Undercover Houston Cops On Bikes Are Nabbing Drivers Dangerous To Cyclists

Ssomething like this should be done worldwide?

HA! I better buy him the book to reintroduce him to The Rules.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=bl_sr_sporting-goods?ie=UTF8&field-brandtextbin=Light+Weights&node=3375251

If you are doing significant night riding I definitely recomend the 86 Piece wheel tape for your spokes. Little bit of a learning curve putting them on.  Bike #2 has them full time and they are on Bike #1 training wheels. You can tastefully put leftover pieces on cable sheaths or quick release levers. It is surprising how reflective this stuff is. They also make colored tape that you can match to your helmet or other parts of your bike. Spoke tape might not look super pro but you will definitely be recognized as a bicycle. I do at least two rides per week after the kids are in bed so the trade off is worth it.

@Dan_R The other point behind having bike num 1 and 9 bike is you have to fill in num’s 2 – 8.

Yes, there it is !

Time to start working on numbers 2 through 8.

I do have a small pump by SaveDaily Deals”>garden sprayer which I keep filled with water, and any bike ridden in Rule #9 conditions gets a quick spray upon arrival back home, then a bit more of a cleaning once I can feel fingers/toes again.

Brilliant. Of course, if south Texas actually had weather (besides heat, humidity, wind and sun), I’d be heading over to Home Depot, er, scratch that, I mean my LBS, tomorrow for a pump garden sprayer!

But Selling my old ride, a Trek 1000 upgraded with a Neuvation wheel set, was a condition for buying my 2014 Cannondale EVO. But now I’m thinking the Trek 1000 is a perfect Nine Bike commuter. It’ll need some 25’s, a little tread, and some small discreet fenders.

Yeah, I know snow. Like Frank, I grew up skiing the snow and ice of Minnesota and cycling the dirty, slushy, salty snow of springtime. In fact, a good friend and Minnesota neighbor, a Belgian hardman no less, just posted his first bike commute ride of the season!

Top ‘Durable Person’ Chosen (Wins Trip With GearJunkie Crew!)

Our “Durable Person” project with CORDURA® Brand asked readers to submit a photo of an individual “doing something durable” (read: wild, tough, crazy, admirable, or extreme). We received hundreds of submissions and highlighted the top images in two posts last month. After sorting through the entries and vetting photos our judge panel made the tough decision to pick the four individuals below.

Grand by SaveDaily Deals”>Prize: One entry floated to the top. Christian Franken of St. Paul submitted the durable selfie (above), taken on New Years Day, in below-zero air after a 20K ski near Lake Superior. “It was a perfect still winter morning,” he said. “I was skiing and looking for fox tracks in the new snow.” He was also pushing himself, training and honing his classic skiing skills for the races on his circuit each season.

Franken, a native of Belgium who moved to the U.S. 25 years ago, has a background in mountaineering. He has climbed major peaks like Mount Blanc, Kilimanjaro, and Mount Kenya. Now 52, and with two sons, he focuses in XC skiing, cycling, canoeing, orienteering, and other endurance sports. “I love to go out and explore anywhere,” he said.

Daym. What is it about Belgians?

@Dan_R The other point behind having bike num 1 and 9 bike is you have to fill in num’s 2 – 8.

I guess technically speaking, I have around fifty in the stable. Although 40 of them are for sale….

This season, I will building this baby up…

Right now, it is displayed with the 38mm Carrefour clinchers, but I think it will be sporting my own pair of the V Special Edition Arenberg 60s. Makes sense, n’est pas?

Of course, then there’s racing in the rain. A whole new set of circumstances. A five + Nine Bike?

Always race on your #1. Just don’t forget to clean it.

By the way, I’m so pleased to hear that you managed to resurrect your beloved R3 and having ridden my new model for some time now (remember Cervelo replaced my cracked frame) I completely understand why you decided not to go for a later model. Totally different feel (that I’m not chuffed with).

Ruckus Carbon Repair fixed it; it was only a few hundie, too. You’d never know anything happened.

And here I thought that you should just convert it to a track bike for your next hour record attempt.

@KW Im in the Wausau area. Recently moved here from Arizona.

My googly maps tells me you’re about 250km from West Bend where @wiscot is based.

@wiscot There British broadcaster/writer Frank Muir and in his autobiography wrote that he was driving down a country road in an open top sport car, a woman going the other way yelled “PIG” as they passed. He was just thinking that was a bit rude when he crested a hill and hit a pig that was just over the brow.

Brilliant. I can almost hear him recounting the story on Call My Bluff.

@teleguy57

Why is that perfectly serviceable Nine Bike laying on the ground, on it’s side, in the mud, cow manure, and the snow? I may only may be a lowly Velominatus Level 4 Pedalwan, but the shame!

On Wisconsin!

University of Wisconsin, 1982

Appreciate your concern for my Nine (love that new term).  What doesn’t show in the pic is the small hunk of wood under the handlebars, which by the way, are on snow and not mud.  All for arts’ sake.  It does get mud on it from riding, as as a Wisconsin grad and Minnesota expat your know everything gets snow on it here at some point or another so that I’m not too worried about.

I do have a small pump garden sprayer which I keep filled with water, and any bike ridden in Rule #9 conditions gets a quick spray upon arrival back home, then a bit more of a cleaning once I can feel fingers/toes again.

@KW

BTW, nice to see the Wisconsinites hijack the thread (sorry @frank!).

