Living Car Free - Hurray!!! Another Tank Car (The Hummer) Is No Longer Made

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/hummers-end-drivers-mourn-celebrate-brands-demise/story?id=9938276 (http://abcnews.go.com/Business/hummers-end-drivers-mourn-celebrate-brands-demise/story?id=9938276)

I have to give the Chinese credit. They were smart enough to spot a dying breed right off. After All, Even From The US Bike Community:

"....I am a bicycle commuter and there is nothing that terrifies me more than being anywhere near one of those hideous monstrosities in traffic. Not only do I fear for my life, but I find that nine times out of ten, Hummer drivers will lean out their window and swear at me, then either throw something or tell me that I have no business on the road as they rev their engine and flex their tribal tattooed bicep. Good riddance to the Hummer...."
--Laura Cook, Tulsa, Okla.

(although to be fair, there were Hummer Montague folding full sized bikes in existence which was intended to be paired with these tanks.)

Now if the roadways is cleared of the rest of the larger pesky and polluting motor vehicles.....what a wonderful world this would be!

What is weird where I live is there are a whole bunch of stretch Hummer Limos. You think the regular Hummers were scary ...

(although to be fair, there were Hummer Montague folding full sized bikes in existence which was intended to be paired with these tanks.)
Yeah, a while back I ordered folding bike pedals from a Hummer dealer. They were a good deal, but it got me on a Hummer mailing list for several years.

I don't really see where the excitement is coming from. The H2 and H3 are just Chevy Tahoe and Colorados with some new body cladding on them. It's really not going to make a bit of difference, other than the owners will blend in more in their new Tahoe instead of and H2. The Hummer brand was just a status symbol, much like the Prius has become.

What is weird where I live is there are a whole bunch of stretch Hummer Limos. You think the regular Hummers were scary ...

YEah, but in my experience, at least those were driven by "professionals."

And sure, they were just redone tahoes and such. I remember when I was a valet, we HATED to park those things. Having windows that are deeply tinted and only a foot tall means you're rolling blind in that thing. It was the most driver-unfriendly car I ever sat in.

I'll still never forget watching a Hummer driver gingerly try and thread their oversized vehicle through downtown Boston in rush hour. Judging by his expression, he was immediately regretting his decision to buy a "manly" behemoth.

Good riddance. But now what other penis enlargement would they use instead???

Adam

Good riddance. But now what other penis enlargement would they use instead???

Adam

A fixed gear track bike with no brakes or a Trek Madone should suffice, especially for city/suburban transportation.

A fixed gear track bike with no brakes or a Trek Madone should suffice, especially for city/suburban transportation.
:lol:
I'm partial to Colnagos myself.

THE ONLY 'HUMMER' I'D BE INTERESTED IN IS.......... well, you know.

What's that? Halle's on hold?

I don't really see where the excitement is coming from. The H2 and H3 are just Chevy Tahoe and Colorados with some new body cladding on them. It's really not going to make a bit of difference, other than the owners will blend in more in their new Tahoe instead of and H2. The Hummer brand was just a status symbol, much like the Prius has become.

Hummers have been an icon or meme signifying selfishness and bullying. And it's probably true that the type of person who will pay more to drive a Hummer instead of a Tahoe is sometimes a bully who hates cyclists or anybody elses he perceives as "getting in my way."

Hummers have been an icon or meme signifying selfishness and bullying. And it's probably true that the type of person who will pay more to drive a Hummer instead of a Tahoe is sometimes a bully who hates cyclists or anybody elses he perceives as "getting in my way."
"It's probably true"? Why? Because that's the stereotype that fulfills your victimization fantasies? Do you ever stop dreaming that your guesswork/conjuring about "cagers" is true just because you imagined it?

"It's probably true"? Why? Because that's the stereotype that fulfills your victimization fantasies? Do you ever stop dreaming that your guesswork/conjuring about "cagers" is true just because you imagined it?

Research conducted by the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis would indicate otherwise...
http://pubs.its.ucdavis.edu/publication_detail.php?id=309
"...drivers of pickups and large cars tend to be less-educated than drivers of the other vehicle types."
"These results strongly support our hypotheses that travel attitudes, personality, lifestyle, and mobility factors affect individuals’ vehicle type choices."

