This is a real neat little example of why motorists are full of shit when they pull out the "bicycles slow down traffic" argument when rationalizing their desire for cyclists to not ride on "their road." This article was reposted by Wade at Cycling Tips (link under picture). It's nice to know that cycling to work is more time efficient (and by extension and necessity, more cost, energy, etc.. efficient) in places other than just NYC.
It really cracks me up when a car drives SUPER close behind me when I'm riding in the middle of a lane, in a blatantly passive-aggressive maneuver, passes me as close as their mirrors will allow, and then gets stuck at a red light that I can just blow through (when cross-traffic permits, of course).
One time recently, that exact situation unfolded as I was riding to the bridge on the now bikelane-less Bedford Ave. Since I was kind of in a pissy mood (pre-9am is when you get to meet grouchy erk) to begin with, I passed him at the light and muttered under my breath something to the effect of "go fuck yourself you fucking meathead jackass." Of course he couldn't hear what I said but I think he could see my lips moving because he rolled down his passenger window and said "Yo! did you say something?"
I decided to take a moment while the light was red to learn him some traffic etiquette, and to my surprise he was quite courteous and actually listened to me! He also seemed to concede the facts that (a) I too pay taxes for roadways in the city, and (b) I have just as much right as anyone to use a lane of traffic, regardless my choice of transport.
In hindsight I'm proud of myself for wiping my face of the all too typical inward disgust and loathing associated with overtly aggressive motorists, as I was able to have a meaningful exchange that hopefully benefited another cyclist riding with him later on.
I think it is important to recognize our impact on other cyclists and to not simply worry about our own well being. I've noticed from personal experience that a simple wave or nod (or combination of the two) when a motorist (or anyone else for that matter) does you right, will go a long way to improving everyone's daily lives.
Kim Jong Irrrrr. source unknown.
Gotta give respect to get respect...
Super Badass Racing Bike Buildup Status Update: Apparently NYC Velo lied to me last Tuesday when they said my seatpost and stem were going to be here today... Therefore, unveiling photos will be posted this coming Wednesday. Sorry, I know y'all were dying to see it...
If you live in Brooklyn and ride a bicycle, it is likely that Bedford Avenue is not only convenient for you, but downright necessary. That's why when the city had 14 blocks of it ripped up from Flushing Avenue to Division Avenue last week, pretty much everyone on two wheels got pissed.
A lot of strong words and sweeping accusations were made as to the reasoning behind the bike lane's removal, but in the 'end' nobody's gotten a straight answer from either the Hasidic community through which the lane passed, or any city agencies (It should be noted that the stretch of removed lane lies squarely within the portion of Williamsburg most densely populated by the Hasids) directly responsible.
The silence of the City, to say the least, is rather troubling. I for one don't like knowing that the government (at any scale) has the blatant disregard for its own citizenry to refuse to explain what it is doing, especially when what it is doing has a dramatic and adverse effect on its "green" ambitions and public safety.
For better or worse, hundreds if not thousands of cyclists ride this road every day to access both manhattan via the bridge and North Williamsburg; so it is to be expected that some bored hipsters would get it in their heads to retaliate with the only weapons they have -- art supplies and oodles of free time.
Rumor had it that these "gorillas" (whatever that means) were stopped by the Hasid community watch (Shomrim) who then notified the NYPD, who then arrested those involved. Of course, that rumor came from a Hasidic blog and turned out to be completely false. While both the Shomrim and NYPD showed up, nobody was arrested and nobody was even issued a summons. then again, nobody ever said Hasids held ideals of virtue and truth too high...
Despite what I just wrote, I don't like to pass judgment on a people before I know all I can about them and their customs. I have spent a great deal of time trying desperately to understand the mentality of Hasidic Jews and why they do the seemingly illogical and anti social things they do...
Unfortunately, I have had little to no luck on this front, thanks in large part to the tradition of strict isolationism they practice; so I am left only with speculation. However, there are a few things one can surmise peering in on their society from without:
First, Hasids have a deep-seated belief in "god" (aka yaweh), and must be so convinced both that he exists and that they are his chosen people, they have absolutely no fear of death, which is evidenced by the alarming frequency and heedlessness with which they jaywalk on every roadway that may stand in their way.
What's even worse is the fact that cavalier attitude toward very dangerous traffic sets an extremely bad example for their children, who flit in and out of the roadway with even less care than do their parents.
This is annoying because their principal argument for the Bedford Bike lane's removal is safety for their children, which given their pedestrian habits (pun very much intended) is complete bullshit. Their other argument is that girls on bicycles riding through their neighborhood dress in too racy a manner for their taste, and that for the preservation of their chauvanistic culture, the lascivious display of ankles and shoulders must stop, lest it give their women some crazy idea that they have a right to make decisions for themselves.
Secondly, Hasidic Jews openly dislike anyone falling into their "goiyem" category, and are socially encouraged to extort, defraud, and generally cause indirect financial hardship for anyone not like them.
For people so concerned with persecution and acceptance (nearly every jewish holiday has something to do with their ancestor's problems in Egypt, Palestine, Europe, etc...) they're really quite blind when it comes to reflecting on their own actions.
At any rate, what I found interesting in my research into these religious zealots is that within their hermetic enclave, they have divided into rivaling factions that have such animosity that they can be expected to vote against anything the other votes for. Roughly half of the Hasids in this neighborhood identify either with this guy, Zalman Teitelbaum;
Or this guy, Aaron Teitelbaum.
The particulars of these brothers' connection is complex and largely apochryphal, so i'll just leave it that Zalman, the usurper, hates the Bedford ave bike lane and so naturally, Aaron loves it. So it turns out that several members of the A. Teitelbaum sect were slated to come out to help the hipsters reinstate the bike lane, but made only a token appearance.
Since there is no clear way to make cyclists, hipsters, and Hasids happy; I wonder if something drastic could at least help move things in a positive direction.