Where’s @The Oracle??

Hey, we’re in the Final Four too, so it’s all good.

I’m not a basketball fan, and I’m not that big a Badgers fan (non-native Wisconsinite). But even I have to be excited about this one. On Wisconsin!

@RedRanger

@wiscot

@KW

@wiscot

You boys need to come and ride with me in my part of SE Wisconsin. Seriously, I have maybe 2-3 encounters with asshole drivers a year here. And we have big trucks – this is serious hunting country. Most drivers are extremely polite – wait to pass, wave at me unbidden. Of course, I try to be overly polite too.

Now when I lived in Indiana, it was a whole lot of the opposite . . .

That’s cause you live up there in the middle of nowhere. You need to come down here and ride in the city more often!

Seriously though, I find that the drivers in the near suburbs are worse. They’re soooo important, and I’m just in the way.

I’ll try and get a WI cogal set up for this summer. It’ll be on the good roads in Washington, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac and possibly Ozaukee counties. Well away from the burbs . . . unless you count Kewaskum as a burb of West Bend . . .

Keep me informed. I have no idea where those places are but I cant be all that far from them. Also Im signed up for the second annual Bear 100(100k in my case) Its north of here about 80 miles.

That looks like a great ride! Beautiful area up there. We’ve got a cabin in Florence County and we’ll occasionally take the long way  up through the Nicolet Forest.

Where are you located?

A whole family just rode by this bus stop on foldable bikes.

Is there a collective noun for that?

@Teocalli

@wiscot There British broadcaster/writer Frank Muir and in his autobiography wrote that he was driving down a country road in an open top sport car, a woman going the other way yelled “PIG” as they passed. He was just thinking that was a bit rude when he crested a hill and hit a pig that was just over the brow.

That is an awesome story. And while yours does have the added advantage of being true, it does remind me of one my grandma used to tell about two hobos on top of a train. As they approach a tunnel, one yells “duck!” The other replies “duck nothin’, thems geese.” I sense a collective groan from my children even now, but it still makes me smile.

From my memory of Frank Muir I would not guarantee the story was true just because it was in his autobiography!  Yours is very much like the “What’s the famous last words of a Redneck?”….”Hey bud, watch this”…….

@piwakawaka  @Giles  @Blah  @Ken Ho  @DerHoggz  @Marko

yeah, it was foolish on that day. My son’s b’day btw.

could’ve gone with this;

http://road.cc/content/news/115466-uci-announces-change-direction-southern-hemisphere-track-racing

thanks Frank for the heads up on the black 3m reflective tape. Getting me a few meters/yards (Rule #24 here as we’ll?)

Why is that perfectly serviceable Nine Bike laying on the ground, on it’s side, in the mud, cow manure, and the snow? I may only may be a lowly Velominatus Level 4 Pedalwan, but the shame!

On Wisconsin!

University of Wisconsin, 1982

@wiscot There British broadcaster/writer Frank Muir and in his autobiography wrote that he was driving down a country road in an open top sport car, a woman going the other way yelled “PIG” as they passed. He was just thinking that was a bit rude when he crested a hill and hit a pig that was just over the brow.

That is an awesome story.  And while yours does have the added advantage of being true, it does remind me of one my grandma used to tell about two hobos on top of a train. As they approach a tunnel, one yells “duck!” The other replies “duck nothin’, thems geese.” I sense a collective groan from my children even now, but it still makes me smile.

@KW

@wiscot

You boys need to come and ride with me in my part of SE Wisconsin. Seriously, I have maybe 2-3 encounters with asshole drivers a year here. And we have big trucks – this is serious hunting country. Most drivers are extremely polite – wait to pass, wave at me unbidden. Of course, I try to be overly polite too.

Now when I lived in Indiana, it was a whole lot of the opposite . . .

That’s cause you live up there in the middle of nowhere. You need to come down here and ride in the city more often!

Seriously though, I find that the drivers in the near suburbs are worse. They’re soooo important, and I’m just in the way.

I’ll try and get a WI cogal set up for this summer. It’ll be on the good roads in Washington, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac and possibly Ozaukee counties. Well away from the burbs . . . unless you count Kewaskum as a burb of West Bend . . .

Keep me informed. I have no idea where those places are but I cant be all that far from them. Also Im signed up for the second annual Bear 100(100k in my case) Its north of here about 80 miles.

Of the teams that are left, I’m pulling for Wisconsin.

BTW, nice to see the Wisconsinites hijack the thread (sorry @frank!).

Where’s @The Oracle??

Hey, we’re in the Final Four too, so it’s all good.

Can a rain bike be called a Nine Bike?

Sitting in my office taking to your dad. Surreal. He wondered what “nine bike” meant. Ha!

@ChrisO, @Mikael Liddy

@ChrisO

@Frank It’s been a while since I’ve had my pedant hat on but I don’t think you meant “In accordance with two of The V Tenants of the Velominati…” unless it was a deliberate error, which to all intensive porpoises it could be.

V tenants would imply they were temporarily renting space, whereas V Tenets would mean they were fundamental principles.

delightfully done.

Indeed. Corrected. Gives you an idea the kind of work our Editors had on their hands. Its a miracle the book got printed at all.

@Dr C

Blimey, due reverence to rain bikes – dismantled my rain bike last weekend, and was overcome with guilt and expense as every fourth bolt I released snapped off, leaving me with two banjaxed derailleurs and a cahin that makes a circle in two separate planes!

