"Bicycle Bill"

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic RAGBRAI Forums Closing in the forum RAGBRAI L – 2023 2 months ago

All good things have to come to an end, I guess. Sorry to see it go. Sounds like the powers that be at the Register just couldn’t be bothered with either finding a better way to keep the spammers out, or assign one or two people to monitor the board to delete and ban them, so they’re just going to pull the plug instead.

I expect they’l…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic 1st year for RAGBRAI patch in the forum Miscellaneous 3 months, 3 weeks ago

I believe RAGBRAI III was the first patch, although my faulty memory recalls seeing a rider wearing a SAGBRAI (for Second Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) T-shirt on a fall ride in Wisconsin back in 1974. Once I found out about it, I promised myself that I’d somehow go on that ride … although it took me until 1978 to do so, because the i…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Great Job RAGBRAI in the forum RAGBRAI L – 2023 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Mike Murphy said: “There was no excuse for the mandatory gravel section we had to ride, I don’t care if the bridge got washed out the night before, you don’t send a road bike ride on a gravel road.“

Oh no? Ever seen coverage of the Paris-Roubaix road race, one of the Spring Classics in France? Or how about the Tour de France itself, which wi…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Thanks from an injured rider in the forum RAGBRAI L – 2023 4 months, 1 week ago

Broken pelvis –ouch! |

Can’t speak to a broken pelvis, but I did take a bad fall on 1 June last year and sustained a compound fracture of the left femur (also broke the knob off my left humerus and my cracked my right radius). Ended up with a titanium rod running the length of the bone and six or eight screws to stabilize everything. I was up…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Just noticed after TJ and before Matt in the forum RAGBRAI L – 2023 5 months, 3 weeks ago

I remember when RAGBRAI participants were more concerned with the route, the road conditions, the weather, and where the campgrounds were located than with who or what the towns were providing for entertainment. And do you know something? I think I had more fun in the earlier years, when Karras and Kaul and Benson were in charge, than any…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Tire stem problem in the forum RAGBRAI L – 2023 7 months ago

This reminds me of the weight-saving craze of the seventies, when steel was real and a sub-thirty pound bike was something only professional cyclists could aspire to. As a result, drilled-out equipment – brake levers, chain rings, crank spiders, brake arms, derailleur cages, and even rims – were all the rage in the quest to bring down weigh…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Any hammock campers? in the forum RAGBRAI L – 2023 12 months ago

Back in the early years when I was still riding, the towns were still able to put the traveling circus that was RAGBRAI all pretty much in one location, and often times that location was the local fairgrounds. I didn’t depend strictly on a hammock but I carried a mesh one with me (it rolled up into a pouch about the size of a baseball). If we…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic How to better motivate "bandits" to register in the forum RAGBRAI L – 2023 1 year ago

“5. Could you somehow only allow registered riders on these Forums or the various FB pages? “

Don’t really think that’s a wise idea. I rode RAGBRAI annually between 1978 and 2000 (missing only one for reasons I don’t want to go into at this time), and was registered each and every time, even though the last ten years or so was always with…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Official jersey with team name in the forum RAGBRAI L – 2023 1 year, 1 month ago

They did that back in 1997 (RAGBRAI XXV) and 1998 (RAGBRAI XXVI), but as I recall it required the team be large enough to make it worthwhile doing a couple dozen or so (as opposed to maybe three or four), so the jerseys that got made were for larger groups like the Quad City Bicycle Club, Des Moines Cycle Club, Rainbow Cyclists, and a few others…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic RAGBRAI L Logo launches today in the forum Miscellaneous 1 year, 1 month ago

Most riders arrive in the start town on Saturday – in fact, when I rode with Rainbow Cyclists of Waterloo/Cedar Falls, I’d be on the ‘early’ bus that got to the start town on Friday night! That way I had time to shake down the bike, usually with a short ride over to the river to do the wheel dip, and take in some of the activities that the s…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Past route maps in the forum Miscellaneous 1 year, 2 months ago

I too have wondered why the Register themselves haven’t made such a collection available, either as a physical printed book or an online resource accessible from this site, like the grid showing the start, finish, and overnight towns.