What if there were no such things as bike lanes? I had previously tried mightily to rate and explain the pros and cons of bike lanes, though quickly came to the realisation that all bike lanes everywhere suffer from the exact same problems, no matter how they are designed or where they are implemented:
Bike-Salmon,
Double- or otherwise illegally- parked cars,
and pedestrians,
If you think about it, cordoning off a stripe of roadway is extraordinarily convenient for everyone except the cyclists it is supposed to be for. It is a secure area for salmoning where if it did not exist, the salmon might be too frightened to ride upstream. It is an out-of-the-way spot for taxis, delivery trucks, and the Police to park while conducting their business. It is a great place for pedestrians to walk while waiting to jaywalk or hail a cab.
In short, all of these problems might be at least partially solved if bike lanes simply didn't exist. People who double park might feel more self conscious about blocking a dedicated traffic lane as opposed to a bike lane since bikes apparently don't belong on the road anyway. Pedestrians might stay on the sidewalk or at least be more cautious about leading out from between parked cars to jaywalk...
Of course this would stymie our collective effort to get as many people on bikes as possible (as a "green" initiative only), as many riders inexperienced with riding in real traffic would simply opt to take the subway instead out of fear. But imagine for a moment if, due to the lack of bike lanes, thousands of people continued to ride their bicycles, though in traffic and not cowering at the roadside waiting to get sideswiped.
I think it would literally force drivers and pedestrians to once and for all take us seriously as legitimate road users. Also, motorists wouldn't be able to bitch that we're robbing them of a lane anymore, so we'd simultaneously be disarming our most vocal opponents of their most tired tirade.
Though this will never happen. Bike lanes are now the barometer of "green-ness" and if the government can't fool people into thinking it has their best interests in mind with sad little bike lanes, how will we then be fed self-satisfaction?
Sorry about the rant.... and the title-bomb... just had to get this off my chest
So after assuring you that I am officially back to tending the weedy garden that is this blog, I feel somewhat obligated to explain my rather lengthy hiatus from it with what few readers I may have left.
As I had mentioned some time ago, in an extraordinarily good turn of fortune for the firm I essentially embody one half of, we managed to finally secure paying work and as such all available time and efforts were directed at accomplishing our directive to a T.
Coupled with that daytime craziness, I also did two other things which are of some interest to this blog and pertain (at least loosely) to Cycling and/or New York City: First, I moved all of my worldly possessions out of my former residence and moved back to the ghetto.
Now don't get me wrong, Bed-Stuy has it's upsides; twenty-four hour liquor stores, bodegas-a-plenty, and "low rent" to name a few. However, it also sucks in many other less immediately-noticeable ways, like the consistently crummy meat selection among the pitifully few choices of supermarket.
At any rate, I'm staying around the corner from a G train stop now and have had one opportunity so far to witness the hipster (read: white people) inundation of Bed-Stuy firsthand... You see, when I first moved here some eight years ago as a naive college student, most of us knew that going north of Classon Avenue by any means other than taxi or subway was a pretty bad idea. Then two years later a few friends and I moved right to the technical border between Bed-Stuy and Clinton Hill (though real-estate agents like to consider it Fort Greene sometimes) and watched as we went from being an anomalie in that neighborhood to being the old hats that were 'cool' with the locals. Of course the barriers between race, religion, or status of brooklyn's denizens haven't disappeared, they just moved north a ways.
So I feel strangely comforted living here again, I know the 'hood and my new house rocks: pool table, laundry in the basement, backyard, dishwasher, cool peeps; you name it.
I also have a miniature bunny bernard to keep me company:
The second thing that kept me without time for the bloggin' was an architecture/design competition I entered into with some cats from the school days. The deadline hasn't yet passed, and the work doesn't belong to me solely, but if everyone is fine with it, I might do a post later this week with some of the images and a description of the system we designed. I can, however drop something I did that didn't end up getting used in our submission booklet:
A new idea for the massive shortage of physical bike-storage infrastructure in places like Copenhagen is to merely delineate an area of sidewalk or curb-space for amorphous bike parking. Our submission proposed a lit piece of 'intelligent' infrastructure that would keep watch over bikes in it's view...
Working on the project was a lot of fun and I always enjoy getting the creative juices flowing, though I have to say, working in a group has never been my thing. I'm one of those people that wants either complete control or a minimum of responsibility. Of course, that's a secret I'll never let any of my past, present, or future employers onto.
I kind of feel like one of those dogs that keep running their legs after they've been removed from the ground; my brain still operates like there isn't a moment to lose, but my hands can't find things to work on at a complementary rate.
To fill the void I've again taken up working out a complete portfolio for professional marketing (shoot me now), and cycling.
I had felt a little miffed because along with the very-seasonal weather this autumn, my schedule prevented me from putting down the miles I normally would over the weekends and in the evenings... I think my most recent weekly total was on the order of 70 miles, due largely to the fact that my new residence is a good mile and a half closer to work, shaving three miles each day and fifteen miles a week off of that total. Now that I'm a hop, skip, and a jump away from everything I give a damn about in Brooklyn, most of my trips by bike are less than a couple of miles.
Though not all is bad on the cycling front; now that I take the Williamsburg bridge on my commute in, my legs are getting beefier and beefier from climbing the south-side ramp as a shortcut toward Manhattan each day. Also, riding that particular bridge affords me the opportunity to observe hipster 'culture' "on the ground," as they say in journalistic parlance.
But hipsters are known to be skittish of other cyclists and bikes, particularly those with both good bike handling skills, multiple gear ratios, or uncoordinated 'colorways'; so I decided to disguise my road bike by outfitting it with this bad boy in the carbon materialway:
Yeeeeah, thats right; that's a HED3. on my bike. for real.
After a harrowing crash into a hasidic child last weekend, I completely cleaned and fixed the bike so it's tip-top again, and this tri-spoke looks killer on it and is the perfect addition to my ride.
