I want other people to enjoy cycling.
12-02-18, 12:17 PM
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 3,893
Mentioned: 20 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1062 Post(s)
Liked 665 Times
in
421 Posts
In my view, most people in 2018 know what to expect from a web form, even one that is well moderated such as this one.
I definitely encourage people to ride. I wouldn't mind if there was more bike traffic in my locale. If it gets too congested, then I will slow down a bit. But I think that getting one car off the road and replacing it with a bike is still a net benefit for other cyclists.
I try to be honest about my own interest in cycling -- some things I do, such as riding a single speed hipster bike, and commuting year round, don't necessarily make sense for everybody, and might turn people off. I don't try to sugar coat the truth about things like traffic, terrain, and weather. Cycling will always be more physical than driving, even with an electric motor. There's also this thing called winter. But I try to reassure people that they probably don't need a new bike if they already have one, and that any bike can be used for just getting around.
I definitely encourage people to ride. I wouldn't mind if there was more bike traffic in my locale. If it gets too congested, then I will slow down a bit. But I think that getting one car off the road and replacing it with a bike is still a net benefit for other cyclists.
I try to be honest about my own interest in cycling -- some things I do, such as riding a single speed hipster bike, and commuting year round, don't necessarily make sense for everybody, and might turn people off. I don't try to sugar coat the truth about things like traffic, terrain, and weather. Cycling will always be more physical than driving, even with an electric motor. There's also this thing called winter. But I try to reassure people that they probably don't need a new bike if they already have one, and that any bike can be used for just getting around.
12-02-18, 12:28 PM
#27
20+mph Commuter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Greenville. SC USA
Posts: 7,517
Bikes: Surly LHT, Surly Lowside, a folding bike, and a beater.
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1434 Post(s)
Liked 331 Times
in
219 Posts
BF is kinda like Mavis Beacon typing lessons on my PC. Except much more interactive. I generally don't have tons of time for responses, so this forces me to keep up the pace while typing. And thinking up and composing responses exercises my brain another way. Limited daylight during Winter months tends to drive me to this place. YouTube is fun, but not very interactive. TV.....except for the Un-united Sates of Trump breaking news, I would throw away my TV. Best reality show EVER! Can't wait to see how it ends, but I'm afraid I am going to miss it when it's gone.
12-02-18, 01:30 PM
#28
Virgo
Thread Starter
I commute an hour each way by bike everyday to work and back, and I usually work between 6-8 hours, I have some flexibility with my schedule.
I don’t live alone, I have a family, a wife and a young child still at home. I feel bad that I spend as much time on BF as I do instead of with them. We do spend time together, usually a half hour or so talking in the kitchen after everybody gets home, then while we’re eating dinner and cleaning up, and my wife and I usually have a couple hours to talk or watch TV or whatever before bedtime. I can’t imagine that spending more time with me would be enjoyable to them, but they ask for it. So even with as little time as I actually spend here, I feel like it’s too much. And I apologize if my post offended anybody. I think I have maybe lost a little perspective - anybody who has more time on their hands for BF than I do either doesn’t have a full time job, doesn’t ride a bike much, doesn’t have a family at home, or doesn’t have anything better to do with their spare time than spend in on the Internet. Like one or the other or some combination of those things. I actually have nothing to complain about. I don’t intend that to disparage anybody, I just actually feel really lucky. That’s not a feeling I experience often.
I don’t live alone, I have a family, a wife and a young child still at home. I feel bad that I spend as much time on BF as I do instead of with them. We do spend time together, usually a half hour or so talking in the kitchen after everybody gets home, then while we’re eating dinner and cleaning up, and my wife and I usually have a couple hours to talk or watch TV or whatever before bedtime. I can’t imagine that spending more time with me would be enjoyable to them, but they ask for it. So even with as little time as I actually spend here, I feel like it’s too much. And I apologize if my post offended anybody. I think I have maybe lost a little perspective - anybody who has more time on their hands for BF than I do either doesn’t have a full time job, doesn’t ride a bike much, doesn’t have a family at home, or doesn’t have anything better to do with their spare time than spend in on the Internet. Like one or the other or some combination of those things. I actually have nothing to complain about. I don’t intend that to disparage anybody, I just actually feel really lucky. That’s not a feeling I experience often.
12-02-18, 01:36 PM
#29
Banned
I commute an hour each way by bike everyday to work and back, and I usually work between 6-8 hours, I have some flexibility with my schedule.