Here's a typical hummer ad, there are others...
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/07/restore-you-manhood-hummer-ad-revised/

So yeah "It's probably true" not because it fulfills anyone's victimization fantasies but because it's a reasonably supported assertion. Unfortunately the personality type in question doesn't cease to exist with the hummer.

Research conducted by the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Davis would indicate otherwise...
http://pubs.its.ucdavis.edu/publication_detail.php?id=309
"...drivers of pickups and large cars tend to be less-educated than drivers of the other vehicle types."
"These results strongly support our hypotheses that travel attitudes, personality, lifestyle, and mobility factors affect individuals’ vehicle type choices."

Here's a typical hummer ad, there are others...
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/07/restore-you-manhood-hummer-ad-revised/

So yeah "It's probably true" not because it fulfills anyone's victimization fantasies but because it's a reasonably supported assertion. Unfortunately the personality type in question doesn't cease to exist with the hummer.

I must be the exception...I own and drive several heavy trucks. My personal truck is an F350 crewcab dually.:lol: But it only gets driven ~4500 miles a year.:p

Aaron:)

My hit list
x Hummer
> Dodge Ram Pickup
> GMC Yukon
> Chevy Tahoe

1 gone; 3 to go.

"...drivers of pickups and large cars tend to be less-educated than drivers of the other vehicle types."
"These results strongly support our hypotheses that travel attitudes, personality, lifestyle, and mobility factors affect individuals’ vehicle type choices."

Here's a typical hummer ad, there are others...
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/08/07/restore-you-manhood-hummer-ad-revised/

So yeah "It's probably true" not because it fulfills anyone's victimization fantasies but because it's a reasonably supported assertion. Unfortunately the personality type in question doesn't cease to exist with the hummer.
Is it your guesswork that "less educated" means " a bully who hates cyclists or anybody elses he perceives as "getting in my way" or did the researchers draw that "probably true" reasonably supported assertion?

Does viewing an advertisement really help you draw a conclusion that anything is "probably true" in the real world?

I thought the brand Hummer was being discontinued not the Humvee itself. The Humvee is still a military vehicle you can buy from government auctions if you so wish. I like the one with the gun turrets myself but I can’t see spending more than a 100k to get one. (kidding)
However our governor has 5 Humvees I believe and he may have been the one starting the Hummer movement in the Us in the first place. Anyone want a slightly used governor?

Original Humvees were cool then the H2s and H3s were a disgrace.

Is it your guesswork that "less educated" means " a bully who hates cyclists or anybody elses he perceives as "getting in my way" or did the researchers draw that "probably true" reasonably supported assertion?

Does viewing an advertisement really help you draw a conclusion that anything is "probably true" in the real world?

I'm going to take a guess here and say that you didn't actually read the research paper. Am I right?

As for the ad, do you have any idea how much money and expertise is spent on ensuring that ads are targeted at a specific demographic for which the product is designed? I'll bet you won't find an ad for a hummer in the sierra club newsletter, but you might find one in Guns'n'Ammo magazine, why do you suppose that might be? If a hummer ad implies that the size of your vehicle reflects how much of a man you are, or that if you drive one you're an alpha male carnivore, as the one I linked to does, what might that say about the target demographic and the subsequent mindset of the driver?

Yes, I still say that an above average tendency for hummer drivers to bully cyclists or anybody else who they perceive as getting in their way is a reasonably supported assertion, and you have presented absolutely no evidence to the contrary.

I'm going to take a guess here and say that you didn't actually read the research paper. Am I right?

As for the ad, do you have any idea how much money and expertise is spent on ensuring that ads are targeted at a specific demographic for which the product is designed? I'll bet you won't find an ad for a hummer in the sierra club newsletter, but you might find one in Guns'n'Ammo magazine, why do you suppose that might be? If a hummer ad implies that the size of your vehicle reflects how much of a man you are, or that if you drive one you're an alpha male carnivore, as the one I linked to does, what might that say about the target demographic and the subsequent mindset of the driver?

Yes, I still say that an above average tendency for hummer drivers to bully cyclists or anybody else who they perceive as getting in their way is a reasonably supported assertion, and you have presented absolutely no evidence to the contrary.
You are correct, I don't click on every URL I see and had assumed (apparently incorrectly) that you would quote or paraphrase the most relevant portion of the research paper to support your assertion.

