Path: ...!feeds.phibee-telecom.net!2.eu.feeder.erje.net!feeder.erje.net!fu-berlin.de!uni-berlin.de!individual.net!not-for-mail From: Jeff Liebermann Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech Subject: Re: A Bicycle Safety Parable Date: Fri, 26 Jul 2024 08:49:58 -0700 Lines: 79 Message-ID: <3df7ajhlfoj33u5sk0jb5akevdjg93daca@4ax.com> References: <89bq9j9dtp08mamhg5ng28v6i90ujrn0e1@4ax.com> <8pc4ajt8dltia4tbvhn94i51drtotjccu2@4ax.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Trace: individual.net uJtDKMxCJb2n101UsMRjugEfpqdT/DdN2c0ssy3Ng2j0qd22/R Cancel-Lock: sha1:1a1xwKyz7yF97SewIwO+XcKOhCg= sha256:4dhRMYoAkvWB0dVPQmXw4o26TG/cGGqI2IZuYfApqKQ= User-Agent: ForteAgent/8.00.32.1272 Bytes: 4836 On Thu, 25 Jul 2024 22:49:27 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote: >On 7/25/2024 6:07 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote: >> On Thu, 25 Jul 2024 09:07:26 -0700, Jeff Liebermann >> wrote: >> >>> On Thu, 25 Jul 2024 07:14:47 -0400, Catrike Ryder >>> wrote: >>> >>>> On Wed, 24 Jul 2024 20:43:29 -0400, Frank Krygowski >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> On 7/21/2024 2:43 PM, Catrike Ryder wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> I sometimes see real alligators on the trail, and quite often, >>>>>> poisonous snakes. >>>>> >>>>> Here's my wife, riding her Bike Friday past a roadside alligator in >>>>> Okefenokee a few years ago. Without a gun!!! >>>>> >>>>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/16972296@N08/53011489063/in/dateposted-public/ >>>> >>>> What's your point? Nobody carries a gun for protection against >>>> alligators. >>> >>> True. Would a pike work with an alligator on land? >>> >> >> Oops. Not a pike, which at 3 - 6 meters is too long for use on a >> bicycle. I should have suggested a lance, which is 2 - 3 meters long. >As I mentioned previously, on last week's ride we had a young kid, maybe >20, who said his ambition was to be a pro racer. Something is wrong here. If he's 20 years old, he would be in the 2nd year of college. It might be a little early for him to decide on a career in college, but for athletics, 20 seems rather late. The term "pro" or "professional" implies that he plans on supporting his lifestyle from cycling. His inability to recognize a bicycle pump is a good indication that he doesn't have much cycling experience. I've had to deal with such situations in the past. A former ladyfriends son announced that his excuse for spending all his time with his garage rock band was because he planned to become a professional musician. He was studying to become an architect. I didn't make much progress dissuading him until I mentioned that there were probably many architects played in rock bands in their spare time, but probably no musicians doing architecture in their spare time. He got the point instantly. He eventually became a moderately successful architect. I don't know if he still plays in a band. I suspect your 20 years old prospective pro racer is having trouble finding a suitable career. Converting what appears to be a recently acquired hobby into a career is possible but I wouldn't recommended it. >He was amazed a my bar end shifters. He also asked "What's that under >your top tube? Is it some kind of a club?" He was asking about my full >sized Zefal frame pump. Offer to give him a guided tour of your bicycle, preferably something he's not completely familiar with, such as your Bike Friday or recumbent. Point to all the various components and clearly provide him with the component names and makers. Then, go away for an hour or two and do something else. When you meet again, ask him to point to and name as many components and manufacturers as possible. I consider 50% recall to be "minimal". If he's eager to learn, has a good memory, and understands what you told him, he'll do well. If it appears the he wasn't paying attention and can't remember the names of some many components, he might still become an athlete, but will have problems with planning, training, organization, strategy, mechanics, etc. -- Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com PO Box 272 http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272 Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558