nutnspecial
10 MW
I am allowed to say FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here right? That's why it's toxic discussions? :lol:
Here right? That's why it's toxic discussions? :lol:
-
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Was bound to happen?
- Thread starter The fingers
- Start date
markz
100 TW
I dont know if this is the same story, but I am reminded of something I saw on the boob tube about a 70+ yr old wanna-be power tripping sherriff who volunteered his time.
Took out his gun instead of taser. I think he realized he was in big doo doo and just said it cuz it was on camera. You have to remember these punks are trained and have been through the court system countless times so they know how to word it in the heat of the moment to get them off. There are many things wrong with that story. Eyesight, physical and everything else must have been 100%. Someone I doubt it. Dont old people have to get all that checked every 5 yrs just for their DL?
Took out his gun instead of taser. I think he realized he was in big doo doo and just said it cuz it was on camera. You have to remember these punks are trained and have been through the court system countless times so they know how to word it in the heat of the moment to get them off. There are many things wrong with that story. Eyesight, physical and everything else must have been 100%. Someone I doubt it. Dont old people have to get all that checked every 5 yrs just for their DL?
The fingers
10 TW
A lasso would have come in handy, although football is purdy big in Texas. Dad of the week nomination.
http://wwmt.com/news/features/natio...ting-to-steal-daughter-39-s-bike-118528.shtml
AUSTIN, Texas (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A father tackled a man trying to steal his daughter's bicycle this past Sunday, in Texas.
Craig Buesing saw the thief in his garage on his home security camera.
So he rushed out of the house and into the street to tackle the man.
The suspect got away on foot, but the dad did get his little girl's bike back.
Buesing thinks it was a teenager who lives in the neighborhood.
http://wwmt.com/news/features/natio...ting-to-steal-daughter-39-s-bike-118528.shtml
AUSTIN, Texas (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A father tackled a man trying to steal his daughter's bicycle this past Sunday, in Texas.
Craig Buesing saw the thief in his garage on his home security camera.
So he rushed out of the house and into the street to tackle the man.
The suspect got away on foot, but the dad did get his little girl's bike back.
Buesing thinks it was a teenager who lives in the neighborhood.
The fingers
10 TW
http://www.upworthy.com/the-totally...g-grid7|main5|dl11|sec1_lnk3&pLid=-1498068472 I guess some lawyers finally found the ultimate loophole. :x
Thankfully it doesn't require that you DO a lockup when you brake, just that you *can*. Somehow they think that being able to do this gives you better braking, when it doesn't. But if you can't do it, they consider your brakes "nonfunctional", even if they can bring you to a complete stop from a (for a bike) fast speed in a very short distance (few feet)...when locking up your brakes could actually make your stopping distance much further or cause you to crash from loss of control.Punx0r said:Nevermind the injustice of not having the liberty to ride with a whistle, it's the requirement for front wheel lock-ups that would worry me!
Thankfully (again) unless you are involved in a collision of some kind, it's highly unlikely that they will bother you about it. (especially since I keep mine set so they *won't* lockup even if I squeeze as hard as I can on all levers and use regen at the same time, which is a separate lever, just so I won't end up in a panic skid in worst-case situation where something comes up I didn't see ahead of time).
The fingers
10 TW
I can make my back tire skid if while walking I push it by the handlebars with the battery in the front basket. I don't think the front tire will skid when pushing the bike backwards. 
nutnspecial
10 MW
The 'locking up ''braking wheels''' is the kind of thing that disgusts me with much law/statues.
What is a braking wheel? If they wanted to be determinent/ exacting, it would have just said 'wheels'. A bicicle or trike has only 2/3 anyway. Or maybe there is another 30 pages to describe what a 'braking wheel is'
Just like the irs tax code: seems to be as complicated as possible while still being completely open to interpretation as anything else imaginable.
Example: The state of PA is the only state I know of that wont let you tint windows in any passenger car or station wagon. Vans, trucks, minivans, factory cars are ok though. It's enough to make you mad.
I wanted privacy in the back of my station wagon camper and didn't want to be a cop magnet by using tint.
Guess what I did?
I painted them dam 'windows'- don't think they're windows according to the statute now!!!
What is a braking wheel? If they wanted to be determinent/ exacting, it would have just said 'wheels'. A bicicle or trike has only 2/3 anyway. Or maybe there is another 30 pages to describe what a 'braking wheel is'
Just like the irs tax code: seems to be as complicated as possible while still being completely open to interpretation as anything else imaginable.
Example: The state of PA is the only state I know of that wont let you tint windows in any passenger car or station wagon. Vans, trucks, minivans, factory cars are ok though. It's enough to make you mad.
I wanted privacy in the back of my station wagon camper and didn't want to be a cop magnet by using tint.
Guess what I did?
I painted them dam 'windows'- don't think they're windows according to the statute now!!!
The fingers
10 TW
http://www.aol.com/article/2015/04/...ing-grid7|main5|dl29|sec1_lnk3&pLid=257720897 
CHICAGO — Signs likening the homeless to rats were spotted on Chicago’s North Side.
Some were tacked to utility poles in Bucktown.
It was designed to look like city posters warning about areas of rat poisoning.
Instead of a picture of a rat, there’s a drawing of a homeless person with the headline “Target bums.”
City crews have been ordered to take down any of the fake signs they see.
There is no word on who is responsible for the signs.
CHICAGO — Signs likening the homeless to rats were spotted on Chicago’s North Side.
Some were tacked to utility poles in Bucktown.
It was designed to look like city posters warning about areas of rat poisoning.
Instead of a picture of a rat, there’s a drawing of a homeless person with the headline “Target bums.”
City crews have been ordered to take down any of the fake signs they see.
There is no word on who is responsible for the signs.
The fingers
10 TW
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/28885442/bicyclist-assaulted-on-camera
A man has been charged with assault after Floyd County deputies said he was caught on camera pushing a bicyclist to the ground.
