#91
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New bike path
On 2018-03-18 16:41, John B. wrote:
On Sun, 18 Mar 2018 10:05:02 -0700, Joerg wrote: On 2018-03-18 09:22, Frank Krygowski wrote: [...] It's folly to think that bike trails are going to generate an America with fewer cars plus lots of thriving bike shops. It does work here. Not fewer cars but more cycling. For me it has turned from next to nothing to 4000mi/year while my car has dropped to less than 1000mi/year. One core reason can be summed up in two words: Bike paths. In my case mostly singletrack but that's just my preference. One wonders, with all these bicycle paths why you have two SUV's in the garage. I have one and that didn't even see 800mi last year. My wife's car is a Toyota Corolla, less than 1000mi/year. Why? I need the SUV to haul heavy stuff such as half a ton of wood peelets, firewood, building materials, measuing equipment to clients, and so on. My wife can't drive it because she is petite and can reach the pedals (seat is not adjustable enough for her), also doesn't like the stick shift much. Both vehicles are well past the age of 20 and may live another 20. ... In fact, given that you only drive 1/5th of the time wouldn't it be cheaper to rent a car for the few times that you want to drive? It would not make sense to buy them now but earlier in my career I was not self-employed for a few years and I had to commute. Back then there were no reasonable bike paths or safe bike routes into Rancho Cordova from here. So we owned the vehicles already. The cost is now miniscule, mainly just insurance (which you need anyhow even as a renter) and taxes. These extra costs are much lower than renting. Plus less hassle, I don't have to get to and from a rental place. Also, I can decide sur of the moment to put a bike in there and drive to a nice trail or bike path, either because it is too far away for a day trip purely by bike or because there are no safe routes to it. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ |
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#92
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New bike path
On 2018-03-18 17:12, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, March 18, 2018 at 10:05:08 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote: On 2018-03-18 09:22, Frank Krygowski wrote: [...] It's folly to think that bike trails are going to generate an America with fewer cars plus lots of thriving bike shops. It does work here. Not fewer cars but more cycling. For me it has turned from next to nothing to 4000mi/year while my car has dropped to less than 1000mi/year. One core reason can be summed up in two words: Bike paths. In my case mostly singletrack but that's just my preference. O.K., so to summarize, you moved into a former cow pasture turned into an air-park golf course community; you work from home and ride on trails to other urban areas in the Sierra foothills. You ride with twenty pounds or more of special equipment, including first-aid kits, rope, a giant battery and light and need double suspension to manage the terrain. There are mountain lions, and the distances are so great between population areas that you take a gallon or more of water in the summer. As I have stated before those are normal things for people out here. We love animals, including wild ones. Even a mountain lion does not normally attack if you behave properly. There is always a chance but it is way lower than getting smacked by the front bumper of a truck with a soused driver in there (happened to a rider on my regular road bike route and she died). ... Sounds like a perfect commute route, although putting in some bike lanes may attract more riders. It is a perfect route. Every time I ride it, for fun or for a utility ride, it feels like a mini vacation. Also a perfect escape when facing difficult electronic circuit design work where I just head out there, sit on a big rock, then start thinking and sketching. In fact, some ideas already come during the ride there. The only noises you hear are animals, wind and occasionally an aircraft. They wanted to grade and pave that whole trail to the tune of $50M, and we know where such government estimates always go. Up, up, up. I was very vocally against it. It also would not increase the number of riders much because most are not willing to ride 40-50mi in a day. A fraction of that money would easily pay for bikle paths parallel to Highway 50 into the Valley. But no, that is probably too "pedestrian" for those folks. We have bike trails with parking lots, too, but they don't do much for relieving traffic congestion, even though some purport to commute on the trails. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_bGCOFCQ0I Judging by where the video ends, the guy probably works at Rapha. No mountain lions, and are inner-city trails are never far from water, usually in puddles. Those are the easier well-maintained routes. We have similar ones like here, one of my errand routes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44zqIKf2T_I -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ |
#93
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New bike path
On Monday, March 19, 2018 at 8:10:15 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-03-18 17:12, jbeattie wrote: On Sunday, March 18, 2018 at 10:05:08 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote: On 2018-03-18 09:22, Frank Krygowski wrote: [...] It's folly to think that bike trails are going to generate an America with fewer cars plus lots of thriving bike shops. It does work here. Not fewer cars but more cycling. For me it has turned from next to nothing to 4000mi/year while my car has dropped to less than 1000mi/year. One core reason can be summed up in two words: Bike paths. In my case mostly singletrack but that's just my preference. O.K., so to summarize, you moved into a former cow pasture turned into an air-park golf course community; you work from home and ride on trails to other urban areas in the Sierra foothills. You ride with twenty pounds or more of special equipment, including first-aid kits, rope, a giant battery and light and need double suspension to manage the terrain. There are mountain lions, and the distances are so great between population areas that you take a gallon or more of water in the summer. As I have stated before those are normal things for people out here. We