Bike School Student Again

MSF Course includes Reference Text Like LAB, but Unlike CS. Material is Also Available on Line

The Bike League requests that its instructors periodically take educational material related to bikes in order to keep "fresh" in bike ed. The principle is exactly correct and ought to be followed by all; ESPECIALLY by instructors. Recently, I took advantage of an opportunity to become a bike school student all over again through a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course offered near my home in North Texas. There is an obvious (to me) synergy between how to safely ride and control a bicycle with how to do the same thing on a heavier and more powerful two-wheel vehicle. Indeed, I found MANY things that cross over directly, and it was fascinating to see the similarities and differences between the Bike League (LAB) and Cycling Savvy (CS) bicycling programs.

MSF Instructor Has a Pole to Help Cone Placement, With Marks on the Lot, Unlike Either LAB or CS
ALL Riding was Done in this Parking Lot

General Observations
The MSF course takes two FULL days, and there is at least one added follow-on course. Thus it is longer than either of the cycling programs. In addition, in many states, taking and passing the test obviates the requirement to take the state skills riding test in order to win a motorcycle endorsement to one's driving license. On both days, the course started with some classroom work that consisted of going through the MSF handbook and watching relevant videos. Late each morning, we'd go over to the parking lot for various drills. Unlike EITHER the CS or LAB programs, there was no on-street riding and, as you can see below, the school-provided motorcycles do not have licenses or turn signals installed on them, making them not street-legal. My own class was probably unusual because one of the three students already had his motorcycle endorsement, was a deputy sheriff, and was taking the class in preparation to become an instructor. The second student was taking the course to get his motorcycle endorsement and did not have much more motorcycle experience than myself. The third student was me. While my bike handling skills were probably better than most, I last rode a motorcycle more than 30 years ago. Fortunately, the course does NOT assume you know how to do things such as starting the motorcycle nor shutting it down.

Our Class Had Only Three Students, Like Many LAB and CS Classes. Instructors Only Double-Up With Larger Courses

Motorcyles ARE Different (in some ways)
The first, and obvious difference is that motorcycles are big, heavy, and fast compared to bikes. Our training motorcycles were Suzuki 250 models which are tiny by current motorcycle standards but even they seemed heavy and clumsy to me. The second difference is that rider compliance is NOT considered "optional" by the larger society and the education programs are specifically backed by major manufacturers. A corollary is that instruction recognizes that motorcycles are vulnerable road users, but also starts with the presumption that crashes are usually multi-cause events in which the motorcyclist is actively seeking a balance between risk and safety. That is a refreshing change from bicycles, where advocates often seem obsessed with distinguishing between which crashes are the fault of the motorist and which are the fault of the cyclist. The MSF course knows that if you crash, it will HURT. This being said, there is a LOT of crossover in principles with bikes, even though the motorcycle people use different terms for many of their principles. ONE OTHER THING - Motorcyles ALL "backwards brake."

For the rest of this post, I'll cover topics I found interesting that either differ from bicycle teaching, match bicycle teaching, or fill in blanks for me.

Ear Protection
One thing I found fascinating was the subject of earplugs, due to my past bike school experience. Gail, here, started this and I have made other posts on the subject, here and here. In the case of the MSF, hearing protection is STRONGLY advocated even for those with quiet motorcycles and full-face helmets. One reason why, which tracks with my own bike experience, is that outside noise is a problem. The MSF cites wind noise in particular. In addition, traffic noise adds to the fatigue aspects. The MSF instructor discounted engine noise as a reason for the earplugs and was unaware that some jurisdictions outlaw their use. I also found that some motorcycle helmets have built-in provisions for listening to things like music while riding. Myself, I think this is a situation where "it depends" is a guiding factor. If you are riding slowly, in a quiet locale, ear protection is probably extraneous. That's a major reason I do not wear earphones in Ocean Shores. OTOH, if you are going to be listening to loud and engaging music, earphones are probably NOT a good idea since the music itself, in addition to being distracting, can add to hearing loss.

Visibility
In the past, I've been somewhat dubious about the incremental benefits of wearing "high vis" since much cycling (and motorcycling) clothing is basic black and because the first line of defense is to have good lights and to ride where people WILL see you before it is too late. However, I have to admit the MSF makes good points that being visible adds incremental safety. As they note about motorcycles (and could equally be noted about bikes), "...are smaller and not as prevalent as cars and trucks, so they are more difficult to pick out in traffic and their speed may be difficult for others to judge." We should keep in mind that many emergency vehicles are rear-ended on roads, despite being covered with high vis and despite "move over" legislation. 'Nuf sed.