Am I correct to assume that you have little or no personal experience with being bullied by drivers of Hummers, and probably never met anyone else who has, and that your "reasonably supported" assumption is made up of whole cloth and unsupported Internet rumors/rants?

BTW, where did you find the research on the bullying characteristics of readers of Guns and Ammo vice the Sierra Club newsletter? Is it the same PC place as the the rest of your "reasonably supported assertions" about bullying personalities?

You are correct

[irrelevant stuff deleted for clarity]

Thank you :D

Irrelevant stuff (like logical thought or argument) deleted
Thank you :D
You are welcome, Jack!

The Hummer was originally designed to be the Jeep killer, but somehow the brand was mismanaged, and that never happened. Aside from a few enthusiast media outlets, the Hummer never really gained too much popularity in the off-roading world. Instead, the brand turned into some uber-macho tuner marketed to people who had blood vessels burst in their brains if they couldn't see their reflections in the chrome wheels.

Ever see the movie "Cars"? The scene that plays out during the credits at the end is very accurate. The old Jeep character is running a boot camp for SUV's, and commands the recruits to turn around and give him 20 miles in the canyon. The Hummer starts whining about how it's going to get dirt in its rims.

You are correct
Typical :rolleyes: Here's a tip, try reading before replying to save yourself from looking like an ass.

Typical :rolleyes: Here's a tip, try reading before replying to save yourself from looking like an ass.
OK fill me in Smart Guy. Did any of the research ever claim, demonstrate, measure or associate Hummer drivers (or any other specific brand/type of vehicle) with "hating cyclists" of "bullying" cyclists", more or less than any other type of driver? If not, where the heck do you Jack Donkeys get your information on that subject from, other than your imagination and crystal balls?

I must be the exception...I own and drive several heavy trucks. My personal truck is an F350 crewcab dually.:lol: But it only gets driven ~4500 miles a year.:p

Aaron:)Well, some people ( obviously you for one ) Need, a large, roomy, heavy payload vehicle. Sometimes with off road capability. The original Humvee was, from all accounts, fairly capable off road, though, for it's size, seemed to have limited carrying space. Always seemed to have poor packaging to me. The H2, and especially the H3 seemed to be overdressed standard SUVs, that were marketed to people who had some need to feel either, the need to display wealth in an extravagant style, or felt very insecure on the road. In the later case, this leads to people who have doubts about their driving, in "control" of an over-sized truck with comparatively poor handling. Full size and bigger trucks have improved their handling remarkably in the last few years, i sometimes drive a 5 ton, and am amazed at the way it drives, but you're not gonna convince me it can do as well as a modern compact/midsize sedan/wagon.

I have little regret to hear that the Hummer brand is going away, but have no illusions it will do much to improve the situation on the road.

I sometimes woder about the connection between fear, and anger. Is it that some drivers feel scared, because they don't feel totally in control, and that tramnslates to anger?

Still I think all that has happened is the civilian company formed to sell the military Humvee has gone belly up. For enough money the military version will still be available to those like Arnold that have more money that they know what to do with. They are exactly the same people that need a 550-700 HP luxury sports car that will exceed the speed limit in every gear they have. They are the people that drive a Prius to drive to the local green meeting so their friends don’t see their Range Rover or “Slade”.

I can understand the army having a need for the Humvees.... but for civilians going to work or going shopping ???? I don't get it. I always hated the H2 and H3 and I think those two are some of the most useless vehicles ever produced. As for bad drivers, the wrost ones are those with luxary cars, BMW's, Mercedeses, Lexuses, Cadillacs. Big trucks give me a lot of space , but those morons in luxary vehicles just don't care about anybody else on the road , they think they own all the damn roads and highways.

I wonder how many people are now out of jobs...

