The SOZEV/train combo commute 14

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1. 

   JMG Posted 5:06 am
   13 Mar 2008

   Visibility and bentsI strongly disagree that recumbents (bents) are less visible than uprights (wedgies).  The two instances in which I have been hit by cars were both when I was on an upright, including one where the driver glanced in my direction and then went back to looking left but decided to proceed anyway -- she said she never saw me, and I never saw her face clearly enough to know before she was on top of me.
   When I ride one of my bents, the more natural and comfortable position of my head means I absolutely know whether I've been seen or not, because on a bent you ride through the world with your head in it's best visibility position (eyes front, not pointing down).
   Also, there's the weirdness factor -- bents are still exotic bikes in most places, so they tend to be more apparent to most drivers.  Even more important, when viewed from the front (the most narrow visual angle for the driver) a bent rider's face draws the driver's attention in a way that a torso does not ... humans are programmed from birth to pay attention to faces.  Riding a bent means that my face is forward and my head is either at eye level or below eye level for drivers, which makes my face much more visible to them (compared to an upright bike, where the drivers often have to look up to see the rider's head, and then they're only seeing the top of a helmet, which isn't as visually arresting).  And, of course, from any other angle, a bent is far more visible than an upright -- most bents are longer than wedgies, and the weirdness factor makes them stand out.
   In addition, I have a compressed air horn on my bents -- my better visual angle makes it possible for me to know if I've been seen.  When I see a driver at a stop light/sign, their face usually registers clearly that they've seen me.  If I don't see that acknowledgement in their face, I give a short toot as I approach the intersection to make them look.  If they don't look at me (typically because they are looking the other way, trying to find a spot to enter traffic), I won't cross their path.  Car drivers are morons and both my collisions have involved people in that situation -- simply too important to take another half second to notice a bike proceeding down a bike lane.
   Finally, this bike ought to have a flag -- I won't ride any bike in the city without one.  They won't prevent all moron car drivers from failing to see you, but they help.  
   
   Save the world: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.

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2. 

   Biodiversivist Posted 12:25 am
   14 Mar 2008

   You've been hit twice?I wonder what it will take to get the politicians to provide safe bike lanes across major cities? We should do a poll to see how many times riders have been hit by a car. If hybrid electric bikes with full fairings, lights, and electric heat had use of safe dedicated lanes, they might become very common because they would eliminate most of the reasons people don't ride bikes. The beauty is of course, that bikers and hybrid bikers can safely share those lanes. If gridlocked drivers looked with envy at the bikers zooming by, they would consider riding one as well. Biking would hit a tipping point before global warming does.
   
   And look, no helmets!
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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3. 

   spaceshaper Posted 1:20 am
   14 Mar 2008

   No helmets indeedand so graceful and beautiful to watch. What an inspiration. Thanks, BioD.
   
   The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.

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4. 

   caniscandida Posted 1:49 am
   14 Mar 2008

   "bents" and "wedgies"The Amsterdam video is very nice, especially the dogs at the fountain.  But: 1. what does it look like when the weather turns cold or rainy?; and 2. "capital," as in "capital city," is spelled with an "a," not an "o."
   Peddling while reclining uses a different set of muscles, or a reduced set, than peddling while sitting upright.  Peddling a peddle-boat, whether or not it is shaped like a swan, can be murder.
   
   Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

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5. 

   JMG Posted 2:54 am
   14 Mar 2008

   The food stamp experimentOne of the popular stunts lately has been for politicians to live on food stamps for a week (i.e., only consume the amount of food that they could purchase with food stamps for the week).  It's an enlightening exercise.
   So I think that's what we need to get real biking amenities, biod.  We need politicians to forswear their cars for a month and have to live on shank's mare, biking, and public transit.  Not a problem in many major cities, but a nightmare in many state capitals (where the state transportation bureaus and planners are) and in virtually all suburbs.  Do it during the school year so that their children suffer the imprisonment that carburbia creates -- a teen's inability to get anywhere without a chauffeur.  
   It's interesting to note that the Dutch are now the tallest people in the world, a status long held by Americans -- it's a good overall indicator of total population wellness, and it's sensitive to nutrition and population fitness.  We have, by putting ourselves in motorized wheelchairs so much, created a self-fulfilling prophecy -- and presto! suddenly we have lots of old people who can't move much because of a lifetime of sitting, either at work or in their cars.
   