Lane Positions
The MSF teaching on this is simple, and virtually identical to what is taught as "best practice" in cycling. The "line of sweetness" rules! In an interesting difference of terminology, the MSF describes the "line of sweetness" as the "presentation position."

The "Line of Sweetness!" Also Endorsed by the MSF

Dogs
I don't recall much material from bike school about dealing with dogs, and DEFINITELY not about how to deal with larger animals such as the deer that abound in Ocean Shores. The MSF recommendation follows: "Once an approaching dog is spotted, a good rider response is to slow, including a downshift, then accelerate past the point of interception. Don't kick at the dog, because it will make controlling the motorcycle difficult."

Crash Chain
Two things that are talked about in bike ed, are "the danger is ahead" and ACE (which stands for Ability, Conditions, and Equipment). This is complemented by the "ABC Quick Check" which is more equivalent to something the MSF refers to as TCLOCS. The Crash Chain is an excellent way to view all the elements of ACE. With apologies to Preston Tyree, he ought to consider adapting the graphic view of the Crash Chain as it wraps together all the elements of ACE, though it separates "conditions" into "road and environment," and "other traffic."

Crash Chain Graphic PERFECTLY Illustrates the LAB "ACE" Concept
REMOVE Crash Causes to BREAK the Chain Between You and Crashes

Tests
As noted  here and other places, I feel the CS program does too little testing (this is only bad because it means less feedback to students) while the LAB program spends too high a portion of its course time in testing (better student feedback, but too much time spent on tests relative to the length of the course). I do not know to what degree the MSF course approach to testing is dictated by state licensing requirements, but I found that its written test wasn't much less of a PIA than the LAB test, and its riding test was "pass/fail" since a "pass" is required to eliminate the state riding skills test. Overall, I wasn't impressed with the MSF testing, since feedback was only offered upon request. In this way it was effectively somewhere in between the two cycling programs.

Turning and Braking
I think I've blathered on for almost too much here, so I'll end with turning and braking. The principles of turning on a motorcycle are the same as on a bicycle. I found it interesting that the instructor never used the term "countersteer," though he taught us the principles. The MSF Handbook mentions it once in the context of "Press" where you press forward on the motorcycle grip in the direction of the turn. Still, this is an area in which my past bike experience with "instant turns" and such allowed me to control the motorcycle more accurately than the other students.

Another difference in emphasis is braking. In bike school, we try quick stops with the rear, with the front, and with both brakes to illustrate things. In motorcycle school, we are simply taught to apply both brakes smoothly and there is less emphasis on letting up on one or the other brake should skidding begin. Principles are the same, but perhaps the difference is because it would be difficult to spot for someone on a heavy motorcycle.

All in all, it was a good learning experience and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in improving his/her cycling abilities. Since I've done it, I also guess I ought to go ahead and get a motorcycle endorsement. After all, "you never know..."

Car Crazy in New Orleans

I'm really not sure how to characterize cycling in New Orleans. Unlike newer southern cities, there's a lot of it going on. It has its fair share of brain-damaged, door zone bike lanes, one of which makes a star appearance in one of this post's videos. The standard of how people ride is generally no better than elsewhere, with wrong-way sidewalk riding abounding, even when bad bike lanes adjoin the sidewalk.

Today, however, I'm going to talk about a small subset of cycling and car culture in New Orleans, namely the French Quarter. The French Quarter was the original part of New Orleans and was mostly built up in the 17th and 18th centuries. After the Americans came around, it expanded greatly, with places like the Garden District.

Sharrows seem to be the fashion statement as you enter the French Quarter. Note that there is car parking on both sides of the street.

One thing that really struck me was the way bicycles were attached to just about anything that made sense, and that cars were parked everywhere. I do not recall, however, a single purpose-built bike rack. What's more, almost all of the car parking was paid parking, even on the street. There were some private lots, and parking there was about $10 for two hours. Doing a little math, with on-street parking costing $1.50 per hour and five or six bikes (average) in a car parking spot, the city would have to charge about a quarter an hour to break even. Can anyone say "bike share?"

There did appear to sort of be a designated bike route of some sort, though I saw no evidence that any of the local cyclists paid any mind to it. Given a sign on the same street, I don't imagine cyclist safety was a high priority in route selection.

