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  #91  
Old June 12th 18, 01:42 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
AMuzi
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Posts: 13,447
Default Chain waxing

On 6/11/2018 11:22 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Monday, June 11, 2018 at 7:34:51 PM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 6/11/2018 6:25 PM, James wrote:
On 12/06/18 04:35, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 6/11/2018 1:16 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-06-11 09:36, jbeattie wrote:

                     ... Plus, for road riding, ordinary rim
brakes are fine.


As long as it does not rain or hail hard, then they are the pits.

Oh, Gawd.

I and my club mates don't live in a desert. Everyone in our club has
used rim brakes since they started cycling, and all but a very few
still do. We've ridden in countless rains, from showers to
thunderstorms, countless miles. I've been club safety chairman for
decades and I hear about the crashes. I've never heard of one caused
by inadequate braking in the rain. Never.


Back in the days when Campag rim brakes were pretty ordinary in the dry,
my brother was racing in Italy. He recounts a day when they had a
descent in the rain and he just could not brake enough coming toward a
corner, so he put his arm around another racer's shoulders and called
"Campagnolo! Campagnolo!"Â The other rider understood and braked for
both of them enough to ride around the corner.

That must be why you have never heard of a crash caused by inadequate
braking in the rain. ;-)

[These days of course, Campag rim brakes seem to work well enough, wet
or dry.]


I wonder what brakes the other guy was using.

Back in Campy's glory days, I couldn't afford the stuff - or didn't feel
I should. Paying off loans and feeding kids was a much higher priority.
So I was running mostly SunTour stuff, or similar. At least it shifted
better than Campy.

My only bike back then was a Raleigh Super Course that I got used from a
friend. It came with long reach Weinmann center pulls. Their benefit was
that they cleared wide tires and fenders. Their detriment was that they
were worse than Campy brakes. The Weinmanns merely suggested to the bike
that it might consider stopping.

Eventually I had a friend do a repaint, and he and I brazed on
cantilever bosses. That's what I've happily used ever since.

And I still have the Raleigh. It's the utility bike now.


Campy brakes worked fine for me rain or shine, but I was also an early adopter of Mathauser/KoolStop pads. I prefer the additional power and lighter touch of dual pivot, but depending on the era, there were no better brakes. I preferred them to cantis and used NR brakes on my transcon bike. With the standard drop, there was plenty of room for fenders and a 28-32mm tire.

-- Jay Beattie.


+1
Delta was indeed a design error but, before and after that
era, Campagnolo were exemplary among available products.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971


Ads
  #92  
Old June 12th 18, 03:10 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
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Posts: 6,016
Default Chain waxing

On 2018-06-11 18:51, David Scheidt wrote:
Joerg wrote:
:On 2018-06-11 11:29, David Scheidt wrote:
: Joerg wrote:
: :On 2018-06-11 08:39, David Scheidt wrote:
: : Joerg wrote:
: :
: : :Water in DOT boils out. That's what happens in the open systems on motor
: : :vehicles. Unfortunately bikes don't have those but if you were truly
: :
: : What motor vehicle has a brake system open to atmosphere? It ain't
: : the fifties, man. They're sealed systems. Have been for decades.
: :
:
:
: :What do you think that little hole is for?
:
: What do you think the diaphragm is for?
:
: :https://i.stack.imgur.com/lFHT8.jpg
:

:It separates one air volume from another (from the big one). But air is
:air is air.

:IOW if air bubbles boil up in a car's brake system they have a chance to
:exit the fluid and hiss into the air between the reservoir level and the
:diaphragm. On bikes that regions simply isn't there.


: That's a cap for a clutch master cylinder, but the principal is the
: same. the rubber diaphragm is in contact with the fluid, kepeing the
: system sealed. the hole in
: the cap lets the air in and out of the air space between the air tight
: rubber gasket and the cap. That lets the fluid level flucuate with
: temperature or air pressure changes, etc, while still keepoing a
: sealed system. Brake systems open to the atmoshpere went out with the
: 60s.
:
: Bikes, by the way, use the same system:
: https://www.parktool.com/assets/img/...gure_11-12.jpg
:

:You will notice that the fluid goes all the way to the diaphragm, there
:is no air underneath. Hence the "wet look". You either fill it to a high
:level, gently put the diaphragm and cap back on and quickly clean off
:the overflow (that's how I do it) or you leave the diaphragm on there
:and instead top off at the upper bleed screw. The key is topping off.

