HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: scheng@bcarh886.bnr.ca (Spencer Cheng)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: MTB Touring (was: Touring bicycles -- an extict breed?)
Date: 21 Jul 92 14:36:23 GMT
	<1992Jul20.202639.9617@terminator.cc.umich.edu>
Organization: Bell-Northern Research

In article <1992Jul20.202639.9617@terminator.cc.umich.edu> rdunkle@engin.umich.edu (R. M. Dunkle) writes:

	   I replaced the stock ultra-knobbies with Nashbar City Kevlars, stuck
   a Profile Aero-II handlebar on it (so I could have an aero position and
   still be able to use the normal mt. bike position for rough terrain), and 
   eventually put on a higher-gear (racing) freewheel, a Phil Wood bottom 
   bracket, a new derailleure and shift levers (cuz the originals of all of these
   wore out - you'd think they didn't expect me to put so many miles on it!)...

   (...)

Well you (and others ) just outlined the reasons that you should 
have bought a REAL (tm) touring bike in the first place. The changes 
and add-ons you outlined in your posting represents several hundred 
$$ of parts (and maybe labour). A touring bike comes so equipped and does 
not require these additional expenditure (some even come with racks 
and fenders!).

How many mtn/hybrids comes with braze-on's for 3 water bottle cages?
you need 2 for water bottles and one for the fuel bottle unless you
wish to keep you fuel bottle next to your clothes/food in your
pannier. How about low-rider racks if you have no braze-on's and an
oversized fork blade? (etc....)

One can tour on any bike. People rode arround the world on one speeds.
For the purpose of loaded touring, a touring bike is still the best
for the money. I have seen Europeans tour on racing bikes with some
funny attachment to their rear dropout so they can mount a rear
carrier. So why aren't you (collectively) using your racing bike for
touring?

--

Spencer Cheng     scheng@BNR.CA  Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada  613-763-4046
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: Ride safe, fellow cyclists.
From: ferguson@chem.canterbury.ac.nz (Alex Ferguson)
Date: 22 Jul 92 17:07:04 +1200
Organization: Chemistry Dept, Univ of Canty, CHCH NZ

>>*were going faster than you were".  And of course it's a young woman, "don't
>>                                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>                                Just what the *&^%$ is this supposed to mean?

>The trend is that women drivers aren't as safe as they used to be.  Most of
>the car-bicycle accidents that I've heard lately seem to involve a young
>woman driver.

>I could be wrong.  Just keep riding and ride safe!
>--Jennifer

Unfortunately, Jennifer is right. It is what I call the "Supermarket 
Syndrome". 

Have you ever been to a supermarket and noticed that women so often abandon 
their trollies anywhere and wander off to look at the shelves? It's a
world-wide phenomenai. I noticed it especially in Nepal where
the male porters would stop at the side of the track and
place there loads where they wouldn't block the path whereas
the women would stop where they were and block the path with
themselves and their loads.

It was also noticable on the track where the men would, if
possible, move to clear on coming traffic whereas the
females would walk a few abreast to totally block on coming
walkers. A few found, much to their surprise, that my pack
was wider than me when I refused to dive off the track into
the bushes if there was room for two people.
The following happened to one of our staff a year ago and
this is what he wrote about it:

                        **************

"EVERYONE KNOWS THIS IS MY DRIVEWAY"

I was proceeding along the road (minding my own business) at
a good pace into a head wind when I became aware of a car
drawing alongside and slightly ahead of me. The female
occupant was looking at me in a manner which was difficult
to decipher but probably meant, "Lookout, I'm about to turn
in front of you.", which she promptly began to do. She
turned into her driveway forcing me to make an unscheduled
detour over the gutter and up the footpath. My last glimpse
of the woman was of her shrieking abuse from inside the
rapidly disappearing car.

After collecting myself from all this, I decided to see if I
couldn't get an explaination from the woman. Not
surprisingly she was reluctant to emerge from her house but
when she did it was with the following arguments that she
defended her actions.
        "You saw me, you could have slowed down!"
        "Everyone knows I live here - you could have slowed
        down."
        "Everyone knows this is my driveway."
All of which were accompanied with unpleasant epithets,
mainly featuring the word "stupid".
Imagine my astonishment, the ferocity of her haranguing
quite literally took my voice away. I considered it
pointless to argue against such logic and left.
Mike

                   *****************

I would, as a generalisation, (and I've been accused of
that) put it down to illogical behaviour by females and in
similar circumstances, stupidity by males. That should, as
they say "put the cat amongst the pigeons" or start a few
flames.

