|
Reactions to cyclists aren't always negative
Somebody I used to work with emailed me about the job market in our industry, so we decided to meet for a bike ride and talk about it. After a few miles on an MUP, we passed a coffee shop, and stopped for a cold drink, then sat down at a table in a park across the street, telling stories about our former employer. An old lady, probably in her 70s, stopped on her way past us, and said
I want to thank you gentlemen. We like bicycles in this neighborhood, and I'm always happy to see when young people bring them here. Yesterday, on my commute home, I stopped at a floral shop to get some aphid spray ( they're eating my strawberries! ), and when I leaned by bike against the window, the manager suggested that I should bring my bike into the store. She told me that hers had been stolen, and as long as the store isn't crowded, bikes are always welcome. A restaurant in a nearby neighborhood isn't officially bike friendly ( Roxy's gives you a free entree if you come on two wheels ), but doesn't charge for iced tea if you bring your own water bottle. This is pretty banal stuff, but A&S can get depressing. Somebody who found this forum through Google might get the idea that all there is to cycling is being killed, denied service in restaurants, and other grief. When I've been able to "convert" people to bike instead of driving for short distances, it's been because cycling is fun. Anybody else get positive reactions from the public, for being on a bike? |
Big aside- those m%%$@*& aphids are tearing into my tomatoes.Little do they know that this year I'm going to poison them.My more Bacillus thur whatever or diatomshj; they are getting a snoot full of bug stray. Any idea what will croak them, but not croak too many bees ??
Glad the oldster was nice. No lycra huh, I always wear bike shorts, but under real shorts(bike shorts do prevent chaffing). No one want to see a 59 yo stuffed in bike shorts-I sure don't . |
I have said this several times on this forum. My own experience is that the overwhelming majority of folks that I encounter are friendly and positive.
Of course I don't own a helmet or any lycra clothing so perhaps people see me as not the stereotypical cyclist. |
I prefer to go to a certain art supply store over others because they let me bring my bike in and place it near the cash register :)
|
This is one of the best posts I've read. Very well said. There's a heck of a lot of nice people out there!
|
It was Bike to Work Day in San Diego... I was really surprised by all the friendly waves and the drivers that actually took the moment to look out for cyclists. It was quite pleasant to have ROW and not have to fight for it.
|
Originally Posted by phoebeisis
(Post 10847527)
Big aside- those m%%$@*& aphids are tearing into my tomatoes.Little do they know that this year I'm going to poison them.My more Bacillus thur whatever or diatomshj; they are getting a snoot full of bug stray. Any idea what will croak them, but not croak too many bees ??
|
Buy some ladybugs- so they will reliably clean up my plants? I haven't seen any around here lately.I'll check the site-
Thanks Charlie |
Thanks for the post, Seattle Forrest.
I don't know about tomatoes, but on my perennials, I often get masses of aphids in the spring. I've learned to ignore them. They soon start getting eaten by ladybugs and other predators, and usually don't cause any real damage to the plant. At the most, I might spray them off with a blast of water from the hose. |
Originally Posted by phoebeisis
(Post 10849312)
Buy some ladybugs- so they will reliably clean up my plants? I haven't seen any around here lately.I'll check the site-
Thanks Charlie |
Huh?
I've found most people are just fine with cycling and cyclists. |
Very few aphids on my tomatoes, but my Brussels sprouts turn black with them. The lady bugs eat them, but they can't begin to keep up. I spray them off with the garden hose, and stomp them into the ground, every day. Oil sprays don't work, either.
|
Here we go again, as usual on this forum, blaming the aphids!
(Just thought I'd add a little A&S flavor to the thread, which is tending WAY far from the usual glass-is-half-empty-and-whats-in-it-is-poison tone of the forum. :lol:) More to the point, it's striking that one of the more positive voices here finds positive interactions like this, while some regular posters seem to live in a world where motorists, heck, everyone, is out to get them. Funny how that works. |
I have been biking to physical therapy appointments, and locking my bike to a tree outside.
They told me to bring my bike inside where it was safer. Now I roll it through the door and lean it against the waiting room wall. |
Yea, I've gotten lots of positives. One guy rolled down his window in the dead of winter during the worst blizzard and complimented me, that was nice. My company is moderately encouraging. Coworkers frequently ask, and over the last year I think looks have moved from annoyed to pleasantly surprised when I say "yes, I did ride today." More of my coworkers are riding than have in the past, and sometimes on the really crappy days.
I went to a governors proclamation this month, one of them was bike month. He had nothing but good things to say about cycling, and he went on. I think he was very impressed by how many people came for the bike proclamation. |
Something slaughtered my tomatoes last summer.
