Streetcars are not bicycle friendly.
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Toronto (again) Ontario, Canada
Posts: 6,931
Bikes: Old Bike: 1975 Raleigh Delta, New Bike: 2004 Norco Bushpilot
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
Streetcars are not bicycle friendly.
At 6:30 my wife wakes me up, she wants to go to a restaurant kinda mid-town for breakfast, by bicycle, so we load up and go, she wanted to get a couple of things for her bike, so I suggested MEC at King and Spadina. Since we were on Spadina already, and it was only about 4km.
We got a mirror for her bike, and new pedals since the one pedal on there has blown bearings, so we picked up a set of $8 BMX pedals, pedal wrench, a little wrench/tire lever combination made for bikes with nutted wheels (her rear wheel is nutted) front wheel has quick release. Now a streetcar track contains a depressed space beside the rail, for the wheel flange to go into, this is a little over an inch and a half wide. Ideally you cross the tracks at a 90 degree angle, if you can't then you have to be over 45 degrees, or it will grab your wheel.
I have known this for a while, and so does she, but I think she forgot, to make a left hand turn on a street with tracks you box the corner, go through the intersection, then turn your back end and go through the intersection the other way. She crossed the track parallel, it grabbed the front wheel, did the most amazing dance move (on a bicycle no less), I thought she was going to recover, uh, no, down she went. Bruised elbow, bruised leg, a couple of scrapes, bike is OK, we were able to ride to the subway, and head home.
As for the pedals, I got the funky one replaced, the other needs some penetrating oil.
We got a mirror for her bike, and new pedals since the one pedal on there has blown bearings, so we picked up a set of $8 BMX pedals, pedal wrench, a little wrench/tire lever combination made for bikes with nutted wheels (her rear wheel is nutted) front wheel has quick release. Now a streetcar track contains a depressed space beside the rail, for the wheel flange to go into, this is a little over an inch and a half wide. Ideally you cross the tracks at a 90 degree angle, if you can't then you have to be over 45 degrees, or it will grab your wheel.
I have known this for a while, and so does she, but I think she forgot, to make a left hand turn on a street with tracks you box the corner, go through the intersection, then turn your back end and go through the intersection the other way. She crossed the track parallel, it grabbed the front wheel, did the most amazing dance move (on a bicycle no less), I thought she was going to recover, uh, no, down she went. Bruised elbow, bruised leg, a couple of scrapes, bike is OK, we were able to ride to the subway, and head home.
As for the pedals, I got the funky one replaced, the other needs some penetrating oil.
#2
Bicycle n00B
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 383
Bikes: None yet
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Ouch! Glad to hear she's mostly good, though, and nothing broken. Hope your wife recovers fully and quickly.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Central Illinois
Posts: 686
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
1 Post
Ooohh....I'm glad she's not hurt too badly.
You've reminded me of my time in San Francisco. One neighborhood (more or less where the Giants stadium is now) had all sorts of abandoned tracks poking out of the streets. They'd run at weird angles, some would curve, etc. I think they (at one time) carried cargo rather than streetcars.
Most of the time they were no worse than any rough pavement. But when it was rainy....watch out.
Those streets really weren't bikable at all in the wet.
You've reminded me of my time in San Francisco. One neighborhood (more or less where the Giants stadium is now) had all sorts of abandoned tracks poking out of the streets. They'd run at weird angles, some would curve, etc. I think they (at one time) carried cargo rather than streetcars.
Most of the time they were no worse than any rough pavement. But when it was rainy....watch out.
Those streets really weren't bikable at all in the wet.
#4
Guest
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Grid Reference, SK
Posts: 3,768
Bikes: I never learned to ride a bike. It is my deepest shame.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
6 Posts
I found the streetcar tracks in TO were best taken aggressively... cross at as steep an angle as possible. The only time I ever had a problem was in the wet - and then the tracks seemed to suck my wheel in from two feet away.
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Toronto (again) Ontario, Canada
Posts: 6,931
Bikes: Old Bike: 1975 Raleigh Delta, New Bike: 2004 Norco Bushpilot
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
She's sore now, and probably will be worse tomorrow, before starting to get better.
#6
foolishly delirious
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Panhandle of NE
Posts: 797
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
try working at 3am in North Platte's Union Pacific Bailey yard during the worst blizzard in 12 years... (I'll dig up the picture of me doing just that...)
those rails and ties get seriously slick...
those rails and ties get seriously slick...
#7
Senior Member
I thought railroad wheels had the flange on the inside? Is it different for street car wheels?
Regardless, I definitely know what you're talking about.
Regardless, I definitely know what you're talking about.
#9
SERENITY NOW!!!
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: In the 212
Posts: 8,738
Bikes: Haro Vector, IRO Rob Roy, Bianchi Veloce
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
I like when you're riding parallel to trolley tracks and someone parks their car far enough into the street that you can either squeeze in between the car and the tracks, and risk getting doored or riding into the tracks, or you can jump over the first track and ride in between them. Good luck if a street car is coming up behind you.
__________________
HHCMF - Take pride in your ability to amaze lesser mortals! - MikeR
We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!
HHCMF - Take pride in your ability to amaze lesser mortals! - MikeR
We demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!
#10
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Toronto (again) Ontario, Canada
Posts: 6,931
Bikes: Old Bike: 1975 Raleigh Delta, New Bike: 2004 Norco Bushpilot
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
When dealing with embedded tracks in a roadway, always cross rails at an angle between 45 and 135 degrees, with 90 degrees being the ideal, if this is not possible, walk across the tracks.
#11
Senior Member
Your right inside, doesn't make any difference though, just wonder why when the flange is 5mm wide, that they need a 40mm wide gap, seems like 10-15mm would be wide enough, and even the ultra-narrow 19mm bike tires could then simply go over it. As street cars and light rail transit vehicles get more popular in North America, it's something more and more people need to keep in mind:
When dealing with embedded tracks in a roadway, always cross rails at an angle between 45 and 135 degrees, with 90 degrees being the ideal, if this is not possible, walk across the tracks.
When dealing with embedded tracks in a roadway, always cross rails at an angle between 45 and 135 degrees, with 90 degrees being the ideal, if this is not possible, walk across the tracks.
If no traffic is coming, I'll change the angle of my path to make a 90-deg crossing by crossing the whole roadway.
#12
Newbie
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Toronto Canada
Posts: 4
Bikes: GF Marlin
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Wogsterca. I feel for you. I took a dive many years ago on Queen out by the beaches. I tried to do a short parallel drift over the tracks, and it caught me and spit me off like a bronc. Bruises, scrapes, and a dented ego.
I also have this oddball car that fits the tires on the rails almost perfectly. Thankfully, the tires are 215's and let me out easy enough. I drove from Jarvis to Spadina one day and never touched the steering wheel. It just sorta bounced back and forth on the rails and I just watched the brakes and gas.
Used to ride motorcycles in the core and hated them just as much.
I also have this oddball car that fits the tires on the rails almost perfectly. Thankfully, the tires are 215's and let me out easy enough. I drove from Jarvis to Spadina one day and never touched the steering wheel. It just sorta bounced back and forth on the rails and I just watched the brakes and gas.
Used to ride motorcycles in the core and hated them just as much.