Commuting - Stopped by Reno PD on my way to work!

So there I was, just cruising along on my way to work, only a couple of miles at the most from my office. The route I picked this morning leads me along the back side of the local regional airport, by the way. I'm pedaling along, around 20mph and I hear this *HONK* from a police car behind me. I look behind me and sure enough, flashing lights. I've got a red blinkie light on the back, I'm not riding in traffic (its 45mph along that route) and although I don't have a helmet (its a matter of $$, don't chastise me for something I cannot currently afford) I am not aware of any bicycle helmet laws. So I'm thinking to myself "Great, I managed to find RPD's one bicycle nazi, probably gonna ticket me for something nobody's ever heard of".

So I get off my bike, and just stand next to it and face the car. The officer got out and walked up to me and asked me where I was coming from. I told him. He then asked if I'd been hanging around any of the service entrances to the airport. "Uh, no, I'm just on my way to work." He asked for my ID and my work address, I assume just to cover all bases, and I didn't mind. The guy was just doing his job. As it turns out, "some guy on a mountain bike" (most cyclists around here at this time of the morning match that description) had been spotted loitering around an airport service gate (unmanned) telling passerby he was going to break in to the airport. Real smart guy.

Anyway it turned out rather pleasant, as getting stopped by the police goes, and I finished my commute without incident. I was just glad I didn't get ticketed for anything!

I'd be willing to bet that a lot of the time that people get stopped on a bike, it's pretty similar to that. Probably a lot more likely than speeding, for sure. Riding sidewalk in restricted areas or running red lights/stop signs right in front of them would probably have higher numbers, though. I know I was stopped a couple of times when I was younger that were similar situations.

So there I was, just cruising along on my way to work, only a couple of miles at the most from my office...I've got a red blinkie light on the back, I'm not riding in traffic (its 45mph along that route) and although I don't have a helmet (its a matter of $$, don't chastise me for something I cannot currently afford)...
A helmet is MUCH cheaper than a hospital stay or surgery.

Nashbar (http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?subcategory=1045&category=91&browse=&storetype=&estoreid=&brand=&searchbox=&start=1&orderby=price1&pagename=) and Performance (http://www.performancebike.com/shop/sub_cat.cfm?subcategory_ID=4210&thisstart=31&orderby=1&filterby=1) have some for under $20.

Yep, LBS and Wally World have many for $25 or less.

If you have a place that sells "po boy" sandwiches, have those for lunch for a month...you'll saved enough to get TWO helmets :D

I was stopped once, like you just going to work (but I did have a helmet). The Cop was looking for person that been reported causing problems in the neighborhood. Wanted to know if I had seen anyone that might fit the "look". The Cop was cool, he said that he often asked cyclists for help as most of us are looking around more than any motorist does.

Cheers

Two lessons:

1. This shows why we should give cops the benefit of the doubt.

2. If you can't afford a helmet, you can't afford to cycle. Think of being without a helmet the same way you'd think about a bent rim. You'd find a way to fix the rim before cycling again. Find a way to buy a helmet.

Cut something out of your budget for a few weeks, and you can afford a low-end, but perfectly functional one. Do you have cable? A cell phone? Do you ever eat out (including take-out)? Do you eat anything more expensive than beans & rice? Do you drink anything with alcohol in it? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," you can afford a helmet.

Unfortunately Wally-world helmets don't fit me, I have a rather large head. My friends all call me Shrek because I'm built like him. All but the ears LOL. I will have to get a better one than the $20 specials, since I have to get one that actually fits.

Interesting, Dusk. That is true though, cyclists have their eyes and ears on their surrounding, not the car in front of them.

Cut something out of your budget for a few weeks, and you can afford a low-end, but perfectly functional one. Do you have cable? A cell phone? Do you ever eat out (including take-out)? Do you eat anything more expensive than beans & rice? Do you drink anything with alcohol in it? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes," you can afford a helmet.

Cable? No. Celphone? Company issued. Eat out? Only when my wife is too sick to cook (or we have to get out of the house for a change). Could cut back though. Anything more expensive than beans and rice? Rarely. Our meals are pretty cheap. Alchohol? Don't touch the stuff.

All that being said, I expect to spend my next $50 or $60 on a helmet. Its not like its not a priority, its just not possible. Can't afford to cycle? With gas prices and what not, I can't afford NOT to cycle. The gas savings alone is worth it.

