to flag or not to flag

gotbent said:

As I neared home I realized that I forgot my flag.

I intended to get one when I first got a 'bent, but I never actually got
the Round Tuit required so all of my 'bent riding has been flag-free.
I have been not seen by the odd driver, but in each case I could tell
from looking that the reason wasn't that I was too low to be seen, but
the driver didn't actually look in my direction at all. And a luminous
collection of 20 flags wouldn't help if someone doesn't look.

I think the main point is run a flag if you like running a flag: they do
look pretty neat, after all. For the most part I doubt there's much
safety gain. An exception might be country lanes with hedgerows and
bends where a flag makes the difference between having something higher
than the hedges and not.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

gotbent said:

As I neared home I realized that I forgot my flag.

I intended to get one when I first got a 'bent, but I never actually got
the Round Tuit required so all of my 'bent riding has been flag-free. I
have been not seen by the odd driver, but in each case I could tell from
looking that the reason wasn't that I was too low to be seen, but the
driver didn't actually look in my direction at all. And a luminous
collection of 20 flags wouldn't help if someone doesn't look.

I think the main point is run a flag if you like running a flag: they do
look pretty neat, after all. For the most part I doubt there's much
safety gain. An exception might be country lanes with hedgerows and bends
where a flag makes the difference between having something higher than the
hedges and not.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

I only used the flag because it came with the Trice. Not many hedgerows
around here (Illinois). In fact the only hedgerows I've see are in films
about D-Day, the ones the army had to push though in places like Belgium and
those looked to be much higher than my flag. I also suspect to make one
safer in those kind of shielded lanes the flag would be to have be leading
instead of following.

I was riding my Sm in the boonies a year ago where there are some shallow
rollers and a fellow in a car topped one and pulled next to me and mentioned
that I should have a flag because I was hidden by the crest. I didn't take
any measurements but I think he was wrong. Depending on relative locations
and sight lines the flag would have been invisible too.

Re doesn't look. I agree. Yesterday I was at a local fair and a traffic cop
walked into the cross walk holding up a stop sign so peds could cross the
road. At least four cars whose drivers were so intent on crossing the
walkway striping and not lose their place in traffic ignored the stop sign.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

gotbent said:

.....
As I neared home I realized that I forgot my flag. Maybe when I ride today I
forget it again. Maybe I'll forget my helmet too. Ahh, life is good.
.....

I have no flag, but I have no trike either, just a fairly-standard LWB.
I've never thought a flag would help much really.

Concerning the helmet issue, if we were reasonable people we'd all be
wearing helmets in the shower. The main use I found my helmet good for
was preventing sunburns at the hairline on long rides.... -but then, I
also haven't found another /hat/ I'm comfortable with. Yet.
Cowboy?
Mexican?
Boonie?
I don't have any Hawaiian shirts, so I dunno about going with the hat
alone......
~

In alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent on Wed, 20 Jun 2007 14:36:21 -0500

DougC said:

gotbent said:

.....
As I neared home I realized that I forgot my flag. Maybe when I ride today I
forget it again. Maybe I'll forget my helmet too. Ahh, life is good.
.....

I have no flag, but I have no trike either, just a fairly-standard LWB.
I've never thought a flag would help much really.

The only people who have said "get a flag" have been cyclists and
motorcyclists. (Well one of each.)

I got the impression that they were annoyed because they were used to
looking over the top of cars to see other vehicles and couldn't "see"
men for the same reason some people can't "see" two wheelers behind them -
the two wheeler is too narrow and they can't be bothered
headchecking. A quick look over the top of a car might only show the
edge of a wide car and nothing of a narrow bike.

As my Giro seat is the same height as a car seat, I don't seem to have
trouble height wise. I have had the usual quota of peds relying on
hearing rather than sight, but that's about it.

If I was riding a low racer or a trike I suspect I'd want some kind of
marker because so many drivers would find their vehicle or another hid
me from them at the point I want them to know I'm there - when they
are close enough for it to make a difference. They'll be able to see
me at a distance, but if they change position or come from a side
street then they might not be able to.

Zebee

DougC said:

Concerning the helmet issue, if we were reasonable people we'd all be
wearing helmets in the shower. The main use I found my helmet good for
was preventing sunburns at the hairline on long rides.... -but then, I
also haven't found another /hat/ I'm comfortable with. Yet.
Cowboy?
Mexican?
Boonie?

How about a traditional cycling cap? That's what I found works
best, at least for me. Brim will keep out glare and worst of the
rain while not being so big to catch the wind and get blown off. I
guess there's a reason why they ended up the way they did...

Only problem is they're increasingly hard to get because retail
channels assume you want/need a helmet these days.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said:

How about a traditional cycling cap? That's what I found works best, at
least for me. Brim will keep out glare and worst of the rain while not
being so big to catch the wind and get blown off. I guess there's a
reason why they ended up the way they did...

Only problem is they're increasingly hard to get because retail channels
assume you want/need a helmet these days.

Pete.