Someone-somewhere- mentioned something or other flea beetles?? The bacteria Bacillius thuringsomething did not great toOK- claimed to not generally be too bad for the bees? The dead diaton "skeletons" are so great around here because it is so wet. It won't reliably gunk up their lung equivalents if it is wet.. I haven't used insecticides in many years-mainly because they kill bees, and I don't want the neighbors cat or my dog getting contaminated by walking thru the plants either. Not wild about eating poison either. Most drivers are ok with bicycles-maybe 2 % are actively jerks. |
1 Attachment(s)
I think the aphids are trying to hijack this thread.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=152008 |
First strawberries and tomatoes, now threads! I was apartment hunting (still am) and the landlady seemed quite bike friendly. She opened the blinds and suggested I leave the bike against the wall under the window instead of hunting for a pole to lock it too. Pretty considerate of her.
|
my wife and I once had a fellow pull over up ahead of us about 100 meters. He got out and motioned for us to stop. We stopped in spite of not wanting to. It was about -10F and we were on our 12 mile each way commute. He let us know we were the first bicyclists he'd seen in the dark of Winter that he could REALLY see (we had big bright rear lights) and thanked us and simply wanted to stop and compliment us. That was a hoot. I get many more honks from pickups telling us to 'get on the bike bath you @#$@' and when that happens I just wave.
|
Aphids, heck we just got done with frost!
|
Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
(Post 10847361)
Somebody I used to work with emailed me about the job market in our industry, so we decided to meet for a bike ride and talk about it. After a few miles on an MUP, we passed a coffee shop, and stopped for a cold drink, then sat down at a table in a park across the street, telling stories about our former employer. An old lady, probably in her 70s, stopped on her way past us, and said
At least one forum member will be happy to know I was wearing cargo pants and a wool base layer top, but no lycra. And no helmet that day. Yesterday, on my commute home, I stopped at a floral shop to get some aphid spray ( they're eating my strawberries! ), and when I leaned by bike against the window, the manager suggested that I should bring my bike into the store. She told me that hers had been stolen, and as long as the store isn't crowded, bikes are always welcome. A restaurant in a nearby neighborhood isn't officially bike friendly ( Roxy's gives you a free entree if you come on two wheels ), but doesn't charge for iced tea if you bring your own water bottle. This is pretty banal stuff, but A&S can get depressing. Somebody who found this forum through Google might get the idea that all there is to cycling is being killed, denied service in restaurants, and other grief. When I've been able to "convert" people to bike instead of driving for short distances, it's been because cycling is fun. Anybody else get positive reactions from the public, for being on a bike? And it is nice to see a thread with a positive spin on it for cycling. Let's not forget that walking is also a viable option for short trips say several blocks or so. |
Please refrain from trying to infect a thread with aphids just because you don't happen to find it interesting.
Now, back on point, what do you really thing about the Cubs' postseason chances? |
Originally Posted by phoebeisis
(Post 10847527)
Big aside- those m%%$@*& aphids are tearing into my tomatoes.Little do they know that this year I'm going to poison them.My more Bacillus thur whatever or diatomshj; they are getting a snoot full of bug stray. Any idea what will croak them, but not croak too many bees ??
I got a flat on Saturday, and didn't have a spare tube or much in the way of tools with me. It took about two hours to get to the nearest bike shop and get it fixed; I had to walk a couple miles to a store to break a $5 into bus fair, and then wait for one to show up. Somebody else walked by, and asked how I like disc brakes on my (CX) road bike. We got to talking, and the guy turns out to be just getting into cycling, so we talked about our favorite routes, bike friendly places to eat, and stuff like that. His wife showed up right about when my bus did, so we both had some entertainment. Then, with a newly inflated tire, I went off to explore the Duwamish trail. |
Originally Posted by phoebeisis
(Post 10850401)
Something slaughtered my tomatoes last summer.
Someone-somewhere- mentioned something or other flea beetles?? The bacteria Bacillius thuringsomething did not great toOK- claimed to not generally be too bad for the bees? The dead diaton "skeletons" are so great around here because it is so wet. It won't reliably gunk up their lung equivalents if it is wet.. I haven't used insecticides in many years-mainly because they kill bees, and I don't want the neighbors cat or my dog getting contaminated by walking thru the plants either. Not wild about eating poison either. Most drivers are ok with bicycles-maybe 2 % are actively jerks. Turns out Earwigs are rather effective against aphids, only problem is they are omnivores and once they finish the aphids they eat the plants. |
On a group ride on Saturday we stopped at a small convenience store in Travilah, MD (Montgomery County). This was the third time I've been there in the past 15 months. The clerk remembered me (or at least pretended he did). Also, at some point since early March, they have put in a bike rack and picnic table out front. Said they love getting cyclists to stop there.
|
| All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:08 PM. |
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.