Crescent Corridor Sign

In the area around Jackson Square, bicycles were not so welcome. In the Square itself, I'm not sure a person walking a bike would be allowed. Even dogs are forbidden and you might be tasered for feeding a bird.

Despite all this, the French Quarter shows why people ride their bikes everywhere in places like the Netherlands, and why I entitled this post "car crazy in New Orleans." As you may see from the photo below, the purple zone is the French Quarter and there are cars parked all the way along almost every street. What's more, as the videos show, there are cars parked in the traffic lanes of many of the streets.

Four Blocks Stroll from a Parking Garage to the middle of the French Quarter

Now, for notes on the videos. In the first one, shot on Decatur Street on the side with a bike lane, you see a pair of people using the bike lane. While I'm not sure the bike lane does any more than make people feel better about passing on the right, it IS the fastest route along the street. Later in the video, you'll see a guy come the wrong way down the bike lane. Right before he appears, the traffic signals turn red so he's actually riding through a red light on the wrong side of the road. Still, he doesn't appear to be in overly much danger. The first video is 27 seconds long. The light turns red about ten seconds in and the "Gulf Salmon" shows up about 5 seconds later.

In the second video, you can see how the lack of a bike lane distorts things. That skateboarder would have not been allowed had a bike lane been present, and the SUV would not have tried to make a U turn either. BTW, as I recall, someone making a U turn is supposed to yield to all other road users. The second video is 29 seconds long. Originally, the skateboarder was one clip and the SUV was another until I merged them together. You can tell from the music that they were shot one after another.

IMO, this location almost CRIES to be a "nearly motor vehicle free" zone. Sure, delivery trucks need windows to deliver. There are people who have garages on private property who should be accommodated, and parking garages would have to be erected to get all those cars OFF the French Quarter street, but we need to give all those high-falutin' urban planners SOME sort of challenge. Heck, maybe they could put in some streetcars with all those parked cars gone and a bike lane would take on a WHOLE new meaning. How, one might ask, do you protect cyclists from pedestrians? I guess that's one reason they mostly ride slow in Dutch cities...

Looking East along Decatur Street

Looking West along Decatur Street

Comment on Texans?

Graffito, or a Comment on the Intelligence on  the Owners of the Lot Bordering This Wall? This Appeared this Week - in "Pure, Sweet, Bedford, Texas"

One thing I learned while living in California is that graffiti begets MORE graffiti. Apparently, they haven't learned that SOCAL lesson around North Texas. You see, back in January, I posted THIS odd post about some comment that was mysterious to me.

THIS week, another appeared on the same wall to keep the first one company. The owners of this now vacant lot; until recently a motel, haven't caught on to the notion that y'all have to be VIGILANT to keep graffiti from completely taking over otherwise nice and polite walls. It's something that even those in NEW YORK CITY seem to know.

Apparently, an Admonition from January that Has Been Followed-Up...

Bike Ed on the Daily Commute

Virtually nobody reading this blog would disagree that residential streets make transportation bicycle riding much more pleasant and relaxing compared with places like the Alliance Gateway Freeway. All but the most dedicated stop sign scofflaws would agree with me that this is particularly so when the street isn’t interrupted by stop signs. A less widely understood value of residential streets is that they can also facilitate the safe development and improvement of bike handling skills that can make the difference between a scary situation and something worse.

One prominent feature of bicycle school is the use of parking lot drills. For those so unfortunate as to remain uneducated, parking lot drills are structured to give a cyclist practice performing avoidance and emergency maneuvers so that “muscle memory” develops.

The Bike League course starts these drills by teaching basic bike starting and stopping, moving on to head scans and signaling, and then on to hazard avoidance. Regular riding, and particularly transportation riding on urban streets give lots of practice for the educated rider in starting, stopping, signaling and head checks (regular riding can also develop some bad habits). Hazard avoidance, on the other hand, is not often encountered in the real world (thank goodness!). If you encounter such things frequently, it might be cause to consider your riding technique, but that would be an entirely different post.

Residential streets give opportunities to practice emergency maneuvers without a special trip to a nearby parking lot. I practice these maneuvers frequently. Some of them I do daily. Since these maneuvers are being done on city streets, with no spotters present, some require “dialing back” from what can be accomplished in a parking lot with an experienced spotter.

