i think it's unfortunate that barnett decided focused in on the sensationalized factor of the evil fixed gear bikes. she continues to inaccurately report that a fixed gear bicycle will travel downhill at greater speeds that a freewheeled bike, which is just plan wrong. i'd venture to say this incorrect observation is often made due to the fact that moving down hill a fixed gear cyclist looks like they're trying to increase speed by pedaling, when the opposite is usually the case. when i'm heading down hill, i'm usually pushing back on my cranks to keep myself a speed that won't throw me from the bike. while all the other freewheeled bikes are zipping past me at higher rates of speed.
if anything, riding a fixed gear around town has made me hyper-aware of my surroundings. i rarely use my brake so calculating risks 20 or 30 feet ahead of me is something i do without even really thinking about it. and the brake is always there to back me up.
i understand that with tragic circumstances like these, people want to make some sort of sense of a death. people naturally gravitate toward placing blame somewhere; the driver, the cyclist, or in this case, the bike itself. unfortunately, sometimes these things just happen. seems that what we know about bryce, he was an experienced cyclist and more that anything it was just the wrong place at the wrong time.
saying that this could have been avoided if bryce had been on a freewheel bike is like saying that this could have been avoided if the driver had been in a subcompact car, instead of a dump truck. maybe the stranger should have done a story on dump trucks since they too are difficult to quickly stop and are dangerous in the hands of the inexperienced.
On this week’s story about the tragic death of Bryce Lewis, a 19-year-old cyclist who was struck and killed at the intersection of Eastlake and Fuhrman, just south of the University Bridge. As I reported, Lewis was riding a fixed-gear bike when he was hit; however, the fact that his bike had a brake (reported earlier on Slog) was deleted from the story during the editing process. Since it’s unclear how fast Lewis was going when he was hit, it’s hard to tell whether a brake could have slowed him significantly or not (and front-wheel brakes have their own shortcomings, the largest being the tendency to flip the bike if you’re moving quickly and you brake abruptly). Ultimately, wearing a helmet (which Lewis was not) is far more important than what kind of bike you’re riding.
Foo
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:51 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
*smacks forehead*
Aren't clarifications supposed to make things less dumb, not more?
laura
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:54 pm
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
jeff wrote:
Erica's clarification:
Ultimately, wearing a helmet (which Lewis was not) is far more important than what kind of bike you’re riding.
I still vote no, no, NO! This accident draws attention to the sad nature of Seattle's infastructure. That intersection, like many across the city, sets up both cyclists (fixie, geared, tandem, unicycle, helmet, sans helmet, etc.) and motorists to play chicken every day. The problem isn't easily fixed through these band-aid measures: wear a helmet! don't ride a suicide fixie! or anything of that nature.
!bah!
derrickito
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:06 pm
now with 50 percent more EVILJoined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 10566
maybe you people should all start buying cars.
wingedc0w
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:21 pm
Joined: 18 Oct 2005Posts: 233Location: SEA || 206
She did state an appeal to fixies/track bikes:
Quote:
but the power and control was indescribable. I have to admit it—I want one.
The whole front brake thing is a joke. "It'll make you flip!" zOMG! Well... in the given situation, if the rider saw it coming, jammed the front brake on, he might be missing teeth, which just sucks. I would never want to do that, hit the front brake... IDIOT!
The biggest issue again, INFRASTRUCTURE.
Fucking lame article.
p.s. We're all hipsters. We live in Seattle. People move here to be like us. Cause we're all hipsters. Learn to live with it, you fucking hipster.
Time to drink.
john
Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:23 pm
AAAARRRRRGGGGbllll pppphtt!Joined: 26 Aug 2006Posts: 725Location: In the lab.
(and front-wheel brakes have their own shortcomings, the largest being the tendency to flip the bike if you’re moving quickly and you brake abruptly). Ultimately, wearing a helmet (which Lewis was not) is far more important than what kind of bike you’re riding.
I wasnt going to go out tonight, but I am game to go out if we can have a pre-funk at the stanger oroffices(sp). Anyone game?
_________________ In der Not frisst der Teufel Fliegen.
What a bleeding fucking cunt. She should come out to a ride sometime.
Good idea. Maybe we should invite her out. She's been writing about us, at least indirectly, but to the best of my knowledge, her only interaction with us has been the forums.
And as we all know, the forums really represent us well, right?
I'd be glad to drop an invitation if I knew people wouldn't be a bunch of arses.
zackalope
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 4:49 pm
dr. mathJoined: 26 Oct 2005Posts: 132Location: On the outside of a Klein bottle
She just wants attention. That offensive parts of that article are a straw man in incredibly bad taste.
gsbarnes
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 7:44 pm
Joined: 15 Aug 2006Posts: 2666Location: No Fun Town, USA
Matthew wrote:
Seven wrote:
What a bleeding fucking cunt. She should come out to a ride sometime.
