Minus points - Erica mixes me up with David Hiller who rode with Bryce, not me. I mean I'd certainly *like* to have ridden with Bryce but alas, no.
I'm also pretty selectively quoted there. I made a point of telling her that fixies weren't a factor in the accident, that at least one of the fixies in the accident was brake equipped and that in the hands (feet?) of a competent cyclist, the increased danger isn't that great.
Oh well, it's not a bad article overall. I just wish she'd quit fixating on fixed bikes so much, there's bigger and better issues at hand here.
laura
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:35 pm
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
henry wrote:
I hate the stranger so completely, it's actually rather beautiful.
agreed. bullshit.
TrikerTrev
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:40 pm
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
not being a fixie kid, this may come off all wrong but...
WTF is the deal with the focus of this story being centered around how unsafe fixed gear bikes are when, and i'll quote; "It's unclear whether Lewis's choice of a fixed-gear bike—a bike that's hard to stop on hills or in emergency situations, even for the most strong and experienced rider—contributed to his death."
3rd paragraph from the bottom.
So let the Stranger (blah) try to get folks panties in a wad over fixies BEFORE the disclaimer that THEY DONT KNOW if that was what he was riding.
oh, and did the ever observant reporter miss the pic showing Bryces crushed bike WITH a fucking front brake visible!?! ooops, musta missed that detail...but be sure to include the violent details of his injury. Fucking TASTELESS, dickhead!
The issue here is that a fucking dumptruck cut off two bikers IN THE BIKE LANE, crushing one and nearly destroying the other, and the city continues to blow sunshine up our asses. Theres your gawddamn story, chase those details down and do some REAL reporting. This story is nothing but a compilation of what everybody has already written, except for the TASTELESS, vicarious violence.
fuck you Stranger, fuck you! way to reinforce your rag is only good for the pr0n adds and hobo blankets.
_________________ Insufferable ass, est. 1969
Foo
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:53 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Actually, when Erica interviewed me, I made a point of mentioning that one of the bikes had brakes.
Also, I made a point of mentioning that Rich, the eyewitness (who had a full view of the entire event unfold as he jogged Southbound down the right lane of Eastlake behind Caleb and Bryce) clearly saw that both bikes had already turned down Furhman headed East and the truck turned after them and ran them both down. This was not a braking issue, the truck overtook them. Hell, the lack of brakes would have been in their favor. Oh yeah, and I tracked Rich down and he told this to me directly In fact, I think I found him before any of the reporters did.
On the upside, I was also interviewed by Mike Lindbloom over at the Times (or was it the PI? - I can never keep those papers straight). He even made the effort to ride out and meet me at the accident site and rode back with me afterwards. Hopefully that story is a bit better.
Happy Stick Person
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:54 pm
Joined: 20 Sep 2006Posts: 1168Location: Leschi
Quote:
Ordinary road and mountain bikes—the kind you still see most people riding—are equipped with what's called a "free wheel" on the back wheel—a kind of ratchet that allows the bike to coast when you're in motion, so that you don't build up as much speed going downhill.
I guess in Erica's world there is no such thing as gravity,
and all this time i've been bombing hills on the wrong kind of bike... damn.
anybody wanna loan me their fixed bike so I can try and break my 56mph record?
Foo
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:49 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Man, I didn't even notice that.
I suppose that I should probably mention (although to be fair, I might have said this in the Times interview instead) that I made a point of saying that fixies are kinda limited in downhill speed because, you know, your legs can only go so fast.
Uncle Martha
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:46 pm
Joined: 18 May 2006Posts: 343Location: Cap. Hill / Madison Valley
Foo wrote:
your legs can only go so fast.
True. Some people unclip and coast, but they're the only ones I could imagine hitting speeds of 30 mph going down a hill. I can't bring myself to unclip and coast, I'm not confident that I could manage if the bike went out from under me or something like that. Anyway, I digress.
Erica's "research" seems to me to be cursory at best. She tried out a couple of bikes and listened to a demonstrably snotty shop owner (I have NEVER had a good experience at Velo, sorry). On top of which, she was "terrified" by the experience. Surely Bryce was much more competent.
It really irks me that she's built up this idea of a "dangerous" bike (which is further tinged by Tamura's assertion that the only people buying them are "hipsters", which always sounds pejorative to me). Dangerous bikes ridden by irresponsible fashionistas = the bicycle apocalypse.
