Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Gone Schlepping

Good morning!

As much as I'd like to lounge here in the conversation pit with you I have to go all the way to Brooklyn to pick up a bicycle for testing:


The 20-mile return trip should give me ample opportunity to get acquainted with it, but little time to type words into this bloghole.

In the meantime, I invite you to ponder the actions of one Charlie Butt of Australia:

May a kangaroo tear open his scrotum like a kid ripping open a bag of Hanukkah gelt:

(If you've ever done it you know what I'm talking about.)

I love you,


--Wildcat Rock Machine


39 comments:

bikeshepherd said...

nasty aggressive jerks are all over the world, what a shame

boys on the hoods said...

Podium??

Unknown said...

Yeah, right, that was a GoPro...

Anonymous said...

Not another vehicle on the road and you can see for at least mile. Yeah, that must have been a monumental task getting around those cyclists.

Anonymous said...

drivers with this attitude make themselves judge, jury, and executioner. . .as if riding your bicycle is punishable by the death penalty-

Unknown said...

That video source is pretty easy to check. Just look at the EXIF info on the video file and it tells you the source device plus all the location and setting info if it was taken on a phone.

Billy said...

Definitely not "only in Australia". I was brought to tears this morning by this letter sent to the Boston Police: http://www.massbike.org/anita_kurmann_video_narrative

wishiwasmerckx said...

So Sagan gave the Pope a custom Specialized bike with all-white components. Cool,cool...

Bikeboy said...

BSNYC will be right there with foul-mouthed Aussie trucker, once he's riding that half-bike, half-truck contraption!! (I'll have to take a look at the Yuba box bike... those Bakfiets have always come with a price tag that eliminated me.)

streepo said...

scranus

MendonCycleSmith said...

Life long cyclist, and shop owner.

Old enough to have been raised when the proper thing to do was cede some lane, and single file out when a car was coming. What you did after they passed, was up to you.

Drivers were polite, and gave a bit of lane, since a show of *respect* for the motorists greater speed and bulk was given, so courtesy flowed, now, both ways.

I never had problems with cars back then.

Now, if I mention I own a shop, to a non cyclist?

#1 question, without fail, is "what the fuck is up with these asshole bikers taking up the whole fucking road and not letting me pass?"

I can't disagree. It's annoying as hell to need to get somewhere, and get stuck behind a group of riders who *could* make the situation much simpler and more seamless, by single filing out for a few seconds. But no, some wanker has decided it's safer to not be courteous, and has turned it into a SJW level battle on the road.

Respect begets respect. I don't feel that owning your lane is safer, in fact, often times, it takes what would have been a non event, and turns it into what you posted here.

I'd rather be wrong, than dead right.

E-bike Zen Master said...

Hey, have fun with the cargo bike! I haven't taken that plunge for a few reasons:

1. It's great that I can load it up with stuff, but how am I suppose to get anywhere before the cows come home, without electric assist? Stop by Propel E-bikes (by Brooklyn Naval Yards) to try out something similar, with some pedal assistance to keep you going a reasonable speed.

2. I always see these bikes marketed with young children thrown in the cargo area. But kids grow up fast, and I'm loathe to "invest" in a very expensive bike that will become less useful as my children outgrow it.

3. How do I get it in the elevator, basement storage or apartment in my building?

I currently have my eye on the Tern GSD, a "folding" utility/cargo bike that addresses all these concerns.

Anonymous said...

Looks like there was plenty of open road but the truck driver claims it's difficult to bring a big rig down to bike speed. I suppose he's been in worse situations and had bottled up all that foul language.

leroy said...

Dear Mr. BSNYC -

A lot has changed in Brooklyn since you decamped for the mainland.

For one thing, my dog informs me he's gotten the congestion pricing rights for the bike lane on the Manhattan Bridge.

I'm not complaining about his $5 toll, but for that kind of money, he could at least fix the tire pump under the Bridge on the Brooklyn side.

HDEB said...

Wondering if I could safely and reasonably move a disabled elderly person in a utility bicycle. Perhaps there are models with a door and adult-sized seat. Wishing I didn't so frequently use a 4,400 pound motorized sofa box to transport my elderly mother shortish distances.

Die free said...

Is that guy's name seriously "Butt"?

Anonymous said...