I don’t live alone, I have a family, a wife and a young child still at home. I feel bad that I spend as much time on BF as I do instead of with them. We do spend time together, usually a half hour or so talking in the kitchen after everybody gets home, then while we’re eating dinner and cleaning up, and my wife and I usually have a couple hours to talk or watch TV or whatever before bedtime. I can’t imagine that spending more time with me would be enjoyable to them, but they ask for it. So even with as little time as I actually spend here, I feel like it’s too much. And I apologize if my post offended anybody. I think I have maybe lost a little perspective - anybody who has more time on their hands for BF than I do either doesn’t have a full time job, doesn’t ride a bike much, doesn’t have a family at home, or doesn’t have anything better to do with their spare time than spend in on the Internet. Like one or the other or some combination of those things. I actually have nothing to complain about. I don’t intend that to disparage anybody, I just actually feel really lucky. That’s not a feeling I experience often.
I don’t live alone, I have a family, a wife and a young child still at home. I feel bad that I spend as much time on BF as I do instead of with them. We do spend time together, usually a half hour or so talking in the kitchen after everybody gets home, then while we’re eating dinner and cleaning up, and my wife and I usually have a couple hours to talk or watch TV or whatever before bedtime. I can’t imagine that spending more time with me would be enjoyable to them, but they ask for it. So even with as little time as I actually spend here, I feel like it’s too much. And I apologize if my post offended anybody. I think I have maybe lost a little perspective - anybody who has more time on their hands for BF than I do either doesn’t have a full time job, doesn’t ride a bike much, doesn’t have a family at home, or doesn’t have anything better to do with their spare time than spend in on the Internet. Like one or the other or some combination of those things. I actually have nothing to complain about. I don’t intend that to disparage anybody, I just actually feel really lucky. That’s not a feeling I experience often.
I enjoy my time on BF but bike commuting where I am in not unique. Out half of my colleagues walk or cycle in, some take the bus train and some drive. I wager it's about a 30/30/40 split that slides based on salary due to house prices and proximity to the sea.
12-02-18, 01:41 PM
#30
Virgo
Thread Starter
You couldn’t pay me to go back to being single. Hell no. There’s always some unmet need.
12-02-18, 02:12 PM
#31
Banned
I was even married, then divorced, thankfully, with no kids, thankfully again. Now the time is right and it's with the right person, so that's how it is!
12-02-18, 02:25 PM
#32
Virgo
Thread Starter
I've got a little nugget on the way, so thanks for the insight ... this is going to be an interesting transition as we're both over 40 and it's our first. We spend way too much time on getting the house renovation finished, so let's see how it goes in the end!
I enjoy my time on BF but bike commuting where I am in not unique. Out half of my colleagues walk or cycle in, some take the bus train and some drive. I wager it's about a 30/30/40 split that slides based on salary due to house prices and proximity to the sea.
I enjoy my time on BF but bike commuting where I am in not unique. Out half of my colleagues walk or cycle in, some take the bus train and some drive. I wager it's about a 30/30/40 split that slides based on salary due to house prices and proximity to the sea.
12-02-18, 02:29 PM
#33
Virgo
Thread Starter
Kids or no, I would not choose to go back to living alone. That’s all it meant. In my mind, single equals living alone.
12-02-18, 02:32 PM
#34
Banned
I'm looking at the other side of the coin: I'll probably still need to be working at 60 (if this is the final child) as I'll have a household to run until then. Seems to be when most of my colleagues retire, so maybe it is spot on.
12-02-18, 02:43 PM
#35
Banned
HMOs are somewhat common over here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_...ple_occupation
I feel like a scumbag that I have as much space as all of them
Last edited by acidfast7; 12-02-18 at 02:47 PM.
12-02-18, 03:07 PM
#36
Virgo
Thread Starter
Im not knocking living alone. I just wouldn’t choose to go back to it. There’s always some unmet need, whether it’s social, physical, or sexual. Others finding fulfillment living alone doesn’t create any conflicts for me. I just feel lucky that I’m not. I feel lucky that I share a home with family. It’s a good thing. For me, better than living alone. I lived alone for a couple years before I got married, lived with my brothers for a while as well. I wouldn’t do it again. I prefer domestic life. I wouldn’t want to be an adult without children and single. I would want a partner. I certainly wouldn’t want to be a single adult with children. That would be a huge challenge. It’s not hard for me to admit I’m needy.
Last edited by Phamilton; 12-02-18 at 03:11 PM.
12-02-18, 05:07 PM
#38
Virgo
Thread Starter
12-02-18, 11:16 PM
#39
20+mph Commuter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Greenville. SC USA
Posts: 7,517
Bikes: Surly LHT, Surly Lowside, a folding bike, and a beater.
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1434 Post(s)
Liked 331 Times
in
219 Posts
Bears really sucked the joy out of self-contained solo bike touring in those areas. I can't imagine living around them. Just last week some trapper's wife and kid were eaten right in front of their cabin. I'll pass.