I've been riding fixed for over a year. If you're riding a fixed-gear and still thinking like a geared road-bike, then you ought not be riding fixed. Riding fixed requires you think about riding in a different way...at least that's been my experience.
Anyway, I prattle on. It IS a pity that the what-kind-of-bike-was-he-riding issue has been flogged so hard when it almost definitely has NOTHING TO DO WITH the situation. Ugh.
_________________ Ben (the Uncle Martha one)
dennyt
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:46 pm
rocket mechanicJoined: 02 Aug 2005Posts: 2708
Notice the brake. (Jill's photo)
FieryIrie
Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 11:39 pm
Joined: 25 Jun 2007Posts: 554Location: Wallingford
Ugh. How effing brutal. How thoughtless to make this a crusade against fixies. Over looking the facts... What's Erica getting at and what's her problem?
It seems rather clear this isn't a fixed gear bike issue. *front brake visible in Denny/Jill's pic!!!* If Bryce had been riding a fixed gear bike, a mountain bike, a street bike, a fucking unicycle, the outcome looks like it would have been the same. The issue here is the same issue she's been helping us speak to. That many Seattle streets and intersections are unsafe for bikers. That drivers are not fully aware of our presence, our rights, in all honesty our fragility, and that something needs to be done.
I'm interested to see what Nickels has to say at this bike event the Bikery is involved in. *I'm like every other douche bag politition. I can't keep to my word. I don't really care about bicycle safety?*
I hope something good can come of Bryce's death. Something has to.
teressaj
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:51 am
Joined: 06 Sep 2007Posts: 40Location: Capitol Hill
As if the whole incident isn't tragic enough, the author had to spin it and place blame on a supposed "brakeless" fixie. Advocating awareness of those who are not in a car and acknowledging that intersection can be scary to go through at times would've been better and accurate.
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
Foo wrote:
Actually, when Erica interviewed me, I made a point of mentioning that one of the bikes had brakes.
oh, so she DID know, or at least catch rumor, that Bryces bike was equipped with a brake. Nice of her to omit that fact in her, uh, "reporting".
Foo wrote:
Also, I made a point of mentioning that Rich, the eyewitness (who had a full view of the entire event unfold as he jogged Southbound down the right lane of Eastlake behind Caleb and Bryce) clearly saw that both bikes had already turned down Furhman headed East and the truck turned after them and ran them both down. This was not a braking issue, the truck overtook them. Hell, the lack of brakes would have been in their favor. Oh yeah, and I tracked Rich down and he told this to me directly In fact, I think I found him before any of the reporters did.
Damn Foo, you tracked HIM DOWN?!? (Shit, let me remember never to piss you off...you're friggen everywhere!) I find it ironic that the best eyewittness seems to be the one not getting the press deserved in this story. I have read alot of driver comments, most which seem to be untrue, and the police reports look like something the govt would hand out...sharpied all to hell. Just exactly WHAT are they hiding, it makes me wonder?
Foo wrote:
On the upside, I was also interviewed by Mike Lindbloom over at the Times (or was it the PI? - I can never keep those papers straight). He even made the effort to ride out and meet me at the accident site and rode back with me afterwards. Hopefully that story is a bit better.
I spent some time on the phone with him too. I look forward to that article, whenever it comes out. He seems to have his shit together...Erica should take notes. I tried to impress upon him that the area of the accident, the area the bikes were hit and the bikes ridden would have made this clearly the drivers fault;
a) flat, straight away, no visual impedance, green light.
b) 1st bike struck at or near the front wheel the vehicle.
c) single speed or fixed fear makes little difference as they could only travel so fast on that stretch, and pictures indicate (as we now) it was equipped with a brake.
d)Eye wittiness that was less than 100 yards(?) from the accident commented at how the turning speed of the truck seemed excessive.
e)The police report doesnt indicate that the truck had its signals on, AND that right turn is screwball due to the opposing right angle Furman creates at this intersection. The driver would have to swing wide out to clear the curb.
f) THERE IS A MARKED BIKE LANE THERE!!! and any driver that spends more than 10 minutes on Eastlake (that area) on a sunny Friday afternoon will (should) see a dozen bikers in the road. How a Operator of a big rig can miss that is completly beyond me (I suggested to Mike he go sit out there and do a quick count of bike traffic on a friday afternoon).
