Well thank goodness it hasn't been that kind of a week at all.
Nevertheless, I've been rather busy, so once again I'm compelled to keep it short. I do, however, urge you to contemplate this image:
I've posted a photo of this vehicle before (I can't be bothered to look up when) but yesterday I happened upon it again and took a clearer picture while looking frequently over my shoulder as you can probably imagine. This car conveys a bewildering--and I daresay uniquely American--set of messages. Specifically, the license plate informs fellow road users that he (I'm going to go out on a limb and say the owner is a man) is a veteran of the "War on Terror" and has ostensibly put his life on the line to keep us all safe, yet the decal informs me that he wants to rain death and destruction upon me and my family. Frankly, it's hard to know what to make of any of this, so, uh...thank you for your service? Oh, and also please don't kill me.
In other news, a commenter yesterday shared this:
Descending a steep Hobart backroad behind friend and pro-rider Nathan Earle, Gee got lost in the joy of the ride only to pay for a brief lapse in concentration.
"I've been down this road lots of times and I know how steep it is," he said.
"And it's rough, so I usually take it very gingerly.
"But we'd had such a fantastic ride. Nathan was ahead of me. I was admiring how well he was descending and not concentrating."
Before he realised, Gee had entered a tight corner too fast but still thought he could wrest back control.
But the brakes locked up, the corner tightened even more and he shot off the verge and over the handlebars.
He may owe his life to that helmet or he may not, but sure, if you're prone to lapses in concentration while engaging in technical descents, by all means throw on some safety gear. In fact I'd go with full leathers and a motorcycle helmet while you're at it. Nevertheless, I maintain that Australia's mandatory helmet laws are a load of shit.
Finally, besides putting new bars on Ol' Piney there was one more upgrade I've been meaning to make to my portly bike, and now that this has arrived I can finally proceed:
Nothing left to do now but ride the damn thing.
60 comments:
My dog sold me his podium spot.
Hope he has a refund policy.
...It's the day after weednesday, but also the day before weednesday.
...Why is your cat sniffing your new saddle?
Uhhh... THOSE weeks. Yeah.
I think it's time to get used to them.
Turd.
I was under the impression that my OG C15 was all weather capable. Guess not. I find it somewhat hard to clean after I take it on mountain bike bicycling rides. My ass does find it supremely nice though.
That suv you took a photo of us called an edge. Man, the duality of all that seems pretty cool actually. A man on edge driving an edge. Whoa. I wonder what people say when they see me on my karate monkey?
How does the "all weather" saddle feel compared to the regular Cambium?
Also, I guess with a nylon frame, it must be lighter, though the regular Cambium isn't exactly heavy by my non-Fred standard. I notice that Old Man Brooks is charging a few more bucks to go "all weather".
late start, early finish!
Topping the ten
Darn you,i dare say.Whilst at the lbs to get emergency work done on my usually everyday workhorse,i spied a new marin pm.my size too.
Suffice it to say,i took a spin.darn it,consarn(?)it,drats.i liked it.
And on sale,too.what to i tell my twenty five year old marin pm?
Huh? What?
People with kids tend to think they are doing "the most important job in the world" and tend to be smug, so this being the case there are these decals to let them know they are nobody just like everyone else. Funny when a parent ends up offended by one
Anonymous 4:17pm,
That's really your takeaway from that decal?
--Wildcat Rock Machine
With that license plate fully visible, I'm sure that this clown will soon be the recipient of some "street justice".
How is that saddle not a Regal?
The stormtrooper decals seem much more accurate as far as worldview goes.
Well, without the stick-man on stick-man violence, at least.
The first thing to recognize is that soldiers are risking their lives for our country. The second thing is that they are being asked to do that by a military and executive branch that is hopelessly incompetent at best, and more accurately downright evil, and that our military campaign is making enemies way faster than we can kill them, and that our veterans, most of which have PTSD, are increasingly likely to randomly shoot us or run us over. The only ones winning the war on terror are the ones selling the weapons. While I am not inclined to slap a sticker with stick figures on my shitbox, I do feel that good parenting is a pretty fucking important job, because if the next generation is not more resilient and intelligent than the current one, we are all totally fucked.
Sorry to be a downer.
Uh.... actually raising children is the most important job in the world but it is not for everyone. No one is less of a person for not having children but don’t diss those who do.
Australia's helmet laws certainly are a load of shit. The good news is that change may be in the wind:
https://www.bicyclenetwork.com.au/our-campaigns/policy-reviews/helmet-review/
It still bewilders me that Bicycle Network supported these laws in the first place.