This despite regular degreasing and dry lubing – I’ll not describe the state of the headset bearings for fear of a lifetime ban

That said, I’m flogging the frame (giant Defy Aluxx) as I just hate riding it, and am swapping in a new Canyon Aluminium Ultimate AL SLX frame – can’t wait – plan is I will want to take the long route home, where the white Defy (actually my wife’s bike which I have pinched) is just too much like a busted sofa to make me want to ride it anywhere further than a crow’s line home – anyway, it certainly owes me nothing, but I owe the LBS a few quid more than I thought I would – seems like a mothly full overhaul for the #2 next winter is in order

Just wait till you pull your BB. You will say to yourself, “I thought these were sealed?..”

I can’t overstate how important it is to have a good rain bike and that its one you enjoy riding. It doesn’t have to be an R3, for fucks sake – that just happened through stable attrition – but you have to be comfortable on it. First, you are in a riskier situation, so comfort and dependability is criticial, but also you’ll ride it as much or more than your #1, so its worth the extra care to get it right.

I will tell the VMH that Frank says I need to get another bike so I can make my current #1 my rain bike. That will go over well.

@therealpeel

Thought for a moment this was a posting for April fools day- reasonable, well thought out, encouraging function over form/appearance and without hyperbole. Alas, I checked the date and has to concede that it was just a decent thoughtful article.

If there is an April Fools aspect to this, it is those Camo kits.

I do occasionally give in to reason. But I have thankfully manage to keep it to a minimum.

My Giro DND Green Camo/Gum gloves are retired.

Thought for a moment this was a posting for April fools day- reasonable, well thought out, encouraging function over form/appearance and without hyperbole. Alas, I checked the date and has to concede that it was just a decent thoughtful article.

If there is an April Fools aspect to this, it is those Camo kits.

I do occasionally give in to reason. But I have thankfully manage to keep it to a minimum.

@ChrisO

@Frank It’s been a while since I’ve had my pedant hat on but I don’t think you meant “In accordance with two of The V Tenants of the Velominati…” unless it was a deliberate error, which to all intensive porpoises it could be.

V tenants would imply they were temporarily renting space, whereas V Tenets would mean they were fundamental principles.

delightfully done.

Indeed. Corrected. Gives you an idea the kind of work our Editors had on their hands. Its a miracle the book got printed at all.

@Dr C

Blimey, due reverence to rain bikes – dismantled my rain bike last weekend, and was overcome with guilt and expense as every fourth bolt I released snapped off, leaving me with two banjaxed derailleurs and a cahin that makes a circle in two separate planes!

This despite regular degreasing and dry lubing – I’ll not describe the state of the headset bearings for fear of a lifetime ban

That said, I’m flogging the frame (giant Defy Aluxx) as I just hate riding it, and am swapping in a new Canyon Aluminium Ultimate AL SLX frame – can’t wait – plan is I will want to take the long route home, where the white Defy (actually my wife’s bike which I have pinched) is just too much like a busted sofa to make me want to ride it anywhere further than a crow’s line home – anyway, it certainly owes me nothing, but I owe the LBS a few quid more than I thought I would – seems like a mothly full overhaul for the #2 next winter is in order

Just wait till you pull your BB. You will say to yourself, “I thought these were sealed?..”

I can’t overstate how important it is to have a good rain bike and that its one you enjoy riding. It doesn’t have to be an R3, for fucks sake – that just happened through stable attrition – but you have to be comfortable on it. First, you are in a riskier situation, so comfort and dependability is criticial, but also you’ll ride it as much or more than your #1, so its worth the extra care to get it right.

@sthilzy

Another tip is to give a salute/nod to the driver’s that treats you with repsect on the road. They may even tell one of their fellow motorist that they had a good experience with sharing the road with a cyclist and may change the view of another driver or more for the better.

As it happens, I smile and wave both at the idots, and those going a little out of their way to do the right thing. Including the wanker in the cement truck on the rainy pre-dawn. There were only two of us on the road, but for somereason he decided to cut infront of me and slam on the brakes before taking off again. After cathing up with him and asking WTF he was playing it he replied “It’s dark, wet, and slippery. You shouldn’t be on the road”. If only it were possible to charge him with attempted murder because that is what it was. How I stayed up right, and did not go under his wheels I don’t know.

Same here, bees and honey and all that. If someone does something bad, its most likely that there is no reasoning with them, but yelling at them will only make them (a) defensive or (b) reinforce that cyclists are assholes.

The only success I’ve ever had was explaining to the driver what a bad situation that could have been and approach it in terms of a learning experience. Even then, the pickings are slim.

@frank

@wiscot

Great piece! I finally rode #2 bike this weekend as the roads were sufficiently dry to warrant it. Otherwise, I’ve been plugging away on my mongrel winter/rain bike with judiciously applied red reflective tape. Where do you get the black stuff?

Just got the 3M stuff off Amazon. Tried getting it from local Marina supply stores, but none of them could get it.

Is buying from Amazon the same as buying local if you live in Seattle?

http://www.amazon.com/3M-03614-Scotch-Mount-Molding-Tape/dp/B002JOVUO0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1396303874&sr=8-4&keywords=3m+black+tape

I think you meant:

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotchcal-Reflective-Striping-5-Inch/dp/B00063XI64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8

Unless the moulding tape is what was used to fix the R3?

