I was telling the main man Lung about this one last night… it’s the only known, publicly shared copy of a study commissioned in California in the 70′s, originally intended to address opposition to the cost of a proposed measure to build a combination of bike paths and bike lanes on sidewalks, sold as a safety measure to protect cyclists from cars in urban areas. The publisher of this site was present at the conference in which the results of this report were revealed, and pointed out thatthe study not only did not serve to support cyclist safety, it called into question California’s entire state-wide mandate to move cyclists into bike lanes and off-street paths as a means to create a safer riding environment. The study showed that the whole bike path agenda was a means to make roads more convenient to motorists.

http://www.johnforester.com/Articles/Safety/Cross01.htm

The study shows that the statistical likelihood of cycling accidents occur in FRONT of the rider, not from same-direction traffic, as was posited. It shows, as experienced cyclists will tell you, that cars behind you are a comfort zone issue, not the safety problem they are assumed to be from people IN the cars or off the bike.* Rather, the conflicts occur with unpredictable driver behavior, drivers not seeing cyclists, and other sudden emergcny conditions the cyclist faces while crossing driveways or approaching intersections.

It’s a very interesting study.

Why wrong?

Because the commission immediately gagged it, and forbid it’s publication, for fear of the political ramifications.

:::

* Of course, in my commute through SF from Marin, I regularly get brushed, pegged or nearly missed by drivers’ mirrors, sides of trucks, swerving vehicles, etc. both in and out of bike lanes, so in the worst conditions, you’re screwed either way.

That said, I do appreciate bike lanes, when created properly. The problem in SF is that, like many urban centers, the roads are too narrow, and the city planners just approved the intermittant and incomplete application of bike lanes on roads too narrow to support them, reducing lane widths, which in turn mean that drivers hover on the edge of, or within, the lane. This, combined with the fact that the code allows cars to enter the bike lane within 100ft of a corner (understandable, but abused) and the fact that the bike lanes are broken up from block to block, means that cyclists that assume the bike lanes are there to protect them are sorely mistaken. Besides, ride near SBC/ATT ballpark during a game night? You’re dodging SUVs swerving into the bike lane spontaneously in search of scalpers, who are ALSO stepping into it. And lets not forget the fact that the DPT parking enforcement idiots use the BIKE LANE to administer parking tickets… abruptly and unpredictably moving in and out of it, and stopping within it, wherever convenient.

I think we have better driver and cyclist education now than ever before, but we have a long way to go, on both sides of the windshield.

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I originally posted this in the "Art Exhibit" thread because I had a very specific vision for it, and because I built it from the ground up. Maybe not art to some. But art to me, no doubt. And it took me something like 9 months or more.

100% scratch-built. 100% custom. There is no other bike like it. Meet gangstaLean(tm)…

Specifics…
-> Road/BMX hybrid — road frame, fork, and wheels, BMX steering column.
-> 7-speed rear gearing only. (Technically, only 6-speeds, cause the chain falls off when you hit 1st gear. Oops!)
-> One brake. Front. I live for the thrill. (WR is appalled at this detail.)
-> Emergency kit under the seat. 3 zipties, 2 inner tubes, a tire iron, and a sack of weed.
-> Black electrical tape covering all decals. (1) They don’t pay me to advertise for them. (2) It looks stolen.
-> 50/12 top end gearing. FAST.

Backstory…
A frame was left on the swapRock(tm) in our building. (Giant boulder in the lobby on which people leave free shit.) It went through two owners (one of whom was our very own WrongRobot) before finding its way to me. Once I had it, it was on. I was bound and determined to make a custom ride for myself. A fully custom, hybrid BMX/road, full-stealth, tech, mashin, city bike.

Development…
I won’t bore you with details, but suffice it to say that the geometries of the frame precluded this bike being easy to obtain parts for. It’s a triathlon frame, which means it’s smaller than your average roadbike, which means it’s fucking impossible to just go out and start grabbing up parts. EBay was my friend throughout this process. And a Dremel tool. Yeah. That’s right. I had to grind, bang, bend, and smack this baby into being.

And lest you think I’m not reppin R3, know this. The single brake lever is RED. And see that forkblade there? Here’s a closeup…

BELIEVE.

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