|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
NYC XYZ wrote:
Frankly, the only real reason to ride a bike is 'cause it's fun. It ain't healthier, since commuting is simply breathing in second-hand smoke. It is healthier: motorists get the same pollution as cyclists. Cyclists live on average rather longer than non-cyclists. It ain't cheaper, since repairs almost even things out. It's much cheaper. Repairs aren't frequent on a quality bike and what does need done is generally cheaper than having it done on a car. You don't need to fill a bike with fuel or pay a fare. It ain't helping the environment, since that 0.00032% of a difference made is obviously negligible. It is helping the environment. Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ |
Ads |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
Edward Dolan wrote: SNIP I must admit when I had just one bike it was down for repairs much of the time. Now that I have over 20 bikes, they all work perfectly and I never have to repair any of them for anything. Go figure! Well, that makes sense, assuming you're using most of them: less wear and tear on any given one. Twenty bikes! That's amazing. You don't have a garage -- you have a stable! I can only think of ten different bikes I'd like to have right now. As it is, I share my one-bedroom apartment with four! With twenty bikes, you could be your own bike club. Cool. Regards, Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
dgk wrote: Now image that your commuter is a $300 Trek 7100. The only reason to do a $150 overhaul is because ... well, there really isn't a reason. Except that previous overhauls have improved various parts such as the cassette and wheels. So, I should buy another 7100, and when the cassette gives me trouble, install the one from the old bike. Just keep it for parts. That's probably what I'll do the next time I have a problem. Especially since I commute through the winter. Yeah, that's the dilemma. It's even worse with consumer electronics! We live in a disposable society, and I'm a pack-rat by nature. I had a Trek 7500 MultiTrack once. It was the $750 one (and, actually, that was the price eight years ago when I bought it). I did do the $150 overhaul, and it was beautiful, like new, though it always feel like new after even a customary tune-up, so I'm not sure if it really was "overhauled" -- and that's part of the problem: who knows what they really did. You simply don't know. So for cynics, a $150 overhaul is, prima facie, as good as a regular $50 tune-up. I'm not sure about the second hand smoke claim. I don't spin so hard that I'm breathing particularly hard most of the time. Well, I'd meant that you're simply in smog if you're commuting in an urban area next to motorized traffic. I know what biking has done to my HDL and LDL levels. My doctor actually did a double-take, looking back and forth between lab results before asking if I was doing anything different. I had just started commuting by bike a few months before. I'm not sure if biking is keeping me healthy, since I work out regularly anyway. For me, the slight though cumulative wear and tear on my body, specifically my back and joints like the knee, etc., probably discounts any health benefits, especially when factoring in the smog. Of course, my knees ache sometimes and I've hit the pavement a time or two. But, as I like to say, people in my family drop dead of heart attacks all the time. Not one has died in a bike accident. I think stuff like walking and bicycling are really only most beneficial for those who are sedentary to begin with. For already active folks who kayak, swim, job, or lift weights as a lifestyle, moderate, regular bicycling, for leisure and commuting, doesn't do too much more. Biking certainly isn't cheaper than commuting by bus/train once I count in all the various thingies I buy, such as the Hotronic foot warmers that just ran $135 and will hopefully keep my toes warm in January. Heh. That's the funny thing non-bicyclists always think: oh, it's cheaper, it's healthier, I'm doing my part for the environment...all bike lobby b.s. It's fun, and that's about all you can say that holds across the board. Everything else, one's mileage varies too tremendously as to render general statements almost meaningless. Funny, this thing about warmth. I've always relied on the activity itself to keep me warm. Just pedal faster! And for those "downhill wind tunnels," well, brake more often! Psychology aside, I don't see why cold weather deters so many. The summer sun makes for worse conditions. I think the most fun is the look on folks faces when I mention that I commute by bike and they realize how far I'm going. Yeah, especially when all you do is twenty miles round-trip! People are awe-struck, as if counting to twenty was a very hard thing to do. I've met folks who do twenty miles each way, and I'm like, wow! Also fun is the head turning when I zip by with my cold cathode tubes lighting up the night and my superflash blinky. It sort of looks like a jazzy ambulance. I only got the blinky yesterday so I only got to try it out this morning. And I've only used the cold cathode tubes twice. But both are going to be an integral part of my normal commute. I hope to get that $500+ Light and Motion Li-Ion Ultra Arc HID on sale this X-Mas. Now that will be something fun! Oh, what fun. Damn cold though. I really don't get the cold thing at all. Just dress up! Wear one of them ski-mask kind of things...the Gorilla balaclava from Outdoor Research is great: http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0035683951038a.shtml. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
Peter Clinch wrote: It is healthier: motorists get the same pollution as cyclists. Cyclists live on average rather longer than non-cyclists. Averages are deceptive. That's why statisticians almost never rely on averages. And how do motorists get the same pollution? For one thing, they run from it faster. For another, they're usually enclosed, with climate control (which I assume has a filter). It's much cheaper. Repairs aren't frequent on a quality bike and what does need done is generally cheaper than having it done on a car. You don't need to fill a bike with fuel or pay a fare. Sorry, I had in mind bicycle commuting in NYC -- which means, versus public transportation, not driving my own vehicle. It is helping the environment. Again, I had in mind NYC conditions, which are typically with respect to public transportation. Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