Good idea. Maybe we should invite her out. She's been writing about us, at least indirectly, but to the best of my knowledge, her only interaction with us has been the forums.
I believe she wrote that she participated in the Ride for Fremont. But then again, so did a lot of people.
_________________ I have always thought in the back of my mind: Cheese and Onions
Remington
Posted: Sat Sep 22, 2007 9:11 pm
Joined: 23 Jan 2006Posts: 457Location: Remington Country
I'm a functional, contributing member of society in this debate now. It's a small bit of progress, but at least it's something. Someday, somehow, this world will be a better place, and I think Erica is on to something.
Trevor, I'm looking out for you.
In the Slog comments Remington wrote:
I would like to bring everyone's attention to another class of potentially dangerous bicycles: recumbents.
I rode a few recumbent bikes once. They had brakes, and they were very comfortable (I have to admit, I wanted one), but the turning radius was TERRIBLE. If I had to make an emergency turn on one of those things to avoid say, a dump truck, I'm sure I'd be a goner. They are also lower to the ground and less visible to cars. Plus, with their dangerously streamlined aerodynamics, they can reach speeds that far exceed fixed gears when descending large hills. They should be banned, and the only bike allowed on the road should be the standard two triangle upright safety bicycle, complete with freewheel and handle operated brakes.
Let's make the roads safe. With the right laws dictating the use of proper, safe bicycles, we can do this.
mos6502
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 11:29 am
Joined: 20 Sep 2007Posts: 21
I decided to leave my own long winded comment:
Quote:
Wow. I knew Bryce in high school, and have been bicycle safety advocate for a long time.
IN NO WAY can I even begin to consider that the type of bike Bryce was riding contributed to the accident. If a vehicle turns right into you, it doesn't matter if your bike has a freewheel, brakes, or photon torpedos. It's preposterous to even suggest that it would make a difference. If the truck had turned into say an old VW beetle, you wouldn't say that the accident would have never happened if only they had been driving a Honda instead of VW - it's absolutely a moot point and has nothing at all to do with the accident.
The article I find to be worthless. In fact, I think it's yellow journalism. I think it's a cheap shot to take the death of this person and use it to sensationalize an almost completely unrelated topic.
There are factual errors made too. A bicycle with a freewheel will go down hill easier than a bike with a fixed gear. For comparison - if you're on a going down a steep hill in your car - and you have the car in first - so it's locked in a single gear: it'll go slower than it will if you put it in neutral and let it freewheel down the hill.
In gear the wheels and engine are locked together -like the wheels and legs of a cyclist on a fixed gear bicycle. When you put the car in neutral and let it freewheel down the hill, the wheels can move faster than the engine is running - like the wheels of a bike with a freewheel - they roll freely even when the engine is idling/the legs are not pedaling.
considering the errors made regarding mechanical facts, and the sensationalized tangent the article goes on, I almost find it offensive.
The author has used the death of my friend to sensationalize an inaccurate argument about fixed gear bicycles.
BTW I am actually biased against fixed gears (I personally do not care for them), but I find the very idea that a fixed gear contributed to the cause of this collision to be patently ridiculous.
I would also like to point out for some of the people commenting above, that Bryce was not some sort of hipster buying into a fad.
Bryce was a competent cyclist, and worked at a bike shop. He knew how to handle a bicycle. He wasn't clueless about this, and I'm certain he knew far more about bicycles and how to correctly ride them than the majority of people posting comments here. Anybody who met Bryce would know he's not a dumb kid. Anybody who claims or suggests he was obviously knows nothing about him.
Further, I should also point out that when you make a turn, or merge while driving - you are responsible to make sure THAT YOU can make that maneuver - it's not the other motorist's, cyclist's, pedestrian's job to clear the way for you.
If you put your blinker on, then turn into the car right beside you - YOU are at fault. You may have signaled your intent, but they (other vehicles, pedestrians, objects, ect.) are not in anyway obligated to make space for you - YOU have to wait until there is space for you to merge or turn.
If there is a car there, a cyclist there, or some other physical object occupying the space you need - you have to make sure it's not to be there when you're going to be there.
Reading some of the comments left, I seriously hope some of those people do not have driver's licenses.
Maybe I'm biased but I think Seattle driver's are pretty horrible. I'd been commuting around Denver by bike for four years, and never had any sort of accident, then I moved to Seattle and withing three months had my first accident when a lady broadside me with her SUV. Luckily she wasn't going very fast - she misjudged her stopping distance in the wet, and slid past a stop sign and into me - but I mean - you live in Seattle where it rains all winter long - you'd think you'd be smart enough to handle wet roads? Guess not.
