response 1 of 28:

Sep 4 12:51 UTC 1993

I try to approach bicycling like I do walking.  It's something
I like to do when I'm up for it (more and more as time goes on)
in place of driving, etc.  Also, the more I walk or bike places
the  more I discover places I can easily walk or bike to much to
the amazement of some people.  "You walked/biked all that way!"

I have found that cars seem to bike far away places seem close
but close places farther away.

response 3 of 28:

Sep 5 01:48 UTC 1993

Was showering afterwards ever a problem?  I have heard some people
say they do not bike to work because there is no palce to shower
or change.

response 5 of 28:

Sep 5 14:52 UTC 1993

We didn't have any showers at NT.  I'd shower the night before, ride
early when it was cooler so I didn't sweat all that much, and then do
a kind of sponge bath when I got to work.  It seemed to work OK;  no one
ever complained anyway.

response 7 of 28:

Sep 6 01:02 UTC 1993

I bike more than I drive, but I do have a peeve about bikers who stay on the
road when there is a bike path right there.  When drivers see that sort of
thing it doesn't do much to support the construction of bike paths-- why
build them if we won't use them?  It's useful as a sort of protest where
the bike paths have deteriorated, like on huron Parkway, but where the bike 
lanes are in decent shape I use them, even putting up with the mindless
drivers who block them at intersections.  Write it off as the cost of living
in an obsessively car-oriented society.  There really are some places where,
through incompetent design, biking has to be avoided because it is genuinely
dangerous.  Huron Parkway is becoming one of those places.  I had planned to
bike to work and did for a while, but after a few years the path just got 
worse and worse, and riding in one of the traffic lanes is suicide.


Of course, this isn't to condone harrassment.  It's just another example of
why millions of detached, hermetically sealed drivers on the road is a
bad thing for society.

response 9 of 28:

Sep 6 07:13 UTC 1993

We discussed bike paths in the effective cycling class I took last
spring.  It was generally considered that they are unsafe for many
reasons.  Not only are they often in disrepair but people had found
road kill thrown on the path they were riding on.  The paths are
not cleared during the winter and some cyclists do ride in the winter.
The chief danger is to cyclists on paths where there are a lot of
drive ways and side streets.  When cars pull out of the drive way
and the side roads they don't stop at the bike path and often can't
be seen in time for the bike to stop.  The is a _very_ serious
problem if there are numerous side streets and drive ways.  The
bike path on Packard between Eisenhower and Platt was cited as
one of the most dangerous places to ride by most of the experienced
riders in the class.

We were told that roads were the place to be legally and safely.
The drivers can see you and know you are there.  The cyclist
doesn't have to wonder on and off the road depeding on where the
bike path, sidewalk, etc. is.  I was told that entering traffic
(pulling out) is quite a delicate operation.

response 11 of 28:

Sep 6 19:53 UTC 1993

Hi there.  Me again.  I ride to and from work every day, all year.  In the
summer I wear an old pair of shorts and a T shirt with my work clothes in
a back-pack.  I try to get out there before eight so I don't have to deal
with those who want to punch in at eight with two minutes and five miles to
go.  I do not have shower facilities at work, though we do have bathrooms
and those are as good a changing room as any.  I find one shower a day keeps
the oders at bay, even in the summer, as long as I don't push too hard.

I ride five miles each way on the likes of Industrial Hwy. and Seventh St.
I wear bright, reflective colors.  My bike looks like trash but has evolved
into a pretty durable, though ugly, machine.  It is equiped with several
reflectors, halogen head lamp with rechargable batteries, wide, low pressure
tires, rear-view mirror(Wouldn't be without it!) and a helmet on my head.

I have never had any significant incidents with motorists.  Obey the laws,
share the road as best you can.  A person on a bike is no match for a 
person in a ton or more of iron.  It took me a long time to get comfotable
with riding in traffic but I now find it very relaxing and prefer it by 
far to driving our car.  Even rain doesn't bother me.  I've given up on
fancy gortex, etc, etc. stuff and simply allow myself to get wet.  Skin,
kept warm under a layer of polyproplyn and/or wool is a fantastic rain
suit!  A light, bright, windbreaker keeps me comfortable even down to almost
0F.

Any questions? 

response 13 of 28:

Sep 6 20:33 UTC 1993

The I-275 path is immediately to the west of the highway at 6 mile, Plymouth
Rd., etc.  Farther south it may, just may be east of the highway.  I wouldn't
ride there tho, with 8 lanes of traffic, at 70mph who knows how many vehicles
per minute, generating nitrous oxides, carbon monoxide, etc.
I haven't been riding too much lately because i've become asthmatic + live on
a hill with downtown, etc. uphill, but i preferred to ride on sidestreets. 
Unfortunately, alot of AA is not on a grid, with cul-de-sacs, and no straight
routes except main streets.  By the way, i am moving soon and look rward 
to pedalling again.  One further note, you folks who ride in all weather, I'm
sure you know that cantilevered brakes as found on trail bikes are far 
superior, and function quite well even when wet.

response 15 of 28:

Sep 7 13:20 UTC 1993

I find that seperate bike pathes remove the bicyclits from the motorists
area of concern, while pathesmaked in the street include the cyclist.
Seperate bike pathes also are considered sidewalks by pedestrians.  I ride
in the street when there are seperate pathes so I'm not overlooked by
motoristsu!b, its safer.
Most of the street building/repairing does include making them safer for
people on bikes.  There is mounting pressure, even at the federal level,
to make new road construction accommodating to cyclists needs.  Even the
newer traffic lights with their sense coils barried benieth the roads
surface, must be able to sense the presence of a bicycle (Now they just
have to mark, on the road, where to stop so you'll be sensed!) in the
city of A^2.
For recreational cycling, I like to get out the map and find dirt roads
outside the city limits to ride on.  Very pretty, few cars making for a
very relaxing ride.  My favorite directions are north and west of the city,
though there is some good dirt road riding south towards Manchester too.
One just has to learn not to panic when a dog runs out to see what your
made of ;)

response 17 of 28:

Sep 10 14:09 UTC 1993

I like the Campy caliper brakes on my road bike too.  A bit stiffer than
Dura-Ace.  I also like the Phil Wood disk brake, not to mention his hubs
and bottom bracket.  No one type of brake is better than another.  The
force going into the lever, from your hand, is all the same.  How much
of that force is lost through the cables and flexing metal parts, etc.
is what makes the differance.  Cantilevers are very simple, use short,
stout parts mounted to the fork and this makes them easy to design and
cheap while retaining very good braking ability.  The brake pads also
make a big differance on brake preformance.  A clean, gooshy pad on a
clean, dry chrome rim will toss you over the handle bars as soon as the
pads touch, while a pad made of graphite won't do much at all.  There
are many types of pads on the market.  I general the soft ones that will
stop you with little force will wear quickly.  The harder ones don't
wear as fast but require more fore to stop as fast as the softer ones.

response 19 of 28:

Sep 12 15:55 UTC 1993

Riding your bike in Detroit is suicidal... I love it.,

As for brakes... Campys are cool... I like black pads for some reason.

response 21 of 28:

Sep 12 22:00 UTC 1993

No.  btw, I was walking by the new sports bookstore yesterday (it's
just north of the library downtown) and noticed they had a copy of
the Sierra Club Bicycle Commuting book for a couple of bucks.  If you're
serious about this, and get there quick enough, perhaps you could get it.

response 23 of 28:

Sep 13 12:43 UTC 1993

I saw a guy "commuting" through down town Detroit several years ago.  He
had a police whistle in his mouth and it was going every time he went
through an intersection or someone got in his way.  He was a very
aggresive rider.