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North memorial?

I used to live a half a block from it.

Screen names could become invisible and I'd know birdbrains post still.
What a dork.

You're riding a bicycle to work all year round in Minnesota, at night, through a dangerous neighborhood?

...and here I was thinking I had to be the worst financial planner on the board

And what? You don't think some guys here just wanna vent spite without actually doing anything?

Birdwatcher

I might be the only other person here who commutes through urban areas on a bike at night.

Fer me I gotta have something old and drab to avoid attracting attention. No lights on or reflectors at all so that I can travel in stealth mode. I do not need to be "seen by traffic", I can avoid cars fine.

A seven speed freewheel on a twenty-five year old bike works fine. Not much steep terrain around here. 26" wheels OK too, if only because there ain't any 29" mountain bikes old and beat up enough yet.

Likewise a bicycle helmet around here at night spells "V I C T I M". Bicycles are far more likely to wreck than motorcycles IME but a helmet be would just too much of a liability. I just don't ride real fast where I cant see well is all and hope not to go down too hard.

Gotta be a mountain bike, just too many places a skinny front tire can hang up, especially in the dark. Likewise a good sprung front fork is indispensable, on a rigid I've had the bars jolted clean out of my hands by a curb when I weren't paying attention. It weren't pretty, if I'd of had a front suspension and I'd not have gone down.

'Course the fork does upgrade the visuals on the bike a it, nothing to be done about that.

Any good street-oriented mountain bike tire will be fine, long as it has some aggressive tread alongside the center band one normally rolls on. I still use those Kevlar strips 'tween tube and tire, rarely get flats. Usually run on 60 psi.

Regular walking shoes, no clip ons, I have cages on the large size on the pedals, no straps.

Like you I expect, firearms are prohibited at work. An old loose shirt worn over my regular clothes and an old camo cap along with my beard and in the dark I can pass for an old homeless-type guy, or close too it. Pants legs tucked into my socks (so they don't hang up).

I've packed bear spray on occasion, never had to use it. Thought about contact/edged weaponry like blades and clubs and such. All of that and I still love that commute, a bright part of my day both ways

If you've a mind to I'd be interested in hearing what works for you.

Birdwatcher

Actually, I'm doing just fine financially. No car payments, 2012 Toyota Sienna in the garage, place in Hawaii, cabin up by Perham. No debt other than 8 years left on a (small) mortgage.

I'm also in pretty good shape from riding that ten-miles each-way to work.

Thanks for making incorrect assumptions though. It says a lot about your critical thinking skills.....

I have not read every page in this thread.

No need.

From traveling far and wide, I knew I needed to train my offspring in a wide variety of skillsets, including martial ones.

My little girls are no more immune to violence than anyone else, however they will be prepared to meet violence with their own, immediately going on the offensive, at level of proficiency that your average street thug may not expect from a "cute little cowgirl".



Below she is shooting hot 230 grain Blazer .45s through my Flattop at 9 years old..

As for what works, I commute mostly on a Diamondback Ascent mountain bike (1991 vintage, bought when I was stationed at Lejune) converted to a single-speed.

I have a pannier bag on a rack, as I don't like the lack of mobility a backpack or messenger bag gives.

I use puncture resistant 1.5" slicks or Nokian studded tires depending on the time of year.



I have a Nightrider 600 lumen front light and use a Planet Bike Superflash Blinky on the back.

Thankfully, I have a locked bike-cage at the hospital I work at that has security cameras pointed right at it, so having it in there and locked with a cable lock is worry-free.

From a couple summers ago.





I will put my money on her coming out the victor by the time she flies our nest.

That is what they call "good parenting" there.

you're kid is a doll Mackay, what great pix to wake up to!


kudos to you for teaching her valuable life skills and making it fun for her.

that last pic, that lil gal has game face

I could almost pity the fool that decides cause he outweighs her by a hundred pounds she'll have to do what he says. Almost, poor bastid, hope he survives it.

I have tought my DILs to shoot... except for my Cop DIL.

But

The Cop is the only DIL to Carry


My boys all Carry

Snake

The one in baby blue appears to be left eye dominant/right handed. Is it too late to train her to shoot lefty?

It's not a handicap with handguns.

I've been doing it for years,..and did it good enough to shoot quite a few Triple A IHMSA scores in production class.

It's much easier to use your left eye than your left hand.

No problem Bub, doesn't bother me to be held in contempt <shrug>

And some guy posts he lives in an all-White county on purpose and its incorrect for me to ask him if he doesn't feel like a pu$$y? Why is that exactly?

And I'll ask you again the question you avoided, you don't think a lot of guys on these threads just b&tch and do nothing? And if that is so, then what is wrong with my reasoning?

And what are the odds that a person with a place in Hawaii and a cabin somewhere else pretty would be involuntarily stuck working in a place they "cant wait to get out of" while obliged to expose themselves to serious danger most very night after work on a bicycle.

Clearly you choose to work where you do and choose to expose yourself to danger. Why then would you ask me if I would feel contempt for yourself?

Only fault I can see in my reasoning is that I prob'ly AM the worst financial planner on the board And the only reason I'd mention that in the first place is to make you feel like you weren't alone if you were even worse'n me. OK, how is THAT faulty reasoning?

Birdwatcher

On account of it has a back brake I'm guessing it has a freewheel. Some folks swear by single speeds with no freewheel (ie. the pedals are turning as long as the back wheel is turning). Might be true I guess, and no problem unless your feet ever come off of the pedals at speed, or your finger never gets caught between chain and sprocket while spinning the back wheel (I've seen the pics )

Couldn't run slicks myself on account of there's times when I need to ride off of the edge of the road to avoid traffic. Likewise, ice and snow ain't ever a problem down here. I use saddlebags (panniers) hung off of a Blackburne rack. Down here a backpack makes you sweat to much

Birdwatcher

Hey Birdwatcher, are you headed to Ferguson?

why?

So you can go right back into the front lines