Alex Ferguson
From: klee@wsl.dec.com (Ken Lee)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: oppose bike paths - why?
Date: 28 Jul 92 19:49:42 GMT
Reply-To: klee@wsl.dec.com
Distribution: usa
Organization: DEC Western Software Laboratory

Many bicyclists are opposed to bike paths (paved paths that are physically separate from roads) because:

1.  they are usually much more dangerous than riding on well designed roads
roads

2.  they are much more expensive (per mile) than improving the designs of
roads that will be built anyway

3.  governments use them as an excuse to bar bicycling on roads

4.  governments use them as an excuse to build roads that are difficult for
cyclists to use

-- 
Ken Lee
DEC Western Software Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif.
Internet: klee@wsl.dec.com
uucp: uunet!decwrl!klee
From: jmyers@tekig7.PEN.TEK.COM (Jonathan E Myers)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: NBC's Olympic Coverage
Date: 27 Jul 92 20:14:16 GMT
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.

How many times did NBC mention that Inga Thomson's boyfriend had a "life threatening"
heart ailment?  I only heard it about 100 times.  Can they get some drama out of the
race instead of the personal lives of the competitors?
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles,can.general,ont.general,soc.culture.canada,ott.followup
From: rgb@esleng.ocunix.on.ca (Richard Briggs)
Subject: Re: Interesting facts about bicycles in Ontario (from MoT)
Organization: Excalibur Systems Limited, Kanata, Ontario, Canada
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 14:41:39 GMT

In article <1992Jul29.085502.17038@spxtech.qc.ca> steven@spxtech.qc.ca (Steven C. Potter) writes:
>From article <1992Jul28.154005.12742@csi.uottawa.ca>, by mlantin@csi.uottawa.ca
> (Maria Lantin writes:-
>
>> [stuff about path safety]
>>
>> had a mishap or some of their friends did.  The message I got from all that 
>> is that bike paths are not THAT safe and that one should be very careful 
>> (yelling out one's intentions before acting on them) while maneuvering on
>> them. Sorry didn't mean to babble :)
>> 
>
>  I would estimate that on my 35-40 minute, 15km journey home from work I
>  use my horn an average of 3 times to avoid an accident. Usually this is
>  to alert an otherwise oblivious jay walker that if he doesn't move his
>  A** off the path he might be in some sort of danger or to alert cyclists
>  riding 2 (or 3!) abreast that I am coming through and need some space.
>
>  Apart from the occasionally startled old lady or gentleman, or a kid
>  nearly jumping out of his skin on suddenly being awoken from his semi-
>  conscious daydreaming, I have found the horn to be about the most effective
>  method for avoiding accidents. It is probably a dozen times more valuable
>  than my helmet!
>
>  What does everybody else think?
>-- 
>  ///==================================================================\\\
>  ||| Steve Potter:         steven%spxtech@CAM.ORG                     |||
>  ||| Expertise/Experience: Computer Systems Engineering / Real Ale /  |||
>  |||                       Politics in Education in Quebec            |||

I'll take my helmet over the horn any day!  Too often the horn does no good
since there are lots of people using walkman's who have no idea you're trying
to signal.  With the newer ear plugs you often cannot tell if they could even
hear you in the first place.


__________________________________________________________________________
                            |   briggs@aix1.uottawa.ca   {most reliable}
Richard Guy Briggs          |   rgb@[esleng|excalibur].ocunix.on.ca
Excalibur Systems Limited   |   [esleng|excalibur]!rgb
Kanata, Ontario, Canada     |
-- 
__________________________________________________________________________
                            |   briggs@aix1.uottawa.ca   {most reliable}
Richard Guy Briggs          |   rgb@[esleng|excalibur].ocunix.on.ca
Excalibur Systems Limited   |   [esleng|excalibur]!rgb
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles,ont.general,can.general
From: ilana@kiowa.scd.ucar.edu (Ilana Stern)
Subject: Re: Bicycle helmets (was Re: Ontario government ...)
Organization: NCAR/UCAR
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 22:16:27 GMT

