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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: "My chain fell off.....": A cycling thread
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Anybody else been following the Giro d'Italia this week? It's been a good week for Aussies so far, with Matt Goss of our team Orica-GreenEdge getting the stage three win and the points lead.
I'm looking forward to the first real stages (i.e. in Italy, not Denmark!) from tonight!
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
I've been following it, but mostly to see the real competitor: Edoardo Bianchi. Yes, I have a thing for celeste.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Surfing Madness
Shipmate
# 11087
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Posted
Limited following options available here, but yes been following it, mainly by Twitter or the reports on Cycling Weekly website. Have to say I'm wishing free to view T.V coverage, but the lack of it is probably helping my essay!
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I now blog about all my crafting! http://inspiredbybroadway.blogspot.co.uk
Posts: 1542 | From: searching for the jam | Registered: Feb 2006
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Steve H
Shipmate
# 17102
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Gwai:
If we are going to get into a helmet debate (I'm totally game, let's) we should probably do it in Purg. I had an experience lately that totally persuaded me be damn glad I wear a helmet though, so wear em wear em wear em, I say, at least if you're on the road with cars, for sure.
Don't wear 'em don't wear 'em don't wear 'em, I say. Cycling on-road isn't particularly dangerous, so why are cyclists pickjed out for helmet propaganda? Why not pedestrians or car drivers and passengers - do they never suffer head injuries?
Pro-helmet types are fond of retailing anecdotes about how their life was saved by a helmet, but any fule kno that anecdotal evidence is worthless. Also, there's the well-ttested phenomenon of risk homeostasis - the tendency to take greater risks when you think a particular measure has made you safer, thus tending to negate the actual safety benefits of the measure. Cyclists wearing helmets tend to ride faster and take more risks, even if they don't realise they are, so maybe those anecdotal accidents wouldn't have happened if the cyclist hadn't been wearing a skid lid. Anyway, here's my anecdote - I've been cycling for over t50 years, and in the last 15 years or so es[pecially have put in a very considerable annual mileage, much of it in heavy traffic. In all that time, I have never suffered a head injury while cycling on roads. I have suffered a head injury while a pedestrian: when I was about 20, I was running across a bridge not looking where I was going, and ran smack into a lump of masonry. I needed stitches in the resulting gash. Therefore, being a pedestrian is more dangerous than being a cyclist, and all pedestrians should wear helmets!
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Hold to Christ, and for the rest, be totally uncommitted.
Herbert Butterfield.
Posts: 439 | From: Hemel Hempstead, Herts | Registered: May 2012
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Steve H:
Also, there's the well-ttested phenomenon of risk homeostasis - the tendency to take greater risks when you think a particular measure has made you safer, thus tending to negate the actual safety benefits of the measure.
Well tested?
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Last ever sig ...
blog
Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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Arethosemyfeet
Shipmate
# 17047
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Posted
A bit of a rough day for cycling today. I discovered the tipping point for my trike (somewhere around the 60mph gust mark, if you're curious), and had to take the rain cover off in order to get home safely. Still, the trike survived and so did I. If I get south-westerlies this strong again I think I'll try the northern route to church.
Posts: 2933 | From: Hebrides | Registered: Apr 2012
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Eleanor Jane
Shipmate
# 13102
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Posted
Hi All,
Ducking in with a quick question... any suggestions for my husband attempting to learn to ride a bike aged 30mumble?
We've borrowed a sturdy bike (he's 6 foot and fairly solidly built) and he's been spending 10ish mins most days for the last week or so trying to pedal it. He's riding along a path beside a fence so he can prop himself up a bit more. (He has tried riding accross an open concrete area but was even more scared of falling.)
History - he more or less learned as a 7 year old then fell off, broke his leg and that was that.
I can ride and I try giving tips but he's not really getting far with it. Any bright (cheap) ideas?
Posts: 556 | From: Now in the UK! | Registered: Oct 2007
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
Just a thought having seen a child today riding one of those pedal-less bikes: try on the lowest saddle setting, just riding along pushing feet alternately against the ground, not using the pedals at all, to get an idea of balance first. Then adding pedals later when confident.
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Chorister:
Just a thought having seen a child today riding one of those pedal-less bikes: try on the lowest saddle setting, just riding along pushing feet alternately against the ground, not using the pedals at all, to get an idea of balance first. Then adding pedals later when confident.
Wow, what an interesting idea!
