Amazing bike handling?

Talk about bike handling! I am in awe of a rider that I passed on the road
the other day, and only hope that someday I'll be as adept at riding as
this person.

As I came up behind them it reminded me of the infamous TdF rider who rides
with his head cocked to the side.

"What is she doing", I wondered, looking at the bike, one of those with a
built-in seat for a child on the back, being piloted by a 20-something
female biker. "The child she has in the back can't be more than 2 or 3
years old", I thought to myself.

I came up for the pass and got around safely, and tried to glance around,
but couldn't see why the strange head position. For a moment, I thought the
unthinkable, "Could she be talking into her...naw, that's not possible.
Nobody would be yapping with a baby on board"

On the way back I passed her again, only coming from the opposite
direction. "OMG, I can't believe it...yep, this chick was cycling down the
road, holding a cell phone between ear and shoulder, yakking away".

One can only imagine the phone slipping or something, or the bike wobbling
due to the odd visual of the head to the side starting a catyclysm ending
with a bike crash.

So I guess it's not just the province of the cagers, endangering life while
using the cell phone. ;-/

-B

Badger wrote:
|| Talk about bike handling! I am in awe of a rider that I passed on
|| the road the other day, and only hope that someday I'll be as adept
|| at riding as this person.
||

The entire friggin world as gone insane.

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 15:41:07 -0500, "Roger Zoul"
wrote:

Badger wrote:
|| Talk about bike handling! I am in awe of a rider that I passed on
|| the road the other day, and only hope that someday I'll be as adept
|| at riding as this person.
||

The entire friggin world as gone insane.

shee-yeh, I was trying to figure out how you got there from here. IOW, what
circumstances made her think it was ok to do that, and how did she get such
confidence in her riding that she could do it.

Heh, I mean, I might imagine someone talking briefly on a cell while
cycling, but for 15minutes? ...with a kid squirming on back? C'mon, at
least use a headset.

I can't even ride a few seconds with my head to the side, b/c I get, uh,
not exactly dizzy, but certainly disoriented; not to mention - major neck
cramp, much? ;-)

I can see it now: phone starts to slip: save phone...or baby? Phone...or
baby?

Well off to get wet and muddy for an hour or so...

-B

"Badger: wrote: (clip) I can see it now: phone starts to slip: save
phone...or baby? Phone...or baby?(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Maybe she borrowed an idea from the strapless gown area--maybe some kind of
spray adhesive, or double-face tape.

A few days ago two of us were riding back down a Marin County trail which we
had just gone up (riding some and pushing some.) A young lady came up on
her bike, holding the handlebar with one hand, and a phone to her ear with
the other. She proceded to pedal up a slope where we had to walk.

Sat, 20 Nov 2004 21:10:54 GMT,
,
"Leo Lichtman" wrote:


"Badger: wrote: (clip) I can see it now: phone starts to slip: save
phone...or baby? Phone...or baby?(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Maybe she borrowed an idea from the strapless gown area--maybe some kind of
spray adhesive, or double-face tape.

Possibly attached to a harness like couriers have for their radios.
--
zk

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 15:29:13 -0500, Badger wrote:

So I guess it's not just the province of the cagers, endangering life
while using the cell phone. ;-/

Ever been to Amsterdam? Seems like half the cyclists are on phones and
none wear helmets, yet there's no sense of danger for some reason, there's
just this nice Dutch flow about them--like watching groups of fish in an
aquarium.

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 22:31:02 GMT, maxo wrote:

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 15:29:13 -0500, Badger wrote:

So I guess it's not just the province of the cagers, endangering life
while using the cell phone. ;-/

Ever been to Amsterdam? Seems like half the cyclists are on phones and
none wear helmets, yet there's no sense of danger for some reason, there's
just this nice Dutch flow about them--like watching groups of fish in an
aquarium.



Haha, well I'm sure there are cyclists who ride juggling flaming batons,
too... ;-p

-B

"Badger" wrote: (clip) yet there's no sense of danger for some reason,
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^
In case of a crash, the phone provides protection to the head. Phone use
while cycling should be mandatory.

Badger wrote:
shee-yeh, I was trying to figure out how you got there from here. IOW, what
circumstances made her think it was ok to do that, and how did she get such
confidence in her riding that she could do it.

You're putting cause before effect.

She's 20-something, and has been an expert cellie for her
entire life.

Adding a bicycle to that is just putting the mobile in "mobile".

--Blair
"I bet she doesn't know how that
kid ended up in her gut, though..."

Zoot Katz wrote:

Possibly attached to a harness like couriers have for their radios.

Still. Headsets are like $9.

--Blair
"And look 10X cooler."