What the fuck is molding tape? Yes, I mean the stuff you pointed to!

@Barracuda

3M reflective tape just may be the new black !

I do alot, refer 2 kids, of night riding so if the tape doesnt detract from number 1 then I may give it a go. Sadly no rain bike option for me unless you count a circa 1989 steel “Dodsun” converted to a short flat bar or an OLD USPS Trek frame with no running gear.

Im covered back and front with Ay-Up twin headlights and a Thunderbolt tail light. Its the cars coming side on at country road intersections that can cause issues. Descreet flasher on the helmet might be an option and keep the head pointed to the approaching car on those side roads.

I have it on the sides of the head tube, and on my cranks as well. I’ve put a planet flasher on my helmet at time too; when its really dark. I don’t think there’s such a thing as being too visible so long as you still Look Fantastic. The flasher on the helmet is borderline.

@wiscot I agree with Wisconsin drivers. I once had a woman stop and flag me down to apologize for passing so closely. Thing about it was that I hadn’t noticed.

I had a woman pull over on 144 north of West Bend a year or two ago to warn me that she’d heard there were thunderstorms heading in our direction. I was 10kms from home as it was and I thanked her profusely. Got home dry and she restored a little bit of my faith in humanity.

http://shop.fyxo.co/predator-cycling-kit/

Adidas is not going to like the three stripes being used here. Adidas bought the trademark way back when and will always object to the use of 2, 3 or 4 stripes along the side of sweat pants that aren’t theirs.

BTW, nice to see the Wisconsinites hijack the thread (sorry @frank!).

Where’s @The Oracle??

With the weather we’ve been having, all we can do is talk about cycling.  F**k’n snowing at this very minute.

BTW, nice to see the Wisconsinites hijack the thread (sorry @frank!).

Where’s @The Oracle??

RedRanger should stick its head in here too.

Where’s @The Oracle??

A WI cogal is a necessity.

Cheesehead Roubaix is definitely on the agenda this year. I did the Door County Century last year. Very well run event.

I’m still not sure which other big rides I’m going to be able to do this year. Our baby is due in early September, so I’m afraid that a lot of late season stuff may have to go by the wayside this year. That said, I’d like to do Race the Lake. We’ll see what happens.

I’ve also committed to ride the Cheesehead Robaiux (looking for tire advice) and hope to do the Ridges Ride in June. I agree on the DCC . I’ve done it for the last 4 years but will miss it this year. Am planning on the new Peninsula Century the following Saturday. Congrats to you and your misses.

Cheesehead Roubaix is definitely on the agenda this year. I did the Door County Century last year. Very well run event.

I’m still not sure which other big rides I’m going to be able to do this year. Our baby is due in early September, so I’m afraid that a lot of late season stuff may have to go by the wayside this year. That said, I’d like to do Race the Lake. We’ll see what happens.

@teleguy57

@KW

@wiscot

@KW

@wiscot

You boys need to come and ride with me in my part of SE Wisconsin. Seriously, I have maybe 2-3 encounters with asshole drivers a year here. And we have big trucks – this is serious hunting country. Most drivers are extremely polite – wait to pass, wave at me unbidden. Of course, I try to be overly polite too.

Now when I lived in Indiana, it was a whole lot of the opposite . . .

That’s cause you live up there in the middle of nowhere. You need to come down here and ride in the city more often!

Seriously though, I find that the drivers in the near suburbs are worse. They’re soooo important, and I’m just in the way.

I’ll try and get a WI cogal set up for this summer. It’ll be on the good roads in Washington, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac and possibly Ozaukee counties. Well away from the burbs . . . unless you count Kewaskum as a burb of West Bend . . .

Most all of my rides take me north and west of the city. I get into Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties quite a bit. Some fantastic roads up there. Makes me feel like I’m in Flanders with the aroma of all the cow shit.

We have a mix of great drivers and horrible drivers around the Fox Valley. Love riding in Ozaukee (son and daughter-in-law live in Cedarburg) and Washington (Sister in Richfield) Counties. Two weekends ago was able to ride around the Pewaukee Lake area “” great riding, and some nice little hills to boot.

We have plenty of Flanders smells around here; this was only a few weeks back. That’s not exposed dirt from snow melt in the background….

Ah, I can smell it just looking at the photo.

Pewaukee Lake is a great ride-one of my favorites in the area. In fact it might be on this weekend’s agenda. It’s a nice 70-75km loop around the lake from my house. More climbing than you might expect at first too.

Ok, ok, ok. I will get a WI cogal on the slate soon. Sounds like there’s a bunch of us riding around unaware of our mutual Velominati status. Any of you guys doing the Cheesehead Roubaix? The UPAF ride in Mke is too easy. The Oostburg Christian School does a nice 160 kms ride in spring.  If you want an awesome late season ride, the Maywood Nature Center in Sheboygan do the best 180 kms ride around. Great roads, organization and a nice, brutal route.

@KW

@wiscot

@KW

@wiscot

You boys need to come and ride with me in my part of SE Wisconsin. Seriously, I have maybe 2-3 encounters with asshole drivers a year here. And we have big trucks – this is serious hunting country. Most drivers are extremely polite – wait to pass, wave at me unbidden. Of course, I try to be overly polite too.

Now when I lived in Indiana, it was a whole lot of the opposite . . .