But they haven’t, so you’re probably going to have to wait for some individual who has these four things:
1) A…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Team Advantage? in the forum Clubs, Teams & Charters 1 year, 2 months ago

The ‘getting back and forth’ issue is a strong one, and that’s why I was a member of Rainbow Cyclists in the 1980s and 1990s. As a member, all I had to do was to get myself to Waterloo and meet the bus, and they took care of getting me to the start (and back to Waterloo and my vehicle from the finish)… although having them haul my baggage in o…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Front bike lights in the forum RAGBRAI XLIX – 2022 1 year, 3 months ago

Ben, most if not all states have bicycle laws on the books calling for white lights facing forward and red lights to the rear. Some of the older laws may even specify a distance from which they must be visible. Personally, I’d just as soon leave it that way, as when I am a motorist and see a red light (steady or flashing), I don’t have to try…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic 2023 Overnights? in the forum RAGBRAI XLIX – 2022 1 year, 3 months ago

Mark Robb said: “My thoughts are that they really aren’t going to take towns that they were just in as a factor for the 50th.”

Normally, no … but this is a one-time thing, so to my mind we’re dealing with a clean slate here. Old traditions and customs are completely off the table for this one time only.

And historically, RAGBRAI

HAS

ret…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Front bike lights in the forum RAGBRAI XLIX – 2022 1 year, 4 months ago

Surlyman, you are correct that flashing lights may have adverse effects on people with epilepsy, but research shows that the flashing frequency that causes this falls within a known and therefore relatively uncommon rate — 5 to 30 flashes PER SECOND (emphasis mine). If ALL flashing lights were likely to do this, why aren’t we seeing more peop…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic RAGBRAI 50TH JERSEY DESIGN in the forum Miscellaneous 1 year, 4 months ago

Well, the 25th Anniversary jersey wasn’t a bad design; maybe take that and work from there?

Although, in honor of John Karras, I’d almost like to see a ‘throw-back’ jersey. Something like this…

(note the pockets in the front on Papa RAGBRAI’s jersey, so his pen was always close to hand!)

So, whomever it may concern, forget the elaborate fo…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Annual notice to e-bikers… in the forum RAGBRAI XLIX – 2022 1 year, 6 months ago

Back to e-bikes …

If they are, as some people here keep insisting, “motor-assisted bicycles”, then why is it all the ads I see them in never show the rider ever turning the pedals? I suppose then, if you kick-start a Kawasaki, it is therefore a “pedal-assisted bicycle” too.

-“BB”-

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Annual notice to e-bikers… in the forum RAGBRAI XLIX – 2022 1 year, 6 months ago

I used to have a big, spring-loaded two-tone bell which gave out with a loud (by comparison to the other cycling bells of the time) “BING-BONG!” whenever I activated it. Of course, that was also back in the day before even iPods when cyclists rode their bikes, looked around, and interacted with other riders instead of immersing themselves in…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic what to do with my bike overnight (self-supported rider)? in the forum RAGBRAI XLIX – 2022 1 year, 6 months ago

“…Seeing someone locking there [sic] bike is a insult to all in the Ragbrai community.”

There’s an old saying that goes, “Locks keep honest people honest”, and there’s another truism that if someone wants your bike badly enough, no lock is going to protect it. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to ride RAGBRAI, but during the 21 years w…[Read more]

"Bicycle Bill" replied to the topic Annual notice to e-bikers… in the forum RAGBRAI XLIX – 2022 1 year, 6 months ago

By e-bikers, are you referring to those with the electric motorcycles, or those of us who, for one reason or another, are unable to be on the road physically and will have to enjoy the week vicariously from behind our keyboards and monitors?

-“BB”-

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