Alan Crocker says he was biking on Old Dalton Road, on Saturday, when a truck passed him fairly close. Crocker admits he flipped the driver off, twice, before the driver pulled over and is seen pushing Crocker over. Crocker was wearing a helmet camera.
Deputies have charged Johnie McIntosh with assault. According to the police report, McIntosh claimed the biker kicked his car and that he was in fear of his life. There is no proof of that claim on camera.
A man has been charged with assault after Floyd County deputies said he was caught on camera pushing a bicyclist to the ground.
Alan Crocker says he was biking on Old Dalton Road, on Saturday, when a truck passed him fairly close. Crocker admits he flipped the driver off, twice, before the driver pulled over and is seen pushing Crocker over. Crocker was wearing a helmet camera.
Deputies have charged Johnie McIntosh with assault. According to the police report, McIntosh claimed the biker kicked his car and that he was in fear of his life. There is no proof of that claim on camera.
The fingers
10 TW
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/l...209531.html?_osource=outbrain_recirc=obinsiteNo animals were harmed in the commission of this crime. :wink:
A police horse was tagged with graffiti while an officer issued a citation in Venice Beach.
According to a witness man in a grey hooded sweatshirt and a backpack approached the animal, who is named Charlie, while his rider was distracted Thursday, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said.
The tag "RBS" was scrawled on the equine's hind leg before the vandal ran off.
Officers were able to wash the writing off and the horse was not hurt, police said.
Any self-respecting horse would have kicked the knucklehead. :lol:
A police horse was tagged with graffiti while an officer issued a citation in Venice Beach.
According to a witness man in a grey hooded sweatshirt and a backpack approached the animal, who is named Charlie, while his rider was distracted Thursday, a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said.
The tag "RBS" was scrawled on the equine's hind leg before the vandal ran off.
Officers were able to wash the writing off and the horse was not hurt, police said.
Any self-respecting horse would have kicked the knucklehead. :lol:
The fingers
10 TW
Oliver asked me to post this one; he didn't know of "chihuahua royalty", being a commoner. :lol:
http://travel.aol.co.uk/2015/04/25/kate-uncle-cyclist-runs-over-chihuahua/#!slide=aol_3449540 :x
The Duchess of Cambridge's uncle Gary has taken to Twitter for help finding an "evil" cyclist who he says ran over his dog in Regent's Park.
Gary Goldsmith, the brother of Carole Middleton, posted a photo of the alleged cyclist who he claims left his Chihuahua Cheech for dead.
According to the Daily Mail, Gary was on a cycle ride when the incident happened in Regent's Park as his wife Julie-Ann took the couple's dogs for a walk.
Speaking to the Mail, he said: "The dogs were a few feet away from her when a cyclist, wearing headphones, just came out of nowhere. He was going far too fast and didn't slow down.
"Suddenly he went over Cheech with both wheels. Cheech yelped and did a parachute roll before lying down on his side. He looked dead."
Writing on Twitter, Mr Goldsmith said: "Dear Twitter this man ran over my dog on his bike in Regents Park, will u please help me find him (RT's appreciated)".
Speaking to The Sun, Gary said: "It was horrific.
"He wouldn't have done that if I had been there."
The dog was taken to a vet before the incident was reported to police.
http://travel.aol.co.uk/2015/04/25/kate-uncle-cyclist-runs-over-chihuahua/#!slide=aol_3449540 :x
The Duchess of Cambridge's uncle Gary has taken to Twitter for help finding an "evil" cyclist who he says ran over his dog in Regent's Park.
Gary Goldsmith, the brother of Carole Middleton, posted a photo of the alleged cyclist who he claims left his Chihuahua Cheech for dead.
According to the Daily Mail, Gary was on a cycle ride when the incident happened in Regent's Park as his wife Julie-Ann took the couple's dogs for a walk.
Speaking to the Mail, he said: "The dogs were a few feet away from her when a cyclist, wearing headphones, just came out of nowhere. He was going far too fast and didn't slow down.
"Suddenly he went over Cheech with both wheels. Cheech yelped and did a parachute roll before lying down on his side. He looked dead."
Writing on Twitter, Mr Goldsmith said: "Dear Twitter this man ran over my dog on his bike in Regents Park, will u please help me find him (RT's appreciated)".
Speaking to The Sun, Gary said: "It was horrific.
"He wouldn't have done that if I had been there."
The dog was taken to a vet before the incident was reported to police.
The fingers
10 TW
A 72 year-old woman making me jealous. :lol: Would be elegible recruit for ES/ Epic Topics? :wink: Inspiring for sure! 
http://www.mywebtimes.com/woman-pla...cle_eb56e01b-82d5-5c46-84e9-1cac92dc561f.html
CHATFIELD, Minn. — Hanna Elshoff just can't wait any longer.
She biked everywhere as a teenager. Well, everywhere except Texas. Elshoff, born in 1942, emigrated from West Germany to Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1961. She left her parents behind and moved in with a sponsor family. After meeting some friends from Texas, she told her American guardians that she wanted to ride her bike from Iowa to Texas.
"If it took me a year, it didn't matter. I was going to live footloose and fancy free," Elshoff, 72, said. "I was going to go from one little town to another and work my way to Texas. But my sponsors said it was too dangerous and they told me I couldn't do it. I've regretted it all my life.
"I always thought, someday I'm going to do it. Maybe when I'm 80, I'll be footloose and fancy free. I'll hit the road and let life take you here, there and everywhere."
At her 70th birthday party, Elshoff decided 75, not 80, was the best age for her trip. So 75 it was — until she saw a motorized bike at Menards. After seeing that bike, Elshoff wondered if solar-powered bikes existed. A quick computer search pulled up a bike dealer in Durham, N.C. She left immediately for North Carolina and after a few test drives, bought a solar-powered tricycle for $7,000.
