Online Bike Coach

Where Cyclists and Triathletes get Faster/Stronger/Leaner/Sooner

Archives for April 2021

Punishment Pass Caught With CycleVision

Punishment Pass – Motorist Caught In Ignorant Display of Harassment

Punishment Pass
Punishment Passes are harassing efforts by motorists, but they are EXTREMELY rare. Don’t let them be effective!

The Punishment Pass occurs when Motorists pass cyclists at close lateral range. The pass is meant to threaten, harass, and “Teach Cyclists A Lesson”. I have received Punishment Passes for decades as a cyclist. Recently, however, I purchased a CycleVision Helmet Camera system, and began to record all of my rides. I’m also using the Garmin Varia Radar System. The Garmin Field and Website that I upload the data to is www.mybiketraffic.com. It’s a fascinating display of vehicle counts, absolute and relative passing speeds.

The Punishment Pass is RARE!

So far, since I first began using the Garmin Varia Radar, www.mybiketraffic.com is showing that I have been passed by over 800 motorists. I don’t live in an urban location any longer, but what I have discovered is that thus far, the number of Punishment Passes is about 0.26%. That’s TWO Punishment Passes. They’re just that rare. I could show 2.5 hours of cycling, and the rear camera would show that the VAST MAJORITY of motorists respond to the following…

  1. My wife and I ride Dinotte 400R Daylight-Visible Red on Red Blinkies. They are visible at over a mile in broad daylight. WE ARE VISIBLE CYCLISTS. Motorists acknowledge this.
  2. My wife and I TAKE THE LANE on roads that are too narrow to share, and have no shoulder. Remember; the shoulder of a road is not the legal definition of the road, and any lane less than 14′ wide may not be shared by more than one vehicle, except for bicycles and motorcycles. Taking the lane is LEGAL, SAFE, and INCREASES VISIBILITY. It also forces motorists to PAUSE and CALCULATE A PASS, theoretically when safe for both Passer and Passees.
  3. We SIGNAL OUR INTENTIONS. No signal means we’re just going on our way. Hand signals for left, right, and STOP, as well as ‘HOLD ON!’ dictate the terms to the motorist that is approaching from behind.
  4. With ALL of this in mind, again, the VAST MAJORITY of motorists, and this is now on video and Varia record, will slow down, and either completely change lanes, or will practice a ‘Split Lane’ pass, to give my wife and myself a wider berth.
  5. Finally, I believe California, where this video was taken, has an AFRAP law, but I believe there is also a State Law requiring motorists to pass cyclists with more than 3′ (1m) laterally.

As the video will show, THIS motorist was fully aware of our presence (1), saw us riding in the Right Wheel Well (2), knew our intentions (3), and decided to threaten me specifically with a pass within 1′ of my left shoulder. Motorists prior to this one and just after, practiced good driver behavior.

CONCLUSION

I’m not going to quit riding my bike, at that location, or any other. Bicyclists are legal road users, and motorists must respect the rights of all road users – their license is a privilege which can be revoked. 99.999999% of all cyclists are also motorists, and bad behavior needs to be exposed and reprimanded. This video is the second incidence of bad motorist behavior, and both times, I have captured the motorist’s license plates. So, today, I turned this video clip over to the Plumas and Sierra County Sheriff’s office, for review and possible action. Bicyclists deserve to travel roads in safety and with the protection of the law. These acts are rare, but as I capture Punishment Passes, I’ll write them up and create short videos, to help all cyclists better understand proper cyclist etiquette and defense.

Thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed this post, please don’t hesitate to sign up for the Blog, or buy me a cup of coffee by clicking on the link below.

Enjoy the Ride!

Fox DPX2 and Quarq ShockWiz – First Ride!

Fox DPX2 and Quarq ShockWiz Suspension Tuner Gives Me Some First-Ride Knowledge!

In Early March, I purchased and installed a 2021 Fox DPX2 Rear Suspension Shock, and began recording data from a ShockWiz Suspension Tuning System. At the beginning of every ride, I save the previous ride profile, and then clear the memory. I will continue to record my results and my thoughts regularly through the summer of 2021.

I’m not going to alter the Shock Settings much, other than air pressure, until the 20-hour/20 ride mark. I want to break the shock seals in, and I want to determine any trends for Suspension compression, rebound, damping, sag, etc.

Fox DPX2 and Quarq ShockWiz First Ride Results

My mountain bike is a 2012 Trek SuperFly 100 Pro, with a 2020 Fox 32 Factory SC front. I tuned the front  with Shockwiz throughout 2020, to the point where it routinely scores 92-96 points, and I’ve been very happy with my control and performance. Now, it’s time to use a modern rear suspension to get the bike better dialed-in. I used Factory Settings and air pressure. I also looked at the pressure that had been used by my original RP23 rear suspension.

Basically, I’m lucky to have gotten off the mountain in one piece! Air pressure was too low, and I bottomed out the shock too much. I’m going to add a lot of air pressure for the next ride, and we’ll see what the Fox DPX2 and Quarq Shockwiz app says after that.

Here’s the video – have a look and let me know what you think!

If you like what you see or read, please consider buying me a cup of coffee of a beer! Just click on the link below, and I’ll keep posting relevant and fun blog posts and videos for you to review!

Have Fun and Enjoy the Ride!