women riders

[Tom Keats]

I like women who ride bikes. I don't mean in a
smarmy, goof way. I like that cycling is available
to most everybody, and women bring a pleasant
sociability and civility to riding.

Besides, women riders are pretty. And smart.

Women riders are pretty smart.
And strong.

And their pleasant presence on the streets
helps to calm down otherwise road raging
drivers.

When you look behind the windshield of a
motor vehicle, you'd see something that
might as well be a mannequin or a robot.
At least, as long as the windshield isn't
too tinted to see through.

But people on bicycles are obviously,
visibly human. Maybe of one gender or
another (or another.) Cars disguise
their drivers, but bicycles show us off,
and show us up as real people. It's so
nice to be real people among other real
people. I luv it.

I guess I just like being human, for a change.

And I appreciate that femininity brings a
distinctly human effect to the streets.

You gals make the Earth turn upon its axis,
and keep us guys from acting like childish
idiots (except currently, in the so-called
Middle East.)


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[David L. Johnson]

Tom Keats wrote:
>
> When you look behind the windshield of a
> motor vehicle, you'd see something that
> might as well be a mannequin or a robot.
> At least, as long as the windshield isn't
> too tinted to see through.
>
> But people on bicycles are obviously,
> visibly human.

This is a real issue. People like the isolation and anonymity of
driving around in a car. They do not want to mix with "those people".
On a bike, you are part of the community. You can talk to people, and
they can talk to you. I like that, but too many people are afraid.

It's going to take some time to change these attitudes, before people
are willing to rub shoulders with their neighbors, to interact with
people on their way to the market, whether it be walking, cycling, or
taking a bus.

The rest of this post, well, is going to generate a lot of heat.

--

David L. Johnson

Accept risk. Accept responsibility. Put a lawyer out of business.

[Peter Cole]

Tom Keats wrote:
> I like women who ride bikes. I don't mean in a
> smarmy, goof way. I like that cycling is available
> to most everybody, and women bring a pleasant
> sociability and civility to riding.
>
> Besides, women riders are pretty. And smart.
>
> Women riders are pretty smart.
> And strong.

I figured this out 30 years ago, most of my cycling buddies didn't.
Dating female cyclists worked great, marriage even better (sample of one).

Not to be smarmy either, but if you're on a long ride and have to stare
at someone's butt for hours on end, it's a no-brainer. Sociability and
civility are nice, but aesthetics is my #1.

[retroguybilly@gmail.com]

"...and women bring a pleasant sociability and civility to riding."

Oh, you mean the way they are CONSTANTLY talking about NOTHING?

Or maybe the way they studiously avoid making eye contact with you
because they think every guy in the world is going to come on to them?

Or perhaps you mean the way they have convinced themselves that they
can't ride an ordinary bike, or use ordinary cycling clothing or
accessories. They have to use special WOMENS' bikes, clothing and
accessories instead, even though they're well-nigh identical to the
regular (read MENS') items and cost about 3 times as much.

"They're pretty smart..." Well then, how come they can't figure out
that all the bicycle manufacturers who sell so-called special
"womens'" stuff are just pandering to them? NEVER before have I ever
seen a more credulous self-identified consumer group, ready to believe
ANYTHING the manufacturers tell them, as long as it contains that
special word, "WOMENS'".

"Women have taught me how to be civilized."

Yes, and if you get to know them really well (say, like marrying them)
they'll REALLY civilize you! They'll "civilize" you into spending all
your time pursuing THEIR agenda, and they'll "civilize" all the money
out of your savings account. Say, did you know that you can
"civilize" a dog, too? Well, some people call it "training" or
"domestication", but who's quibbling over the details?

[It's Chris]

All the women I've met on bikes have either been...

Too old fo me (by at least a decade)
Too young for me.
Married.
Too slow to keep up with me
Too fast for me to keep up with.

The last two pertain to their cycling abilities, You Dirty Old Man!

- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

My website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner

[Tom Keats]

In article <p4ydnYfeBaFUdR7VnZ2dnUVZ_tLinZ2d@rcn.net>,
"David L. Johnson" <david.johnson@lehigh.edu> writes:
> Tom Keats wrote:
>>
>> When you look behind the windshield of a
>> motor vehicle, you'd see something that
>> might as well be a mannequin or a robot.
>> At least, as long as the windshield isn't
>> too tinted to see through.
>>
>> But people on bicycles are obviously,
>> visibly human.
>
> This is a real issue. People like the isolation and anonymity of
> driving around in a car. They do not want to mix with "those people".
> On a bike, you are part of the community. You can talk to people, and
> they can talk to you. I like that, but too many people are afraid.
>
> It's going to take some time to change these attitudes, before people
> are willing to rub shoulders with their neighbors, to interact with
> people on their way to the market, whether it be walking, cycling, or
> taking a bus.

I hope it happens.

> The rest of this post, well, is going to generate a lot of heat.

I love all yez, and I'm so happy to be alive
and among yez.

Being around fellow people makes me feel good.

And the presence of women riders brings a certain,
balanced civility to the streets.

The presence of women sk8boarders on the streets
is delightful.

It's important that streets are seen to be used
by real people, than by androgynous automatons
who need another cuppa coffee to wake up before
they get to work.

Anyone who wants to generate a lot of heat is
welcome to do so. It's a free country.
If folx wanna cool off, I can offer 'em a slice of
watermelon and a well-chilled Jamaican ginger beer
on the rocks. And a bunch o' Love, without being
intrusive or overbearing.

Women have taught me how to be civilized. Especially
certain Japanese public school teachers back in the
1950s. Especially Mrs. Momotani, who was the loveliest
and most positive person I've ever known, and who taught
me how to be dignifiedly humble. Well, she tried, and
some of it took. I hope. I guess I'm largely a product
of the post-war/Cold War era. I've seen the Women's Liberation
Movement, Yippies, hippies, air raid sirens, Russians shooting
doggies off into space, televised mayhem in Viet Nam,
refugees, oil crises, inflation, stagnation, recession,
hard times, and reports of whatever Lindsay Lohan is
up to.

I appreciate the everyday person, no matter what
their gender.

But it's important that people wear their genders on
the streets, 'cuz it serves to show that the streets
are occupied by human beans rather than by machinery.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[D_Frumious_B@ndersnat.ch]

David L. Johnson <david.johnson@lehigh.edu> wrote:
> Tom Keats wrote:
> >
> > When you look behind the windshield of a
> > motor vehicle, you'd see something that
> > might as well be a mannequin or a robot.
> > At least, as long as the windshield isn't
> > too tinted to see through.
> >
> > But people on bicycles are obviously,
> > visibly human.

> This is a real issue. People like the isolation and anonymity of
> driving around in a car. They do not want to mix with "those people".
> On a bike, you are part of the community. You can talk to people, and
> they can talk to you. I like that, but too many people are afraid.

I'm always getting asked for directions when I ride. A few weeks back
a guy flagged me down because he had a massive trailer he needed to
unhitch from his truck. 'bout gave me a hernia, but I helped him.


Bill

__o | The bicycle is the noblest invention of mankind.
_`\(,_ | -- William Saroyan
(_)/ (_) |

[Tom Sherman]

David L. Johnson wrote:
> Tom Keats wrote:
>>
>> When you look behind the windshield of a
>> motor vehicle, you'd see something that
>> might as well be a mannequin or a robot.
>> At least, as long as the windshield isn't
>> too tinted to see through.
>>
>> But people on bicycles are obviously,
>> visibly human.
>
> This is a real issue. People like the isolation and anonymity of
> driving around in a car. They do not want to mix with "those people".
> On a bike, you are part of the community. You can talk to people, and
> they can talk to you. I like that, but too many people are afraid....
>
What I really get tired of are the uneducated and often stupid questions
and comments I get when riding a bicycle. I am tempted to buy an old
Schwinn and flip the drop bars over so I look like a DUI cyclist.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