"While I was in Durham, I thought, I'm not going to wait until I'm 75. My kids and everyone are taken care of. They don't really need me. I'm going to start (in May)."
Since the solar-powered tricycle, called ELF, arrived in Chatfield on July 3, Elshoff, a longtime member of the Lions Club, has been talking with fellow Lions across the country about housing on her two-year trip to not only Texas, but all across the United States.
Elshoff will travel roughly 40 miles a day and try to speak with a Lions Club chapter at each stop. In each town, she will thank the Americans who helped end World War II before she and her German family members were killed. Elshoff also will talk about the Lions' Leader Dog Program, which helps train seeing-eye dogs.
The ELF can travel 30 mph while being run by solar power and can go 30 miles without the rider pedaling. Elshoff said she plans to pedal most of the way, except for the occasional hill, and will limit her daily trip to 40 miles so she can accomplish her goal. The first leg of her two-year tour ends in Plains, Ga., on Nov. 1. She picked Plains because she wants to meet former President Jimmy Carter, who still lives there.As an adult, Elshoff lived on a farm near Chatfield. One night while listening to the news, she heard Carter say he was a farmer and he was running for president.
"I couldn't believe it, a farmer running for president," she said. "I thought, 'I want to vote for him,' but I couldn't because I was still a German citizen. I decided then to become an American citizen, so I could vote for him. Well, I wasn't able to get it done in time, but I was able to become a citizen in 1978.
"After you take the oath, you get a big envelope welcoming you as an American citizen," she continued. "I open it up. I read everything. And here is a letter from the president, signed not by Jimmy Carter, but Gerald Ford. I was so disappointed. And ever since, I have had a goal. I'm going to get Jimmy Carter's signature."
This November won't be the first time Elshoff has tried to get Carter's signature. She's had some failures, including one attempt when the former president's office verified Carter would be there. Unfortunately for Elshoff, the meeting was going to take place during December and her flight to Plains was canceled.
Elshoff said she has an itinerary finished, but it changes almost by the minute. As word has gotten out about her solar-powered bike trip, several conventions and conferences have invited her to attend. Before leaving on her trip, she will have the ELF at the Eco Fair at 10:15 a.m. Sunday.
"There's been a lot of interest in the bike, and I love talking about it. I'm going to attend as many (conventions) as I can," she said, "but I still need to make it to Plains, Georgia, on time."
http://www.mywebtimes.com/woman-pla...cle_eb56e01b-82d5-5c46-84e9-1cac92dc561f.html
CHATFIELD, Minn. — Hanna Elshoff just can't wait any longer.
She biked everywhere as a teenager. Well, everywhere except Texas. Elshoff, born in 1942, emigrated from West Germany to Fort Dodge, Iowa, in 1961. She left her parents behind and moved in with a sponsor family. After meeting some friends from Texas, she told her American guardians that she wanted to ride her bike from Iowa to Texas.
"If it took me a year, it didn't matter. I was going to live footloose and fancy free," Elshoff, 72, said. "I was going to go from one little town to another and work my way to Texas. But my sponsors said it was too dangerous and they told me I couldn't do it. I've regretted it all my life.
"I always thought, someday I'm going to do it. Maybe when I'm 80, I'll be footloose and fancy free. I'll hit the road and let life take you here, there and everywhere."
At her 70th birthday party, Elshoff decided 75, not 80, was the best age for her trip. So 75 it was — until she saw a motorized bike at Menards. After seeing that bike, Elshoff wondered if solar-powered bikes existed. A quick computer search pulled up a bike dealer in Durham, N.C. She left immediately for North Carolina and after a few test drives, bought a solar-powered tricycle for $7,000.
"While I was in Durham, I thought, I'm not going to wait until I'm 75. My kids and everyone are taken care of. They don't really need me. I'm going to start (in May)."
Since the solar-powered tricycle, called ELF, arrived in Chatfield on July 3, Elshoff, a longtime member of the Lions Club, has been talking with fellow Lions across the country about housing on her two-year trip to not only Texas, but all across the United States.
Elshoff will travel roughly 40 miles a day and try to speak with a Lions Club chapter at each stop. In each town, she will thank the Americans who helped end World War II before she and her German family members were killed. Elshoff also will talk about the Lions' Leader Dog Program, which helps train seeing-eye dogs.
The ELF can travel 30 mph while being run by solar power and can go 30 miles without the rider pedaling. Elshoff said she plans to pedal most of the way, except for the occasional hill, and will limit her daily trip to 40 miles so she can accomplish her goal. The first leg of her two-year tour ends in Plains, Ga., on Nov. 1. She picked Plains because she wants to meet former President Jimmy Carter, who still lives there.As an adult, Elshoff lived on a farm near Chatfield. One night while listening to the news, she heard Carter say he was a farmer and he was running for president.
"I couldn't believe it, a farmer running for president," she said. "I thought, 'I want to vote for him,' but I couldn't because I was still a German citizen. I decided then to become an American citizen, so I could vote for him. Well, I wasn't able to get it done in time, but I was able to become a citizen in 1978.
"After you take the oath, you get a big envelope welcoming you as an American citizen," she continued. "I open it up. I read everything. And here is a letter from the president, signed not by Jimmy Carter, but Gerald Ford. I was so disappointed. And ever since, I have had a goal. I'm going to get Jimmy Carter's signature."
This November won't be the first time Elshoff has tried to get Carter's signature. She's had some failures, including one attempt when the former president's office verified Carter would be there. Unfortunately for Elshoff, the meeting was going to take place during December and her flight to Plains was canceled.
Elshoff said she has an itinerary finished, but it changes almost by the minute. As word has gotten out about her solar-powered bike trip, several conventions and conferences have invited her to attend. Before leaving on her trip, she will have the ELF at the Eco Fair at 10:15 a.m. Sunday.
