This is WAR!!!!

[augidog]

i'm all for enterprise and intiative, but...

"legitimate" is pushing it, imo...its' more like "not illegitimate" at the moment.

as soon as a local (who isn't even aware there's NO SUCH THING as an 80cc) sells a cheap kit & bike to a 12 year old and he kills himself, it's the beginning of the end. or a father of 2 buys one (to save his family some food money) because he believed the guy when he said he was a "professional", and the tensioner gets into the spokes and he winds up in a coma. why it hasn't happened already is beyond me, so i keep my fingers crossed & hope for the best.

but the odds are not in our favor, and they get worse every time some guy thinks he can sell a HT/Huffy to a stranger and then wash his hands of liability. i know that an active member who properly installs & maintains a HT can get his money's worth out of it, but geez folks we're talking about a lot of folks who know nothing building & selling to those who know even less still.

i'd like to say more, explain why i think we're going to self-destruct under the weight of our seeming refusal, as a group, to regulate ourselves...but it's a taboo-issue, too many people think if i criticize a design flaw or unsavory marketing practice, i'm criticizing them...

to (try to) be clear once again, my goal is that everyone knows what they're getting into, knows exactly what they're getting, gets a fair deal based on what they expect & spend, and gets at the least a minimum education in 2-wheeled safety and etiquette.

oh-yeah...let's DO complain about not being taken seriously, and then let's act like we don't know why.

 

[Mountainman]

1-I've often seen these pitched as 100% legal without any sort of license

2-Do you guys see these being used or sold around you?

3-It seems to me that they're pretty illegal on the street, and people seem to use them for random trips.

4-Is it worth calling the cops if I see on on the bike path?

regarding above

1-usually found to be not a true statement
but can catch the eye of convicted drunk drivers
who are without a drivers license
and in dire need to get to a few simple places
much better than the bus in most cases
should never be sold to anyone under 18 with written permission from parents

2-many being sold here close by

3-border line true we guess -- but who's looking ??

4-life is too short --------- just keeping my own side of the street clean is job enough here !!

MM

 

[Slackbiker]

I don't catch any grief at all on tour, and have hung out with numerous "regular" tour bicylists, especially around Yellowstone last year. Every once in a while someone will jokingly say "Hey, that's cheating", but it is never a bicyclist, usually an RVer, so thats just silly. I usually just reply "yep, i'm cheating allright". Sometimes i add "so is everyone else". Most bicyclists own cars.

 

[MikeJ]

While I will admit that riders with the flashy jerseys and minimum-weight bicycles and very-expensive motorcycle riders often ignore my presence when passing, some riders of less-expensive machines will give a handwave and/or a grin. We help each other when needed. I got a flat tire this past weekend (defective Forte inner tube) and four people (three bicyclists and one econo-car driver) stopped to ask if I needed help. (I had help on its way.) One road bicyclist was headed for a north-south road. I told him that road was a gravel-covered wash-board road. His GPS unit showed it was paved. He was disappointed, but it saved him half an hour of riding time and then to be met by disappointment. He offered good practical advice: Always carry two spare tubes and an air pump. We departed grateful we met.

And the next day, I put on 127 miles on my bike, carrying two inner tubes and a new air pump.

MikeJ

 

[Happy Valley]

i'd like to say more, explain why i think we're going to self-destruct under the weight of our seeming refusal, as a group, to regulate ourselves...but it's a taboo-issue, too many people think if i criticize a design flaw or unsavory marketing practice, i'm criticizing them...

Too bad. Certainly more needs be said. And more or less continually with that same consistant message. IMO, something on that order could/should really stand to be part of the mission statement.

oh-yeah...let's DO complain about not being taken seriously, and then let's act like we don't know why.

 

[eastwoodo4]

im going to join that forum so i can bust some balls!

 

[bluegoatwoods]

It might not be worth your time, eastwood. I'm familiar with that forum since I'm also a serious pedal-er. I went there looking for useful information and tips and such. They can be found, but it's like a needle in a haystack.

There are a number of people there who are genuinely nice. But bicycles are really just a bit too simple; any one who rides one very much quickly learns what needs to be learned. We're just not able to offer each other anything of substance very often. Nothing but hellos and a description of today's ride.

There are also a large number (probably the majority) who are simply creeps. They are there either to show off their expensive tastes in bicycles, clothing and accessories or they're there to tell people that they are jerks. Naturally they insist that a motor assisted bicycle is a *******. Maybe that last word won't get by the censor. So let's say, "a motor assisted bicycle adulterates the riding experience".

I still look over the posts from time to time, but I've stopped participating. That forum is not worth very much time.

 

[eastwoodo4]

10 4 bluegoat,i had my say over there.the only respect i have for them guys is the new york bike messenger type

augi,i agree with you.but there are a lot of ht owners here.
i talked to a person yesterday who said wal mart was selling happytime kits for awhile.but they stopped because everyone was bringing them back.if your not very mechanically inclined,you wont go far on a happy time.

 

[motorpsycho]

where I live, road biking is a HUGE thing. Indiana university is here, and you know, they do the little 500 race every year (think about the movie "breaking away"".)
there are a ton of arrogant lance armstrong wanna-be's riding around here. Since i live in the county, the roads are hilly with very little traffic. These morons will ride smack in the middle of the road and when they're on hills, oncoming cars can't see them until it's too late.
These are the ones that i like to mess with. I will ride my motored bike past them and make sure they get plenty of 2 stroke smoke to choke on.
I personally have almost hit several of these idiot bikers while driving my car. They will yell at the people driving the cars to look out, when they are in the middle of the road on blind hills, clearly in the wrong.

 

[bluegoatwoods]

A couple of weeks ago I was on a ride (motorized)

3 "roadies" were coming at me. As we passed I gave them a smile and a wave that couldn't be missed. They literally glared at me. Gargoyle faces carved in stone.

You know, these same three would probably be perfectly polite to a stranger who gave a friendly greeting while, say, walking down the street.

But in this context they seemed to feel that it was perfectly allright to show their displeasure with me over what I choose to ride. They seemed to think that it was all right to even feel this displeasure.

They couldn't have said it more clearly: "You are NOT one of us!"

I wonder if they have the brains to know that anyone who has matured beyond grade school wouldn't want to be?

Still, I'll count my blessings. There aren't many of those types around here.