[Peter Cole]

David L. Johnson wrote:
> Tom Keats wrote:
>>
>> When you look behind the windshield of a
>> motor vehicle, you'd see something that
>> might as well be a mannequin or a robot.
>> At least, as long as the windshield isn't
>> too tinted to see through.
>>
>> But people on bicycles are obviously,
>> visibly human.
>
> This is a real issue. People like the isolation and anonymity of
> driving around in a car. They do not want to mix with "those people".
> On a bike, you are part of the community. You can talk to people, and
> they can talk to you. I like that, but too many people are afraid.

I'm not sure which is cause and which effect (affect?). Do people like
the isolation of cars because they're antisocial or does the isolation
make them so?

Riding often forces you to rub shoulders with people you otherwise
wouldn't (especially in spandex), my experiences in this have been
almost universally positive. Reality trumps the 6 o'clock news.

One of my favorite accounts from a first-time (Chinese academic, no less
-- great guy) brevet rider:

http://www.u.arizona.edu/~sandiway/bike/bbs/1996/300.html

"Because of the heat and the length of the section, I (and I heard later
several others did so too) ran out of water. So I stepped into a
ValuMart to buy a nice cold drink only to discover that in my haste at
the start, I'd forgotten to bring my wallet. I left empty-handed.
Approaching Dudley MA, I walked into a bar (sign over the door said
something about Harley bikers) and asked the barmaid for a coke but I
had no money to pay her - _but_ I'd leave my name and address and send
her a check later. She looked at me as though I was some kind of a
nutcase. Fortunately, one of the tattooed patrons decided it'd be fun to
buy me a drink."

[Tom Keats]

In article <d8116g.cd5.ln@news.motzarella.org>,
tomkeats@bud.garden.local (Tom Keats) writes:
>
> Women have taught me how to be civilized. Especially
> certain Japanese public school teachers back in the
> 1950s. Especially Mrs. Momotani, who was the loveliest
> and most positive person I've ever known, and who taught
> me how to be dignifiedly humble. Well, she tried, and
> some of it took. I hope. I guess I'm largely a product
> of the post-war/Cold War era. I've seen the Women's Liberation
> Movement, Yippies, hippies, air raid sirens, Russians shooting
> doggies off into space, televised mayhem in Viet Nam,
> refugees, oil crises, inflation, stagnation, recession,
> hard times, and reports of whatever Lindsay Lohan is
> up to.

Oh, and Civil Rights.

That's a biggie. A very important and very big biggie.

The Jimi Hendrix burnt Stratocaster was recently
auctioned off to a private purchaser. Too bad.

I'm almost inclined to set my bike alight and
hurtle down the street on it.

But I think not.

OTOH, well, maybe ...


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[Pat]

>
> I'm almost inclined to set my bike alight and
> hurtle down the street on it.
>
> But I think not.
>
> OTOH, well, maybe ...
>
>
> cheers,
> Tom

What, is it a Huffy?

[Tom Keats]

In article <6ejojeF7cpu2U1@mid.individual.net>,
"Pat" <moon@sunmaill.com> writes:
>
>>
>> I'm almost inclined to set my bike alight and
>> hurtle down the street on it.
>>
>> But I think not.
>>
>> OTOH, well, maybe ...
>>
>>
>> cheers,
>> Tom
>
> What, is it a Huffy?

It's a hodge-podge, but the furthest thing
from a monstrosity.

It's a beauty.

I appreciate my bike as much as you
appreciate yours.