"There's been a lot of interest in the bike, and I love talking about it. I'm going to attend as many (conventions) as I can," she said, "but I still need to make it to Plains, Georgia, on time."
The fingers
10 TW
Interesting comments/discussion section.
http://www.almanacnews.com/news/2015/04/29/menlo-park-man-attacked-with-bicycle-lock
A man driving in his 2015 Ford Explorer pulled over after a bicyclist threw something at the car, according to Menlo Park police, and was then struck in the head with a bicycle lock.
The 24-year-old man was driving in the 700 block of El Camino Real around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28. He pulled over to check for damage, finding a dent, while the suspect wordlessly flung the lock at the back of his head, leaving a laceration, police said.
Running with his bike down El Camino Real, the suspect was last seen turning left onto Alma Street.
The driver described the assailant as a thin male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, with medium-toned skin and either in his late teens or early 20s. The suspect had a closely trimmed beard and mustache, "blondish" hair and wore khaki pants and a khaki shirt, the report said.
http://www.almanacnews.com/news/2015/04/29/menlo-park-man-attacked-with-bicycle-lock
A man driving in his 2015 Ford Explorer pulled over after a bicyclist threw something at the car, according to Menlo Park police, and was then struck in the head with a bicycle lock.
The 24-year-old man was driving in the 700 block of El Camino Real around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28. He pulled over to check for damage, finding a dent, while the suspect wordlessly flung the lock at the back of his head, leaving a laceration, police said.
Running with his bike down El Camino Real, the suspect was last seen turning left onto Alma Street.
The driver described the assailant as a thin male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall, with medium-toned skin and either in his late teens or early 20s. The suspect had a closely trimmed beard and mustache, "blondish" hair and wore khaki pants and a khaki shirt, the report said.
The fingers
10 TW
The fingers
10 TW
http://www.bicycleretailer.com/nort...st-scams-companies-out-expensive-review-bikes 
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (BRAIN) — Bicycling magazine editors and two high-end road bike suppliers are warning the industry to watch out for someone posing as a magazine editor and requesting test bikes.
Independent Fabrication and Firefly Bicycles, the companies that fell for the scam, are asking folks to be on the look out for two expensive bikes that went missing after being shipped to a California address.
In phone calls and emails to the companies early this year, the scammer pretended to be Bicycling's article editor, Lou Mazzante, and said he needed specific bikes for an urgent magazine photo shoot.
After some back and forth to clarify details, both companies sent bikes to a photo studio address in San Clemente, Calif. After not hearing anything for a few weeks, company officials followed up with the magazine's real editors, who knew nothing of the situation.
Firefly, a 4-year-old builder in Boston, had shipped a $13,000 custom titanium and carbon road bike built up with Dura-Ace and Enve Composites parts. Independent, based in New Hampshire, had sent out a steel-framed gravel road model that had once been displayed at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. The IF bike is worth $4,000-$5,000.
The Firefly bike belonged to a customer who had recently taken delivery of the custom bike but — due to the extremely snowy winter in Massachusetts — hadn't ridden it. It fit the bill for what the ersatz editor requested, and the customer was willing to share his new bike.
"(The customer) was pretty excited that his bike was going to be featured in Bicycling," said Firefly's Kevin Wolfson. Firefly recently delivered an identical bike to the customer at no charge. Wolfson said the missing bike was not covered by insurance so the small company had to eat the cost of replacing it.
After learning that the shipment was a scam and notifying Boston and California law enforcement, Wolfson learned that the San Clemente address is that of a private house. The photo studio named in the address is a real studio, but at a different address. The Orange County Sheriff's Department so far has not made any arrests in the case.
A woman who answered the door at the house Friday told BRAIN she was a tenant there and didn't know anything about the bikes. She said investigators have spoken to her about the missing bikes and she volunteered that she had recently been jailed on an unrelated matter that was none of BRAIN's business. She wouldn't give her name.
Red flags — in hindsight
People at both bike companies are kicking themselves for falling for the scam, but they can hardly be faulted.
The scammer set up an email account with a @bicyclingmag.us address. Most Bicycling employees have @rodale.com addresses so the address looked suspicious to Wolfson. He even typed in bicyclingmag.us in a Web browser, and was forwarded immediately to the real magazine's site. The bicyclingmag.us domain has since been abandoned — Wolfson has learned that it was only live for about two months.
Wolfson had never met Mazzante, and he said the scammer seemed legitimate on the phone, if not totally professional.
"He didn't come across as scammer, but it did seem like the communication was not up to the level of professionalism I would have expected from Rodale. He was just on a tight deadline — that was part of story he told us. I called and emailed to check on details at several points and he always had an answer that was reassuring enough," Wolfson said. "In hindsight the biggest thing is it's terribly embarrassing."
Employees at IF also spoke with the scammer on the phone, going over details including the type of pedals needed on the bike, said IF's Ryan Waters.
"We had specific conversations about whether the bike should have pedals, because our display bikes don't have pedals, but he said he wanted a certain kind of pedal because that was the kind of shoe that the (photo shoot) model would be wearing. He had a whole back story to make it seem real," Waters said.
In both cases the scammer said the photo shoot model would be tall, so he requested a roughly 62cm frame.
Firefly has hired a private investigator to try to recover the stolen bike, and has been in touch with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. A spokesman for the department was not available Friday to talk to BRAIN.
Wolfson said he has learned that the San Clemente address has been used as part of similar scams, with someone posing as an editor for several non-bike magazines and having tennis racquets, clothing and guitars sent to the address.
Abuse of trust
Mazzante, who incidentally is a former managing editor at BRAIN, said that in hindsight, he's surprised it hasn't happened before.
"In retrospect there are things that should have raised red flags. We have good relationships with these guys and so there is a lot of trust," he said.
"Obviously I don't like people abusing our brand and especially my name. Companies should make sure that anything they are sending out is absolutely going to someone they know at the magazine."