What the headline should really say is "Tasmania newsreader Peter Gee credits bike helmet with giving him a false sense of security and encouraged him to engage in stupid and risky behavior (the well known risk compensation factor), and so he needlessly ended up in the hospital."
This headline is too long, but anything along this very factual reality is never going to be published anyway, so the fantasy world helmet worship continues largely unopposed.
Headed to Astoria for Thanksgiving.
Planning on doing the BikesnobNYC Citybike Astoria Tour weather permitting.
Dmitri, do an image search for "Regal" and imagine your ass on any of the results while riding a bike. Not practical.
Dmitri, the Regal is made by Selle San Marco, and Brooks is now owned by Selle Royal, which makes Fi'zi:k and Selle Royal saddles. So maybe it is the Brooks competitor to the Regal. The best saddle is always the one that makes your sit bones and scranus the happiest.
Dmitri,
For one thing it's made of rubber.
--Wildcat Etc.
I've been leaving my cambium saddle on my bicycle uncovered out of doors in all weather and it seems fine a year later. Am I doing it wrong?
I think he's just holding an aggressive goose and the goose is spitting at the stick family.
We (parents) ARE doing the most important job in the world, and the most thankless.
Signed by Eric "The Champferer"?
"People with kids tend to think they are doing "the most important job in the world" and tend to be smug, so this being the case there are these decals to let them know they are nobody
just like everyone else. Funny when a parent ends up offended by one"
THIS!! The REST of the world are tired of SMUG BREEDERS.
GORE,
The term "breeders" is high on the list of terms people use when making stupid points (or seconding them), right up there with "I'm a taxpayer and..."
Presumably someone bred you, so are we to infer humanity should end with the perfection that is you?
--Wildcat Etc.
I wasn't bred. I was curated.
Snobage,
I concur. The helment laws of my wonderful homeland down below the top part of the globe are shite. Whattda do... sigh.
I also commend you on your saddle choice. The Brooks Cambum is my choice for my wet weather mountain bikecycle (yes, I have a wide and varied "environments" fleet). The Brooks saddles also adorn the remainder of my herd; albeit fancier and comfier leather models.
Anonymous said at 5.19pm:
"Australia's helmet laws certainly are a load of shit. The good news is that change may be in the wind..."
I really don't care whether people wear a helmet, don't wear a helmet, or shove a helmet up their jacksy. However, I can assure you that there is no chance whatsoever that Oz will ever repeal the mandatory helmet laws. It's about as likely as you lot giving up guns.
I'm less interested in the Cambium's effects on my ass and more interested in effects on my pants' ass. I've had Brookes leather saddles and I know they're plenty comfy. I need a saddle that doesn't rip through jeans quite so fast. I suppose some of this is up to the clothing manufacturers too.
What's truly funny is how the "gunning down" stick figures from a military vehicle is viewed as trivial--in the country where getting shot with a gun seems commonplace.
Did I say funny? I meant insane.
How many of these lately start with you apologizing for being late, forgetting the day, or some other excuse... followed by a plug for something else you’re doing that’s obviously more important? Why not just stick a fork in it and move on?
Thanks. Enjoying your columns again. Workcycle and Krampus owner. One with rear suspension and one with front. I know it is a sign of my lack of skill and hide.
Interesting quote from my boss the other day:
"On the bike is the only remaining place I have no privilege." And we live in the PNW cycletopia.
To complain about the weak powerless and their sad attempts to feel powerful is understandable. Though I trying to feel empathetic as my quality of life is probably higher and I didn't have to be brained washed to get my first job.
Thanks. Enjoying your columns again. Workcycle and Krampus owner. One with rear suspension and one with front. I know it is a sign of my lack of skill and hide.
Interesting quote from my boss the other day:
"On the bike is the only remaining place I have no privilege." And we live in the PNW cycletopia.
To complain about the weak powerless and their sad attempts to feel powerful is understandable. Though I trying to feel empathetic as my quality of life is probably higher and I didn't have to be brained washed to get my first job.
Anonymous 11:18pm,
Because where else would people like you leave whiny comments?
--Wildcat Etc.
SSW,
Insane? I raise you WWJD
Haha, Tassie folk are way too honest! I would have used the excuse "a Tasmanian Tiger ran out in front of me and I needed to instragram it.."
Anonymous 9:36PM,
"However, I can assure you that there is no chance whatsoever that Oz will ever repeal the mandatory helmet laws."
That's what people were saying about marriage equality in Oz not so long ago and look what happened.