Me 'n my bike have been through a lot together.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[Tom Keats]

In article <g668qa$vp1$1@registered.motzarella.org>,
Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> writes:
> David L. Johnson wrote:
>> Tom Keats wrote:
>>>
>>> When you look behind the windshield of a
>>> motor vehicle, you'd see something that
>>> might as well be a mannequin or a robot.
>>> At least, as long as the windshield isn't
>>> too tinted to see through.
>>>
>>> But people on bicycles are obviously,
>>> visibly human.
>>
>> This is a real issue. People like the isolation and anonymity of
>> driving around in a car. They do not want to mix with "those people".
>> On a bike, you are part of the community. You can talk to people, and
>> they can talk to you. I like that, but too many people are afraid....
>>
> What I really get tired of are the uneducated and often stupid questions
> and comments I get when riding a bicycle. I am tempted to buy an old
> Schwinn and flip the drop bars over so I look like a DUI cyclist.

Just get a pair of earplugs, or respond with: "I no
understand" in a non-anglophonic fake accent.

Or rant about how the alien Mother Ship in earth orbit
is capturing your brainwaves.

People will quickly leave you alone. They might even
chip you a buck or two, just to get you to leave 'em
alone, as they scurry far away from you, and cross
the street.

As for stupid questions & comments, I remind you of
the Steve Martin routine in which he is asked by
an adjacent sitter-downer: "Mind if I smoke?"

To which Steve Martin responds: "Mind if I fart?"

Anyways, there's a paper published somewhere, about
how the presence of women riders on the roads & streets
is a positive, traffic-calming influence for everybody.
I'll see about looking it up and posting the link.


cheers,
Tom






--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[Tom Sherman]

Peter Cole wrote:
> Tom Keats wrote:
>> I like women who ride bikes. I don't mean in a
>> smarmy, goof way. I like that cycling is available
>> to most everybody, and women bring a pleasant
>> sociability and civility to riding.
>>
>> Besides, women riders are pretty. And smart.
>>
>> Women riders are pretty smart.
>> And strong.
>
> I figured this out 30 years ago, most of my cycling buddies didn't.
> Dating female cyclists worked great, marriage even better (sample of one).
>
> Not to be smarmy either, but if you're on a long ride and have to stare
> at someone's butt for hours on end, it's a no-brainer. Sociability and
> civility are nice, but aesthetics is my #1.

I prefer to NOT display my backside like a baboon in heat when I ride.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

[D_Frumious_B@ndersnat.ch]

Peter Cole <peter_cole@verizon.net> wrote:
> Tom Keats wrote:
> > I like women who ride bikes. I don't mean in a
> > smarmy, goof way. I like that cycling is available
> > to most everybody, and women bring a pleasant
> > sociability and civility to riding.
> >
> > Besides, women riders are pretty. And smart.
> >
> > Women riders are pretty smart.
> > And strong.

> I figured this out 30 years ago, most of my cycling buddies didn't.
> Dating female cyclists worked great, marriage even better (sample of one).

> Not to be smarmy either, but if you're on a long ride and have to stare
> at someone's butt for hours on end, it's a no-brainer. Sociability and
> civility are nice, but aesthetics is my #1.

Couldn't help noticing a couple of tush-related things at a recent mass
ride. One was a team sponsored by a coffee shop chain called Badass
Coffee. With that name on the back of their shorts, most of their distaff
riders were classic cases of false advertising.
And then there was another team, sponsored by a real estate concern
which shall remain nameless. These shorts were black on the insides of
the legs, burnt orange on the outsides, and white across the top of the
back. When the riders mounted up, they looked from behind like they were
wearing their tightie-whities on the outside.
I either had to pass those riders, or drop back. Didn't want to laugh
out loud at them.