Almost all Bicycling editors have @rodale.com email addresses. Bicycling's test director, Matt Phillips, said any supplier who is uncertain about a test request can contact him with a direct message to his Twitter account, @ilikesushi, or by phone or email.
Details on the stolen bikes:
•The Firefly is a 2014 Firefly Ti-Carbon road bike, serial number FF355. The sizing is custom and roughly a 62 centimeter seat tube length. The color is silver and black. It was built with a Dura-Ace mechanical group with an Enve fork, cockpit and wheels. More information at bikeindex.org, a stolen bike registry.
•The Independent Fabrication is a 2013 Gravel Royale, painted in Amulet Red and outfitted with Campagnolo parts. The serial number is SS#018R1250. The bike was sized for a tall rider and was equipped with disc brakes. More photos of the stolen bike are on IF's blog coverage of the 2013 NAHBS.
BRAIN's managing editor, Toby Hill, contributed reporting from San Clemente for this story.
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (BRAIN) — Bicycling magazine editors and two high-end road bike suppliers are warning the industry to watch out for someone posing as a magazine editor and requesting test bikes.
Independent Fabrication and Firefly Bicycles, the companies that fell for the scam, are asking folks to be on the look out for two expensive bikes that went missing after being shipped to a California address.
In phone calls and emails to the companies early this year, the scammer pretended to be Bicycling's article editor, Lou Mazzante, and said he needed specific bikes for an urgent magazine photo shoot.
After some back and forth to clarify details, both companies sent bikes to a photo studio address in San Clemente, Calif. After not hearing anything for a few weeks, company officials followed up with the magazine's real editors, who knew nothing of the situation.
Firefly, a 4-year-old builder in Boston, had shipped a $13,000 custom titanium and carbon road bike built up with Dura-Ace and Enve Composites parts. Independent, based in New Hampshire, had sent out a steel-framed gravel road model that had once been displayed at the North American Handmade Bicycle Show. The IF bike is worth $4,000-$5,000.
The Firefly bike belonged to a customer who had recently taken delivery of the custom bike but — due to the extremely snowy winter in Massachusetts — hadn't ridden it. It fit the bill for what the ersatz editor requested, and the customer was willing to share his new bike.
"(The customer) was pretty excited that his bike was going to be featured in Bicycling," said Firefly's Kevin Wolfson. Firefly recently delivered an identical bike to the customer at no charge. Wolfson said the missing bike was not covered by insurance so the small company had to eat the cost of replacing it.
After learning that the shipment was a scam and notifying Boston and California law enforcement, Wolfson learned that the San Clemente address is that of a private house. The photo studio named in the address is a real studio, but at a different address. The Orange County Sheriff's Department so far has not made any arrests in the case.
A woman who answered the door at the house Friday told BRAIN she was a tenant there and didn't know anything about the bikes. She said investigators have spoken to her about the missing bikes and she volunteered that she had recently been jailed on an unrelated matter that was none of BRAIN's business. She wouldn't give her name.
Red flags — in hindsight
People at both bike companies are kicking themselves for falling for the scam, but they can hardly be faulted.
The scammer set up an email account with a @bicyclingmag.us address. Most Bicycling employees have @rodale.com addresses so the address looked suspicious to Wolfson. He even typed in bicyclingmag.us in a Web browser, and was forwarded immediately to the real magazine's site. The bicyclingmag.us domain has since been abandoned — Wolfson has learned that it was only live for about two months.
Wolfson had never met Mazzante, and he said the scammer seemed legitimate on the phone, if not totally professional.
"He didn't come across as scammer, but it did seem like the communication was not up to the level of professionalism I would have expected from Rodale. He was just on a tight deadline — that was part of story he told us. I called and emailed to check on details at several points and he always had an answer that was reassuring enough," Wolfson said. "In hindsight the biggest thing is it's terribly embarrassing."
Employees at IF also spoke with the scammer on the phone, going over details including the type of pedals needed on the bike, said IF's Ryan Waters.
"We had specific conversations about whether the bike should have pedals, because our display bikes don't have pedals, but he said he wanted a certain kind of pedal because that was the kind of shoe that the (photo shoot) model would be wearing. He had a whole back story to make it seem real," Waters said.
In both cases the scammer said the photo shoot model would be tall, so he requested a roughly 62cm frame.
Firefly has hired a private investigator to try to recover the stolen bike, and has been in touch with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. A spokesman for the department was not available Friday to talk to BRAIN.
Wolfson said he has learned that the San Clemente address has been used as part of similar scams, with someone posing as an editor for several non-bike magazines and having tennis racquets, clothing and guitars sent to the address.
Abuse of trust
Mazzante, who incidentally is a former managing editor at BRAIN, said that in hindsight, he's surprised it hasn't happened before.
"In retrospect there are things that should have raised red flags. We have good relationships with these guys and so there is a lot of trust," he said.
"Obviously I don't like people abusing our brand and especially my name. Companies should make sure that anything they are sending out is absolutely going to someone they know at the magazine."
Almost all Bicycling editors have @rodale.com email addresses. Bicycling's test director, Matt Phillips, said any supplier who is uncertain about a test request can contact him with a direct message to his Twitter account, @ilikesushi, or by phone or email.
Details on the stolen bikes:
•The Firefly is a 2014 Firefly Ti-Carbon road bike, serial number FF355. The sizing is custom and roughly a 62 centimeter seat tube length. The color is silver and black. It was built with a Dura-Ace mechanical group with an Enve fork, cockpit and wheels. More information at bikeindex.org, a stolen bike registry.
•The Independent Fabrication is a 2013 Gravel Royale, painted in Amulet Red and outfitted with Campagnolo parts. The serial number is SS#018R1250. The bike was sized for a tall rider and was equipped with disc brakes. More photos of the stolen bike are on IF's blog coverage of the 2013 NAHBS.