In article <1992Jul29.212231.27725@mach4.wlu.ca>, brea9430@mach4.wlu.ca (breadner kenneth cecil joseph u) writes:
 > In article <Bs605E.LL0@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca> praetzel@marconi.waterloo.edu (Eric Praetzel) writes:

 > >Why not concentrate on the cause
 > >of the accident (car drivers) instead of padding a cyclinst up until he
 > >can safely run into anything?
 > >
 > Why are you so worried? You'll never get in an accident. If you do, It won't
 > be your fault. It'll be some stupid driver. It always is.
 > (heavy sarcasm used above)
 > 
 > Sorry, statheads, I have no statistics, but I would be willing to bet that
 > many accidents are caused by reckless cyclists. They are, I think everyone
 > agrees, at least a factor. It soesn't take much to get creamed when you're
 > deal with something thirty times your mass and three to five times your
 > velocity. 

Bzzzt, but thank you for playing.

From the pamphlet produced by the State of Colorado Bicycle Program
(not Ontario, but hey, this is x-posted to rec.bicycles with a world
distribution)

MOST COMMON MOTOR VEHICLE/BICYCLE CRASHES INVOLVING ADULTS

#1 Motorist turns left into oncoming bicyclist heading straight

#2 Motorist turns right into bicyclist heading straight in the same
   direction

#3 Motorist drives out from driveway or through stop sign

This appears to be based on data from 1985-1989, in the state of 
Colorado.  Note that this is only for adults;  most crashes involving
children cyclists are the fault of the child.

On the other hand, according to the same source, most bicycle crashes do 
*not* invove motor vehicles, so in some sense you are right in that
"many accidents are caused by reckless cyclists."  Motor vehicle/bicycle
accidents, however, are predominantly the fault of the driver, not the
rider.

-- 
/\        Ilana Stern DoD#009 | Whoever first said, "Things are seldom as they 
  \_][    ilana@ncar.ucar.edu | seem," was wrong.  Things are usually as they
      \_______________________| seem.  Otherwise, they wouldn't seem that way.
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: sean@cs.tamu.edu (Sean Graves)
Subject: Re: NBC's Olympic Coverage
Organization: Computer Science Department, Texas A&M University
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 15:40:10 GMT

In article <1683177C8.MEDELMA@cms.cc.wayne.edu> MEDELMA@cms.cc.wayne.edu (Michael Edelman) writes:
>I watched the finals of the Women's Road Race yesterday and....arrghh! Is
>*everything* going to be this bad?
[stuff deleted]
>          --mike

I agree totally.  Let's see...

	 THINGS TO HATE ABOUT NBC'S CYCLING COVERAGE (VERSION 1.0)
	 ---------------------------------------------------------
	 - Stupid scripted commentary
	 - Stupid music, so that this boring event will seem exciting
	 - Stupid cheesy video special effects (i.e. color image superimposed in
		 identical black-and-white image).
    - Stupid boyfriends, relatives, etc, being discussed instead of race.
	 - Stupid "A Current Affair" story about the background of the model-turned
		 olympian.
	 - Stupid profile of the French cyclist just so we could have someone to
		 root against.  I really think the slow motion black and white image
		 of her grimacing face set to creepy music represents unbiased
		 journalism.
    - Stupid news broadcasts, videos, gymnastics, and everything else they
		 could think of to mix in to a program that was prerecorded anyway.  It
		 is not as if the event is happening live, and they need to fill
		 time -- why don't they just show the ending, and move on the some other
		 event?
    - Stupidly showing the same thing after a commercial as we saw before
		 the commercial -- do we have such short memories?
    - Stupidly not showing the final times, places, or any other form of
		 statistics.

This really made me realize how much better ESPN's lousy unprecedented 
coverage was.


(sigh)

Sean
From: G.J.Hill@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Gary Hill)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Help with an elusive creak?
Date: 28 Jul 92 12:00:39 GMT
X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11]


I would be grateful for any suggestions for the source of a creak that
my bike has recently developed.  It occurs on the downstroke of the
left crank, when any degree of force is used.

The frame is hand-built Columbus Cromor tubing, I have cleaned and
greased the entire transmission (Bottom bracket, pedals, chain) to no
avail.  The equipment is a mix of shimano (bb - 105, chainset - quite
old 600, pedals - ultegra w/clips).  Everything seems to be in order, there is
no visible problem with the frame.  Unfortunately the standard of bike
shop around here is such that I would expect to spend a lot of money
for no return if I were to try them.

