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#22
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"Geeze, unclip already!"
"GaryG" wrote: Oh, puh-leaze!! I've done a trackstand at every light and stop sign I've encountered for years...when I can't hold it, I unclip and put a foot down,(clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Exactly, Gary. Based on the subject heading of this thread, that was the whole point. |
#23
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"Geeze, unclip already!"
Roger Zoul wrote:
I think falling over at a light and making motorist wait unnecessarily is not acceptable. Not to mention being run over. And if the lane are narrow so that cars can't get by, it can be dangerous OK then. Furthermore, it's unncessary. It makes more energy than simply unclipping. I'm impressed when people do it -- a show's a show! (As long as it's appropriate and safe to "perform".) |
#24
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"Geeze, unclip already!"
"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message
... "GaryG" wrote: Oh, puh-leaze!! I've done a trackstand at every light and stop sign I've encountered for years...when I can't hold it, I unclip and put a foot down,(clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Exactly, Gary. Based on the subject heading of this thread, that was the whole point. Yes, but there's also been a whole lot of whining about how it's an inherently dangerous practice and shouldn't be attempted in traffic. As with any skill, developing it will typically entail a few failures. And while it's better to practice such skills in areas without other roadway users, the fact is that our skills will fail us on occasion (whether they're well-honed or not). But that's no reason to whine and get judgmental towards the cyclist involved, or assert that motorists will think less of all cyclists because of it. I don't think less of all motorists when I see one stall their car at a light. ~_-* ....G/ \G http://www.CycliStats.com CycliStats - Software for Cyclists |
#25
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"Geeze, unclip already!"
I'm going to bet that all this negativity comes mostly from folks who have tried track stands and can't do them. To some of us they are just another cycling skill to be mastered. I think the negativity comes from cyclists who ride in a predictable and law abiding manner who are sick of being lumped with the morons by motorists. Here's another example: about an hour after writing my post above, I'm riding home from work. I'm passed on my way into a T intersection by a cyclist in full lycra, etc. The T intersection has a left turn lane, and a right turn lane. The guy rides up to the red light, unclips and waits to make his left turn. (so far so good). There is a car behind him in the left turn lane, and a car on his right in the right turn lane, waiting for a clear spot in the traffic to make a legal right turn. There are also cars that have the green light waiting to make a left turn, out in the middle of the intersection. So the light for the moving traffic lanes turns yellow, the traffic from the left stops, and the two cars waiting to make a left turn start to complete their turns and clear the intersection. While the light is still yellow, the cyclist mounts up, swerves to the right directly in front of the car waiting to make a right turn, and cuts between the first and second cars trying to complete their left turns. Everyone honks and swears at him - he rides off the left without looking back. All he had to do was wait another 1 or 2 seconds and make his left turn and no one would have been bothered. If this was the only time I had ever seen this kind of thing then I wouldn't bother to write about it, but we all know that there are many cyclists who treat traffic laws and etiquette with utter disregard, and that this heavily influences motorist behavior. So back to gds and his track stands: I'm very glad you have mastered this essential skill. I hope that you employ it often during your match sprints ON THE TRACK. It has no place in road riding, as motorists don't have the foggiest idea what you are up to. Just unclip and stop - every car can understand that. It's not that hard, dude. Unclip the shoe. Stop the bike. Clip in and pedal when the light turns green. You can do it. Mort |
#26
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"Geeze, unclip already!"
"mort" wrote in message
oups.com... I'm going to bet that all this negativity comes mostly from folks who have tried track stands and can't do them. To some of us they are just another cycling skill to be mastered. I think the negativity comes from cyclists who ride in a predictable and law abiding manner who are sick of being lumped with the morons by motorists. Here's another example: about an hour after writing my post above, I'm riding home from work. I'm passed on my way into a T intersection by a cyclist in full lycra, etc. The T intersection has a left turn lane, and a right turn lane. The guy rides up to the red light, unclips and waits to make his left turn. (so far so good). There is a car behind him in the left turn lane, and a car on his right in the right turn lane, waiting for a clear spot in the traffic to make a legal right turn. There are also cars that have the green light waiting to make a left turn, out in the middle of the intersection. So the light for the moving traffic lanes turns yellow, the traffic from the left stops, and the two cars waiting to make a left turn start to complete their turns and clear the intersection. While the light is still yellow, the cyclist mounts up, swerves to the right directly in front of the car waiting to make a right turn, and cuts between the first and second cars trying to complete their left turns. Everyone honks and swears at him - he rides off the left without looking back. All he had to do was wait another 1 or 2 seconds and make his left turn and no one would have been bothered. If this was the only time I had ever seen this kind of thing then I wouldn't bother to write about it, but we all know that there are many cyclists who treat traffic laws and etiquette with utter disregard, and that this heavily influences motorist behavior. So back to gds and his track stands: I'm very glad you have mastered this essential skill. I hope that you employ it often during your match sprints ON THE TRACK. It has no place in road riding, as motorists don't have the foggiest idea what you are up to. Just unclip and stop - every car can understand that. It's not that hard, dude. Unclip the shoe. Stop the bike. Clip in and pedal when the light turns green. You can do it. Mort There's a big difference between an intentional and dangerous violation, and falling over accidentally while the light's red. As for track stands having "no place in road riding"...that's laughable. Many thousands of cyclists use that technique every day without incident, and without befuddling anyone (other than sanctimonious nannies). GG |
#27
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"Geeze, unclip already!"
