BIKE: RE: Forum-bicycleaustin.info Digest, Vol 12, Issue 26

[Michelle Schreiber]

I'm glad that article about sprawl appeared in LA...Last week's NY Times
Magazine
had a horrible article trying to make a good case for more cars and more
roads,
even though the writer himself actually skates and rides a bicycle to work!
The argument was weak and flabbergasting...


> [Original Message]
> From: <forum-bicycleaustin.info-request>
> To: <forum-bicycleaustin.info>
> Date: 9/29/2004 2:01:37 PM
> Subject: Forum-bicycleaustin.info Digest, Vol 12, Issue 26
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
>    1.  sprawl unhealthy (Thorne)
>    2.  Touring Bike or Recumbent for commute? (John SomdeCerff)
>    3. Re:  Touring Bike or Recumbent for commute? (Librik or Babich)
>    4. Re:  Touring Bike or Recumbent for commute? (David Dobbs)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 14:22:21 -0500
> From: Thorne <jeffrey.thorne>
> Subject: BIKE: sprawl unhealthy
> To: <forum>
> Message-ID: <435iibTwV6112S10.1096399341>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> In a nutshell, living in a sprawled city adds four years to your age. 
Who can
> afford that?
>
> Sept. 27, 2004  |  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Warning: Suburban sprawl may be
> hazardous to your health. A report released Monday found that people who
live
> in sprawling metropolitan areas are more likely to report chronic health
> problems such as high blood pressure, arthritis, headaches and breathing
> difficulties than residents of more compact cities. 
>
> The difference -- which remained even when researchers accounted for
factors
> such as age, economic status and race -- may have something to do with
the way
> people get around in more spread-out cities. 
>
> "People drive more in these areas; they walk less," said Roland Sturm,
> co-author of the report by Rand Corp., a nonprofit research group. 
>
> The report suggests that an adult who lives in a sprawling city such as
> Atlanta will have health characteristics similar to someone four years
older,
> but otherwise similar, who lives in a more compact city like Seattle. 
>   
>  * * * 
>
> The study analyzed information from more than 8,600 people in 38
metropolitan
> areas. 
>
> * * *
>
> The findings appear in the October edition of the journal Public Health.
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 06:58:06 -0500
> From: John SomdeCerff <jsomdecerff>
> Subject: BIKE: Touring Bike or Recumbent for commute?
> To: forum
> Message-ID: <415AA34E.6090001>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed
>
> 	Time for another stupid question:
> 	Which is better for commuting in hot, humid Austin - a standard touring 
> bike or a recumbent?  In particular, would a recumbent's seat back get 
> your back hot and sweaty like a backpack or do they ventilate OK?  I 
> guess the particular seat design would make a difference.  I know Lane 
> loves his new Trek 520.  I hope it survived the accident OK.
> 	The reason I ask is that my old mountain bike needs a lot of work and I 
> just turned 40 so maybe a birthday gift of a new bike is in order.
> 	Thanks.
> 	John
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 10:57:57 -0500
> From: Librik or Babich <mlibrik>
> Subject: Re: BIKE: Touring Bike or Recumbent for commute?
> To: bike <forum>
> Message-ID: <415ADB85.5510337C>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> John SomdeCerff wrote:
>
> >         Time for another interesting and worthwhile question:
> >         Which is better for commuting in hot, humid Austin - a standard
touring
> > bike or a recumbent?  In particular, would a recumbent's seat back get
> > your back hot and sweaty like a backpack or do they ventilate OK?  I
> > guess the particular seat design would make a difference.
>
> You know what kind of answer the local recumbent dealer will give...
>
> Mesh back seats are not sweaty. I have done some long distances in hot
weather on
> several such seats, and I have turned out plenty sweaty, but not
particularly on my
> back. Shell style seats, fiberglass or carbon fiber, which are used
mainly for
> racing or as a low cost seat option, are sweaty, as are canvas sling
seats, but the
> vast majority of recumbents use mesh. You can even hang a bag on the back
of the
