How could one complain about a beautiful sunny Summer day in Boston? Well, I can, but only when the weather report calls for rain and thus causes me not to bike to work.
On the plus side, I saw this sweet Schwinn 3-speed on my walk to the T. Anyone know anything about this model?
(photo by Salim Vijri, via flickr)
My language has become, shall we say, “saltier,” since I took up commuting by bike. I like to think that I am expanding my literary horizons by thinking up new things to call the lesser attentive users of Our Fair Streets.
How have I gone for years referring to those lost souls who ride the wrong way down one way streets (usually helmetless and frequently with headphones or earbuds) as mere “assholes,” “morons,” “douchebags,” and the like.
Well, Hallelujah, I have finally learned the term “bike salmon,” thanks to another erstwhile denizen of these here fair Boston Biker parts, 100 psi. A further procrastinatory search led me to a hi-larious post by the notorious Bike Snob, which may have caused to me Literally* LOL**.
Thanks!
*I weep bitter tears anytime the word “literally” is misused, as it is so often today.
** I have many times chortled, guffawed, spit milk out my nose in laughter, and even, dare I say, laughed out loud, but I have never and shall never LOL. Nor ROTFLMAO. I say F that S.
UPDATE 6/9/10: Dumbfuckery exemplified!
This morning I had occasion to be driving (which i do occasionally!) along a busy two-way road here in Boston, and I encountered a unique variation on the bike salmon — a helmetless rider riding against traffic in the middle of the road, i.e. between the two directions of traffic. So I guess you could say he was both riding with AND against traffic. I would call this not a bike salmon but a Bike Schrodinger’s Cat.
I had the temerity to beep my horn (note: “beep,” not “lean on in an assholish manner) to alert him to the questionable wisdom of his choice of travel path. He then did something amazing — pretended to swerve into the path of my car with a quick swerve. Wow.
Whew! That wind & rain yesterday did a number on the trees along the Charles River Bike Path. Lots of downed branches and some very large trees as well. Kudos to the crews who were already out there working on the cleanup before 9 AM this morning (Are they part of Dept of Conservation & Recreation?). Didn’t see a single branch on any of the path itself.
I originally felt I should reserve my first rant for evil drivers who engage in various forms of dumbfuckery, but having sat with it for several days, I am forced to inveigh against discourteousness by my fellow two-wheelers.
Being the relative slowpoke that I am, I am at times passed by other cyclists faster than myself.
In my informal estimation, I’d venture that fewer than 15%, and probably fewer than 10%, of said passing cyclists give me any form of heads-up or warning that they intend to pass.
No “on your left.” No “passing.” No delightful “ting a ling” of a bicycle bell, just full on throttle past me. Now, I try to stay to the right of the path, and am not weaving back and forth, but I still feel that common cyclist courtesy warrants a warning.
How do others feel? Do other cyclists owe you a heads-up in all instances of passing? Only when the cyclist you’re passing is not hewing closely to the right of the path? Only when the slower cyclist seems not to be paying attention? When?
And don’t get me started on clueless runners who insist on wearing headphones turned up so loud they don’t hear ME when I warn them that I’m passing — that’s Rant #2, for another day.