My point is that unless the driver was friggen blind he should have been well aware that there were bikes on this road, there is a lane for them hes crossing into, regardless of their supposed speed of lack of stopping ability. They/we have the right of way. How is this not criminal negligence? Why is the police report blackened out? Why, after reports indicate this area is dangerous (hello, its the main route to get from downtown/cap hill to the U dist) has the city done jack dick to educate motorists about the allowed presents of bikes in the area? What, some paint and signs too rich for the transportation budget? Didn't I hear that the sufacing of i5 may have to be redone cause its all fucked up?
_________________ Insufferable ass, est. 1969
Foo
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:20 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
TrikerTrev wrote:
Damn Foo, you tracked HIM DOWN?!? (Shit, let me remember never to piss you off...you're friggen everywhere!)
I know if you've been good or bad, so be good for goodness sake... bah bum bum...
In the driver's defense (I still think he's mostly to completely at fault, but still), there was construction up the block and a flagger had the street closed off. The flagger let peds and bikers go past (which is why Rich, the witness, was able to have such a good view of the accident, he was jogging down the middle of the right lane of Eastlake and the bikes passed him.) The truck driver probably thought that the flagger was stopping all traffic for him and went around the corner without checking. Still though, the driver should have been watching for pedestrians and side street traffic.
Some of the fault may lie with the flagger who, despite trying to be nice and letting the peds and bikes go by, helped to create a dangerous traffic situation.
TrikerTrev
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 6:37 am
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
thats all well and good, but why the secrecy? Why have no charges been filed or blame placed? for fucks sake a kid was crushed to death!!! may as well have been any of us...why is the city not pressing charges? If the truck had made a wide sweeping turn in front of a car and killed its occupant, there would be HELL to pay! but as it sits now, it is just another hotdogging fixi rider who didnt have a helmet.
sorry for going on and on about this, but this kinda shit pisses me right the fuck off!
_________________ Insufferable ass, est. 1969
laura
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 7:36 am
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
teressaj wrote:
As if the whole incident isn't tragic enough, the author had to spin it and place blame on a supposed "brakeless" fixie. Advocating awareness of those who are not in a car and acknowledging that intersection can be scary to go through at times would've been better and accurate.
I couldn't agree more. The "they were passing on the right!" quote is so frustrating seeing as how that IS a bike lane. That is an opprotunity for her to remind readers, "hey, pay attention! we have bike lanes in this city and motorists need to YIELD when they are crossing them for any reason."
As nerdy as it sounds, people should write to her & letters to the editors refuting the various aspects of this story that are incorrect. Or we could collaborate on one nice long letter, over beer. :)
Foo
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:02 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
I like beer.
Prefunk? My right knee is making wierd little popping noises when I crank hard so I'm going to take this week off rides but I'll happily meet all you losers for some letter writing.
Alternately, there's always tomorrow after work or even spending some time at the Stitch n' Bitch at my place Saturday on this.
Edit: I'm going to have a little phone 'dialog' with Erica during my lunch break today. I'll let you know how it goes.
jeff
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:13 am
SOC pussyJoined: 05 May 2006Posts: 4501
Wow. I made it 2 whole paragraphs before I was enraged. That's a new record for Erica C. Barnett articles.
The Stranger blows giant bags of cocaine cut with Drano.
"Finding out exactly what happened the afternoon of September 7 is close to impossible. One thing, however, is certain: Lewis was riding a fixed-gear bike, an increasingly popular but notoriously dangerous style of bicycle."
She then follows up with absolute zero credible evidence to support this.
Rather than focus on EYE WITNESS accounts that put the cyclists in front of the truck, she blames the obvious: fixed-gear bikes.
the dreaded ben
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:30 am
Grumpy GreebJoined: 20 Aug 2005Posts: 5329Location: flavor country
argghhhh.
can someone in the fucking media explain how bicycle lanes are supposed to work? this no fault shit is goddamn ridiculous.
the dreaded ben
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:33 am
Grumpy GreebJoined: 20 Aug 2005Posts: 5329Location: flavor country
hey erica, here's a .83 quote for your next article: go fuck yourself.
and that's coming from a man the wholly disdains fixies.
laura
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:35 am
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
does she even ride any sort of bike?
henry
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:36 am
somewhat piggishJoined: 05 Aug 2005Posts: 5415Location: on porch with shotgun
laura wrote:
does she even ride any sort of bike?
