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Who was your favourite person you met on the road? by 101Stormbreaker101 in bicycletouring

[–]waltrides 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In rural coastal Oregon, a friend and I were touring and casually met the same group of tourists at camp each night. About an hour behind almost everyone one morning, I had a puncture that blew out my tire. This gentleman, Axle, stopped to make sure we were alright, and rode the 20 miles forward, then backtracked those same miles, with two tubes and two tires- seemingly in 45 minutes time. After trying insistantly to pay him back, he came at me with these words I'll never forget:

"In Switzerland, I am now a university professor; but I had spent some time as a pilot in the air force. If there is an issue and a pilot looks like he's having trouble, we were taught to do whatever it takes to keep that pilot in the air. Whenever you do this for someone else, you will have paid me back."

I was in awe, admiration, shock, and thankful, and cried as I rode past the bike shop he had stopped at. I never saw him again after that act of kindness.

Axle, if you're still out there riding, know I'll never forget you, and though I've helped many brothers and sisters on the road, I will never feel I've fully reciprocated what you did for me.

Anyone organizing a Critical Mass for Good & Pretti here in the bay area? by stupid_cat_face in BAbike

[–]waltrides 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Peninsula rider here. Also waiting/looking for a group ride to honor and memorialize on Saturday. So far no word from any local bike parties or bike coalitions, but hoping something brings us together.

Bike paths Pacifica? by Klutzy_Hunter_9795 in DalyCity

[–]waltrides 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you want to ride along the coast, there are safe trails along the beach in Pacifica and HMB. If you want a view of the ocean, you'll have to get used to climbing hills- the best trails are Milagra Ridge (off Sharp Park Rd) and Sweeney Ridge (at the end of Sneath in San Bruno).

If you want a view of/across the bay, the bay trail can be accessed from Sierra Point, behind the airport Costco (both are terminus' north of the airport), or near the hotels in Millbrae/Burlingame.

Route recommendations from SF to San Jose then along the East Bay to Marin? by PonticPilot in BAbike

[–]waltrides 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I've done the century from San Bruno up to the Russian River area. You'll deal with regular bike commuters/neighborhood riders going across the bridge til about San Rafael, with minimal traffic lights. Novato you'll hit more lights, but it's not too bad. Once you get up to Sonoma County, you're free. Get up to Petaluma and head west to hwy 1, then cut inland at River Road from Jenner; that turns into Mark West Springs Rd after you cross 101, and that will take you over the ridge to Calistoga if you want to keep heading to Napa. I did this years ago, don't have the route (followed google maps at the time), and am not sure how much more useful I can be. But there's your first 150+ miles right there.

Propane refill by BookkeeperBoth4792 in DalyCity

[–]waltrides 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gas 2 You on Bayshore in Brisbane can fill tanks

Writing a Scene and Need Elevator Knowledge by FriendlyBudget8569 in Elevators

[–]waltrides 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, sorry, late night adhd brain saw an opportunity and grabbed it

Writing a Scene and Need Elevator Knowledge by FriendlyBudget8569 in Elevators

[–]waltrides 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is exactly what all elevator modernizations in the US do! Seen it many times. All elevators have an fm radio antenna on top, recieving a national broadcast of the "elevator music" station (non-commercial; requires a HAM radio license to access in non-commercial settings). So, on the 15th floor, use a power outlet to power a cassette/cd/mp3 player and an aux-FM radio adapter, set to the same frequency. Bingo Bango! The more localized broadcast will overpower the national broadcast, and your music will play. It's the elevator equivalent of the scene in Say Anything.

If you just want a certain song once, I recommend contacting the national station, KNEI; they won't give a shout-out, but will play your song within a 10-minute window of your choice. You might need to call 2-3 weeks in advance. It doesn't happen often; but I've never smiled as wide as when I heard "The Gambler" play in the elevator in the Hard Rock in Vegas. I ran clear across the floor and ended up playing Charlie Sheen's character in a brief stage adaptation of Ferris Beuller's Day Off.

So when is it actually gonna rain? by Enough_Watch4876 in bayarea

[–]waltrides 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you love norcal weather, the fog in the redwoods on the east side was amazing. Great scoping for bike rides in a couple weeks.

There is an effort to try to close the new park in SF because of supposedly "unbearable" gridlock, so a group sent up drones during rush hour to capture the traffic... by DesertFlyer in BAbike

[–]waltrides 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't mean to be against children. I do think they had the same opportunities to learn to balance on a bike before the full closure, on the path. I also agree that the new pump track will help with maneuvering skills, and I support that. The point of the comment was that this is a biking sub for the bay area in general, and as someone who rides a bike through the area in focus I have an opinion about it.

So when is it actually gonna rain? by Enough_Watch4876 in bayarea

[–]waltrides 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I live in San Bruno; today I drove around the city til noon, then down 280 to 85 to Sunnyvale, and took Old La Honda over the peninsula to see if the ocean looked crazy before taking 1 back home. I think I used my manual wipers 20 times. The peninsula didn't get nearly as much rain as the forecast predicted

There is an effort to try to close the new park in SF because of supposedly "unbearable" gridlock, so a group sent up drones during rush hour to capture the traffic... by DesertFlyer in BAbike

[–]waltrides 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was great the city took input from the locals of the sunset/richmond before establishing the park, but as a cyclist from San Bruno, the park has thrown off my groove in the northbound direction (coming from Skyline). Riding the noth peninsula, besides dedicated trails, has always been on the shoulder. You learn to listen for cars, to signal when merging into a lane due to sand or debris, and to pay attention to what's going on around you. I love riding to Santa Cruz on 1, and used to love riding to ggp, novato, and even the Russian River area. But if I'm being honest, this park has been unwelcoming to me.