ThisIsRed
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 7:09 pm
Joined: 17 Sep 2007Posts: 8Location: CapHill
Hi Everybody. This is Lauren, Caleb Hall's girlfriend. Bryce was a very good friend of mine, one of the best I've ever had. Caleb, Bryce, Tyler (Bryce's younger brother) and I were roommates together on CapHill.
I can not explain to you how much your actions and words in the wake of the accident mean to us. I am speechless. Thank you so much for caring! The ghostbike and stencils and flowers are so amazing. The rage you've expressed in the aftermath of the whole thing, including the recent article in The Stranger, restores our faith in people. Thank you.
I'm not sure how to put Bryce into words.
I do know that he would want change if it had been Caleb under the wheel and not him. Please let us know how we can be apart of change.
Unfortunately, Tyler will be staying in Denver so its just me and Caleb in Seattle. We still want to help with the memorial ride. We also have made copies of some of Bryce's stencils and art work and we would be honored if any one of you guys want to come up and put his stuff up around the city with us.
I believe when the world lost Bryce, we lost much more than just a person. We lost the next Dali. Caleb and I wish the descriptions of Bryce in the articles weren't so generic. ("Bryce was kind and compassionate"...)
Bryce was a fucking badass. He was the kind of person who just knew everything, effortlessly. He had a real old man soul. I wish you all guys could have had the chance to meet him. Words do him no justice.
Thank you again for everything.
_________________ Remember Bryce
ThisIsRed
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 7:50 pm
Joined: 17 Sep 2007Posts: 8Location: CapHill
Also, I do want to say that the article in The Stranger was sick. To say the least. I thought the picture published in the Times last week was tasteless till I read the description of was Bryce looked like after the accident. (blood coming out his is mouth) ???? It was the most painful thing watching Caleb read the article. I thought he was going to scream right there in the coffee house. That was so careless and dehumanizing! Does Erica know that there are people out there who loved Bryce and would like to never picture him in that state? That's the thing that pissed me off the most. Plus-as it has been said a million times: Bryce's bike had nothing to do with the kind of person he was or why he was killed.
_________________ Remember Bryce
mos6502
Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2007 8:44 pm
Joined: 20 Sep 2007Posts: 21
Yeah, it'd be hard to put Bryce into words. But I remember Bryce was hilarious - a fun guy with a good sense of humour. Very smart, and exceptionally talented when it came to music. Bryce was the only person I knew who was really into playing music as well as bikes. I was going to trade him my Gitane for his Banjo before he left, but never got back to him in time.
I don't know what to say. When I heard about what happened I was really destroyed by it (I had already been having a really shitty week). I told Bryce that Seattle would be great and he'd like it out there. I tried calling him a couple days before the accident to see how things were going but I guess he had his phone turned off.
Since his passing, I've had so many great memories of Bryce come back to me. I remember watching him and Galacticon AD2525 playing at our school. Fooling around on guitar with him and Ben at his house, singing songs about beans. I remember driving Bryce, Caleb, Tyler, Ben, Jake, and many more (eight people, I don't remember who they all were) around in my old Renault Le Car to go to lunch.
I remember the time we all drew mustaches and beards on ourselves with markers during the computer programming elective, and the Kung-Fu movie he made for the film elective (along with Tyler, Caleb, Ben, I helped a little too you know)
I remember the time Bryce started doing hilarious dances while Ben played Drums, and the time he pretended to run while riding a bike (arms moving like running, while pedaling) then jumped off backwards and the bike hit a tree. The bike wasn't his - lol. I remember going around and spray painting stencils with him and his friends.
I spent a lot of time over at his house before he left for Seattle, knowing I wouldn't see him for a while. Setting off fireworks, playing music, discussing bikes and guitars. He showed me how he rode home an ancient 24" wheel Schwinn that had been left at the bike shop (he had to put the seat post almost all the way out, and reach way down to the handlebars) and I told him how the Schwinn's electro forged frame was made (pointing out the slag on the chainstays) I never had anybody else I could totally nerd out with about bikes.
Bryce was a great drummer, an excellent guitarist - just an all around great musician, which few people are. He studied classical composition and was capable of playing many different styles and genres of music well. He even played bass for an Island (Hawaiian) band in Denver shortly before going to Seattle.
I thought I missed Bryce when he moved away, but that wasn't 1/100th as much as I miss him now. It's been hard for me to type out all this, and there's so much more I could write, it's as though Bryce was more than just a person. It's really hard to describe - he was just such a GREAT person.
Reading the description of the accident in the Stranger was really hard for me too. I can't imagine how it would have been for Caleb, who was much closer to Bryce as a friend, as well as there at the accident. I had avoided asking Tyler about the details of the accident because I really didn't want to know, and I figured he probably didn't want to talk about it. But I got them anyway. It's hard to imagine somebody you've known personally to end up like that. I don't think it was necessary or prudent to include it, especially considering the article then went off on a sensationalized tangent about bicycles, instead of discussing the accident.