   Save the world: Reduce greenhouse gas emissions 5% annually.

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6. 

   Biodiversivist Posted 4:25 am
   14 Mar 2008

   Good one, Canis"Peddling a peddle-boat, whether or not it is shaped like a swan, can be murder."
   Modern bent designs are a lot more ergonomic that swan shaped pedal boats. You could always electrify your pedal boat.
   Real good points, JMG
   
   In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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7. 

   amazingdrx Posted 6:15 am
   14 Mar 2008

   WowGreat bike!  Now substitute an inflatable clear plastic pod for the wind screen for crash and weather protection.
   And two rear wheels for most commuters, but that would take more train space to.  For the adventurous this is perfect.
   Would mass production in china bring the price down to under 1000 bucks?
   
   http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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8. 

   amazingdrx Posted 6:17 am
   14 Mar 2008

   Oh yeahAnd arm pedaling power would be nice as well.  Compensating for the lower power of 'bent design.  Normal biking uses the whole body when you stand up and pedal.
   
   http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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9. 

   caniscandida Posted 6:31 am
   14 Mar 2008

   ooh, blossoming blush timeBut gimme a break, English is so f**ing hard to spell, dn that s*t.
   Of course: "Pedal," a beautiful word of Latin origin ("pedalis," "having to do with feet," from "pes, pedis," "foot"), is to be distinguished from "peddle," "sell, as by an out-of-doors, mobile vendor to a customer whom the vendor approaches."
   But, in my own defense, by way of mitigation, "to peddle" is a back-formation from the noun "peddler," which I suspect is an English naturalization of the Late Latin "pedalaris," "one who travels by shank's mare."  So, what goes around comes around, and it is all the same in the end.
   
   Chickens deserve our true friendship! So do fish! So do other sentient beings! Let us learn to be kind.

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10. 

    kmp Posted 7:35 am
    14 Mar 2008

    Hit twiceI've never been hit on my bike (but, true to form for most bike-geeks I know, my first thought would likely be the safety of my beautiful chameleon-green Fat Chance, rather than my not-so-beautiful fuzzy red noggin) but I have been hit twice whilst walking home from work in Boston.
    Boston is, IMO, one of the most walkable major cities in America, due to the compact nature of the city proper, but yes, the drivers can be a wee bit crazed.  Beware, Bostonians - walking to work (especially across the Charles) is not without it's hazards!  But, it's still better than driving, and much faster than the Green Line.

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11. 

    Biodiversivist Posted 11:05 am
    14 Mar 2008

    Pedal, peddle, petal your boatYou have to feel sorry for those who learn to speak English as a second language. You should see one of my posts before a Grist editor cleans it up. They may have a whole team dedicated to making my posts intelligible. A red light goes on and a klaxon blares when I submit one.
    
    In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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12. 

    amazingdrx Posted 3:14 pm
    14 Mar 2008

    MisspellingA revolutionary act.  All of us spelling bee runners up have suffered enough.  throw off the illogical chains of irrational conformity.  Are we drones or are we human?
    
    http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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13. 

    Biodiversivist Posted 4:07 pm
    14 Mar 2008

    Pete sent me some youtube vidsHere he is starting his morning commute to the train station (downhill). A truck runs a red light right in front of him. The whining sound is an engineering compromise from putting the motor through gears. You get great torque this way. My brushless motors use rare earth magnets and are silent. However, because there is no gearing you get less torque for hills. You also get some drag when not using power because of the magnets. But, brushless hub motors are also very simple and last pretty much forever:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WgDYKGzTvs
    Here he is just before reaching the station. That looks an awful lot like a liquor store...
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcoNlMgFIdk
    This is some more detail of the bike:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1Z3o4v9PHM
    
    In the end, it all comes down to biodiversity. Poison Darts--Protecting the biodiversity of our world

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14. 

    amazingdrx Posted 3:31 am
    15 Mar 2008

    Inspirational!Now if only it could be made safe and affordable.
    
    http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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