Rock Dodge
In the Bike League rock dodge exercise, tennis balls are used to simulate a rock that the student is instructed to avoid. The purpose of this maneuver is to help the student avoid pot holes, debris, and other small hazards that are not seen well in advance. The technique is a quick “flick, flick” motion of the handlebar to steer the front wheel around the hazard without changing the cyclist’s path (I won’t get into the physics and principles today). On the street, between oil spots, local rough spots in pavement, and other references, the technique is to simply suddenly pick a spot on the road and treat it as a hazard. What could be easier? If the street is really boring and I’m absolutely sure that no motor traffic can be intruding, I extend my rock dodge practice into linked turns, using street references. This is actually fun, so my biggest problem is to avoid getting addicted into doing this in inappropriate conditions.



Quick - Miss That Pebble!

 Instant Turn
In the Bike League instant turn, the student is taught to use countersteer to get the bike leaned over and turning sharply. The situation simulates a situation where someone has cut you off and you either need to be able to turn right, right away, or you’re going to broadside the hazard. Such a bike education personage as John Forester related that he has had one collision with a car – before he learned to do instant turns. Instant turns are not quite so trivial to practice on city streets as the rock dodge, but ample opportunities exist all the same. Here’s the basic situation. Coming upon an uncontrolled intersection where I intend to make a right turn, I simply execute an instant turn. Since I’m doing this on a public road, I do extra scanning to make sure there isn’t some overtaking traffic sneaking up from behind, but that’s about it. The main reason I do the extra scanning is I have found that the pedals on my bikes are much more likely to strike the ground than when making a “non panic” turn. It simply wouldn’t do to fall over making a right turn and then have a motorist have to make an abrupt stop to avoid hitting me.



Stop Before That Little Spot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 Quick Stop
In the Bike League quick stop, the student is taught to use various techniques in combination to stop in the shortest possible distance. Among these is moving back from the saddle and dropping down. I have found that when I do these properly, I’ll fall over nearly half the time, because I usually ride with either cleats or with toe clips. It is not easy to disengage from the pedals when stretched back down and over the rear wheel. You’ll have to trust me on this if you haven’t tried it. In what I personally consider somewhat of a cop out, many instructors do not use cleated pedals when they demonstrate the drill. That is fine, except that emergencies follow Murphy’s Law.

Clearly, riding home from work, you’d not want to simply fall over with your feet still clipped to your pedals. Here’s what I do. While riding along fairly fast, in a traffic-free situation (usually on a fairly long, downhill segment), I will apply varying amounts of front brake, while deliberately paying attention to the level of weight remaining on the rear wheel. I will then combine front brake with rear brake modulation. I will also move my weight forward and backwards to improve my ongoing intuitive “feel” for what is going on with the bike and where the limits lie. The objective is to reinforce the understanding of just how much front brake can be applied with the weight moving back - without a spectacular “endo,” and without actually experiencing any of the other bad things that can happen in such a situation. One must remember that in the real world, in a real emergency, falling over (sideways) at the completion of a stop is a victory compared to hitting the broadside of a van at speed, or even of completing the stop several feet further into a potential follow-on collision situation. This is one maneuver that I have not found a way to fully practice in all elements on public streets. Still, the elements I practice will help if I ever need to stop that couple of feet quicker than humanly possible.

Emergencies in the Real World
Rock dodge situations are something most cyclists encounter. Improved ability to dodge small debris and pot holes reduce flats without unpredictable maneuvers that a following motorist might not expect. Certainly, running over a rock and getting a flat probably isn’t the end of the world, but it is much more pleasant NOT to get that flat or bend that rim. The instant turn and quick stop, on the other hand, are something rarely needed by a proactive cyclist that is paying attention to traffic. As a result, most cyclists do NOT know how to do these maneuvers. REGARDLESS of your views about bike lanes, helmets, high visibility, “bike culture” and so on, I think we will all agree trained cyclist will be better off than an untrained one if an emergency occurs. You might be wondering if this is something you need to work on. In answer, I’ll simply repost the photo below, and note that the pilot repeatedly practiced for a situation he was very unlikely to ever encounter. When the situation came, he brought all his passengers home alive. Your bike’s passenger(s) deserve as much.

Shameless Plug
If you live around DFW and conclude that your road or bike handling skills could benefit from guidance, BikeDFW offers courses fairly frequently. Or email Whareagle, Chandra, or myself, and we’ll get you hooked up.

Wow, Kickstands ARE Useful



With a Kickstand, You Don't Need a Bike Rack!