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Huia
Shipmate
# 3473
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Posted
I don't think training wheels on bikes existed in NZ almost 50 years ago when I first learnt to ride a bike, though according to the article AA linked to they did elsewhere.
EJ if there is a relatively smooth grass patch he could start on, then the though of falling off may be less threatening.
When I was a child the thought of falling off my bike was no big deal, but as I've grown older and ride in such a damaged city it's become more scary.
[ 14. May 2012, 05:46: Message edited by: Huia ]
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Charity gives food from the table, Justice gives a place at the table.
Posts: 10382 | From: Te Wai Pounamu | Registered: Oct 2002
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
I think Chorister is suggesting that instead of rushing out and buying a first bike AND a balance bike, use the bike as a balance bike by removing the pedals and putting the seat down.
I think that's reasonable, and it's a way that would allow for the concept of braking to be introduced as well. All you need to do is make sure the bike comes with proper three-piece cranks instead of cheaper single-piece cranks.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
Yes, kids have great fun with balance bikes, and get extremely confident. But why should kids have all the fun?
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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Steve H
Shipmate
# 17102
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Eleanor Jane:
Hi All,
Ducking in with a quick question... any suggestions for my husband attempting to learn to ride a bike aged 30mumble?
We've borrowed a sturdy bike (he's 6 foot and fairly solidly built) and he's been spending 10ish mins most days for the last week or so trying to pedal it. He's riding along a path beside a fence so he can prop himself up a bit more. (He has tried riding accross an open concrete area but was even more scared of falling.)
History - he more or less learned as a 7 year old then fell off, broke his leg and that was that.
I can ride and I try giving tips but he's not really getting far with it. Any bright (cheap) ideas?
Tell him to go faster, if necessary. It takes nerves if you haven't got the knack of riding yet, but the faster you go, the easier it is to balance.
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Hold to Christ, and for the rest, be totally uncommitted.
Herbert Butterfield.
Posts: 439 | From: Hemel Hempstead, Herts | Registered: May 2012
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Eleanor Jane:
... any suggestions for my husband attempting to learn to ride a bike aged 30mumble?
I didn't learn to ride a bike till I was well into my 20s. And you have probably not met many people as clumsy and as unfit as me. But basically I set off down the pavement and carried on - the trick was not to ride too slowly. Its hard to stay on a bike at five miles an hour, but its hard to fall off one at ten. Well, not when going in a straight line.
Tips? Not really. One would be to build confidence by practicing the brakes first - so have someone hold the bike for you, maybe even on a slight slope, move forward still held, and then brake to stop moving (back brake first!) So that way learn that you can stop. In fact try that first when wheeling the bike, then when in the saddle.
But once actually riding don't go too slow, and don't even try to hold on to anything. It makes it harder, not easier.
And go in a straight line until you have got your balance. Don't even try to steer. (Maybe even considering tightening the front post so the front wheel has to stay in line with the back and doesn't flop around)
Also don't have a saddle that's too high. For your first few days you probably want to be nearer the ground than an experienced rider of the same height would. A more vertical seating position feels safer (even if it isn't really) and if you can put both feet on the ground at the same time you will also feel safer.
When more confident then raise saddle so that only the tips of the feet can touch the ground, or even only one foot at a time, which is a more efficient height for pedaling because you can extend your legs more.
[ 14. May 2012, 11:27: Message edited by: ken ]
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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Steve H
Shipmate
# 17102
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
And go in a straight line until you have got your balance. Don't even try to steer. (Maybe even considering tightening the front post so the front wheel has to stay in line with the back and doesn't flop around)
This would be disastrous. You have to steer slightly from one side to the other in order to balance. If the front wheel was locked, you would definitely fall off after a few yards.
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Hold to Christ, and for the rest, be totally uncommitted.
Herbert Butterfield.
Posts: 439 | From: Hemel Hempstead, Herts | Registered: May 2012
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Steve H:
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
And go in a straight line until you have got your balance. Don't even try to steer. (Maybe even considering tightening the front post so the front wheel has to stay in line with the back and doesn't flop around)
This would be disastrous. You have to steer slightly from one side to the other in order to balance. If the front wheel was locked, you would definitely fall off after a few yards.
Not locked, stiff. I have occasionally ridden bikes wth very floppy steering posts and I don't like it at all. Ideally, if you pick up a bike by the frame, the front wheel should stay in line and not swing to either side, until and unless you turn it yourself.
