Totally! And SF is a place that’s been deploying more bicycle infrastructure and instructing their police to not enforce rolling stops, since at least from 2015! Our car brained governor is stopping such progress, so the battle continues. At least SF residents are holding their ground and voting to keep places like the great highway and JFK drive car-free.
To be fair, the article is trash. There’s details in other publications, like Reuters:
"Waymo said its vehicle was at a complete stop at a four-way intersection when a large truck crossed the intersection in its direction. At its turn to proceed, the Waymo car moved forward.
However, the cyclist, who was obscured by the truck which the cyclist was following, took a left turn into the Waymo vehicle’s path. When the cyclist was fully visible, the Waymo’s vehicle braked heavily, but wasn’t able to avoid the collision, the company said."
Drafting through an intersection is not very safe (I really should stop doing it myself) because of this exact visibility problem. Heck, it seems our cyclist friend cut left because they couldn’t see the waymo car either.
Watch out when crossing busy intersections, folk! Cars are bulky and opaque. Yield when encountering busy intersections.
In this incident there was a passenger in the car. They were not injured.
The rolling taxis problem is still a thing though. I know there’s lots for these self-driving cars to hang out in, but even that means a return trip back to base is without passengers.
Yeah, it’s a hit or miss kind of thing. Some folk have zero issues with them. Also the nice thing with derailleurs is their cheap access to the huge gear range and count of cassettes.
Still, one of NJB’s talking points in his love letter to the omafiets is the lack of a derailleur. I’m taking that as a hard requirement of finding a US equivalent bike.
I ran across the Elecra but the issue I have is they run derailleurs. Derailleurs are just not as reliable as a fixed or internally geared bike. They’re easily bent, causing shifting headaches, and their exposure makes them susceptible to dirt and ice.
All my bikes have them, hence my often used and favorite tool is a derailleur hanger alignment tool.
Let us window gaze then!
PUBLIC offers some nice internally geared city bikes and beach cruisers. Their 8i series is their top end. It’s steel, has a 8-speed internal geared hub, fenders included, and with handles set for upright riding. Their optional rack looks like it pairs well with the frame. 8i series drive train gearing is something on the order of 28 to 86 gear inches. The cheaper 7i series is approximately 33 to 82 gear inches. Both are quite reasonable for city gearing with the 8i being easier for going up hills and an extra gear for better cadence matching.
Trek makes a beautiful city bike: the District 4 Equipped and has a step through version. Dynamo hub for always on lighting and the rack is included. Capable gearing at approximately 30 to 92 gear inches. IMHO, the best part is a Gates CDX carbon belt drive. Belt drives are even lower maintenance than a traditional bike chain. Never lube a chain again, battle with rust or road gunk, or become sad mid-ride with sand, mud, or ice fouling.
Speaking of belt drives, Priority specializes in them and has a big selection of commuting and recreational bikes. They even have a folding bike, which can be nice if you’re stuck needing to drive or take a bus for one leg of a trip.
Handsome makes frames and will build a bike to your spec. For example, you can spec their mixte bike (“She Devil”) with a Shimano Alfine 8-speed. Sellers like these are a great option, but I recommend finding a LBS willing to take a shipment and do final assembly work on it. Shipping completed bikes is expensive and you’ll still need tune-ups now and then.
I’m sure there’s more out there, but that’s enough shopping for me today. Who else has thoughts? Or perhaps other neat finds?
The closest production bike available in the US similar to omafiets would be the beach cruiser. They’re available as a single-speed with/without coaster brakes, or internally geared, have wide handle bars, step-through or stylish but still easy mounting frame, and often have color-matched basket and rack options.
Careful with what you wish for. Omafiets and cruisers work where there aren’t significant hills. Heavy single speeds really suck when you’re faces with even a moderate 4% grade. Practical urban bikes in the US really need some gearing.