I wonder how many people are now out of jobs...From the NY Times:



“Closing Hummer simultaneously improves the health of G.M., China and the planet,” said Daniel Becker, director of the Safe Climate Campaign at the Center for Auto Safety in Washington. “Hummer should rest in pieces.”
About 3,000 jobs in the United States could be affected by the shutdown, including positions at G.M. and dealerships. A factory in Shreveport, La., that builds the Hummer H3 (http://autos.nytimes.com/2009/Hummer/H3/249/3426/301939/researchOverview.aspx?inline=nyt-classifier) and H3T, as well as other G.M. trucks, already was scheduled to close by 2012.
The larger H2 was built for G.M. by A. M. General in Mishawaka, Ind., until December, when production was temporarily halted to allow the sale process to conclude.
Mr. Richards said Hummer dealers in the United States had about 2,500 vehicles in their inventories. In January, the brand sold just 265 units in the country. Hummer sales plunged 67 percent in 2009, to a total of 9,046.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/business/25hummer.html

I worked briefly with a cell tower installation company and they had several H1 Hummers that they used as service trucks. They were absolutely the best for what they were used for. Expensive too! I had a friend that won an H1 in a contest by Mountain Dew back in the late 80's. It was one of the 4 door pickup types with the diesel. Great off road, but otherwise why bother. It was cramped and uncomfortable to ride in.

The H2 and the H3 were pretty decent off road, but few of them ever saw dirt outside of the parking lot dividers they ran over.:innocent:

Aaron:)

Only one reason to bother with a Humvee, ground clearance. They have a design than allows the vehicle to pass over rocks and things with a pretty flat floor pan. Take a look at your average SUV or 4X4 truck and you will see there are three areas of worry when you drive over an obstacle. The center section with the oil pan and pumpkins and the A frame or steering arms. The Humvee raised these spots and put guards to protect what still wasn’t out of the way. The other two were simply SUVs with a pretend Humvee look body. Bad attack angle and bad escape angle for off road.
Yes I have had my share of off road vehicles. Look up Pirate4X4.com for Johnson Valley, or Moab off road events and you willl see what I am talking about.

Only one reason to bother with a Humvee, ground clearance. They have a design than allows the vehicle to pass over rocks and things with a pretty flat floor pan. Take a look at your average SUV or 4X4 truck and you will see there are three areas of worry when you drive over an obstacle. The center section with the oil pan and pumpkins and the A frame or steering arms. The Humvee raised these spots and put guards to protect what still wasn’t out of the way. The other two were simply SUVs with a pretend Humvee look body. Bad attack angle and bad escape angle for off road.
Yes I have had my share of off road vehicles. Look up Pirate4X4.com for Johnson Valley, or Moab off road events and you willl see what I am talking about.
Ooh-Ooh, stop talking sense and experience, Robert.

This a thread for psycho babbling, verified by tea leaf reading and navel gazing, about the evil Hummermobile and its bullying, bicycle hating owners. All Real Car Free People™ know in their heart of hearts that the assertion that Hummer drivers bully cyclists or anybody else who they perceive as getting in their way must be true, eh?

Apparently for some LCF posters, LIVING car free requires continuous ranting of the Great Truths about the evil motivations, economic stupidity, and the physical and mental inadequacies of greedy, immoral bullying motorists.

Seems like any Thread that goes somewhere gets your negative comments,again and again.

You always seems to attack others.

This "pissing in the well"method may be tried and true,but,it really is not needed on a "Bike Forum".

Seems like any Thread that goes somewhere gets your negative comments,again and again.

You always seems to attack others.

This "pissing in the well"method may be tried and true,but,it really is not needed on a "Bike Forum".

You seem to think that Threads that are nothing but anti-motor vehicle wackiness or nut ball ranting about evil car drivers and their evil ways is "getting somewhere." Where might that "somewhere" be?

And, as is so typical of Holy Rollers on this list, rejection or skepticism of their Conventional Wisdom/True Belief in Imagined Facts, is viewed as an "attack."

From the NY Times:



“Closing Hummer simultaneously improves the health of G.M., China and the planet,” said Daniel Becker, director of the Safe Climate Campaign at the Center for Auto Safety in Washington. “Hummer should rest in pieces.”
About 3,000 jobs in the United States could be affected by the shutdown, including positions at G.M. and dealerships. A factory in Shreveport, La., that builds the Hummer H3 (http://autos.nytimes.com/2009/Hummer/H3/249/3426/301939/researchOverview.aspx?inline=nyt-classifier) and H3T, as well as other G.M. trucks, already was scheduled to close by 2012.
The larger H2 was built for G.M. by A. M. General in Mishawaka, Ind., until December, when production was temporarily halted to allow the sale process to conclude.
Mr. Richards said Hummer dealers in the United States had about 2,500 vehicles in their inventories. In January, the brand sold just 265 units in the country. Hummer sales plunged 67 percent in 2009, to a total of 9,046.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/25/business/25hummer.html


I don't know if I'd go celebrating the layoffs of 3000 more Americans... Maybe it's just me, though...