That’s cause you live up there in the middle of nowhere. You need to come down here and ride in the city more often!

Seriously though, I find that the drivers in the near suburbs are worse. They’re soooo important, and I’m just in the way.

I’ll try and get a WI cogal set up for this summer. It’ll be on the good roads in Washington, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac and possibly Ozaukee counties. Well away from the burbs . . . unless you count Kewaskum as a burb of West Bend . . .

Most all of my rides take me north and west of the city. I get into Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties quite a bit. Some fantastic roads up there. Makes me feel like I’m in Flanders with the aroma of all the cow shit.

We have a mix of great drivers and horrible drivers around the Fox Valley. Love riding in Ozaukee (son and daughter-in-law live in Cedarburg) and Washington (Sister in Richfield) Counties. Two weekends ago was able to ride around the Pewaukee Lake area “” great riding, and some nice little hills to boot.

We have plenty of Flanders smells around here; this was only a few weeks back. That’s not exposed dirt from snow melt in the background….

Ah, I can smell it just looking at the photo.

Pewaukee Lake is a great ride–one of my favorites in the area. In fact it might be on this weekend’s agenda. It’s a nice 70-75km loop around the lake from my house. More climbing than you might expect at first too.

@wiscot

@KW

@wiscot

You boys need to come and ride with me in my part of SE Wisconsin. Seriously, I have maybe 2-3 encounters with asshole drivers a year here. And we have big trucks – this is serious hunting country. Most drivers are extremely polite – wait to pass, wave at me unbidden. Of course, I try to be overly polite too.

Now when I lived in Indiana, it was a whole lot of the opposite . . .

That’s cause you live up there in the middle of nowhere. You need to come down here and ride in the city more often!

Seriously though, I find that the drivers in the near suburbs are worse. They’re soooo important, and I’m just in the way.

I’ll try and get a WI cogal set up for this summer. It’ll be on the good roads in Washington, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac and possibly Ozaukee counties. Well away from the burbs . . . unless you count Kewaskum as a burb of West Bend . . .

Most all of my rides take me north and west of the city. I get into Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties quite a bit. Some fantastic roads up there. Makes me feel like I’m in Flanders with the aroma of all the cow shit.

We have a mix of great drivers and horrible drivers around the Fox Valley.  Love riding in Ozaukee (son and daughter-in-law live in Cedarburg) and Washington (Sister in Richfield) Counties.  Two weekends ago was able to ride around the Pewaukee Lake area — great riding, and some nice little hills to boot.

We have plenty of Flanders smells around here; this was only a few weeks back.  That’s not exposed dirt from snow melt in the background….

@KW

@wiscot

You boys need to come and ride with me in my part of SE Wisconsin. Seriously, I have maybe 2-3 encounters with asshole drivers a year here. And we have big trucks – this is serious hunting country. Most drivers are extremely polite – wait to pass, wave at me unbidden. Of course, I try to be overly polite too.

Now when I lived in Indiana, it was a whole lot of the opposite . . .

That’s cause you live up there in the middle of nowhere. You need to come down here and ride in the city more often!

Seriously though, I find that the drivers in the near suburbs are worse. They’re soooo important, and I’m just in the way.

I’ll try and get a WI cogal set up for this summer. It’ll be on the good roads in Washington, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac and possibly Ozaukee counties. Well away from the burbs . . . unless you count Kewaskum as a burb of West Bend . . .

Most all of my rides take me north and west of the city. I get into Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties quite a bit. Some fantastic roads up there. Makes me feel like I’m in Flanders with the aroma of all the cow shit.

@wiscot

You boys need to come and ride with me in my part of SE Wisconsin. Seriously, I have maybe 2-3 encounters with asshole drivers a year here. And we have big trucks – this is serious hunting country. Most drivers are extremely polite – wait to pass, wave at me unbidden. Of course, I try to be overly polite too.

Now when I lived in Indiana, it was a whole lot of the opposite . . .

That’s cause you live up there in the middle of nowhere. You need to come down here and ride in the city more often!

Seriously though, I find that the drivers in the near suburbs are worse. They’re soooo important, and I’m just in the way.

I’ll try and get a WI cogal set up for this summer. It’ll be on the good roads in Washington, Sheboygan, Fond du Lac and possibly Ozaukee counties. Well away from the burbs . . . unless you count Kewaskum as a burb of West Bend . . .

I use a Planet Bike rear helmet light for commuting, but it swivels and that breaks the Silence when doing road riding. I’m eager to try out the Lezyne Zecto, haven’t grabbed one yet. Since we’re talking lights…the Serfas Thunderbolt is an awesome tail light for road bikes. It secures almost anywhere with rubber straps, thus useful when you have many road bikes AND since you don’t need a mount, doesn’t clutter up the N.1. I use one on the seatpost or seat stay, then a PB SuperFlash as well. Oh, and the Thunderbolt is usb rechargeable. Those two, paired with a rear helmet light makes you bright as.

Excellent riding tips for bad weather! Instead of yelling or arguing with drivers, I’ve been more and more assertive lately. Taking a lane when necessary, putting out a hand as in “don’t even think about passing me here, I can see further up the road than you…and I don’t have a metal cage” and the like. I find out it works pretty darn well. Most people chill the fuck out for a minute and the wackos who don’t, well, they’re fucked already.

Nice timing, as spring showers welcome in the new season.

