Ken Steinhoff – Page 68 – Palm Beach Bike Tours

June 13, 2002May 10, 2008

Death and Your Rolls Royce’s Paint Job

I had a sneaking suspicion that an old geezer in a Rolls Royce was going to blow a stop sign in front of me one day, so I was ready to stop.

When I caught up with him at the next light, he had the window down actually breathing the same air as me.

I leaned in and said, calmly, “Do you know what would have happened back there when you rolled through that stop if I hadn’t been paying attention? I’d have been dead and you’d have had a scratch in your paint job.”

Somehow, I think the latter idea pained him more.

June 13, 2002May 10, 2008

And The Gold Medal Goes To…

Pedal clearance is another good reason not to hug the curb. I have one stretch of road where the curb height would be just right to pole-vault you if your pedal caught it.

You have been warned.

June 7, 2002June 16, 2008

I’ll Have a Double… Kickstand

I just bought an ESGE double-legged kickstand from Harris Cyclery. I like it because it lifts the rear wheel off the ground and lets me lube the chain and make other adjustments without a workstand.

Lord knows you wouldn’t want to turn the bike upside down to work on it.

May 28, 2002June 3, 2008

Slow Moving Vehicle Triangle for Biker Visibility

About 50% of my riding is at night. I never count on just one rear-facing light, particularly LED lights, because they are highly directional. I have a NiteRider taillight (the brightest taillight made as far as I know) on the rear rack.

Behind it is a highly-reflective Slow Moving Vehicle triangle. On my Camelbak are two blinking LEDs, one is most visible when I’m down in the drops, the other is higher, where it can be seen when I’m in a more vertical position.

In addition to the active lighting, I’m a big fan of reflector tape. I have strips of it on my cranks, frame and rims. In addition, my Shimano sandals have a large reflective dot on the back that is highly visible.

The manufacturer has some reflective material on my helmet, but I’ve added some tape to it, also.I find that motorists give me more room and respect at night because I don’t blend in with the visual noise present during the day.

May 22, 2002June 3, 2008

Bike Lights: Blinking Night and Day

I run with my NiteRider Pro 12E taillight blinking night and day. It’s the only LED taillight I’ve found that is visible in bright daylight.

The Pro-12E headlight has a strobing feature that’s designed (they say) to attract attention. You can set up so that the headlight is off and the taillight is blinking until you press the control button to start the flashing.

I run with the headlight off until I come to an intersection or a door zone where I want to become more visible. It’s also useful when you are on a two-lane road and someone coming at you makes a wide pass. I hit the light to let the driver know that the oncoming lane is occupied.

I’ve had a couple of cops do U-turns to talk with me. Instead of the expected hassle, they’ve complimented the long-distance visibility of my bike.

I’m a big proponent of lights, but it might be because Missouri drilled “Lights On For Safety” into me when I got my license back in the 60s.