Hi,

I just joined this group a week or two ago. I also joined the Long
Island Bicycle Club. I like the idea of having a group or
organization, but I don't want to be associated with the "Critical
Mass" rides, which , IMHO, is a disorganized crowd.

I say what "critical mass" means to me is a fifty five pound utility
bicycle, which uses a cargo box as a bumper for protection, like
this:

<http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/00000024-1.jpg>

I live on the North Shore. I don't ride as fast or as far as I used
to. I am getting my stamina back, but I am working on mileage, not
speed. I went forty miles last week, but I had to help my dad work
on some of the properties he owns.
Being a landlord is more difficult than people realize. Some people
have jumped into the business and gave up, selling the property in
less than two years. The cost of putting in new things, like
roofing, floors, refrigerators, stoves, sinks, water-heaters, and
carpeting adds up.
Our last tenant actually stole the toilet, leaving us with a used
1950's era comode in it's place.

Back to the main subject;
I've been trying to put the roads in better condition than when I
found them. I carry a little whisk broom on my bike, and I stop to
sweep broken glass which I find every so often. I wear a reflective
vest and face traffic when doing this, but somebodys got to do it.
In the past I have taken garden shears with me and cut vegetation
back along the road, mostly Bayville Road and Feeks Lane where there
is lots of roadside vegetation. On Horse Hollow Road I was able to
increase visibility from 75 feet to 400 feet, because the road
curves to the right and I cut back several feet. I may have to do it
again thia year. The county (Nassau) DPW doesn't want to do it
because someone might sue them for damaging their hedges. So I sort
of do this in a clandestine manner.
I think overgrown vegetation is a serious threat to cyclists. It
impairs visibility, and alarmed motorists will accuse cyclists of
jumping out of the bushes, rather than blame the person who planted
the bushes too close to the road.

I originaly wanted to start my own bicycle club, and put myself in
the position of clearing road hazards, but I decided to join an
existing club. Why should I do this work for nobody? So now at least
I have a laminated ID card from Long Island Bicycle Club, and I can
say I preparing the road for their ride on Saturday.

Some of you may have more questions about the bike I showed
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/00000024-1.jpg
It was designed by my daughter, Mellisa. It was a number one Google
result in a search for "ladies bicycle" for over a year. It appeared
in bikerodnkustom:
http://mywilson.homestead.com/gallery69.html
<http://mywilson.homestead.com/gallery69.html>
It is supposed to look like a moped, and the fairing (windshield) is
based on the spoiler of the Kenworth truck.
The fiberglass is a quarter inch thick throughout.
I sold the bike for twelve hundred dollars because people were
begging me for it. I had ten other offers in the seven hundred
dollar range, but I held out for $1,200.00
It only cost two hundred seventy in materials, so I imagine there is
a profit potential.
It's really a cargo bike, like they have in the Netherlands, or a
NYC pizza bike, but the box is steamlined.
Fairings don't usually have a place to store cargo inside. My friend
Kevin has a Suzuki Hyabusa and the owners manual says not to store
anything heavier than a pair of sunglasses in the fairing.
I get asked this all the time:
http://www.whatisafairing.com
<http://www.whatisafairing.com>

I've ridden over 135,000 miles since 1972, gone though 28 bicycles.

James Donohue

NFA Vehicles

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