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#21
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Bike Share graveyard
On Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at 4:15:31 PM UTC-7, Tim McNamara wrote:
On Tue, 28 Nov 2017 10:11:09 -0800, sms wrote: Two companies want to set up dockless bike sharing in my city. They've come to City Council meetings with their bicycles to pitch their company. There's a Limebike in my city hall office. I have my doubts as to the success of such a venture and I have concerns about the liability of the City. The bicycles are so incredibly heavy that I doubt that they would be stolen. We've had the "Nice Ride" public bikes with docks all over Minneapolis and St. Paul for several years. one or two "dockless" bike rental companies want to come into town. The response of the current company is interesting- they are basically going to fold up shop, go way and turn over the business to the new companies, stating "mission accomplished" (the mission having apparetnly been to prove the viablity of the concept. Almost literally not a day goes by that I don't see people riding those bikes around town (except in the winter when they pull the bikes in off the streets). The "Nice Ride" bikes have been astonishingly successful, to me at least, whereas prior programs failed miserably- including programs where there was no cost to the user at all. goo.gl/cGqX1Z |
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#22
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Bike Share graveyard
On 11/29/2017 7:46 AM, Joerg wrote:
What I saw with some bike share programs in the past were exorbitant rental fees, sometimes per half-hour, and weird drop-off requirements. A more intense usage pattern could almost rival the costs for a rental car. Yes, and that is still true. In the Bay Area, the Ford Bike Share costs $3 for the first 30 minutes, $3 for each additional 15 minutes. $9.95 per day for unlimited 30 minute trips, or $149 per year for unlimited 45 minute trips. So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90 minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides). They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist rental places. The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or behind their fence, or dump it in a stream. On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to avoid getting bumped. |
#23
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Bike Share graveyard
On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote:
On 11/29/2017 7:46 AM, Joerg wrote: What I saw with some bike share programs in the past were exorbitant rental fees, sometimes per half-hour, and weird drop-off requirements. A more intense usage pattern could almost rival the costs for a rental car. Yes, and that is still true. In the Bay Area, the Ford Bike Share costs $3 for the first 30 minutes, $3 for each additional 15 minutes. Yikes! ... $9.95 per day for unlimited 30 minute trips, or $149 per year for unlimited 45 minute trips. It would not work for me. Most of my trips are 4-5h total riding time. ... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90 minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides). They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist rental places. They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch the time. This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't have much value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means I'll have to drive to the Bay Area as usual and carry it along. The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or behind their fence, or dump it in a stream. On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to avoid getting bumped. Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers are quite permanently mounted and they don't allow that because bikes are transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack slots so the risk of getting bumped off the last bus in the evening is high. Therefore, despite fair prices from Folsom (last town that is at low altitude) back home of $1.50 per ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that is also a good muscle and endurance exercise. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ |
#24
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Bike Share graveyard
On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote: On 11/29/2017 7:46 AM, Joerg wrote: What I saw with some bike share programs in the past were exorbitant rental fees, sometimes per half-hour, and weird drop-off requirements. A more intense usage pattern could almost rival the costs for a rental car. Yes, and that is still true. In the Bay Area, the Ford Bike Share costs $3 for the first 30 minutes, $3 for each additional 15 minutes. Yikes! ... $9.95 per day for unlimited 30 minute trips, or $149 per year for unlimited 45 minute trips. It would not work for me. Most of my trips are 4-5h total riding time. ... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90 minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides).. They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist rental places. They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch the time. People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly, broke people. Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a compact city. People who want to do gnarly rides for 4-5 hours get rental bikes from bike shops unless, as SMS points out, the particular ride-share system is geared to tourists or long-term users, e.g. https://www.biketownpdx.com/. Nobody in his or her right mind would want to take a Biketown bike on a 4 hour ride. Might as well drag a boat anchor. This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't have much value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means I'll have to drive to the Bay Area as usual and carry it along. The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or behind their fence, or dump it in a stream. On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to avoid getting bumped. Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers are quite permanently mounted and they don't allow that because bikes are transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack slots so the risk of getting bumped off the last bus in the evening is high. Therefore, despite fair prices from Folsom (last town that is at low altitude) back home of $1.50 per ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that is also a good muscle and endurance exercise. I always ride home, too. Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work. -- Jay Beattie. |