Nice sales pitch!

@Kupepe a full custom geometry Pegoretti

Yeah I’ll second that, my savings account too or a Feather……

Here comes the question : If you do not own bikes depending on weather conditions but on aesthetics and the hip they create on your heart and the n+1 rule applies to you in continuum, how do you decide which bike you ride, which bike is for what and most importantly : Do you ever sell a bicycle that you got attached with when u climbed mountains at audaxes and kept thinking ” Why did I come here ? Why did i do the same mistake again?”, since you may not ride it for months but you still love it when you use it again ?

This despite regular degreasing and dry lubing – I’ll not describe the state of the headset bearings for fear of a lifetime ban

That said, I’m flogging the frame (giant Defy Aluxx) as I just hate riding it, and am swapping in a new Canyon Aluminium Ultimate AL SLX frame – can’t wait – plan is I will want to take the long route home, where the white Defy (actually my wife’s bike which I have pinched) is just too much like a busted sofa to make me want to ride it anywhere further than a crow’s line home – anyway, it certainly owes me nothing, but I owe the LBS a few quid more than I thought I would – seems like a mothly full overhaul for the #2 next winter is in order

@Overijse

What was supposed to be the bike to ride the 2011 Dirty Kanza 200, turned into my work commuter when I was transferred to Belgium before the race. I tried riding my number 1 to work but the ‘tank’ aka Salsa steel (heavier than $hit) is much better suited. While Belgium has 1,000s of kms of bike lanes, they aren’t exactly awesome for a road bike. So a 700×50 Schwalbe Big Ben tire gobbles up the path.

I know this bike has many rule violations but it is damn comfortable, especially when it is 5 deg C and raining and dark while riding to work both ways.

Looks like a perfect bike for Heck of the North. Interesting gearing; what do you have rigged? Is that a MTB drivetrain on STI? And what are the front ratios? Marko is looking at building a Fat Bike with drop bars for the Aerohead 135 and is wondering about gear combinations.

I know its a different scenario but I top out my 46×12 on my CX bike on fast bits of trail, so having a single ring seems too limiting, but a double might be good enough.

@frank

Yes it basically evolved into a semi-MTB 9 speed drivetrain with STI but didn’t start that way.

The bike came with a 50×34 front and an 11-32 rear 9 speed (with Tiagra STI) but that just didn’t cut it for me on thick gravel and 20% grades of the hills of Hermann MO (good training ground for the DK200). So I changed the rear to an 11-34 9 speed and the front to a 38×26 SLX. I swapped the rear derailleur to an XT long cage just because the original Deore LX was destroyed when I took a dive riding home from work on one of those rainy, dark 3 degree C nights trying to avoid a jogger on the bike path.

I can tell you the set-up for me is perfect, I am most comfortable at high cadence (90-100 rpm) so with a 38×11 I usually top out at about 50-55 km / h on a downhill. For me it is worth it for the low end climbing Belgian hills with a 10kg backpack full of cloths and computers.

From what I understand, the STI road shifter cable pull ratio is the same as 9 speed Shimano MTB components but when they changed to the Dyna-Sys 10 speed the shifter ratio changed so it no longer works with STI.

Hope this helps!

Yes it basically evolved into a semi-MTB 9 speed drivetrain with STI but didn’t start that way.

The bike came with a 50×34 front and an 11-32 rear 9 speed (with Tiagra STI) but that just didn’t cut it for me on thick gravel and 20% grades of the hills of Hermann MO (good training ground for the DK200).  So I changed the rear to an 11-34 9 speed and the front to a 38×26 SLX.  I swapped the rear derailleur to an XT  long cage just because the original Deore LX was destroyed when I took a dive riding home from work on one of those rainy, dark 3 degree C nights trying to avoid a jogger on the bike path.  

I can tell you the set-up for me is perfect, I am most comfortable at high cadence (90-100 rpm) so with a 38×11 I usually top out at about 50-55 km / h on a downhill.  For me it is worth it for the low end climbing Belgian hills with a 10kg backpack full of cloths and computers. 

From what I understand, the STI road shifter cable pull ratio is the same as 9 speed Shimano MTB components but when they changed to the Dyna-Sys 10 speed the shifter ratio changed so it no longer works with STI.  

Hope this helps!

@DerHoggz Surely an April 1st joke?

Shirley the whole fuckin’ post!?!

Cheers, Ride Safe, Go fast

@Frank It’s been a while since I’ve had my pedant hat on but I don’t think you meant “In accordance with two of The V Tenants of the Velominati…” unless it was a deliberate error, which to all intensive porpoises it could be.

V tenants would imply they were temporarily renting space, whereas V Tenets would mean they were fundamental principles.

delightfully done.

V tenants would imply they were temporarily renting space, whereas V Tenets would mean they were fundamental principles.

That’s a foolish thing to announce, particularly today.

That’s fucked

Speaking of safety and being accountable for actions on the road as a user, our state government are to introduce rego plates on all helmets – motorcycle and cyclist alike.

Do they not know that will ruin the aero?

Frank, ace reflective tape tip, thanks and thanks too @sthilzy, that rim job is getting laid on for maximum effect. I tell the VMH that I am lit up like a christmas tree so that she can yell at the bastide in court “which fecking light did you not see?”.