Bill, G, D, & R

[Tom Keats]

In article <QMLhk.472$5Q.455@trnddc06>,
Peter Cole <peter_cole@verizon.net> writes:
> Tom Keats wrote:
>> I like women who ride bikes. I don't mean in a
>> smarmy, goof way. I like that cycling is available
>> to most everybody, and women bring a pleasant
>> sociability and civility to riding.
>>
>> Besides, women riders are pretty. And smart.
>>
>> Women riders are pretty smart.
>> And strong.
>
> I figured this out 30 years ago, most of my cycling buddies didn't.
> Dating female cyclists worked great, marriage even better (sample of one).
>
> Not to be smarmy either, but if you're on a long ride and have to stare
> at someone's butt for hours on end, it's a no-brainer. Sociability and
> civility are nice, but aesthetics is my #1.

One shouldn't always have to stare straight ahead.

I'm assuming you're talking about looking straight ahead.

Sociability & civility /have/ to be my #1.
Otherwise my mom would kill me. Even though
her body's been dead for 30-odd years.

She used to guilt me out. Now I understand
and realize how she was right.

So when I'm at the beach, in the lineup
at the concession stand to buy a hot dog,
stuck behind a fat guy with a hairy back
and wearing a thong, I can still maintain
a love of humanity. Albeit sometimes at
a discretionary arm's length. Or maybe
a little more.

I can put up with just about anything except
heights, and people vomiting near me.
Especially if they've just eaten Italian,
with lotsa romano or parmesan cheese.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[Tom Keats]

In article <mJMhk.408$oU.283@trnddc07>,
Peter Cole <peter_cole@verizon.net> writes:
> David L. Johnson wrote:
>> Tom Keats wrote:
>>>
>>> When you look behind the windshield of a
>>> motor vehicle, you'd see something that
>>> might as well be a mannequin or a robot.
>>> At least, as long as the windshield isn't
>>> too tinted to see through.
>>>
>>> But people on bicycles are obviously,
>>> visibly human.
>>
>> This is a real issue. People like the isolation and anonymity of
>> driving around in a car. They do not want to mix with "those people".
>> On a bike, you are part of the community. You can talk to people, and
>> they can talk to you. I like that, but too many people are afraid.
>
> I'm not sure which is cause and which effect (affect?). Do people like
> the isolation of cars because they're antisocial or does the isolation
> make them so?

I'm not so sure anyone likes the isolation that comes
with being encased in a car. OTOH, we've probably all
at times hauled up on our bikes at stoplines, beside
cars whose drivers are blithely & obliviously engaged
in uni-digital nasal mucous removal, as if nobody can
see what they're doin'. I figure these are also the
less discrete folks at motels.

Perhaps cars become extensions of people's homes? We
all do have occasional need for some isolation; after
all, that's part of what homes are all about. I guess
some people just don't want to leave their house at all.
But if they absolutely have to, they'll take some of it
with them (or rather -- some of their house, i.e: their
car, will take them somewhere.)

Maybe these people are claustrophiles.

> Riding often forces you to rub shoulders with people you otherwise
> wouldn't (especially in spandex), my experiences in this have been
> almost universally positive. Reality trumps the 6 o'clock news.
>
> One of my favorite accounts from a first-time (Chinese academic, no less
> -- great guy) brevet rider:
>
> http://www.u.arizona.edu/~sandiway/bike/bbs/1996/300.html
>
> "Because of the heat and the length of the section, I (and I heard later
> several others did so too) ran out of water. So I stepped into a
> ValuMart to buy a nice cold drink only to discover that in my haste at
> the start, I'd forgotten to bring my wallet. I left empty-handed.
> Approaching Dudley MA, I walked into a bar (sign over the door said
> something about Harley bikers) and asked the barmaid for a coke but I
> had no money to pay her - _but_ I'd leave my name and address and send
> her a check later. She looked at me as though I was some kind of a
> nutcase. Fortunately, one of the tattooed patrons decided it'd be fun to
> buy me a drink."

I like that story.