This morning, preparing for the adventure to come, Frankenbike was a bit indisposed, with light mountings that didn't want to work quite right without further fiddling. Realizing that it'd been a while since I've ridden my wife's bike, I took it out for a little coffee. When I got there, there was an empty parking spot that I suddenly realized would work well for a bike with a kickstand. Since thise coffee shop doesn't have a bike rack, I decided to park like the peasants park.

NOW I know why all you out there keep those kickstands on your transportation bikes. So you can park without laying the bike down on all that oily greasy parking slot. Some of us take a little longer. The only problem that I can see with this is the bike isn't secured to anything. THAT explains why y'all go for those heavy bikes! A heavy bike is harder for a thief to lift and throw into the back of his/her waiting white pickup.

As a result, I shall have to retire the photo below. Who needs a stinkin' bike rack?

I've Seen the Light, Kickstands DO Have a Use!

Shooting Stars, Squirrels and Secret Parking Lots

I was short of inspiration about what to write today when I left for work this morning. It was dark as I rolled out, but unlike the last remnants of Daylight Savings Time, the darkness would soon lift. I was treated to an unusually large and beautiful shooting star off to the west. I wouldn't have noticed had I been driving to work. Sweet. I wish I could catch stuff like that with the camera. The rest of the ride in was fairly uneventful. I did notice that the young buffalo in the pasture next to Cabela's have started to acquire horns. They're also very interested if you happen to blow kisses at them as you ride by. I'll have to do a spring/fall comparison before long. For those with excessively curious minds, I have no idea how to tell a young boy buffalo from a young girl buffalo from the Service Road and I'm not about to climb over the fence into the pasture for closer investigation.

On the way, home, I decided to further investigate the possibility that I may have inadvertently added another parking lot to my route. You might ask how Steve could be riding through a parking lot, less than a block from the Keller Police Department, without realizing it? Day after day? Follow along and you'll see this isn't your everyday parking lot. You see, it's a SECRET parking lot. The photo below shows a street, Phillips Drive, that camouflages the entrance to this parking lot.

Next, you'll notice that there's another intersection. THIS marks the Eastern end of Phillips Drive, and hides the entrance to the parking lot. You'll note the driver looks a little confused. He's wondering what that thing is off to his left rear that looks like just another street. Probably it doesn't show up on his onboard GPS unit. "Don't worry sir, you needn't trouble yourself about that pavement."

The THIRD picture gives the game away. Look carefully at those red stripes on either side of the apparent street. Those are the sure North Texas giveaway to a parking lot. Parking lots are just chock full of red stripes around here. And, sure enough, if you proceed through the parking lot to Pate Orr, there may be a stop sign at the parking lot exit, but there is no street sign. It's a secret parking lot.

As proof, Yahoo maps show no road where those red stripes are, and where I ride every day. Crimeny, some of those parking lots are really sneaky!

In my own defense, it took me a few months for it to hit me that I was riding through a Middle School parking lot, blissfully unaware that I was courting the disapproval of Rantwick's mom. I also cite as evidence for the defense, the Google map version of the same location, shown below. "Officer, Google said it was a road and Google MUST be right!" Google was what I used to pick this route. Perhaps Google was fooled by the secret parking lot - or maybe it's just that there are no secrets TO Google.

And what about squirrels? Well, on the last leg home, as it was getting dark again, a squirrel shot across Glade Road, about two feet in front of my front wheel. It could have been messy. I hope the little guy made it home. I know he put a little unexpected spice into the last part of what was otherwise an uneventful, if educational, trip home. I think I'd rather be chased by a dog...

Parking Lots are all Equal

But some are more equal than others. This is parking nirvana.




For your viewing pleasure, the Fort Worth Cabela's parking lot. Actually, it's mainly the parking lot service road. Cabelas has the only parking lot around locally that has a six lane service road, complete with median and left turn lanes. They even have Bott's Dots for Doohickie's amusement. If you were so inclined, you could even ride on wide sidewalks as long as the landscape maintenance guys weren't busy. There's actually one at work in the circled area of the top photo.


The only motorist interactions I've ever had in this lot are an occasional 18 wheeler rumbling out to the I-35W service road. It's kind of like one of those sci fi movies where everyone disappeared except for the hero of the movie.

This parking lot is so special, that I happily make a run down the Alliance Gateway Freeway to get to it on the way to work. It would not work in the afternoons, since the roads aren't aligned to use it going south, and Cabela's is actually open.

(click on any picture except the last one for a bigger, more luxurious view)