BRAIN's managing editor, Toby Hill, contributed reporting from San Clemente for this story.
The fingers
10 TW
http://www.wkow.com/story/28984171/...rs-broken-leg-after-being-struck-by-bicyclist
MADISON (WKOW) -- A two-year-old boy suffered a broken leg after being hit by a bicyclist Monday night.
The accident happened shortly after 8:00 p.m. in the 1900 block of Fisher Street. The little boy was on the sidewalk when an older child, a girl approximately eight or nine-years-old, was peddling by quickly and struck the boy. Officers plan to identify the girl and talk with her about the importance of biking and watching out for others.
MADISON (WKOW) -- A two-year-old boy suffered a broken leg after being hit by a bicyclist Monday night.
The accident happened shortly after 8:00 p.m. in the 1900 block of Fisher Street. The little boy was on the sidewalk when an older child, a girl approximately eight or nine-years-old, was peddling by quickly and struck the boy. Officers plan to identify the girl and talk with her about the importance of biking and watching out for others.
The fingers
10 TW
For only $99.00, I don't have to worry about being mistaken for a coal miner anymore. :lol:
http://www.citylab.com/navigator/20...bike-helmet-that-glows-like-a-furnace/392501/
When it comes to nighttime bike safety, you've got your low-grade equipment like reflectors and lights. Then there's the nuclear option: a helmet armed with an army of LEDs, making the rider appear like a floating demon eye escaped from the depths of hell.
The T1 Helmet, which starts at $99, is a screaming-loud visibility device developed by Los Angeles-based Torch Apparel. Unlike those helmet-mounted lights that make cyclists look like coal miners, the T1 rewrites the equation by turning the helmet itself into one big light. The headgear has illuminated panels both front and back that can switch between steady, flashing, and off cycles.
Here's how its maker, Nathan Wills, described the helmet in a recent design contest (it won silver prize in the "safety clothing" category):
Currently there are few choices for cyclists when it comes to safety equipment. While there are many products on the market, most use the same approach: Several small, narrowly focused LEDs placed close together and mounted to the center of the bike. After realizing the rider is the largest surface area on a bike, the idea quickly made sense to create the largest lit surface possible. By placing it up high in the helmet, the rider is visible over traffic and other road obstacles.
The T1's light shields are made from tough polycarbonate, so there's little danger of riders' helmets exploding into electronic shards upon a wipe-out. The batteries recharge via USB, but the process takes about 90 minutes. On the plus side, the apparel company has increased the battery life to 36 hours in its upcoming T2 version, which is already available for pre-sale on Indiegogo.
http://www.citylab.com/navigator/20...bike-helmet-that-glows-like-a-furnace/392501/
When it comes to nighttime bike safety, you've got your low-grade equipment like reflectors and lights. Then there's the nuclear option: a helmet armed with an army of LEDs, making the rider appear like a floating demon eye escaped from the depths of hell.
The T1 Helmet, which starts at $99, is a screaming-loud visibility device developed by Los Angeles-based Torch Apparel. Unlike those helmet-mounted lights that make cyclists look like coal miners, the T1 rewrites the equation by turning the helmet itself into one big light. The headgear has illuminated panels both front and back that can switch between steady, flashing, and off cycles.
Here's how its maker, Nathan Wills, described the helmet in a recent design contest (it won silver prize in the "safety clothing" category):
Currently there are few choices for cyclists when it comes to safety equipment. While there are many products on the market, most use the same approach: Several small, narrowly focused LEDs placed close together and mounted to the center of the bike. After realizing the rider is the largest surface area on a bike, the idea quickly made sense to create the largest lit surface possible. By placing it up high in the helmet, the rider is visible over traffic and other road obstacles.
The T1's light shields are made from tough polycarbonate, so there's little danger of riders' helmets exploding into electronic shards upon a wipe-out. The batteries recharge via USB, but the process takes about 90 minutes. On the plus side, the apparel company has increased the battery life to 36 hours in its upcoming T2 version, which is already available for pre-sale on Indiegogo.
The fingers
10 TW
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...tolen-from-man-cycling-around-world/70921936/
MOFFAT COUNTY, Colo. — A man from France cycling around the world had to apply the brakes on his plans after his tricycle was stolen overnight near Craig, Colo.
One week into his 18-month journey, Valentin Gevaux woke up Wednesday at a campsite in Maybell to find his tricycle was gone. Gevaux says he locked the tricycle up the night before while there was heavy rain. He filed a police report with Craig police.
Gevaux, 23, flew into Denver and cycled up to Moffat County while staying with strangers he met on the travel-themed, networking site couchsurfing.com. A friend Gevaux stayed with a few days earlier drove him from the campsite back to her home in Idaho Springs. Gevaux says he will spend the next few days figuring out his next step.
Before leaving France, Gevaux spent months preparing for his trip and documented his progress on his "My Bike Is Your Bike" website. (Perhaps someone took the name of his ride a bit too literally?) He also wanted those following his journey to suggest a series of "challenges" he could try at every stop. He says he wanted to do something original by traveling the world on a tricycle tricked out with saddlebags, flags and a canopy. If he continues, Gevaux says the spirit of his trip will not be the same.
Gevaux says he's not hopeful he will get his tricycle back. He says he's grateful for the hospitality others have shown him during his time in Colorado.
MOFFAT COUNTY, Colo. — A man from France cycling around the world had to apply the brakes on his plans after his tricycle was stolen overnight near Craig, Colo.
One week into his 18-month journey, Valentin Gevaux woke up Wednesday at a campsite in Maybell to find his tricycle was gone. Gevaux says he locked the tricycle up the night before while there was heavy rain. He filed a police report with Craig police.
Gevaux, 23, flew into Denver and cycled up to Moffat County while staying with strangers he met on the travel-themed, networking site couchsurfing.com. A friend Gevaux stayed with a few days earlier drove him from the campsite back to her home in Idaho Springs. Gevaux says he will spend the next few days figuring out his next step.
