Text 24109, 102 rader
Skriven 2007-12-14 15:14:02 av Carol Shenkenberger (1:261/1466.0)
     Kommentar till en text av Joan Macdiarmid
Ärende: Bicycles
================
 -=> Quoting Joan Macdiarmid to Carol Shenkenberger <=-

 CS> Well, it's like in the USA, people think of bikes as a summer only
 CS> thing.  Elsewhere, year round use.  All hours too.

 JM> I've been known to go biking in the winter, but when the
 JM> roads were cleared and dry, and in daylight. Only problem
 JM> was getting the less protected body parts warm again!
 JM> And at U. of Ala. I relied on the bike year-round,
 JM> including before sun-up for an 8AM class. But campuses
 JM> are much more bike-friendly traffic-wise.

True, and so is Japan <g>.  Clemson University is also very bike friendly and
many students used them back when I was there.
 
 CS> Ok, I had to use mine in the dark.  It's not hard but you need good
 CS> lights. You also need multiple lights with different spread patterns

 JM> (Clip!) Can be done, I know. You were lucky to find bike lights
 JM> running on AA batteries. The rip-off artists at my bike shop only
 JM> offered one with a special battery pack that was quite costly
 JM> and didn't last long.

Well, thats one thing you can find easy in Japan.  Good bike lights, even 
fancy designer ones.  On my relief bike, I even had 2 little ones that were 
solar operated.  They didnt give much light, but they were angled down and 
made me visible at night from the sides.  Just enough light to see what I was
stopping on ;-)

 JM> I saw one non-racing bike made for little girls (pink with flowers)
 JM> listing for about $1000! Lots of expensive bikes, racing or not!
 JM> I got my last one for $10 at a garage sale! Sturdy and it gets me
 JM> my exercise and a good outdoor experience.

Good deal!  You cant find cheap ones like that in Japan.  At least, not in 
Sasebo.  People just use them up.
 
 CS> I dunno how much the Cultech pedigree clysdale ;-) weighs but I
 CS> couldnt pick it up even before my back went wonky.  Don has trouble
 CS> too.  It doesnt have a  'kickstand' but a tripod <g>.

 JM> Wow!

Hazarding a guess, a little over 100lbs?  We warned the movers when they came
to them that they were HEAVY overseas units.  Fortunately these movers didnt
want to play any 'macho games' so used 2 of them and agreed, they are solid.
 
 JM> I don't buy mine for looks. I do store them indoors to avoid rust.

Didnt really have that option in Sasebo once we moved to housing.  In the Cho,
they were on the front porch which was partly covered.  At work though, chained
to a fence.
 
 JM> When they complain about increases in tuition
 JM> and fees, do they recognize the improvements in
 JM> accommodations like parking lot maintenance they
 JM> kept demanding as a part of the cost of education?
 
 CS> Nope.  Me, I'd be wanting more bike racks probably ;-)

 JM> Me, too. This campus has no real bike racks, while Alabama had rows
 JM> of them in front of every building in the '70s. Pity, it's flat enough
 JM> to be bike-friendly, too.

Do folks there use bikes much?  Perhaps they don't at least partly due to lack 
of racks?  

I recall mentioning lack of racks in Sasebo at the pier.  No one really thought
it much of an issue until we got a CO who rode his bike in every day like I
did.
He complained to the base and got them to bring in 4 big ones for the pier.

Next day, they were filled.  He called for 2 more and that was just about
right.
When we'd go to Yokosuka he'd add a request for bike racks to the 'LOGREQ' 
(Logistical request for pier services).  They never had them, but he'd ask
every time anyways hoping they'd add them as a requestable item <g>.

He used to ride his right up the ramp and park it at the quarterdeck ;-)  While
some CO's would bring their cars, he'd bring his bike and let us do same.  It
was considered a quality of life issue so room was made when possible.

 CS> Unfortunate.  I had to deal with gravel many a time and it can be a
 CS> problem.

 JM> I have biked a few times on ice, carefully, and can manage that with
 JM> very cautious turning. But a few inches of snow acts a lot like
 JM> gravel, both squooshing under the tires in unpredictable ways. Anyway,
 JM> until they widen my road and add a generous shoulder, I will be using
 JM> it for biking as little as possible.

I can well see that one.  I'm just glad I have my snow tires <g>.
                  xxcarol




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