I must admit that while I really wish I did, I didn't actually purchase this wheel; I'm borrowing it from a friend who seems to be delighfully unconcerned that I'm zipping around on something that costs nearly as much as the bike itself.
Maybe after a week or so of riding the HED I'll have a better idea of it's pros and cons, but after a couple hours on it so far, I can see why people drop serious cash on carbon wheels; the ride is remarkably supple and yet the steering is incredibly snappy and responsive. The only downside I have yet percieved is that the wide spoke blades catch cross breezes like theres no tomorrow and since its so damn light, a strong East River gust could put you off course if you're not careful.
I think my favourite part of riding with this wheel is that it makes cool and intimidating noises depending on the air movement around it; in a crosswind going very fast it sounds like a muffled helicopter, though still quite audible (thp-thp-thp). With a headwind the chopping noise gets a little louder until you reach a certain speed where you can literally feel the wheel begin to knife the air in two.
Literally... that's not an exaggeration, this thing cuts the air like marshmallows get mugged in Bed-Stuy -
I was dismayed to read that a new ghost bike has been chained to a signpost at Fulton and Washington where Julian Miller was fatally struck by a motorcyclist on September 18.
I really don't feel like getting into a road rules debate right now, but this article about what supposedly lead to her and the motorcyclist's death kind of got under my skin...
The article even relates one person's corroboration of reports of two guys on crotch-rockets racing up and down Greene Ave before the incident. I've got nothing wrong with clubs, or even gangs, that center around a particular vehicle, hobby, or sport; but I'm pretty sure everyone in Brooklyn is intimately familiar with the growing popularity of driving a motorcycle like a goddamn maniac in the middle of the night. So why aren't we doing something about the ones who are flagrantly disobeying both common sense and local law; and instead pleading with cyclists to be more "defensive," "watchful," and "vigilant" of them?
Since when is it the duty of the law-abiding citizen to accommodate the transgressions of the law-breaking citizen? All this mentality does for us is perpetuate this disgusting culture of fear we've submitted to both consciously and unconsciously.
Though after reading the "account" of what transpired, it seems that Ms. Miller was salmoning up Greene or riding off the sidewalk between cars in the dark of night.
If you'll recall, I recently be-frogged my bike in a clever lightway that helps me and my penchant for dark clothing stay visible when riding after hours, and as a result I've become keenly aware of many bikes' extreme lack of illumination. I don't want to encourage people to bedazzle their bikes with those stupid peel-n-stick neon green reflectors, but some lights or reflectors are always a good thing (bear in mind, if you have lights theres really no point in having reflectors too, since the light should outshine the light bouncing off the reflector; if it doesn't, you need new batteries for your lights).
I've also started riding around Prospect Park on Tuesday and Thursday evenings since I'm somewhat unhappy with the speed my fitness allows me to ride at. In doing so I notice an irritatingly common problem with bicycle traffic at this time of day: people salmoning, lightless, through the pitch-dark park to (I assume) save a few seconds on their evening commute.
But recently I haven't been vocalizing my disdain for bike salmon, and instead have adopted a live-and-let-live policy, only saying something when they directly affect my safety or path of travel. I figure nobody wants to get lectured at anyway, and hopefully one day they'll realize that riding with traffic is far less scary than the opposite by their own volition.
Then again, the Police certainly aren't helping the situation (that is assuming they lead by example, which we all know, they don't), as evidenced by this occurence I was fortunate enough to capture this morning as I walked my bike to the service entrance of my office building:
Yes, thoust eyes dostn't decieve thee; that is indeed a Cop-salmon. I thought i was going to catch him sidewalk-salmoning, but right as I managed to free my camera from my bag, he rode into the new protected bike lane on Broadway... Oh well, this just as bad if not worse in my opinion.
Not to leave you with a sour taste for cycling, I was heartened to see that the Bergen St. 2,3 station in Brooklyn now boasts bike racks for commuters to use.
I only wish we could see this at every train station instead of having people to resort to vertical locking jobs on scarce bike racks, fences and signposts... But it's nice to see people are at least riding part of the way to work...
Today I found a video of the realness I had discovered and re-posted on Tuesday evening which was quickly removed from YouTube for what I can only imagine are legal reasons.
Well, that's all the realness for today because I actually have (for a change) things to work on for a job interview in Long Island City tomorrow afternoon.
While I desperately need gainful employment, I worry (as one always will) about a number of things in the event that I like the place and they offer me the job.
First, I fear it may be a bike-hating office that will either frown upon my cycling to work, or demand that I lock it up outside in a shady industrial waterfront area, which needless to say, I'd be none too stoked about. Though with a little luck, I may wind up with (gasp!) job satisfaction and a place to park my bike (and shower, but there's a snowball's chance in hell of that being the case). Interestingly, I found out recently that the bicycle accessibility law that was passed (a) doesn't go into enforcement until December, and (b) only applies to New York County, not the outer boroughs.
Also, This may afford me the opportunity to expand my BLRI and LBSR reports since LIC isn't a place I frequently visit; and I'd have two opportunities daily to observe the goings on of hipster culture in all its hues as my commute would necessarily cut straight through the heart of Williamsburg.
I suppose the downside of all this would be that the bloggin' would likely have to be placed on the back burner unless I can find time after work or on lunch breaks to post things.
Anywho, wish me luck; I'll report on it all tomorrow. 'Til then, ride safe and don't forget your fenders this weekend, it looks like it'll be a bit soggy out.
Wow, unlike last week and the week before, these past few days have shaped up to be a bit more interesting than usual. The weather has become cloudy and dour, reminding me of the autumnal Septembers of my youth, back when the planet wasn't in quite as dramatic ecological decline.
Though the cozy colors of fall haven't yet shown themselves, I notice the weather turning cooler and the mornings becoming noticeably chillier... Hopefully we'll have a broader transition between oppressive heat and cutting cold this year than years past, though one can only hope. If we do get a gradient of weather that carries us predictably into winter, I've got at least a few more months that I can ride the Allez to and from work comfortably.
