Montana Senator Anti-bike Ranting

[jamal]

Comfort and aero. Try riding on the road for a few hours with your shorts bunching up and a shirt flapping in the wind.

One of the "white line riders" recently got killed by doggedly riding the white line. Not me. Fuck that.

Sweet; victim blaming. I want to say he got killed because some inattentive asshole killed him, not because he wasn't all the way over on the edge of the pavement. Riding that far over, like you mentioned, puts you in rocks and garbage, and gives you no where to go except off the road.

And I mean, yeah I can imagine a situation where being a foot farther over would make a difference, but at the same time that can encourage cars to not slow down and not move over.

[jono]

The other side of that coin is the cyclists who ride doggedly just inches from the roadway when they have plenty of decent bike-friendly shoulder to the right, thinking that the supposed 3 foot courtesy zone will save them.

With cars going by at 50 and 60 mph, when I'm cycling, I'm riding as DEFENSIVELY as possible. And I this case, I think defensive riding means limiting the impact potential between myself and a 4000 pound steel moving mass.

And the other side of that coin is that moving right reduces your visibility to inattentive drivers and "limiting" contact with a 4000 pound mass is not enough to save you. I know people who argue that they are safer riding well in the lane and forcing drivers to pass using the oncoming lane like any wider slow-moving vehicle and the stats seem to support them (you're much more likely to be killed by someone that didn't see you than someone that thought you had enough room). Seems to require hyper-vigilance, but short of a dedicated path, what doesn't?

[toast2266]

More bullshit from Scott Sales: https://legiscan.com/MT/bill/SB363/2017

He added an amendment to legislation that would charge a $25 fee to all out of state bikes in Montana under the guise of mitigating damage from invasive species. Which is hilarious concerning the rest of the legislation removes that fee requirement for any other vehicle, including ones that actually carry invasive species (i.e. boats).

The Bill passed through the senate already. Write to the representative of your choice. Tell them to shove that bill up Scott Sales' ass.

[Bronco]

Thanks for posting the links.

I don't understand how this accomplishes anything he's set out to do but sent an email anyway. If it passes, I may buy a tag as a souvenir. What a joke!

[Bronco]

Here's the response I got back from our district rep:

I have already requested an amendment prior to tomorrow's hearing, which would remove the bicycle sticker section. This is a critically important bill to Montana's response to the aquatic invasive species crisis, and this amendment from President Sales was a slap in the face to that effort. We will get it fixed. Thanks for reaching out.

[kidwoo]

You guys get a lot of aqua bike traffic up there?

[homemadesalsa]

Here's the response I got back from our district rep:

I have already requested an amendment prior to tomorrow's hearing, which would remove the bicycle sticker section. This is a critically important bill to Montana's response to the aquatic invasive species crisis, and this amendment from President Sales was a slap in the face to that effort. We will get it fixed. Thanks for reaching out.

Glad to hear that. I just wrote some of your Democratic State Senators. Idiotic.

[evasive_MT]

Here's the response I got back from our district rep:

I have already requested an amendment prior to tomorrow's hearing, which would remove the bicycle sticker section. This is a critically important bill to Montana's response to the aquatic invasive species crisis, and this amendment from President Sales was a slap in the face to that effort. We will get it fixed. Thanks for reaching out.

I wondered if Vincent isn't pissed off over Sales fucking around with his bill.

[stuckathuntermtn]

You guys get a lot of aqua bike traffic up there?

Up to our necks in aquabikes.

[jamal]

Oh well it was just a joke you guys!

http://mtpr.org/post/bicycle-tax-jok...na-legislature

[muted]

Riding that far over, like you mentioned, puts you in rocks and garbage, and gives you no where to go except off the road.

I don't really understand why road bikers use super skinny tires that can't take a rock or garbage, therefore they are forced to ride in the road with traffic. Sure it's faster with skinny tires, but at what cost? I traded in my road bike for a cyclocross bike and I don't worry about potholes/rocks/debris anymore.

More of a rhetorical question, I know roadies will never give up their skinny tires, but it's a bit illogical on their part and it's why most drivers can't understand why roadies don't ride the shoulder more often.

[jono]

You really think motorists are checking out bike tires? I think they just don't know that a cyclist in the ditch is still more likely to be hit by an inattentive motorist than the more visible guy in the lane who forces them to avoid the 3-wide passing every driver's ed instructor warned against. Sales and friends need a refresher course.

On a related note, what kind of laughingstock does Sales want to be? I suppose gongshow government is the new new normal.

And less related: maybe ScottUSA should send a cease and desist before he starts confusing people by selling that sign.

[Bronco]

Good work Mags!

[muted]

You really think motorists are checking out bike tires? I think they just don't know that a cyclist in the ditch is still more likely to be hit by an inattentive motorist than the more visible guy in the lane who forces them to avoid the 3-wide passing every driver's ed instructor warned against. Sales and friends need a refresher course.

On a related note, what kind of laughingstock does Sales want to be? I suppose gongshow government is the new new normal.

And less related: maybe ScottUSA should send a cease and desist before he starts confusing people by selling that sign.

I meant most drivers don't realize roadies don't use the shoulders because their skinny tires can't handle it. They think they can move over but choose not to.

As for people who just want to avoid 3-wide passing, well, no driver will understand this either. Bikers are trying to be safe but come across as assholes and piss people with short tempers off: no solution to this problem.

Meanwhile, I'll happily take my chances in the shoulder with thicker tires 90% of the time.

[jamal]

There are very few sections of road once I get out of town that even have a shoulder, let alone room for a bike, a passing car, and an oncoming car anyway. If there is room on the shoulder and it's in good condition I'll use it and so will everyone else.

Why use skinny, fragile tires? Because they're fast. Being able to maintain a high speed at fairly low effort is kind of the whole point of a road bike. I have a pair of 320tpi 27mm vittorias and they are amazing- they roll really well and are smooth. With heavier, low thread count tires or CX tires on the road it's frustrating, all you feel is the drag of the tires on the road. It would be like going out for a drive in a porsche but then leaving the parking brake on.


Honestly I don't really get why it matters so much if I am 6" to a foot one way or the other. All I want, while I'm riding, is for drivers to pay attention and not hit me. Is that so much to ask?

[SJG]

I'm a cyclist, but why' you'd use paper thin tires on roads that they won't survive on, is a pretty dense move IMO. Why not gear your bike for the roads you'll be riding on, instead of whining about how the roads are too rough for your tires?

[stuckathuntermtn]

Oh well it was just a joke you guys!

http://mtpr.org/post/bicycle-tax-jok...na-legislature

Sure it was....