#25
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Bike Share graveyard
jbeattie wrote:
snip I always ride home, too. Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work. You should do like my neighbor. Work from home. He gets a 3-4 hour commute. Even on days off. -- duane |
#26
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Bike Share graveyard
On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote: On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote: [...] ... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90 minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides). They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist rental places. They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch the time. People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly, broke people. That sounds like the typical prejudices mauny people have about cycling, "It's only for short errand rides or recreation, you can't do any serious stuff with them". Well, I am different. I have ridden to meetings far away. Can't ride fast when doing that because I don't want to arrive drenched in sweat but it sure is a nice relaxing way of travel provided most of it is not on busy county roads. Try it some time. In your case maybe when an elderly client needing legal advice can't come to your office and you can make a deal that not showing up in suit and tie is ok. Sometimes when the meeting is near singletrack I leave early and take a nice long detour. Yes, it'll usually include petting some horses, too. Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a compact city. San Francisco isn't exactly compact. Neither is the rest of the Bay Area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52mQpoheL8 ... People who want to do gnarly rides for 4-5 hours get rental bikes from bike shops unless, as SMS points out, the particular ride-share system is geared to tourists or long-term users, e.g. https://www.biketownpdx.com/. Nobody in his or her right mind would want to take a Biketown bike on a 4 hour ride. Might as well drag a boat anchor. If you have to go to several locations it would be the best vehicle if the pricing structure wouldn't be so messed up. Picking up a rental bike takes minutes, just like a rental car. Most bike shops aren't geared for renting plus the ones that do rent are usually far away. For example, from my place then next LBS with rental options is about 15mi. So you'd backtrack all that and then return? To boot there is about 1200ft altitude difference to there with lots of ups and downs. Makes no sense to me. This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't have much value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means I'll have to drive to the Bay Area as usual and carry it along. The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or behind their fence, or dump it in a stream. On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to avoid getting bumped. Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers are quite permanently mounted and they don't allow that because bikes are transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack slots so the risk of getting bumped off the last bus in the evening is high. Therefore, despite fair prices from Folsom (last town that is at low altitude) back home of $1.50 per ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that is also a good muscle and endurance exercise. I always ride home, too. Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work. How many miles is that and how much higher in altitude do you live? -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ |
#27
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Bike Share graveyard
On Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 7:30:11 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote: On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote: On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote: [...] ... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90 minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides). They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist rental places. They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch the time. People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly, broke people. That sounds like the typical prejudices mauny people have about cycling, "It's only for short errand rides or recreation, you can't do any serious stuff with them". Are you f******* nuts? Imagine if I had to spend four hours of my day commuting back and forth to a meeting. I do that in real life, but its on a plane to Seattle or San Francisco -- with a trial case, suit, computer, etc. I'm not going to jump on a dopey MTB and ride single-track to Folsom, petting horses along the way. You live in a semi-retirement fantasy world. Who, by the way, is going to pay for my time riding four hours on a bike to a meeting. Would you? Here is my bill: 4.0 Travel to and from client meeting by bicycle. .1 Pet horses. .3 Drink beer at brewpub in Folsom. .5 Meet with client to discuss huge bill for riding bike, petting horse and drinking beer. I am self-employed, and my partnership bills based on time and materials. No way I could work a full day and waste 4 hours riding a distance I could cover in a car in 30 minutes. No client would pay. I will ride through the hills before or after work, and I used to race on weeknights. I've worked full 10-hour work days and still ridden 70 miles (20 commuting and 50 racing) back when I raced at PIR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6pruxdPS4g&t=74s I could still do that if I wanted to put in the time, which I don't. Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a compact city. San Francisco isn't exactly compact. Neither is the rest of the Bay Area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52mQpoheL8 It is downtown where people use rideshare bikes. They're not riding to Marin. |
