Conference noted::bicycle

     Anyone catch the Suburu Classic on ESPN Sunday? Pretty good summary
    of the events... 
    
     Huber (Coors Light) won the Greenville, S.C. crit and then had it
    taken away from him through a protest - he squeezed out another rider
    in the sprint finish - ended with 4th... He was still the points leader
    though.
    
     In the same race a guy named McCook (?) broke out right away only to
    run into a camera motorcycle and crash... He wasn't a happy camper...
    They gave him a lap for free and he got back in the race...
    
     Oh, it was wonderful seeing the Suburu/Montgomery Team with all those
    really pretty MERLINS in the race.
    
     Chip

     Wow, major cockpit error! I meant do a WRITE... Come on guys, it's
    Monday... I think they run the CLASSIC on bike paths, don't they? :-)
    
     Chip

    I understand about not wanting the bell on a racing bike.  How about
    attaching a playing card to the chainstay with a wooden clothespin?  
    It worked in my (much) younger days.
    
    larry

    Hi Nigel,
    
    Some of this is cultural.  In some European countries, you'd better
    scoot when you hear one of those bells ... because it could be sported
    by an intent racer.  But another alternative is I believe they have
    compact devices that make a sound like a truck air-horn.  
    
    -john

I'm pretty sure the Freewheel catalogue lists an electronic buzzer or something
like that. Plus New Cyclist (or is it Bicycle?) are advertising a subscription
offer where the free gift is a warning instrument that emits a noisy 105db.

A bit of research will surely provide you with a device that has batteries and 
a neon plastic casing, so will fit our cycling ethos better than a low-tech,
old-fashioned bell.


Rod

	how about a nice big swiss cow bell ?
	If interested, I can give you seller's address.
	
	Norbert

    
    Speaking of that, Norbert, does a Swiss Army Bike come with
    a warning device -- something that signals Red Alert, maybe?
    
    -john

    Go to any novelty shop (like Spencer Gifts) and get one of those little
    plastic battery-powered gizmos that make a few different sounds ...
    like a siren, explosion, machine gun ... and attach it to your bicycle.
    They're relatively cheap, make a loud enough noise, and you can pick a
    warning noise to match your mood.
    
    ... Bob

    
    
     I've seen bike messengers in Boston ride around with a whistle
    clinched in thier teeth.  They give a nice toot as they get near 
    trouble and if it dosn't move.  They blow harder and louder.
    
    John C.
    

God, that reminds me of a neat attachment that I was around when I was a kid.  

Does anybody remember the gizmo that attached to a fork stay and looked like a 
dynamo?  The rider would pull on a chain hooked to this thing which would move
its head on the tire (like a dynamo) to make the sound of a siren?  Gee, they
were loud.  I heard that they were finally removed from the market because they
sounded like a fire truck (American).  I can't remember the name.

Eric

	re: .7

	No John, there is no particular warning device on a Swiss
	Army bike since it is noisy enough with all the stuff fixed
	on it. It would not be overheard. 
	Otherwise we still had a gun ;-) 

	Norbert

What about one of those little boxes that utter obscenities.  You might need to
figure out a way to make it a louder (wire it up to a boom box?).  What about
learning to be a ventriloquist.  That way you wouldn't need to clutter up your
racing bike, just your mind.

Sticks and stones will break my bones
but names will never hurt me.

     Eric, I remeber the unit... The drive wheel would engage the tire
    while you pulled the chain. The openings in the housing were
    small rectangles and the "turbine" sleeve that spun inside was
    slotted with serrated edges... Wow, what a blast from the past.
    
     Those things were really neat and the envy of all who didn't 
    have one. Most of the kids had to rely on clothes pins and
    doubles of there Jerry Lumpy or Ken Boyer baseball cards...
    
    
      Chip

    Why not shout....cheapest method available....
    
    e.g."MY BRAKES HAVE FAILED......" :*)
    
    Thats got to move any stubborn pedestrians...it works for me...:*)
    
    Colin
    

    Well, since we're talking history.... 
    It used to be the law  in the UK (maybe still is, but it seems to be
    ignored) to have a bell on a bike. All the racers in my day (1960's) 
    complied (just) with this requirement by fitting a "pinger" type bell. 
    This was the simplest, lightest device imaginable (an anodised alloy 
    dome and spring-loaded striker) but was actually considered acceptable 
    by even the most macho of cyclists. Remember them Robin? 
    
