Jan and Klodi's Party Bus - part II off topic discussion

sherlok · 15-01-2016 10:55AM

well, he wasn't wearing a helmet and there's no mention of high viz...

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jan/14/nsw-police-launch-investigation-after-officer-allegedly-pushes-cyclist-off-bike

ThisRegard · 15-01-2016 11:02AM

FFS, the subheading

Police say the cyclist, who was not wearing a helmet, had ignored a red traffic light at the intersection of William and Yurong streets in Sydney

What an earth was the relevance of not wearing a helmet got to do with getting pushed off a bike, and why do the editors feel it's of such importance that it needs to be one of the main details.

“I completely acknowledge that split-second memories like that could be completely fallible ... What I saw did not indicate in any way that he was giving [the cyclist] fair warning to pull over.

“It just looked like he rode up alongside him and pushed him off his bike.”

Police said the cyclist fell from his bicycle.

He will be issued with infringement notices for not stopping at a red light and not wearing a helmet.

The 2 makers of Making a Murder have a bit of down time at the moment, don't they?

seamus · 15-01-2016 11:05AM

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

Also not a feckin clue what spoke length I need. Jaysis this biking lark can be a pain in the hole at times
Anybody help me out with what spoke length I need, it's the ****ty syncros rim that came standard on the scott speedster 40. Syncros Aero 27, I couldn't find anything online but surely one of you friendly fellas would know where to look

Little bit of a black art in spokes. Which becomes a pain in the hole when all you want to do is replace a broken one, not build a whole wheel.

Simplest way is to take the broken spoke and a good steel ruler if you have one. Measure from the tip of the spoke (i.e. the end of the threads), down to the inside of the elbow. What's the elbow? Where the spoke bends 90 degrees to attach to the hub. So the length of the spoke you're looking for is effectively the length of the long straight bit, but from the inside of the curve, not the outside.

The lengths are in mm, and a standard gauge & weight spoke should do fine, though if you google the wheels it should tell you what the current spokes are. Try and get the measurement as accurate as possible, but again for the purposes of replacing a spoke on a training wheel, you can usually be as much as 2 or 3mm out in your measurement without any problems.

If you were building or rebuilding a wheel, you'd have vernier calipers out getting exact measurements of hub flanges and rim depths, but you don't need that here.

If it's a rear wheel, buy 5 of them. If it's a front wheel, buy ten of them. If one spoke has gone already, more are on the verge of going. So it's handy to have more spares ready to go. Rear wheels have different length spokes on each side, non-disc front wheels have the same length on both sides. Also good practice to replace the nipples, so if you can get a small box of them cheap, you may as well.

Lumen · 15-01-2016 11:08AM

ThisRegard wrote: »

What an earth was the relevance of not wearing a helmet got to do with getting pushed off a bike

Because in the context of Australian road "safety" it makes the actions of the officer look even worse. The officer knew that the cyclist was like literally on the brink of death by cycling unhelmeted, and then made the conscious decision to push him over! Attempted murder!

Qualitymark · 15-01-2016 11:24AM

Judge fines cyclist €700 because, apparently, cycling traffic light only applies if you're in the cycle lane:

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/four-gardai-needed-to-put-arrogant-cyclist-in-cell-court-told-376308.html

Judge Seán Ó Donnabháin said he took it from the evidence of Garda Mark O’Connor that his position was that, “the cyclists’ green light only applies to the cycle lane and any cyclist using the road has to obey the rules of the road, Leo (Varadkar) or not.”

(snip)

Shorten told his barrister, Donnacha Kiely, he did not cycle on the cycle lane because lighting was poor on it and pedestrians often walked on it. He denied being drunk at the time, denied swerving and was so worried about the way the gardaí were arresting him that he phoned 999 to report the gardaí to the gardaí.

(snip)

The judge said his attitude was that, “He was on his bike and he could do what he liked — how dare the guards question him. I do not think I have ever come across a more arrogant witness.”

Convictions and fines totalling €700 were affirmed for being drunk and a danger, threatening, obstructing Garda O’Connor and cycling past a red light. The judge allowed the appeal against a €200 fine for cycling under the influence.