Sorni wrote:
:: Roger Zoul wrote: :: ::: I think falling over at a light and making motorist wait ::: unnecessarily is not acceptable. :: :: Not to mention being run over. :: ::: And if the lane are narrow so that ::: cars can't get by, it can be dangerous :: :: OK then. :: ::: Furthermore, it's ::: unncessary. It makes more energy than simply unclipping. :: :: I'm impressed when people do it -- a show's a show! (As long as it's :: appropriate and safe to "perform".) Hey, I didn't say I wasn't impressed. |
#28
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"Geeze, unclip already!"
wrote:
Hiya: While walking about on Miramar Road saw one commuter cyclist take a self-induced fall. Actor: Relatively young roadie on old lugged Trek (chrome/replacement fork) wearing helmet and with goods in backpack (no rack, no fenders), clipless pedals. Dude stopped for the light (which had just turned red on him) in the appropriate lane, but didn't unclip. He kept balancing and fighting wheelflop for a good fifteen seconds until he fell over. I asked, he said he was fine. Yeah, he's fine, but what does that steel cager who was hanging thirty feet back (the typical "you can't trust cyclists in front of you/let's not activate the induction coils for the traffic signal" distance, I believe) now think about road cyclists' and commuters' bike handling skills. What's with not wanting to unclip, anyway? I could see it being a bigger deal with straps and buckles to yank on and slip out of, but isn't one of the selling points of clipless easy entry and exit? Robert Leone My guess ... only a guess.... is that he thought he had mastered the jiggle-squirm-and-balance trick but proved himself wrong. Falling over from a dead stop must be mortifying. Anyone remember Artie Johnson toppling over? ... on a tricycle. -- Michael Who removed the toe clips before ever riding the bike. |
#29
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"Geeze, unclip already!"
mort wrote: I'm going to bet that all this negativity comes mostly from folks who have tried track stands and can't do them. To some of us they are just another cycling skill to be mastered. I think the negativity comes from cyclists who ride in a predictable and law abiding manner who are sick of being lumped with the morons by motorists. Here's another example: about an hour after writing my post above, I'm riding home from work. I'm passed on my way into a T intersection by a cyclist in full lycra, etc. The T intersection has a left turn lane, and a right turn lane. The guy rides up to the red light, unclips and waits to make his left turn. (so far so good). There is a car behind him in the left turn lane, and a car on his right in the right turn lane, waiting for a clear spot in the traffic to make a legal right turn. There are also cars that have the green light waiting to make a left turn, out in the middle of the intersection. So the light for the moving traffic lanes turns yellow, the traffic from the left stops, and the two cars waiting to make a left turn start to complete their turns and clear the intersection. While the light is still yellow, the cyclist mounts up, swerves to the right directly in front of the car waiting to make a right turn, and cuts between the first and second cars trying to complete their left turns. Everyone honks and swears at him - he rides off the left without looking back. All he had to do was wait another 1 or 2 seconds and make his left turn and no one would have been bothered. If this was the only time I had ever seen this kind of thing then I wouldn't bother to write about it, but we all know that there are many cyclists who treat traffic laws and etiquette with utter disregard, and that this heavily influences motorist behavior. So back to gds and his track stands: I'm very glad you have mastered this essential skill. I hope that you employ it often during your match sprints ON THE TRACK. It has no place in road riding, as motorists don't have the foggiest idea what you are up to. Just unclip and stop - every car can understand that. It's not that hard, dude. Unclip the shoe. Stop the bike. Clip in and pedal when the light turns green. You can do it. Mort Still awfully judgemental. Your example starts out with the implication that because the cyclist was wearing lycra he was already prone to doing something stupid. Here's the problem from my point of view. I have no argument tht cyclists who do dangerous things on the road not only create specific dangerous situations but their actions also serve to diminish the status od all cyclists. OK, we all agree on that. But the current topic is about a cyclist perhaps doing a track stand, perhaps having difficulty unclipping, but in any case this happened while stopped at a red light while in the proper lane. He happened to fall. My argument is that whatever the cause that this was not a horribly unsafe event and is not a good example of irresponsible cycling. Others are comparing it (by implication) to running a red light, weaving in and out of traffic lanes, cutting people off, etc. There is a real qualitative difference between the OP's eaxample and all the others. As some other posters have mentioned folks regularly use track stands on the road without mishap. It is NOT intrinsically unsafe. If you feel that they are unsafe you simply don't have experience with them. What I am reading in this thread is some sort of anger that is being generalized to folks who don't do exactly as some posters want. Roger goes so far as imply that because of my opinion of track stands that if I get hurt no one should care. I suggest therapy. |
#30
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"Geeze, unclip already!"
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