Cyclist Vs. Cyclist

There seems to be a growing trend as of late, cyclist suing other cyclist for negligence. At the moment there are two trials going on; one in Scotland (link) and one in Australia (link). In both cases a cyclist left quadriplegic from crash is suing the spandex off the opposing rider.

"I have said this quite a few times to many people, that the accident was preventable if the proper riding position and proper hand position was being adopted," (Telfer, of Scotland) said.

Now we are all too familiar with this concept in the world of automobiles, where suing another driver is something you do while exchanging insurance information. Also very common is the cyclist suing a driver after being hit, or in rare bizzaro cases the other way around.

This is a worrisome trend as it echoes the litigious behavior of those behind the wheel. After a few more trials and court decisions, will cyclist still regard each other in the same comradely fashion? Will the brethren of the bike still give each other "the nod" when they pass? Or will they be worried about being sued for having too much float in their cleats if they wreck? Maybe after enough lawsuits, when we throw a leg over the bike we will see fellow cyclists as just another threatening driver and treat them as such.

Pabst of Yore

I was working in the basement this weekend and decided it would be a good idea to go spelunking in the crawl space. What I found there was a treasure every cyclist and cheap beer aficionado would be proud of. Whoever built my house in 1937 was drinking on the job, god bless em' and dropped a few empty cans of PBR into the foundation before slapping the house on top. These cans sat still for 71 freakin years, waiting for someone with the lack of common sense to shimmy their way into the darkness and yank them into the 21st century. There they could achieve the greatness those cans were destined for... a handy tool holder on my peg board! With a can opener, a dremel tool, and a wee bit o' moxie I brought a little more honor to my beloved workspace.

suck it.

Details:
I used a dremel cutting wheel to make a cut around one inch long at the top of the back of the can. Then it was just a matter of sliding the peg board bracket in through the slit. I finished it off with some glue to keep everything tight.

Bike Stand Bike Pump

A pretty cool idea but the cynic in me says that it will be filled with urine hours after installation.

Bacon Vodka... Bacon... Vodka...

Say it again, this time slower. Baaaaaaaaacon VVVVVVVVVodka. It's starting to sink in a little isn't it. At first you recoil, but now you're curious aren't you. My pal hooked me with this link and I thought I would pass it along.

From McAuliflower at
Brownie Points Blog

A Good Idea But Would You Wear It?

Cyclists are growing in numbers in almost every corner of the globe. Naturally we are seeing a growing number of products geared towards commuter safety, like this little number from Safe Turn.


It has some gyroscopic thingy that only lights when your arm is raised in the signal position, which is cool as hell. Maybe soon we'll see technology like this sewn into gloves, jerseys, or maybe the butt end of your spandex.

Craigslist, You Evil Temptress

Last week I thought I had everything I needed in life, wife, house, 3 bikes... and then I was struck by something that happens all too often for cyclists; I fell in gear love. It's that covetous desire that overcomes you when you come across that special piece of bike gear. It almost seems like this thing you have stumbled upon is a piece of yourself you didn't even know was missing until the moment you saw it. It doesn't have to be in perfect condition either. A few dents and scratches that say "flawed" to anyone else are the badges of honor and character that match this object to your personality on a deep and profound level.

After seeing this little honey on craigslist last week I was done. I instantly knew I had to have it. A Salsa Las Cruces scandium cyclocross frame. I had always planned to get into cyclocross but the opportunity hadn't presented itself. Over the winter and spring I plan to build it up into a single speed by scavenging for the perfect parts at events like this. As you can see on the table, I already have the bitchen winged bull bars.

joy!

Snow Ride... Take It Easy

This was the view on my way home today on the Capital Crescent Trail. I took the liberty of leaving work when all the car commuters did. Although I didn't need to brave the hours of traffic I figured a nice ride in the snow would do me good. And it did... for a while...

I was feeling so good about my slow drift home I broke one of my cardinal rules. I took my ipod along. I know I know, I was "that dick" on the trail cranking "Off the Wall" who can't hear your audibles when you are trying to pass... but hey, you weren't there, nobody was. What started out so nice quickly turned into a big steaming pile of slush. The temperature climbed into the mid 30s and it soon got very very wet. On the bright side I did get to test out some new gear but I was hoping for a deep freeze to keep things dry. I can't complain though while everyone I know was either trapped a car or a cage I was on my bike.