Re: A Bicycle Safety Parable

On 7/26/2024 11:49 AM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Thu, 25 Jul 2024 22:49:27 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
 

On 7/25/2024 6:07 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Thu, 25 Jul 2024 09:07:26 -0700, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:
>

On Thu, 25 Jul 2024 07:14:47 -0400, Catrike Ryder
<Soloman@old.bikers.org> wrote:
>

On Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:43:29 -0400, Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>

On 7/21/2024 2:43 PM, Catrike Ryder wrote:

>
I sometimes see real alligators on the trail, and quite often,
poisonous snakes.

>
Here's my wife, riding her Bike Friday past a roadside alligator in
Okefenokee a few years ago. Without a gun!!!
>
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16972296@N08/53011489063/in/dateposted-public/

>
What's your point? Nobody carries a gun for protection against
alligators.

>
True.  Would a pike work with an alligator on land?
<https://www.google.com/search?q=bicycle+jousting&tbm=isch>

>
Oops.  Not a pike, which at 3 - 6 meters is too long for use on a
bicycle.  I should have suggested a lance, which is 2 - 3 meters long.

 

As I mentioned previously, on last week's ride we had a young kid, maybe
20, who said his ambition was to be a pro racer.

 Something is wrong here.  If he's 20 years old, he would be in the 2nd
year of college.  It might be a little early for him to decide on a
career in college, but for athletics, 20 seems rather late.  The term
"pro" or "professional" implies that he plans on supporting his
lifestyle from cycling.  His inability to recognize a bicycle pump is
a good indication that he doesn't have much cycling experience.
 I've had to deal with such situations in the past.  A former
ladyfriends son announced that his excuse for spending all his time
with his garage rock band was because he planned to become a
professional musician.  He was studying to become an architect.  I
didn't make much progress dissuading him until I mentioned that there
were probably many architects played in rock bands in their spare
time, but probably no musicians doing architecture in their spare
time.  He got the point instantly.  He eventually became a moderately
successful architect.  I don't know if he still plays in a band.
 I suspect your 20 years old prospective pro racer is having trouble
finding a suitable career.  Converting what appears to be a recently
acquired hobby into a career is possible but I wouldn't recommended
it.
 

He was amazed a my bar end shifters. He also asked "What's that under
your top tube? Is it some kind of a club?" He was asking about my full
sized Zefal frame pump.

 Offer to give him a guided tour of your bicycle, preferably something
he's not completely familiar with, such as your Bike Friday or
recumbent.  Point to all the various components and clearly provide
him with the component names and makers.  Then, go away for an hour or
two and do something else.  When you meet again, ask him to point to
and name as many components and manufacturers as possible.  I consider
50% recall to be "minimal".  If he's eager to learn, has a good
memory, and understands what you told him, he'll do well.  If it
appears the he wasn't paying attention and can't remember the names of
some many components, he might still become an athlete, but will have
problems with planning, training, organization, strategy, mechanics,
etc.

The young guy I described was unusual enough in many ways that he's still the topic of some conversations on club rides. One member with some relevant experience stated the opinion that the young guy is somewhere on the autism spectrum. Perhaps that's true. But he was certainly a novice regarding bike technology.
About the Bike Friday: A new bike shop opened in town a few years ago. On one of my most recent visits there, I got in a pleasant conversation with a new employee about the same age as the guy above. This guy was much sharper intellectually, and considering engineering as a major.
But somehow, he had zero knowledge about folding bikes! I took him out to my car to let him see how the Friday unfolded and re-folded. He was quite amazed.
Different people know different things.
--
- Frank Krygowski