On 3/28/2018 3:35 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at 9:10:40 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 3/28/2018 6:48 AM, Ned Mantei wrote:
On 27-03-18 22:47, Joerg wrote:
Many folks with other freehubs don't need to holler "on your left" when
rolling downhill because you can hear the GRRRR.

How can I get people to holler that here in Switzerland? Or maybe ring a
bell? It's just not customary here, and no one does it.

A couple of weeks ago I was in downtown Zurich, riding on a road with 2
sets of tram tracks. Approaching a stoplight, I signaled to the car
behind me that I wanted to turn left, andÂ* moved to the left side of my
lane. The motorist clearly saw that, so I saw no need to keep signaling
the turn. As the light turned green, I moved into the intersection to
cross the second set of tram tracks and to turn. Just then another guy
on a bike came up from behind even further to the left (in the lane
going against traffic on the other side of the intersection). I didn't
see him coming, turned into him so that my handlebars caught his, and so
slowly tipped over onto the pavement. Fortunately only a couple of minor
scratches, but could have been a lot worse.

I use an eyeglass mirror. While it's not foolproof, I think it's a great
help and might have prevented your crash. But I doubt you'll ever get
most people to ride competently.

I'm safety chairman for our bike club, and I occasionally say something
about those members who refuse to say "On your left" when passing.

I don't say "on your left when passing" because half the time, the rider startles and goes left. Cars don't say "on your left" when passing. Why should bikes. I'd get kicked out of your club.

Some lady gave me a load of crap about not saying "on your left" when I passed on an ascending bike path about a lane wide. https://www.portlandoregon.gov/share....cfm?id=504349 This is why I avoid the crowded bike facilities -- endless officious, dawdling newbie know-it-alls with 8-ball helmets and ringy-bells.

The fact is, riding around here is often pack riding -- and people should learn to ride in a pack and get used to being passed. In very close quarters, I will call out -- like passing on the Hawthorne Bridge where a bump can drop you off the elevated facility onto a metal deck bridge, but in a wide facility or on the road, I just go around.

And on group rides, I'm always trying to keep a mental inventory of who
is where. But one guy is amazingly unpredictable. One day, he snuck up
on my right (where the mirror couldn't detect him) and passed me quite
closely. I chewed him out mildly, saying that first, he probably
shouldn't pass on the right; but if it was really necessary, he should
at least call out "On your right."

Within ten minutes, he passed me again, elbow to elbow on my _left_. As
he did he called out "On your right."

You'd certainly hate my cohort -- a bunch of old racers who are rock-solid in close quarters and content with bumping shoulders. I hate civilian packs because a bump can mean a crash. A candy wrapper in the road can mean a crash.

Racers in a pack don't call out "on your left" because they're always in
close quarters and they know it. They're focused on what the pack is
doing and what they're going to do. Your ex-racer cohorts are probably
riding in that same style.

And yes, a random sample of Portland commuters will likely include a
significant number that have never heard that warning before, or don't
remember which way is "left." Those people are common on MUPs, too. They
require much more care.

But the rides I'm talking about are two or three hour social rides, a
loosely spaced bunch of friends who are cruising and conversing on rural
roads. People occasionally move up or back depending on conversation
topic, changes in scenery, terrain or just wild hairs. It's a relaxed
vibe, different from the intense single-mindedness of a race or training
ride. It's useful to communicate.

--
- Frank Krygowski