#28
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Bike Share graveyard
On 2017-12-02 10:24, jbeattie wrote:
On Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 7:30:11 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote: On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote: On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote: On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote: [...] ... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90 minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides). They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist rental places. They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch the time. People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly, broke people. That sounds like the typical prejudices mauny people have about cycling, "It's only for short errand rides or recreation, you can't do any serious stuff with them". Are you f******* nuts? Imagine if I had to spend four hours of my day commuting back and forth to a meeting. You'd feel great in the evening. Try it some day. ... I do that in real life, but its on a plane to Seattle or San Francisco -- with a trial case, suit, computer, etc. I'm not going to jump on a dopey MTB and ride single-track to Folsom, petting horses along the way. You live in a semi-retirement fantasy world. I am now in semi-retirement but also did so before that. Money is not all in life, health and stress-reduction are more important IMO. Who, by the way, is going to pay for my time riding four hours on a bike to a meeting. Would you? Here is my bill: 4.0 Travel to and from client meeting by bicycle. .1 Pet horses. .3 Drink beer at brewpub in Folsom. .5 Meet with client to discuss huge bill for riding bike, petting horse and drinking beer. I am not greedy. I charge half my hourly rate for travel time and that is the time traveled by car. If I go by bike I won't charge more and, in fact, usually charge no travel time at all because I get a nice exercise out of it. I am self-employed, and my partnership bills based on time and materials. No way I could work a full day and waste 4 hours riding a distance I could cover in a car in 30 minutes. No client would pay. I am self-employed as well but not encumbered by a partnership or other kind of such structure. Also, my clients do not pay for my bike rides because I usually don't bill at all for those. So they are better of than via car. I will ride through the hills before or after work, and I used to race on weeknights. I've worked full 10-hour work days and still ridden 70 miles (20 commuting and 50 racing) back when I raced at PIR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6pruxdPS4g&t=74s I could still do that if I wanted to put in the time, which I don't. Going round and round and round? I've got an MP3 player with me on both bikes but I'd be bored stiff. I go here instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1USLVraV4mU Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a compact city. San Francisco isn't exactly compact. Neither is the rest of the Bay Area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52mQpoheL8 It is downtown where people use rideshare bikes. They're not riding to Marin. See? They are restricted. I do not like to be restricted in radius when using a bike. Just like I wouldn't be with a rental car. [...] This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't have much value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means I'll have to drive to the Bay Area as usual and carry it along. The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or behind their fence, or dump it in a stream. On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to avoid getting bumped. Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers are quite permanently mounted and they don't allow that because bikes are transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack slots so the risk of getting bumped off the last bus in the evening is high. Therefore, despite fair prices from Folsom (last town that is at low altitude) back home of $1.50 per ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that is also a good muscle and endurance exercise. I always ride home, too. Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work. How many miles is that and how much higher in altitude do you live? Depends on how I go home. Shortest is only five miles. That's considered a warm-up :-) ... I live about 400 feet above downtown, so all routes home require some climbing. Longer route home is over the West Hills, which is 1,000 feet of climbing in a few extra miles. Grades may exceed 20%. It's super, super gnarly. With 5ft drop-off and stuff, I assume. When I went to Placerville last week two dirt bikers came from there. Illegal on the trail but, oh well. When I got to the 3rd drop-off I saw tire tracks and slide marks. One of them must have slightly misjudged it or had too much speed and gotten to within a foot or so from sliding off a rock face. ... But it helps build my giant quads and massive lungs. When the weather is nice, I'll throw in something longer. My long riding is typically on weekends. Commuting for me is not some "dig me" single track, horse-petting adventure. I've been commuting to work by bike for as long as I've had work -- or school. That's on roads, with cars -- rain, sleet or snow (to a point). I used to do that for more than a decade. Did it, but did not enjoy it. ... I work in an urban area, outside my house and have to be presentable. Nobody stops to tell me "dude, it's raining!" This is not dopey-ville. Looks like you don't understand that there are people who can turn even an errand run into something fun. ... Bikes make up a large part of traffic in PDX, and nobody is impressed with riding in the rain, riding on trail or riding anywhere. It's not a novelty act. Now, on weekends, that's a different matter. We're super gnarly here in PDX! I do 5-10,000 feet of climbing just to get to the super-cool brew pubs, coffee shops and Kombucha parlors. I ride out to the Columbia Gorge http://media4.trover.com/T/551b00661...w_large_4x.jpg Or into the mountains. Nice but I would not enjoy that road if there were a lot of crazy motorcyclists and sports car driver on it. And on weekends there usually are. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fd/89/64/f...1a09f357f2.jpg Today . . . into rain! Woohoo . . "dude, it's raining." Try a MTB instead. More fun. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ |
#29
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Bike Share graveyard
On 12/3/2017 11:03 AM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-12-02 10:24, jbeattie wrote: On Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 7:30:11 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote: On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote: On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote: On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote: [...] ... So the system is not heavily used. $2.75 gets you 90 minutes of Muni rides (but for now it's about four hours of Muni rides). They have designed the pricing to prevent tourists from using the bicycle share system instead of renting bicycles from bicycle tourist rental places. They didn't think that through because it excludes many people who combine errands or who have no problem cycling 1-2h to get to a meeting and then the same time back. I also like to be able to stop somewhere and enjoy the scenery which I even do on routes I have cycled over 100 times. Without having to watch the time. People who ride 1-2 hours to get to a meeting are not using ride-share bikes, unless they're going to a meeting of smelly, broke people. That sounds like the typical prejudices mauny people have about cycling, "It's only for short errand rides or recreation, you can't do any serious stuff with them". Are you f******* nuts? Imagine if I had to spend four hours of my day commuting back and forth to a meeting. You'd feel great in the evening. Try it some day. Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Â*Â*Â* ... I do that in real life, but its on a plane to Seattle or San Francisco -- with a trial case, suit, computer, etc. I'm not going to jump on a dopey MTB and ride single-track to Folsom, petting horses along the way.Â* You live in a semi-retirement fantasy world. I am now in semi-retirement but also did so before that. Money is not all in life, health and stress-reduction are more important IMO. Who, by the way, is going to pay for my time riding four hours on a bike to a meeting.Â* Would you?Â* Here is my bill: 4.0Â* Travel to and from client meeting by bicycle.Â* .1 Pet horses. .3Â* Drink beer at brewpub in Folsom.Â* .5 Meet with client to discuss huge bill for riding bike, petting horse and drinking beer. I am not greedy. I charge half my hourly rate for travel time and that is the time traveled by car. If I go by bike I won't charge more and, in fact, usually charge no travel time at all because I get a nice exercise out of it. I am self-employed, and my partnership bills based on time and materials. No way I could work a full day and waste 4 hours riding a distance I could cover in a car in 30 minutes. No client would pay. I am self-employed as well but not encumbered by a partnership or other kind of such structure. Also, my clients do not pay for my bike rides because I usually don't bill at all for those. So they are better of than via car. I will ride through the hills before or after work, and I used to raceÂ* on weeknights.Â* I've worked full 10-hour work days and still ridden 70 miles (20 commuting and 50 racing) back when I raced at PIR. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6pruxdPS4g&t=74sÂ* I could still do that if I wanted to put in the time, which I don't. Going round and round and round? I've got an MP3 player with me on both bikes but I'd be bored stiff. I go here instead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1USLVraV4mU Ride share bikes are for short commutes, typically around a compact city. San Francisco isn't exactly compact. Neither is the rest of the Bay Area: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52mQpoheL8 It is downtown where people use rideshare bikes. They're not riding to Marin. See? They are restricted. I do not like to be restricted in radius when using a bike. Just like I wouldn't be with a rental car. [...] This is one of the reasons why I kept my old MTB. It doesn't have much value so theft risk is secondary. However, it means I'll have to drive to the Bay Area as usual and carry it along. The problem with dockless bicycle sharing is that people lock the bicycle to end the rental period but they can have it in their garage or behind their fence, or dump it in a stream. On Caltrain, people solve the last mile problem by bringing their bicycle onto the train. Each train can hold 72 or 80 bicycles, and even that is not sufficient on some of the trains. I use a folding bicycle to avoid getting bumped. Here we only have buses. I can't use those because my panniers are quite permanently mounted and they don't allow that because bikes are transported on a front rack. Plus it's only two rack slots so the risk of getting bumped off the last bus in the evening is high. Therefore, despite fair prices from Folsom (last town that is at low altitude) back home of $1.50 per ride, $0.75 for seniors, I always ride home. OTOH that is also a good muscle and endurance exercise. I always ride home, too.Â* Otherwise I'd have to sleep at work. How many miles is that and how much higher in altitude do you live? Depends on how I go home.