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Downed Power Lines

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View Poll Results: You are riding along and come upon a downed power line. What do you do?
Ride over it. The rubber tires/tubes will protect you.
3
3.09%
Play it safe and bunny hop it.
7
7.22%
Carefully step over, while carrying the bike.
9
9.28%
Turn around and change route, it’s much too dangerous to risk.
59
60.82%
Stop and move the line to the side, so no one gets hurt.
2
2.06%
Other
17
17.53%
Voters: 97. You may not vote on this poll

Downed Power Lines

Old 11-09-20, 03:42 PM
  #26  
FiftySix
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As someone that's been "touched" by low power 120/240 volt lines and 750 volt electric fencing (low current), while wearing rubber sole boots, I'm not crossing a power line on my bicycle unless someone is chasing me with a flame thrower.


Down power line video link below.

https://youtu.be/k3NWaJ2qPeg

Last edited by FiftySix; 11-09-20 at 03:49 PM. Reason: video embedding issue
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Old 11-09-20, 04:04 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by CargoDane
You might be in for a shock - Carbon will conduct electricity.
I was being facetious. Not going anywhere near a live down power line. I've seen the effects of electrocution. It's not pretty.
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Old 11-09-20, 04:09 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Mojo31
I was being facetious. Not going anywhere near a live down power line. I've seen the effects of electrocution. It's not pretty.
Oh, I know you were joking, I just wasn't sure if you also believed that carbon fibre is "Plastic" and therefore does not conduct electricity! My bad, I should have explained it better rather than try to pile on on your joke.
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Old 11-09-20, 04:10 PM
  #29  
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Did anyone mention peeing in the line first to see if it's live?
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Old 11-09-20, 04:55 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by CargoDane
Oh, I know you were joking, I just wasn't sure if you also believed that carbon fibre is "Plastic" and therefore does not conduct electricity! My bad, I should have explained it better rather than try to pile on on your joke.
No worries, you are good.

I used to have a sailboat with a 34' carbon lightning rod sticking out the top of it. Know a fair amount about carbon.
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Old 11-09-20, 04:58 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by bbbean
Did anyone mention peeing in the line first to see if it's live?
Did you know that only affects men?

https://www.livescience.com/38024-el...avel%20up%20it.
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Old 11-09-20, 05:01 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Mojo31
Did you know that only affects men?

https://www.livescience.com/38024-el...avel%20up%20it.
They overthought it. The fact of the matter is that while every farm boy and cowboy got tricked into peeing on an electric fence when they were growing up, most women are too smart to pee on an electric wire!
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Old 11-09-20, 05:39 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
My version is better.
Maybe. I do like the "Grab the line" part but you have to admit my "so no one gets hurt" was a nice touch.
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Old 11-09-20, 05:54 PM
  #34  
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Obviously you should stop and get your phone ready to capture a Darwin Award attempt.
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Old 11-09-20, 06:08 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by Mojo31
Did you know that only affects men?

https://www.livescience.com/38024-el...avel%20up%20it.
“Because the urine isn't a steady stream....”

It was for me in my younger days. Alas.
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Old 11-09-20, 06:54 PM
  #36  
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I stick my tongue to it to see if it's safe to touch.
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Old 11-09-20, 07:02 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
“Because the urine isn't a steady stream....”

It was for me in my younger days. Alas.
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Old 11-09-20, 07:02 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
“Because the urine isn't a steady stream....”

It was for me in my younger days. Alas.
The good ole days. Alas.
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Old 11-09-20, 07:06 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Maelochs
What if as i ride up to the downed power line I see an alien lurking in the bushes to the side of the road? I mean, since we are discussing common cycling situations ......
Call ICE
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Old 11-09-20, 07:36 PM
  #40  
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Stay back and call 911. Been there. Dog got electrocuted when I was 9. Could have been me. Charlie Brown the beagle Bassett mix saved me. Neighbour's had seen the line jump and spark in the rain and no one called.
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Old 11-09-20, 09:17 PM
  #41  
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I don’t know why this wasn’t one of the choices.