    Chris
     
    
                                                 

    
    	Wasn't that the days when the RTTC made you wear black all over and
    if you wanted to appear in Cycling Weekly then you had to black out the
    name of your bike otherwise you'd be advertising. Ah, us young whipper
    snippers have it sooo easy...
    
    Graham.
    

Re .15: I seem to recall a Japanese noter saying in here a year or so ago
that that is still the case in Japan. Maybe Japan is a good source of hi-tech
bells?

Re .16:  Don't start Robin off again!


Rod

> Re .16:  Don't start Robin off again!

	'Snot fair. You spoil all my fun you big bully. Sniff...
    
    Graham.

Of course I remember it, I still have photos....  There were two favourite
methods for fixing - 1) under expander bolt so it sat down the stem and 2) under
the clamp bolt for the bars so it hung underneath.  In addition, because many
TT riders also rode track (hard and grass) and didn't want too much trouble
fixing on a brake lever, they fitted them in reverse on the end of the bars and
threaded the cable back to front.

Another dreadful thing I am glad to see the back of is the handlebar mounted
lamp bracket.  This usually held a "bobby-dodger" for riding out to events or
for the first couple of hours in a "12".  These things usually twisted round
and illuminated the front axle, or fell in the front wheel and were generally
a damn nuisance.

The real height (or depths) of stupidity came with the drilling of componenets
to save weight, so you were treated to the sight of TA 5-pin rings like
colanders, brake levers the same and even holes all over the seatpin.  When you
consider that guys rode 28 spoke wheels, single gears and Dunlop 0's I guess
that these bikes were lighter than the majority about today.

    Then there were those who drilled their spokes and tubes.  Never could
    say much good about 'em.
    
    ed

    
    
    	Weren't they the ones who used there faces for brakes?
    
    	Graham.

    I saw a mountain bike in Lincoln on Saturday that had 1cm holes drilled
    at 3cm intervals along the length of the frame tubes.
    
    MATT

     Doesn't this cause excessive whistling?  :-)
    
       Chip

    nah, there's probably so much wiond noise near the riders head
    that he can't hear anything from the bike anyway.
    
    :-)
    
    ed

    My Look shoes (red and grey ones) make a whistling noise when the foot
    is at a certain angle !.  Scared me more than somewhat first time it
    happened since I was sure that something was rubbing in the BB-Axle
    assembly....
    
    

Holes in an ATB frame?  I can imagine that it would INCREASE the weight after 
mud and water gets in the holes.  Am I missing something here??

Eric

    
    	Back to the original topic... Well they say that prevention is
    better than cure. Instead of warning people when they are in the way,
    how about wearing bright illuminous (if that's not how it's spelt, I
    don't care) skinsuit. People would spend so much time gaping at you,
    they wouldn't get in your way. Mind you, might knock the street cred a
    bit...
    
    Graham.

    but you have to get their attention first.  If they're dawdling along
    going the other way in front of you you must get them to turn around.
    
    There are some places where you can get arrested for disturbing the
    peace wearing something like that.
    
    ed

    	What he said...
    
    	re .27
    	BTW, could be a variation of the verb "illumine".
    
    	Oh, almost forgot, you don't care, scrap the english.
    
    	Someone ain't be facing you, they ain't be noticin' y'all.
    
    	Peripheral vision is a rather large factor, granted.
    
    	Just babbling, continue on...

    
    	You can hear a skinsuit like that...
    
    Graham.
    

Go on step further, getcha self a skinsuit that GLOWS. Even fokes turned
the other way have gotta check out what's making their shadow fall in
FRONT of them, when the sun's that way, too. I understand the bike shop in
Seabrook, NH has a nice selection; and they're on sale now, too. Get
'em while they're 'hot'!!!!!! :-) (or &*}  <-- radio-mutant smileyface)
                                ken