Riding through rain, sleet, or snow for months on end isn't something I'd really want to subject any mechanical device to, so naturally I've been flirting with the idea of buying a beater to get to and from work on and run errands in an effort to protect the road bike from less than ideal weather and temperatures. Since I'm not made of money like many cyclists are, I can't really afford anything that won't annoy the crap out of me without the replacement of a lot of parts, at which point I would honestly be better off just buying a built-up used frame from an LBS like BByB.
Fortunately for these apprehensions, I discovered a promotion by Specialized for their new brand Globe, which is geared (pun very much intended) toward urban commuters.
It seems that in an effort to generate grass-roots publicity, they're [loaning?] bikes to bloggers in exchange for being mentioned in posts a couple times per week. Of course, seeing as I now ride my bike seven days a week, that would be as easy as being a corrupt police official in New York.
You're supposed to post a link to your blog on their facebook page and show an interest in cycling to some degree which struck me as a deviously clever scheme to get "fans" of their company who have yet to actually try their product by cornering the facebooking crowd (thats basically everyone these days right?).
Anyway, seeing an opportunity to break into the time honored blogging tradition of reviewing stuff for companies, I of course became a fan of globe bikes and posted a link to here on their wall along with zillions of other bloggers and bloggers-to-be. Then this morning I logged in to facebook only to find that Globe bikes finds JSYNYC to be a "Cool blog."
They went on to say that they'll be making their decisions soon (if that was obscured by my excitement) and I do hope they let me review one of their new rides. Of course, I wonder which variety of "urban bike" (which for some reason translates into single-speed these days) they'll pair me with should they deem my posts conducive to their pandering.
Anyway, if they read this or not, I'll say right now that the free bike is going to be the default bad weather bike and the Allez will stay high and dry in the apartment. I'm sure they expect the bikes to come back with some amount of wear, because to properly understand the strengths and limitations of any product, one has to use the hell out of it. I think carting me to and from work on salty streets is about as much abuse as any bike could get, especially considering I ride hard enough to wear through a brand new chain in less than a year...
They might front me one of these dapper looking be-racked bikes which comprise the majority of their lineup:
I don't know if I'll be using it as beach furniture or for hauling casement windows, but I do have a very real need for added carrying capacity that will be much needed in coming months. However, I kind of hope to get one of the "Roll" bikes that appear to have a more aggresive frame geometry than the slow pedalers above, even though they're cheesily pre-fab single speeds.
It boasts a flip-flop hub for when you decide you're skilled enough to ride fixed, and white tires for added style. Also, I'm proud to announce that they offer this frame in "kiwi" which looks to be pretty darn close to the BADA55 'colorway' that I use to point things out or grade bike lanes on this blog. While I'm not one to be loud and outgoing about my clothing or accouterments, I think it would be magnificently ironic if I pedaled around on a garishly painted green bike as opposed to my usual black and white bike (oddly, they also offer the Roll in the ghost-bike 'colorway' as well, though that seems a little morbid to me).
Anyway, heres hoping I get a bike worth the trouble of twice a week saying "...so I rode the Globe in today..." And if you post semi-regularly, I encourage you to benefit from the marketing ploys of bike companies as well; one can never own too many bikes.
I was reading the blogs this morning and came across a tidbit of public design news that piqued my interest. Apparently Kent Ave is, as of yesterday, beginning a conversion into a northbound-only street for car and truck traffic. the bike lanes on either side of the current, two-way road will be combined into the rarely seen two-way bike lane.
I'm no sociologist or city planner, though I must express my apprehension about this move by the city. Though the multi-directionality will be preserved for bicycles, forcing southbound car and truck traffic through the middle of Hasidim will only serve to further strain the tenuous relationship between Williamsburg's landlords and their hipster tenants.
Wythe and Bedford Avenues are vital thoroughfares from Williamsburg through to Pratt (a known hipster breeding ground), and compose a significant portion of "The Great Hipster Silk Route." And though Hasids have raised a (metaphorical) stink about the immodest behavior of hipsters as they pass through their archaic enclave, they will likely find that a few bicycles is nothing compared to the rumbling delivery trucks and reggaeton-blasting Puerto Rico-mobiles that will be diverted into their lives.
On the topic of being resented for the pitfalls of society, I've officially become a jaded cyclist.
I commute to work in Manhattan from Brooklyn every single day I am able, as you no doubt have noted given the abundance of BLRI posts and road-use rants on this blog. In the eight months that I have unshackled myself from the MTA, my reactions to unfortunate traffic situations have morphed from a burning, holier-than-thou rage to passive irritation, and ultimately into the cold, stony ire of inward disdain that I am now only capable of emoting.
Whether I publicly acknowledged it or not, I've mentally flip flopped on a lot of issues in that time; Salmoning, bike lane abuse, and pedestrian oblivity top the list. I am torn between my desire to admonish idiots and intellectual modesty. I have tried numerous times to follow legal and socially acceptable routes of retribution to little or no avail; and conversely, I've also often done the exact opposite to similar effect.
Thankfully there are articles like this one, wherein commentors tragically berate one another with sweeping accusations and generalizations. I am reminded, while reading the shortsighted irritance, that life, like a bicycle, is composed of lots of different parts that serve a variety of useful functions.
While many people would like to think that they are the bottom brackets of the world (around which all power is revolved and within which it is stabalized), the truth is that most people are just cogs on the rear wheel of life; easily replaceable and fairly cheap.
