Re: Disc brake maintenance tips

On 6/24/2024 9:26 AM, AMuzi wrote:

On 6/23/2024 9:13 PM, Frank Krygowski wrote:

On 6/23/2024 8:40 PM, AMuzi wrote:

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In fairness, Mr Forester wrote a very long time ago and assumed automobile pilots were neither homicidal maniacs nor stoned out of their minds. This isn't as true now. He also wrote before walk-around telephones; now every other driver is consumed with denigrating some kid in a chatroom with his thumbs while wandering across lane lines...

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I don't see that things have changed that much. And I certainly don't see that I should abandon the techniques that I've found have worked so well.
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Example: When I use the four-lane that enters our village, I ride lane center. It makes me much more visible and _relevant_ to motorists coming up from behind me, or those going the opposite direction. It helps get their attention. It works.
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If some chick is texting her girlfriend, should I ride in a way that I'm _less_ noticeable? I don't think so. She has to glance up at least occasionally. I want her to think "Holy cow, I've got to avoid that guy on a bike" instead of "Aw, he's far enough to the side, I think I can squeeze around."
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 Well, again 'works for you'.  In Oakland, where 1 out of every 39 residents were carjacked or had a car stolen last year, the mix of pilots is different...
 https://sfstandard.com/2023/09/26/oakland-car-theft-spikes-san-francisco-bay-area-car-thefts-up-some/

I don't doubt that there are bad places. But the disagreement between pro-VC and anti-VC contingents is (or should be) "What works best?"
ISTM anti-VC folks are two main camps. The larger one is "I gotta never ever inconvenience a motorist, so I gotta ride inches from the edge, and ride on the sidewalk, and maybe stop if a car come. Oh, and traffic laws don't apply to bikes."
The second camp says "Riding a bike on any normal road is just too dangerous. We need to spend fortunes on 'innovative' bike chutes so anyone 8 to 80 can ride wherever they go. Then bike use will soar and our cities will finally be saved!" (The second group is nuttier than the first.)
Meanwhile, people who are competent at VC techniques are riding where they like with almost zero problems. They find it just works.
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- Frank Krygowski