Yes, in fact she's been very supportive of bike advocacy issues on a number of occasions.
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
henry wrote:
laura wrote:
does she even ride any sort of bike?
Yes, in fact she's been very supportive of bike advocacy issues on a number of occasions.
Which further adds to my irritation on this article. Get the facts right and let readers draw conclusions.
jeff
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:46 am
SOC pussyJoined: 05 May 2006Posts: 4501
Fuck fixed gears, at least she could have got the facts of the accident straight.
TrikerTrev
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 8:48 am
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
laura wrote:
henry wrote:
laura wrote:
does she even ride any sort of bike?
Yes, in fact she's been very supportive of bike advocacy issues on a number of occasions.
Which further adds to my irritation on this article. Get the facts right and let readers draw conclusions.
no shit...you'd think that weeks after the accident and all the press it's received, she could at least get the facts straight. douche
_________________ Insufferable ass, est. 1969
koos42
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:06 am
Joined: 10 Jul 2007Posts: 367Location: ON YOUR LEFT! your other left.
Erica should go riding with someone on a fixie. She should write a series of stories about her learning experience after buying a fixed gear and becoming proficient at riding it. It sounds like her initial fear and lack of experience from when she tried the fixed-gears were her sole sources of info as to how riding one tends to be.
It would take her one fixed-gear (with brakes) and one month of commuting by fixie. All the while she could write her story, and then I could respect her opinion a little more.
Right now her credibility on the topic of fixed-gear safety is comparable to that of a kid who just lost their training wheels commenting on the safety of riding normal bikes.
ksep
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:21 am
Joined: 27 Jan 2007Posts: 1879Location: Westlake
Quote:
Some bikers ... have simply attached fake brake levers and cables to their handlebars in hopes of eluding unobservant police.
I call bullshit. I've been reading plenty of fixedgeargallery and bikesnobnyc and I've never seen someone with a fake brake. Poorly maintained, yes, but fake?
The attention spent on fixed gears is stupid. We're talking about a cyclist that got ran over by a truck and no blame is being put anywhere. Focusing on bike lanes and the city's inability to paint a blue stripe through a dangerous intersection is what I'd like to see.
I've never read a satisfying description of fixies in the press. It doesn't matter though -- anybody interested enough about how they work will just go try one out. Joe Schmoe doesn't really care how your cute bike works. Nor should he.
jeff
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:25 am
SOC pussyJoined: 05 May 2006Posts: 4501
Hack journalists use this same tactic all the time. When you can't actually come up with an indentifiable source you use the "Some have said ..."
What she really means is "I can't verify or back this up with any evidence, but since I have already written the story before researching the facts and I am too lazy to go back and change it, I will just make shit up to support my uninformed opinion."
bobhall
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:27 am
Joined: 28 Jul 2006Posts: 460
abamfici wrote:
Quote:
Some bikers ... have simply attached fake brake levers and cables to their handlebars in hopes of eluding unobservant police.
I call bullshit. I've been reading plenty of fixedgeargallery and bikesnobnyc and I've never seen someone with a fake brake. Poorly maintained, yes, but fake?
I thought about that too. I mean, the whole point is to make the bike look cleaner and simpler, so why ruin the appearance with something that doesn't do anything? Hell, you could just have a functional brake and just never use it. Totally beside the point though.
rob
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:32 am
Joined: 28 Jul 2007Posts: 1315Location: Columbia City
Enough of this shenanigary on the part of the Stranger! There are some things that can only be settled with a handle of whiskey and a bag of burning dog poo.
koos42
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:38 am
Joined: 10 Jul 2007Posts: 367Location: ON YOUR LEFT! your other left.
The article also has that good bit about the helmets. Most of us ride with helmets, but it is interesting that all she shifts attention to the helmet right after mentioning a situation that would probably render a helmet of little help. MyNameIsJeff and Surlykat can surely attest to the usefulness of helmets, but passing blame to not wearing a helmet in this situation is ridiculous. Helmets prevent a fractured skull and reduce the severity of a concussion, but they definitely do not protect against ones body assuming an "impossible position".