Lastly (that I can draw an allusion to right now, anyway) is the saddle, the ass sweat-soaked ivory tower upon which the bloated rump of reality sits. These are the rare idealists and thinkers who know no better existence than altruistic pursuits of widespread peace and comfort. Their job is a thankless one, and resenting that fact, are known to imitate the petty tomfooleries of other ignored parts, though to much more dramatic ends: (warning: NSFW)
I really didn't do much of anything this weekend. My boss doesn't feel it's necessary to pay me on time anymore and the moohare was up in Boston, so I was at a loss for what to do with my scarce funds and ample free-time.
I joined a (different) few friends who were biking up to go camping on Bear Mountain on Saturday morning and accompanied them as far as Nyack, not wanting to get back to Brooklyn too late. I have to say one of the weirdest feelings I've felt recently was when I rode back through Manhattan on that Saturday night after having biked over a hundred miles to Bear Mountain and back. I've never felt so out of place as I did looking haggard and dripping sweat at traffic lights in the village, as perfumed young socialites and wannabe players strutted by.
The ride through New Jersey was the same as it always is, so I opted to forgo bringing the camera since it would just be a reiteration of previous posts. However, Instead of taking the Williamsburg bridge, as I had on past trips, we used the Manhattan Bridge and cut across Soho to the WSH. We rode from Bed-Stuy along Flushing toward Dumbo, passing the impound lot and turning onto Sands st.
The last time I rode on any of these streets, they were either in complete disrepair or under construction (which is frequently worse for cyclists than simply dealing with the crappy roads). For that reason, I usually commute from Prospect Heights, where I live, through downtown Brooklyn to access the bridges. That route has become a force-of-habit and my commute is getting to be a little stale; so to shake things up a bit, I took a fairly different route this morning in order to present this double-edition BLRI!!!!
As I do most every day, I rode Vanderbilt Avenue northbound after turning off of my picturesque, brownstone-lined slice of Brooklyn. I usually opt to use this avenue at the outset of most of my trips by bicycle because it boasts both well-maintained bike lanes and conscientious pedestrians. It should be noted, however, that the amicability of the locals and light traffic seem to breed salmon (especially of the sidewalk variety).
Continuing across Atlantic Avenue, the bike lane sadly disappears and one must forcefully seize a lane from the clutches of vile Livery cars. The road quality is dramatically lower than before despite passing through what is in my opinion, one of Brooklyn's most beautiful neighborhoods, Fort Greene.
While I'm no fan of Neo-Gothic 'Architecture,' I've always enjoyed having silly buildings (like this private school) in and around my neighborhood, if for no better reason than to have something to joke about. It's useful in the way those kitschy Urban Outfitters trinkets are; a springboard for sematic debates about the rediculousness of consumerism and the wayward souls who are comforted by it.
Continuing past the BQE toward the Brooklyn Navy Yard, I was surprised to see a motorcycle shop x vespa dealership collabo (I'll be damned, they're growing in popularity):
It is my opinion that while scooters are a more reasonable choice of transport in congested cities than cars are; their continued use of gasoline and the haughty sense of self-righteousness they foster in their owners are just plain bad for society. (OK, I started to go off on a tangent about how much scooter-ers bug me, so I'm gonna reserve that for a later post).
After passing the police impound lot on Navy St, I turned onto Sands St. which has been wonderfully re-designed as the most bicycle conscious street NYC has presented me with! For that reason, this street will hold top-slot as the only A+ I will ever issue (unless if course this becomes the norm and then there's just no point in continuing the BLRI except to bitch).
I can't believe we actually have this kind of bike lane in Brooklyn! These are without a doubt the best kind (I bet Arup designed it)! As far as I know (and I bike a lot) this is the first of it's kind in NYC, as it is a noticeably brand-spankin'-new iteration of what has been done for years in places like Copenhagen.
Sands St., though a measly two blocks in length, has been transformed into what is arguably the best solution for cyclist - motorist altercations. Notice how the bike lanes are separated by a median and are located at the center of the road instead of in the door-swing range of parked cars. Also note (if you can) that the bike lanes, median, and stripey area are elevated about 6 inches above the car's lane. This is exactly what needs to be done with all streets to quell the incessant bickering between cabbies (who of course need to drop off and pick up passengers somewhere) and the cyclists they routinely cut off.
Unfortunately, most streets here are one way (despite what one would gather from the bourgoning salmon population) and despite its simplicity, this method of bike-lane separation may not work everywhere.
Continuing over the bridge and up through the city along my usual route, I decided that in the day's spirit of new routes, I'd try to ride up Park Ave instead of turning on 13th and taking 6th Ave as I normally would. I had tried this the very first day I commuted to work by bike and didn't have the grapes to try it again, though I was much less experienced with cycling in Manhattan at that point.
Now that I'm a bona-fide city cyclist, Park Avenue seemed like a walk in the park compared to 6th Ave (which you'll remember was recently awarded the BLRI rating of F), despite not having any bicycle designations or markings.
I think as long as you're comfortable riding between cars at around 20 mph Park Ave is definitely safer than using the 'bike lane' on 6th or the dumb separated paths on 8th or 10th. Speaking of which, has anyone else noticed that there are virtually no good bike-paths to take you downtown?
Riding into work today, I was happy to find that it (as it has been the past few days) was a very comfortable temperature for cycling. Feeling sprightly and refreshed from my 'rest day' yesterday, I zipped quickly over the bridge, leaving in my wake many emasculated fixters.
Well, I suppose they don't really care how fast they're going anyway, as you can see from this track bike's handlebar statement. I think what is meant by this is instead "fuck multiple gear ratios and the ability to shift."
Then again perhaps I'm wrong and this person literally objects to any toothed cogs without exception... Since there's no side view of the bike, it is impossible to tell; but I hope it belongs to one of fixed-gear-riding's lesser-known fringe groups: the un-fixed riders.
Known to be vehemently against any sort of gain ratio or mechanical advantage whatsoever, the un-fixed riders will shuffle along, finally making use of their day-glo top-tube pads, while the pedals dangle arbitrarily at the side. Undoubtedly, only the most 'hard-core' of the fixter scene would be admitted to the chain-free ranks of un-fixedness.
