Bite My Crankset: the thread for bicycle-style conveyances

[El_Josharino]

you're also gonna have to start training for riding with a tim.


two friends of mine just left on a cross country tour. on tall bikes.
why? because they're retards. awesome retards.

Is it the guys who got a fleeting mention on BSNYC yesterday?
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2011/08/life-on-open-road-buzzkills-and.html

This is their link: http://secondstorystory.tumblr.com/  (Not sure what's on the site as it's blocked in work.  Presumably nothing too NSFW.)

Also, Josh- is there room in the caravan for a pasty Irishman?

Well we've already got one (me (okay, I'm only part Irish, but I've got the red hair, pastiness, and drinking problem...)) so another shouldn't be a problem.

[peacocks]

Well, I just got hit by a car riding my bike home from work. Bent the front wheel pretty good, bent the fork. I was waiting on a street to turn left and the guy was turning left onto the street I was on. I wasn't all the way to the right because it was raining and there were huge puddles but I was in my lane. He hit me head on pretty much and I went up onto his hood. I'm ok, bruised up knees and scraped up/bruised ankle. I didn't call the cops but I got his name, address, and phone number. I was in shock. I realize now I should have got them to file an accident report. The guy was terrified, mortified, the whole bit. I was super calm and didn't really freak out until after my step dad picked me up and we dropped my bike off at the shop and I got home.

Bleh.

[elpollodiablo]

Oh no! Glad you're okay, but that sucks about the bike. Not sure if there's anything to be done about the lack of an accident report, but did he seem willing to pay for your repairs?

[peacocks]

He didn't say anything. I didn't even think about that until now. Haha yeah, a used wheel is only gonna cost about 25 bucks but if they have to get a new fork it will be like 90 for everything, which is more than my bike is worth.

[clare]

Bloody hell, that's no good at all. I'm glad you're OK

Is it too late to file a report?

[peacocks]

I have no idea. I might just call him and ask him to give me like $100 for bike repairs.

[El_Josharino]

Holy shit, I'm glad you're okay. You should have the shop examine your frame really closely to make sure there aren't any very slight bent spots or dents or cracks. The last thing you want is to be cruising down the road and hit a bump just the wrong way to have something buckle. It's probably too late, but I think you should try to get a report if at all possible. If the bike is totaled (or even if it's not), his insurance will have to pay for it if there's a report, plus they'd probably have to give you something for your injuries, minor though they may be.

[The_Tourist]

Is it the guys who got a fleeting mention on BSNYC yesterday?
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2011/08/life-on-open-road-buzzkills-and.html

This is their link: http://secondstorystory.tumblr.com/  (Not sure what's on the site as it's blocked in work.  Presumably nothing too NSFW.)

Also, Josh- is there room in the caravan for a pasty Irishman?

yup...that's them. i didn't know they were bike-internet famous already. that's pretty cool.

and re: pollo - funny enough, most of the freak bike riding weirdos i know live in inglewood. they get a good amount of "silly fucking white kids" (jokingly), but more often then not people just cheer and ask where they can get one.

they're fun to ride, but i don't crave much attention.

[The_Tourist]

and peacocks, that's terrible. i hope you're not too shaken up and get back in the saddle soon.

[peacocks]

Haha, there are a couple tall bike riding people around here. What happens when you have to stop? I can barely ride a bike that is a couple inches too tall for me, forget about one that is two frames high. There's one that is 3 frames here! There's a monster bike club here where they do all this funky shit to bikes. I don't know if it is still around, the bike fad ( that it was a fad) is kind of over although there is a small bike polo clique running around. I suck at bike polo, I can't coordinate holding a stick and driving at the same time. It's huge in south florida, a bunch of my old friends are totally obsessed with it.

I was shaken up and punch drunk/giggly most of this evening. Now I am just discovering new bruises and shoulder aches. I don't feel afraid or anything. It was raining really hard. It is difficult to avoid riding in the rain here because it sneaks up on you but I'll probably be a lot more cautious if I ever do ride in the rain again, or just wait or call someone to give me a ride as wimpy as that sounds.

[justinh]

Tall bikes are huge in Minneapolis.  There was even a tall bike fatality a few years back, when a heavy gust of wind knocked a tall biker off an overpass. 

[The_Tourist]

as far as stopping, some people ride fixed gear tall bikes and are able to track stand on them (essentially balancing the bike while standing still), others grab a sign post, but most just hop off.

my friend richie is going to die if he ever falls off his bike. he's worried me a couple times...



it's all pretty ridiculous and pointless, but i guess that's the fun of it.

[elpollodiablo]

Is he even wearing a helmet there?

[peacocks]

Tall bikes are huge in Minneapolis.  There was even a tall bike fatality a few years back, when a heavy gust of wind knocked a tall biker off an overpass. 

jesus!

[jebreject]

Here the only people riding tall bikes are crusties with tattooed faces.

[El_Josharino]

Man, I haven't seen any tall bikes here. I guess I'm pretty okay with that, they look pretty dumb. Although I did see a couple penny farthings on Ragbrai, which was pretty wild.

[clare]

There's a Rat Patrol group here who turn up occasionally at outdoor impromptu gigs, but rumours suggest that they've lost their workshop space.

[elpollodiablo]

Man I feel bad because I motherfucked the wrong person during an awkward crosswalk confrontation in front of the English building this morning. The person who deserved it probably didn't even notice me, while the dude who was obeying the signal and waiting got yelled at (which, fair enough, he yelled first, but hey). I feel bad for even yelling at all, really, seeing as how I was at my destination and it would've cost me absolutely nothing to just keep my mouth magnanimously shut.