Re: Suspension losses

On Fri, 03 Jan 2025 18:17:54 +0000, Roger Merriman wrote:

Frank Krygowski <frkrygow@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

On 1/3/2025 11:12 AM, cyclintom wrote:

 
Coming out of Niles Canyon, you have to ride at around 20 mph Because
of traffic I was forced to cross a rumble strip with my 28 mm tires
and came damned close to losing control but it did allow me to let 5
cars moving at 45 mph + get past before a constriction. While you're
talking about taking the lane why don't you come here and try taking
the lane? You would soon discover, if you're lucky, from a hospital
bed that California deivers don't like your ideas.

 
Ah. We haven't had a "Bicycling is really dangerous _HERE_!" post in
quite a while.
 
So you judged that nearly losing control in front of a 45 mph car was
safer than legally taking the lane? Yes, my choice would have been
different, and I've made that choice in <gasp!> California; but
admittedly not in your super-dangerous neighborhood. When I do that,
motorists wait until its safe to pass. Exceptions are vanishingly rare.
 

I’d assume most folks would ie use the road than ride in the gutter on
the rumble strips! Though I can’t see much evidence of any bar a central
line, so as ever not sure how/why Tom would be riding in those.
 
Seems on a very brief search that some gutters have been used by some
cyclists as painted bike lanes, which isn’t a wildly good idea at best
of times! And are unhappy at the possibility of encountering rumble
strips, which seems likely to be a poor road all around!
 
Do have some painted gutters though Heathrow which i suspect the might
trick the unwary into thinking they are bike lanes, though it’s a fairly
car centric type of roads so probably somewhat self selecting, ie I’ve
only ever seen folks like myself ie brave folks on road bikes, though
it’s a very rarely go though on the commute MTB which the gutters are
less of no no as it’s plush tires are unfazed by drain covered, and one
is traveling quite a lot slower, though even so it’s not a terribly wise
idea.
 
Roger Merriman
 

As I often ask, what do you do when riding in a ten foot lane with no
shoulder, when an 8.5 foot wide truck approaches from behind? Do you
jump off the bike and humbly bow?
 
>

Roger, I don't know where you're coming from. The rumble strip here isn't
in the "gutter" but a 3" wide strip between the road and an open area you
can pull over into - it allowed all of the traffic to pass without me even
slowing down and the rumble strip disappeared allowing easy access to the
open road before the constriction under a railroad overpass.

This wouldn't be a subject save for Krygowski claiming that he ALWAYS took
the lane.