Don't guess any of you are a single income household with 1 gas guzzling car, 2 school aged kids, and a disabled wife? I am ;) Heck my car is a 1977 Chevy station wagon, so no car payments and cheap insurance. I eat $2 lunches. My family wears wal-mart or payless shoes, including me. I have broken couches. Need I go on?

Stopped by Reno 911! (http://www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/reno911/) Was it Lt. Dangle? Love those shorts.

Cable? No. Celphone? Company issued. Eat out? Only when my wife is too sick to cook (or we have to get out of the house for a change). Could cut back though. Anything more expensive than beans and rice? Rarely. Our meals are pretty cheap. Alchohol? Don't touch the stuff.

All that being said, I expect to spend my next $50 or $60 on a helmet. Its not like its not a priority, its just not possible. Can't afford to cycle? With gas prices and what not, I can't afford NOT to cycle. The gas savings alone is worth it.

Don't guess any of you are a single income household with 1 gas guzzling car, 2 school aged kids, and a disabled wife? I am ;) Heck my car is a 1977 Chevy station wagon, so no car payments and cheap insurance. I eat $2 lunches. My family wears wal-mart or payless shoes, including me. I have broken couches. Need I go on?

I wrote my message as you were sending yours about trying to buy the helmet (notice the 2-minute difference). It sounds like you have your priorities straight. Given your two kids, $50-60 for a helmet seems like a reasonable life and health insurance policy. And I understand the need to eat cheaply. I often spend about $3 total for a week's worth of high protein/high carb/low fat/low sugar lunches--beans and rice. Too many people say they "can't afford" something when they really can. It sounds like you're not one of them.

The lesson of this thread is: if you don't want multiple, uninvited lectures about wearing a helmet, don't mention that you don't wear one. Now if we really want to get a thread smoking, we need to have a newbie male asking advice about helmetless commuting and wanting acess to the Women's Cycling forum to discuss his "right" to carry a gun while violating all traffic rules with impunity amongst dangerous, obnoxious drivers. Did I miss anything?

Daily Commute: I think we are on the same track here for sure! I sure wish I did have a helmet, I can tell you that. I could've used one a couple of months ago when I took a spill. OUCH. Anyway thanks for the comments. Beans 'n' rice. Do you cook it at work or do you pre-cook it? Sounds cheap and interesting. I'm trying to lose weight and don't mind relatively bland food.

And no it wasn't Lt. Dangle :p

Now if we really want to get a thread smoking, we need to have a newbie male asking advice about helmetless commuting and wanting acess to the Women's Cycling forum to discuss his "right" to carry a gun while violating all traffic rules with impunity amongst dangerous, obnoxious drivers. Did I miss anything?

Yeah. I'm looking for a lube that works on both my gun and my chain. Any ideas?

Daily Commute: I think we are on the same track here for sure! I sure wish I did have a helmet, I can tell you that. I could've used one a couple of months ago when I took a spill. OUCH. Anyway thanks for the comments. Beans 'n' rice. Do you cook it at work or do you pre-cook it? Sounds cheap and interesting. I'm trying to lose weight and don't mind relatively bland food.


I cook them at home. A pound of dried black beans (99 cents) will give me lunches for a week. The rest of the $2 (which is an estimate) is for rice, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, mexican oregano (if you can find it) and hot peppers (dried or whole).

I cook them at home. A pound of dried black beans (99 cents) will give me lunches for a week. The rest of the $2 (which is an estimate) is for rice, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, mexican oregano (if you can find it) and hot peppers (dried or whole).

I don't want to hijack my own thread but could you pm me details on how much of each to cook up? Being cheap and good for me is VERY attractive right now. I want/need to lose weight very badly, this sounds like a good lunch for me.

The lesson of this thread is: if you don't want multiple, uninvited lectures about wearing a helmet, don't mention that you don't wear one. Now if we really want to get a thread smoking, we need to have a newbie male asking advice about helmetless commuting and wanting acess to the Women's Cycling forum to discuss his "right" to carry a gun while violating all traffic rules with impunity amongst dangerous, obnoxious drivers. Did I miss anything?


Campy or Shimano??????

Listening to a walkman while riding???????

Cadence or HRM training??????

Should I go on?

Hey rykoala, do you have a paypal account? I'd like to donate to the "Rykoala Needs a Helmet Fund."

Yeah. I'm looking for a lube that works on both my gun and my chain. Any ideas?