I have been riding on roads since 1974, have always been polite and as far right as practical, and have gotten a whole scrotum full of grief from drivers over the years. Aggressive driving A-holes are not a new development, a new level of self-righteousness and more dumb fucks riding is the only change I have seen. The riders in the video were not impeding the truck, he had an open lane and a half with no oncoming traffic. Drivers have very very important things to do and will make dangerous passes all day long, raging or just plain ignorant of what they're doing.

bikeshepherd said...

Whatever happened to just don't be an ass? What happened to manners? The bikers were not preventing the truck nut from passing. You males really do need to dial back the testosterone fueled nastiness.

Anonymous said...

Die free...you can check out old episodes of "corner gas" starring brent butt.

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

Scranus.

JLRB said...

Some guys get all the bikes

...and as the loopholes keep getting bigger, sooner or later the rule is fucked. Piney is gonna get lonely (you could even say it will be pining for your ass)... You could ride woody, cargo and citibikes for the rest of the year

Naysayer said...

wheelbarrow bike seems completely inappropriate for NYC. Maybe a smaller gentler city like Portland or a city with lots of bike infrastructure and a bike-friendly culture like Amsterdam, but seems completely impractical here. Also, where do you plan to keep it?

Dooth said...

Mr Butt would get his panties in a bunch...it’s what butts do.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Naysayer,

It's a big city, really depends where you live. Midtown Manhattan? No. Residential neighborhoods? Why not?

I will keep it outside, like I do my WorkCycles.

--Wildcat Etc.

janinedm said...

I'm looking at places and leaving my Workcycle outside could open up some possibilities where the elevators are laughably small. When you say outside, do you mean outside but around back or behind the building? Do people futz with it at all? I'm more worried about breakage through attempted theft than I'm worried about theft. What about when it's super cold and that thick ass Shimano lube solidifies, do you grab Ol Piney? And do you have a Cambrian or the factory stock leather Brooks? How does it hold up to always being outside (presumably covered)?

BikeSnobNYC said...

janinedm,

There isn't really though traffic on our street and our rack is discretely located. At one point some kids managed to pilfer some bikes locked with thin cable locks but I use serious hardware. Only issue I have is shift cable freezing, which is an easy fix but I haven't addressed yet. Saddle's plastic/vinyl.

--Wildcat Etc

Bromptonaut said...

Have you managed to talk the nice Brompton people into inviting you to the London World Championships on 28th July?

I realise you’ll have to weave another loophole into the already tattered ‘one bike’ rule book.

Ballot entries close on 5th February, but internationally famous cycling journalists can probably bypass all that randomness.

You, Mrs Snob and the 16 kids are all welcome to stay with us if Brompton won’t cover your hotel bill.

Anonymous said...

Strane trucktard doesn't like bikes, or know what a GoPro is. Next.

Anonymous said...

"Trucktards" I like it. Here in Texas we have "Butt-loads" of trucktards.

bad boy of the south said...

You didn't schlep the truckcycle with the Hyundai, did you?

Persia said...

Look on the bright side. Guy has to drive a truck all day, then go home to shitsville and eat cat food. Guys on bicycles are lawyers, rich as Croesus, fit and having a good time outdoors. Truck man knows who's the loser, hence the envy & rage.

Hee Haw the barista said...

Are you taking the bottle collector bike to get the test bike, or are you testing the bottle collector bike?

I'm confused.

ken e. said...

@billy, i want to invoke baby jesus' name in a un-jokey fashion, that is fucked.

Francois said...

Backfiets are nice, but I think you need the electric assist to use them to their full potential, like dropping kids at school and get to work without sweating too much.

I didn't know the Yuba, but two things seem unusual to me: the kickstand looks a bit narrow and unstable (compared to the very good kickstand on the urban arrow for instance). I'd like to know your opinion on that when you get to test it.
Also, it doesn't come with a frame lock. That stuff is a must for a cargo bike. You don't want to put a standard u-lock on that bike every time you stop somewhere, especially if you have to use a bike rack not designed for bikes this big.

McFly said...

And you may find yourself.......

....underneath the wheel of a very large automobile.....

JLRB said...

Can I hop in?

JLRB said...

Thirsty koala drinks entire water bottle from generous cyclist

wyrrk said...

no e-assist? yuba is holding out? would have been excellent to have seen it impounded by NYPD for existing.

SoonerNate said...

The sudden, satisfying ‘pop, pop, pop’ as the netting yields to one’s fingers ripping the satchel open to release the sweet, golden contents, is that what you mean?

Oh yeah, screw that guy. His coins probably haven’t descended yet.