Re: Anybody read the December Bicycling?


"Gooserider" <gooserider@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:smb9f.14799$kd.13268@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> There is an article in this month's Bicycling about the "invisible
> riders"---those people who are of low income and use bicycles as their
> sole transportation. The writer, Dan Koeppel, spent time with the
> undocumented(read : illegal) workers in Los Angeles. The article is well
> written, and gave me an insight into a world I do not see. That being
> said, he really hacked me off. There's an incident he mentions of meeting
> a rider named Octavio who was riding a steel Trek with bar end shifters, a
> Blackburn rack, and a Brooks. Koeppel deduces the bike is stolen, then
> says, "Maybe he deserves the bike."? Huh? Deserves it more than the person
> who actually paid for it? What a moron. Am I supposed to feel sympathy for
> someone who not only illegally entered the country, but is riding around
> on a stolen bicycle?

It seems unlikely that the rider was the thief, and given that nearly all of
the bikes purchased by this demographic will be used, it's equally unlikely
that it would ever even occur to someone to ask questions about the bikes'
origins.

I haven't read the article, but what you've quoted is, I agree, unfortunate
phasing. But the rider, it seems to me, probably bought the bike from one of
the many neighborhood dealers in secondhand bikes who sell exclusively to
this community, and even if the buyer was concerned about it being stolen,
there would be know way for him to find out. He's not likely to go to the
police and ask them to run the serial number, is he?

One sad thing: that nice stolen Trek touring bike probably sold for less
than stolen Huffys worth a tenth as much, just because it had drop bars and
bar-ends.

Another sad thing: the rightful owner of the bike would probably have
happily paid more to get it back than it sold for on the street.

But yeah, introducing the concept of who "deserves" the bike, as if the
owner never existed, seems off the wall.

RichC





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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Tech from the past: was Gene Sloane trying to kill us?
    ... Bicycling" by Eugene A. Sloane. ... and I think this book functioned as a handbook for riding for bike boomers in much the same way as James Fixx's jogging book did for joggers. ... Chapter 2 covers "Practical Tips for Bicycling Safely." ... The chapter continues on with some fairly random-sounding libels against the driving abilities of suburban housewives and older drivers, later followed by a tale of Sloane's only traffic accident, in which he ran into the back of a parked car because he was looking down at the connection of his electric socks. ...
    (rec.bicycles.tech)
  • Re: Some of those more evolved SF bicycle riders
    ... The spontaneous Critical Mass bike rides, ... or maybe commuting to work in the bike lanes. ... There is a subset of the hardcore bicycling community that is ... who both view themseles as a vehicle and don't follow the rules of the ...
    (rec.music.gdead)
  • Re: For Frank Krygowskis helmet files
    ... voluntary helmet use, six bicyclist fatalities in 2007 and endless ... bombarded with these ideas: "Bicycling is extremely safe. ... over ten million miles ridden between bike fatalities. ... an absolute necessity any time you ride your bike. ...
    (rec.bicycles.tech)
  • Re: The need for high tech traffic detectors
    ... Bicycling hits those in their prime and often results in very serious ... Why would you want to leave the bike lane if the bike lane takes you ... realize that the Germans almost always fault the motorist to some extent ... in accidents involving cyclists. ...
    (rec.bicycles.tech)
  • Re: The need for high tech traffic detectors
    ... Bicycling hits those in their prime and often results in very serious ... Why would you want to leave the bike lane if the bike lane takes you ... realize that the Germans almost always fault the motorist to some extent ... in accidents involving cyclists. ...
    (rec.bicycles.tech)