(I really encourage you to follow the above link and take note that UO has attempted to re-brand itself as a bike shop; meaning they sell bar grips and knog lights in all sorts of different 'colorways'.)
Having dropped the fixies like a bunch of Fabian Cancellaras on stage seven of the tour this morning, I decided to document one of my most travelled streets in the city. Directly after a few ironic switchbacks coming off the Manhattan bridge, most everyone who isn't heading downtown rides north on chrystie st to Delancey or Houston (or beyond, but more on that in a moment). Being a bi-directional street, it has major differences between the south-bound and north-bound sides.
Riding north in the mornings along the bike lane on Chrystie is pleasant only after you pass Grand st. which is apparently the bermuda triangle for asian minivan pilots and delivery trucks (seriously, nobody at that intersection knows which way they want to go). Beyond there it is OK as long as you avoid wayward delivery salmon and, well, the bike lane.
Due to abundant debris consisting of shattered glass, twigs, trash, and rocks, the bike-lane is actually three or so feet to the left of where it has been designated on the pavement (as highlighted by the BADA55 lines). Motorists usually give you space on this side, and lacking a sidewwalk, is relatively ped-free. With the power vested in me by myself, I hereby confer upon this stretch of Chrystie St. the Bike-Lane-Rideability-Index (BLRI) grade of:
Not too bad all things considered... As I've said before and of which you may already be aware, it is a two way street and as such, warrants multiple analyses.
The SB side is almost the antithesis of the NB side; alike in kind though opposite in every positive and negative way. Where the NB side touts added width the SB side shrinks to near useless levels; where the NB side is sidewalk and parallel parking free for much of its course, on the SB side, there is no relief from jaywalking pedestrians or the door-swing-zone. Most notable are the 'rollers' along the SB bike lane; small but gentle rises and dips in the poorly laid blacktop test your bike's construction as well as your grip (not too tight, not too loose).
Though you risk being cut off by besuited station-wagoners, the SB side is the primary lead up to the Manhattan bridge and benefits from this monopoly as most people are fairly aware that during rush hour, zillions of cyclists pass through here.
Interestingly, chrystie street morphs from a two way street into south-bound-only 2nd Ave. It is at this point I have been lucky enough to witness a 'fork in the road,' so to speak, where cyclists choose either to find a legal and safe route north, or they gloriously transform into bike-salmon, fighting upstream to reach what I imagine are the UES spawning grounds. The small UES frys have been known to learn the salmoning art from their parents in the eddies of the Central Park loop before venturing down to Brooklyn when their fathers freeze the trust-fund (to teach them 'responsibility') before awarding them full partnerships in their law firms.
So today I'll regale you with three tales of gore and intrigue... Firstly, on Tuesday evening, as I was cycling home down Christye St. about to come to the base of the Manhattan bridge, I was suddenly cut off by a silver station wagon that had been driving to my left and slightly in front of me. Thanks to my cat-like reflexes, I was able to avoid riding headlong into the rear windshield; though I didn't avoid contact altogether.
Since I was riding with my hands on the brake hoods, my right-hand knuckles went onto the tail-light of the offending Volvo, though I didn't realize this until later... Thinking I had just bumped into the car, I stopped riding to admonish the driver for not yielding to bicycle traffic, but he beat me to the punch, so to speak. The guy jumps out of his car and starts cussing me out at the top of his lungs, insisting that I intentionally and maliciously punched his car, 'cause as he said, "I see you people hit cars all the time! Don't try and act like it was an accident!"
By "you people" I can only assume he meant bike messengers, since they're usually the only cyclists in this city that are skilled and confident enough to tap a moving vehicle while evading the threat and not falling over. Actually I was somewhat flattered to be mistaken for the one of the "bad boys of cycling", though I'm not entirely certain of what led him to think I'm a messenger, I suppose it has something to do with my being on a bike, while wearing a backpack, since as we all know, backpacks are worn solely by messengers and no one else.
Once he felt his tirade was complete, he got back into his car and sped away, leaving me incredulous, staring after him. Then, trying to get pen and paper from my backpack to report him, I noticed that my middle finger looked a lot like this though on the other hand and more bloodied (sorry, I didn't have a camera with me that day):
I wish I had been able to remember the name of the lawyer in Carlito's Way, but alas, I'm terrible at coming up good insults on the fly. Anyway, he looked just like that character, so needless to say, it was pretty disheartening to get told off by a curly little punk like that. To make a long story short, it took me a while to both re-locate my finger and forget the guy's diatribe.
To help get my mind away from my worldly troubles, I escaped to the cozy confines of the Tour de France, reveling in the cyclists' determination. However, there certainly are traffic fiascos in the pro peloton too. Watching stage six end on wet catalan streets this morning, I just knew we could expect some spectacular crashes. Behold! Within three kilometers to the finish of a 181.5km stage, famed coke-head and German national road-racing champion, Tom Boonen (pronounced bonin' [as in fornication, yes...]) slips on a road marking, taking out 5-6 other riders in the process.
Unfortunately for Boonen and those other guys, when you're in a crash that close to the finish, they count the time gap instead of giving you the same time as everyone else (as was discussed yesterday) as when the peloton finishes.
Lastly, Mark Cavendish is yet again wearing the green jersey despite the best efforts of Thor Hushovd the stage's winner. During the ritual re-donning of the jersey, he sure didn't look too happy about having to actively defend it tomorrow.
Since tomorrow's stage is a highly anticipated mountain course where Armstrong, Contador, and Cancellara are expected to battle it out for the maillot jaune, the likelihood that the 'dish (strictly a sprinter) will be able to keep the points jersey is pretty slim. It's OK though Mark, I know someone who feels your pain. perhaps he can offer some consolation in song form:
Without a doubt, one of the more touching odes to self worth.