:In contrast, on a car you are not allowed to top off the reservoir,
:there is a min and a max fill level. The level is not allowed to get to
:the diaphragm whereas with bikes it's supposed to.

Joerg, I've replaced more brake master cylinders on more cars than you
have. The diaphragm is wetted.



Not on our cars and they are about 20 years old, so not ancient. Or the
previous ones I had (ok, one of those was from 1969). You unscrew the
cap and there is the reservoir, totally open, with the max level marker
well below the rim.


There may, or may not[1], be an air
space in the reservoir, but it's sealed from atmosphere. The only way
air or water gets across the barrier is via diffusion. There are min
and max levels, because if the level is too low, the system doesn't
work. If it's too high, excess is forced out the cap.


Exactly. On a bicycle it can't, you have to do that manually.


If ou have air in a bike system, if it can reach the reservoir, it can
stay there, as as in a car.


I need to burp my bike's brakes about once a year. Else the little air
bubbles make it back into the system and the pressure point feels
spongy. There is a surprising number of MTB riders who don't seem to do
this where the rear brake lever can be pulled almost or all the way to
the handlebar.


[1] cars can have an air gap, because the brakes arne't required to
work upside down, or even right side up after having been upside down,
while bike brakes are.


--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #93  
Old June 12th 18, 03:18 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
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Posts: 6,016
Default Chain waxing

On 2018-06-11 19:24, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 6/11/2018 6:09 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-06-11 11:35, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 6/11/2018 1:16 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-06-11 09:36, jbeattie wrote:

... Plus, for road riding, ordinary rim
brakes are fine.


As long as it does not rain or hail hard, then they are the pits.

Oh, Gawd.

I and my club mates don't live in a desert. Everyone in our club has
used rim brakes since they started cycling, and all but a very few still
do. We've ridden in countless rains, from showers to thunderstorms,
countless miles. I've been club safety chairman for decades and I hear
about the crashes. I've never heard of one caused by inadequate braking
in the rain. Never.

This is a non-issue for almost all road cyclists. It's the current big
"you _gotta_ have this!" item for the bike industry, so they can churn
bike inventory. But in real life, it's no more necessary than magic
daytime blinkies or funny plastic hats or aerodynamic sunglasses.


You obviously are not a real all-weather rider. With all-weather I
mean including full-bore hail storms, downhill and no shelter until
you get to the next tunnel.


Neither of us is a "real all-weather rider." You've never ridden at 40
below zero, and neither have I.


I have ridden at -5F. It just didn't get any colder than that in Europe.


But rain? I've done countless miles in rain. I don't like it and I try
to avoid it, but it happens. Two weeks ago I did a solo ride, shooting
for about 40 miles, but cut it short about 15 miles from home when
amazing storm clouds rolled in. I finished the ride in an extreme
downpour, one that caused flooding in the creek running through town. I
could have found shelter about five miles after the deluge started, but
I just rode on home.

Sure one can manage, I did by letting the brakes rub a bit all the
time. Which is really healthy for the rims.


I did nothing unusual with my brakes. The bike has cantilever brakes
with Kool-Stop pads; they worked fine.

Unlike you, my braking is not a constant series of "last second"
emergencies. On that ride, as on all others, I planned ahead and slowed
sufficiently with ease. I probably came to a complete stop only a few
times during that ride home.


The main concern here is loose dogs running into your path, from ranches
and other properties. Sometimes from behind bushes. Then there are wild
animals, some of which would easily win first prize for utmost
stupidity. They look you in the eyes _while_ running straight into your
path. How do you plan ahead for that? Who is your crystal ball manufacturer?

Then last year there was this guy in a pickup truck who just gunned the
engine to pull a heavy load up into the main road. "Sorry, dude, but
usually nobody ever comes".


Rim braking is a technology they used in the days of the chuck wagon
and that's where it belongs.