ThisRegard · 15-01-2016 11:34AM

Lumen wrote: »

Because in the context of Australian road "safety" it makes the actions of the officer look even worse. The officer knew that the cyclist was like literally on the brink of death by cycling unhelmeted, and then made the conscious decision to push him over! Attempted murder!

I wouldn't be surprised if it meant the opposite, as if to say the gob****e would have been fine had he been wearing one, so serves him right, in fact he deserved it to teach him a lesson.

Fian · 15-01-2016 11:47AM

This is behind a paywall but i think you can read 2/3 articles a week before the paywall kicks in?

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/8c89e112-b90f-11e5-bf7e-8a339b6f2164.html#axzz3x80MdF8o

Article in financial times concerns "mechanical doping" in sportives/amateur cycling rather than professional.

"I was flying up the hill, having to lean the bike right over so as not to overshoot the corners. I felt like Lance Armstrong or Marco Pantani.
Which is to say, I felt like a great climber but also something of a fraud. They both used performance-enhancing drugs; I was benefiting from a new type of cheating, something that has become known in the professional cycling world as “mechanical doping”"

invisible & internal system he was using weighted 1.8kg, low down on bike (bottom of seat post) so no handling issues.

http://www.goatbikes.com/

seamus · 15-01-2016 11:58AM

Qualitymark wrote: »

Judge fines cyclist €700 because, apparently, cycling traffic light only applies if you're in the cycle lane:

To be fair, he was fined €700 for acting the arsehole and being one of those loudmouth, "you can't arrest me" types when drunk. €200 of the fine was for cycling while drunk, I imagine the fine for breaking the light was only €70 or whatever the standard penalty is.

OldBean · 15-01-2016 12:10PM

gadetra wrote: »

Sorry Jimmy I wouldn't even know where to get a notion of a spoke!

Has anyone been in the phoenix park? Is it icy or salted? Thinking of laps around the park tomorrow (Friday) about lunchtime.

Just left D7 and it's still very icy. I was going to cycle to work and changed my mind pretty quickly when I looked out the window. Still nearly fell on my arse.

I should be back over by the park for 12.30/13.00 with an update. And possibly even a spin myself.

Qualitymark · 15-01-2016 12:10PM

But also to be fair, was any evidence (breath or urine test) brought into court that he was drunk? Article doesn't seem to say. Wasn't an appeal allowed in the "under the influence" part?

Chips Lovell · 15-01-2016 12:15PM

He denied being drunk at the time, denied swerving and was so worried about the way the gardaí were arresting him that he phoned 999 to report the gardaí to the gardaí.

Sound reasoning there.

Chips Lovell · 15-01-2016 12:19PM

Qualitymark wrote: »

But also to be fair, was any evidence (breath or urine test) brought into court that he was drunk? Article doesn't seem to say. Wasn't an appeal allowed in the "under the influence" part?

AFAIK, the legislation doesn't require any breath or urine test. The Garda simply has to form the opinion that you are too intoxicated to cycle.

Qualitymark · 15-01-2016 12:24PM

Jep Gambardella wrote: »

AFAIK, the legislation doesn't require any breath or urine test. The Garda simply has to form the opinion that you are too intoxicated to cycle.

Seems a bit dodgy!

I'm not talking about this case - don't know anything about it, was just curious about the legalities of bicycle vs general traffic lights. But I would have thought that if a driver had to be given a breath and urine and possibly blood test, the same should be true of a cyclist.

Eamonnator · 15-01-2016 12:36PM

seamus wrote: »

To be fair, he was fined €700 for acting the arsehole and being one of those loudmouth, "you can't arrest me" types when drunk. €200 of the fine was for cycling while drunk, I imagine the fine for breaking the light was only €70 or whatever the standard penalty is.

No he was fined for being drunk and a danger.
He was allowed his appeal for a €200 fine for cycling under the influence.

Chips Lovell · 15-01-2016 12:37PM

Qualitymark wrote: »

Seems a bit dodgy!

I'm not talking about this case - don't know anything about it, was just curious about the legalities of bicycle vs general traffic lights. But I would have thought that if a driver had to be given a breath and urine and possibly blood test, the same should be true of a cyclist.

As far as I recall, drunk driving is the only intoxication-type offence where there is test involved. Other offences such as intoxication in a public place, etc. only require the opinion of the Garda.

