Tech ogling confessions

On 2019-02-08 15:08, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 11:15:31 AM UTC-8, wrote:
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 5:23:11 PM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 4:51:02 PM UTC-8, Joerg wrote:
On 2019-02-06 18:02, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at 5:04:48 PM UTC-8, Mark J. wrote:
Stopped at the LBS on the way home today, to look at a Trek gravel
bike in person. There are a lot of unpaved roads here in the
Willamette Valley as well as in the mountains around it.

It was nice, certainly drool-worthy in the
I'm-not-really-serious-yet-about-buying sort of way.

There were lots of attachment points for use on long, hot summer
rides that don't go by a 7-Eleven.

I like the wider bars (they looked wider than the 46's I have on
my Domane, but maybe they were the same). Hydraulic disks (see our
latest RBR discussion, heh), nice wide tires.

THEN

when I was talking about fender mounts, the guy mentions putting
fenders on a "Domane +" E-bike, so I go take a look at that.

It's a full carbon fast road bike with a electric assist. Forgive
me, RBR, for I have sinned and coveted this bike. I'm going to try
hard to wait until at least 70 before getting one, partly 'cause I
fear the decline into potatohood that it could spark, but I was
tempted. Having another 100-200W in one's pocket would be
something.

Mark J.

The Bike Gallery (Trek) shop downtown also has one of the Orbea Gain
series.
https://www.orbea.com/us-en/ebikes/r...ain-m20-usa-19
Orbea also has a groovy gravel e-assist:
https://www.orbea.com/us-en/ebikes/r...ain-m21-usa-19
Also available in aluminum, although I'm not a 1X fan. The stealth
e-assist bike is becoming really popular. Muzi's Bianchi is
beautiful. Some of the e-assists aren't that stealthy. The
Cannondale Synapse looks like a pregnant guppy. I'd get a full-on
eBike if I lived somewhere like Vancouver and commuted to downtown --
beat the traffic over the bridge and fly into town. It's kind of
like cheating.


It is. Might as well get the real deal then, zero to 60mph in 3.4 seconds:

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media...if5oi1tjpg.jpg

Neat, but you get stuck in traffic, at least in Oregon where lane-sharing is NOT legal. In California you can split the lanes on your eMotorcycle which, BTW, scares the hell out of visitors -- like me. I don't remember it being legal when I lived there.

Around here, you could take the bike lanes/paths and beat the traffic. Come over the I-205 bridge from Vancouver (where living is cheaper) and take bike paths and lanes almost all the way downtown PDX. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dge_aerial.jpg (I-205 bridge between Oregon and Washington -- bike line up the middle). Watch for trucks, though: https://pcdn.columbian.com/wp-conten...YAAJtQx_1.jpeg


But for my current short commute and weekend riding,
yes, going electric would move me one step closer to the potato
abyss.


A buddy is trying to convince me to retrofit my bikes with electric like
he did. I keep telling him "When I am 85. Maybe. Or maybe not".

The hardest part of growing old is learning to be slow and happy. I've got the slow part down, but happy is eluding me. I may have to get a stealth e-assist bike to get happy. Or medication. We'll see.

-- Jay Beattie.

Just had another lane-splitter seriously injured this morning on the news. The problem is that you're not supposed to lane split more than 15 mph faster than the adjacent traffic and NO ONE does that. The traffic will be stopped and the motorcycles will be splitting lanes at 60+ mph. Then some knucklehead who is in the HOV without permission will decide that the lane next to him is going 1/100th mph faster and will pull over without looking. SMASH - and another one bites the dust.

I'm surprised they don't die on a daily basis. The practice seems crazy to me.


It _is_ crazy. I almost hit one motorcyclist who passed me on the right
at high speed and then nearly clipped me while I was accelerating. This
was a CHP officer, no siren, no lights!

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 10:37 a.m., Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 9:51 a.m., wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 5:13:45 AM UTC+1, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 6:51:55 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/7/2019 8:23 PM, jbeattie wrote:


Come over the I-205 bridge from Vancouver (where living is cheaper)
and take bike paths and lanes almost all the way downtown PDX.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dge_aerial.jpg
(I-205 bridge between Oregon and Washington -- bike line up the middle).
How do they handle entering and exiting that central bike lane?