love animals, including wild ones. Even a mountain lion does not normally attack if you behave properly. There is always a chance but it is way lower than getting smacked by the front bumper of a truck with a soused driver in there (happened to a rider on my regular road bike route and she died). ... Sounds like a perfect commute route, although putting in some bike lanes may attract more riders. It is a perfect route. Every time I ride it, for fun or for a utility ride, it feels like a mini vacation. Also a perfect escape when facing difficult electronic circuit design work where I just head out there, sit on a big rock, then start thinking and sketching. In fact, some ideas already come during the ride there. The only noises you hear are animals, wind and occasionally an aircraft. They wanted to grade and pave that whole trail to the tune of $50M, and we know where such government estimates always go. Up, up, up. I was very vocally against it. It also would not increase the number of riders much because most are not willing to ride 40-50mi in a day. A fraction of that money would easily pay for bikle paths parallel to Highway 50 into the Valley. But no, that is probably too "pedestrian" for those folks. We have bike trails with parking lots, too, but they don't do much for relieving traffic congestion, even though some purport to commute on the trails. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_bGCOFCQ0I Judging by where the video ends, the guy probably works at Rapha. No mountain lions, and are inner-city trails are never far from water, usually in puddles. Those are the easier well-maintained routes. We have similar ones like here, one of my errand routes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44zqIKf2T_I O.K., so this is about super-hard trails through the uber-gnarly Sierra foothills -- what people "out there" use (apparently to get to Costco). Why did they bother putting in the bike lanes in Folsom? Why put in roads to the golf course in Cameron Park -- or to the club house? I would think the sons and daughters of the Donner party would have been content with pits and punji sticks -- rattlers and mountain lions. It's all about being hard, right? That's what gets the Intel workers on their bikes in Folsom, I'm sure. We have nice trails too, but not through drab brown hills. http://www.skibowl.com/summer/sites/...OD-800x400.jpg If I lived in Government Camp, that would be my commute route. In fact, I was there the other day, and there was this guy and his kids, coming home from the taco stand in Govy. He had triple suspension because the trail is so gnarly, and he had a Winchester Mod. 70 for shooting Grizzlies. His kids had Marlins. It's just what people do in Govy. Hard, hard people. God's people. But you don't want to be around them when the provisions run low and they get hungry. It's too far to Costco, and they may eat you. -- Jay Beattie. |
#94
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New bike path
On 2018-03-19 09:32, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, March 19, 2018 at 8:10:15 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote: On 2018-03-18 17:12, jbeattie wrote: [...] We have bike trails with parking lots, too, but they don't do much for relieving traffic congestion, even though some purport to commute on the trails. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_bGCOFCQ0I Judging by where the video ends, the guy probably works at Rapha. No mountain lions, and are inner-city trails are never far from water, usually in puddles. Those are the easier well-maintained routes. We have similar ones like here, one of my errand routes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44zqIKf2T_I O.K., so this is about super-hard trails through the uber-gnarly Sierra foothills -- what people "out there" use (apparently to get to Costco). Not Costco, that would be the western section of this trail but I usually use side roads to get to Costco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_T2c4AXaCY The one in the first link goes to Lowe's, Trader Joe's and with a wee detour our brew supplies place. Also connects to the American River bike path and the Folsom trail system. Best of all, less than a mile from my favorite brewpub. Now what is so uber-gnarly about those trails? Yes, you need an FS bike if you carry some cargo that could break. Since the industry doesn't furnish suitable bikes you have to modify one, which I did. It glides like a Lincoln if I lower the rear shock pressure and avoid becoming airborne. This is what we consider gnarly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4igppirvtlQ Going to ride there later this year on MTB with a buddy. ... Why did they bother putting in the bike lanes in Folsom? Why put in roads to the golf course in Cameron Park -- or to the club house? That's for wusses :-) ... I would think the sons and daughters of the Donner party would have been content with pits and punji sticks -- rattlers and mountain lions. It's all about being hard, right? That's what gets the Intel workers on their bikes in Folsom, I'm sure. Many of them have only one bike and then a MTB is much more practical. In this area it really extends your operating range. Keep in mind that not everyone has a house with a 2-3 car garage. Sometimes the only secure storage for a bike is a tiny apartment balcony. We have nice trails too, but not through drab brown hills. http://www.skibowl.com/summer/sites/...OD-800x400.jpg That would count as gnarly. As for scenery, we've got that. One of the many reasons why I sometimes take the much longer singletrack to Folsom is that you come through an area that looks like a picture postcard from Switzerland. That's also where I usually go to be alone and think about a difficult circuit design. If I lived in Government Camp, that would be my commute route. In fact, I was there the other day, and there was this guy and his kids, coming home from the taco stand in Govy. He had triple suspension because the trail is so gnarly, and he had a Winchester Mod. 70 for shooting Grizzlies. His kids had Marlins. It's just what people do in Govy. Hard, hard people. God's people. But you don't want to be around them when the provisions run low and they get hungry. It's too far to Costco, and they may eat you. :-) -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ |
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