So we should send all the bikes with caliper brakes to the junkyard?
Bull****.


They are fair weather bikes.


When I saw a stand of poison oak at the last second on Friday I was
sure glad I had powerful disc brakes. I still did brush against some
and have a slight rash here and there but with weaker brakes that
would have been a different story.

Horrors!

"Only disc brakes can save you from itching!!!"


I guess you never had poison oak rash. I had it half a dozen times,
sometimes it looked like my lower arms would die off.


I've had the rash, Joerg. I won't describe the worst incident, since it
involved some quasi-illegal activity; but I've had it from both wrists
up over the elbows, and many other places besides.

I've never had it from inadequate braking on any bicycle.

You're a fashion queen justifying your trendiness with horror stories.


I don't care whether you believe it. It happened.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #94  
Old June 12th 18, 07:13 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
SMS
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 9,477
Default Chain waxing

On 6/9/2018 8:13 AM, Joerg wrote:

Wax isn't a good lubricant but most good wax oils like mine are a mix of
synthetic oil and wax. Has to be mixed up before each application by
vigorously shaking the bottle.


It's rather amusing that after it was pointed out, by numerous experts,
that wax is not a good lubricant, suddenly the narrative changed and now
it's "wax mixed with oil."

So once you lose the advantage of wax not attracting dirt, dust, etc. by
adding in the oil for lubrication, how much of the benefit of the
cleanliness of wax is retained? I admit, I never tried the wax/oil
mixture, but I have tried pure wax. I have also tried pure oil.

I found Sheldon's statement spot-on: ""Downsides of the wax approach
include the fact that it is a great deal of trouble, and that wax is
probably not as good a lubricant as oil or grease." But it's true that
there were no greasy socks, legs, or pants.

I don't believe in recreational bicycle chain maintenance. I don't want
to remove the chain from the bike for cleaning and lubrication. I don't
want to use a toothbrush to individually clean each link. I don't want
to drip drops of oil on every link or use a propane torch to melt was on
every link.

I do want to clean the chain on the bike, and get it clean, inside and
out. I do want the lubricant to get onto the pins and rollers and not
just be on the outside of the chain.
  #95  
Old June 12th 18, 07:33 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7,511
Default Chain waxing

On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 10:18:45 AM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-06-11 19:24, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Unlike you, my braking is not a constant series of "last second"
emergencies. On that ride, as on all others, I planned ahead and slowed
sufficiently with ease. I probably came to a complete stop only a few
times during that ride home.


The main concern here is loose dogs running into your path, from ranches
and other properties. Sometimes from behind bushes. Then there are wild
animals, some of which would easily win first prize for utmost
stupidity. They look you in the eyes _while_ running straight into your
path. How do you plan ahead for that? Who is your crystal ball manufacturer?


My first seven years of avid adult cycling were in a small town and the
surrounding countryside in the U.S. deep south. That's a place where loose dogs
abounded and had as many rights as people; just ask their owners.

It was abnormal to do a bike ride and not be chased by at least one dog. On
many rides we were chased as often as once per mile. We were chased by packs
of as many as 12 dogs. And for extra spice, there were times we defended
ourselves from attacking dogs (perhaps by using Halt or throwing rocks) and
owners yelled at us "You leave my dog alone!"

I know all about dogs chasing bikes. Yet I never recall a panic stop
necessitated by a dog. That's more Joergian fantasy.

- Frank Krygowski
  #96  
Old June 12th 18, 07:57 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_2_]
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Posts: 7,511
Default Chain waxing

On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 2:14:03 PM UTC-4, sms wrote:
On 6/9/2018 8:13 AM, Joerg wrote:

Wax isn't a good lubricant but most good wax oils like mine are a mix of
synthetic oil and wax. Has to be mixed up before each application by
vigorously shaking the bottle.


It's rather amusing that after it was pointed out, by numerous experts,
that wax is not a good lubricant, suddenly the narrative changed and now
it's "wax mixed with oil."


Bull****, as usual. I talked about wax mixed with a bit of oil from my first
post on the topic on Usenet. I explained that IME pure wax began squeaking
too soon, especially after a rain; and that blending in a small amount of oil
fixed that.

