Yellow Card

This is a magnetic card (which I saw over on boingboing) was created for cyclists to lob at cars that they have a negative interaction with. The idea is to deliver a message in a way that is not destructive.  The original post has inspired a classic “comments” thread over at the original post. Do I have an opinion? Of course I do. Not about the card, but about the path the comments take.

Allow me to wax poetic:

• Drivers – bikes are not cars, so they can do things cars cannot, which means they can thread through a red light that a car cannot go through in such a way that is actually not that dangerous providing the rider isn’t a complete jackass trying to blow a light at too busy an intersection. Deal with it.
• Cyclists – if you have the inclination to hog a lane just to be a dick and make your “share the road” point, do us all a favor and rethink your strategy. There are moments where it is totally appropriate to claim lane space, and there are moments where it isn’t. If you can’t tell the difference yield to the side of safety and ride with some more experienced riders until you know where the line is…and believe it there is a line between holding your lane and being a cock. Especially in rural areas with limited lane space.
• Drivers – don’t try to use your car as a weapon…ever. If you do, expect the cyclists to defend themselves. They will. I will.
• Cyclists – unless you are riding in a race, stop wearing kit that looks like you are full on Tour De France-ing it. Seriously, you look like a stupid fanboy and the graphics create hatred from motorists because they view you as someone out on an expensive toy with expensive clothes playing adult make believe. There is plenty of excellent riding gear out there that isn’t plastered with team logos that you aren’t and never would be sponsored by, so isn’t logo free gear really the wiser choice? Yes, it is.

I could go on, but I am sure you can see that my views are pretty conflicted because both sides are so wrong in their approach. Trying to act like bikes are the same as cars is never going to work. I’d like to see a lot more attention paid to common sense in this debate rather than people try to defend their case based on so called laws that don’t jive with the reality of the situation.

the best bike on craigslist

Today this Ellsworth Dare  was on the Atlanta craigslist with the subject line “The Best Bike On Craigslist” , for the low sum of $4500.

People who try to sell ridiculously expensive bikes on craigslist just confuse me. I mean, if you took the time to custom build a bike worth $9k as the owner claims, why in the hell wouldn’t you ride it every single freakin day and night. Selling something like this is basically just admitting that you were wrong. Either that or the owner finally figured out that no matter how plush it cruises down the advanced runs, no matter how light it is, and responsive, and technologically elite…it is still butt fuckin ugly.

The moral of the story is:

Friends don’t let friends ride parallelograms

shoot it dead

You might be, but I for one am not amused…

espn lame isp requirements for live feed of xgames

I tried to watch live vid on the espn xgames website of the bmx park and womens vert skate, neither of which were televised. When I clicked on the vid feed, this is what I got:

I followed the directions, clicked the link and typed in my zip code to see if Charter Communications was eligible for espn360, and here is what I got:

PISSED! Espn wants to force me to switch ISPs to get content that isn’t even premium, it’s FREE! Screw that shit mang. Guess I’ll have to just watch the televised portions. Big ups Lyn-Z for winning ladies vert…she was prolly thinking about me while she was doing it.

Flask

fat tire ale

My local liquor store, which I absolutely hate, is about to start carrying New Belgium Fat Tire Ale, and a couple of other brews from the company. They actually have a whole section of their cooler cordoned off with a big promo poster on the door for the big arrival.

It kind of sucks that they are psuedo booze snobs at that place. They like to critique what you bring up to the counter, wichis why I don’t like going in there. Don’t judge me because sometimes I might want to drink some cheapo swil you fucking fucks. Just ring it up and shut the fuck up.

Anyway I guess they will approve if I buy some Fat Tire.

>I still have yet to get my riding program started this year.

not an april fools day prank, but about one

Reposted from Mental Floss magazeen:

“The cycling magazine VeloNews has an April Fools’ Day tradition of posting farcical stories on its Web site. Last year, an article about the launch of a sperm and egg bank company, PC Olympic Genes, by former U.S. Olympians Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter drew the ire of readers who didn’t understand it was a joke. According to the hoax, prospective parents could purchase Phinney’s sperm or Carpenter’s eggs for $250,000; for one million dollars, the company would combine Phinney’s sperm and Carpenter’s eggs. “It’s literally a no-brainer for couples who want champion children,” fictitious company spokesman Felix Magowan says in the article. “This is absolutely disgusting,” one reader later wrote. “I feel for these children who will likely be pressured to fulfill the athletic dreams of their parents. My admiration for these two exceptional athletes is now tarnished.” Previous April Fools’ Day articles published by VeloNews include a story that USA Cycling was outsourcing its membership services to a contractor in India, and a conspiracy theory that the sunflowers that line the route of the Tour de France are the result of a secret program of genetic manipulation.”

Strenuous Lad’s Library

Armstrongs TT bike stolen

By now you have heard that Lance Armstrong and several other Astana team members bikes were stolen from a trailer during the Tour of California.

I don’t keep up on racing as much as someone who is involved in it, but I know a little about it. I know enough that if I were the team manager, my first suspicion would be that the bike theft was the result of another team trying to balance the competitive advantage. I’m no Fancy Pants Lance hater, …in fact I really want to see him kick some ass…but I don’t think it is too far of a stretch to see how other teams could be unhappy about his return, and about the huge technical advantages he gets by having an unlimited pool of money and technology to help him along the way.

So far I haven’t seen or heard any rumblings of other teams being behind the thefts. If you think that the sports world is too honorable for such behavior, you only need look at some of the amazing espionage scandals in the F1 racing world to clue yourself up. Wherever there is passion, there is bound to be someone feeling they are being cheated, and wanting to level the playing field.

Lance has traditionally kicked ass in time trials and his gear has certainly been a big part of those successes. Maybe someone wanted everything to be fair when the Tour gets to the Solvang time trial on Friday. I’m just sayin…

possumdex

Dunno what the Pistadex is here in Georgia these days, but I do know I almost pissed my pants laughing at this ad.

direct quote:

“Some scratches on the down tube from a opossum if you can believe that.”

douglasville, lol