Garote loves cyclists

This gentleman is fully excellent (on this webpage, anyway).

He says:
"Life is too short to stay in the suburbs anyway, and it's too short to spend it all inside a car.  In fact, screw this whole frustrating, isolating, expensive, car-worshipping paradigm.  You can escape it!  A bicycle can take you there! And to everyone who has ever driven their car past bicyclists, only to park at a fitness center:  Don't let fear control you. There are local resources to help you integrate bicycling with your life, and cycle safely. You can spend that 50 dollar membership fee at your favorite restaurant instead (and still get in great shape). And there will be less post-modern irony in your life. Heh heh heh."

Check out his whole pro-bike, not-so-keen-on-bike-hostile-urban-design rant here: http://garote.bdmonkeys.net/bike_charger/1-Introduction_and_Rant.html.

I also enjoy his focus-on-the essentials, grass roots approach:
"I could start listing off the various brand names of the components...  Who made the shifters, who made the frame, et cetera, like all the other gearheads do ... but it honestly doesn't matter.  I bought it used, and I have no idea what I'm riding.  All I do know is that it's a mountain bike, and that the handlebars are weird. (Actually, the term "mountain bike" is almost an anachronism.  The classifications get much more complicated.  You can find bikes custom built from the frame on up, for high-speed racing, long-distance touring, short-distance touring, rock-hopping, stunts, riding mountain trails, or tooling around downtown.  If I had an extra four thousand bucks lying around, I could easily drop the full amount on any one of these.  Well, actually, I'd rather spend the money on food, and keep my bike.  Hah.)"

You rock, Garote! Station!

Brian loves Amsterdam cyclists

From Brian's web page:

"I stopped in Amsterdam, Netherlands on my way back from a 2006_europe_motorcycle_trip.  During a 73 minute period on 9/12/06 at one corner of Nieuw Markt (a nice open square in Amsterdam), I took the following 82 pictures of bicycles.  Why?  Because sitting there I noticed how remarkably different the whole Amsterdam bicycle scene was from my home, and at the same time certain very clear 'Amsterdam Bicycle Trends' appeared I thought might be interesting to point out.   I am from the San Francisco area, California, USA."

Here are the categories of Amsterdam cycling trends Brian noticed:
1. Formally Dressed Bicyclists
2. Multiple Riders on One Bike
3. No Helmets EVER
4. Dogs on Bikes
5. Human Powered Generator (Dynamo) Bicycle Light
6. Spectacular Gigantic Unbreakable Security Chains
7.  other trends

Sadly, Brian claims that "EVERY bicycle in Amsterdam is outfitted with a dynamo powered head lamp, where the rider has to pump extra super hard and the head lamp shines dimly.  If you are younger than 35 years old, you probably have never seen one of these in the USA, we have very bright headlamps for bicycles that add much less weight and do not increase resistance.  I haven't seen a single dynamo powered bicycle in San Francisco in over 20 years.   Once I saw a 'Simpsons' (animated comedy) episode where Bart turned on his dynamo bicycle headlamp and could barely make forward progress-> in the USA these dynamo powered headlamps are considered a JOKE, but almost a quarter million bicycles in Amsterdam all have them"

The truth is that the bicycles my friend and I rented in SAN FRANCISCO had dynamo lights. AND they were bright. AND they required almost no extra work to power. That technology has come a long way since Brian dismissed it. And it's on the rental bikes in his very own city.

Also, about the huge chains that the Dutch use to lock up their bikes, Brian says "The ton of high tensile, military hardened steel in each security chain must be worth more than the bicycle it is keeping safe!" He fails to see the point that locking one's bike is not just about protecting a monetary investment. It's about preventing the extreme inconvenience of losing one's bike. When a bike is stolen, the bike's rightful owner has to find another way home AND has to file a police report AND has to obtain a new bike. AND that person has to go to all the trouble of customizing the replacement bike to his or her needs. Big-time hassle.

In any case, it's awesome that Brian is so into commuter cycling! Right on, Brian!