On 3/10/2016 11:35 AM, wrote:
On Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 8:53:06 AM UTC-6, jbeattie wrote:
I like the pictures.

-- Jay Beattie.

Yes for scenery they are nice pictures. But the people in the pictures were odd.

First picture you have a group of riders. Some wearing that evil lycra fabric. Racing jerseys. And one guy wearing jeans with a belt? Who rides in jeans and a belt?
Well, there are different types of cyclists. IME, most cycling
enthusiasts don't mind riding with folks that lack the "full mating
plumage." (The exceptions are some of the racing clubs.)

I don't think those pants are blue jeans. They're probably the
knickers sold by Heine's company:
https://www.compasscycle.com/shop/co...knickers-2016/

Oddly everyone was wearing a helmet. I thought this Heine guy was one of the free love, peace, anti nuclear, anti helmet people.

Well, here's his blog post on the Helmet Wars:
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2014/...ing-the-point/

He's not unlike many Americans who were former True Believers, but then
began looking deeper into the issue and relevant data.

A) He now thinks helmets are greatly oversold, and certainly not worth
mandating.

B) He still wears one almost all the time.

This is common, to a degree that amazes me. It's not at all uncommon to
have people argue vociferously against helmets, but say something like
"But I still wear one every time I ride." In some cases, they append a
statement like "... but only to prevent minor bumps."

In Jan Heine's case, the magazine shows him wearing a helmet in every
riding photo taken in North America. But in the photos of his riding in
Europe or Japan, he's usually bareheaded or in a cotton cycling cap,
especially if he's riding with locals.

Unlike Mr. Scharf, I don't think that North America is above some danger
threshold that makes a helmet necessary. I think that the helmet
propaganda campaign first took hold among bike club people, and they've
repeated the "helmet = safety" mantra so often that they can't ditch the
concept. And because of that, there's significant social pressure to
keep that hat as part of the uniform. Those showing up without a helmet
may have to spend their ride justifying their decision against
unpleasant arguments.

And a picture below you have two guys with Grizzly Adams beards and handlebar bags bigger than suitcases. Were they going on a week long ride and needed to carry all their gear?

I'm not sure. Some of the magazine's articles have featured long rides
into remote areas, including spartan campouts. Others have featured
speed competitions between bikes intended for delivery work. (!)

Personally, I don't ride with a handlebar bag that size. Mine's only
about half that size, so I supplement it with a huge Carradice
saddlebag. :-)
http://www.carradice.co.uk/index.php...roduct_id=4 3

And a few pictures lower we have two riders on the road and the bald eagle in front of them. And one of the riders is on the wrong side of the double yellow line. I know the people on this forum advocate taking the lane and riding as far from the edge of the road as possible. But to actually cross the yellow line and ride in the oncoming traffic lane? Apparently they have different rules of the road in Seattle.

The caption states that they came upon the eagle sitting at the
roadside. I assume they moved left to avoid a possible collision. The
road ahead is clear; and contrary to popular belief, it is legal to
cross a yellow line to avoid a hazard, as long as it can be done safely.
In my state (and some others) motorists are specifically permitted to
cross a yellow line to pass a slow cyclist or other slow vehicle.


--
- Frank Krygowski