Any help will be gratefully received

Gary Hill, gjh@ecs.soton.ac.uk - Internet
	   gjh@uk.ac.soton.ecs - Janet
From: david@postman.gr.osf.org (David George)
Subject: Re: Putting your bike on a diet
Organization: OSF RI Grenoble
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 08:51:40 GMT

In article <16832F9C8.RONEAL@lexmark.com>, RONEAL@lexmark.com writes:
|> In article <42mmxk=.tomk@netcom.com>
|> tomk@netcom.com (Thomas H. Kunich) writes:
|> my... Schwinn weighed in over 50 lbs!  Unobtainium parts don't
|> just look weak in this light... they look plain stupid, especially in light
|> of my size (250 lbs).

Yes and no.  A couple of years ago I did a ride near me which involves 1000m. of climbing over 10km, then with a carry over a summit followed by a similar descent.  The climb took me 1 hour on my 30lbs++ old mountain bike but I couldn't do the 'climb and carry' and had to return.  A year later I was down to 25lbs on my MTB (got rid of everything bar the bottles !).  I rode the climb in the same time but was now able to continue over the climb carrying my mountain bike.  Part of the weight saving was chucki

ng my cro-mo bars and stem and going for some lighter alternatives.

However bike diets are difficult things to control, you have to know exactly what you're eating and how many grammes it has.  For instance if I changed my Shimano 200 GS hubs for Shimano XT I would in fact increase the weight from: 440+230g to 490+240g.  This is because the XT part is heavier duty.

David.
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: naru@eng.umd.edu (Naruhisa Takashima)
Subject: Novice Racing Question: Shifting
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 92 14:03:00 GMT
Organization: College of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park
Originator: naru@hurricane.eng.umd.edu


Hi, I was wondering if you racers out ther can give me an advice on
 shifting from one chain ring to another?

Do you shift from the big ring to the small ring when you approach a hill?
Conversely, do you shift from the small ring to the big ring when you want to sprint?
Or do you shift from the big ring to the small ring when you want to sprint?

Or is it a combination between the front and back?

Thanks in advance,
Naru Takashima
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: mpisano@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Michael A Pisano)
Subject: windtrainer for sale
Organization: The Ohio State University
Distribution: oh
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 03:27:37 GMT

McLain Windtrainer:

White tube, rear wheel mount/front wheel support, fits most bikes, strdy and 
portable.

$75.00 (orig $150)


Please respond by e-mail:  mpisano@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
From: BRANDT_JOBST/HP1900_01@HPLOMG.HPL.HP.COM
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: Interesting facts about bicycles in Ontario (from MoT)
Date: 30 Jul 92 00:12:22 GMT

Mark Christopher writes:

> Indeed!  I find it truly amazing that when I announce "passing on
> the left" as I approach to pass, people stop moving straight ahead
> and move diagonally across the path.

In Europe bike paths are used by many transportation bikes at about 10mph
or so.  The bike riders definitely find them disastrously dangerous because
they want to go faster than that and it doesn't work.  It's like pedestrians
and bicycles all over again.

This is the root problem of mixing pedestrians with bicycles.  Pedestrians
don't generally assume that a wide path requires keeping to the left or the
right similarly to their behavior on moving treadways in airports and the
like.  Calling out something that contains the word "left" or "right" can
be interpreted as "go to the left" or anything else you can imagine because
the environment is not one of being on any particularly "correct" side.

I have also experienced hikers and runners who, if they detect the approach
of a vehicle, will cross the road without looking in order to quickly get
to the side that they perceive as the "correct" or safe side.  This seems
to be random and therefore in the long term 50% left and 50% right of which
maybe 50% are already on their favorite safe side.

I have found that most of the "on my right" / "on your..." is just so much
boastful "hey, I'm so fast you better notice me".  Last weekend I heard the
call on an empty highway with no car within sight.  I thought it might be
someone I know making a joke, but no... tow MTB riders sprinted by inches
to my left, sitting on as though they were in a break of the TdF.  It was
typical for what I have seen of the "here I come" persuasion.  These guys
got a good distance ahead but faded on the next hill to blow up and who
knows what.

