOL. Having spent the weekend looking after my 18 month twins while the wife enjoyed herself in France I am just shattered. I can't understand this adoration of infants.
Congrats to Thomasrojo. But I give you the following advice;
1 the first 30months is sheer absolute hell. Unenjoyable torture. You just have to get thru it.
2 lots of folks 'offer' help without expecting for a new parent to call for it. Any help that is offered accept it there and then.
3 prioritise some time away from baby for you and your partner.
4 when you and partner are together try not to talk about baby all the time.
5 develope a sense of humour or find some zen like inner peace/patience.

Once they get close to 3yrs old it actually becomes fun. I also have a 5 1/2yr old and she is great fun.
Infants on the other hand are sheer misery. However we were all there at some point and it does get easier.
Best of luck.

tomasrojo

ROK ON wrote: »

2 lots of folks 'offer' help without expecting for a new parent to call for it. Any help that is offered accept it there and then.

I've started pretending to accept advice (plenty of it extended while the wife was pregnant). People seem to get very affronted when you don't take their pearls of wisdom with cries of joy.

Help, as opposed to advice, will be gratefully received, I'm sure!

cdaly_

ROK ON wrote: »

Congrats to Thomasrojo. But I give you the following advice;
1 the first 30months is sheer absolute hell. Unenjoyable torture. You just have to get thru it.

There are moments of charm though. Like sitting quietly in a rocking chair with your child sleeping so safe in your arms...

2 lots of folks 'offer' help without expecting for a new parent to call for it. Any help that is offered accept it there and then.

Chain them to the baby if necessary.

3 prioritise some time away from baby for you and your partner.

Prioritise an attempt to drag your partner away from the baby. Then realise it's not going to happen...

4 when you and partner are together try not to talk about baby all the time.

try to get your partner not to talk about the baby all the time.

5 develop a sense of humour or find some zen like inner peace/patience.

Errm, yeah. What he said...

Oh, and it's not your baby, it's her baby. You're there to change nappies, do wee-small-hours feeds and make her tea...

Congrats and all.

ten speed racer

tomasrojo wrote: »

Well, I don't want to derail this thread, but here's one.

Eve is her name, which I think is commendably short.

Congratulations. My son is five months old, and while there are times I’d like to hand him back (like at 2 am, 3.30 am, 4.30 am, and 5.30 am this morning—he’s not normally that bad), it is wonderful. Don’t listen to those battle hardened dads. Nothing else is quite like sitting with your baby in your arms and him smiling contentedly up at you.

The first few weeks are pretty tough, but it does get easier. As other have said, take whatever help you can get. Previously I thought the in-laws lived a bit too close, but when Conn was born we were delighted they were able to help out as much as they have.

For taking him on the bike, I was thinking bike seat rather than trailer. Most of the advice on bike seats seems to recommend that they are a year old so that their necks are developed enough to cope with the vibrations.

On the blue blanket, I don’t know about other hospitals, but I think Holles Street only has blue blankets...

droidus

Yeah, the first 3-4 weeks are the worst. We just hit 15 months in my house.

tomasrojo wrote: »

Ah! I'll certainly do that. Yes, I'm very proud indeed. She looks quite like me. I feel like Jerry Seinfeld when he started dating a woman exactly like him.

That didn't end well if I recall correctly!

Gavin

Are you people all nuts ? Think of all the money you're going to spend on the sprog, which you could have spent on bicycles !?!