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Coronavirus has caused a bicycling boom in New York City

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Re: Coronavirus has caused a bicycling boom in New York City

#61

Post by CydeWeys »

generationP wrote: post #11
CydeWeys wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you take the hand washing and not touching your face, then you're at almost zero risk from using shared bicycles. Even if someone gets some rona on the handlebars, if you don't transfer it to an orifice in your face you won't catch it. It's not gonna re-aerosolize off the handlebars.

"Not touching your face" is not a viable solution for most people. It's subconscious. If anyone could master this kind of self-control within a week, everyone would be an arahat.

I don't think that's true. People can get a lot better at it in a relatively short period of time. I have.

Re: Coronavirus has caused a bicycling boom in New York City

#62

Post by CydeWeys »

jbay808 wrote: post #32
dmix wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I read N95 masks were basically useless when walking outside, they only mattered indoors and in confined spaces (like public transit). I’d imagine biking is even less transmission and wearing a mask with that is pretty unrealistic. It’s hard to find what is right on the internet though.

I biked in an N95 in Vancouver during forest fire season in 2018. Not fun, but doable and it definitely helped -- without the mask I felt absolutely awful.

That's for a different situation, though. The smoke particulates are very small and are omnipresent, so a mask definitely helps. Coronavirus, by contrast, is only airborne for a short while, so unless you're close to someone who's infected you're not going to be breathing it in anyway. That's why they're saying the masks have limited effectiveness outside.

Re: Coronavirus has caused a bicycling boom in New York City

#64

Post by vikramkr »

thedance wrote: post #58
vikramkr wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And commuting even a couple miles on Philadelphia roads is basically like off roading at times - and San Francisco hills are legendary in their own right. I was rattling my brain out of my skull trying to deal with rough Philly roads in the winter and a proper carbon bike with good brakes/ability to stop on a dime if a crazy driver is cutting me off (I have heard legends of these things called "protected bike Lanes"…

On rough roads I’ve never been happier than on my longtail Xtracycle Edgerunner. With the seat post far removed from the axle, and a flexible steel frame, and Big Apple tires, it is ultra-comfortable.

That sounds like a sweet ride - glad you found one that works for you. I got a trek something (one of those cases where the fancy version from last year was on sale because the new model has cables inside instead of outside and made it obsolete or something) and it's been awesome. It also got me into cycling for fun as well - and again - Philly streets, it's been nice to have something able to stand up to it instead of what I had before haha

Re: Coronavirus has caused a bicycling boom in New York City

#65

Post by CydeWeys »

fennecfoxen wrote: post #56
adrianN wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or you can buy a $500 no frills quality bike or a $200 bike shaped Walmart thing.

The problem with the bike shaped Walmart thing is that it is absolutely irreparable. Got a $200 bike shaped thing first thing when I got a job (technically Kmart but otherwise the same). Dumb mistake. The crank gear bent out of shape before too long, just from applying pedal power to climb a hill. On another bike, that’d be $20 in parts and $40 in labor maybe? On this one it was basically impossible as it was not des…

Never mind that they're assembled by Walmart employees who have no idea what they're doing, and can be quite unsafe. You wouldn't buy a $10 airbag replacement for a car, and you shouldn't buy the cheapest bike possible. This is safety equipment; a failure at speed can be quite injurious to your body.

Re: Coronavirus has caused a bicycling boom in New York City

#67

Post by CydeWeys »

uk_programmer wrote: post #27
Alex3917 wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because the bike industry is currently switching over from rim brakes to disc brakes, you can get some pretty good deals on older (but still brand new) road bikes if you look around. A few months ago I bought a carbon road bike for less than $1,500 including tax. Granted expect to spend at least as much on accessories, but if you live somewhere where you can use it for both commuting and exercise then it still pays f…

As someone that used to be an avid cyclist. Disc brakes are almost completely pointless for commuter bicycles. Don't get me wrong they are great when mountain biking (I have cable discs on my mountain bike). On a commuter bike they are mostly just overkill IMHO. But I wouldn't buy a carbon road bike either (All my bikes are steel framed).

I'm a year-round bike commuter, and I really appreciate those disc brakes when I'm biking in heavier rain. Don't underestimate how much better they work than rim brakes in adverse weather conditions.

I'd say it's just the other way around; disc brakes are most useful for commuters, and least useful for dedicated race bikes, because you just don't go out racing when it's raining a lot (and you're typically on a closed course besides so there's less braking).

Re: Coronavirus has caused a bicycling boom in New York City

#68

Post by justinfrankel »

mikestew wrote: post #51
uk_programmer wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone that used to be an avid cyclist. Disc brakes are almost completely pointless for commuter bicycles. Don't get me wrong they are great when mountain biking (I have cable discs on my mountain bike). On a commuter bike they are mostly just overkill IMHO. But I wouldn't buy a carbon road bike either (All my bikes are steel framed).

Disc brakes are almost completely pointless for commuter bicycles Ignore this comment. Year-round commuting is the prime reason to buy a bike with disc brakes. Is it overkill not to burn through a set of rims each winter? Is it overkill to have decreased stopping distance in the rain? Anyone want to go back to drum brakes on their “commuter” car? Yeah, didn’t think so.

I have short-reach dual pivot brake calipers on a bike which sees >2000 miles year-round each year in NYC, and my rims are still fine after 7 years.

From my experience, stopping distance is usually dictated by road conditions more than the brakes. This is with 34mm wide tires, and properly adjusted brakes (a lot of times when people complain about rim brakes, the issue is that they are not working properly).

Side note: fenders are a must!

Re: Coronavirus has caused a bicycling boom in New York City

#69

Post by CydeWeys »

ck2 wrote: post #37

Ah not even isolated in a car but breathing heavy around the city, spreading the virus. Going to be a whole lot of quiet outside there soon with exponential spread. Calm before the storm. People just do not seem to understand you can be infected without having symptoms for day. Or rather they just do not give a damn who else they infect.

You're much more likely to infect someone else by riding the subway than you are riding a bicycle. It spreads best in enclosed spaces with calmer air. It doesn't transmit well outside, unless you're breathing right up in front of someone's face (which just doesn't happen on a bicycle, but might happen with e.g. pedestrians waiting in close formation for a light).

Re: Coronavirus has caused a bicycling boom in New York City

#70

Post by jbay808 »

CydeWeys wrote: post #62
jbay808 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I biked in an N95 in Vancouver during forest fire season in 2018. Not fun, but doable and it definitely helped -- without the mask I felt absolutely awful.

That's for a different situation, though. The smoke particulates are very small and are omnipresent, so a mask definitely helps. Coronavirus, by contrast, is only airborne for a short while, so unless you're close to someone who's infected you're not going to be breathing it in anyway. That's why they're saying the masks have limited effectiveness outside.

Oh, when the GP said it's unrealistic to bike in a mask, I thought they meant it would be too difficult. Maybe they just meant unnecessary, in which case I agree.
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