I guess they didn't read the series here on how to pass and what to say.

jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
From: tomk@netcom.com (Thomas H. Kunich)
Subject: Re: Trial set for driver who hit bicyclist
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 92 23:15:23 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <1992Jul24.174603.5157@news2.cis.umn.edu> kimmel@epx.cis.umn.edu (Eric Kimmel) writes:
>
> He CLEARLY wanted to injure the cyclist and then
> had no remorse for doing so.

Exactly how did you arrive at this little jem of opinion?
He obviously had no remorse, but "wanted to injure the cyclist"?

Please think before you type.
From: allard@isi.edu (Dennis Allard)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: ULTRA marathon cycling
Date: 28 Jul 92 23:21:08 GMT
Reply-To: allard@isi.edu (Dennis Allard)
Distribution: world
Organization: USC Information Sciences Institute

In article <62913@cup.portal.com>, sbixby@cup.portal.com (Steven W
Bixby) writes:
> Dennis Allard (and others) take offense at a comment I made....
> >sbixby@cup.portal.com (Steven W Bixby) writes:
> >> I bet I could too, (for a few seconds, anyway) if I was mashing a huge
> >> chainring and drafting an 18 wheeler......  Seems like he could all
but sit
> >> back and watch the scenery go by without pedalling....!
> >
> >If you think you can beat Secrest, either paced or unpaced for anywhere from
> >two to eight days, then why don't you give it a try.  He currently holds
> >the unpaced cross continental record of under eight days.  (unpaced)
> 
> Oh, don't worry, I wouldn't have a chance in hell of riding anything
near like
> Secrest, no worry at all.
> 
> But what kind of a record is he setting when he rides behind a specially
> designed and implemented drafting vehicle?  An 18 wheeler, no less? As at 
> least one other person suggested, motorpacing, as he did, is a sham.  I would
> think that just about any half-serious rider would be able to get up to a
> consistent 50+ mph speed when using a big chainring and a cyclist-sucking
> vehicle to propel him/her to high speed with minimum drag.  Then the feat
> becomes more aerobic exercise than it does high-speed cycling.
> 
> Although most of what I know of Secrest I learned through the net, I have a
> great deal of respect for what he does.  I just think using a big truck as
> a specially implemented drafting vehicle makes his latest feat less
meaningful.
> 
> Finally, my first response was that of jest - I didn't and don't like
to flame
> people - it's pointless.
> 
>   -swb-  (sbixby@cup.portal.com)

Sorry if my retort seemed a flame.  Anyway, you and Jobst have me convinced,
pacing behind an 18 wheeler demonstrates nothing.

Dennis
From: BRANDT_JOBST/HP1900_01@HPLOMG.HPL.HP.COM
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: cleaning and lubricating a chain
Date: 29 Jul 92 02:39:04 GMT

Glenn Stauffer writes:

> Be careful with engine degreasers.  They can streak paint and damage decals.
>
> I would feel better using a good grease cutting detergent like Dawn - does
> wonders on greasy hands, and isn't likely to damage paint, etc.

I always take the decals off my chain before I use it and the ones I use
are not painted so I see no hazard here.  I just chuck it in a can of solvent
and rinse it out.

You aren't perhaps cleaning your chain while it is on the bike are you?  I
don't believe you can get a chain adequately clean while it is on the bike
and laced through the derailleur.  The derailleur wheels don't especially
like to be degreased anyway.

jobst_brandt@hplabs.hp.com
From: jrdodd@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: Putting your bike on a diet
Date: 29 Jul 92 13:51:29 +1200
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

	Concerning putting your bike on a diet,  Suzanne Roat noted...> 
> 
> What's the point?  I'd rather lose 5 pounds myself than spend $1500 scraping a few 
> ounces of my bike.  A whole lot easier and cheaper.
> 

	She's right of course.  If you went along to a bike club and said you
had a method of taking 5-10 pounds of your total cycling weight FOR FREE, 
you'd be treated like the second coming.  Being a weight fanatic often seems to
indicate more faith in the bike than the rider and a bottomless bank account. 
"Cycling World" magazine of Australia recently had a great editorial about
this,  including a trick the editor played on some cycling buddies when he told
them a 26pound MTB weighed only 22pds.  After their rides with it they all
raved on about what a difference the lighter weight made!

	If I had to choose between $200 and 2pounds,  I'd go for $200 worth of
'pro' coaching.

	Jonathan.

Xref: sparky rec.bicycles:19144 can.general:3657 ont.general:1316 soc.culture.canada:5396