My wife has always been a sun worshiper.  She can spend countless hours just laying in the sun reading or soaking up those ever so dangerous rays.  Me, on the other hand could care less how much sun I got or just how tan I could be.  That makes so agrivating that I just tan easily and hold it longer.  Her revenge is of course my tan line.  Just as Grandpa Harry took the “farmers tan” to extreme I have now perfected the “cyclists tan”. 

Not only do I have these marvelous lines around my face and neck but check out the sock line.

Tan line on both of my legs. How lovely!

I did not picture it here but I have nice circles on the backs of my hands where my gloves open to the sun.  My wife says I look goofy.  My students tend to agree but usually do not say so out loud.  If there ever was a great reason for not wearing a helmet and trying sandals here it is.

Once again this topic comes up and it just does not change.  Over the last week our local talk radio has had several “discussions” with people who think bicycles should be on the sidewalk and never on the road.  These knuckleheads were off-set by the cyclists who insist that they have every right to be on the roads and obstruct traffic in any way the see fit.  Who is right?  Who is wrong?  Who is a self-centered, arrogant, self-important individual?  Is all of the above too much.

What a group of people!  Wouldn’t you like to put them all in the same room and lock the doors?  No one is willing to see the other’s point of view and their arrogance (both groups) keeps getting in the way of common sense.  Most roads are designed for automobiles.  Cyclists travel slower than most automobiles so can be a hazard to traffic.  But, neither have exclusive rights to the roadway.

Nothing gives drivers the right to see “just how close they can come to that spandex creature” or “Hey, blast your horn just behind that guy!” or simply run them all off of the road because they do not belong on my road..

Neither do we as cyclists have a right to take up as much space as we want on the highway, or pepper spray a family pet that is just running along beside us, or create a traffic jam of dozens of cars behind us.

Drivers are angry because they may have to wait a few extra seconds until it is acceptable to pass a cyclist, cyclists are angry because some drivers swerve, weave, honk or disrupt us in some way.  What are we to do?

In my mind the answer shoud be simple.  We should all give the other the respect that is deserved of all life and stop taking every little thing so seriously.  When riding, if a car passes a bit too close I wave (all fingers extended) and keep going along.  If my speed is exceptionally slow I pull off and let traffic pass.  For all of this I only want to have the safety of being able to travel our roads without fear of being crushed by a metal monster.  When passing, give me the lane.  If you can not, it is not safe (or legal to pass).  Just take a few minutes and think about what you do and how it effects other people.

Today the internet touches practically everything we do. For goodness sake my mom even has a connection. She is now the owner of a farm with loads of animals and some sort of Mafia involvement. Don’t really understand all of it but she seems to be having fun and as far as I know she has not buried anybody in the back yard.

I am the first to admit that the internet has given me opportunities that I would never have had. I just opened a box from California with a new bike in it that I would never have even known about just a few years ago. I buy bike parts on the internet, I get news from the internet, and I rant on the internet. As of today I officially own more bikes that I purchased on the internet than in a LBS (local bike shop). Are we destroying the LBS? What about a little support for the guys who assemble, tune and generally make our bikes stay together for us. I have gone out of my way to purchase at least something when I go into a shop. Mostly something small, a tube, a pair of socks, but something. Yep I pay a little more but my LBS will often do something for me. They will always offer advice and charge minimal for a wrench twist or use of that special bike tool. That kind of relationship can not exist on the internet.

With all of that said, I do have places where I will not buy something. This last weekend I had a ride on one of my favorite trails, the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia and I was reminded of one place. I usually begin my ride at the Depot because there is ample parking, lots of people to chat with and a shop where I have made purchases in the past. I strolled in and picked up a bottle of water and remembered I needed a tube since I had used my last spare a few days before. 12.95$ later I left with my mouth a bit open and feeling disappointed that I had not even gotten kissed. A quick check of internet prices shows a low of 3.95$ and a high of 5.50$, my LBS sells at 5.50$ but often has 2 for one sales or single price of 3.95$ for tubes. So yep they saw me coming at 9.99$ for a basic 26″ presta tube.

I will still advocate we support the LBS but when a shop decides to send their kids to college from a single sale they are not living up to their part of the bargain. They will drive everyone to the internet and no one will be left to support these guys and they will have no one to blame but themselves. I continue to support my LBS but the Silver Comet Trail Depot will not get “something” from me again.