Here is what I wrote to Zach, because after reading his story 3 times I thought I was going to explode with frustration...
"Dear Zach,
We recently read your article (posted in April) about how bicyclists need to get off the road and onto the sidewalks and the nicest way we can say it, we are disgusted by you and every moron who shares your close minded and ridiculous thoughts.
Here in L.A. where we are based out of, it is actually more unsafe for bicyclists to be on the sidewalk to keep pedestrians safe and give them the room they need. Have you ever walked down the sidewalk in L.A.? Well I'm sure that we would run you over if you were. As well I would like to draw your attention to the thousands of dollars spend by many cities that have actually paid for the signage "Share the Road" but, you would have to stop changing the song on your ipod, or stop texting to actually see that, and God forbid you do something logical!
Riding a bicycle is healthy, eco friendly (but what do you care since you won't be alive to see the real effects of it and I highly doubt that any female would ever mate with such an ignorant fool), and is also a great way to meet people. If people like you would get on a bike, which I'm sure you never have, you would understand how fun riding your bike can be as well you could actually see your surroundings instead of just zooming past them because you haven't figured out how to work your alarm clock. I also would like to point out that no person in this organization coasts and we are all very aware of what is going on in the roads that we ride in. Perhaps you should actually do what you are supposed to do on the road, and DRIVE, and then you would see us cyclists.
I also wanted to add that in your article there are several spelling and grammatical errors that were quite disconcerting, you should perhaps hire an editor. Your metaphors, which probably seemed very intelligent to you, really came off like those of a high school journalism student with Autism.
I hope that you never hit anyone, or in fact when you do, I am so glad that I have saved your article so that it can be used against you in court so you can never ever get your license back. Do take care, and no need to write us back, we wouldn't want you wasting your precious time (since you seem to be the only one in the world... how pretentious) on some stupid cyclists.
Cheers,
Bike Day LA (and I'm sure we share the sentiments of most other cyclists in the world)"
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Ignorance at Its Best...
This article is written by some jerk named Zach. There was speculation about it being satire, but its not funny. And although it was posted back in April, I think we as cyclists should still email him to tell him how ignorant and idiotic he is... Read through and then write him to say you're angry.
"Bicyclists need to stay on sidewalk by Zack Colman
Black 2001 Saturn SC2. That’s the car I drive — and if you’re a bicyclist on the road but not in a bike path and you see my car, I hope you're wearing a helmet, because I might run you over.
Maybe not intentionally.
But you see, with all these things I can do in my car nowadays, such as choose a different song on my iPod, send a text message while driving or fall asleep at the wheel because I had to wake up for a worthless 8 a.m. biology lab, I might not notice you.
And, considering you are where you should not be, I might hit you.
The simple fact of the matter is, MSU has so kindly provided sidewalks for people on foot and Rollerblades, and MSU's ordinance should be revised to require bicyclists be there too. The university has outlined bike paths on certain roads, but bicyclists can't just create imaginary bike paths like they do.
I cannot drive my car on the sidewalk, so why must you ride your bicycle where I drive?
Many of my friends ride bicycles on campus, so I'm not trying to berate a whole demographic of students. I appreciate bicyclists who advocate environmentalism, since they are making up for the damage I do with my car.
I respect bicyclists who use bicycles as a form of exercise, since people certainly can never get enough fitness in their everyday routines.
But for as much as I respect and appreciate bicyclists, I will not hesitate to honk at them when they are interfering with the roads.
My concern is not merely about inconvenience.
Bicyclists on the road are a driving hazard to people in automobiles, since many bicyclists make turns without using hand signals and ride too close to other vehicles when there is no designated bike path.
For example, I was driving to work Tuesday when a bicyclist pulled up in front of my car in the right lane on Farm Lane going northbound where it intersects with Shaw Lane. There is no bike path at this portion of the road, and I needed to be in the right lane to avoid the left turn only lane, but the bicyclist was in the way.
Instead, I had to speed ahead and veer away from the fast-approaching rear end of the car in front of me, just barely making it into the right lane.
Some will say I could be more patient on the road.
But roads are for cars, not bicyclists. The bicyclist should not have been in the car lane.
It's possible some bicyclists are trying to live out their dreams of being Lance Armstrong, and the smooth terrain offered by the roads where big, people-killing cars are designed to travel on are more desirable than the sidewalk pavement.
I get it, bicyclists you're in the Tour de France. Well, in your head at least.
But in reality, my gas-guzzling, carbon footprint-leaving car is trying to get around you, the bicyclist. And you, the bicyclist, prefer to coast, not along the side of the lane but in the exact middle.
Maybe in your head you are actually driving a car. Maybe that's why you believe you should be behind a pickup truck and in front of 15 other cars trying to pass you.
And maybe you are Armstrong, so talented and in shape and able to pedal so, so fast. But Armstrong's average speed in the 2001 Tour de France was 24.9 mph, which is 0.1 mph less than most of the speed limits on and around campus.
Plus, I've had difficulty finding students who actually obey the speed limit anyway.
It's common for motorists to drive at least 5 mph above the speed limit, which makes your task to out-pedal Lance Armstrong all the more daunting. And considering you're not actually Armstrong (even if you do wear a skintight yellow bicycle uniform), you likely are not going 24.9 mph.
And, oh yeah, Armstrong is competing when he is bicycling your leisurely ride through campus might not even register on a police radar.
But, hey, snap out of it. You're not Lance Armstrong.
And those are the headlights of my black 2001 Saturn SC2 bearing down on you."
Zack Colman is the State News opinion writer. Reach him at colmanz1@msu.edu.