If/when I get around to buying a hat at all, I'd want it to keep the sun
off all the way around--to avoid needing sunscreen on the nose, ears and
neck too.

Like this one:
http://www.villagehatshop.com/sunbody_cattleman.html
or this-
http://www.villagehatshop.com/riverz_scout_straw_sun_hat.html
~

gotbent said:

...
The trail in Michigan made me realize how much nicer my local trail is,
despite its washboard roughness. The trail has curves and woods and vistas
of the river and if I do my route right I get some hills too (off trail).

There is a short but steep spur that goes to the County Administration
building on the West Bank. There is also the climb onto the bridge
that crosses just to the north of Route 64, and some hills along the
Dean Street connection to the GWT.

What does the old Hillquist Excavating site look like now?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

"Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

gotbent said:

...
The trail in Michigan made me realize how much nicer my local trail is,
despite its washboard roughness. The trail has curves and woods and
vistas
of the river and if I do my route right I get some hills too (off trail).

There is a short but steep spur that goes to the County Administration
building on the West Bank. There is also the climb onto the bridge
that crosses just to the north of Route 64, and some hills along the
Dean Street connection to the GWT.

What does the old Hillquist Excavating site look like now?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

Yes, there are some good climbs on the trail, but not like riding the street
part to get to LeRoy Oakes park and the bits at Valley View. And then there
is my local favorite called Wind Energy Pass. Too bad there's too much
traffic on Raddant Road to blow the stop sign

The Hillquist lot is mostly a barren and desolate place with rolls of chain
link fencing and some gravel piles. There is still a 90°turn past a rocky
wall and another 90° turn onto a sidewalk obscured by some shrubbery *by
Bruce the shrubber, no doubt*. I am a lot more confident taking that corner
quite slowly on the trike than any of my other bikes, current or past.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

gotbent' aka gotbent said:

Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman wrote in messagenews:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

gotbent said:

...
The trail in Michigan made me realize how much nicer my local trail is,
despite its washboard roughness. The trail has curves and woods and
vistas
of the river and if I do my route right I get some hills too (off trail).

Quoted message said:

There is a short but steep spur that goes to the County Administration
building on the West Bank. There is also the climb onto the bridge
that crosses just to the north of Route 64, and some hills along the
Dean Street connection to the GWT.

Quoted message said:

What does the old Hillquist Excavating site look like now?

Yes, there are some good climbs on the trail, but not like riding the street
part to get to LeRoy Oakes park and the bits at Valley View. And then there
is my local favorite called Wind Energy Pass. Too bad there's too much
traffic on Raddant Road to blow the stop sign.

Speaking of Raddant Road, have you ever ridden your Sunset on Sunset
Drive?

Quoted message said:

The Hillquist lot is mostly a barren and desolate place with rolls of chain
link fencing and some gravel piles. There is still a 90°turn past a rocky
wall and another 90° turn onto a sidewalk obscured by some shrubbery *by
Bruce the shrubber, no doubt*.

Then, when you have found the shrubbery, you must place it here beside
this shrubbery, only slightly higher so you get the two-level effect
with a little path running down the middle.

Quoted message said:

I am a lot more confident taking that corner
quite slowly on the trike than any of my other bikes, current or past.

Since the deal for the restaurant apparently fell through, there might
have been some hope for the FVPD to improve this particular trail
feature.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

DougC said:

If/when I get around to buying a hat at all, I'd want it to keep the sun
off all the way around--to avoid needing sunscreen on the nose, ears and
neck too.

Regrettably, wide brims and cycling at any sort of speed are not a happy
pairing. Or I'd wear my Ultimate
(http://www.ultimatehat.com/cart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1) on
the bike as well as when I'm paddling or walking.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Well, I figure a flag gives better visibility. Hey, with the qulaity of
drivers out there they need all the help they can get. So what if there's a
bit of wind resistance, no biggie. I don't wear a helmet, after all my head
isn't 7' off the ground and if a car were to hit me it wouldn't help much
anyway. BTW, Catrike Road. woooohoooooooo

"gotbent" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

The weather was perfect for a ride yesterday. Plopped my ass on the trike
and thouroughly enjoyed a leisurely twenty mile (32.4km) ride on the local
MUT. It was a remarkably pleasant day with bright sun and a clear blue sky
and low humidity.

I spent the weekend riding in Michigan. One ride was on mostly quiet back
roads near Pentwater. Very good ride. Traffic coexisted hpv's. The hills
were a good workout for a flatlander from the burbs west of Monkey Island.
Then I rode a nearby trail and although it was flat it was very straight
and not much more fun than riding the trainer, except for the wonderful
ice cream cone from a dairy that is next to the trail.

The trail in Michigan made me realize how much nicer my local trail is,
despite its washboard roughness. The trail has curves and woods and vistas
of the river and if I do my route right I get some hills too (off trail).

As I neared home I realized that I forgot my flag. Maybe when I ride today
I forget it again. Maybe I'll forget my helmet too. Ahh, life is good.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com