The 1993 BicyclING Item

Feb 16 23:29 UTC 1993

Well, there's still a ton of snow on the ground, but it's time to
start thinking about bicycling for the 1993 season.  Why now?
Well, if you start getting yourself and your bike in shape right
now, you'll be ready to roll when the warm weather does come.
 
Plus, if you're really into it like I am, you'll want to start
planning the rides you're going to go on this summer.  Right now,
I'm planning to go to the League of American Wheelmen rally in
upstate New York in July.
 
So, let's talk about bicycling!  Feel free to ask questions.
I've been a member of the Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society for
nearly ten years now, so I'm quite familiar with routes around
the area.  I can also answer technical questions about bikes as
well.  And any that I can't answer I'll refer to klaus.  :)

response 2 of 20:

Feb 18 17:20 UTC 1993

I'm up for it.  How about if we schedule it for the third weekend in May?
That should give the weather enough time to improve and it's after
Mother's Day.

response 4 of 20:

Feb 19 17:18 UTC 1993

Do you use a mountain bike for this kind of riding?  I've been thinking
of getting one.  Maybe I should get one now before the season starts.
That way I could do some snow riding, too.

response 6 of 20:

Mar 25 12:55 UTC 1993

The latest ride calendar for the AABTS is now out.  Once again, we have
rides every night of the week starting in the first full week of April.
There are rides for all skill levels.  If you're just starting out,
let me suggest the following:

Salvation Ride: starts at the York Baptist Church, Stony Creek Rd
and Platt Rd, 530 pm in April, 600pm in May.

West Side Ride: starts at the Scio Community Church, 1293 N. Zeeb Rd,
630pm.

Lots of people also like the Dexter Breakfast Ride.  This starts
at 800am Saturday mornings.  This is the most popular ride, regularly
drawing 100 or more riders.  This ride starts at Wheeler Park, near
the train station.

For more information, including information on other AABTS rides, call
our hotline -- 994-0044.

response 8 of 20:

Apr 10 14:25 UTC 1993

Not sure. If somebody finds out, PLEASE let me know. For me, the only
other safe way to get downtown from my house is the long way up Packard.
HRD's bike paths really, really suck.

response 10 of 20:

Apr 11 15:18 UTC 1993

I'd ride more if I liked my bicycle but currently, I have a Scwynn 10-speed
racing style bike that I've had since HS...  And I'd rather have something
more comfortable than a racing bike.  But it seems that the good mountain
bikes and other styles, too, are rather expensive!?

response 12 of 20:

Apr 11 18:03 UTC 1993

If you just want something for basic transportation, you would probably do
better with a hybrid than a mountain bike.  These have the same position as a
mountain bike, but have narrower tires (somewhere between road and mountain
bike tires), and lighter frames (like road bikes).  Those, however, still have
the cost problem of the mountain bikes.  An other option would be to
"hybridize" your road bike.  If the bike has room, you could add wider tires
that would give you the capability to comfortably ride surfaces other than
pavement.  You could then add a stem with some rise, and a flat handlebar.
That would take care of the two most common road bike comfort complaints, and
only cost you around sixty dollars.

response 14 of 20:

Apr 12 02:18 UTC 1993

Next Sunday, the AA City Bicycle Program is sponsoring the Bike Expo
and Celebration of Spring.  There are three rides of 30, 42, and 60
miles, and there are usually a couple of bike shops showing their
wares.  The expo is held at Cobblestone Farm on Packard.  The rides
start at 9 am.

response 16 of 20:

Jul 19 01:00 UTC 1993

What's with these cars now?  Not that they haven't always been bad, but in the
last few weeks they have been much worse.  First, a few weeks ago, some idiot
in a truck came by us very slowly, giving us about an inch of elbow room.
Then, after he got passed us, he pulled over all the way to the right edge
of the road and jammed on his brakes, almost hitting the person I was riding
with.  As if that wasn't bad enough, this car a group I was riding in
encountered yesterday was much worse.  We were going down Patterson Lake
Road, and a car came by us yelling at us to get off the road.  Nothing strange
about that, we thought, cars do that to us at least a couple of times a ride.
Usually we never see the cars again, but this time that was not the case.  A
few minutes later the same car came by again going the other way, and somebody
in it tossed a full Pepsi can into the group, hitting somebody in the face.

response 18 of 20:

Jul 19 19:10 UTC 1993

A few weeks ago my friend was stopped in his car at a stop sign, a young
man on a bicycle ran into him swore and then lifted the bike up and
brought it crashing down on my friends new car, uprovoked.  The mad
biker then rode off.  Make of this what you will.

response 20 of 20:

Jul 21 12:10 UTC 1993

Even if you did get a license plate No. and could identify the car, if you
can't pick the driver out of a line-up: Forget it!
r.e. #18.  What happened between the bicyclist and your friend before he
stopped at the stop sing?