--
- Frank Krygowski



This woman is oddly creepy, but starting at 1:00 the video show the
approach from the Washington side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB61GrLiX3M

-- Jay Beattie


Indeed creepy. I always wondered what the fun is for a recreatinal ride
on that kind of roads with cars buzzing by left and right. Would drive me crazy.

Lou


Well as far as the bridge, it's a way to get between Washington State
and Vancouver BC. I assume the point is for her to go for a ride around
Vancouver. Maybe she's going crab cakes in Stanley Park...


I think the bridge goes to Vancouver WA, not Vancouver BC.


Yeah, I was mistaken. I was thinking of Vancouver Island.


No bridges going there either :-)

I prefer my old BMW. I _can_ maintain anything on it. But unlike a
Harley, I hardly ever have to. ;-)

- Frank Krygowski

I have an R69S. The tool kit in the gas tank will handle any roadside maintenance needs that aren't in the crankcase. I've seen a number of Harley group rides while I've been out on my bicycle. The last vehicle in the line is always a van with a bike trailer. Never had one of those on my BMW club (Chicago Region BMW Owners Association) rides. :-)

On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 6:45:28 PM UTC-8, Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 10:37 a.m., Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 9:51 a.m., wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 5:13:45 AM UTC+1, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 6:51:55 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/7/2019 8:23 PM, jbeattie wrote:


Come over the I-205 bridge from Vancouver (where living is cheaper)
and take bike paths and lanes almost all the way downtown PDX.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dge_aerial.jpg
(I-205 bridge between Oregon and Washington -- bike line up the middle).
How do they handle entering and exiting that central bike lane?

--
- Frank Krygowski



This woman is oddly creepy, but starting at 1:00 the video show the
approach from the Washington side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB61GrLiX3M

-- Jay Beattie


Indeed creepy. I always wondered what the fun is for a recreatinal ride
on that kind of roads with cars buzzing by left and right. Would drive me crazy.

Lou


Well as far as the bridge, it's a way to get between Washington State
and Vancouver BC. I assume the point is for her to go for a ride around
Vancouver. Maybe she's going crab cakes in Stanley Park...


I think the bridge goes to Vancouver WA, not Vancouver BC.


Yeah, I was mistaken. I was thinking of Vancouver Island.


No bridges going there either :-)

Nice ferry from Port Angeles, WA. It feels like an ocean voyage. I did it on a bike tour -- you lash your bike to the rail. Speaking of islands and ferries, this is a fun little ride on Bainbridge Island: https://cascade.org/rides-major-ride...-details/route The bike herd piles on to a ferry and then rides up and down a bunch of little hills.

-- Jay Beattie.

-- Jay Beattie.

On 2/8/2019 7:56 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 6:45:28 PM UTC-8, Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 10:37 a.m., Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 9:51 a.m., wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 5:13:45 AM UTC+1, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 6:51:55 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/7/2019 8:23 PM, jbeattie wrote:


Come over the I-205 bridge from Vancouver (where living is cheaper)
and take bike paths and lanes almost all the way downtown PDX.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dge_aerial.jpg
(I-205 bridge between Oregon and Washington -- bike line up the middle).
How do they handle entering and exiting that central bike lane?

--
- Frank Krygowski



This woman is oddly creepy, but starting at 1:00 the video show the
approach from the Washington side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB61GrLiX3M

-- Jay Beattie


Indeed creepy. I always wondered what the fun is for a recreatinal ride
on that kind of roads with cars buzzing by left and right. Would drive me crazy.

Lou


Well as far as the bridge, it's a way to get between Washington State
and Vancouver BC. I assume the point is for her to go for a ride around
Vancouver. Maybe she's going crab cakes in Stanley Park...


I think the bridge goes to Vancouver WA, not Vancouver BC.


Yeah, I was mistaken. I was thinking of Vancouver Island.


No bridges going there either :-)

Nice ferry from Port Angeles, WA. It feels like an ocean voyage. I did it on a bike tour -- you lash your bike to the rail. Speaking of islands and ferries, this is a fun little ride on Bainbridge Island: https://cascade.org/rides-major-ride...-details/route The bike herd piles on to a ferry and then rides up and down a bunch of little hills.

-- Jay Beattie.