So once you lose the advantage of wax not attracting dirt, dust, etc. by
adding in the oil for lubrication, how much of the benefit of the
cleanliness of wax is retained?


Nothing on a well-used bike is _perfectly_ clean. But the wax-oil blend is
clean enough that, for example, cleaning cogs and chainrings happens no more
than once per year, and is done with just a towel wipe. If it's been
50 miles or so since the last wax application, one might get a visible dark
grey smudge on a pair of dress khaki pants; but then again, maybe not. If that
possibility bothers you, you can backpedal the chain through a rag or paper
towel and your khakis will be safe for another 50 miles, at least.

If you drop a chain and have to lift it onto the chainring, your fingers will
probably have a very light smudge. That dirt won't transfer to other things you
touch. In other words, the cleanliness is immeasurably better than any oil
lube, unless you're a person who cleans and polishes your chain every ride.

I admit, I never tried the wax/oil
mixture, but I have tried pure wax. I have also tried pure oil.


You should also admit that you refuse to read the links regarding wax-based
lube and extended chain life or lower friction. I've posted those links
many times, yet you still spread opinion-based inaccuracies.

I don't believe in recreational bicycle chain maintenance. I don't want
to remove the chain from the bike for cleaning and lubrication. I don't
want to use a toothbrush to individually clean each link. I don't want
to drip drops of oil on every link or use a propane torch to melt was on
every link.

I do want to clean the chain on the bike, and get it clean, inside and
out. I do want the lubricant to get onto the pins and rollers and not
just be on the outside of the chain.


Your fantasies about where you think the lubrication goes or doesn't go are
irrelevant.

What you _should_ want is a chain drive that is efficient and lasts long, with
not too much fussing. I've described my wax lube method in detail. Others have
described theirs. Overall, it requires far less fussing and gives better
results, especially since the need to clean the bike is tremendously reduced.

But if you're happy cranking your chain through solvent chambers and anointing
it with this month's magic oil, have at it. Just, please, stop telling us
that we're not observing what we're observing.

- Frank Krygowski

  #97  
Old June 12th 18, 07:58 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,016
Default Chain waxing

On 2018-06-12 11:13, sms wrote:
On 6/9/2018 8:13 AM, Joerg wrote:

Wax isn't a good lubricant but most good wax oils like mine are a mix
of synthetic oil and wax. Has to be mixed up before each application
by vigorously shaking the bottle.


It's rather amusing that after it was pointed out, by numerous experts,
that wax is not a good lubricant, suddenly the narrative changed and now
it's "wax mixed with oil."


I've used this stuff since years. It works.

A friend uses wax only and it works well for him but it is a much more
tedious process than mine. Also, he only rides on clean asphalt and much
of that on bike paths. It takes a very long time for a chain to become
dirty on a segragated bike path.


So once you lose the advantage of wax not attracting dirt, dust, etc. by
adding in the oil for lubrication, how much of the benefit of the
cleanliness of wax is retained? I admit, I never tried the wax/oil
mixture, but I have tried pure wax. I have also tried pure oil.


The mix is nice. After cleaning the chain I dab it on via Q-Tip. By now
I figured out how to do 5-6 links in one stroke so it's much faster than
in the early days. Chain squeal is immediately gone probably because the
oil in there is very runny. At the end I wipe down the chain with
Kleenex top and bottom which leaves a bit of a wax sheen. I found it
attracts trail dust less than oil-only.


I found Sheldon's statement spot-on: ""Downsides of the wax approach
include the fact that it is a great deal of trouble, and that wax is
probably not as good a lubricant as oil or grease." But it's true that
there were no greasy socks, legs, or pants.


I wear shorts and no socks, which avoids those problems.


I don't believe in recreational bicycle chain maintenance. I don't want
to remove the chain from the bike for cleaning and lubrication. I don't
want to use a toothbrush to individually clean each link. I don't want
to drip drops of oil on every link or use a propane torch to melt was on
every link.