Speaking of commuting in rain, down in the tropics it’s often torrential but 25-30c so no Rule #9 but rather this bathtub like water fest. The traffic slows to 30-35kph and it makes for some of the most fun commutes, even to the point of getting in the fast lane to avoid the BB deep puddles – not so much to avoid going through but to avoid getting knocked over by the tire wash and wall of water thrown up.

@Optimiste

@unversio

@Ccos

@unversio

Confession: wore Black DND gloves last hunting season and they were great. When “sign of the camo” version came out last year I thought better DND gloves for hunting, but they have become a winter thing for me on the bike.

@Barracuda

Im covered back and front with Ay-Up twin headlights and a Thunderbolt tail light. Its the cars coming side on at country road intersections that can cause issues. Descreet flasher on the helmet might be an option and keep the head pointed to the approaching car on those side roads.

A buddy lives in a small town full of give-way signs. Cars entering roads at night without looking is a problem for him so he put the (legally required!) wheel reflectors back on his bike. They are white, not yellow but swears despite the ugly look, the swirls they make at night in a cars headlights has been a life saver more than once.

@Optimiste

Must be a trend with this camo gear or sommat? I can’t fathom it myself…

http://shop.fyxo.co/predator-cycling-kit/

This, or as Fiasco in Adelaide do http://www.fiascociclismo.com/   for the times when you need to go and ride in iraq.

Another tip is to give a salute/nod to the driver’s that treats you with repsect on the road. They may even tell one of their fellow motorist that they had a good experience with sharing the road with a cyclist and may change the view of another driver or more for the better.

I wave to every car that passes in either direction, especially cars traveling in the other lane. And make sure to wave when I am at the back of the pace line or on the front. A small gesture that humanizes you rather that being seen as an obstacle for irate drivers. And the extra motion helps catch attention if a driver just isn’t looking. When necessary the wave can quickly be changed over to the “fuck off” motion of recourse — or best to let the wave stand.

Im covered back and front with Ay-Up twin headlights and a Thunderbolt tail light. Its the cars coming side on at country road intersections that can cause issues. Descreet flasher on the helmet might be an option and keep the head pointed to the approaching car on those side roads.

A buddy lives in a small town full of give-way signs. Cars entering roads at night without looking is a problem for him so he put the (legally required!) wheel reflectors back on his bike. They are white, not yellow but swears despite the ugly look, the swirls they make at night in a cars headlights has been a life saver more than once.

@Optimiste

Must be a trend with this camo gear or sommat? I can’t fathom it myself…

http://shop.fyxo.co/predator-cycling-kit/

Another tip is to give a salute/nod to the driver’s that treats you with repsect on the road. They may even tell one of their fellow motorist that they had a good experience with sharing the road with a cyclist and may change the view of another driver or more for the better.

As it happens, I smile and wave both at the idots, and those going a little out of their way to do the right thing. Including the wanker in the cement truck on the rainy pre-dawn. There were only two of us on the road, but for somereason he decided to cut infront of me and slam on the brakes before taking off again. After cathing up with him and asking WTF he was playing it he replied “It’s dark, wet, and slippery. You shouldn’t be on the road”. If only it were possible to charge him with attempted murder because that is what it was. How I stayed up right, and did not go under his wheels I don’t know.

I do alot, refer 2 kids, of night riding so if the tape doesnt detract from number 1 then I may give it a go.  Sadly no rain bike option for me unless you count a circa 1989 steel “Dodsun” converted to a short flat bar or an OLD USPS Trek frame with no running gear.

Im covered back and front with Ay-Up twin headlights and a Thunderbolt tail light.    Its the cars coming side on at country road intersections that can cause issues.   Descreet flasher on the helmet might be an option and keep the head pointed to the approaching car on those side roads.

Speaking of commuting in rain, down in the tropics it’s often torrential but 25-30c so no Rule #9 but rather this bathtub like water fest. The traffic slows to 30-35kph and it makes for some of the most fun commutes, even to the point of getting in the fast lane to avoid the BB deep puddles – not so much to avoid going through but to avoid getting knocked over by the tire wash and wall of water thrown up.

@Optimiste

@unversio

@Ccos

@unversio

I’d try the camo trick but it just doesn’t match the kit too well.

You have to wear all black to make it work.

Or you could go all-in and see if this gets you points with the locals:

Even if this saved your ass from some Deliverance type pig reaming it is ALL wrong unless maybe your commuting to your grow field…

@Ccos

@unversio

I’d try the camo trick but it just doesn’t match the kit too well.

You have to wear all black to make it work.

Or you could go all-in and see if this gets you points with the locals:

+1. I try and acknowledge good drivers who share the road and are courteous. I also acknowledge bad drivers but in a different way (kidding…sort of).

@KW

I ride DT shifters, but they are enormous, and the young girls run – screaming. 

Careful, you could get yourself arrested for that sort of thing.

Another spot for the reflective tape in on the rim face, facing the hub. Less is more, say three strips of tape equally spaced between the spokes gives a eye-catching “strobing affect”.

I see those saftey tips apply in the dry and daytime as well.

Another tip is to give a salute/nod to the driver’s that treats you with repsect on the road. They may even tell one of their fellow motorist that they had a good experience with sharing the road with a cyclist and may change the view of another driver or more for the better.

You boys need to come and ride with me in my part of SE Wisconsin. Seriously, I have maybe 2-3 encounters with asshole drivers a year here. And we have big trucks – this is serious hunting country. Most drivers are extremely polite – wait to pass, wave at me unbidden. Of course, I try to be overly polite too.

