Dude, you could make them like those insane Chick religious tracts (http://www.chick.com/catalog/tractlist.asp). The Shoe Ruse would probably make a great little Chick-like comic.
--mike On Jul 15, 4:33 pm, Gino Zahnd <ginoza...@gmail.com> wrote: > Maybe someone should print out those little Church-style handout > booklets that People of Mystery leave lying about in airports, > bathrooms, etc., but rather than be titled 'How to get to Heaven', > it'll have a tweed cover, and be titled, 'Tips For Happy Riding'... > > Verse 18 > If you pass another rider going up a hill, say more than "Hi," but if > it's a woman and you aren't, don't assume she wants to chit-chat. > Treat her as you'd have a generic guy-rider treat your > wife/daughter/girlfriend. > > Verse 20 > If you see another rider approaching you from the rear, trying to > catch you, let it happen. Fun is more important than fast. > > Verse 25 > Compliment other people's bikes, especially if they're new. > > Gino from Everyone is Just So Darn Nice and I Love It, Chico, CA > > p.s. If folks are willing to put up the funds, I will design them and > have them printed. Really. But I'll leave off the RBW branding, > unless it is approved by the powers that be. > > p.s. again: Tips For Happy Riding is my favorite Grant article. > > On Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 11:21 AM, Aaron Thomas<aaron.a.tho...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > This may be an unconventional "ride report" for the Riv group -- I > > have no photos to share or exotic places to describe -- but I think it > > is a story worth telling, if only because it is so bizarre, and I > > wonder if anyone else has had similar experiences on the road or any > > insight into the phenomenon. > > > Yesterday I went on an urban ride near my apartment, a loop traveled > > by countless cyclists simply because it is one of the few places on > > LA's westside where you can open it up without being detained by too > > many stoplights. The ride starts out with a gradually rising false > > flat, which I treat as a warmup, spinning at a relaxed 18-19 mph. > > > I came up behind a woman crouched over the aero bars on a time trial > > bike. I maintained a distance of 6 feet or so, waiting for a break in > > the automobile traffic to our left in order to pass her. Before that > > happened, however, she looked back and yelled, "are you out for a free > > ride today, mister? Go do your own training ride!" > > > Perplexed, I asked her to repeat, which she did, this time peppering > > her phrases with a few F-bombs and an injunction to stay away from her > > because she doesn't even know me and doesn't want me drafting off her. > > > What? Drafting? Come again? I wasn't drafting, I explain, but rather > > was at least 6 feet behind and waiting for a safe moment to pass. And > > what does it matter if you don't know me? I don't get it. > > > More insults and F-bombs followed. And at this point she pulled to the > > side and waved me by, cussing at me as I passed. Letting her rage get > > the best of me, I lost my cool and returned an F-bomb or two, upping > > the ante with that special C-word women generally don't like to hear. > > > With adrenaline rushing, I hammered away angrily in order to put a > > healthy distance between myself and someone seemingly so unstable. But > > the separation didn't last for long, as we both eventually were > > detained by a stoplight. > > > As she pulled up behind me I turned around and asked, with the most > > polite voice I could muster, what her problem was and what she thought > > I was doing wrong. > > > Again she unfurled a chain of expletives. But aside from the > > unmistakably unambiguous F-bombs she was dropping, I could not > > entirely understand her rant through her rather thick German accent. > > (For all I know she may have been lacing English and German together > > into a linguistic hodgepodge of insults.) > > > At one point, however, I was able to make out the following: "I don't > > want to get in an accident because you don't know how to ride a bike." > > > I ask her what makes her think I don't know how to ride a bike. And > > she says, "just look at you, I can tell. And look at your bike. It's a > > joke. You are not a serious rider, you can tell from your bike. And I > > don't want to get in a crash because you don't know how to ride a > > bike." And for good measure, she punctuated this assertion with a > > couple variations on the F-bomb. Just how I would cause her to crash > > by riding 6 feet behind her was not clear to me, nor did she succeed > > in explaining whatever rationale she was following. > > > Now, mind you, neither my attire nor my Romulus are what might pass as > > standard Rivendell equipment. I wear lycra bibs, a cycling jersey, and > > Sidi road shoes. My bike has skinny tires, Campy Ergo shift levers, an > > outboard bearing double crankset, a racy titanium-railed saddle, > > Speedplay pedals, and has no fenders or luggage. To my eyes, it is a > > road bike more than a "country bike," and if I swapped out the frame > > for something carbon, there would be virtually no distinction between > > my equipment and that of your typical club rider. But apparently to > > her eyes, the fact that my frame is lugged steel and has a quill stem > > is indication enough that it isn't a "serious" bike and I am not a > > "serious rider." > > > I am certainly accustomed to gentle ribbing from the carbon crowd on > > the club rides I go on. But their comments are more often than not > > underhanded compliments, e.g. "if you're keeping up with us on that > > old bucket of bolts, just imagine if you had a full carbon rig!" > > > But no one could mistake this triathlete's comments for a compliment, > > underhand or otherwise. As I rode away on the green light, adrenaline > > again rushing, a few similar encounters I've had with triathletes came > > freshly to mind. None of the previous incidents were so abrasive or > > abusive -- F-bombs were not lobbed. But they were unpleasant > > encounters nonetheless, in which the triathletes went ballistic at the > > thought that I might be drafting off them (which I never was in fact > > doing) and commanded me to get away from them immediately. > > > Is there something in the triathlete's water that makes them so > > patently nutty when it comes to sharing the road? Has anyone else > > experienced some form of triathlete road rage? Are there any > > triathletes on this list who can lend some perspective to what seems > > to me to be utterly inexplicable behavior? > > > Aaron --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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