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Why every cyclist needs a pool noodle
- microwavecamera 7y agoI'll have to admit, that's pretty clever and the best actual use for a pool noodle I've ever seen. I still don't understand what exactly you're supposed to do with a pool noodle.
- fingerlocks 7y agoI like to sit on them float in an upright position, like being in a chair. You can hold a beer in one hand maneuver around with the other.
- dfmooreqqq 7y agoI have a 5 year old who comes up with a new use for a pool noodle every time he's in the pool. A raft, an octopus, blowing water through it, a spy glass,... The simplest toys have seemingly infinite uses.
- duxup 7y agoKids hit each other with them. Based on my kids enthusiasm it seems to be a good product.
- m1n1 7y agoThis also deters the user from speeding between two lanes of traffic that has stopped ... a deed that carries with it some risk and that probably irks some drivers.
- barongrounds 7y agoI'm a motorcyclist and do this regularly and legally on Sydney's narrow streets. It is quite safe. For leg powered cyclists riding with a reasonable degree of care it is certainly safer than the regular flow of moving traffic.
- Pinckney 7y ago/r/Motorcycles had this posted a couple days ago: https://i.redd.it/59jp81szfdy21.jpg https://i.redd.it/59jp81szfdy21.jpg A bicyclist likely would have lost their legs, if they survived at all. Meanwhile, the risk of lanesplitting is that might sideswipe somebody and need to pay to get their paint fixed.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- viburnum 7y agoUse a metal pipe. Drivers care more about scratching the paint of their car than they do murdering a human.
- viraptor 7y agoYou mean, if someone drives too close, you prefer your whole bike to be pushed over? Because that metal pipe would have to be mounted in a secure way / not fall off accidentally.
- throwaway875u58 7y agoSide note: I commute to work on a bike occasionally. My commute isn't long (~3miles) and I try to be considerate and move to the side when possible, stop at stop signs, not run lights, not sneak up while waiting at stop lights, and stay off the sidewalk. You know: behave like a considerate driver sharing the road. The reason I do this is because all the bikes I see when I drive are flagrantly disregarding traffic laws and acting like they own the road. These pool noodlers seem like they are doing more of the same. I wish they got pulled over by cops more often because all they are doing is endangering everyone else who is actually sharing the road. Cyclists are why I have a dashcam.
- blacksmith_tb 7y agoMy response, when I hear someone tell me that they see cyclists breaking the law, is to ask how many - in a given day. Five? Ten? Sure, I could believe that. Then I ask them how many drivers they see breaking the law in a given day...
- projectileboy 7y agoBicyclists where I live - even otherwise well-behaved bicyclists - routinely violate traffic laws all the time. I guess we live in different towns, but where I live I don’t also see drivers regularly blasting through red lights when they get tired of waiting.
- blacksmith_tb 7y agoThanks for the honesty? Everyday I see dozens of drivers blow through inconvenient stop signs - just like those lawless cyclists. But when they hit people, they maim and kill them. You could argue reckless cyclists are in contention for the Darwin Awards, but they're only going to get themselves killed.
- projectileboy 7y agoYour last sentence is a fair point. But now I have to ask - where do you live? Is it really a thing to blast through stop signs there? I think I can say truthfully that in MN (USA) people stop at stop signs, always.
- willio58 7y agoThe sad thing is that the type of driver that comes closer than 3 feet to a cyclist has a good chance of being the type of person who would be enraged by this. Could result in more conflict than its worth.
- swsh 7y agoI cycle and also occasionally tow (which puts me in the group of annoying slow road users). My frustration with these type of articles is they only ever ask for the road to be shared, but do not share the road themselves. As a slower road user you should also be considerate of other road users. An example would be when towing and driving at a more sedate pace, when it comes to passing lanes - SLOW DOWN - to allow the pile up of cars behind you to pass. However most people simply maintain their speed, ignorant of the building frustration behind them. By slowing down you might add 30seconds to your travel time, but give 10-20 people back minutes to their travel time (a net win for society!). In this case if the cyclist periodically slowed down and moved to the shoulder when going downhill (or in general), the pile up of cars and frustration might be mitigated. "Through my eyeglass-mounted mirror, I watch cars inevitably pile up behind me. When the terrain flattens out and I move back to the shoulder, a stream of cars pass me." I'd argue that the pool noodle may have unintended consequences, and will most likely increase road rage. It seems to scream EMPOWERMENT ("taking back the road"), but I think it leans more towards SELFISH BITCH.
- JPKab 7y agoThank you for this. She wasnt commuting here: this was a vacation/personal challenge ride. Meanwhile, cars piled up behind her age probably people going to work or hauling goods. I really think the bourgeoisie image that modern cycling and it's conspicuous consumption attitude (my coworkers mostly ride 3-5000 dollar bikes) that converted simple affordably machines to status symbols has fueled more resentment from motorists.
- projectileboy 7y agoMy God, thank you for this comment. I live in Minneapolis, which is very bike friendly (at least for the US). The majority of bicyclists are well behaved and just want to share the road, but an alarming number of bicyclists seem to think that taxpayer funded roads were built with only them in mind. The sense of entitlement is astounding.
- jjeaff 7y agoAnd not to forget that many of these roads are maintained with fuel taxes.