Now when I lived in Indiana, it was a whole lot of the opposite . . .

That’s cause you live up there in the middle of nowhere. You need to come down here and ride in the city more often!

Seriously though, I find that the drivers in the near suburbs are worse. They’re soooo important, and I’m just in the way.

@wiscot

Great piece! I finally rode #2 bike this weekend as the roads were sufficiently dry to warrant it. Otherwise, I’ve been plugging away on my mongrel winter/rain bike with judiciously applied red reflective tape. Where do you get the black stuff?

Just got the 3M stuff off Amazon. Tried getting it from local Marina supply stores, but none of them could get it.

Is buying from Amazon the same as buying local if you live in Seattle?

http://www.amazon.com/3M-03614-Scotch-Mount-Molding-Tape/dp/B002JOVUO0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1396303874&sr=8-4&keywords=3m+black+tape

I think you meant:

http://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotchcal-Reflective-Striping-5-Inch/dp/B00063XI64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8

Unless the moulding tape is what was used to fix the R3?

@Overijse

I know its a different scenario but I top out my 46×12 on my CX bike on fast bits of trail, so having a single ring seems too limiting, but a double might be good enough.

I’m thinking a 50 or 46 with a 10-42 cassette might become a pretty good option, although ugly and larger gear gaps harder for cadence. Lighter, fast as a std road combo on the top end, easy as a compact 50 x 28 combo for the hills…

I ride DT shifters, but they are enormous, and the young girls run – screaming.

@Conrad

Good article. I would like to bring one point up for debate: lame plastic fenders that rattle around and fall off on a regular basis may be in violation of Rule #65. If I lived in Arizona I might feel differently but around here the potholes literally grow noticeably larger in the course of 1 rainy day. 32mm tires and properly mounted alloy fenders are necessary on the rain bike. I use automotive reflective tape too.

No argument here mate. I hate mud guards of any kind, shape, or color.

@Nik

Can a rain bike be called a Nine Bike?

Plus One badge to you, matey. And into the Lexicon with it, too.

@RedRanger

@frank thats a double upfront and it looks like xtr rear d.

I mean the size, genius.

Basically, bright lights and ride super conservative. Plus avoid paint markings, manhole covers etc as much as possible, and if you must, ride straight over with no turning or braking.

All you need is one car at the wrong time; doesn’t matter too much the personalities of volume of traffic!

Seattle, though, does generally have very cyclist-aware traffic.

Great piece! I finally rode #2 bike this weekend as the roads were sufficiently dry to warrant it. Otherwise, I’ve been plugging away on my mongrel winter/rain bike with judiciously applied red reflective tape. Where do you get the black stuff?

Just got the 3M stuff off Amazon. Tried getting it from local Marina supply stores, but none of them could get it.

Is buying from Amazon the same as buying local if you live in Seattle?

http://www.amazon.com/3M-03614-Scotch-Mount-Molding-Tape/dp/B002JOVUO0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1396303874&sr=8-4&keywords=3m+black+tape

What about fenders/mud guards @Frank? I too commute daily in Cascadia (Mukilteo to Seattle). I’ll chant  Rule #9 on occasion just to keep sane. Keeping my toes and back/butt as dry as possilbe though is key.

Not a fan of mudguards. But I did commute all winter last year from Seattle to Kirkland on my rain bike without fenders. I was very cold some days, but for the most part it was fine. Mudguards to me are ugly and an implicit infraction of Rule #9.

That said, they’re not against The Rules.

What was supposed to be the bike to ride the 2011 Dirty Kanza 200, turned into my work commuter when I was transferred to Belgium before the race. I tried riding my number 1 to work but the ‘tank’ aka Salsa steel (heavier than $hit) is much better suited. While Belgium has 1,000s of kms of bike lanes, they aren’t exactly awesome for a road bike. So a 700×50 Schwalbe Big Ben tire gobbles up the path.

I know this bike has many rule violations but it is damn comfortable, especially when it is 5 deg C and raining and dark while riding to work both ways.

Looks like a perfect bike for Heck of the North. Interesting gearing; what do you have rigged? Is that a MTB drivetrain on STI? And what are the front ratios? Marko is looking at building a Fat Bike with drop bars for the Aerohead 135 and is wondering about gear combinations.

I know its a different scenario but I top out my 46×12 on my CX bike on fast bits of trail, so having a single ring seems too limiting, but a double might be good enough.

@unversio

 

I’d try the camo trick but it just doesn’t match the kit too well.

You have to wear all black to make it work.

As a side note, I felt the need to apologize when demoting my former #1 bike to rain bike. Makes it more of a badass though.

Well, from November to April, the Rain Bike sees more action than the #1; in fact, kilometer for kilometer, I bet the Rain Bike sees more action year-round.

@Mike_P

Great public service article @Frank. Liking the idea of that reflective tape if it’s almost invisible in normal light.

You can’t even tell when there’s no light shining on it.

By the way, I’m so pleased to hear that you managed to resurrect your beloved R3 and having ridden my new model for some time now (remember Cervelo replaced my cracked frame) I completely understand why you decided not to go for a later model. Totally different feel (that I’m not chuffed with).

Ruckus Carbon Repair fixed it; it was only a few hundie, too. You’d never know anything happened.

Now when I lived in Indiana, it was a whole lot of the opposite . . .