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Bicycle vs red light vs bus

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Bicycle vs red light vs bus

Old 05-28-15, 07:04 AM
  #51  
Hypno Toad
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Originally Posted by Paul Barnard
I have often wondered why fixies have found so much favor in the city riding environment.
If your really want to know, go to the Singlespeed & Fixed Gear and ask this question.

I can tell you single-speed and fixies are popular in Minneapolis winter 'cause derailleurs are a pain in the @$$ in winter conditions. In my family, I ride a SS MTB for winter commuting, my daughter has a similar set up, and her boyfriend has an old fixie road bike for winter commuting. I converted my winter bike to a SS after a number freezing issues in the winter (no fun!).

To the video, a skid-stop is less effective than a rolling wheel stop - meaning, if the rider locks up the rear wheel he will take longer to stop than back-peddling to slowing the wheel while it's rolling. Think anti-lock braking on your car.
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Old 05-28-15, 12:51 PM
  #52  
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Not to thread jack but watch Fixation. There are guys that ride the famous hill streets with no brakes, SS. Both up and down. Not the majority Im sure but they exist. I just happened to watch it thats why I pointed it out.
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Old 05-28-15, 01:30 PM
  #53  
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Originally Posted by Camilo
I didn't see the comments in the video I looked at. I guess then my opinion would be, style over function.
Click the button that says YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Q5ldUE-u8

Read the comments by Charlie Baker.
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Old 05-29-15, 03:13 AM
  #54  
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I believe the Fixie rage is all about weight. Those things weigh hardly anything.
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Old 05-29-15, 03:42 AM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
Read the comments by Charlie Baker.
For those who have too hard a time finding it.
charlie baker 6 days ago
It was me. Thought i'd just get the lights, hence the speed. Realised it wasn't happening, squeezed the front brake. Cable snapped. Not enough time to lose speed on back wheel in the wet.
Not fun.
Sad news for the 'blame the cyclist' crowd.
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Old 05-29-15, 08:53 AM
  #56  
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Whether driving a car or riding a bike, I always like to give myself more stopping distance when approaching a stop sign or stop light, especially when riding on wet pavement. The cyclist just got caught by a mechanical failure, I'm sure that he will regularly inspect his brake cable from now on. Tough enough making a panic stop on dry pavement, as I found out when a pedestrian blatantly stepped out in front of me while I was traveling a 25 -30 mph.
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Old 05-29-15, 09:09 AM
  #57  
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Better to hit the side of a bus than to be hit on the side by a bus!
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Old 05-29-15, 10:22 AM
  #58  
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Originally Posted by Camilo
Indeed. It looks to me like he's still pedaling well after the light turns red. He was blowing the light pure and simple.
An earlier post said he was riding a fixie. If so the pedals would be turning until he stopped, right?

[edit] way late to the party.

Last edited by ZmanKC; 05-29-15 at 10:40 AM.
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Old 05-29-15, 01:35 PM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by CB HI

Sad news for the 'blame the cyclist' crowd.
But it was still a "preventable incident" on the cyclists behalf.

He guesstimated the light incorrectly and decided to "go for it", rather then err on the side of safety. (BTDT)
He chose to ride a bike with only one brake. (My path racer only has a front brake)
He may have failed to inspect his bike prior to his ride, cables rarely just fail without obvious signs beforehand. (I also rarely do a through PTI on my bikes)

Blaming or being an apologist isn't what matters, it still is something that's educational, and/or a reminder of pitfalls we can avoid.
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Old 05-29-15, 03:39 PM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by kickstart
But it was still a "preventable incident" on the cyclists behalf.

He guesstimated the light incorrectly and decided to "go for it", rather then err on the side of safety. (BTDT)
He chose to ride a bike with only one brake. (My path racer only has a front brake)
He may have failed to inspect his bike prior to his ride, cables rarely just fail without obvious signs beforehand. (I also rarely do a through PTI on my bikes)

Blaming or being an apologist isn't what matters, it still is something that's educational, and/or a reminder of pitfalls we can avoid.
See what I mean folks. Blame the cyclist.

Just ignore that had the cable not snapped, he would have stop just fine with no danger. Often the cable wires begin breaking inside cable housings and are not visible prior to final failure.
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Old 05-29-15, 06:18 PM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by CB HI
See what I mean folks. Blame the cyclist.

Just ignore that had the cable not snapped, he would have stop just fine with no danger. Often the cable wires begin breaking inside cable housings and are not visible prior to final failure.
As I stated, he MAY not have been aware of an issue with his brake cable. That said, he also would have been able to stop if he had 2 brakes, and it wouldn't have happed if he didn't decide to "go for it".

As I also stated, I'm personally guilty of the same faults.
As I also stated, its not about blame, its about its educational value and a reminder.

If we refuse to be objective, we'll learn nothing and perhaps make the same avoidable mistake.
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Old 05-29-15, 06:42 PM
  #62  
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I dont like to blame cyclist's but this situation is clearly his fault.

poor judgement, plain and simple:

bad idea to ride with only one brake (imo)
Bad decision to try and run the light, he wasnt even close. If he was "close" the front of the bus would have hit him broadside, not the other way around.
Bad decision to ride so aggressively on wet roads. He must have realized it was not dry.