And you don't steer a bike with the handlebars except in emergency, you steer it with your body weight. That's the "riding a bike" thing that takes between ten seconds and ten years to learn but once learned is never forgotten. Yes, the front wheel swings a little to follow the path you are taking, but that's more a consequence of the turn than a cause of it.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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Eleanor Jane
Shipmate
# 13102
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Posted
Great advice, thanks guys. I particularly like the 'balance bike' idea. The trick is coordinating everything so taking pedalling out is a good start. (I learned effortlessly as a 4 year old with training wheels and no fear of falling but unfortunately as noted, the older you get, the smarter you get about consequences.)
I do tell him to go faster on a regular basis and he tries but it's a bit counter-intuative to think faster = safer, you must admit.
Anyway, thanks again... hopefully persistence will do the trick.
Posts: 556 | From: Now in the UK! | Registered: Oct 2007
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Steve H
Shipmate
# 17102
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Posted
Training wheels are not generally a good idea. They just delay matters. Better is what's been suggested by others - remove the pedals, lower the saddle, and let the learner ride it by pushing with their feet on the ground.
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Hold to Christ, and for the rest, be totally uncommitted.
Herbert Butterfield.
Posts: 439 | From: Hemel Hempstead, Herts | Registered: May 2012
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Steve H
Shipmate
# 17102
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
quote:
Originally posted by Steve H:
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
[qb] And go in a straight line until you have got your balance. Don't even try to steer. (Maybe even considering tightening the front post so the front wheel has to stay in line with the back and doesn't flop around)
This would be disastrous. You have to steer slightly from one side to the other in order to balance. If the front wheel was locked, you would definitely fall off after a few yards.
Not locked, stiff. I have occasionally ridden bikes wth very floppy steering posts and I don't like it at all. Ideally, if you pick up a bike by the frame, the front wheel should stay in line and not swing to either side, until and unless you turn it yourself.
That's a matter of the wheel being properly balanced, not of stiffness or looseness of the steering post. The post should have no play in it (tested by putting the front brake on and pushing the bike forwards and backwards), but should turn easily. I once bought an ancient roadster to restore. The steering post was stiff, but turnable with effort. I tried riding it, but it was impossible to do safely, and I had to push it home - and I am, and was then, I flatter myself, an experienced cyclist. quote:
And you don't steer a bike with the handlebars except in emergency, you steer it with your body weight. That's the "riding a bike" thing that takes between ten seconds and ten years to learn but once learned is never forgotten. Yes, the front wheel swings a little to follow the path you are taking, but that's more a consequence of the turn than a cause of it.
I'm aware of that. However, in order to balance, you have to turn the bars one way and then the other continually, though at any speed faster than about 5 miles per hour, it's so slight as to be imperceptible, even to the rider, who does it unconsciously. It becomes obvious when riding slowly. Balancing on a bike is an upside-down version of balancing a broom on your hand - as you fall one way, you steer that way, bringing yourself upright again. The popular idea that it's the gyroscopic effect of the wheels is false: if there was any such effect that was noticable, the front wheel would not turn easily - and we're back where we started. Actually, the front wheel rarely needs to turn more than a few degrees, even to corner, if you're doing it right, which, as you say, is by using your body weight.
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Hold to Christ, and for the rest, be totally uncommitted.
Herbert Butterfield.
Posts: 439 | From: Hemel Hempstead, Herts | Registered: May 2012
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Steve H:
The popular idea that it's the gyroscopic effect of the wheels is false: if there was any such effect that was noticable, the front wheel would not turn easily - and we're back where we started.
Bullshit.
You can prove it does exist if you have a long axle with a bike wheel in the centre. With it held in some kind of bracket, give it an almighty spin (or a few) to get it revolving at a decent speed and then pick up the ends of the axle with both hands. You'll find it significantly harder to start rotating it about any axis at right angles to the axle when it is revolving than when it is not. You can also do this with your existing front wheel if it is hoisted off the ground by a repair stand, but try rotating it with the head stem rather than the handlebars otherwise the immense amount of torque available from the wider radius will mean you won't notice the difference.
It's easily enough to help you keep steady, but not enough that it can't be overcome easily by the higher torque applied by using handlebars to turn about the Z axis or using the body weight to rotate about the X axis (i.e. leaning). The gyroscopic effect is also what causes the wobbles at higher speed, the effect being so strong it causes every steering input with the handlebars to be amplified.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Steve H
Shipmate
# 17102
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Posted
What wobbles at higher speed?
OK, there's some gyroscopic effect, which is why small-wheeled bike like Bromptons have rather twitchy steering, but it's not what enables you to balance. That, as I said, is a matter of continually turning in the direction you're falling. That, at any rate, is what Rob Van Der Plass says, and he's one of the acknowledged cycling gurus.
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Hold to Christ, and for the rest, be totally uncommitted.
Herbert Butterfield.
Posts: 439 | From: Hemel Hempstead, Herts | Registered: May 2012
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
What Steve H said. Gyroscopic effect is much smaller than other things.
My physics isn't good enough to work out the sums but its good enough to understand them when others do. Its quantifiable but small.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Steve H:
What wobbles at higher speed?
If you've never had speed wobbles be very thankful, it's a horrible experience that can lead to serious or even fatal injuries. Basically at high speed the bike starts wobbling due to front end flexibility or imbalance (loose headset, suspension forks, carbon forks, not enough weight on front end due to badly fitting bike, hitting a piece of gravel, improperly fitted tyre, unbalanced rim brakes or poorly centred wheels) or crosswinds, and then you start getting a resonant mass-spring system set up. You don't fall off like you do in a slow speed crash from too much handlebar angle or from an unbalanced movement, and the bike doesn't fall away from underneath you from a loss of grip like in a cornering crash, you're almost catapulted off to one side when the wobble gets too violent.
I've only experienced it a couple of times. The first was on a mountain bike with front shock absorbers which I forgot to lock before going down a steep hill on a very smooth surfaced road. The bike started vibrating at what my friend estimated was about 55 km/h, then it increased to a violent wobble and I came off to the left, narrowly missing what I later learned was a flexible plastic reflector marker on my way onto the grass which concealed a rather hard surface. My attempt to brake with what were probably not perfectly balanced V Brakes (they almost never are) on the front was probably what turned it from a scary but recoverable situation into a crash. I came away with a broken arm, one broken and one sprained wrist, bruised ribs and lots of nasty flesh wounds for my troubles.
Second time was not as bad, this time it was a my current hybrid bike with shock absorbers only on the front and at about 80 km/h. I did as I researched was the right thing to do and gripped the top tube with my legs (providing a damper for the wobble) and started a gentle-medium braking effort on the rear only until the speed came down and the wobbling ceased. Then I used both brakes to come to a stop and wait until the adrenaline wore off before continuing down at a pedestrian 20-25 km/h, having speed wobbles on a road with a steep drop and lots of trees on the left was even scarier than the first time.
I've also had the experience of seeing another rider come off really hard from wobbles at high speed while I was ascending the hill in the opposite direction. I don't know whether he came off because the wobbles got too violent, because he decided to bail or because he simply wasn't able to guide it through the curve. The tough bit for me was that I instinctively kicked to get up to where he crashed, but that left me sucking air too hard to be much use calling an ambulance or attempting to provide First Aid.
If you're doing a serious amount of riding on steep hills with good smooth surfaces and like to descend fast it is bound to happen at some point. Since my two encounters with it I stay on the safe side and don't go over 70 km/h in the very rare time I come across a hill which makes that possible.
Speed wobbles can also occur for motorcyclists, even for top-level riders in MotoGP races. There have been fatalities in the Isle of Man due to this in the past.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Huia
Shipmate
# 3473
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Posted
Speed wobbles are the least of my worries. ![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
Huia - slowest cyclist in town/
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Charity gives food from the table, Justice gives a place at the table.
Posts: 10382 | From: Te Wai Pounamu | Registered: Oct 2002
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lily pad
Shipmate
# 11456
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Posted
Huia, you and I could go cycling together, if we were on the same continent/hemisphere, that is. I too have never experienced such a thing. Slow and steady for me.
That thrill of going fast was ripped out of me at age 9, after a spill while riding another girl's bike, which my parents had strictly forbidden. Bits of gravel had to be picked out of my face for three days and one that was lodged deeply above my upper lip finally eased its way out when I was 26.
Every time I find myself enjoying a little speed on a downhill, I remember that day and how quickly it went wrong and slow down.
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Sloppiness is not caring. Fussiness is caring about the wrong things. With thanks to Adeodatus!
Posts: 2468 | From: Truly Canadian | Registered: May 2006
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Meg the Red
Shipmate
# 11838
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Posted
lily pad, what is it about being 9 that leads to wipeouts? Mumblemumble years later, I still have gravel in my knee from a turn taken too sharply. Fast descents spook me; a few weeks ago, my husband and I cycled the road up Mount Norquay. Mr. Red sped down at 55 kmh while I didn't let myself go over 40 - and even that felt like tempting fate. Slow and steady for me!
