Re: Ping Helen S - Bike Advice :-)

On 2006-02-22, wafflycat penned:

Don't hang stuff such as bags of shopping off your handlebars - it
adversely affects bike handling - attach stuff to the rear rack -
bungee cords or, even better panniers.

Also, bags on handlebars can get caught in the wheel. In the best case
this will chew up the bag and possibly its contents. In the worst case
it will jam up the front wheel and cause you to endo (rear wheel
launches into the air), sending you flying and causing damage, at least
to your ego.

Horses: slow down and speak to the rider, do not look directly at
the horse, but do speak to it. If approaching horse & rider from
behind, a friendly "cyclist behind" and then move out to pass the
horse with lots of space between you & the animal, talking to the
rider as you do so, helps ensure the fool animal doesn't spook :-)
It seems to confirm to it that you aren't some wierd predator out to
eat it!

My experience with horses is entirely on dirt trails, many of which are
quite narrow. My habits may not be applicable to the kind of riding
you're talking about. When the horses are oncoming traffic, I always
stop and dismount -- unless the riders stop and indicate that I should
proceed. When the horses are ahead of me and moving in the same
direction, I try to communicate with the riders and come to an
agreement. It is complicated, in the US at least, by the fact that
mountain bikers in the US are expected to yield to all traffic, and many
horsey people have a negative view of mountain bikers. I work hard to
be a good trail citizen and maybe get at least one horsey person to feel
better about mountain bikers. Aside from the obvious benefits, maybe
they won't be so quick to try to eliminate mountain bikers from their
trails.

Anyway, a horse is an animal and may or may not be accustomed to
people on wheels zooming by it. As the more vulnerable party (ie, the
"kickee"), I figure it behooves me to be the cautious and yielding
individual, regardless of right of way.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca
.

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