As for the traffic lights thing, I'd assume the regulations are that you obey the light for the lane you're in. Similarly, if I'm in a car, I wouldn't be entitled to pass through a red if the bus lane had a green.

Eamonnator · 15-01-2016 12:38PM

Qualitymark wrote: »

Judge fines cyclist €700 because, apparently, cycling traffic light only applies if you're in the cycle lane:

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/four-gardai-needed-to-put-arrogant-cyclist-in-cell-court-told-376308.html

There was a lot more to it than "cycling traffic light only applies if you're in the cycle lane."

tomasrojo · 15-01-2016 12:45PM

Jep Gambardella wrote: »

As for the traffic lights thing, I'd assume the regulations are that you obey the light for the lane you're in. Similarly, if I'm in a car, I wouldn't be entitled to pass through a red if the bus lane had a green.

Yeah, I assume so too. He was in the wrong on two counts and then made a nuisance of himself on top of that.

The tone of the coverage (uppity cyclists in the media again) is a different matter.

Chips Lovell · 15-01-2016 12:51PM

Ach, I don't know. I think if a motorist was convicted of similar, it would also make the court reports.

tomasrojo · 15-01-2016 12:56PM

Yeah, but variations of "motorist", "driving" and "car" wouldn't have appeared once or twice in every sentence. After establishing the mode of transport at the start, the defendant would have been referred to as "Mr. Shorten" or "the defendant", rather than "the motorist".

On the other hand, the disapproval of the drunkenness I assume would have been more noticeable.

Also, Varadkar was the Minister for Transport, not Environment. Not sure whose mistake that was.

CramCycle · 15-01-2016 01:46PM

com1 wrote: »

What is this all about? I whimped out this morning and drove to work, it was unbelievable. people driving along on the motorway with nothing near them and all of a sudden slamming on.
What was going through their heads -

"OMG I am doing 50kph and it is slightly cold I had better get back to 20 immediately before my car spontaneously explodes and crashes at 200kph into the car 200 metres ahead of me!!!!...!!!

or

"is it icy here?" *slam*, "no".

50 metres further on

"or here?" *slam* "no".

Traffic lights and stop lines seem to vanish when the weather gets anyway out of the ordinary too... "dammit man, how can I obey traffic signs, LOOK at the weather!!!" - bizarre.

I have had someone I know do it, testing their brakes is what they said. Its utter stupidity. Keep a reasonable distance between vehicles and don't drive recklessly.
This tapping the brakes to see if they work is more likely to cause an accident if they do on a slippy road. Far more bizarrely, they believe their may be brake faults or at least a reasonable chance, and yet they still drive the vehicle.

Qualitymark wrote: »

Judge fines cyclist €700 because, apparently, cycling traffic light only applies if you're in the cycle lane:

An overnight in the cells would have done him no harm either IMO

LollipopJimmy · 15-01-2016 01:48PM

seamus wrote: »

Little bit of a black art in spokes. Which becomes a pain in the hole when all you want to do is replace a broken one, not build a whole wheel.

Simplest way is to take the broken spoke and a good steel ruler if you have one. Measure from the tip of the spoke (i.e. the end of the threads), down to the inside of the elbow. What's the elbow? Where the spoke bends 90 degrees to attach to the hub. So the length of the spoke you're looking for is effectively the length of the long straight bit, but from the inside of the curve, not the outside.

The lengths are in mm, and a standard gauge & weight spoke should do fine, though if you google the wheels it should tell you what the current spokes are. Try and get the measurement as accurate as possible, but again for the purposes of replacing a spoke on a training wheel, you can usually be as much as 2 or 3mm out in your measurement without any problems.

If you were building or rebuilding a wheel, you'd have vernier calipers out getting exact measurements of hub flanges and rim depths, but you don't need that here.

If it's a rear wheel, buy 5 of them. If it's a front wheel, buy ten of them. If one spoke has gone already, more are on the verge of going. So it's handy to have more spares ready to go. Rear wheels have different length spokes on each side, non-disc front wheels have the same length on both sides. Also good practice to replace the nipples, so if you can get a small box of them cheap, you may as well.