Of course, if the ferry was too tame for you, you used to be able to go
to the other end of the Sound and ride a lively bridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsKKDLKYsVU

Mark J.

jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 6:45:28 PM UTC-8, Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 10:37 a.m., Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 9:51 a.m., wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 5:13:45 AM UTC+1, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 6:51:55 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/7/2019 8:23 PM, jbeattie wrote:


Come over the I-205 bridge from Vancouver (where living is cheaper)
and take bike paths and lanes almost all the way downtown PDX.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dge_aerial.jpg
(I-205 bridge between Oregon and Washington -- bike line up the middle).
How do they handle entering and exiting that central bike lane?

--
- Frank Krygowski



This woman is oddly creepy, but starting at 1:00 the video show the
approach from the Washington side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB61GrLiX3M

-- Jay Beattie


Indeed creepy. I always wondered what the fun is for a recreatinal ride
on that kind of roads with cars buzzing by left and right. Would drive me crazy.

Lou


Well as far as the bridge, it's a way to get between Washington State
and Vancouver BC. I assume the point is for her to go for a ride around
Vancouver. Maybe she's going crab cakes in Stanley Park...


I think the bridge goes to Vancouver WA, not Vancouver BC.


Yeah, I was mistaken. I was thinking of Vancouver Island.


No bridges going there either :-)

Nice ferry from Port Angeles, WA. It feels like an ocean voyage. I did it
on a bike tour -- you lash your bike to the rail. Speaking of islands and
ferries, this is a fun little ride on Bainbridge Island:
https://cascade.org/rides-major-ride...-details/route The
bike herd piles on to a ferry and then rides up and down a bunch of little hills.

-- Jay Beattie.

-- Jay Beattie.


I took the Victoria to Port Angeles ferry as part of a bike trip that went
from Vancouver to Cictoria, then through the Olympic peninsula, across
Whidbey Island, and up from Snohomish back to Vancouver. Great fun.

Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 10:37 a.m., Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 9:51 a.m., wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 5:13:45 AM UTC+1, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 6:51:55 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/7/2019 8:23 PM, jbeattie wrote:


Come over the I-205 bridge from Vancouver (where living is cheaper)
and take bike paths and lanes almost all the way downtown PDX.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dge_aerial.jpg
(I-205 bridge between Oregon and Washington -- bike line up the middle).
How do they handle entering and exiting that central bike lane?

--
- Frank Krygowski



This woman is oddly creepy, but starting at 1:00 the video show the
approach from the Washington side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB61GrLiX3M

-- Jay Beattie


Indeed creepy. I always wondered what the fun is for a recreatinal ride
on that kind of roads with cars buzzing by left and right. Would drive me crazy.

Lou


Well as far as the bridge, it's a way to get between Washington State
and Vancouver BC. I assume the point is for her to go for a ride around
Vancouver. Maybe she's going crab cakes in Stanley Park...


I think the bridge goes to Vancouver WA, not Vancouver BC.


Yeah, I was mistaken. I was thinking of Vancouver Island.


No bridges going there either :-)



Better go back and investigate. :-)


--
duane

On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 11:26:28 PM UTC-8, Ralph Barone wrote:
jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 6:45:28 PM UTC-8, Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 10:37 a.m., Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 9:51 a.m., wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 5:13:45 AM UTC+1, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 6:51:55 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/7/2019 8:23 PM, jbeattie wrote:


Come over the I-205 bridge from Vancouver (where living is cheaper)
and take bike paths and lanes almost all the way downtown PDX.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dge_aerial.jpg
(I-205 bridge between Oregon and Washington -- bike line up the middle).
How do they handle entering and exiting that central bike lane?

--
- Frank Krygowski



This woman is oddly creepy, but starting at 1:00 the video show the
approach from the Washington side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB61GrLiX3M

-- Jay Beattie


Indeed creepy. I always wondered what the fun is for a recreatinal ride
on that kind of roads with cars buzzing by left and right. Would drive me crazy.

Lou


Well as far as the bridge, it's a way to get between Washington State
and Vancouver BC. I assume the point is for her to go for a ride around
Vancouver. Maybe she's going crab cakes in Stanley Park...


I think the bridge goes to Vancouver WA, not Vancouver BC.