NYC XYZ wrote:
Averages are deceptive. That's why statisticians almost never rely on averages. Averages are only deceptive if you don't know what they mean. Averages are a fundamental part of a statistician's tool set. And how do motorists get the same pollution? They're in the same place breathing the same air. For one thing, they run from it faster. In urban traffic you're not running away from it, you're just moving through it. For another, they're usually enclosed, with climate control (which I assume has a filter). That helps against particulates, but not against your basic poison gas. Sorry, I had in mind bicycle commuting in NYC -- which means, versus public transportation, not driving my own vehicle. It's much cheaper, unless public transport in NYC is basically free or you are particularly prne to breaking your bikes. Again, I had in mind NYC conditions, which are typically with respect to public transportation. It's still helping the environment. Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
Cathy Kearns wrote: On the San Francisco peninsula there are many good local bike shops, with really friendly service. Our family has bought three bikes, from two different LBS's, in the last two years. At both bike stores they were happy to adjust the bikes to fit us (including changing pedals to test road bikes) and let us take as many test rides as we wanted without requiring us to leave even a driver's license behind. (We offered...) Recently I went into one of our LBS to get thorn resistant tubes for my daughter's bike. It's a big year for the thorny weeds, so they were out of stock. However, rather than selling me another solution (he had the tire liners and goo there, but he didn't recommend them) he called up other LBS's until he found one with them in stock, and had them hold them until I got there. These stores are in no way financially connected. That was just plain nice. And yeah, I'll go to him first next time too. Lucky you. I'm all for small businesses of the mom-and-pop variety, but it's been my misfortune that I haven't come across one like what you describe. The ones most physically proximate to me range from downright untrustworthy (the one on the next block, actually) to okay (the two next closest ones in my nabe and the closest one in Manhattan) to mixed-bag (the second-closest one in Manhattan). Seems to me, a bike shop's main purpose in this day and age is really service, repairs and such. And that's where character and work ethic really counts, stuff that can't be really counted (quantified) and easily measured. So my search contines for competent mechanics I can trust to actually do the job and do it right, do it honestly. I'm not even looking for a bargain -- I just want to make sure that the $150 or $200 overhaul really did mean he checked my ball bearings and relubed them, etc. The only thing more discouraging than finding loose cables after a tune-up from one shop is finding a loose cassette after an overhaul from another shop!! |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
Peter Clinch wrote: Averages are only deceptive if you don't know what they mean. Averages are a fundamental part of a statistician's tool set. Yeah, in determining values which really mean something, like standard deviation. By themselves, they tend to create false impressions. They're in the same place breathing the same air. But they're not "in the same place" -- they leave that place instantaneously, and more importantly, they're typically in an enclosed environment! In urban traffic you're not running away from it, you're just moving through it. Unless we're talking gridlock, they're getting away from it. And most motorists drive with their windows sealed. That helps against particulates, but not against your basic poison gas. I'm not sure about that one. I do doubt that it's quite the same air as what's outside the vehicle. It's much cheaper, unless public transport in NYC is basically free or you are particularly prne to breaking your bikes. Yes, I do seem to be prone to wear and tear. And in absolute dollars, I'm sure it's much cheaper, but factoring in time spent and saved, as well as inclement weather, I suspect things start evening out rather dramatically. It's still helping the environment. Only in the abstract. Unless global warming starts dropping a few percentage points as a result, I don't see how it *is* (as opposed to the subjunctive "could"). Pete. -- Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/ |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
On 25 Oct 2006 08:23:32 -0700, "NYC XYZ"
wrote: dgk wrote: .... Oh, what fun. Damn cold though. I really don't get the cold thing at all. Just dress up! Wear one of them ski-mask kind of things...the Gorilla balaclava from Outdoor Research is great: http://www.cabelas.com/prod-1/0035683951038a.shtml. Wow, that is nice. There goes another $45 if I decide to get it. How does it handle snot rockets? I'm waiting for a mask with an ejection tube. |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
On Wed, 25 Oct 2006 16:39:45 +0100, Peter Clinch
wrote: It's much cheaper, unless public transport in NYC is basically free or you are particularly prne to breaking your bikes. Public transit is essentially $3 a day for me if I take the bus and train. I just paid $20 to get a spoke replaced. There goes a week of commuting. I think I should be able to handle a broken spoke, except they're always the drive side of the rear wheel. I need to learn how to use a chain whip to get the cassette off. I'll do it next time. |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t
dgk wrote: Wow, that is nice. There goes another $45 if I decide to get it. How does it handle snot rockets? I'm waiting for a mask with an ejection tube. Ain't it cool? The nose piece is open, of course, so it's just a matter of your aim. =) The whole mask can be opened up while the headpiece stays on. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
"A Bicycle Shop" (163 w22nd st) totally full of sh!t | NYC XYZ | Recumbent Biking | 38 | November 7th 06 06:14 PM |
Why isn't the tri-state more bicycle friendly? - Cin., Ohio | Garrison Hilliard | General | 9 | August 9th 06 11:06 AM |
Children should wear bicycle helmets. | John Doe | UK | 516 | December 16th 04 12:04 AM |
Reports from Sweden | Garry Jones | General | 17 | October 14th 03 05:23 PM |
Reports from Sweden | Garry Jones | Social Issues | 14 | October 14th 03 05:23 PM |