rpenmanparker 

Crap! Arbitrator of all thngs intellectual that I am, I went to the crank thread to offer my assistance in settling any disputes festering there and found it locked. What the hell? It is very bad form for a moderator to claim "****" and then immediately lock the thread. I mean that is just not cricket. Shame Billy.

Trsnrtr

A friend of mine had a work related accident that left him with a lot of steel in his neck and a dangerous condition of being paralyzed. After the accident, he took up trike riding until he hit a bump and twisted his neck and ended up in the hospital,semi-paralyzed for a week. So now, he can't ride anything.

Anyway, last year, he was standing on a street corner in Peoria and the following happens. He spent another week in the hospital semi-paralyzed. They did finally catch the cyclist who was a homeless person with no job, insurance or money.

Dannihilator

So, 40 miles today and am picking up a 1997 Bianchi Premio, which will be a project.

BillyD

Lemme tell you, when that name was mentioned, my mind immediately connected to that tune, even though I haven't heard that tune or that name in decades. The human mind is amazing.

rjones28 

How could you not?

rjones28 

Brilliant

BillyD

Me too.


Was I **** or not?

rpenmanparker 

You know what I thought of? "I got pig iron. I got all pig iron."

rpenmanparker 

#conflictofinterest

Pure and simple.

BillyD

Sometimes I post my final thoughts after I close the thread. That's so no one can sneak in behind me, which HAS happened.

Heathpack 

OMG I read the cranks thread.

That Sam guy is the Tasmanian Devil of Bike Forums. Full of negative energy and bile. I imagine him whirling around in a great frothing fury. A sight to behold.

Ramona_W

My daughter texted me this morning about this story and it's been breaking my heart all day. I never met this kid but he had a gold tall bike I used to drool over when I saw it parked in front of the dorm. He was my daughter's HA so she knew him and she confirms that he was a very cool guy and not because he ran the bike co-op. We've had a number of auto/bike collisions over the last few years in Portland and Vancouver but this one is really eating at me and I think it's in part because he was my kid's age, had only graduated ten days ago, and- though some would say he died doing what he loved- he truly had his whole life ahead of him. Also, it was a sunny clear day, there was a green bike box, and four way traffic signals- so what could have gone wrong?

Ramona_W

In other, somewhat happier news, I'm getting out of the bike assembly department at my WalMart and moving to the Produce department. I haven't touched a bike in months pretty much and they wanted to institute a quota. I hate the idea of that because I feel like I wouldn't be able to spend decent time with customers who wanted to buy bikes or be able to adjust them properly because the time it would require would be subtracting minutes I "should" be devoting to Assembly. I've never worked in a Produce department so I'm going for it and, if it turns out I'm not suited to it, I can always fall back on cashiering. I'm looking forward to learning exactly what good and ripe fruits and vegetables look like and a 20 cents an hour raise goes along with it.

3alarmer 

...it's like you're a little kid, and you wait and you wait and you wait for the circus to come to town, and then the damn thing parades straight down Main street, with the elephants and the trick rider girls on the horses, and the real live tiger in the cage, and the clowns in the clown car. And you think, "Hot damn, I'm going to the circus. This is a damn fine day !"

And then you ride your bike on over to the circus lot on the edge of town, and it's closed.

3alarmer 

...in all honesty, I think about this scenario from time to time. We have a huge homeless community here, and a lot of them hit the bike co-op from time to time with their various mechanical emergencies. I don't know how urban is your existence, but there aren't too many of these guys walking any more, and there is a lot of emphasis through various groups toward keeping them rolling. Like any group of people, it's impossible to generalize, but there is definitely a contingent that ought to be walking.

But I guess you could say the same about obviously not homeless guy who runs over little girl in Australia (IIRC).

Jerk factor behind the wheel, dangerous to bicycle cyclists. Jerk factor on bicycle, dangerous to other bicycle cyclists and pedestrians.


It's enough to make you want to start driving again, sometimes.

3alarmer 

...the description is one of the classic "left hook, I just didn't see him" sorts of collisions. I've had one or two close ones that way in the last few years, and the chief exec of the local bicycle advocacy group ( who used to irritate the hell out of me with her refusal to blow stop signs when obviously clear) ended up with multiple surgeries and a permanent limp from a similar hit. They just turn left in front of you like you're not there, because in their sphere of awareness you aren't.

They did some of that green boxing lanes and crap here near the college after two people got croaked in the same month at the same intersection, but they are useless.

Always full of debris and crap and now, when I take the lane, I get blowback 'cause "you're supposed to be in the bike lane". Never mind that it puts me on the wrong side of two lanes turning right.


The only thing I know for sure is that a whole lot more people are gonna get squashed before someone stands up and says the bike lanes here are a bad joke.




....whew, that feels good to let out.

Trsnrtr

To be honest, I don't know what percentage of homeless have taken to riding, mainly because I rarely go near where the majority of homeless hang out in Peoria. What I have seen is a tremendous rise in gas powered bikes in East Peoria ridden primarily what appears to be about one step above homeless. I see a lot of those and they are sort of scary. The cheap motors are attached to barely rideable yard sale bikes that were junk when they were first sold. Then add a derelict individual, DUI recipient or a slightly off-kilter mentally person and it would seem to be a recipe for disaster. So far, most that I've seen have been following road rules and staying off of the trails but I have seen a couple take to sidewalks for short distances to bypass traffic.

Rowan

I am presuming you mean the cartoon interpretation of the Tasmanian devil. The real ones do not behave like that (and in fact are battling for survival as a species because of a facial tumour disease [which most researchers agree is due to an interbreeding issue and not external "human" factors]).

Rowan

You didn't remember correctly. It was the UK. And far from looking homeless, he looked to me just like any other English bike commuter.

What is it... screw the Australians and make them look bad day?

rpenmanparker 

It's the rubbing your nose in it that hurts the worst! **** indeed! I'm sure I hear the Wicked Witch of the West cackling.

RollCNY

We only get one day for that? I thought we got every day to do that.

RollCNY

It is not like that. It's like "I see the circus, but I'll wait til later to go". And then you say it again. And then you say it again. And by the time you go, all you get to see is the flyer for the three breasted woman. That is not the fault of the circus, but the attendee.

BillyD

Oh, sorry!

BillyD

Is this better? It's got a kitty in it.



Everybody loves kitties, maybe it will soften the blow.

rjones28