Before leaving France, Gevaux spent months preparing for his trip and documented his progress on his "My Bike Is Your Bike" website. (Perhaps someone took the name of his ride a bit too literally?) He also wanted those following his journey to suggest a series of "challenges" he could try at every stop. He says he wanted to do something original by traveling the world on a tricycle tricked out with saddlebags, flags and a canopy. If he continues, Gevaux says the spirit of his trip will not be the same.
Gevaux says he's not hopeful he will get his tricycle back. He says he's grateful for the hospitality others have shown him during his time in Colorado.
The fingers
10 TW
Really? Next my cane will get me arrested for standing somewhere.
A Vallejo man was arrested Tuesday after police found an odd probable weapon on him when they stopped him for a bicycle infraction, a Vallejo Police Department spokesman said.
Joshua Reyes, 39, was stopped by police at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday because he was riding a bike with no lights after dark, Lt. Jeff Bassett said. The stop was made in the area of Jack London and Candy Drives, he said.
“They found a billiard ball wrapped in a bandana,” Bassett said. “I can’t think of a legitimate reason for having that.”
Reyes was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an illegal blunt instrument-type weapon, he said.
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ge...h-unusual-possible-weapon-arrested-in-vallejo
Next my cane will get me arrested for standing somewhere. A Vallejo man was arrested Tuesday after police found an odd probable weapon on him when they stopped him for a bicycle infraction, a Vallejo Police Department spokesman said.
Joshua Reyes, 39, was stopped by police at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday because he was riding a bike with no lights after dark, Lt. Jeff Bassett said. The stop was made in the area of Jack London and Candy Drives, he said.
“They found a billiard ball wrapped in a bandana,” Bassett said. “I can’t think of a legitimate reason for having that.”
Reyes was arrested on suspicion of being in possession of an illegal blunt instrument-type weapon, he said.
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ge...h-unusual-possible-weapon-arrested-in-vallejo
The fingers
10 TW
From Ted Rogers@bikinginla………Once again, there’s bad news from Ballona Creek.
A rider writing on Reddit reports that he saw another cyclist being robbed by four men on the bike path near the National/Jefferson exit Tuesday evening.
This has been an ongoing, if infrequent, problem over the years; in fact, crime alerts on the pathway date back to at least 1990.
It’s not that the bike path is particularly dangerous. However, just like any other place in the city where you’re out of public view, you have to be alert to the circumstances around you.
If you don’t feel comfortable, wait for other riders to catch up, or go back to the previous exit and ride around the problem area.
Just don’t hold your breath for the police to respond. There’s been an ongoing debate over which police agencies have jurisdiction where on the path.
And riders have complained that 911 operators can’t seem to find it on a map to send anyone, anyway.
A rider writing on Reddit reports that he saw another cyclist being robbed by four men on the bike path near the National/Jefferson exit Tuesday evening.
This has been an ongoing, if infrequent, problem over the years; in fact, crime alerts on the pathway date back to at least 1990.
It’s not that the bike path is particularly dangerous. However, just like any other place in the city where you’re out of public view, you have to be alert to the circumstances around you.
If you don’t feel comfortable, wait for other riders to catch up, or go back to the previous exit and ride around the problem area.
Just don’t hold your breath for the police to respond. There’s been an ongoing debate over which police agencies have jurisdiction where on the path.
And riders have complained that 911 operators can’t seem to find it on a map to send anyone, anyway.
The fingers
10 TW
The fingers
10 TW
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015...ould-make-celebrities-invisible-to-paparazzi/ 8)
Will wearing it make you invisible to those red light cameras?
Will wearing it make you invisible to those red light cameras?
mfinca
100 mW
Five people have been fatally struck by light-rail trains within a year on Regional Transit’s Gold Line. A safety campaign will be aimed at pedestrians and bike riders. | Sacramento
A bicyclist who was struck and killed Thursday by a light-rail train near the College Greens station in Sacramento is the fifth fatality in a year on a 9-mile stretch of the Gold line.
Sacramento police said the bicyclist, identified Thursday only as an adult male, crossed the tracks around 8:15 a.m., when the crossing arms, bells and lights were operating. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s death, along with four others, occurred along the light-rail tracks stretching from about Power Inn Road in Sacramento to Zinfandel Drive in Rancho Cordova.
Regional Transit officials said there are multiple reasons why the deaths have occurred on that portion of the Gold Line, where tracks are mostly at ground level along Folsom Boulevard and pedestrians are numerous.
“If you look at the accidents that we have had on the Gold Line, they are all different,” said RT Operations Chief Mark Lonergan. “The only commonality is that they are not paying attention. Or it is intentional on the part of the individual.”
RT has received an “Operation Lifesaver” grant to improve crossing safety using the motto “See tracks? Think train!” to alert motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.
A bicyclist who was struck and killed Thursday by a light-rail train near the College Greens station in Sacramento is the fifth fatality in a year on a 9-mile stretch of the Gold line.
Sacramento police said the bicyclist, identified Thursday only as an adult male, crossed the tracks around 8:15 a.m., when the crossing arms, bells and lights were operating. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s death, along with four others, occurred along the light-rail tracks stretching from about Power Inn Road in Sacramento to Zinfandel Drive in Rancho Cordova.
Regional Transit officials said there are multiple reasons why the deaths have occurred on that portion of the Gold Line, where tracks are mostly at ground level along Folsom Boulevard and pedestrians are numerous.
“If you look at the accidents that we have had on the Gold Line, they are all different,” said RT Operations Chief Mark Lonergan. “The only commonality is that they are not paying attention. Or it is intentional on the part of the individual.”
RT has received an “Operation Lifesaver” grant to improve crossing safety using the motto “See tracks? Think train!” to alert motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.