I wouldn't want to use a propane torch either. Cleaning each link is
simpler than it seems when using the sturdier kind of interdental
brushes. The curvy kind that Costco sells. Need them anyhow for clean
teeth, Afterwards they get rinsed, dried and placed in a plastic box for
bike maintenance purposes.


I do want to clean the chain on the bike, and get it clean, inside and
out. I do want the lubricant to get onto the pins and rollers and not
just be on the outside of the chain.



The Epic Ride stuff seems to penetrate below the rollers and into the
links quickly because the chain noise immediately stops.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
  #98  
Old June 12th 18, 10:49 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
James[_8_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,153
Default Chain waxing

On 13/06/18 04:33, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 10:18:45 AM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-06-11 19:24, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Unlike you, my braking is not a constant series of "last second"
emergencies. On that ride, as on all others, I planned ahead and slowed
sufficiently with ease. I probably came to a complete stop only a few
times during that ride home.


The main concern here is loose dogs running into your path, from ranches
and other properties. Sometimes from behind bushes. Then there are wild
animals, some of which would easily win first prize for utmost
stupidity. They look you in the eyes _while_ running straight into your
path. How do you plan ahead for that? Who is your crystal ball manufacturer?


My first seven years of avid adult cycling were in a small town and the
surrounding countryside in the U.S. deep south. That's a place where loose dogs
abounded and had as many rights as people; just ask their owners.

It was abnormal to do a bike ride and not be chased by at least one dog. On
many rides we were chased as often as once per mile. We were chased by packs
of as many as 12 dogs. And for extra spice, there were times we defended
ourselves from attacking dogs (perhaps by using Halt or throwing rocks) and
owners yelled at us "You leave my dog alone!"

I know all about dogs chasing bikes. Yet I never recall a panic stop
necessitated by a dog. That's more Joergian fantasy.


My wife collided with a dog that suddenly changed direction and ran in
front of her on a shared path. She went over the bars.

Last week when I left home early in the morning, I had one wallaby cross
the road right in front of me while its mate bounded along the road
beside me before turning away, and then another took fright at me
passing and (thankfully) darted away rather than across the road in
front of me - as they are prone to do.

My brother was with a bunch where a wallaby tried to go under another
rider's bicycle. That didn't end well. A kangaroo was videoed recently
bounding into a cyclist on a road near Brisbane, IIRC. A local fellow
was taken off his motorcycle recently, by a wallaby that collided with
his bike on a corner within 100m of our house.

I'm not saying it happens often. Rare actually. But it does happen.

I've hit the brakes a few times recently in fear of a wallaby trying to
escape in front of me. I take it as a part of the environment in which
I live.

Your environment is obviously different.

--
JS
  #99  
Old June 12th 18, 11:12 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
AMuzi
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 13,447
Default Chain waxing

On 6/12/2018 4:49 PM, James wrote:
On 13/06/18 04:33, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 10:18:45 AM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-06-11 19:24, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Unlike you, my braking is not a constant series of "last
second"
emergencies. On that ride, as on all others, I planned
ahead and slowed
sufficiently with ease. I probably came to a complete
stop only a few
times during that ride home.


The main concern here is loose dogs running into your
path, from ranches
and other properties. Sometimes from behind bushes. Then
there are wild
animals, some of which would easily win first prize for
utmost
stupidity. They look you in the eyes _while_ running
straight into your
path. How do you plan ahead for that? Who is your crystal
ball manufacturer?


My first seven years of avid adult cycling were in a small
town and the
surrounding countryside in the U.S. deep south. That's a
place where loose dogs
abounded and had as many rights as people; just ask their
owners.

It was abnormal to do a bike ride and not be chased by at
least one dog. On
many rides we were chased as often as once per mile. We
were chased by packs
of as many as 12 dogs. And for extra spice, there were
times we defended
ourselves from attacking dogs (perhaps by using Halt or
throwing rocks) and
owners yelled at us "You leave my dog alone!"

I know all about dogs chasing bikes. Yet I never recall a
panic stop
necessitated by a dog. That's more Joergian fantasy.


My wife collided with a dog that suddenly changed direction
and ran in front of her on a shared path. She went over the
bars.