Ah, that’s totally fair. I thought you had a tight storage situation. Roll on. :)
Have you considered a folding bike, like a Brompton? They tend to be easier to carry up stairs or in an elevator. And they’re space efficient to store.
Absolutely. My comment is about why a regulation would be 2 hours when today we can get more capable, air rated parts. US regulation is lagging behind, but it was based on what was within reach 20+ years ago. Heck, I bet most craft would eventually become 25 hours voice recording as older standard recorders become no longer available.
Flight recorders have a very long history with modern ones being engineered in the 1960s. They used film and magnetic tape loops, having very limited capacity. That’s where we get 2 hours from. Early ones only ran for 30 minutes, so 2 hours is pretty good in comparison.
It’s time to upgrade the regulations to match our current technology instead of 1990s limitations.
Uber has posted profits for the last two quarters. Lyft hasn’t yet been profitable, but they have been reducing their losses quite a bit.
I don’t think either of them will fail this year. Some AI gold rushing unicorns out there certainly will. It’s hard to know which though; they’re still private companies.
Nortel wasn’t killed by Huawei stealing their IP, which certainly did happen. They tanked themselves with some terrible accounting that hid the terrible situation they put themselves in. Nortel and Enron are the reason GAAP is the gold standard and legally required to be reported these days.
There are sailed powered logistics ships! Here’s a grain ship that just launched. There are also companies that produce inflatable or deployable sails to reduce fuel consumption in favorable winds.
Ultimately there will be a need for chemical energy or similarly dense energy to move a ship. The wind doesn’t always blow, and when it does it won’t always be in the direction you want. Nuclear is certainly an interesting option.
Aerobic exercise in the heat is difficult. What I’ve found that works for me is “salt sticks.” They’re capsules of electrolytes that help rebalance during times of high water intake.
I take one after approximately consuming 1.5 liters of water, depending on temperature and water consumption rate. I also take one if my fingers start swelling; a certain sign of dehydration. It works for me and maybe it’ll work for you.
This is the video that convinced me to give electrolytes a try is GearSkeptic’s Performance Nutrition for Backpacking, Part 4: Electrolyte Balance. The whole playlist is good, as long as you’re prepared for many hours of talking hands and reading up his sources.
-20 isn’t so bad. Neither is the winter gear, assuming you go outside at all during winter, as it’s the same gear as going out for a walk.
Studded tires are nice, but also not necessary if there’s proper bike infrastructure. Plowing bike lanes goes a long way.
A friend of mine explained why it’s important to his kids: they can’t chat with a group of their friends.
Why? Because parents don’t want to install WhatsApp or other group chats due to legitimate concerns about scammers, pedophiles, and other child predators. SMS chat fills that gap, but it breaks horribly for groups bigger than 10 people. Hence if some kid is on Android, they break their chat. Given the penetration of Apple devices, it’s the kids with Android who are considered at-fault. “Just get an iPhone!”
Welcome to anticompetitive practices targeted at your children.
Camping in the shoulder season is great! A little cool but often far fewer bugs.
I’ve only bikepacked once in an area more hike-a-bike than bikepacking, but I still enjoyed it. This photo is a great reminder to just get out and do it. :)
Edit: I just noticed you strapped on a Stanley cook set. That’s easily my favorite camping set. I’ve gone much lighter these days, but I still haul that one out occasionally. It’s so cheap yet so well designed. What a nice idea to strap it onto a bottle cage/holder.
Highways are a great way to install new regional transit. Brightline West is going to link Los Angeles to Las Vegas in the median of interstate 15. That highway is a total mess on weekends and this new line is expected to drastically reduce traffic with big convenience wins given its average speed of 101mph/165kph. And the project is funding wildlife overpasses and other habitat improvements.
The class system is designed for these arguments. I’m fine with class 2 in lanes and paths, but now we can discuss ebikes and where they belong without confusion. And regulators for parks, towns, etc can make it very clear in their signage.