On Monday afternoon, Mr. Roesholt had almost finished the return trek from his trapline to the family’s cabin when a grizzly bear appeared and charged him, the authorities said. He pulled out a gun and killed the bear, but soon discovered a gruesome sight: Outside the cabin were the bodies of his wife, Valerie Theoret, 37, and their daughter, Adele Roesholt, who was 10 months old.
Last edited by JoeyBike; 12-02-18 at 11:21 PM.
12-03-18, 08:14 AM
#40
Tortoise Wins by a Hare!
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Looney Tunes, IL
Posts: 7,398
Bikes: Wabi Special FG, Raleigh Roper, Nashbar AL-1, Miyata One Hundred, '70 Schwinn Lemonator and More!!
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1549 Post(s)
Liked 941 Times
in
504 Posts
This thread sure took an unexpected twist. See, entertainment!
Question for Joey: Since you consider both dangerous, which in your opinion is more risky: cycling in motor traffic, or cycle touring in bear country?
Question for Joey: Since you consider both dangerous, which in your opinion is more risky: cycling in motor traffic, or cycle touring in bear country?
12-03-18, 09:25 AM
#41
20+mph Commuter
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Greenville. SC USA
Posts: 7,517
Bikes: Surly LHT, Surly Lowside, a folding bike, and a beater.
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1434 Post(s)
Liked 331 Times
in
219 Posts
I mean....c'mon!! How often do you find the perfect tree to do this? I can tell you how. You gotta look and look for a tree far from your camp, tall as a skyscraper, with an overhanging branch at just the right height. Or two less suitable trees just the right distance apart. Meanwhile you are picking up every tick in the woods, poison ivy, etc stomping around finding the perfect setup.
And it's not just food the bears want! Toothpaste, stove fuel, deodorant, and anything aromatic. Which means every time you need these items you gotta trek back to the perfect tree, lower the bag, dig through it, get what you want, raise the bag again. What about the toothpaste on my BREATH?? I'm aggravated just writing about it. After 6 weeks in bear country I was literally ready to just kill every last one of them. Easier solution - never go there. The bears were there first. They belong there. I can live with that.
Look at the bottom left drawing. How many times you think that dude had to attempt that throw before it worked? Unless he's an NFL quarterback I can tell you it took a BUNCH of tries. And that effing rock is going to come back down somewhere near you. I used P-cord and a carabiner. Still took a lot of tosses and sometimes the rope will tangle up there immediately, which launches a whole 'nother set of problems. Easy to draw pictures thought.
Last edited by JoeyBike; 12-03-18 at 10:26 AM.
12-03-18, 10:11 AM
#42
Virgo
Thread Starter
My understanding is that life on Mars still has some bugs to be worked out.
12-03-18, 10:29 AM
#44
Tortoise Wins by a Hare!
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Looney Tunes, IL
Posts: 7,398
Bikes: Wabi Special FG, Raleigh Roper, Nashbar AL-1, Miyata One Hundred, '70 Schwinn Lemonator and More!!
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1549 Post(s)
Liked 941 Times
in
504 Posts
12-03-18, 12:27 PM
#45
Unlisted member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 6,192
Bikes: Specialized Hardrock
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1376 Post(s)
Liked 432 Times
in
297 Posts
I saw a coyotte a few weeks away during the ride home,but that's the worst/scariest wildlife encounter I've had yet.
12-03-18, 12:52 PM
#47
Unlisted member
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 6,192
Bikes: Specialized Hardrock
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1376 Post(s)
Liked 432 Times
in
297 Posts
Maybe the second one won' do that, but the first one really got my attention. And it was more scared of me than I was of it too.
12-03-18, 01:34 PM
#48
Tortoise Wins by a Hare!
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Looney Tunes, IL
Posts: 7,398
Bikes: Wabi Special FG, Raleigh Roper, Nashbar AL-1, Miyata One Hundred, '70 Schwinn Lemonator and More!!
Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1549 Post(s)
Liked 941 Times
in
504 Posts
I see coyotes often, and they usually want nothing to do with me. Saw one this morning cross a busy intersection in the dark! Had me worried for him/her. I was surprised and glad that he made it across safely.
12-03-18, 03:35 PM
#49
aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,503
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7348 Post(s)
Liked 2,474 Times
in
1,437 Posts
I've heard coyotes in the wild, but I still haven't seen one yet. I hope I do soon. I hear them outside our weekend home in upstate New York.
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
12-03-18, 03:41 PM
#50
born again cyclist
many years ago, i was commuting down the lakefront path in chicago near north avenue beach (roughly 2 miles north of downtown) at roughly 6:00pm and there was a pair of coyotes frolicking and chasing each other as dozens of cyclists and joggers passed by.
that's the most exotic wildlife i've encountered in the city.
that's the most exotic wildlife i've encountered in the city.