[Transcript from my tell-all interview, which was supposed to be
aired tonight but was preempted by some danged thing or other.]

Oprah, it's time for me to come clean. For many years, I have
used performance-enhancing devices (PEDs) for my daily bike
commute. Not that this is any excuse, but I was trying to
compete with others who were using cars.

My sophisticated operation was why I was never caught. I have
never tested positive for cars, because I was using the big
stuff: mostly Rohr Industries, Alstom, Nippon, Bombardiers,
and sometimes even Bredas and Van Hools. These allowed me to
keep my bike with me.

I am hoping that with this confession we can let the healing
and forgiveness begin, followed by a lucrative book tour.
Also, let's dedicate some of those lanes on the Bay Bridge
for bicycles, and remove the deadly scourge of cars from
this sport that we all love.

Here's a quite interesting report about research on the cognitive effects of the built environment:

http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/27476-walking-through-doorways-causes-forgetting-new-research-shows/

It seems that doorways tend to trigger some kind of associative "closure" in people's minds, leading them to forget pieces of information acquired before passing through the doors. It would be interesting to see what other cognitive effects can be linked to other aspects of the built environment.

Chris Miller
Montreal

http://screenrant.com/premium-rush-interviews-jospeh-gordon-levitt-david-koepp/

"I found a lot of environmentalism, a lot of wanting to support
local commerce -- a real conscious and positive and progressive
way of thinking about life. All of which stemmed from the simple
love of riding a bike, which probably comes from when they were
kids, well before they were thinking about any of this stuff."

=v= This sounds like something I would write, but in fact it's
a quote from actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, describing what it
was like to spend time with New York City bike messengers when
filming _Premium_Rush_. He continues:

"But it's true that if more people rode bikes and fewer people
drove cars, the world would be better for it. And I would
certainly hope that if people coming out of this movie are
itching to ride a bike, then it's certainly done a good thing."

This is like an erupting volcano of awesomesauce.

=v= I went into _Premium_Rush_ expecting mostly to see great
bike footage and the thrill of watching some friends on the
big screen. It's got a lot more than that to recommend it.
The film is so full of authentic details about urban biking
in NYC, there should be a trivia contest or drinking game.
I'd give it two thumb-shifters up except, you know, fixed gear.
<_Jym_>

"A car, for instance, dead brute, unthinking, an unprogrammed bulk, is the greatest destroyer of souls in history. "
-- Ray Bradbury, _I_Sing_the_Body_Electric_

Heilsa fellow riders,
I recently started a new job that actually realizes it's employees are an
actual asset, which is great other than the large laptop I was given and
that leads to my question. I am using multi-modal transportation for
getting to work, which involves an 8-10 mile one-way commute by bike. I
used my messenger back yesterday and it was alright, but I am wanting to
try and ride the whole way from home and back this summer and cannot
imagine riding 40 miles with that bag, so I am looking for info on panniers
that folks use. My laptop has the following dimensions and I have increased
to nearest inch to allow for error.
16" L-R
12" front to back
2" tall/deep
I was looking at some Ortlieb bags online, but cannot figure if the max
size is at the widest point or at the narrowest point, which is at the
bottom and is typically where laptops have issues fitting.
Thanks,
Devin

--
In Frith,
Devin
My blood is not my own,
but a gift borrowed from my ancestors,
to generations yet unborn.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

• New Members 1

When I signed up for this list, I got the "introductory profile" that many of you received. I haven't gone back to see how many are on this list, nor how many have answered the profile questions, but thought I would just for the charge of it. I'll assume you know the questions, but will try to make those questions clear in my answers.

1) I have come to describing myself as a cyclist who sometimes drives. I have a car (small truck, actually), and find it useful from time to time (hauling the kayak to the lake, for example). As the thing was paid off in 2000 or so, the cost of owning it is relatively low, although the current cost per mile is relatively high due to the amortization of annual fixed costs over fewer miles of use.

2) I'm not sure there was a specific starting point for this. I've ridden to work at all but a couple of my jobs at one time or another, although riding to work was done rarely with some jobs and frequently with others.

3) I choose to ride instead of driving for any number of small reasons, but the largest one is that I like myself best when I ride instead of driving. The financial benefits are there, the health benefits are there, and the socio-political benefit (smug not smog) is there, but it really comes down to being happier with myself for riding instead of driving.

