Living Car Free - Clownish Behavior?

I used to see a whole bunch of heavy locks attached to a railing near a train station. Naturally I assumed a whole bunch of commuters kept their heavy locks there so they wouldn't have to haul them. No. Its this one guy who attaches 15 or 16 locks to his bike. There are so many cables I had a hard time counting the locks. One lock for each pedal, two locks for the milk crate rack, etc.. I've seen the guy riding. He dresses head to toe in lime florescent suit with orange patches and a bunch of blinky lights. The thing is that he doesn't lock down some really nice lights, and they're easier to remove than the pedals and the things he does lock down.

The way this extreme behavior hurts anyone is that it occurs out in the suburbs so it advertises transportational cycling to the SUV drivers as a dangerous activity and a hassle. If there were many more transportational cyclists out there it would be easy for car dependents to tell that you don't need to be so extreme to benefit from car-free living.

There are always some who believe that extremism in the name of safety (or security) is a virtue. Read this blurb about how one "safety agenda" fellow lights his way while cycling:
http://www.bhsi.org/lights.htm

it could be an OCD thing

You are just jealous of his ride and locks.

It's certainly overkill to use so many locks in that way, but I don't see such behaviour as hurting anyone. It's comical more than anything else.

The much more serious problem is in the form of the many cyclists who disregard traffic laws and safety skills when they're riding. They're a hazard to themselves, other cyclists and pedestrians and they're a nuisance to the motoring public. This behaviour has to change if we hope to see cycling taken seriously as a legitimate form of transportation.

I am with the above poster. It is likely either some form of OCD or he is doing it to get back at someone for not letting him bring his bike in. Doesn't hurt anyone, and it is comical.

betcha' the locks all have the same combo...

There are always some who believe that extremism in the name of safety (or security) is a virtue. Read this blurb about how one "safety agenda" fellow lights his way while cycling:
http://www.bhsi.org/lights.htm

I would LOVE to see what this guy looks like all lit up. Barricade lights on his legs?! :twitchy:
wow...if I was that worried(paranoid) I'd just stay home locked in with 40 cats.

it could be an OCD thing

Yep, bet so.

So, what is the recommended arrangement for locking up all day every day at that train station?

So, what is the recommended arrangement for locking up all day every day at that train station?

Around MY train station??? Get a folder if you plan on riding home:twitchy:

Aaron:)

agreed. at my train station there are pro bike thieves that will mess your bike up if they want to steal it but can't.

Just wondering if it's possible to take the bike on the train rather than lock it at the station. I don't know the policy as we don't have commuter train service here.

Around MY train station??? Get a folder if you plan on riding home:twitchy:
That's what I was thinking, too. The 16-lock guy still has his bike. More power to him.

Just wondering if it's possible to take the bike on the train rather than lock it at the station. I don't know the policy as we don't have commuter train service here.

I use Amtrak regularly along the eastern seaboard mainly in NC, SC, and VA, with the occasional foray to NYC. They will allow folders as carry on, but I would suggest at the very least you bag it. Full sized bikes can go as checked baggage but need to be in a box. To fit the box you have to remove the pedals and turn the handlebars. The last time I bought a box it was $15.


That's what I was thinking, too. The 16-lock guy still has his bike. More power to him.

We don't have a commuter station, just Amtrak so a bike would be locked for a while. FWIW I know someone that stopped by there and locked their bike for what was supposed to be a couple of hours and it was gone when he came back. Most of the Amtrak stations around here are located in a less than stellar part of town. But you have to consider how long they have been there. The one in Charleston, SC has 2 waiting rooms...back in the day they were labeled for Whites and Colored...

Aaron:)

If there were many more transportational cyclists out there it would be easy for car dependents to tell that you don't need to be so extreme to benefit from car-free living.

LOL....

The reaon there probably aren't more transportational cyclists is due to the fact most are tired of getting their bikes stolen at that train station!

Having more cyclist parking and using the rack at the train station will not change the situation. The crooks go to where the bikes are and they don't care if there are 20, 50 or 500 cyclist using those racks. In fact, the more the better.

The crooks know if someone sees them, they won't do anything. No one is about to fight a stranger for a bicycle that doesn't belong to them. If you go to any bike rack at a train station you'll see the same story. Bikes with missing front or rear wheels, saddles, wheels kicked in, broken locks, cables and chains on the floor, single front wheel still attached to a lock but the rest of the bike missing, etc, etc.