Today while taking public transit to work, sitting on
Skytrain, I felt a tap on my shoulder from behind.
I looked back, and a gentleman offered me his newspaper --
not one of our local pulpy freebie dailies, but a real
Vancouver Province -- with no missing pages, and a virgin
crossword puzzle. I smilingly & gratefully thanked him,
and he responded with deadpan acknowledgment; he was
apparently of some sort of SE Asian/Oceanic background,
and perhaps had a poor command of English and/or Western
customs. But we communicated, and all was okay.

Actually, the gist of what I inferred was: "At 6:10 AM,
it's too early in the day to verbalize." I can dig it.
Chances are, he's more fluent in English than me, once
he's awake enough to face the workday ahead.

Rubbing shoulders is a lot better than rubbing [car]
fenders, bumpers and doors.


cheers,
Tom
--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[Peter Cole]

Tom Sherman wrote:
> Peter Cole wrote:
>> Tom Keats wrote:
>>> I like women who ride bikes. I don't mean in a
>>> smarmy, goof way. I like that cycling is available
>>> to most everybody, and women bring a pleasant
>>> sociability and civility to riding.
>>>
>>> Besides, women riders are pretty. And smart.
>>>
>>> Women riders are pretty smart.
>>> And strong.
>>
>> I figured this out 30 years ago, most of my cycling buddies didn't.
>> Dating female cyclists worked great, marriage even better (sample of
>> one).
>>
>> Not to be smarmy either, but if you're on a long ride and have to
>> stare at someone's butt for hours on end, it's a no-brainer.
>> Sociability and civility are nice, but aesthetics is my #1.
>
> I prefer to NOT display my backside like a baboon in heat when I ride.
>

I appreciate that, but following a bent is no picnic -- first, there's
no draft, second, there's all that gray beard flapping in the wind.

[D_Frumious_B@ndersnat.ch]

Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@removethisyahoo.com> wrote:
> > [SNIP]
> > Not to be smarmy either, but if you're on a long ride and have to stare
> > at someone's butt for hours on end, it's a no-brainer. Sociability and
> > civility are nice, but aesthetics is my #1.

> I prefer to NOT display my backside like a baboon in heat when I ride.

My father (quod requiescat in pacem) usta be able to ride a bike
backwards by sitting on the handlebars facing the seat.
What's YOUR technique for keeping your behind from being visible?


Bill

[Paul O]

Peter Cole wrote, On 7/24/2008 12:48 PM:
> Tom Sherman wrote:
>> Peter Cole wrote:
>>> Tom Keats wrote:
>>>> I like women who ride bikes. I don't mean in a
>>>> smarmy, goof way. I like that cycling is available
>>>> to most everybody, and women bring a pleasant
>>>> sociability and civility to riding.
>>>>
>>>> Besides, women riders are pretty. And smart.
>>>>
>>>> Women riders are pretty smart.
>>>> And strong.
>>>
>>> I figured this out 30 years ago, most of my cycling buddies didn't.
>>> Dating female cyclists worked great, marriage even better (sample of
>>> one).
>>>
>>> Not to be smarmy either, but if you're on a long ride and have to
>>> stare at someone's butt for hours on end, it's a no-brainer.
>>> Sociability and civility are nice, but aesthetics is my #1.
>>
>> I prefer to NOT display my backside like a baboon in heat when I ride.
>>
>
> I appreciate that, but following a bent is no picnic -- first, there's
> no draft, second, there's all that gray beard flapping in the wind.
And third, there is all the ranting and
raving... ;-)

--

Paul D Oosterhout
I work for SAIC (but I don't speak for SAIC)

[Tom Sherman]

Peter Cole wrote:
> Tom Sherman wrote:
>> ...
>> I prefer to NOT display my backside like a baboon in heat when I ride.
>>
>
> I appreciate that, but following a bent is no picnic -- first, there's
> no draft, second, there's all that gray beard flapping in the wind.