4) Distance to work is always a challenge, although I don't consider fifteen miles out of reason. Other hurdles to being car-free are my own hobbies, and the difficulty getting the toys to the play places (kayak to lake, for example). There have been many times when it's been too darned convenient to own a small truck.

5) My family and friends are accustomed to my being something of my own person, so my cycling instead of driving has little negative effect on them. For some, it's considered positive effect.

6) Advantages of not being tied to a car include, but are not limited to: I feel better! I don't have to worry as much about gas prices as a direct hit on my budget (although they certainly affect my food prices...). It's less expensive to insure my car since I rarely drive it. I don't have to pay for a gym membership to go for an aerobic workout.

7) I am quite comfortable helping friends and relatives "problem solve" when it comes to figuring ways they can reduce their reliance on cars. I don't make their choices for them, however.

8) My daily commute takes about two hours of time, compared to roughly two-thirds that when I drive. I could, perhaps, use that time more wisely, but I choose to consider the extra time as time for my physical and mental well-being, and, as mentioned before, need not spend time in a gym to get the aerobic exercise.

9) The benefits are many--better emotional health, better physical health, better mood, better food (reallocating money saved by not using as much gasoline), friendships in the car-free and car-free light community, to name a few.

10) Ideally, cars are good for long-distance, non-scheduled transportation, or transportation for folks who have different abilities than those of us who are able-bodied. They can be useful, of course. However, for shorter-range, solo transportation without significant cargo requirements, bicycles rock.

I come to this as a bicycle user. Public transit is wonderful for many folks, but *for me* doesn't compare with the convenience and time efficiency of a bicycle (noting that public transit in your area may be much better than it is in my community). I *can* walk to several places that I need to visit, but it's easier to get there by bicycle in many cases, and just as quick as by driving in quite a few more cases (I'm a fan of the concept of the Clif Bar 2 mile challenge).

In the last two years, I've ridden over thirteen thousand miles on bicycles. For 2011, my commuting miles totaled a bit over 5500, my utility miles went a bit over 7000, and my total miles came to a bit more than 8000. I was, for several years, a one-thousand-miles-a-year cyclist. Riding instead of driving has really changed that.

Thoughts?

 
Tom, aka bikeolounger

"If I can bicycle, I bicycle."
Sir David Attenborough

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: CarFree Moderator <CarFree-owner-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org>
To: bikeolounger-/E1597aS9LQAvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org
Sent: Friday, March 2, 2012 9:38 AM
Subject: Yahoo! Groups: Welcome to CarFree. Visit today!

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

• New Members 1

=v= "Man Bites Dog" isn't even news any more:

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/man-bites-car-bath-salts-blame/story?id=15777655

<_Jym_>

=v= The movie Lorax is already starring in a computer-animated
commercial for a greenwashed SUV:

http://www.change.org/petitions/mazda-stop-forcing-the-lorax-to-sell-dangerous-polluting-cars

<_Jym_>

When I saw the last posting, at first I misread it as proclaiming the good news
that buses would no longer have to pay fuel tax.

What is the situation regarding this in the US ? In the UK we used to have
something called Fuel Duty Rebate whereby bus operators would get most of the
fuel tax they paid in respect of public service workings rebated. In the mid
1990s the Conservative government introduced a fuel tax escalator whereby fuel
tax would increase faster than inflation; however this increase was not rebated
to bus operators. This situation continued under the following Labour government
until they announced that any future fuel tax increases would be rebated.
Unfortunately it was at that precise moment that they abandoned the escalator so
there were no increases to rebate.

Some time later they replaced Fuel Duty Rebate with Bus Service Operators Grant,
which had the subtle effect of changing its accounting from a tax rebate to a
subsidy. This had insidious effects when the Conservatives regained power, as
they are allergic to subsidies and promptly announced that it would be cut from
80% of fuel tax to 60%, i.e. an effective doubling of fuel tax, this to take
effect from this coming April. They seem to believe that this will have no
adverse impact on services -- well it's a trait of politicians to believe one
can get something for nothing.

I think I've for this right, but if anyone in this group knows better please
feel free to correct me. And there may be differences outside England, i.e. in
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, though it was recently announced that
Wales has decided to follow England's lead.

Simon Norton

.....................the place practically evaporates!

Mind you, of course, I'm not saying I was ever the life of the party.
______________________________________

-Traci
("The minute I go away everything goes kaplot!"--Siegfried and when Shtarker points out that he was here all the time, "You're not making it any easier on yourself, Shtarker.", (w,stte), "Get Smart")