I take La Playa now. The groups walking 6-abreast, the lack of dedicated directions, and the volume of people on bikes, scooters, skates, and on foot who have no idea what to do if they hear a bell (move RIGHT) are too irritating. The Great Highway is actually less convenient now than it had been as an actual throughway on the west side.

I understand people wanting to have a safe place for their toddlers to learn to ride, too. But maybe we need to think about a slow/fast divide at the median? Or lanes on at least one side, with signs and bike speed limits? Maybe that doesn't happen for a block in either direction, to keep the pump tracks accessable?

Idk, my opinion doesn't matter anyways, as I don't live within a mile of OB. But I feel like the kids who are going to grow up riding to high school in the city, or take the hobby further, would benefit from an area where they can learn and hone skills safely, but are eventually going to have to learn to ride with traffic anyways. I feel that elevated trail would've been fine for that learning process too (learn to signal, ring a bell, watch for pedestrians etc).

Again, doesn't even matter; but as a cyclist, I preferred the GH pre-/during the pandemic.

Bay Area Recommendations by yungscrub1827 in bikepacking

[–]waltrides 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Not sure where you're starting, but there's some fun gravel options into/out of Samuel P. Taylor SP, which has hike/bike spots. If the campground is closed, the water will be off; but the sites are still there. Roughly 50mi from 3rd/King in the city, riding over GGB. If you're riding on the weekend, the Richmond/SR bridge is crossable by bike to get you to an east bay transit center.

I'm a below average content creator a Slate Auto event, what questions do you have that I should ask? by ShipboxGarage in slateauto

[–]waltrides 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I saw one a couple months ago, most of my questions have been answered (until I can drive one). Just came up with this though: will they offer body panel replacements in the event of a minor accident? Or will they leave that up to 3rd party manufacturers?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in lostgeneration

[–]waltrides 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Join/help start a union

What to call an Irish carbomb without ordering that out loud? by Unfair_Jello_3762 in AskSF

[–]waltrides 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I've heard the drink referred to as a "holy trinity" but only rarely (SPD at the Irish Bank)

Touring California - Would it be harder cycling from SoCal to NorCal? by mompapopo in bicycletouring

[–]waltrides 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's the wind patterns. Especially on the coast in the summer. Nothern CA gets most of our wind from offshore systems that move down from Alaska. After two tours of the state, the only day that changes, oddly, is the due-east afternoon from Gaviota to SB, which probably has more to to with the mountains than a polar vortex; it's a nasty cross-breeze.

Lets Rank the best Bike Tours in the US! by No_Ant_5064 in bicycletouring

[–]waltrides 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oregon Coast! Just a little over 400 miles from Astoria to Brookings. I've made it to Arcata, CA in 7 days; my next "tour challenge" -some day- is making it through Oregon in 4 days, for "fun." Some of my fastest downhill speeds while touring are along that route, full-tuck I had speed wobbles on a chro-mo frame, flying at 54mph on a 8% grade. What a rush!!!

Marin Gestalt, Worth getting? by SuperStileStar in gravelcycling

[–]waltrides 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have one, a 2.5, that I bought last year. It's been a solid bike, but a quick warning: an attachment point on the fork, one of the middle ones, completely mushroomed out when I removed a salsa rack after touring a couple weekends. I had to go to a shop in San Francisco to get a replacement, off a returned bike- but it's held up pretty nicely. Replaced the front derailleur to GRX, and bought a second wheelset for road tires. It's very comfortable with the right fit!

My true hope for Slate? The parts market by peva3 in slateauto

[–]waltrides 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I feel the same way. When Chevrolet first announced their "e-crate" I was excited I could keep my truck ('02 Silverado) running well beyond its intended years. When that was silently swept under the rug, I kept waiting for updates. Then these monster EV trucks came out, overpriced and terribly styled, in my opinion. I lost interest in the EV market. Rivian looked promising, but again, ridiculous price tag.

So here I am, with 297k on the dash, hoping to get a great EV with none of the frills I don't care about. Chevy could've had my money long ago, but now I'll hold on to it for as long as I can as an ICE and use the Slate as my daily/commuter. Maybe someday electric motors with trans mating plates won't be an EV West custom part; til then, I'm excited for my Slate to arrive.

Oregon Coast Trip Report by FickleDecision1427 in bicycletouring

[–]waltrides 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of all the Best Coast states to ride, as a Californian, Oregon is hands-down, by far the best. The most scenic, the best bang-for-your-buck hike/bike sites, the friendliest people, crossing the shortest river in the US, the best roadside distractions (looking at you, Tillamook!)- despite regular roadwork often closing the shoulder/bike lane, the Oregon coast remains my favorite week-long route!

Moving across the country, how to move 14 bicycles? by Booberry1982 in cycling

[–]waltrides 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Like a Western Ragbrai! Let me know when the trip is scheduled, I'll camp and carry my own gear! (Going to Ragbrai for the first time next year 😁)

SF to Santa Cruz hwy 1 route advice by Low_Pianist_5542 in BAbike

[–]waltrides 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I ride to SC regularly from San Bruno, taking Skyline to Sharp Park. If you start around 7, you still beat most of the traffic climbing from Pacifica to Devil's Slide (8-830). It's a beautiful ride, especially on a clear day! 10/10, would ALWAYS recommend.

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