Police Trap : For Cyclists?

holly golightly wrote:One thing that I have noticed on my commute back and forth to work and to the gym is the people who are driving and being extremely ignorant towards cyclists. This is a sad commentary on the people who live in this city but the rudest, most dangerous drivers that I as a cyclist have met are cab drivers and young boys (16-25) in the "rice rocket" cars. I have had incidents with both, and I too have thrown things at cars and even kicked and dented one at a stop light when he crowded me to the point that if I didn't lift myself and bike onto the sidewalk he would have hit me just by him pulling forward. He tried to take my name and number but when the driver behind stated he would be my witness, this guy got in his car and drove off. I have many other scary stories about being passed by cars on my right side that I will tell later as I am about to commute right now.

good Luck!

AGEsAces wrote:

Cabela's has a good airhorn...about $10. Rechargeable with an air pump.
BJ Toys on Nairn has small airhorns (fit in your pocket) for about $7, but they are only good for about 10 short bursts.

The light/horn system I got cost about $30 at Canadian Tire. I haven't installed it yet...so not sure how well it works.

Is this the light set you got?
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/5/SportsRec/BikesAccessories/LightsReflectors/PRDOVR~0733301P/Supercycle%2BLight%2BSet.jsp

It's rim drive generator! - Yeck!! Reminds me of the simpsons episode where bart has to ride Lisa's bike and put the generator light on and it slows him down.

Rim drive generators are a drag ( literally) because they work off of friction on your rim.

You can actually get internal generator hubs. So you build the wheel using this hub and you have no drag when you are cycling. But I think they are about $200 and up.

holly golightly wrote:One thing that I have noticed on my commute back and forth to work and to the gym is the people who are driving and being extremely ignorant towards cyclists. This is a sad commentary on the people who live in this city but the rudest, most dangerous drivers that I as a cyclist have met are cab drivers and young boys (16-25) in the "rice rocket" cars. I have had incidents with both, and I too have thrown things at cars and even kicked and dented one at a stop light when he crowded me to the point that if I didn't lift myself and bike onto the sidewalk he would have hit me just by him pulling forward. He tried to take my name and number but when the driver behind stated he would be my witness, this guy got in his car and drove off. I have many other scary stories about being passed by cars on my right side that I will tell later as I am about to commute right now.

I don't find cars too bad. Delivery (cube) vans are teh worst, especially shaw cable vans. I wonder if it is part of their indoctrination.

Buses are either considerate or not. ( no in between) Unfortunately buses are more often than not in the not considerate category.

Airhorn?

St Norberter wrote:

AGEsAces wrote:

Cabela's has a good airhorn...about $10. Rechargeable with an air pump.
BJ Toys on Nairn has small airhorns (fit in your pocket) for about $7, but they are only good for about 10 short bursts.

The light/horn system I got cost about $30 at Canadian Tire. I haven't installed it yet...so not sure how well it works.

Is this the light set you got?
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/5/SportsRec/BikesAccessories/LightsReflectors/PRDOVR~0733301P/Supercycle%2BLight%2BSet.jsp

It's rim drive generator! - Yeck!! Reminds me of the simpsons episode where bart has to ride Lisa's bike and put the generator light on and it slows him down.

Rim drive generators are a drag ( literally) because they work off of friction on your rim.

You can actually get internal generator hubs. So you build the wheel using this hub and you have no drag when you are cycling. But I think they are about $200 and up.

Not exactly...the one I have has a little box that mounts to the handlebars (with a quick release lever for when it rains).
I think the charge generator works the same...as it runs on the rim/side of the tire (not hubs)...but feeds into a box which then feeds the lights & horn.

I had one when I was a kid (direct feed to a light...faster you went, the brighter the light), and I don't remember it slowing me down at all. It's not a friction thing really. You roll, the wheel spins in the generator and makes the little generator work. So the only resistance you really have is the generator motor.

Agreed about the cube vans! Business vans with trailers are the worst!