I gave an upright rider a pull into a headwind once while riding a
conventional seat height recumbent. Of course, she was about 2 feet
shorter than you are.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

[Tom Sherman]

D_Frumious_B@ndersnat.ch wrote:
> Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@removethisyahoo.com> wrote:
>>> [SNIP]
>>> Not to be smarmy either, but if you're on a long ride and have to stare
>>> at someone's butt for hours on end, it's a no-brainer. Sociability and
>>> civility are nice, but aesthetics is my #1.
>
>> I prefer to NOT display my backside like a baboon in heat when I ride.
>
> My father (quod requiescat in pacem) usta be able to ride a bike
> backwards by sitting on the handlebars facing the seat.
> What's YOUR technique for keeping your behind from being visible?
>
See <http://www.ransbikes.com/Gallery/Archive/images/Sherman1.jpg>.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

[Ralph Barone]

In article <g6b5bh$isj$1@registered.motzarella.org>,
Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote:

> D_Frumious_B@ndersnat.ch wrote:
> > Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@removethisyahoo.com> wrote:
> >>> [SNIP]
> >>> Not to be smarmy either, but if you're on a long ride and have to stare
> >>> at someone's butt for hours on end, it's a no-brainer. Sociability and
> >>> civility are nice, but aesthetics is my #1.
> >
> >> I prefer to NOT display my backside like a baboon in heat when I ride.
> >
> > My father (quod requiescat in pacem) usta be able to ride a bike
> > backwards by sitting on the handlebars facing the seat.
> > What's YOUR technique for keeping your behind from being visible?
> >
> See <http://www.ransbikes.com/Gallery/Archive/images/Sherman1.jpg>.

Well, that certainly prevented you from looking strange :-)

[Tom Sherman]

retroguybilly@gmail.com wrote:
> ...
> "Women have taught me how to be civilized."
>
> Yes, and if you get to know them really well (say, like marrying them)
> they'll REALLY civilize you! They'll "civilize" you into spending all
> your time pursuing THEIR agenda, and they'll "civilize" all the money
> out of your savings account. Say, did you know that you can
> "civilize" a dog, too? Well, some people call it "training" or
> "domestication", but who's quibbling over the details?
>
Dog training is a matter of establishing that you are the dominant pack
member and the dog is a submissive follower and better not get out of line.

For a man to get married is indeed foolish, unless the woman has
significantly more financial assets than he does. Western society is
only male dominated in some areas - despite the laws being made by
mostly male legislators and mostly male judges on the bench, divorce
settlements almost always are biased towards the women, based on the
outdated premise that women need men to take care of them.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"People who had no mercy will find none." - Anon.

[Tom Keats]

In article <5892bf38-f07b-47db-a743-597e08e7c138@z26g2000pre.googlegroups.com>,
retroguybilly@gmail.com writes:
> "...and women bring a pleasant sociability and civility to riding."
>
> Oh, you mean the way they are CONSTANTLY talking about NOTHING?
>
> Or maybe the way they studiously avoid making eye contact with you
> because they think every guy in the world is going to come on to them?
>
> Or perhaps you mean the way they have convinced themselves that they
> can't ride an ordinary bike, or use ordinary cycling clothing or
> accessories. They have to use special WOMENS' bikes, clothing and
> accessories instead, even though they're well-nigh identical to the
> regular (read MENS') items and cost about 3 times as much.
>
> "They're pretty smart..." Well then, how come they can't figure out
> that all the bicycle manufacturers who sell so-called special
> "womens'" stuff are just pandering to them? NEVER before have I ever
> seen a more credulous self-identified consumer group, ready to believe
> ANYTHING the manufacturers tell them, as long as it contains that
> special word, "WOMENS'".
>
> "Women have taught me how to be civilized."
>
> Yes, and if you get to know them really well (say, like marrying them)
> they'll REALLY civilize you! They'll "civilize" you into spending all
> your time pursuing THEIR agenda, and they'll "civilize" all the money
> out of your savings account. Say, did you know that you can
> "civilize" a dog, too? Well, some people call it "training" or
> "domestication", but who's quibbling over the details?