Firstly - the stork brought me
Secondish - Mcfly that is like looking at a mirror in a mirror or something
Third - the trans daily report would be better if it also gave likely temps at morning and afternoon commute times - high and low somewhat irrelevant - but I don't even live in NY so I'll shut up and go back to my shitter beer
BikeSnob 11:54
Oh, don’t worry... it’s the internet... “whiny little comments” can follow you to the 6 other things you try to write.
"is a veteran of the "War on Terror" "
He's been terrorizing cyclists with his U2 model SUV for years.
How one veteran's day went.
The first bullet hit him in the breastbone, shattering ribs, puncturing his right lung and exiting his back. Another bullet hit his right leg, fracturing his right thigh bone. Another bullet entered near his spine and came to rest under the skin at the right hip. Buckshot hit him in the left side, puncturing his badder.
So went July 1, 1863, at Gettysburg, for Corporal James Brownlee, 134th New York Volunteer Infantry.
"Strange to say he recovered from his wounds", one surgeon said. He would spent two years in hospitals, his weight dropping to 87 pounds.
He returned to his home in upstate New York, married and fathered four sons, and lived until 1904.
"I've posted a photo of this vehicle before (I can't be bothered to look up when)"
Crowdsourcing your own links?
Sometimes I don't understand how my mind remembers things, but....
bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2016/08/sorry-im-late-my-smart-helmet-and-my.html
I thought Trans-Alt was for Neo Nazis with gender identity issues, but I was wrong.
To the issue at hand: Snob warned that roadwork would close some citibike docking stations, and that we should check the maps on our mobile devices. This morning my usual station was gone, but all I got from citibike was uncalled-for cuteness.
Aww, veteran, do you need a hug? You are an embarrassment to America
Back a few decades ago when a helment might have saved my life - downhilling on a rigid - I nearly split it in half, with just the front segment of foam holding it together. So naturally, I had to click into the photo. A little disappointed by the lack of damage or the shitty photographer who couldn't get the damaged part in the photo. So yeah, my PSA, when you're downhill MTBing, a helment might be good to have. That and something to protect your collar bones.
Oh hey, and Snob 11:54, since we're telling you what to do on your free blog, can you cut out the ads and give away free stuff too? Just give it to me, I'm feeling entitled today.
There is a phenomena that occurs from safety equipment that creates a false sense of security and increases injury.
It's most obvious in American Football at all levels. From peewee youth leagues all the way up to the professional leg. They are continuously mandating larger and more exotic safety equipment. Larger and larger helmets. Huge shoulder pads. Neck braces, etc.
All of this to make the sport 'safe'.
Parents will spend hundreds of dollars on this equipment. Average costs for participation in these sorts of sports ranges from around 700 dollars to well over a thousand and the vast majority of it is safety equipment.
The end result?
Injuries are more common then ever.
The reason?
These people are charging one another with complete disregard to themselves and other people's safety. They will use their 'safety equipment' as weapons to try to bulldoze the opposing team. Coaches will actually tell kids to put their heads down and just blindly charge into a oncoming team. That they should trust their equipment as they push their helmets into the stomachs and elbows in order to stun them to gain a extra yard or two.
Paranoia and fear are emotions that help keep you safe. Mandate efforts to make the world safe for idiots and all that you accomplish is to remove whatever mental checks and balances that exist in the minds of a huge portion of the population. You are not only increasing the risk for those people, but for anybody in the population that has the misfortune of getting into their way.
A bike helmet is a reasonable choice and an easy way to help prevent serious injury. At some point if you ride a bike often enough, you are going to fall (even at slow speeds) and your head may be the first thing that hits something hard if the fall happens suddenly before you can extend your arms and hands.
Wearing a helmet does not make you feel invincible or encourage daredevil riding and is no way related to aggressive football tactics.
That being said, I don't think it should be mandated by law unless they can prove that the costs of serious head injuries are directly passed on to all of us.
vsk said ...
If those stick figure kids were only wearing stick figure (kevlar) helments and had stick figure guns to shoot back.
It's not uniquely Murican tho. I'm sure ISIS would like to do some shooting too.
If that Edge were to role enough coal, the soot would eventually cover the cartoon and the plate.
vsk
Very Slim Pickens-
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that soldier wore a helmet.
Never understood why Ol' Man Brooks' saddles are so popular with the loaded touring crowd when you can't get them wet (newer "all-weather" model excluded). My all plastic SLR couldn't give two f%^$s about the rain.
Well said nater.
Must be getting a good ride in on the Jones bars? Eh Snobbie.
Scranus.
There's only one thing worse than stick figure family stickers and that's acknowledging stick figure family sticks with inane (and violent) parodies.
There is only one thing more unlikely to produce an objective statement about biek healmenths than an Aussie, and that's an Aussie who's just hit his head.
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