A Bright Spot on a Gloomy Day

While she was dressed entirely in black, her red floral shoes, and her (mother's) spring-green bicycle, provided some lovely colour.

But Does it Still Mean 'STOP'?

I am fairly certain these were regular stop signs yesterday because they definitely caught my attention this afternoon.
Now they are either comical, or thought provoking, depending on your point of view.

Bike to Work Day

Today is 'Ride Your Bike to Work' Day. Other cities may make a whole week of it, but as this is only the second year, it is good to start small.
I had the day off, but The Geek said she didn't see many new people on her ride in. That is rather disappointing.
The website for this event does not appear to have been updated yet.
Maybe next year will be better.

It's Cooler Out There

Many people say they get too hot when they ride to work. I had to drive the other day, and I felt much warmer than this woman looks.
And her shoes match her bike.

A Good Start

The city of Winnipeg has started to paint lines on some downtown streets to define the part of the road considered to be a bike lane. They are including 'sharrow' (share the road) icons as well. Last year many thoroughfares had the sharrows only, which I personally do not think worked that well. Painting the lines and using the icons is a much better idea and does more to promote a shared road concept.

Is a Unicycle Twice the Fun of a Bicycle?

The Geek bought a unicyle simply because she has always wanted to try one.

Before she could ride it tho' she had to build it a seat, as it came secondhand with a regular bicycle seat.

Now that she has overcome that obstacle, it is proving to be quite a workout, but she is starting to get the hang of it. It may be awhile before it actually becomes fun.

A Matter of Degrees

As mentioned earlier, riding the Specialized hurts my knees. The Geek and I had measured the seat-angle difference between the Specialized (rear)and the Giant and found it to be only about three degrees.

Now we have a photograph of the difference between the Giant (front) and the Batavus.I find it amazing how the difference of a few degrees can affect the comfort of a bicycle.

Therein Lies the Rub

(With my apologies to Mr Shakespeare for misquoting Hamlet.)

This picture was on the editorial page of Monday's Winnipeg Free Press. I doubt Winnipeg is the only city where it applies.

As a cyclist who also drives, I am frequently irritated by my fellow bicycle riders. There are many in this fair city who seem to delight in flaunting every rule about riding in traffic.
They

-ride down the wrong side of the street,

-weave through traffic, and rarely signal,

-menace the pedestrians on the sidewalks,

-ride while talking on their cellular phones,

-blow through stop signs without even slowing down,

and generally give the 'good' cyclists a bad name.

As a driver who also cycles, I am frequently irritated by my fellow drivers. I often wonder how they managed to pass their driving test.

They

-veer wildly in their lane, or wander into other lanes, (what are they doing in there?)

-talk on the 'phone, text message, apply makeup/shave/fuss with their hair while moving,

-don't stop behind the stop line at intersections but instead stop well over the sidewalk, with their front ends in traffic, endangering cyclist, pedestrian, and motorist alike,

-change lanes without signalling and don't seem to understand hand signals,

-turn right infront of cyclists who are going straight on the same route,

-regularly run red lights,

and generally give Winnipeg a reputation as a haven for terrible drivers.

I am not without fault. There is one part of my route where I will not ride on the street.

The Jubilee underpass is narrow and does not provide any escape route if a motorist comes too close. There, I am on the sidewalk, but when I meet a pedestrian I will get off the sidewalk and onto the grass, or wait until they are past me, before moving on.

Until motorists and cyclists both learn to play by the rules, this will continue to be a problem here, as well as in other cities.

Spring Smells Wonderful

I am always so happy I don't have allergies. This time of the year smells wonderful, if it doesn't make you sneeze.

That is NOT What I Meant

When I said I want to encourage people to use their bicycles more often for day-to-day activities, I meant legitimate, healthy ones.

Drive-by shootings target 2 homes in Winnipeg's north end
Last Updated: Monday, June 8, 2009 9:52 AM CT
CBC News
Nobody was injured during two drive-by shootings in Winnipeg's north end neighbourhood Sunday night.
The first happened in the 300 block of Alfred Avenue at around 10 p.m., where six people were in the home when as many as six shots were fired at the residence, said police, who believe there were two suspects and that both were on bicycles at the time.
The second incident occurred just after midnight when two shots were fired at a home on Redwood Avenue.
Police did not say how many suspects are believed to have been involved, or whether they were also on bicycles.
Investigators are still looking into whether the shootings are connected.

The Blue Bike Has Seen Much Love

N3 has had his blue bike for five weeks and it looks like he has been enjoying every minute.

They Call Me Donkey-Girl

In addition to being generally invisible, now thanks to Eselin, the Batavus, I am now virtually soundless. Without gears, there is no 'ticking' sound when I pedal and when I am coasting, the only sound is the noise of any grit that may be under my tires.

With this additional ability, I am ready to fight crime; all I need is my cape. (Just because I am invisible doesn't mean I shouldn't dress the part.)