Welcome to the May 24th BikeNite! Thanks for joining, and I hope we all enjoy chatting about cycle stuff! Feel free to answer whenever at your convenience. Anyone can join, now or later. Reply to what you like, and boost for visibility.
We'll start out with our introduction (with help from @jfparis)
Q1. Where are you posting from today? Where we are, Spring semester is over or almost over for many students. How does this affect your riding?
This question is kind of a continuation of a discussion last week. @esnyder@MylesRyden asks about what good cycle infrastructure looks like on rural roads.
Q8. As someone living rurally in OR, I am not sure what exactly I want changed on most of the rural roads. I would love to hear more about / see some links to / etc. really good examples of what it could/should look like.
@Shadowsforbars asks a question that takes us back to the earlier days of #BikeNite
Q7. Does anyone have any AI pictures of bicycles they would like to share?
(Or prompts for that matter? Good/intersesting/bad, it'd be great to see a variety. Jeremy_ai, the previous host, would often introduce BikeNite with an interesting AI generated picture)
Q4. Most cyclists drive motor vehicles at least sometimes, and some more frequently.
How has your cycling affected the way you drive? Are you slower and more careful? Do you do anything differently when encountering cyclists on the streets?
@pete asks about group rides with electric + non-electric cycles:
Q6. We have problems making group MTB rides work when eBikers join us for fastish-paced rides: essentially they’re too fast on the ups and too slow on the flats for group cohesion. Anyone have any tips for making mixed eeb/regular groups work?
I always thought it was having a classic "snakebite" pattern and that other things don't use that term, but the shop I went to this week seems to use it differently (in a more rubbing situation maybe?), so I think my definition is maybe too restrictive.
Welcome to the May 17th BikeNite! Thanks for joining, and I hope we all enjoy chatting about cycle stuff! Feel free to answer whenever at your convenience. Anyone can join, now or later. Reply to what you like, and boost for visibility.
We'll start out with our introduction (with help from @jfparis)
Q1. Where are you posting from today? How long was your last ride? And how long is your usual ride to work/uni/school/whatever?
Q2. I'm thinking of getting a folding bike on the cycle to work scheme, to help with each end of a mainly train-based commute once or twice a month. Any recommendations/avoids for a hefty 6ft3 chunky monkey? (Me)
Call for questions: it is #BikeNite this Friday at 4pm Pacific time!
Reply with questions you'd like me to add to the discussion on Friday! You can add the BikeNitePQ hashtag so it's easier to find a Proposed Question. There are only a couple in the queue right now.
(BikeNite is a Q&A type discussion on the Fediverse.)
Q5. Do you also ride when it's dark? And if so, what precautions do you take to be seen? Just what's legally required or much more? Battery vs dynamo lights? Multiple lights? Additional reflective clothes or stickers?
Q6. It be a little niche, but my #BikeNitePQ is about hauling things. Can anyone speak from experience on the use of a bike trailer for hauling a kayak or SUP short (or long) distances? Especially if there were small hills involved.Thanks!
(And if you haven't, do you know of any other interesting purpose built hauling apparatus that connects to a cycle?)
Locally, there's a proposal to remove a path on a long bridge for most days of the week, and convert it into a car breakdown lane. There doesn't appear to be any evidence that this would improve traffic, but it will require those who would have walked/cycled/rolled to take a 40 mile detour.
Q3. Have you ever seen cycle infrastructure removed or threatened? How was it preserved, or if it was removed, what were the reasons, and what were the effects?
Late question for the #BikeNite crowd: Do you have recommendations for clear wraparound glasses to keep from getting beaned in the eyes by gnats and larger bugs when cycling at twilight? When it's sunny, I have sunglasses, but I need something for darker times of day when I still need eye protection. Something for big heads, hopefully with customizable fitting around the nose/cheeks. @bikenite
And the last question: I was riding earlier this week, and had just lubricated my chain, and had some very quiet tires on the bike I was riding. My pedaling felt like it was seamlessly converted to motion, with no clinking or rattling or any other sound. This is not usually the case 😅
Q8. What's a small but satisfying feeling that you experience via cycle?
That's it for now; thanks for asking, answering, reading and discussing!
Reply, boost and favorite #BikeNite toots to keep it going. I hope you've enjoyed this and found new friends to follow. (Also, you can follow #BikeNite, if you haven't)
We'll do it again next Friday! Reply if you've got questions for next week (add the BikeNitePQ tag for visibility). The queue is still pretty empty, so please add some if you'd like to read answers to something!
#BikeNite starts at 4pm Pacific. We ask cycle-y questions for community discussion. I post questions w/ Q1, Q2, Q3; if you answer w/ A1, A2, A3, etc, it's easier to match.
Tag #BikeNite if you want your answer to be more discoverable; follow it to see questions & replies in your feed. Boost & reply to replies to keep the discussion going.
(You can follow BikeNiteQ tag so questions are easier to find, but you don't need to include this in your answers)
@sam wonders how to respond after a bad driver interaction:
Q6. When you have a dangerous interaction with a driver that doesn't involve a crash (drivers throwing things, pulling in front of you and getting out of their car and attempting to stop your bike, etc.) do you call the police, file a report later, get away and then do nothing, or something else? What factors go into making your decision?