I bet the resistance is negliglible.

resistance is futile!

wow...from a train?

I had one from a tractor trailer mounted in my old Grand Caravan...that was fun.

I loved it when I got behind one of those idiots with the blasting speakers shaking the street. A couple of blasts and they think a firetruck was coming through...music goes off and they start looking around to move.

Why they have to turn the music off to see what they are doing...I still don't understand .

heheheheh............

We were out of town for a concert once, were out drinking after. Buddy passes out on the bed, not sure how, but we had an airhorn and two flashlights.

girl #1 grabs the flashlights, turns them on and jumps on the bed, with the lights pointed at sleepy. At the same time girl #2 hits the airhorn, and I yell "TRUCK!!!!'. I thought sleepy was going to sh1t himself.

Funniest thing ever.

you are cruel
very cruel
to tease us with this storey and not have video.

Deank wrote:you are cruel
very cruel
to tease us with this storey and not have video.

It was pre video. 1989 I think.

If I remember right, the hotel was kind of seedy, we had the security guards up in the room drinking with us ( about 4am), and that's how we got the flashlights/airhorn

If we did this now, we would have had video for sure.

St Norberter wrote:

Deank wrote:you are cruel
very cruel
to tease us with this storey and not have video.

It was pre video. 1989 I think.

If I remember right, the hotel was kind of seedy, we had the security guards up in the room drinking with us ( about 4am), and that's how we got the flashlights/airhorn

If we did this now, we would have had video for sure.

Nope...it wasn't

In the 1920s, American engineer, Philo Taylor Farnsworth devised the television camera, an image dissector, which converted the image captured into an electrical signal.

The first camcorder patent was issued to the prolific American inventor Jerome Lemelson in 1980. Lemelson, who passed away in 1997, had tried to patent the idea for a camcorder in 1977, but the U.S. Patent Office rejected him, claiming the idea was too far-fetched and that no company could ever be able to manufacture and sell the device.

Charles Ginsburg led the research team at Ampex Corporation in developing the first practical videotape recorder (VTR). In 1951, the first video tape recorder (VTR) captured live images from television cameras by converting the information into electrical impulses and saving the information onto magnetic tape. Ampex sold the first VTR for $50,000 in 1956.The first VCassetteR or VCR were sold by Sony in 1971.

AGEsAces wrote:

Nope...it wasn't

In the 1920s, American engineer, Philo Taylor Farnsworth devised the television camera, an image dissector, which converted the image captured into an electrical signal.

The first camcorder patent was issued to the prolific American inventor Jerome Lemelson in 1980. Lemelson, who passed away in 1997, had tried to patent the idea for a camcorder in 1977, but the U.S. Patent Office rejected him, claiming the idea was too far-fetched and that no company could ever be able to manufacture and sell the device.

Charles Ginsburg led the research team at Ampex Corporation in developing the first practical videotape recorder (VTR). In 1951, the first video tape recorder (VTR) captured live images from television cameras by converting the information into electrical impulses and saving the information onto magnetic tape. Ampex sold the first VTR for $50,000 in 1956.The first VCassetteR or VCR were sold by Sony in 1971.

Proving your age???

Okay, I know it wasn't pre video, but we didn't lug a camcorder with us, and digital pos cameras weren't around!

I say you take the same 3 friends out drinking... but dont tell mr sleepy he is the only one drinking alcohol and do it to him again.

Deank wrote:I say you take the same 3 friends out drinking... but dont tell mr sleepy he is the only one drinking alcohol and do it to him again.

Heh! Mr sleepy is in Quebec now ( I think). I have no idea where the girls are now ( I think one in is vancouver)

Great thread. I participated in a similar thread on a different forum and I can tell you the discourse between the two groups was not at all pleasant. And I did not have to delete any posts! Way to go sandboxinians. Sandboxers? Sandboxites?

