[ImaCynic]

@Dewey 190114 wrote:

Hella heavy though at 66lb for that folding ebike! Bike Friday e-pakiT is spendy but weighs 26lb so when the batteries run out you can pedal like a normal folding bike.

Year, it is a bit porky, but I’m sure there are better weight/cost options out there as I just did a quick google search. This one probably has SLA cells, and Li-Ion would be lighter but also lighten your wallet as well.

[ImaCynic]

How about this: Get a folding ebike like this, take VRE to CC, then jump on MVT from there? This particular ebike seems to have the range (18mi e-only, 36mi e-assist). It appears folding bikes are allowed on VRE anytime.

Certainly would be cheaper than buying another car.

[ImaCynic]

@huskerdont 190067 wrote:

The research does not bear this out. There are plenty of sources for this, but I’ll just point to one.

http://humantransport.org/sidewalks/SpeedKills.htm

Summary:

20 mph: 5% chance of pedestrian death

30 mph: 45% chance of pedestrian death

40 mph: 85% chance of pedestrian death

The numbers may vary a bit for cyclists, but you get the idea.

Getting people to obey posted speed limits could save a lot of lives, as could reducing speeds in areas with heavy pedestrian and cycling traffic.

I believe the stats you cited is based on a driver actually slowing down to prevent a pedestrian impact, rather than impacting at the speed shown, so these are actually conservative numbers.

The point I am trying to make is that on typical roads around here, cars are already travelling fast enough to kill, even with a small car observing the lowest posted speed limit. A quick Google search on car bike crash causes will show that with most car/bike incidents, speed is not a major factor.

[ImaCynic]

@lordofthemark 190059 wrote:

Complete streets infra is not particularly expensive, and has been shown to work. Even people with good skills, who are not drunk, and are not falling asleep, and did not just have a coronary, and are not distracted by a screaming kid, will tend to drive too fast on a road that looks and feels like a highway.

I don’t think speed is as big of a factor as some make it out to be, when it comes to car/bike incursions. Even a Smart car travelling at 25mph has plenty of energy to flatten a cyclist. On the other hand, necking down lanes might slow things down, but it also tend to cause drivers to bias to the right, and I think that poses a greater risk to cyclists.

[ImaCynic]

@Tania 190038 wrote:

Cyclist hit at Custis/ Scott St. I took a pic but it’s not uploading from my phone. Looks like both cyclist and car were headed west and car was turning right onto Scott. I’ll post pic when I get to a computer. Ambulance and police on scene.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]20008[/ATTACH]

Sigh…Not another! I hope the rider is okay.

[ImaCynic]

@Steve O 190054 wrote:

This helps you, no doubt. I, however, also care about the safety of the other people riding bicycles.
If we assume there are going to be bad drivers, then we need to fix our infrastructure so that people are safe anyway.

I do not think infrastructure improvement is a cost effective way to address the bad operators issue. Financial incentives for better operator training (ie reduced insurance rates, tax break, etc.) may work better. I believe elevating operator skills on the road is the key to improve safety for everyone.

[ImaCynic]

@Brett L. 189991 wrote:

Can we start treating having a drivers license like a privilege rather than a right, and implement a zero tolerance policy? You were at fault in an incident, say goodbye to your license. You are never allowed to step behind the wheel of a car again. Everyone is in favor of getting the “bad” drivers off the road, but no one wants to admit that they might be one of them. We’ll soon see a drastic reduction in vehicles on the road, increasing trip efficiency and safety for everyone!

Good luck with that. Just see how popular zero tolerance policy, such as the one on immigration has been, not to mention all the unintended consequences such policy can bring about. Besides, anyone thinks that a driver’s license somehow qualifies one to operate a vehicle proficiently, is grossly naive.

Rather than trying to getting rid of bad drivers, I ride assuming that I am surrounded by them, and try to anticipate the stupidest possible move that they might take next to avoid getting killed.

[ImaCynic]

If we do live in “a society that devalues cyclists” and from recent Australian study found that “more than half of car drivers think cyclists are not completely human”, it seems that more bicycle infrastructure would just add to the resentment among drivers as to some, this is not sharing the road, but rather having some of it taken away from them. How is this helping the situation?

[ImaCynic]

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Cyclist-Killed-in-DC-Was-Outspoken-Advocate-for-Bike-Safety-Florida-Avenue-508868171.html

[ImaCynic]

Sarah and I are aiming to get there around 7:30pm and will look for concession. Hope to meet up!

[ImaCynic]

@bentbike33 189727 wrote:

The TRP HY/RD are the cable-actuated hydraulic brakes, right? Seems that compact hydraulic system would be easier to seal, and keep sealed, than one involving hydraulic lines to the brake levers.

Yes, precisely the reasons why I chose these.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk

[ImaCynic]

@Emm 189713 wrote:

ehhh Shimano’s dealer manuals appears to disagree with you. I think they know air getting into the brake is a regular issue.

https://si.shimano.com/pdfs/dm/DM-BR0008-08-ENG.pdf

• The disc brake is not designed to work when the bicycle is upside down. If the bicycle is turned upside down or on its side, the brake may not work
correctly, and a serious accident could occur. Before riding the bicycle, be sure to operate the brake lever a few times to check that the brakes operate
normally. If the brakes do not operate normally, stop using the brakes and consult a dealer or an agency

• When turning the bicycle upside down or on its side, the brake system may have some air bubbles inside the reservoir tank which are still there when
the bleed screw is closed, or which accumulate in various parts of the brake system when it is used for long periods. This disc brake system is not
designed to work with the bicycle upside down. If the bicycle is turned upside down or on its side, the air bubbles inside the reservoir tank may move
in the direction of the calipers. If the bicycle has been turned upside down or on its side, be sure to operate the brake lever a few times to check that
the brakes operate normally before riding the bicycle. If the brakes do not operate normally, adjust them according to the following procedure.

Ok, I am surprise to see that Shimano system does not have a way to prevent this behavior. I use TRP HY/RD calipers and do not recall seeing anything about not turning the bike upside down. I do so on regular basis and have not experienced this issue.

If this is normal behavior, then I really like to hear why the shop replaced the brake.

[ImaCynic]

No. Hydraulic brakes should work in any orientation. Sounds like you have a leak somewhere (o-ring, seals, screws, pinhole in the line, etc.) and air got into the system. Did the shop tell you what the problem was? What exactly did they replace?

[ImaCynic]

Sounds good to me.

[ImaCynic]

SarahBee and I are in, but likely won’t ride out there.

[Author]

Posts