The broken spoke is gone, I had to undo it when I was halfway to work and continue on, I bent it up and put it in my pocket. So I'll have to remove another to measure it

I just want a spoke!! Lol

cdaly_ · 15-01-2016 01:57PM

CramCycle wrote: »

I have had someone I know do it, testing their brakes is what they said. Its utter stupidity. Keep a reasonable distance between vehicles and don't drive recklessly.
This tapping the brakes to see if they work is more likely to cause an accident if they do on a slippy road.

There is a recommendation to be found in some cars' manuals to try the brakes on a suspected slippery surface and if the ABS triggers, you know it's slippery. This actually works as a test but you do need to do it in a safe manner...

Qualitymark · 15-01-2016 02:25PM

I was advised to tap the brakes - not to put them on, just tap them, and only when on a clear road. But not for ice. My instructor on a mend-your-own-car course, said that you should do this to dry off the brakes after driving through water deep enough that it might have coated the brake pads. I'd be terrified to do it on an icy surface; danger of aquaplaning.

CramCycle · 15-01-2016 03:02PM

cdaly_ wrote: »

There is a recommendation to be found in some cars' manuals to try the brakes on a suspected slippery surface and if the ABS triggers, you know it's slippery. This actually works as a test but you do need to do it in a safe manner...

My OH said she felt the ABS trigger stopping at a T junction this morning. I think my crazy comment was more to do with those in moving traffic or in a position where if it was slippery, they would be guaranteed to crash.

roverrules · 15-01-2016 03:12PM

Lumen wrote: »

Because in the context of Australian road "safety" it makes the actions of the officer look even worse. The officer knew that the cyclist was like literally on the brink of death by cycling unhelmeted, and then made the conscious decision to push him over! Attempted murder!

More likely that it was one of the offences for which they wanted to stop him, could have been worse they might have assumed he was a terrorist with a cycle bomb and tazered or shot him.

http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2015/12/27/Vienna-police-on-alert-after-attack-warning-.html

Extra steps include surveillance in crowded spaces, "especially at events and traffic hubs" as well as intensive identity checks and higher alertness for objects which could carry explosives such as bags or "bicycle frames", it said.

Qualitymark · 15-01-2016 03:30PM

Bicycle bombs used to be a thing. The French Résistance (whom, strangely, the French don't regard with the kind of spite the bourgeoisie reserve for the 1916 fighters) were fond of them. Algerians too, I think.

Harrybelafonte · 15-01-2016 04:27PM

Qualitymark wrote: »

Bicycle bombs used to be a thing. The French Résistance (whom, strangely, the French don't regard with the kind of spite the bourgeoisie reserve for the 1916 fighters) were fond of them. Algerians too, I think.

To begin with, the uprising of 1916 and those who participated are in no way comparable to the numbers or scale of the French Resistance's activities, nor the context.

Also, referring to the "bourgeoisie" while at the same time, in the same sentence, in a half-hearted pretension using the term "French Résistance" and "bourgeoisie" is comic genius.

tomasrojo · 15-01-2016 04:51PM

Bicycle bombs have been used occasionally, but placed in baskets or panniers.

John Adams looked into whether anyone had packed bicycle frames with explosive and he couldn't find any examples. It seems to be a myth.

Also, the likely result, he concluded, of detonating explosive in a standard diamond frame would be to shoot the saddle up in the air, rather than scatter metal in all directions.

Cars are much better for harbouring explosive devices, especially as they as a matter of course contain volatile combustible materials anyway.

Qualitymark · 15-01-2016 04:58PM

Harrybelafonte wrote: »

To begin with, the uprising of 1916 and those who participated are in no way comparable to the numbers or scale of the French Resistance's activities, nor the context.

Also, referring to the "bourgeoisie" while at the same time, in the same sentence, in a half-hearted pretension using the term "French Résistance" and "bourgeoisie" is comic genius.

The Rising itself involved around 3,000 people; it began the War of Independence which involved comparably far higher numbers than were in the French Résistance (sorry you object to the acute accent on the word).

RobFowl · 15-01-2016 05:21PM

Qualitymark wrote: »

The Rising itself involved around 3,000 people; it began the War of Independence which involved comparably far higher numbers than were in the French Résistance (sorry you object to the acute accent on the word).

Shure wouldn't we be better off if the Brits were still in charge anyways...

(ducks and gets coat at same time...)

Jan and Klodi's Party Bus - part II **off topic discussion**

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Jan and Klodi's Party Bus - part II off topic discussion