Sandcyclists.

grumpy old man wrote:Great thread. I participated in a similar thread on a different forum and I can tell you the discourse between the two groups was not at all pleasant. And I did not have to delete any posts! Way to go sandboxinians. Sandboxers? Sandboxites?

That's one reason I keep coming back here

I don't think most people on this forum take anything personally. It's a discussion group...opinions will vary...but in the end it's usually not personal. And as long as discussions are allowed to run their course...they will usually find a medium to end on.

When mods start sticking their nose in trying to "assert their authoritay"...they just add to the turmoil & conflict...and provide new grounds for personal attacks.

A GOOD mod knows...it's not their job to censor discussion...it's only their job to manage behind the scenes, and provide subtle corrections to technical glitches...as well as guard against those who would abuse the privilege of participation. Quite similar to what a good government/politician is supposed to do .

Cycling is like taking your life into your life into someone else's hands. I once had a cab nearly put me into the curb. I caught up to him at a red light, stuck my head in his window and asked him what the frick his problem was. He said he didn't see me. A 235 lb guy in a yellow jacket and purple helmet and he couldn't see me? Read the HTA, cyclists have as much right to the road as vehicles.

I don't know where these cyclists get their brains from. Heading home the other day and I nearly ran one over as he was riding on the sidewalk and came at me from the right as I started up from a stop sign. I'm tired of doging these assholes as they whip along the sidewalk like they own the bloody thing. And then they come up to a pedestrian corridor, slap the button and whip across the crosswalk. Like I can stop in 5 ft or less. These cyclists should read the HTA, they have to abide by the rules of the road as well. Keep in mind that I pay $$ through gas tax and everything else that is supposed to go to road maintenance. How much is a license for a bike?

On Provencher going home last week...a guy tried that "crosswalk button" thing.
I was heading West...and I saw him coming across the Eastbound lanes on the crosswalk.
I was the next car through and anticipated it...so sure enough...he hits the button and keeps riding...doesn't even slow down...so I stopped...in the middle of the crosswalk...cars behind me...so he had to stop.
I had my window down that day...yelled at the a#%hole to stay off the fugging sidewalks...and that it's a "CROSSWALK...NOT A CROSSRIDE"!!!

Too bad everyone doesn't have the ability to do that to more of the idiot riders. (clarify...to the IDIOT riders...not to those actually following the rules!!!)

St Norberter wrote:
I don't find cars too bad. Delivery (cube) vans are teh worst, especially shaw cable vans. I wonder if it is part of their indoctrination.

Buses are either considerate or not. ( no in between) Unfortunately buses are more often than not in the not considerate category.

I am now in total agreement with you on the bus drivers. I rode home down the diamond lane on McPhillips and not once but twice I had a bus on my a$$, honking at me to move. I actually got up beside one of the buses at a light beside his window and asked him if he knew what the diamond lane sign actually meant. He said yes it was so that buses could have the lane to themselves during rush hour times. I told him to take a better look at the sign, that it also indicated cyclists and that this lane was as much mine as it was his and if he wanted to pass me, change lanes. I am sure if there weren't passengers on the bus he would have told me where to go. Riding to work in the morning for me is much less stressful as I am on the road much earlier so the traffic is not as crazy. Going home tho is a different bag of tricks.
I have not had the pleasure of the Shaw Cable vans as I don't normally travel in the south end a much any more but I have had encounters with Canada Post drivers who will pass me and then stop right in front of me to either empty the post box or fill it. I have never understood why the river just couldn't wait, follow me for the 30 seconds longer it takes me to reach his post box and then stop. Oh well another concept that boggles the mind, something to ponder on my way home.

So then it's not me? I've thought that there seems to be a generation of bus drivers that are complete prickheads...ride three buses abreast down Osborne...change lanes as they signal...etc. etc. etc.

Holy, you really should report that incident to transit. They wont neccessarily be able to get that one driver, but its very obvious some education is in order.

Dean. Pick a driver....any driver....just about.