Sharing the Road

 

Last evening was particularly nice for this time of year - warm, but not too hot. It was a little humid, but no rain in the area. It was the exception to the rule this summer, which has been particularly rainy so far.

One of the roads where I ride tends to be a hotspot for pedestrian traffic mixing with cars and trucks. It's not a busy road as a city street would be, but it's a small, lakeside road where drivers, walkers, runners, and bikers all tend to interact. 

That means sharing the road with others, some in cars and some on foot. Sharing with cars and trucks is not so much an option as it is imposed on you. The cars and trucks generally control the road by virtue of their size and speed. Some drivers are more reasonable than others...

Pedestrians are another matter. This particular road is often used by a local running and triathlon club for training. They train on the road probably twice a month, or every two weeks. The members generally adhere to the usual rules of the road: run/walk against traffic, bike with traffic, wear reflective clothing, stay to the side of the road, etc.

So when you come upon a pedestrian, and at the same time have a car approaching, my advice is to be very deliberate and very obvious in what you are doing. If you are working out into the lane a bit to avoid the pedestrian, make it obvious that you're doing that. Don't swerve in front of a vehicle, but do get out into the lane and show that you are there. If you have to look at the driver or signal what you are doing, then do it. Where you get into trouble is if you take half measures and make it seem like you're going to let the car pass, then swerve in front of the car. That's asking for trouble. It's better to seem a little obnoxious than to confuse people and get hit. 

 And I recommend wearing a helmet, as usual. Remember too that on a vintage bike, your brakes may not be as good as a modern one. Keep your speed reasonable and don't go blazing into the lane such that a car has no time to react. If a driver becomes aggressive, let him or her go, don't confront the person, or deliberately swerve in front, or challenge him to force past you. It's better to just let jerks go by than to get hit. If you have to fire off a few coarse words, do it, but don't get into a fight or an accident. It's better to let it all go by than dwell on it. Don't let it ruin your ride.

Pedestrians can be another matter. Some pedestrians are actually "aggressive" in their own way. They'll walk 2 or even 3 wide, blocking half the road. Again, if you have fire off a salty word or two, do it, but don't get into a fight or hit anyone. It's not worth it. 

These observations apply to the usual, somewhat narrow, two-lane country road. We all have to share these roads with others, some in different circumstances. Be sensible and don't let it bother you.

And if things go really bad - a car bumping you or brushing you. Don't be afraid to call the police. By all means, use 911 if it is an emergency situation, but use the non-emergency line if you need to report repeat offenders who are aggressive drivers. If you ride the same roads at the same time each day, you'll start to spot the "bad apples". Look up your state's passing requirements for cars. In my state, it's three feet of clearance. I can tell you most people give it to me, but some just fly by close without moving over for the bicycle.  Safety should come first.

 

How Often Can I Ride A Vintage Bicycle?

 

 One question that people sometimes ask me is how often they can or should ride their old bicycle. Unfortunately, there is no single "correct" answer to this question. 

Rather, the answer depends on:

1.  what kind of bicycle we're discussing, how old and rare the bicycle is, 
2. what the condition of the bicycle is, particularly the moving parts and surfaces,
3. what kind of terrain is at hand,
4. whether replacements for wearing parts are available,
5. what kind of weather conditions are present. 

One might ride a very old bicycle in marginal condition much less than a common, post-war bicycle in good shape. Likewise, one might ride a bicycle with easier spare parts availability than a bike with very rare parts that would be impossible to replace today.

A bicycle ridden in the rain or snow will show wear and weathering faster than a bike ridden in only good conditions. A bicycle ridden in very dry and sandy conditions will tend to collect dust and moving parts may wear more quickly than a bike ridden only in very good climates. And so on...

The bottom line is that very old and very rare bikes with few replacement parts available today should be somewhat rationed in their use and confined only to good conditions and occasional rides. You can still ride a vintage bicycle if you want to ride more frequently, just mix in a more common bike, such as an old Raleigh or Schwinn 3-speed from after WWII, for example. 

 

For example, I ride the above 1947 Schwinn New World with some frequency, but I also ride other, newer bikes to mix things up. I save the older, 1947 Schwinn for good conditions and fair weather.

If you have several vintage bikes, you can rotate them. You may notice from my blog entries, that certain bikes receive much more use than others. I have a one bike, for example, confined to riding on very rare occasions because of its age, heirloom status, and single-speed gearing.

One final note: I would advise that no vintage bicycle worth keeping should be ridden in road salt. Instead, use a "beater" bike for such conditions because road brine and road salt are very corrosive. If a bike is wet from rain, always wipe it off an never "put away wet". Remove rust when you first see it - do not allow it to spread or deepen. 

 

 

Always follow general good servicing techniques - proper tire inflation, good brake pads, good cables, periodically service moving bearings/surfaces, etc. Periodically inspect your vintage bike before riding. It's easier to fix a problem before leaving the garage rather than being stuck on the road or injured in a crash.

Much of this is basic, common sense, but it is worth reiterating. Don't be afraid to ride vintage bicycles, but be sensible about the time, place, and conditions for use. Tailor your ride schedule to accommodate a rare or very antique bike, etc.

Nice Evening, a Little About Car Carriers

The weather finally shaped up here a bit this evening. The humidity went down, the temperature moderated a bit, and the sun stayed out. I got in a nice ride on my 1960s Schwinn Racer. 

 

I've come to like these wheel-and-hook type car carriers for bikes. I moved to this one from my previous Thule, which was the frame-hanger type. This one seems to put a little less stress on the bike paint, and keeps the bike reasonably steady. I moved several heavy bikes up to New England from Virginia in several trips, and it has served pretty well. These wheel-and-hook carriers tend to cost a little more than the hanger types, but I think they're worth it if you're doing a lot of bike moving. You can get mounting and dismounting down to a science with these.

Sure Looks Like Summer...

 Sure looking like summer - lots of heat, humidity, and thunderstorms. This guy took over the fan last evening and wasn't giving it up...

Damp Weather

 The past couple of weeks have been unusually damp here in New England. We have had rain or thunderstorms on all but a couple evenings over the past two weeks. After a long delay for weather and yard work, I was finally able to return to the road. It was relatively warm and quite humid, but at least we had an evening with no rain and a chance to ride. 

There are a couple areas nearby that I like to ride in when it is warm and humid. These areas have roads and trails, but lots of tree cover. They usually are few degrees cooler than everywhere else because they are shaded throughout the day. The only downside is the number of deerflies and horseflies has been bad because of the weather. They bite and will chase you down the road a good distance.