I didn't see any cyclists on their phones, but what they were doing was being done blithely, to be sure. Regarding footwear, Europeans wear a lot nicer shoes than Americans. I've resolved to respect myself more with my footwear.
On Saturday, August 1, 2015 at 9:20:04 AM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote: > > My sister who regularly visits Italy remarked on the number of > well-dressed professional women blithely riding in the midst of city > traffic in heels while talking on their cell phones. However inadvisable > that may be, it shows at least a traffic environment of which bicycles are > fully accepted part. > > On Sat, Aug 1, 2015 at 9:43 AM, Bill Lindsay <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> Howdy all. I'm back from a ~3 week European vacation. There was zero >> riding, so if you want ride reports, this is not your post. >> >> Who: Me, my wife, my two kids (14 and 11) and my mom. My mom obtained >> her very first passport for this trip, having never left North America >> (bless her heart) >> Where: San Francisco to London. Rail from London to York. Rail from >> York to Edinburgh. Rail from Edinburgh to Inverness. Caledonian Sleeper >> (rail) from Inverness to London. Eurostar (rail) from London to Paris. >> Eurostar back to London. Return flight to SFO. >> >> Quick-hit highlights: >> >> Bicycle use in these towns: Everyone everywhere rides normal basic >> sensible bikes to get around. Helmet usage is ~10% amongst commuters. >> Traffic coexistence with bicycles was what I'd call "completely >> self-aware". Cars are pushy and aggressive, to be sure. Horns get used, >> but I got the vibe that even the most aggressive drivers were fully aware >> of the presence of cyclists. It's not like the US where you fear you are >> going to get run over by a clueless or distracted driver and the driver >> will stand over your carcass saying, "he came out of nowhere!". >> >> Public bikes: I was tempted to use both the Paris and London public >> bikes, but didn't. We had to stick together as a group, and some of us >> were way too nervous. The setups seemed super nice, very user friendly, >> and the usage levels (ridership) seemed excellent. On my last stay in >> London, we were in the Islington neighborhood. There was a huge array of >> public bikes in the residential area where our apartment was. By about >> 9:15 AM they were all gone, presumably by work commuters. These racks full >> of bikes are deployed around London at an average spacing of ~500m. >> Incredible. One night walking back from the Pub, there was a truck >> reloading the rack, balancing the fill-fraction of all the racks. In >> touristy spots like Picadilly Circus, I saw a lot of overflow bikes being >> loaded into the trucks for load-balancing. For two UK pounds you can take >> as many sub-30 minute trips as you like for 24 hours. Tell me a better way >> to explore a city for cheaper than that. >> >> Cycletouring: I saw lots and lots of bikes being taken on cycletours. >> Almost all of them had the modified loop bars typical of European >> cycletouring bikes. Most ran Ortlieb panniers. The trains had these huge >> rectangular modules that you could lean 5 or 6 bikes into one module, and >> they'd load it on the train like a luggage cart. There are some parking >> spots for bikes on trains, but it varies line-to-line. The countryside was >> spectacular, especially up in Scotland. I'm eager to return to the >> Highlands and explore the backroads. Unbelievably beautiful country. >> Especially for us Californians who are surrounded by brown. >> >> Bike Shop fun: A close friend owns a shop called Bicycle Heaven in >> Geneva, Illinois. I was amused to find Cycle Heaven in York, bought a >> water bottle. In Edinburgh I visited Ronde Cycles, a high-end road and >> cross shop with a built in espresso cafe. They let (that's English for >> 'rent') nice road bikes, and the owner manager Nick was super friendly. >> Very nice space in a terrific city. I'd live in Edinburgh, no problem. In >> Paris, I got a couple hours of free time and made it out on the Metro to >> Cycles Alex Singer. I bought a jersey and a water bottle. The shop had a >> "be right back" sign on the door when I got there. After waiting for about >> 20 minutes, the shopkeeper returned. He'd been at the bar to watch the end >> of the Alpe d-Huez stage of the BORAF. It was like going to church on some >> level. I poked around their workshop briefly, but my darn phone was full, >> so I couldn't take a lot of pictures. Also in Paris, I spent a half-day in >> the rain the Tulleries Garden watching the circuit portion of the final day >> of the BORAF (aka Tour de France). That was a bucket list item and it was >> great. In London, I visited the Rapha store, and bought a lightwieght >> merino sweater/LSjersey. Having witnessed the end of the TDF/BORAF I felt >> a little bit less of a poseur buying a wool jersey with a team SKY logo on >> it. I had a really nice chat with a couple of the staff members. They >> reinforced that there is great riding up in the highlands. >> >> In total, I just barely got the lid off the places I visited, but had a >> great trip. >> >> Bill Lindsay >> El Cerrito, CA >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected] <javascript:>. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected] >> <javascript:>. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > > > -- > Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. > By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. > Other professional writing services. > http://www.resumespecialties.com/ > www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten > > ************************************* > *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a > circumference on the rim of which all conditions, distinctions, and > individualities revolve. *Chuang Tzu > > *Kinei hos eromenon. It moves as the being-loved. *Aristotle > > *The Love that moves the Sun and all the other stars. *Dante > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