Motor oil? <duck and run for cover>

Motor oil? <duck and run for cover>

Would that be Hummer motor oil?

Unfortunately Wally-world helmets don't fit me, I have a rather large head. My friends all call me Shrek because I'm built like him. All but the ears LOL. I will have to get a better one than the $20 specials, since I have to get one that actually fits.

Interesting, Dusk. That is true though, cyclists have their eyes and ears on their surrounding, not the car in front of them.


Hmm, Performance is selling a lot of helmets, some fairly cheap, at their stores here. Some of the models are L/XL. Can you try one on somewhere and let us know which size fits? I have 2 helmets I hardly ever use, but they are M/L, and might be too small.

Yeah. I'm looking for a lube that works on both my gun and my chain. Any ideas?

WD-40

Just a side note/slight hijack.

I see you are some kind of webmaster? That means maybe you might know about designing webpages? There is a freelance website I've belonged to for several years now for people in the computer field. I know it's legit. But basically, you register with them, tell them what fields you're interested in working in, and every time someone needs someone with your skills, you get an email telling you to log in and check your account. Some projects are small projects, just a few hundred dollars, but some are larger projects worth several thousand. You mainly work from home, so you can do it in your spare time.

Just a thought.

Koffee

Yeah. I'm looking for a lube that works on both my gun and my chain. Any ideas?

One side: WD-40!
Other side: Breakfree CLP!

Let the games begin.

One side: WD-40!
Other side: Breakfree CLP!

Let the games begin.

WD-40 works as a solvent, and is not that good as a lubricant. Breakfree is about the same.

Thank you for all the wonderful responses! I did not mean to incite such generous responses, rather I only wanted to show the diversity that sometimes isn't accounted for by some folks :)

As far as the helmet thing goes, I should be able to get one next month, or so.

KoffeeBrown, PM me, that sounds interesting. I do website design on the side :)

I was pulled over for having my blinking red bicycle light on my jacket while motorcycling.

Cable? No. Celphone? Company issued. Eat out? Only when my wife is too sick to cook (or we have to get out of the house for a change). Could cut back though. Anything more expensive than beans and rice? Rarely. Our meals are pretty cheap. Alchohol? Don't touch the stuff.

All that being said, I expect to spend my next $50 or $60 on a helmet. Its not like its not a priority, its just not possible. Can't afford to cycle? With gas prices and what not, I can't afford NOT to cycle. The gas savings alone is worth it.

Don't guess any of you are a single income household with 1 gas guzzling car, 2 school aged kids, and a disabled wife? I am ;) Heck my car is a 1977 Chevy station wagon, so no car payments and cheap insurance. I eat $2 lunches. My family wears wal-mart or payless shoes, including me. I have broken couches. Need I go on?

No reason you should have to post this much detail. Damn Helmet Nazis. Ok so you what 5% saver with one - big deal.

Joe

Yeah. I'm looking for a lube that works on both my gun and my chain. Any ideas?

I use Breakfree CLP (cleaner, lubricant, and protectant) on my guns and my bike chain.

Thing is, I'm a jerk, i don't care about most people or causes, but I do care about bicyclists because we are so clearly superior to car drivers. :P

That's why when I hear of a cyclist not using a helmet it makes me concerned, possibly it has the same effect on other cyclists and for the same reason; i cant speak for others.

Most people are idiots and then they get behind the wheel of a car and it's like they get a lobotomy at the same time and things get worse. That is why I wear a helmet.

Fight the good fight, man.

Ryko, I think you can be best described as a SITCOM. You've heard DINK (double income, no kids), right? Well, then there's SITCOM (single income, two children, oppresive mortgage).

That said, get a helmet. The newest Bells are about $25-30, and have a VERY generous "one size fits most" sizing band, so it might be big enough for you.

Chain lube? How 'bout the juice from cooked black beans?

WD-40 works as a solvent, and is not that good as a lubricant. Breakfree is about the same.

My point exactly! :) solvents are for dissolving, lubricants are for lubing. Don't confuse the two, or you'll have big problems.

Actually it is a W.ater D.isplacer -40.

Wow! What a thread-jack. And Triflow is the ONLY thing I use on my handgun.

I use Breakfree CLP (cleaner, lubricant, and protectant) on my guns and my bike chain.

Triflow is another good teflon based lube I use on both the rails of my semiautos and bike chains.

Dave

I tried to put these ideas together in a General Cycling thread at: http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=63324