Â* Shortest is only five miles. That's considered a warm-up :-) Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* ... I live about 400 feet above downtown, so all routes home require some climbing. Longer route home is over the West Hills, which is 1,000 feet of climbing in a few extra miles. Grades may exceed 20%.Â* It's super, super gnarly. With 5ft drop-off and stuff, I assume. When I went to Placerville last week two dirt bikers came from there. Illegal on the trail but, oh well. When I got to the 3rd drop-off I saw tire tracks and slide marks. One of them must have slightly misjudged it or had too much speed and gotten to within a foot or so from sliding off a rock face. Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* ... But it helps build my giant quads and massive lungs. When the weather is nice, I'll throw in something longer. My long riding is typically on weekends. Commuting for me is not some "dig me" single track, horse-petting adventure.Â* I've been commuting to work by bike for as long as I've had work -- or school. That's on roads, with cars -- rain, sleet or snow (to a point). I used to do that for more than a decade. Did it, but did not enjoy it. Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* ... I work in an urban area, outside my house and have to be presentable.Â* Nobody stops to tell me "dude, it's raining!" This is not dopey-ville. Looks like you don't understand that there are people who can turn even an errand run into something fun. Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â* ... Bikes make up a large part of traffic in PDX, and nobody is impressed with riding in the rain, riding on trail or riding anywhere. It's not a novelty act. Now, on weekends, that's a different matter.Â* We're super gnarly here in PDX! I do 5-10,000 feet of climbing just to get to the super-cool brew pubs, coffee shops and Kombucha parlors. I ride out to the Columbia Gorge http://media4.trover.com/T/551b00661...w_large_4x.jpg Or into the mountains. Nice but I would not enjoy that road if there were a lot of crazy motorcyclists and sports car driver on it. And on weekends there usually are. https://i.pinimg.com/736x/fd/89/64/f...1a09f357f2.jpg Today . . . into rain! Woohoo . . "dude, it's raining." Try a MTB instead. More fun. Lou Holtman is probably wondering: What is your problem with Jay's preference where to live or to ride bike? ;-) -- - Frank Krygowski |
#30
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Bike Share graveyard
On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 8:03:21 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-12-02 10:24, jbeattie wrote: On Saturday, December 2, 2017 at 7:30:11 AM UTC-8, Joerg wrote: On 2017-12-01 15:02, jbeattie wrote: On Friday, December 1, 2017 at 1:32:09 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote: On 2017-11-30 16:07, sms wrote: snip Depends on how I go home. Shortest is only five miles. That's considered a warm-up :-) I prefer to live near work. The furthest I've commuted on a daily basis is 24 miles RT -- which was easy because it was dead flat, and then all my elevation was on the weekends. Longer mileage to or from work is optional, so if I want to throw in a few thousand feet of climbing after work, I can do that with a couple West Hills climbs on the way home -- or I can go straight home. I can even do a ride on forest road or single track. http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/do...3448&mode=view ... I live about 400 feet above downtown, so all routes home require some climbing. Longer route home is over the West Hills, which is 1,000 feet of climbing in a few extra miles. Grades may exceed 20%. It's super, super gnarly. With 5ft drop-off and stuff, I assume. When I went to Placerville last week two dirt bikers came from there. Illegal on the trail but, oh well. When I got to the 3rd drop-off I saw tire tracks and slide marks. One of them must have slightly misjudged it or had too much speed and gotten to within a foot or so from sliding off a rock face. I'm sure it was super gnarly. ... But it helps build my giant quads and massive lungs. When the weather is nice, I'll throw in something longer. My long riding is typically on weekends. Commuting for me is not some "dig me" single track, horse-petting adventure. I've been commuting to work by bike for as long as I've had work -- or school. That's on roads, with cars -- rain, sleet or snow (to a point). I used to do that for more than a decade. Did it, but did not enjoy it. I enjoy it and have been doing it for five decades, if you count commuting to school. ... I work in an urban area, outside my house and have to be presentable. Nobody stops to tell me "dude, it's raining!" This is not dopey-ville. Looks like you don't understand that there are people who can turn even an errand run into something fun. Riding four hours to a meeting is not an errand. You story of running through puddles is cute -- and optional. Try it for six months and not as a frolic. ... Bikes make up a large part of traffic in PDX, and nobody is impressed with riding in the rain, riding on trail or riding anywhere. It's not a novelty act. Now, on weekends, that's a different matter. We're super gnarly here in PDX! I do 5-10,000 feet of climbing just to get to the super-cool brew pubs, coffee shops and Kombucha parlors. I ride out to the Columbia Gorge http://media4.trover.com/T/551b00661...w_large_4x.jpg Or into the mountains. Nice but I would not enjoy that road if there were a lot of crazy motorcyclists and sports car driver on it. And on weekends there usually are. I'm quite certain there are no roads that would be acceptable to you, which is too bad, because there are a lot of stunning roads around here. Try a MTB instead. More fun. A MTB is more fun for trails. I haven't had a MTB for years, but I'll probably get one, although I don't like lumbering around on roads on a MTB to get to trails. We have some world-class trails fairly close in. My next-door neighbor and best biking buddy is at Sandy Ridge today. https://vimeo.com/69654301 -- Jay Beattie. |
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