"Uncle Davey" <noway@jose.com> wrote in message
news:cocnfg$omj$0@pita.alt.net...
>
> Uzytkownik "The Danimal" <dmocsny@mfm.com> napisal w wiadomosci
> news:cac1ad88.0411280625.2a7f0ab8@posting.google.com...
>> "mrs.turtoni" <mrsturtoni@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:<9vGdnQQJpee8tzTcRVn-qw@comcast.com>...
>> > Somebody actually thinks about some of your short novels.
>> > In lieu of the jewelry my husband was planning as a
>> > Christmas gift, I asked for a bicycle.
>>
>> Practical advice:
>>
>> 1. Read a book about bicycling. It's a lot more complex and
>> subtle than a beginner is likely to appreciate. For example:
>>
>>
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0671870750/qid=1101649330/sr=2-2/ref=pd_ka_b_2_2/103-7887055-5905437
>> Sloane's Complete Book of Bicycling: The Cyclist's Bible (25th
>> Anniversary Edition)
>> by Eugene Sloane
>>
>> 2. Join your local bicycle club. They can show you where to ride,
>> and how to ride. Most importantly, you will meet serious bicyclists
>> who have overcome the local obstacles to bicycling in your area.
>> Whatever those obstacles happen to be, they are probably serious
>> (if you see more cars than bikes where you live, the proportion
>> indicates your probable difficulty).
Tourist season creates virtual car lots on many roads in these parts.
What makes it worse is the mix of drivers [Philly drivers versus
NYC drivers make for some interesting road rage]. The best place
to bicycle is on the island [or stick to the riverfront roads in town].
>> 3. Study maps. Your choice of routes is more important than your
>> choice of bike. Ask your club or bike shop if they have bicycle
>> route maps for your area. If you simply blunder out into traffic
>> with no knowledge of your local routes from a bicycling perspective,
>> you may have a very unpleasant experience.
>>
>> 4. Giving a bicycle as a gift is somewhat difficult, because
>> you'd like to have a competent mechanic fit the bicycle to
>> the recipient.
I'll be present for the purchase.
>> 5. Bicycles and associated gear (helmet, shorts, shoes) are
>> generally cheapest just after Christmas. Rather than actually
>> give the bicycle itself as a Christmas gift, if you feel you
>> must have that ritual, it would be smartest to exchange a
>> token of some sort to represent the gift, and then go take
>> a trip to the bike shop together for your selection, purchase,
>> and fitting.
Ian suggested post Christmas. There's a bicycle dealer nearby
that we're planning to check out. Regular cyclists say they have
a decent selection and the owner is good on matching people to
their needs.
>> 6. Shoes: I recommend "mountain bike" shoes with recessed SPD
>> cleats even if you intend to ride solely on pavement. "Road"
>> shoes are much harder to walk in, and are best reserved for
>> the fantasy world of elite racing in which the pampered athlete
>> always has his team car following closely behind, with his
>> mechanic and his apres-race clogs. In the real world, you will
>> have to dismount your bicycle occasionally and walk on
>> rough surfaces (construction zones, etc.), or enter food
>> stores and negotiate their slick linoleum floors.
Check.
>> 7. Another major factor is the weather. If your area has winters,
>> you probably don't want to start riding during one. Cold-weather
>> riding is something of an advanced skill, requiring considerable
>> understanding of how to dress, and knowledge of other aspects
>> of bicycling so you don't have to learn those other things
>> under the added stress of a raw, biting day.
>>
>> 8. Spinning bikes are an excellent way to build and maintain
>> fitness, and get used to the pedaling motion before you introduce
>> the dynamic complications of moving through the real world.
What I need is a re-introduction. When I worked for the P.D.
[5 years], I patrolled on the island with a police issue bicycle,
did about 200 miles per week. Haven't been on a bike for two
years though, so it's going be work to get re-acclimated.
>> 9. Dress conspicuously. Shorts, tights, and shoes should be
>> black, because they will eventually run into greasy chains
>> and such, but your upper body is more out of grime's way
>> and should be the brightest thing in a motorist's field of
>> view. Your outside layer (jacket or jersey) should be fluorescent
>> yellow or orange. A bicyclist at 300 feet appears no larger than
>> your thumb at arm's length. A motorist can close that gap in
>> 3 seconds. In normal-colored clothing you will be incredibly hard
>> to see against the visual clutter on the roadway. You need to be
>> as bright as possible. Not only do day-glo colors make you stand
>> out, but they also make it clear that you get it.
The latest recommended colors are neon yellow/green. At least it
was 2 years ago.
>> 10. Be aware of what you can't see. The secondary roads popular
>> with bicyclists because of their low traffic tend to have more
>> hills, intersections, and turns with poor sight lines. Assume the
>> worst about anything you can't see, and keep your speed so your
>> stopping distance is less than your sight line (that is, so you
>> can always stop at a point you can see when you start braking).
Check.
>> 11. This is war. In war there are casualties. Never surrender.
>> If motorists give you a hard time, at any time, calmly ask
>> them why they are supporting terrorism.
Thanks for the advice.
>> -- the Danimal
>
> Good article. A lot of people are particularly unaware of the need to
> build
> the bike around their own physique (your point 4), with the result that
> some
> people give it up after experiencing unnecessary discomfort.
ie., men's police issue bicycle seats aren't kind to the female bum.
Ian says hi.
Faith
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