Last week when I left home early in the morning, I had one
wallaby cross the road right in front of me while its mate
bounded along the road beside me before turning away, and
then another took fright at me passing and (thankfully)
darted away rather than across the road in front of me - as
they are prone to do.

My brother was with a bunch where a wallaby tried to go
under another rider's bicycle. That didn't end well. A
kangaroo was videoed recently bounding into a cyclist on a
road near Brisbane, IIRC. A local fellow was taken off his
motorcycle recently, by a wallaby that collided with his
bike on a corner within 100m of our house.

I'm not saying it happens often. Rare actually. But it
does happen.

I've hit the brakes a few times recently in fear of a
wallaby trying to escape in front of me. I take it as a
part of the environment in which I live.

Your environment is obviously different.


Although 'bravely fought to second place with a mountain
lion' would be a great tombstone, lesser critters wreak
their revenge on humans from time to time:

http://www.wkow.com/story/38124676/2...in-dane-county

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971


  #100  
Old June 12th 18, 11:37 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Frank Krygowski[_4_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 10,538
Default Chain waxing

On 6/12/2018 5:49 PM, James wrote:
On 13/06/18 04:33, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at 10:18:45 AM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-06-11 19:24, Frank Krygowski wrote:

Unlike you, my braking is not a constant series of "last second"
emergencies. On that ride, as on all others, I planned ahead and slowed
sufficiently with ease. I probably came to a complete stop only a few
times during that ride home.


The main concern here is loose dogs running into your path, from ranches
and other properties. Sometimes from behind bushes. Then there are wild
animals, some of which would easily win first prize for utmost
stupidity. They look you in the eyes _while_ running straight into your
path. How do you plan ahead for that? Who is your crystal ball
manufacturer?


My first seven years of avid adult cycling were in a small town and the
surrounding countryside in the U.S. deep south. That's a place where
loose dogs
abounded and had as many rights as people; just ask their owners.

It was abnormal to do a bike ride and not be chased by at least one
dog. On
many rides we were chased as often as once per mile. We were chased by
packs
of as many as 12 dogs. And for extra spice, there were times we defended
ourselves from attacking dogs (perhaps by using Halt or throwing
rocks) and
owners yelled at us "You leave my dog alone!"

I know all about dogs chasing bikes. Yet I never recall a panic stop
necessitated by a dog. That's more Joergian fantasy.


My wife collided with a dog that suddenly changed direction and ran in
front of her on a shared path.Â* She went over the bars.

Last week when I left home early in the morning, I had one wallaby cross
the road right in front of me while its mate bounded along the road
beside me before turning away, and then another took fright at me
passing and (thankfully) darted away rather than across the road in
front of me - as they are prone to do.

My brother was with a bunch where a wallaby tried to go under another
rider's bicycle.Â* That didn't end well.Â* A kangaroo was videoed recently
bounding into a cyclist on a road near Brisbane, IIRC.Â* A local fellow
was taken off his motorcycle recently, by a wallaby that collided with
his bike on a corner within 100m of our house.

I'm not saying it happens often.Â* Rare actually.Â* But it does happen.

I've hit the brakes a few times recently in fear of a wallaby trying to
escape in front of me.Â* I take it as a part of the environment in which
I live.

Your environment is obviously different.


My scariest animal encounter was at over 30 mph on a downhill, when a
fawn darted across the road. I did hit the brakes very hard, scary hard
in fact. I feel lucky I was able to keep things together.

Perhaps ten years ago, on another downhill, a groundhog ran out and ran
parallel and right alongside me for some yards before turning back away
from my path.

Around 30 years ago on a recreational ride with two (then) fast friends,
we were riding three abreast (yes, illegal) on a narrow and deserted
country road, probably about 20 mph. I was in the middle, within inches
of the other two guys. A little dog sprinted out directly in front of
me. I jumped the bike and nearly cleared the dog; my rear wheel broke
his shoulder, from what I could tell.

Those are the really close animal encounters I recall. That's three in
over 45 years of avid cycling. Only the fawn required heavy braking, and
my cantilever brakes worked fine. The best brakes in the world would
have made no difference in the other two cases, if braking were indeed
possible.

--
- Frank Krygowski
 




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