The fingers
10 TW
http://velonews.competitor.com/2015...-the-giro-ditalia-the-uci-investigates_369718
SESTRI LEVANTE, Italy (VN) — Motor-powered bicycles remain a concern at the highest level of cycling. Sunday, similar to the daily anti-doping tests, the UCI moved in after Sky’s Italian Elia Viviani sprinted into Genoa’s historic city center. Making their way through the thousands of fans and Italians congratulating Viviani, inspectors took his bike and four others to check for motors.
The UCI’s inspectors tagged and controlled the first three finishers’ bikes — Viviani, Moreno Hofland (LottoNL-Jumbo), and André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) — as well as Bartlomiej Matysiak’s (CCC Sprandi-Polkowice), and Paolo Tiralongo’s (Astana) bikes. They cleared all five, from Viviani’s black Pinarello to Tiralongo’s white Specialized.
In Sestri Levante on Monday, they were free to do the same.
If caught with a hidden motor, a rider could face a fine of 20,000 to 200,000 Swiss francs (or $21,411 to 214,164) and a minimum six-month suspension. The UCI added a technical fraud rule to its discipline and procedures regulations January 30.
Part of the rule reads, “Any presence of a bicycle that does not comply with the provisions, within or on the margins of a cycling competition, constitutes a technological fraud by the team and the rider.”
The findings detailed in the 227-page Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) report released in mid-March only confirmed the UCI’s move. Among the pages in the report that X-rayed cycling’s EPO era was one section dedicated to motors.
“The Commission was told of varying efforts to cheat the technical rules, including using motors in frames. This particular issue was taken seriously, especially by top riders, and was not dismissed as being isolated,” read the report.
“Other forms of cheating were explained, relating to frames’ construction, saddle specifications, and the wearing of illegal clothing and apparel. The Commission was told that funding streams to examine such allegations from regulatory, technical, and investigative perspectives are limited and even being reduced. This is not ideal, given technical cheating may be emerging as a more-significant avenue for illicit gains than ever before.”
Soon after the report was published, the UCI made a show of force in the Milano-Sanremo classic on March 22. The checks in Sanremo, which is where the Giro began Saturday, were much more sweeping. The inspectors tagged and controlled 37 bicycles, including the top-three finishers, Fabian Cancellara’s Trek, and Mark Cavendish’s Specialized.
They removed the seatposts and cranks, but released the bicycles without any report of problems. The same goes for the Giro d’Italia, so far.
If caught, the fine is high. Not only is the rider at risk, but so is the team. The new rule also allows the UCI to fine the rider’s team from 100,000 to 1,000,000 Swiss francs or $107,058 to $1,070,583.
It is not a new topic. Suspicion arose once when Fabian Cancellara dominated the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in 2010, and again when Canadian Ryder Hesjedal crashed in the 2014 Vuelta a España. Those incidents came to nothing.
However, the issue appears to be a much more serious one this 2015 season after a rule change and a CIRC report making official the rumors that were already making their way around the peloton.
SESTRI LEVANTE, Italy (VN) — Motor-powered bicycles remain a concern at the highest level of cycling. Sunday, similar to the daily anti-doping tests, the UCI moved in after Sky’s Italian Elia Viviani sprinted into Genoa’s historic city center. Making their way through the thousands of fans and Italians congratulating Viviani, inspectors took his bike and four others to check for motors.
The UCI’s inspectors tagged and controlled the first three finishers’ bikes — Viviani, Moreno Hofland (LottoNL-Jumbo), and André Greipel (Lotto-Soudal) — as well as Bartlomiej Matysiak’s (CCC Sprandi-Polkowice), and Paolo Tiralongo’s (Astana) bikes. They cleared all five, from Viviani’s black Pinarello to Tiralongo’s white Specialized.
In Sestri Levante on Monday, they were free to do the same.
If caught with a hidden motor, a rider could face a fine of 20,000 to 200,000 Swiss francs (or $21,411 to 214,164) and a minimum six-month suspension. The UCI added a technical fraud rule to its discipline and procedures regulations January 30.
Part of the rule reads, “Any presence of a bicycle that does not comply with the provisions, within or on the margins of a cycling competition, constitutes a technological fraud by the team and the rider.”
The findings detailed in the 227-page Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) report released in mid-March only confirmed the UCI’s move. Among the pages in the report that X-rayed cycling’s EPO era was one section dedicated to motors.
“The Commission was told of varying efforts to cheat the technical rules, including using motors in frames. This particular issue was taken seriously, especially by top riders, and was not dismissed as being isolated,” read the report.
“Other forms of cheating were explained, relating to frames’ construction, saddle specifications, and the wearing of illegal clothing and apparel. The Commission was told that funding streams to examine such allegations from regulatory, technical, and investigative perspectives are limited and even being reduced. This is not ideal, given technical cheating may be emerging as a more-significant avenue for illicit gains than ever before.”
Soon after the report was published, the UCI made a show of force in the Milano-Sanremo classic on March 22. The checks in Sanremo, which is where the Giro began Saturday, were much more sweeping. The inspectors tagged and controlled 37 bicycles, including the top-three finishers, Fabian Cancellara’s Trek, and Mark Cavendish’s Specialized.
They removed the seatposts and cranks, but released the bicycles without any report of problems. The same goes for the Giro d’Italia, so far.
If caught, the fine is high. Not only is the rider at risk, but so is the team. The new rule also allows the UCI to fine the rider’s team from 100,000 to 1,000,000 Swiss francs or $107,058 to $1,070,583.
It is not a new topic. Suspicion arose once when Fabian Cancellara dominated the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix in 2010, and again when Canadian Ryder Hesjedal crashed in the 2014 Vuelta a España. Those incidents came to nothing.
However, the issue appears to be a much more serious one this 2015 season after a rule change and a CIRC report making official the rumors that were already making their way around the peloton.