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Chocoholic Canuckistani Cyclopath
Posts: 1126 | From: Rat Creek | Registered: Sep 2006
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
70 kmh? You can keep it! Cycling ought to be fun. That's too fast for fun. Also too fast for middle-aged fat gits. I doubt if I have ever been much over 50 and most of my cycling has probably been done in the 15-25 range.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Too fast for fun? What?
Good Sir, fast is fun!
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
I think the reference to 70 kph is for downhill cycling, which used to scare me in my youth and put me off returning to two wheels about ten years ago wen I last considered it. Newport has some pretty serious hills.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Patdys
Iron Wannabe
RooK-Annoyer
# 9397
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Posted
With the right bike, road and legs, 60 km/hr is where you can run on the flat. (albeit for short distances only for me).
On a downhill on a roadbike, 70-80km/hr is not uncommon. Particularly if you ball down and come off the seat to sit on the top tube. (my max is 83)
And yes, speed wobbles are very frightening.
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Marathon run. Next Dream. Australian this time.
Posts: 3511 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Huia
Shipmate
# 3473
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Gwai:
Spent half an hour with her today while she most walked the bike around the block just steering and enjoying it.
Yay, another cyclist in the making ![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif) I love biking through the Park and seeing the children who are just starting off. It gives me some kind of hope for the future.
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Charity gives food from the table, Justice gives a place at the table.
Posts: 10382 | From: Te Wai Pounamu | Registered: Oct 2002
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Epic climb to the top of the Passo dello Stelvio going on at the moment, anybody else watching?
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Meg the Red
Shipmate
# 11838
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Posted
CA-NA-DA! CA-NA-DA!!!!
Go Ryder!!!!
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Chocoholic Canuckistani Cyclopath
Posts: 1126 | From: Rat Creek | Registered: Sep 2006
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Huia
Shipmate
# 3473
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Posted
He (?) should win with a name like that ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
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Charity gives food from the table, Justice gives a place at the table.
Posts: 10382 | From: Te Wai Pounamu | Registered: Oct 2002
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daisydaisy
Shipmate
# 12167
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Posted
Joining you all here because this week I hope to get my bike serviced after 14 yrs of being at the back of the garage - new tyres at least, I know. Now I need to work out where to put it so I don't need to get the car out each time I think about using it.
Gwai, have you thought about a Training harness? I couldn't see one mentioned earlier in the thread but my apologies if I missed it. I used one when I helped a young friend to get get going on his bike. He had no trouble with balance (probably helped by his being an avid scooter user) but was spooked by the trainer wheels. So we took those off and headed to the park. After 1 circuit of the park with me holding on to the harness (much easier on my back than bending down to reach the saddle), and another where I pretended to hold it (with him checking now &then that I'd not let go), he then went independent. His biggest challenge was the foot/pedal coordination on "launch", which was mine too when I was he same age. After a few more circuits of the park on his own we cracked open a celebratory carton of juice.
Posts: 3184 | From: southern uk | Registered: Dec 2006
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Moo
Ship's tough old bird
# 107
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Posted
Years ago in Denmark, I saw a father teaching his child to ride a bike. There was a very long stick down the back of the child's clothing and it stuck up well above his head. The father kept his hand on the top of the stick and kept the child's bike from falling over.
Moo
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Kerygmania host
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See you later, alligator.
Posts: 20365 | From: Alleghany Mountains of Virginia | Registered: May 2001
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
I was disappointed that De Gendt faded off in the last couple of kilometres up to the Stelvio. With an audacious move like that on the queen stage he would have been a worthy winner, and he probably could have taken down Hesjedal on the time trial if he was only a bit behind.
quote:
Originally posted by Moo:
Years ago in Denmark, I saw a father teaching his child to ride a bike. There was a very long stick down the back of the child's clothing and it stuck up well above his head. The father kept his hand on the top of the stick and kept the child's bike from falling over.
Moo
A local bike shop near me is a sales and service agent for a specialised provider of bikes with these (with various custom solutions) for enabling kids with disabilities to ride. Done properly they are actually attached to the bike so it provides freedom, not stuck down the back of the kid's shirt of course!
[ 29. May 2012, 06:22: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Hey-jeu-dahl.
At least that's how the Australian commentators Matthew Keenan and Mike Tomalaris say it. I rate them as the best English-language cycling commentators I've heard of behind Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, definitely far better than the Eurosport imbeciles we had for the Liege-Bastogne-Liege broadcast this year.
Did anybody else see this clip from the Giro? ![[Killing me]](graemlins/killingme.gif)
In other cycling news, Australia has just done very well at the UCI's BMX World Championships in Birmingham. Caroline Buchanan (also a mountain bike champion!) won another rainbow jersey in the Elite Women's Time Trial and Sam Willoughby won the Elite Men's Race title. I have seen Sam Willoughby race, because he got his start with the weekly Saturday morning racing at the Happy Valley BMX Club's track - my local track!
There are some probable Olympic gold medals there, which will be important in the quest to beat GB in the cycling tally and reassert Aussie cycling dominance after we lost to them in Beijing.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Surfing Madness
Shipmate
# 11087
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
Hey-jeu-dahl.
At least that's how the Australian commentators Matthew Keenan and Mike Tomalaris say it. I rate them as the best English-language cycling commentators I've heard of behind Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, definitely far better than the Eurosport imbeciles we had for the Liege-Bastogne-Liege broadcast this year.
Did anybody else see this clip from the Giro?
I automatically pronounced it from how you wrote it with an Australian accent, then read your comment, about who said it like that!
The clip is genius thanks for sharing.
![[Snigger]](graemlins/snigger.gif)
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I now blog about all my crafting! http://inspiredbybroadway.blogspot.co.uk
Posts: 1542 | From: searching for the jam | Registered: Feb 2006
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Surfing Madness:
I automatically pronounced it from how you wrote it with an Australian accent, then read your comment, about who said it like that!
The clip is genius thanks for sharing.
That's unfair! Matt Keenan and Mike Tomalaris are not just uninformed talking heads, both of them are extremely experienced in covering European sport. Keenan is actually employed by the ASO (the company that puts on the Tour de France and many other major races) for their own world feed (along with Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen), so when even the French think he's doing a good job you know he must be okay. Both of them have a huge reputation among the European team directors and top cyclists for being journalists who do the hard work of knowing the sport and the people involved well (which includes knowing their names properly) and for being able to do passable multilingual interviews as well.
Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen call Hesjedal's name exactly the same.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Wait, "reassert" Australian cycling dominance? Suddenly, you win one Tour and you have enough dominance to have to reassert it?
I mean, we might want to talk about the English-speaking cycling world's dominance—which, given recent actions by our Canadian friends, looks plausible—but otherwise . . .
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Eleanor Jane
Shipmate
# 13102
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Posted
Golly! I put my very rusty self on a reasonably unrusty (but a bit too big for me and with a fairly flat front tyre) bike and cycled to work this morning! ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
I've pretty much never ridden in traffic 'cos I grew up riding all over country roads. I haven't had a ride of more than a couple of minutes for years and years!
It went pretty well - mostly there are shared pavements (or pavements that everyone treats as shared) but there is a little bit of very busy road. It was quite fun and a bit scary... And much, much quicker than walking!
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balaam
Making an ass of myself
# 4543
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Posted
Even quicker if the tyres are pumped up to the correct pressure. That flattish front is a puncture waiting to happen.
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blog
Posts: 9049 | From: Hen Ogledd | Registered: May 2003
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Punctures are the least of your problem—well, one of them. The fact that your wheel isn't actually round . . .
Don't go over curbs without at least a bit of air in your tire. Bad Things will happen otherwise.
Oh, and the whole "you go faster more easily" bit. That's important too.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Cryptic
Shipmate
# 16917
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Eleanor Jane:
Golly! I put my very rusty self on a reasonably unrusty (but a bit too big for me and with a fairly flat front tyre) bike and cycled to work this morning!
How are the nether regions today??? ![[Devil]](graemlins/devil.gif) A hot bath usually works wonders if you haven't ridden for a while.
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Illegitimi non carborundum
Posts: 225 | From: Sydney | Registered: Feb 2012
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by AristonAstuanax:
Wait, "reassert" Australian cycling dominance? Suddenly, you win one Tour and you have enough dominance to have to reassert it?
I'm talking in cycling at the Olympics. 2008 was a year to forget on that front, though we did wipe the floor with the Brits at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
[ 01. June 2012, 05:08: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Balaam:
Even quicker if the tyres are pumped up to the correct pressure. That flattish front is a puncture waiting to happen.
The two most important things - keep your tyres hard and your chain oiled. The difference in effort you have to put in with soft and hard tyres is just immense - it's like going from a Massey Ferguson to a Maserati!
AG
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"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869
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