Monday, December 29, 2008

Please....

If you ride on narrow, two-way bike paths, please (no matter what hot s--t you think you are, put at least one hand on your handlebar. If you go to Bonneville and ride your old Nishiki on the Salt Flats, be my guest: ride no-hands. It's lonely out there. You will only have yourself to crash.

If your bike is too small or you are so stiff that you can't reach the bars or hold them for more than a moment, have someone walk in front of you waving a warning flag as you ride. You'll be amazed how the path empties in front of you. It'll be a calming experience for everyone on the path.

Have a safe New Year                                      Maynard

7 comments:

Khal said...

Uh...so what happened that led to this post, Maynard.

And, Happy New Year, of course.

Maynard said...

Hi Khal! Happy New Year!
No particular thing happened, but I often see guys riding no-hands on busy bike paths. I've asked other cyclists and found that I was not imagining those sightings. I suppose that if guys will ride after dark without lights and 24/7 without brakes or helmets, then expecting them to steer is over the top. Hope springs eternal nevertheless...

philcycles said...

The most dangerous place to ride, in my opinion, is the bike path. I'll take the 2 ton dinosaurs over s swerving 4 year old or stylin' hipster any day.
Phil Brown

Unknown said...

Agree with Philcycles -- I HATE bike paths. In California they're inundated with pedestrians, dog walkers, teeny tiny bikers (with training wheels) and angry parents.

I'd rather ride on the Interstate!

cyclotourist said...

Hmmmmmm, I rode one of those deadly California bike paths yesterday. Also last Sunday. I'll be riding them again this Sunday with... friends! I'm working with my town and local open-space groups to build more of them throughout our town and county. I like riding with the kids using the training wheels. They're the next generation of riders. I talk with them about their rides and bikes. Their parents usually smile. I guess if I was training for the TdF I would be annoyed by them getting in my way and making my cadence change. YMMV

Khal said...

We have a pretty good local access road along US 84/285 between Pojoaque with a 25 and 35 mph speed limit. Its pretty peaceful as most traffic uses the 65 mph limited access road. Took a ride there yesterday with the tandem. No close calls, no loudmouth drivers. I guess that no-hands guy's cousin found a new girlfriend....

Speaking of the tandem, I need to switch out that short stem now that my back works again.

Khal said...

"...between Pojoaque and Tesuque...", that is. Sorry.