> seat and still have good airflow around the back.
>
> The real consideration for commuting is the ability of the bike to stop
and start
> easily. Some recumbents are not very good at this, while some are very
good, in
> fact much better than upright bikes. Properly operated, such models are
exceeding
> fast off the line, and the seating position allows you to easily plant a
foot on
> the ground. This avoid the tendency of cyclists to try to pass off a
track stand as
> a stop or yield, which can confuse motorists. By being able to quickly
and easily
> plant a foot, you will find your interactions with other drivers at
intersections
> to be much simpler and lower stress.
>
> Also, the ability to mount mirrors effectively will have a big influence
on your
> interaction with pursuing and overtaking traffic.
>
> Feel free to contact me directly for test rides or rentals. You might
also read an
> essay on bikes for urban cycling on my Urban Cycling website, at
> www.urbancycling.com/essays/bikes.html
>
> --
> Mike Librik, LCI #929
> Easy Street Recumbents
> 512-453-0438
> 45th and Red River St., thereabouts
> Central Austin
> info
> www.easystreetrecumbents.com
> www.urbancycling.com
>
> "Is it about a bicycle?"
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Wed, 29 Sep 2004 11:46:23 -0500
> From: David Dobbs <ddobbs>
> Subject: Re: BIKE: Touring Bike or Recumbent for commute?
> To: forum
> Message-ID: <v0421010ebd808b98b685@[24.28.72.58]>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> A good question with undoubtedly a number of well-reason answers.  Here's
mine.
>
> Personally I think the hybrid bike, a cross between a mountain bike 
> and a road bike, is ideal for Austin commuting.  On roads, trails, 
> sidewalks or even over somewhat rough ground these bikes can get 
> around.  Since August of 2001 I've ridden nearly 5000 miles on a Trek 
> 7200 that has 700 cc wheels and shocks in the front and under the 
> seat.  With a back rack, a large (15 LED) tail lamp, an EL 300 Cateye 
> five LED head lamp, heavy duty Kevlar tires with Teflon liners and a 
> U-lock, it weighs in at just under 40 pounds, a bit heavy perhaps, 
> but it's for commuting not racing and function comes first.  I have a 
> grocery bag panier and bunge cords and do most of my traveling and 
> most of my shopping with it.  Right now I am averaging 50 to 60 miles 
> a week.  I live eight miles from center city and my car mostly sits 
> averaging about 3500 miles a year, mostly in taxing my granddaughter 
> to swimming practice and then to school.
>
> Prior to the Trek, I had a cheap mountain bike and found the riding 
> position very hard on my 60 year old arms.  I call my 7200 a grandpa 
> bike because it's much easier on old bones than what I had before.
>
> Specialized makes a similar bike called the "Crossroads" outfitted 
> with a variety of different components in six different models that 
> are priced accordingly.  All of these have the very tough 
> Specialized Kevlar tires, and for that and other reasons I think the 
> Specialized is a better value for the money.  It wasn't available 
> when I bought my Trek in 2001.
>
> See 
> http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkFamily.jsp?sid=05Crossroads&JServSessi 
> onIdroot=83idw1mus2.j27009
>
> Dave Dobbs
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> Texas Association for Public Transportation
> 9702 Swansons Ranch Road
> Austin, Texas 78748
> Ph 512.282.1149
>
> Visit our website at  http://www.lightrailnow.org
> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>
> >Time for another stupid question:
> >	Which is better for commuting in hot, humid Austin - a 
> >standard touring bike or a recumbent?  In particular, would a 
> >recumbent's seat back get your back hot and sweaty like a backpack 
> >or do they ventilate OK?  I guess the particular seat design would 
> >make a difference.  I know Lane loves his new Trek 520.  I hope it 
> >survived the accident OK.
> >	The reason I ask is that my old mountain bike needs a lot of 
> >work and I just turned 40 so maybe a birthday gift of a new bike is 
> >in order.
> >	Thanks.
> >	John
> >
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Get on or off this list here:  http://BicycleAustin.info/list
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