Im not completely convinced his cable broke. to me it just looked like his rear wheel locked up and he slid sidways causing him to wipe out, but obviously im no video analysis expert.
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Old 05-30-15, 09:12 AM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by CB HI
Just ignore that had the cable not snapped, he would have stop just fine with no danger. Often the cable wires begin breaking inside cable housings and are not visible prior to final failure.
This raises a question; how often do cables snap with zero warning when they're appropriately inspected and maintained? What's the failure mechanism for the cable, i.e. what causes the strands to break?

IMHO when you choose to push the envelope, choosing a reduced ability to accommodate the unexpected, then you're choosing to shoulder some of the responsibility if something does happen.
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Old 05-30-15, 01:49 PM
  #64  
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I must admit...

There have been moments when I know the light has been green for a period of time.
So I'll speed up to try to get across, and inevitably it turns yellow at about the time I hit the crosswalk, and perhaps red halfway through the light. There still is a buffer between me and any incoming cars as long as they aren't timing the lights at full speed.

Anybody Else?

But, if the light turns red while I'm 50 feet from the intersection, I'm not going to continue on my merry way.

One thing that would be nice is for all crosswalks to always run with a timer, so one has an indication of how many seconds left on the light cycle.

Anyway, here are a few snaps from the video.



For whatever reason one can see the transition between colors on the video pretty clearly (slow exposure?)

The cyclist is quite some distance from the intersection when the light turns yellow, and still at least 50 feet away when it turns red.
The bus is stopped (not cruising timing lights), then starts moving before the bike broadsides it.

Brakes or no brakes, the cyclist clearly isn't reacting to the traffic signals and traffic conditions. He had time to put both feet on the ground and skid if necessary.

As far as sudden brake failure, I suppose it can happen, perhaps with an emergency stop. However, there was plenty of time to stop here, no slamming on the brakes and skidding needed. I've been 50 miles into a ride when one of the brake cables started fraying to the point of no return. Coming down a mountain I knew there was a closed steel gate... I was ready for that gate a mile before I got to it!!!
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Old 05-30-15, 08:26 PM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
I must admit...

There have been moments when I know the light has been green for a period of time.
So I'll speed up to try to get across, and inevitably it turns yellow at about the time I hit the crosswalk, and perhaps red halfway through the light. There still is a buffer between me and any incoming cars as long as they aren't timing the lights at full speed.

Anybody Else?
There was once or twice when I was going to stop when the light turned yellow, then I saw a car next to me running the light, so I went along with it, side by side. I figured drivers respect their equals more than bikes . Will not do it again.
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Old 05-30-15, 10:52 PM
  #66  
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Originally Posted by vol
There was once or twice when I was going to stop when the light turned yellow, then I saw a car next to me running the light, so I went along with it, side by side. I figured drivers respect their equals more than bikes . Will not do it again.
Yes.... the YouTube Police may get you!!!!

However, as one can see from the screenshots, the light turned yellow with the rider quite some distance from the intersection, and red still quite some distance away. I don't think the guy intended to stop until he realized the bus was already pulling out. It wasn't accidentally hitting a yellow a few yards from the intersection.
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Old 05-30-15, 11:08 PM
  #67  
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What state are you in?
Out in California, the average cyclists are a bunch of sissies to drive in the rain. I speak of 26", 27"and 700c and misc size wheels.
Most cyclists being just a typical motor vehicle driver enclosed in a car.
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Old 05-30-15, 11:13 PM
  #68  
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Out in my area, public transit buses run -- and I mean accelerate -- the yellow light on a frequency rate.
Even running reds.
Because they work/get paid by the gov. So those (esp) unionized by the UTU take advantage of it.

Last edited by molten; 05-30-15 at 11:16 PM. Reason: clarification
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Old 05-31-15, 12:04 AM
  #69  
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Originally Posted by molten
What state are you in?
Out in California, the average cyclists are a bunch of sissies to drive in the rain. I speak of 26", 27"and 700c and misc size wheels.
Most cyclists being just a typical motor vehicle driver enclosed in a car.
The video was from Manchester, England which I don't believe has been annexed to the USA yet. There was a war about that a few years back. It is also why they drive on the wrong side of the street.

And, I think they do get plenty of rain.

Here, of course, we get rain in the winter, sun in the summer. Some ride year around, others only on sunny days. And, of course, there are days when one gets sun in the morning and rain in the evening (not as bad as the Midwest though).
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Old 05-31-15, 07:28 AM
  #70  
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
The video was from Manchester, England which I don't believe has been annexed to the USA yet. There was a war about that a few years back. It is also why they drive on the wrong side of the street.

And, I think they do get plenty of rain.

Here, of course, we get rain in the winter, sun in the summer. Some ride year around, others only on sunny days. And, of course, there are days when one gets sun in the morning and rain in the evening (not as bad as the Midwest though).
So: your theory in the connectivity of the wrong-side-of-the-street driving in the U.K. being?
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