Yeah, I was mistaken. I was thinking of Vancouver Island.


No bridges going there either :-)

Nice ferry from Port Angeles, WA. It feels like an ocean voyage. I did it
on a bike tour -- you lash your bike to the rail. Speaking of islands and
ferries, this is a fun little ride on Bainbridge Island:
https://cascade.org/rides-major-ride...-details/route The
bike herd piles on to a ferry and then rides up and down a bunch of little hills.


I took the Victoria to Port Angeles ferry as part of a bike trip that went
from Vancouver to Cictoria, then through the Olympic peninsula, across
Whidbey Island, and up from Snohomish back to Vancouver. Great fun.

It's like a 90 minute ocean voyage. A long time ago, I had a week-long trial in Port Angeles during the summer, and after court every day I would ride up parts of Hurricane Ridge. Very pretty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPcULMjMTE Small towns are weird places to try a case -- a distant cousin of one of the parties was left on the jury. Everybody knew everybody.

-- Jay Beattie.

On Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 9:13:14 AM UTC-8, jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 11:26:28 PM UTC-8, Ralph Barone wrote:
jbeattie wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 6:45:28 PM UTC-8, Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 10:37 a.m., Ralph Barone wrote:
Duane wrote:
On 08/02/2019 9:51 a.m., wrote:
On Friday, February 8, 2019 at 5:13:45 AM UTC+1, jbeattie wrote:
On Thursday, February 7, 2019 at 6:51:55 PM UTC-8, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 2/7/2019 8:23 PM, jbeattie wrote:


Come over the I-205 bridge from Vancouver (where living is cheaper)
and take bike paths and lanes almost all the way downtown PDX..
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...dge_aerial.jpg
(I-205 bridge between Oregon and Washington -- bike line up the middle).
How do they handle entering and exiting that central bike lane?

--
- Frank Krygowski



This woman is oddly creepy, but starting at 1:00 the video show the
approach from the Washington side. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oB61GrLiX3M

-- Jay Beattie


Indeed creepy. I always wondered what the fun is for a recreatinal ride
on that kind of roads with cars buzzing by left and right. Would drive me crazy.

Lou


Well as far as the bridge, it's a way to get between Washington State
and Vancouver BC. I assume the point is for her to go for a ride around
Vancouver. Maybe she's going crab cakes in Stanley Park...


I think the bridge goes to Vancouver WA, not Vancouver BC.


Yeah, I was mistaken. I was thinking of Vancouver Island.


No bridges going there either :-)

Nice ferry from Port Angeles, WA. It feels like an ocean voyage. I did it
on a bike tour -- you lash your bike to the rail. Speaking of islands and
ferries, this is a fun little ride on Bainbridge Island:
https://cascade.org/rides-major-ride...-details/route The
bike herd piles on to a ferry and then rides up and down a bunch of little hills.


I took the Victoria to Port Angeles ferry as part of a bike trip that went
from Vancouver to Cictoria, then through the Olympic peninsula, across
Whidbey Island, and up from Snohomish back to Vancouver. Great fun.

It's like a 90 minute ocean voyage. A long time ago, I had a week-long trial in Port Angeles during the summer, and after court every day I would ride up parts of Hurricane Ridge. Very pretty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqPcULMjMTE Small towns are weird places to try a case -- a distant cousin of one of the parties was left on the jury. Everybody knew everybody.

-- Jay Beattie.

How do you deal with "everyone knows him, he's a good boy."?

On Fri, 08 Feb 2019 19:32:28 -0800, Steve Weeks wrote:

I prefer my old BMW. I _can_ maintain anything on it. But unlike a
Harley, I hardly ever have to. ;-)

- Frank Krygowski

I have an R69S. The tool kit in the gas tank will handle any roadside
maintenance needs that aren't in the crankcase. I've seen a number of
Harley group rides while I've been out on my bicycle. The last vehicle
in the line is always a van with a bike trailer.

Here I was thinkig that that was just a one off inmy life. About 30 years
ago on a bicycle club weekender, we encountered such a group plunk beside
us on our lake side camp but they had a car trailer already loaded with a
few HD motorbikes. Their conversation was loud enough to hear that some
of them hadn't actually started their ride, but they were carried on the
trailer so they wouldn't "get lonely".