I don't give a flying fig what others drive. I concentrate on what I drive and what I do in my life. If someone makes enough to drive a Hummer and they don't mind the mileage then more power to them. And isn't it great to live in a country where we have freedom of choices like that?

I don't know if I'd go celebrating the layoffs of 3000 more Americans... Maybe it's just me, though...

As a fellow Michigander, I'm not one to celebrate layoffs. But Hummer seems to be the epitome of what's wrong with GM and the auto industry in general. If GM closes because of deadwood like the Hummer division, there will be many more layoffs than the 3,000 associated with Hummer. Here in Lansing we lost auto jobs even before the recession, especially when the Olds brand was closed down. But we recently picked up some jobs making the small SUVs (crossovers). I'm just saying that it's probably necessary to get rid of Hummer to (hopefully) pick up jobs in the future.

I don't give a flying fig what others drive. I concentrate on what I drive and what I do in my life. If someone makes enough to drive a Hummer and they don't mind the mileage then more power to them. And isn't it great to live in a country where we have freedom of choices like that?

AFAIK, every country in the world (except maybe Cuba and North Korea) has "freedom like that." So it isn't somethhing to get all misty-eyed about, IMO.

I don't give a flying fig what others drive. I concentrate on what I drive and what I do in my life. If someone makes enough to drive a Hummer and they don't mind the mileage then more power to them. And isn't it great to live in a country where we have freedom of choices like that?

Yeah, but when you purchase such a vehicle with the sole intention of having something bigger and safer (for you... but definitely not for those you may hit), I think society should have an issue with your vehicle. When it consumes huge amount of a petroleum resource that all our tax dollars must secure through foreign wars, I see an issue.

It's not as simple as what you want to drive.

Yeah, but when you purchase such a vehicle with the sole intention of having something bigger and safer (for you... but definitely not for those you may hit), I think society should have an issue with your vehicle. When it consumes huge amount of a petroleum resource that all our tax dollars must secure through foreign wars, I see an issue.

It's not as simple as what you want to drive.

You have a point but once you place someone else in charge of what you can drive or should drive how long before they say what you must drive or shouldn’t drive? If it is a moral compass we are looking for should someone check to see if the shoes you are wearing are made with child labor or forced labor? Nothing is as clean as just saying someone is not thinking of society when they put their own safety over that of people who choose not to or have other considerations in their vehicle choice. You do know big SUVs and Trucks get about the same fuel mileage as Ferraris and Lamborghinis? Some of the new ones do as well as some big BMWs.

Then there is the issue of illegal workers being forced to make clothes and things for you in this very country. Do we hold the people that buy these goods to the same moral standard? If not why not?

If people are not consistent with in their moral outrage it rings as hypocrisy.

AFAIK, every country in the world (except maybe Cuba and North Korea) has "freedom like that." So it isn't somethhing to get all misty-eyed about, IMO.

That wasn't the crux of my post. I was basically saying, "Good for them if that's what they wanna drive. Now STFU.".

Yeah, but when you purchase such a vehicle with the sole intention of having something bigger and safer (for you... but definitely not for those you may hit), I think society should have an issue with your vehicle. When it consumes huge amount of a petroleum resource that all our tax dollars must secure through foreign wars, I see an issue.

It's not as simple as what you want to drive.


Wow, you have a lot of issues. So when someone in a Smart Car pulls up next to your Carolla and starts lecturing you about how they take issue with your car being too big will you agree or will you think they have a superiority complex and look at them like they're crazy...just like I'm lookin' at you?

Wow, you have a lot of issues. So when someone in a Smart Car pulls up next to your Trek and starts lecturing you about how they take issue with your car being too big will you agree or will you think they have a superiority complex and look at them like they're crazy...just like I'm lookin' at you?

Corrected your spelling. It's "Trek" not "Carolla".

I normally just say, "Get lost, shorty."