Lauren, I don't believe I've ever met you. But this is David writing, Caleb knows who I am. Just so there's no mystery about who's writing all this.
Foo
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 5:52 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
Lauren,
Thank you for sharing those words about Bryce. He would have been an amazing person for us to have known. There are a number of plans in motion right now (you may want to check the Seattle Like Bikes thread on the forum) that I can share with you since you and Caleb are interested in participating.
I'm stuck in jury duty this week so I may be difficult to get a hold of. GSBarnes or any of the other folks on the Seattle Likes Bikes thread here can get you up to speed about the plans. Some of the plans are going to be discussed on the forum, some are going to be off forum as they are... sensitive... in nature.
As for the memorial ride, we are going to be flyering Critical Mass to get the word out. If you and Caleb are comfortable setting a date you would like to do this, we'll announce the date. Otherwise, we'll TBA the date. Also, do you know if Bryce's parents are still planning on coming out this way? If so, I'd like to see if they want to participate.
I'm calling Erica Barnett today to try and see what her deal is. I'd like, at the least, for her to print a clarification of my statements and an apology for misusing my interviewed statements. Each time I re-read that article, I find more and more reasons to be appalled by it. Bryce deserved better and amongst many other things, I intend to make some changes for the better here.
Foo
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 5:56 am
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
David,
Thank you for also sharing your memories of Bryce with us. I will be sure to pass along any pictures we take from the memorial ride.
TrikerTrev
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:49 pm
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
Remington wrote:
I'm a functional, contributing member of society in this debate now. It's a small bit of progress, but at least it's something. Someday, somehow, this world will be a better place, and I think Erica is on to something.
Trevor, I'm looking out for you.
In the Slog comments Remington wrote:
I would like to bring everyone's attention to another class of potentially dangerous bicycles: recumbents.
I rode a few recumbent bikes once. They had brakes, and they were very comfortable (I have to admit, I wanted one), but the turning radius was TERRIBLE. If I had to make an emergency turn on one of those things to avoid say, a dump truck, I'm sure I'd be a goner. They are also lower to the ground and less visible to cars. Plus, with their dangerously streamlined aerodynamics, they can reach speeds that far exceed fixed gears when descending large hills. They should be banned, and the only bike allowed on the road should be the standard two triangle upright safety bicycle, complete with freewheel and handle operated brakes.
Let's make the roads safe. With the right laws dictating the use of proper, safe bicycles, we can do this.
sticks foot in mouth
Last edited by TrikerTrev on Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:56 pm; edited 1 time in total _________________ Insufferable ass, est. 1969
the dreaded ben
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:51 pm
Grumpy GreebJoined: 20 Aug 2005Posts: 5329Location: flavor country
it's called satire.
TrikerTrev
Posted: Mon Sep 24, 2007 1:55 pm
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
Man, I talked to a lady-friend last weekend who is not a biker and she was like "OMG, I read some article in the Stranger about those fixed gear bikes you ride, blah blah blah" and now she is convinced they are the Great Satan and completely dangerous to ride.
The damage has been done -- only people who know about bikes and are pissed about the article are going to read "clarifications".
TrikerTrev
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 9:01 am
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
All times are GMT - 8 Hours
The time now is Sat Aug 12, 2023 10:57 am
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 583
Joined: 22 Jun 2007
Posts: 1050
Location: wherever the dance party is
now with 50 percent more EVIL
Joined: 22 Jul 2005
Posts: 10566
Joined: 18 Oct 2005
Posts: 233
Location: SEA || 206
AAAARRRRRGGGGbllll pppphtt!
Joined: 26 Aug 2006
Posts: 725
Location: In the lab.
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 268
Location: somerville, ma
suddenly quite whiny!
Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 345
Location: Cap Hill
rookie
Joined: 20 Aug 2007
Posts: 1173
Location: Sur le nord-ouest des États-Unis, pret de la frontier Québécois
dr. math
Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 132
Location: On the outside of a Klein bottle
Joined: 15 Aug 2006
Posts: 2666
Location: No Fun Town, USA
Joined: 23 Jan 2006
Posts: 457
Location: Remington Country
Joined: 23 Oct 2006
Posts: 2303
Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
Grumpy Greeb
Joined: 20 Aug 2005
Posts: 5329
Location: flavor country
rocket mechanic
Joined: 02 Aug 2005
Posts: 2708
Joined: 13 Oct 2005
Posts: 744
Location: the westside
Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 460
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
Posts: 51
Location: Fremont
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 95
Location: Wallingford
Joined: 06 Sep 2006
Posts: 135
Location: West Seattle