I flew back to Houston for the weekend not to celebrate July 4th in typical Texas style, but to attend my parent's 25th wedding anniversary celebrations at the Sweetwater Country Club complete with a five course sit-down dinner, and upper-lip-biting/fist-clenched dancing only white people can pull off.
I have to say, my folks put together quite a soiree that evening, and despite the cheesy, bourgeois decor it was definitely a night to be remembered. (This is not to say I could've done any better, If it was possible and left up to me, all social gatherings would take place at ominously emotive sites.) I think my favorite part of the party was the kransekage, or horn of plenty, filled with chocolate covered strawberries.
Of course, I didn't forget that Saturday was the start of the Tour de France, though much to my chagrin, Tennis rules the tube at my father's house during the summer. Saturday morning, we sat around watching the men's singles final at Wimbledon. After a gripping exchange of fuzzy balls, Andy Roddick, another extraordinary Austinite, narrowly lost the match to Roger Federer, the swiss tennis master. I felt really bad for Andy because he really played his heart out and just couldn't beat Federer, who in winning, claimed his 15th grand slam title; more than any other tennis player ever.
Lance was also bummed that his countryman was bested by Federer, though rode strongly on both Saturday and Sunday, and currently is within the top 10 at the Tour... Bored of the post-match commentary, I decided to take my father's Bianchi Volpe out for a spin on the wide and luxurious Braes Bayou bike path.
Braving the 100+ degree heat, I rode next to this above-ground-sewer into the medical center and then up through downtown and then back on city streets. Pouring sweat, I realized two important things:
1. Its dumb to go outside for longer than 10 minutes in Houston without mass amounts of water.
2. Cycling caps aren't strictly a fashion statement, they keep stinging, salty sweat from dripping into your eyes, blinding you.
However, despite the sweltering humidity and sun, I've always held this bike path as an ideal of sorts. It is bumpy in spots and certainly could be maintained better, though being separated from cars by 50'-100' of verdant esplanade is a frustrated city-cyclist's dream. The bike lane even forks at cross-streets so you can choose if you want to go under the bridge, closer to the bayou, or up to the intersection, breaking up the monotonous Houston flatness while being a commuter's dream.
This in mind, I've decided someone needs to work toward a rating system for bike lanes so that one can know what to expect from given stretches of roadway around the 5boros. Since I don't have the manpower of Google, and find Map My Ride and Bikely useful though not informative enough, I'm going to assign a grade to city roads I ride for the benefit of my readers as I ride them. I had meant to start this earlier but I didn't have a benchmark for the extremes of the grade scale.
Well, using Braes Bayou as a jump off point makes this somewhat easier. So to officially start the Just-Say-Yes-NYC Bike-Lane-Rideability-Index (BLRI), I present the first (rarely seen) grade of A to braes bayou:
Cartainly this isn't a noteworthy grade without something to compare it to... lets take Broadway's new separated bike lane between 26th and 33rd sts:
This morning I decided I would try a new route for my commute. Instead of traveling east, through downtown Brooklyn to get on the Manhattan bridge, I opted to ride north (from my recently-named historical neighborhood!) and use the Williamsburg bridge instead. This new route was, for me, an attempt to get a change of scenery on the daily slog to the office, and as such, one should not construe that I was trying to pursue either a time or safety benefit...
I turned onto Bedford Ave. and rode north on its ample bike lane which I must say, was far more pleasant than I expected, though I certainly did encounter my fair share of double parked cops, delivery drivers and salmoning crackheads. With the exception of a cumbersome crossover at the intersection of Rogers + Bedford Aves, and Dean st, Bedford is actually a pretty nice street to bike down. Even the salmon don't bother you as much since the bike lane is so friggin' wide; and since Bedford isn't that commercialized, you don't get so many delivery trucks using that ample space to unload large and unwieldy things.
Of course, any Brooklynite will tell you, Bedford Ave is a long-ass street, and as such, varies greatly from hood to hood. So Just to be clear, I'm referring only to Bedford between Eastern Parkway and the BQE, because north of there it becomes an entanglement of fixed-gear willyburgers, jaywalking hasids, and turn-signal-oblivious livery drivers.
Seeing as I rarely ride into the city on the Williamsburg Bridge, I took the opportunity to document my surroundings before heading into the city. Interestingly, the ride over the bridges is different depending on which direction you're going (for instance, taking the MBinto manhattan is a much easier climb and faster descent than going the opposite way).
Also, this afforded me the opportunity to better familiarize myself with the area around the MUP on-ramp. I was riding the other direction a few weeks ago and saw this little ghost bike chained to a parking sign and assumed the worst...
Naturally, I guessed the ghost bike was for a little boy or girl since the bike is so small and in what looks like reasonably good shape, aside from being spray-painted white. Determined to use this sad story as the subject of a KIRT post, I went over and took a better photo of it and read the dedication that was paint-markered in blue on the chainguard:
As I've underlined (in hexidecimal: BADA55) the victim was apparently "26 years young." While I'm still bummed out that this ghost bike has to be here, I feel duped by those who erected the memorial. You can't use a 6-year-old's bike if you're 26, unless of course you happen to be a bear in the circus. Even that is a stretch because the incedence of cycling-bear fatalaties is relatively low these days, especially those due to motorist carelessness.
In hopes to lower the rate of car-cyclist-pedestrian altercations, the city has been closing down certain squares and parts of the avenues to automobile traffic. First Times Sq. and Herald Sq. were closed to north/south traffic, and now broadway is getting new "Protected Bike lanes" from Herald Sq. to 25th st. or so that reduce broadway down to one southbound lane. I happen to work right along that stretch of Broadway, and have been monitoring the progress of the bike lane for some time now. The most recent improvement were signs stating that cars are prohibited from parking or driving in the bike lane. Of course, this is just another sign for motorists to ignore:
The funny thing is, this car must have had to pull over into the hatched area, and then backed up to be halfway into the bike lane like that. I snapped this picture as the owner of the offending Honda came out of a store and shot me a disapproving look. Oh well, commuters in this city are no stranger to vindictive motorists in the bike lane...