When I see a downed power line, I remove all my clothes and throw them over the line. If they catch fire I ride home naked. If they don’t catch fire, I won’t touch them and ride home naked. A bunny hop probably is not advisable.
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Old 11-09-20, 09:33 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by rsbob
I don’t know why this wasn’t one of the choices.

When I see a downed power line, I remove all my clothes and throw them over the line. If they catch fire I ride home naked. If they don’t catch fire, I won’t touch them and ride home naked. A bunny hop probably is not advisable.
So, you’re one of those left coast nut cases.
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Old 11-09-20, 09:41 PM
  #43  
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I've had it happen. I turned around and took a different route.
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Old 11-09-20, 09:55 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Mojo31
So, you’re one of those left coast nut cases.
So you are an opinionated ‘gentleman’ with no sense of humor. Pleased to meet you.
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Last edited by rsbob; 11-09-20 at 09:59 PM.
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Old 11-09-20, 09:58 PM
  #45  
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I'm pretty sure there was a joke about "Nut" cases in there. Although I may be wrong. I don't always pick up on American nuances.
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Old 11-09-20, 10:14 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by CargoDane
I'm pretty sure there was a joke about "Nut" cases in there. Although I may be wrong. I don't always pick up on American nuances.
You get 100 bonus points for reading between the lines. That’s if a line was actually written to read between. I think our friend was actually being quite sincere and unabashedly honest while ineffectively trying to insult me. But I do appreciate your interpretation. Very astute.
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Old 11-09-20, 10:23 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by rsbob
You get 100 bonus points for reading between the lines. That’s if a line was actually written to read between. I think our friend was actually being quite sincere and unabashedly honest while ineffectively trying to insult me. But I do appreciate your interpretation. Very astute.
LOL, well, when I'm wrong I'm wrong. I hedged my bet because I wasn't completely sure as I didn't find it funny.

It always amaze me the chasm there is in the US between the, shall we say "less urban" and how they feel about what they consider "the elite" ("people taking the subway = elite"l as newt gingrich said a while ago, lol).

It's sometimes hard to tell the difference between parody/irony and actual opinions in a climate like that.
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Old 11-09-20, 11:19 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by CargoDane
LOL, well, when I'm wrong I'm wrong. I hedged my bet because I wasn't completely sure as I didn't find it funny.

It always amaze me the chasm there is in the US between the, shall we say "less urban" and how they feel about what they consider "the elite" ("people taking the subway = elite"l as newt gingrich said a while ago, lol).

It's sometimes hard to tell the difference between parody/irony and actual opinions in a climate like that.
From your online name we know what country you hail from. Do you Nordic ski in the winter? Was planning a trip to Denmark last summer to tour, but you know the story.

I have lived all up and down the west coast from L.A., Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Eugene to Seattle. I have lived in small towns, university towns and back to the rural hinterlands where I live now. There are cows, horses, chickens, meth houses, trailer houses, an incarcerated mass murderer less than a quarter mile away. In my community the chasm you speak about is alive and well. There are farmers, blue collar hard working people and Microsoft millionaires (not me) and everyone in between. So we have the educated elite (no subways and salt of the earth folks which make this community run. Hopefully after the election controversy is completely finished, we can all peacefully coexist and get back to just plain living like before and not stereotype and name call which only keeps wounds open longer. TMI, right?
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Old 11-09-20, 11:33 PM
  #49  
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Nah, not TMI. I feel for the American people. It truly must be a horror show at times, and now with a pandemic (I dare not get closer to "politics").

I've never been nordic skiing. I'm sending you a pm in a minute to explain a bit more personally.
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Old 11-10-20, 06:52 AM
  #50  
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I got my bike through this without removing the panniers.

The line on the right is the phone line. No wonder I could not get through to the campground.


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