I seem to have invoked the spirit of Steve "Excuuuuuse Mee" Martin.

Speaking of over-the-top, I thoroughly enjoy Don Ameche's
and Frances Langford's "The Bickersons."

(from memory)
Blanche: You hate my cooking!
John: I love your cooking!
Blanche: Then how come you always get ptomain poisoning?

Dogs have taught me how to be civilized, too.
Especially a three-legged fox terrier named Jiggs.
He could teach a lot o' stuff to a lot o' people.
If he felt like it, and the people were open minded.

Jiggs taught me to ask people: "Would you like ..."
instead of: "D'ya want ..." He sure was a stickler,
and could make Amy Vanderbilt herself look like a
shirt-sleeve-wiping slob.

Anyway, understanding the distinction between those
two interrogative prefices is particularly useful
when inviting ladies to dance with one.

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[Tom Keats]

In article <24215-488E6D5B-2048@storefull-3233.bay.webtv.net>,
dedendaddy4spammers@webtv.net (It's Chris) writes:
> All the women I've met on bikes have either been...
>
> Too old fo me (by at least a decade)
> Too young for me.
> Married.
> Too slow to keep up with me
> Too fast for me to keep up with.
>
> The last two pertain to their cycling abilities, You Dirty Old Man!

Yeah, but I'm sure they're mostly nice people to
meet and socially interact with as fellow humans.
And that's the main thing. We don't necessarily
have to hook up with 'em.

Look at it this way -- there are no gendered machines.
But we tend to see streets & roads as populated more
by machines than by humans. The presence of women
on streets & roads should remind us that traffic consists
more of fellow people than of our mechanical conveyances.

In traffic, we see too many bumpers & taillights, and
not enough eyes & faces. It's dehumanizing.

Tinted car windows don't help matters much.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[It's Chris]

Very true Tom, and I find socialising with the women I can match pace
with very refreashing as well. I was just making he point that with most
I don't get the chance..

All in all though. the eye contact that cycling offers is much
preferable to the dehumanization of encasing oneselves in an automobile.
And as far as those tinted windows are concerned, I think they should be
banned outright as a safety hazard. Dehumanizing is not the issue there.

- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

My website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner

[Tom Keats]

In article <23064-488FBAE3-653@storefull-3232.bay.webtv.net>,
dedendaddy4spammers@webtv.net (It's Chris) writes:

> And as far as those tinted windows are concerned, I think they should be
> banned outright as a safety hazard. Dehumanizing is not the issue there.

Whenever I see parked cars with heavily tinted windows
along the streetside up ahead, I give the Door Zone an
even wider berth, causing me to ingress all the deeper
into the motor traffic line. If drivers don't like it,
it's the fault of those who insist on having heavily
tinted windows.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

[recycled]

"Tom Keats" <tkeats2005@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:48no6g.rg.ln@news.motzarella.org...
> In article <23064-488FBAE3-653@storefull-3232.bay.webtv.net>,
> dedendaddy4spammers@webtv.net (It's Chris) writes:
>
>> And as far as those tinted windows are concerned, I think they should be
>> banned outright as a safety hazard. Dehumanizing is not the issue there.
>
> Whenever I see parked cars with heavily tinted windows
> along the streetside up ahead, I give the Door Zone an
> even wider berth, causing me to ingress all the deeper
> into the motor traffic line. If drivers don't like it,
> it's the fault of those who insist on having heavily
> tinted windows.

Agree. Isn't it a general - automobile drivers included - rule to try to
make eye contact?

It's the best way to gauge what the other is likely to do.

[It's Chris]

It's not just door zone I'm talking about, Tom, although that does of
course factor in somewhere. What I'm referring to is being able to judge
what a driver may do or not do or whether he/she notices my presence on
the road. This requires eye contact, or at least being able to see where
their head is looking.

- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

My website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner