The Cycling Dude

The Flattery of immitation by a fine new Blog

I recently received an e-mail, and part of what it had to say follows:

Hey Cycling Dude....
I started a bicycling blog about a month and a half
ago called Bikin' Bis...

It's named for what my wife started calling me when
I'd disappear on my bike for hours at a time.
I've been checking out and enjoying your blog (I don't
remember who I ran across it), and you might notice a
couple of similarities, style-wise...

I'm going back and forth on the overall tone. Some of
the stuff might be a little esoteric, but some other stuff is a
little cheeky...

I use blogharbor, which enables me to build web pages.
You'll see my first ones over on the left as well. I
plan to use them in conjunction with the blog...

I don't know if that is interesting to you, but it has
been very instructive for me. This is the first time
I've put all this down in writing.
Thanks
Gene Bisbee

Interesting? Yes, indeed.

Read on...

More than Gene's layout choices, what truly caught my attention was that really awesome, and cool, photo behind the title.

Wonder where he got that idea? :-D

Maybe not, though, but it's still a great picture.

I am truly flattered by his using my blog as inspiration for his place.

Gene hails from Seattle, Washington, and I've been spending some time exploring the Blog, and have much to recommend.

A. Gene has 2 pages related to The Lewis and Clark Trail:

Lewis and Clark Tour Operators.

Lewis and Clark Trail Resources: Includes links to 5 Cyclists who tell of their experinces riding the trail.

B. Blame Iowa! Now nearly EVERYONE is doing it!

Cross State Bike Tours, that is.

Gene has a list of Across State Bike Tours.

Now let me recommend some entries on his blog:

1. Happy Birthday!

His 1st entry celebrates his 1st ride of the new year.

2. Trail-a-Bike Recall.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says some of those single-wheeled bicycle trailers distributed by Norco Products Ltd. of Canada are unsafe at any speed.

Manufactured in China, the Adams Trail-a-Bike or Adams Slipstream Bicycle Attachment employ a universal hitch that can malfunction and cause the trailer to separate from the bike...

Read more here.

3 and 4. Is Lawson, Missouri, the WORST place to ride a bike?

Everyone has a favorite story about a least favorite place to bicycle.

I challenge anyone to name a town more unfriendly to bicyclists than Lawson, Missouri. The Missouri Bicycle Federation has been following the case.

Lawson has a "No Bicycle Zone" in a two-block area of downtown.

Read more here.

And here for the fact that the city won.

5. We all have our "Bicyclist vs. Dog" stories. Here's some of Gene's.

Sooner or later, a bicyclist will run afoul of a dog. Man’s goofy, drooling best friend turns into a ferocious prey-chasing carnivore whenever he spies a bicycle approaching. Dogs that live on popular bicycle routes really seem to take to the sport.

My friend and I had several memorable run-ins with dogs on our cross-country ride back in 1984.

Read more here.

6. One of the 1st essays I shared on this blog was one I once had published in a local newspaper after being attacked while riding my bike.

I called it - Bicyclist to Car Owners: Can't we all just get along?

I was lucky not to get hurt.

Now comes THIS story of a man who wins a court case against such miscreants:

There are no real winners in this story reported in the Seattle newspapers over the weekend.

A church pastor in Bellevue, a Seattle suburb, has received more than a half-million dollars in an out-of-court settlement relating to an assault while he rode his bicycle...

The pastor and his daughter were riding their bicycles to train for the annual Seattle-to-Portland ride about three years ago. A teen-aged motorist swerved her car at the pastor and her passenger leaned out the window and shoved him over. The Rev. David Tinney suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung, among other injuries, many of which linger to this day.

God works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform. :-D

7. It seems that every Bicycle Tourist has their "Rescue" story. This is one of Gene's:

Bicycle tourists spend part their time riding on the edge. I’m not just talking about the edge of the road, but the edge of their limits for physical and mental stress. Veer over the edge, and there can be a crash. End of tour.

That’s especially true for the so-called self-contained cycling tourists. No sag wagons. No mechanics. No large group for support. And, in the “old days,” no cell phones.

When my friend and I rode the TransAmerica Trail in 1984, we talked to other cyclists who had come too close to the edge, but it seemed someone always came along to offer help, a lift, a place to stay.

We called this a rescue.

For us, the most unusual rescue came in Kansas...

Read more here.

Visit Gene and his Blog: Bikin' Bis.

Bummed no more about dead Bumstead's Link

Readers may have noticed the dead link to Elder Statesman BUMSTEAD'S Bike Shop, in Ontario, Ca.

Those concerned that, at the ripe old age of 95, this fine establishment ( I should know: I shopped there on occasion from the 70's to the late 90's. It is 1 of my 3 favorite shops in the Inland Empire region ), might have finally, irrevocably, blew a tire, need fear no more.

It's ALIVE!

I've just got off the phone with Loyd, the owner, and the good news is that the website will soon be up and running again.

As soon as it is, rest assurred, I will update my link, visit the site, and file a report.

( Which reminds me: I need to finally finish visiting the rest of the Elders for an initial report soon. )

Chatting with the Swedish BikeBlogger

This evening I had the pleasure of an online chat with Johan, of BikeLog.

There is a 9 hour time difference.

While he's eating breakfast I'm getting ready to watch Nightline, and then go to bed. :-)

We talked of my plans for riding during my vacation, and the weather in our respective communities.

While Southern California is getting something of breather, now, from the rain, Johan is getting snowed on.

He says prime riding time for them is April to October, and he is jealous of our near year round opportunity to bike ride.

Bicycling: How Swede it is!

Johan Moren is a bicyclist in Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.

He is an amateur rider, and a commuter.

He's a Systems Developer who likes Cycling, Frank Zappa, John Coltrane, and Whiskey.

Not neccessarily in that order.

He also has a BikeBlog begun in December.

I'd like to recommend some entries:

1. Meet his bikes.

2. Recommending an online Map Service for ride planning, with a qualification.

3. Spreading the word about a Houston project to provide bike for underpriviledged children.

4. Valiant Bicycle retired after 75 years of faithful service.

5. An amusing dig at President Bush, and his love of Cycling.

6. To car drivers: Your Car Door is a Deathtrap! Spreading the word about a website where you can share your cycling "Door" Stories.

This is yet another fine addition to my Blogroll.

Visit BikeLog.

Cross Country rider looking for advice

This just in:

Name: Chris DeLorenzo
Email Address: chris@rideforwisheswny.com
Ride Blog: rideforwisheswny.com


This summer, July 16th thru August 24th, I'll be making a bike ride across
America. I'll be departing from Battery Park in Manhattan, NYC and
finishing the ride at the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. The ride is to
benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation and through our event, Ride for Wishes
2005, we hope to raise $100,000. When we reach that goal, we'll be able to
grant the wishes of 23 children suffering with life-threatening medical
conditions...... something that I'm extremely excited about.

I'm having a difficult time planning the route of the trip. I've tried
Mappoint software, but it's really designed for car travel, and didn't have
a lot of success with it.  I've checked out the Adveture Cycling website as
many people have directed me there, and they do have maps for many bike
routes, but the only route that goes entirely across America is from
Virginia to Oregon, I believe....... that's not even close to my start and
end points.  They have many shorter routes, but again even if I try to
patch a few of them together, they really won't be of great help to me.
I'd still wind up with huge holes in the route all over the place. I'd
welcome any help or sugestions.  Thanks.

Chris has started a Blog about his adventure, and If anyone can help him with his planning, I'm sure he'd appreciate it.

For my part I'm adding his blog to the Blogroll, and will encourage him to check out some of the sites I've collected, and will be adding here for all the 5O states..

A vacation made for bike riding

When I made plans for my 1st 5 day paid vacation of the year to coincide with my birthday on March 5 I had hopes for favorable scheduling of certain non-paid days off.

And I got what I wanted!

Now my vacation goes from Feb. 25 to March 5, and may extend to even the following day or 2.

How cool is that?

I have plans for bicycling that includes adding to my list of coastal trips described on the Dude, and even maybe a trip to the Wine Country of Temecula.

Text of Idaho Bill and its Status

For those interested, here's the text of the bill and its status.

As a contributor to the CABO LIST wrote in a note with the link:

From the "statement of purpose", it sounds as if the author/sponsor suggests that the intent of the original, existing legislation was to require that cyclists treat stop lights just as motorists do: "This amendment clarifies that a bicyclist must obey a red traffic light unless they are making a right-hand turn or that they may make aleft-hand turn after stopping and yielding to other traffic if turning onto a one-way street." I've heard others say this, too. Note that the bill does not affect the language that allows cyclists to treat a stop sign essentially as a yield sign.

David Takemoto-Weerts

Bicycle Program Coordinator

Transportation & Parking Services

One Shields Avenue

University of California

Davis, CA 95616

Idaho stop or red light rule challenged

Word has come in my CABO LIST MAIL that the Idaho Senate is considering changes to one of its Bicycle Laws:

Retailers estimate nearly 10,000 bikes are sold in Boise every year. It's a

popular sport that made its way to the Statehouse, where a new bill is being considered for bicyclists.

The amendment is being pushed by law enforcement officials around the state.

"I think that all we're asking bicyclists to do is to obey the same traffic laws that vehicles have to obey at a traffic light," said Capt. Ben Wolfinger of the Kootenai County Sheriff's Dept. "If they want to ride on the sidewalk, they have to ride according to pedestrian laws. And all we're asking is if they're gonna ride in the street, they follow motor vehicle laws."

Others, like amateur cyclist and former police officer Jeff Theis, say this bill goes too far. "When you run into a stop sign out in the country, you should be able to ride through that on your bicycle. The government shouldn't be protecting us from ourselves. We should be responsible for ourselves," Theis said.

The current rules call for bicyclists to stop at traffic lights before proceeding--- but they don't have to stop if they have the right-of-way and there is no oncoming traffic. Theis says motorists just need to understand that cyclists following the current bicycle laws pose no safety hazard. "To me that's just common sense," he said. "As a bicyclist I don't want to get hit by a car. Also, when I ride my bike I try to be considerate of other cars."

According to the Office of Highway Safety, well over a thousand collisions have involved bicyclists since 2000. Officials say they hope this amendment will curb that number. "It's a safety factor. Let's face it, bicycles always lose in a car vs. bike accident," said Capt. Ben Wolfinger. "We just don't want people shooting out into traffic and getting hit by a vehicle. So it's a safety issue for us."

But to many bicyclists it's an unwarranted intrusion they plan to fight.

The bill is still in its early stages, and awaits a vote in the senate

later this session.

Interesting.

A Bicyclist is a vehicle driver, and should obey traffic laws just like a car driver, but one thing about the current law, as mentioned above, struck me as odd:

The current rules call for bicyclists to stop at traffic lights before proceeding--- but they don't have to stop if they have the right-of-way and there is no oncoming traffic.

If I come to a STOP LIGHT controlled intersection I don't give a rats behind if the law says its okay for me to go through it if I have the right of way, and there is no oncoming traffic.

I ain't budging until my light says green!

I initially thought I misread the story, but apparently not.

The proposed new law intends to correct the stupidity of the current law, and some cyclists are getting cranky because they think it concerns STOP SIGN controlled intersections.

When YOUR light says don't go, you DON'T GO. Why a law saying otherwise ever was passed is a mystery to me.

Whatever type of intersection, though, I agree with Mr. Theis that riders need to act responsibly.

Impatience to get through an intersection could get you killed so THINK, and LOOK,  before you enter.

No one supports allowing cars to go through red lights if no cars are coming,  so why should they for bike riders?

Travel Show Networking brings dividends

At the recent Travel Show I passed out my card, talked up this blog, and encouraged folks to send me info useful to bicyclists.

In the past week, or so, the results are starting to appear in my mail box.

The Kern County Board of Trade, the Carson Valley, NV. Chamber of Commerce, and California Tourism have all sent me info so far.

Street Legal in Costa Mesa

When I finally, at long last, get around to checking out what the Municipal Code in my new hometown has to say about bicycling what do I discover?

Like most cities a license is required if you live in town:

Sec. 4-3. Bicycle license required.

No person residing in the City of Costa Mesa shall ride or propel any bicycle upon a public street, sidewalk, alley, bicycle, lane, path, or any public property, or have in his possession any bicycle which has not been licensed or which does not bear a bicycle license plate as required by the provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. No. 77-10, § 2, 3-21-77)

And, further more!

Sec. 4-4. Bicycle registration card; bicycle license plate issuance.

At the time that any person licenses a bicycle in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, the licensing agency or agent shall provide said person with a bicycle registration card bearing the owner's name, address, telephone number, bicycle license plate number, the bicycle manufacturer, type and frame number, and any other descriptive material concerning the bicycle deemed necessary by the licensing agency, together with information for the transfer of ownership of said bicycle. In addition, also at the time of licensing, the bicycle owner shall be issued his permanent bicycle license indicia bearing the unique number permanently assigned to that bicycle by the state department of motor vehicles. The bicycle license shall remain in effect for the period designated by the department of motor vehicles in accordance with section 39001 of the vehicle code.

(Ord. No. 77-10, § 2, 3-21-77)

Since I want to write about issues pertaining to local, county, state, and national law, and bicycling, it behooves me to be Street Legal in my own home town.

Off I dashed to my local fire station immediately!

The whole procedure was quick, and painless.
And free! :-D

I have a license plate sticker, on my trusty steed, identifying the number as being a CALIFORNIA BICYCLE LICENSE, and a pink piece of paper with all the particulars about my bike, and me.

I then traipsed over to the local police precinct to ask a question:
What is the cost of a ticket if a local copper decided to pass one out to the unlicensed?

I was told that such a piece of paper would essentially be a "Fix-it" ticket costing the miscreant a wopping $10 to take care of.
The idea being that you go to the nearest fire station and get a license, then go to the police station with your proof of licensing so they can sign off on your ticket.

The cops can even give you a license, and even put a serial # on your bike if it doesn't have one, for the records.

One other thing I found out, that annoys me, is that it is apparently ok to ride your bike on the sidewalk in Costa Mesa.

No wonder I never saw cops stopping people from doing this dangerous practice!

Granted, preventing people from performing this stupidity is not a high priority for most police agencies, but still...

Encouraging this practice, on sidewalks not signed as being for such use, does nothing to promote safe cycling.