MEAT Engines 2023...

Where do you go to get a bike frame painted now?

Toxic Harold still in open?

Posted by: Kenny

We see it as human powered versus electric.  They see it as bike vs no bike.

I'm spending more time on my local trails on foot. While there seems like a clear difference to me between mountain bike and e-bike in terms of hiker/runner interactions I'm educated in the distinctions. There are issues with mountain bikes and people on foot, but it's at a manageable level since very few mountain bikers can consistently achieve Olympic level power output. E-bikes tip that over to a level of problematic that needs some attention beyond just posting right of way/courtesy signs at the trailhead. So while I would prefer the distinction be human powered vs. motors for changing trail access I can understand/sympathize with it being foot vs. wheels.

Of course bike companies aren't helping by making mountain bikes and ebikes almost indistinguishable. There are no Trail Cops who are going to carefully inspect each machine for specification prior to riding a trail. So it does become more practical to just eliminate wheels on some trails if you want to solve the problem.

Posted by: taprider

Where do you go to get a bike frame painted now?

Toxic Harold still in open?

I heard he had to retire due to health problems? Fresh Paints in Whistler seem to be the go to guys now.

**Posted by: cooperquinn

**I'm honestly less concerned about e-bikes creating access challenges than the explosion in mountain biking as a whole, and just people generally being narcissistic, entitled..... nevermind.

Mmmmmhmmmmmm, hard to stay passionate about advocacy in the current environment

Posted by: grambo

Posted by: taprider

Where do you go to get a bike frame painted now?

Toxic Harold still in open?

I heard he had to retire due to health problems? Fresh Paints in Whistler seem to be the go to guys now.

Aw bummer. I was on the website and the shop seemed open - set up in Richmond. 

Was planning on dropping off a frame for walnut shell blast...

Posted by: fartymarty

Posted by: AndrewMajor

I have been 4-way-stop double-tapped in my car and on my bike so many times lately.

Writing a little piece about it but just a bit behind at the moment.

4-way-stop double-tapped?

The car whose turn it is goes and, knowing everyone else is stopped waiting, the car immediately behind them goes too, right on their bumper (jumps the queue).

The first many times this happened to me it was Teslas and I wondered if maybe it was a ‘feature’ of some self driving mode. But the lady who did it to me yesterday morning (also in a Tesla) had a look of determination that can only be described as “I’M GETTIN’ MINE MUTHA F**KERS!”

No 4-way stop cams or enforcement, so it’s just another example of the gradual erosion of the honour system/decent human behaviour.

Not saying no one queue jumped or ran stop signs in the past, but it’s been happening a lot lately - in my car, on my bike, on foot.

Posted by: tashi

Yep, back underground we go!

This is the answer. 

But I don't think "the industry"/instagram/Strava/keeping up with the MTB joneses/whatever will let the genie back into the bottle.

Velo - same happens here altho I like the DOC approach. The best one we found recently was a used tube at the bottom of a trail which is in the middle of nowhere (as far as you can be in the middle of nowhere in Surrey). It got tied to my backpack and taken home. What kinda animal just throws a tube in the woods... it's almost as bad as roadies and their gel pouches on the side of the road.

As Endurimil said above "shitty humans".

Maybe time for a MEATengines t-shirt- "Fighting Shitty Humans Globally"

Posted by: AndrewMajor

4-way-stop double-tapped?

The car whose turn it is goes and, knowing everyone else is stopped waiting, the car immediately behind them goes too, right on their bumper (jumps the queue).

The first many times this happened to me it was Teslas and I wondered if maybe it was a ‘feature’ of some self driving mode. But the lady who did it to me yesterday morning (also in a Tesla) had a look of determination that can only be described as “I’M GETTIN’ MINE MUTHA F**KERS!”

No 4-way stop cams or enforcement, so it’s just another example of the gradual erosion of the honour system/decent human behaviour.

Not saying no one queue jumped or ran stop signs in the past, but it’s been happening a lot lately - in my car, on my bike, on foot.

Got it.  We don't have many 4-way-stops here - they generally turn them into roundabouts.  But I know the type of people.

"a look of determination that can only be described as “I’M GETTIN’ MINE MUTHA F**KERS!”

A lot of these around here and I'm amazed when it happens at a red light with 2-3 cars bumper to bumper.

I hate dog poop on my shoes or on my tires, but seeing all the dog poop bags on the trails is even worse. If you aren't going to take it with you and throw it into a garbage can FFS use a stick and flick it deep enough off the trail so it's unlikely anyone has to deal with it.

It's not practical in the forest, but I do love those programs some condos use where any dog living there has to be DNA tested and then any poop on the property gets tested and if it's a resident dog they get a nice $300+ fine. I'm sure that woould suddenly change the trail poop levels if that could be enforced more widely.

I can't think of a better way to spend my strata fees than to have someone running around the building and picking up dogpoo to run a DNA test on....

Posted by: fartymarty

I find a similar thing with e cars - it's like the drivers don't think it will hurt if they hit you because their car is electric... as a result they drive like assholes.... or maybe it's more about the "entitled" nature of the drivers.

*some* drivers are just a##holes. It's got nothing to do with whether the car is battery- or dead dinosaur- powered.  The same could be said for mountain bikers.