You have a point but once you place someone else in charge of what you can drive or should drive how long before they say what you must drive or shouldn’t drive? If it is a moral compass we are looking for should someone check to see if the shoes you are wearing are made with child labor or forced labor? Nothing is as clean as just saying someone is not thinking of society when they put their own safety over that of people who choose not to or have other considerations in their vehicle choice. You do know big SUVs and Trucks get about the same fuel mileage as Ferraris and Lamborghinis? Some of the new ones do as well as some big BMWs.

Then there is the issue of illegal workers being forced to make clothes and things for you in this very country. Do we hold the people that buy these goods to the same moral standard? If not why not?

If people are not consistent with in their moral outrage it rings as hypocrisy.


This is a very valid point. It's all about consciousness IMHO. We become aware that our Hummers are gas guzzlers. We suddenly learn our shoes are made by slave laborers. We learn our Treks are painted with toxic paint. We learn all this and we do something about each as we learn about it.

I once read an adage but can remember whose (Bertrand Russell?). "It is a wise man who utters a truth one morning and is able to correct himself in the afternoon."

This is a very valid point. It's all about consciousness IMHO. We become aware that our Hummers are gas guzzlers. We suddenly learn our shoes are made by slave laborers. We learn our Treks are painted with toxic paint. We learn all this and we do something about each as we learn about it.

I once read an adage but can remember whose (Bertrand Russell?). "It is a wise man who utters a truth one morning and is able to correct himself in the afternoon."

I would not call ANY paint food...

PS The Chinese own HUMMER last I heard. AM General actually made the military vehicle and as far as I know they still do. The full sized original Hummer hasn't been built in a long time, only H2 and H3, which IN REALITY were reskinned, retooled GMC SUV's. BIG FAT YUKONS.

This is a very valid point. It's all about consciousness IMHO. We become aware that our Hummers are gas guzzlers. We suddenly learn our shoes are made by slave laborers. We learn our Treks are painted with toxic paint. We learn all this and we do something about each as we learn about it.

I once read an adage but can remember whose (Bertrand Russell?). "It is a wise man who utters a truth one morning and is able to correct himself in the afternoon."


Still it is more than seeing a truth it is something about rocks and glass houses.

I wonder how many people are now out of jobs...


+1 I'm glad someone sees the bigger picture. One of the problems I have with those who are rabidly embracing "green" culture and who are wishing for the disappearance of fossil fueled vehicles overnight is they fail to realize that something has to supplant the role of fossil fuels and all the associated industries that go along with it. It isn't going to happen overnight. Whole cities can adopt cycling and mass transit; however, something is going to have to power that mass transit. This power source has to be self-sustaining which means no subsidies from the government. Sure, many people are singing the praises of nuclear energy, but think about it. Do you really want a fuel source whose waste will be toxic for centuries? Wind and solar are still not economically self-sustaining (not without a government subsidy) Not to mention these "green" energy sources have their own ecological impacts. As long as society requires "heavy" transportation there'll never be enough room on the roads for human powered transportation.

+1 I'm glad someone sees the bigger picture. One of the problems I have with those who are rabidly embracing "green" culture and who are wishing for the disappearance of fossil fueled vehicles overnight is they fail to realize that something has to supplant the role of fossil fuels and all the associated industries that go along with it. It isn't going to happen overnight. Whole cities can adopt cycling and mass transit; however, something is going to have to power that mass transit. This power source has to be self-sustaining which means no subsidies from the government. Sure, many people are singing the praises of nuclear energy, but think about it. Do you really want a fuel source whose waste will be toxic for centuries? Wind and solar are still not economically self-sustaining (not without a government subsidy) Not to mention these "green" energy sources have their own ecological impacts. As long as society requires "heavy" transportation there'll never be enough room on the roads for human powered transportation.

OK. Some of the things you state are true. But the discussion here points to the wastefulness of driving a >3000 lb vehicle to transport one human being. No one is saying that fossil fuels don't have a role. I think everyone knows that fossil fuel is a very valuable resource. Let's not waste it.

My first reaction was to be happy, but then I realized recessions are temporary, and as soon as this one's over, another similar vehicle will emerge to replace it. As long as there is demand there will be something like the Hummer, and as long as there are ******bags there will be demand.