And as for:
ECB wrote:
According to his uncle, Jose Duran (who posted some remarks on the Point 83 forum but said it was too soon for him to talk when I contacted him for this story)...
That was an insensitive slant to take towards a mourning family member. She's complaining about his readiness to talk to an obviously less than caring reporter over a supportive forum of people saddened by his/our loss.
I hope she's reading this, because otherwise this is just bitching to the choir.
J
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:42 am
Joined: 03 Aug 2007Posts: 179Location: by that one arco am/pm
The part about the flagger is interesting. I'm going to grab my DOT Traffic Safety Manager Friendly Info Book or whateverthefuck they call it and see what the exact ruling on bikes is... I know there are some weird rules for bikes and peds but yeah, that sounds like retarded flagging too.... this is like the shittiest situation in the world. Fucking a. And the way The Stranger is covering it is just adding to the shit.
Also foo, letter writing at stitch n' bitch sounds supreme.
_________________ god damn problem bees
jillita
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:43 am
Joined: 13 Oct 2005Posts: 744Location: the westside
I'm going to have to drink a shitload of chamomile tea before I send off an email to Erica correcting the errors in her article. As a track instructor at Marymoor and a long-time fixie commuting rider and road racer I think I'm a little more qualified to define what's considered dangerous riding. Being an ignorant ass and not being able to handle a Pista on a city sidewalk because you don't have "quads of steel" does not give you the right to publish such hogwash.
In the meantime maybe she should watch some Lucas Brunelle videos and really get her panties in a wad.
TrikerTrev
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:48 am
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
if shes gonna advertise the site, nark us off as the ghostbike & sign painters and take folks quotes (did she ask?...hmmmm) she sure as fuck better come back to get her ass spanked for doing a piss poor job of reporting.
but then again a reporter whos bio states "the C stands for Quality"...i wouldnt expect much from.
_________________ Insufferable ass, est. 1969
koos42
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:54 am
Joined: 10 Jul 2007Posts: 367Location: ON YOUR LEFT! your other left.
jillita wrote:
In the meantime maybe she should watch some Lucas Brunelle videos and really get her panties in a wad.
Mexico City - Best bike Video Ever...
Drinking & Racing - if memory serves me, best raging car bit on video
n_claw
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:17 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2007Posts: 517Location: the only hill: Beacon
this is a bit disappointing coming from Erica. i feel like the first half or so of the article is written in a really alarmist style 'ZOMG FIXES IS SO DANGERS ZOMG!' and then she becomes a bit more objective to the end, altho she doesn't get her facts real straight. indeed, they seem a bit swayed t'me.
letters, definitely letters.
lantius
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:18 am
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
abamfici wrote:
I call bullshit. I've been reading plenty of fixedgeargallery and bikesnobnyc and I've never seen someone with a fake brake. Poorly maintained, yes, but fake?
a couple folks in portland did it to scoff at their "fixed gear ban", which is really more of a crusade by literally a couple of police officers who don't like fixed gears downtown. the best part is that the original "fixie" ticket was someone who wasn't breaking any laws, the cop said "stop!" and they stopped easily, and then were given a ticket for not having a brake. as if they stopped by magic?
koos42
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:52 am
Joined: 10 Jul 2007Posts: 367Location: ON YOUR LEFT! your other left.
As for brakes in the city, there are always sticks...
I wasn't able to finish the article the first time I looked at it, it pissed me off so much. She's obviously going for the sensational - fixies are popular, some fixies don't have hand brakes, Bryce was riding a fixie and was killed, good opportunity to assume or insinuate cause and effect to justify a long, controversial article. All while remaining completely ignorant of the fact that his bike had a front brake, which means it can stop as well as any other bike.
Also no mention of his skill level on a fixie. I would agree that fixies can be dangerous for a total noob, even with brakes. But for someone with good skills, a fixie with a front brake is no more dangerous than any other bike. It would be legitimate to ask "what were all the factors involved in this tragedy". If that were the premise of the article then the safety of the particular bicycle that was involved would be one factor on a long list of things to look at. But instead she's just irresponsibly and tactlessly making false associations to justify some column space.
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