At least the bike lane has big friendly arrows painted on the ground to remind bike-salmon of their misdeeds and give creedance to my pleas for uni-directional cycling. In fact, one time, as i had just mounted my bike to ride home for the day, I encountered a woman erratically salmoning up broadway and as she passed me, front wheel flapping this way and that, I gently told her that "bike lanes are one way, just like the streets are for cars." Once she processed what I had said she called back to me "No they're not!" Well, salmoners, take this (from NYC traffic law):
'Bicyclists cannot ride against the flow of traffic. Ride with traffic to avoid accidents' NYCDOT Section4-12 article p.4.v
Here are a number spectacular fails for you viewing pleasure:
1. The Revolution 2 velodrome crash from 2007.... gruesome.
...at least the dude in last place prior to the pile-up probably won afterward, I don't think they stop these races unless a crash blocks the whole track.
2. This one shows why I'm not a mountain-biker:
...ouch
3. Here's a series showing why its dumb to hold an umbrella while cycling:
Strangely, I see people doing this all the time on my commute. Gotta remember, when its raining, all puddles should be treated as though they are pot-holes.
Ride safely friends...
update: I apologize that the youtube videos get cut off on the right side of the page... I'm working it out and should have it lookin' seamless and cool by the time i post next. erk
I notice lots of amusing similarities in the different modes of transport used by people commuting. I watch the daily parade of bike commuters in much the same way as I used to observe the mayhem of the commute in Houston Texas, where I used to live. In car-centric cultures such as those in the west, your transportation is an extension of yourself; as it is chosen, maintained, and driven by one person, the car presents the personality of the driver in ways few appreciate. I like to poke fun at other commuters mostly because it beats road rage (or bike lane rage, as the case may be), and because I'm sure they will pigeon-hole me in turn.
So all in good fun, here are some similarities I've drawn between the car-commuter culture of Texas and the bike-commuter culture of the concrete jungle:
The Cruiser: Automotive equivalent: 50's era, south-beach-appropriate convertible. Naturally opposed to hard labor and effort, the operator of the cruiser is a precarious type of commuter. While not concerned so much with outright speed or handling, beach cruisers have fragile egos and will not hesitate to test their mettle against those whose speed or agility might highlight their shortcomings. Use caution when passing cruisers, they are wide, fickle and likely to take being passed personally.
The Wilderness Master: Automotive equivalent: Jeep, or other capable 4X4.
Popularized by denizens of the rocky mountains, this mode of transport is not for the faint of heart or users with specific goals. Generally taken as the "go-anywhere-do-anything-bike" MTB's are popping up in urban areas as well as more rural settings due to this assumption of utility. While a road bikes can speed along quickly and efficiently, they're restricted to the beaten path, a concept abhorrent to the true MTB-er. In new york, however, they have been sadly reduced to mere delivery trucks. Though rest assured, If there happens to be a mountain between you and your Chinese food, it can get to you (if the delivery guy is feeling up to it, that is) aboard this sturdy steed.
The McGuyver: Automotive equivalent: Woodsided station wagon
A not-so-rare sight on the commute is the McGuyver commuter. You can't miss him cause he's got reflective tape on nearly all the parts of his cobbled together steel road bike, and usually wears a 20 year-old BELL helmet that probably wouldn't do a damn thing were it in a collision. He rides on the same gum-sided tires he's always had, and palps a wheel generator to power an enormous headlight and whatever other silly gadgets that might be attached. Don't let McGuyvers fool you, when they aren't commuting, they're slaying centuries on the weekends and could drop you like a hot rock while barely breaking a sweat.
The Weekend Warrior: Automotive Equivalent: Ferrari (or other equal super-car)
Ever since the stock market tanked a while back, these commuters are rarer and rarer sights. When they still had their lucrative, pencil-pushing jobs, the weekend warriors would roll out of their carpeted garages on carbon wonder bikes that cost more than most normal people's cars do. It is not advisable to pass a weekend warrior on a weekday or in any non-race setting because mentally, they're always in race-mode, and feel obligated to show everyone how awesome, fast, and kewl they are. It has been rightly speculated that this is the cycling equivalent of dipstick measuring.
The Roadie: Automotive equivalent: Audi A5
Similar in kind to the weekend warrior, these commuters ride sporty road bikes and like to go fast, though on a budget. The difference between the two has much to do with economy as it does temperament. Because the roadie embraces the need for both performance and utility, commuting is just convenient week-day training that saves on subway fare. though rarely seen wearing Lycra on the commute, these cyclists have the hearts of weekend warriors and the good sense of the McGuyvers.
The IT: Automotive equivalent: The IT
Craftier cyclists that aren't content with conventional bicycle design opt for strange and beguiling methods as seen here. ITs (or "recumbent bikes" as they are apparently known) are frequently operated by mechanical engineers of the baby-boom generation. Whatever you do, abstain from asking them about theirbizarre riding style or be prepared to suffer a lecture on the mechanical efficiency of their bicycle. Don't think that because the light changed, you can ride away from their tirade, their recumbent position allows them to talk at length without falling short of breath.
While this list certainly isn't complete, I thought it would be fun to start and perhaps add to as I notice more or decide to risk shit-talking the fixter scene.
Oh yeah, In other news, That asshole Menchov won the Giro, despite totally eating shit on the cobbles less than half a km from the finish. That wheelsucker didn't win by riding fast, he won by gluing himself to DiLuca's wheel for the last half of the race. Jerk
I practice architecture, cycling, loafing, and speculating on a daily basis. Writing this blog is, for me, a way to speak with myself and others about strange things I notice each day. While people may not always agree with my views, I hope that perhaps my rants and lame attempts at jokes encourage readers to take note of their surroundings and learn to laugh a little at the circus that is life.