In Bogota, Columbia, one great feature of the recent upgrades to their trasnit system has been new bicycle storage facilities. One's first impulse might be to say, "oh, that's got to be too expensive", but it's beneficial because there are people riding to the station whom they might have to think about providing transit options to from near their homes, and of course because it promotes transit use in general...

See this film about the Bogota transit system...
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/bus-rapid-transit-bogota/

LOL....

The reaon there probably aren't more transportational cyclists is due to the fact most are tired of getting their bikes stolen at that train station!

Having more cyclist parking and using the rack at the train station will not change the situation. The crooks go to where the bikes are and they don't care if there are 20, 50 or 500 cyclist using those racks. In fact, the more the better.

Changing the location of the commute/train station to a place that is not like NJ might make a difference. I never knew anybody, including the members of my family who had a problem locking up their bike with a simple lock at the Heidelberg, GE train station.

The locks are great, but.... if he doesn't wear his tin foil hat people could read his mind and instantly know the combo for his locks and then it's all for nothing. :)

Does he wear a belt and suspenders?

So, what is the recommended arrangement for locking up all day every day at that train station?
Beater bike and lock or rent a locker. People paranoid about their wheels use two locks. By beater I don't mean sub-par for commuting. The one person I know who locks outside at this station all day rides an old Fuji touring frame with 27 inch wheels, a really fun ride. It looks junky but several experienced bikers have ridden it and all say something like "Hey thats a great riding bike." or something like that after their first try.

I notice that the bikes that get trashed at metro stations seem to be abandoned. There are a couple at this station, one with a few missing parts and one with a bent wheel. They were parked for a long time before parts started disappearing. Friends who have had wheels stolen ( old almost valueless wheels) retrieve their bikes and fix them.

The way this extreme behavior hurts anyone is that it occurs out in the suburbs so it advertises transportational cycling to the SUV drivers as a dangerous activity and a hassle. If there were many more transportational cyclists out there it would be easy for car dependents to tell that you don't need to be so extreme to benefit from car-free living.

This fella understand that there are many thieves in the world and that the pain only hurts that
few seconds before death should he get hit by a car.:eek:

Oh yes, commenting on other persons reasons for their behavior without knowing that persons
reasons is.........well, really low and no count. :notamused:

Were you a schoolyard bully? :innocent:

I find it annoying that the bike rack at my local commuter train station is behind the station tucked in among trees and shrubs. To me, it provides the perfect environment in which thief can work unnoticed. Especially after dark, which it normally is during the regular commuting hours for a good part of the year.

it could be an OCD thing

Probably the case... which is something I try to consider when I see odd behaviour. It doesn't really speak to the behaviour of cyclists or anthing other than this individual's frame of mind.

This fella understand that there are many thieves in the world and that the pain only hurts that
few seconds before death should he get hit by a car.:eek:

Oh yes, commenting on other persons reasons for their behavior without knowing that persons
reasons is.........well, really low and no count. :notamused:

Were you a schoolyard bully? :innocent:

I didn't say anything about his reasons for his behavior did I? You just did. I speculated on the effect of his observable behavior on people who are ignorant of living car free.

A few days after I took the photo, at sunrise a guy rode by me. He was decorated like a Christmas tree with so many blinky lights and flourescent strips.
He gave me a hard time about my light being off. I explained to him that I mount my generator hub wheel in the winter. Since he was ignorant of generator hubs we got in a conversation. He said he began driving to his second home near the city and starting riding in one day per week. Turns out Mr. Christmas tree begins his ride in the neighborhood where Mr. Sixteen locks commutes. I wonder if Mr. Christmas tree got the idea for so many different lights from seeing Mr. Sixteen locks? I didn't think to ask as I hadn't thought of starting this thread. If I see him again I'll ask. The thing that is a bit annoying is having a newbie lecture me to be like him. It reminds me of the helmet screamer fad that struck DC in the early '90s.

I didn't say anything about his reasons for his behavior did I? You just did. I speculated on the effect of his observable behavior on people who are ignorant of living car free.



By speculating in a public read forum you did, in fact, hold him up to judgement and ridicule
of not only yourself but others also. Not the proper image for sharing cycling differences. :rolleyes:

It maybe that this person had a very high fear of some idiot driver hitting him and killing him
based either on a close call or actually getting hit previously.

Judge not lest ye be judged the Bible says.