"Bicyclists need to stay on sidewalk by Zack Colman
Black 2001 Saturn SC2. That’s the car I drive — and if you’re a bicyclist on the road but not in a bike path and you see my car, I hope you're wearing a helmet, because I might run you over.
Maybe not intentionally.
But you see, with all these things I can do in my car nowadays, such as choose a different song on my iPod, send a text message while driving or fall asleep at the wheel because I had to wake up for a worthless 8 a.m. biology lab, I might not notice you.
And, considering you are where you should not be, I might hit you.
The simple fact of the matter is, MSU has so kindly provided sidewalks for people on foot and Rollerblades, and MSU's ordinance should be revised to require bicyclists be there too. The university has outlined bike paths on certain roads, but bicyclists can't just create imaginary bike paths like they do.
I cannot drive my car on the sidewalk, so why must you ride your bicycle where I drive?
Many of my friends ride bicycles on campus, so I'm not trying to berate a whole demographic of students. I appreciate bicyclists who advocate environmentalism, since they are making up for the damage I do with my car.
I respect bicyclists who use bicycles as a form of exercise, since people certainly can never get enough fitness in their everyday routines.
But for as much as I respect and appreciate bicyclists, I will not hesitate to honk at them when they are interfering with the roads.
My concern is not merely about inconvenience.
Bicyclists on the road are a driving hazard to people in automobiles, since many bicyclists make turns without using hand signals and ride too close to other vehicles when there is no designated bike path.
For example, I was driving to work Tuesday when a bicyclist pulled up in front of my car in the right lane on Farm Lane going northbound where it intersects with Shaw Lane. There is no bike path at this portion of the road, and I needed to be in the right lane to avoid the left turn only lane, but the bicyclist was in the way.
Instead, I had to speed ahead and veer away from the fast-approaching rear end of the car in front of me, just barely making it into the right lane.
Some will say I could be more patient on the road.
But roads are for cars, not bicyclists. The bicyclist should not have been in the car lane.
It's possible some bicyclists are trying to live out their dreams of being Lance Armstrong, and the smooth terrain offered by the roads where big, people-killing cars are designed to travel on are more desirable than the sidewalk pavement.
I get it, bicyclists you're in the Tour de France. Well, in your head at least.
But in reality, my gas-guzzling, carbon footprint-leaving car is trying to get around you, the bicyclist. And you, the bicyclist, prefer to coast, not along the side of the lane but in the exact middle.
Maybe in your head you are actually driving a car. Maybe that's why you believe you should be behind a pickup truck and in front of 15 other cars trying to pass you.
And maybe you are Armstrong, so talented and in shape and able to pedal so, so fast. But Armstrong's average speed in the 2001 Tour de France was 24.9 mph, which is 0.1 mph less than most of the speed limits on and around campus.
Plus, I've had difficulty finding students who actually obey the speed limit anyway.
It's common for motorists to drive at least 5 mph above the speed limit, which makes your task to out-pedal Lance Armstrong all the more daunting. And considering you're not actually Armstrong (even if you do wear a skintight yellow bicycle uniform), you likely are not going 24.9 mph.
And, oh yeah, Armstrong is competing when he is bicycling your leisurely ride through campus might not even register on a police radar.
But, hey, snap out of it. You're not Lance Armstrong.
And those are the headlights of my black 2001 Saturn SC2 bearing down on you."
Zack Colman is the State News opinion writer. Reach him at colmanz1@msu.edu.
Cash for Clunkers...Bike Style?
Unfortunately I'm a little late on this, but it's still an amazing cause and hopefully more shops will start doing something like Joe.
"Joe Doebele, owner of Joe Bike, will take $50-$100 off the purchase of a new bike when customers bring in a repairable clunker. Joe says his mechanics get last word on whether or not the bike is “repairable”. If it is, he will issue the rebate and then donate the old bike to a local non-profit (like the Community Cycling Center, Bike Farm, etc…)."
Cash for Clunkers full article.
"Joe Doebele, owner of Joe Bike, will take $50-$100 off the purchase of a new bike when customers bring in a repairable clunker. Joe says his mechanics get last word on whether or not the bike is “repairable”. If it is, he will issue the rebate and then donate the old bike to a local non-profit (like the Community Cycling Center, Bike Farm, etc…)."
Cash for Clunkers full article.
Gorilla Bike gets Obliterated.
Came across this photo on the Fixed Gear Blog and couldn't resist reposting... look at the destruction of that bike! Ouch! This guy's name is Wonka (there's a bunch of stuff on Vimeo with him doing tricks on this bike).
What really was surprising is this is the Gorilla 'Lama' frame built by Giovanni Pelizzoli who pretty much is CIÖCC. (If you were at the BFF this weekend the last film on Saturday was about him and these bikes.) There were only 30 of these Lugged steel bikes, with nice details such as the chromed fork tips and dropouts.
Video footage of Wonka and this bike breaking will be on The Revival video.
OT-Tech, Adidas Originals!
More shoes, who doesn't love 'em?
These look awesome. Adidas has put out some bright colored and and clean cut shoes and apparel that are directly inspired by the cycling culture. Using primary colors and some great materials, such as Gore Tex and ballistic nylon. They are for the Winterized collection so keep your eyes peeled for them!
Via.
These look awesome. Adidas has put out some bright colored and and clean cut shoes and apparel that are directly inspired by the cycling culture. Using primary colors and some great materials, such as Gore Tex and ballistic nylon. They are for the Winterized collection so keep your eyes peeled for them!
Via.
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