hohum

^ Those are the same rumblings I have heard, but we shall see if its all just rumors or not. I hope J-R keeps his hands on Lavomatic. Greenup and Chalk were not my favorites anyhow.

I'd highly recommend JeanRo for the dinner after (won't be too bad price wise if you aren't drinking). Also, around the corner Twist is nice but its mostly coctails, but a nice place to hang out. If'n your in the mood for a ton of meat, Boi na Braza brazillian steakhouse is a good choice as well. For a non drinker, not sure what I'd recommend after, there's lots and lots of cool bars and clubs in up in OTR, but thats all dependent on how comfortable she'd be there. Via Vite on fountain square would also be a great choice.

I like the mtb's alright, but I find something in between best for urban commuting (just my preference). For long distance rides, there I have to use my street bike. I do like to get off the beaten path if I can, I also dig biking down the steps when its possible ;) But after the last accident, I think I'll be avoiding that!

A bit? Baha, understatement of the century right there!

OK, here is the first set of stores that have a batch of the bumper stickers: Urban Eden 1305 Gallery on Main St. Metronation Mica 12v Park +Vine Outside City Cellars I may well get them out to a few more locations later in the week. But for now, stop by your favorite locale and pick one up :) The suggested retail price was $1, but we gave the merchants the flexibility to price them as they would like, but they should all be in the $1 to $2 range I would figure. And when you go, remember how much the streetcar could do for those neighborhoods!

As soon as I hear back from Brad about the list of stores we distributed them to, I will let y'all know (he was the one keeping notes about which stores eventually got some). We distributed to something like 7 or 8 stores I think.

^ Putting that in even more perspective, if you only fill each car to 10% of its capacity, you have your ridership (each car holding roughly 170 people)

I'd be happy to bring a few around to the stores if I can get em from ya. I'll be doing the rounds about noon today, so if ya wanna get me some, it'd have to be real soon ;)

^ Too many. Its actually hard to figure how many spots per unit because of the giant riverfront garage that is part of the plan. If I had to venture a guess though, its not in that 1 - 1.5 spots per unit sweetspot as it was planned well before the TOD "boom" But I bet UncleRando knows :)

I love that a numbers guy needed a spreadsheet to do what I did in my head based on his figures. I further love that a "numbers" guy didn't account for any kinds of traffic patterns whatsoever (There will clearly be times when more than his average will ride, and less, as well as special events, etc) *sigh* On a different note, on the drive in to work today (I had to drive because some chump stole my bike seat), I heard some radio coverage of the Streetcar on VXU. Basically, Hamilton county (namely Pepper) complaining about how the funding plan draws from the Banks TIF District, and how "that money was for the banks." -- Was anyone following the reworking of the TIF districts after the court decisions? I don't seem to recall anyone saying then that the Banks TIF was to be used only for the Banks project itself. (Of course, all of this rumbling neglects that TIF money has to be used for projects in the district and ummm, guess what, the streetcar will be serving the banks *cough*)

Or it refers to the Kool Aid of the infamous electric kool aid acid experiments... either way, doesn't make sense.

Man I hate Bronson. Could he be more derogatory or paint a more one sided picture? Seriously, there were honest and good questions asked, and there were some takers there, even some takers from unexpected walks of life. Further, if the man can't get a single number right, he may want to get out of the "facts" game.

Heh, I thought of blurring those, but yeah its a 2 year renewal (based on the wife's birthday) Brad and I will be distributing these to several stores in OTR tomorrow. I'll be following up with details of where they are available as soon as we distribute them.

So here are some pictures, on one of the first cars. Details soon on availability :) Poor application job (blame the beer) but yeah, available soon!

If streetcar keeps going as planned, and is operational mid 2011, there should be the first units at the banks coming online at the same time, along with the queen city tower

Talk to the guys at Campus Cyclery. I lost my bottom bracket tool, and I went to them to buy a new bottom bracket and they kindly let me replace it there in the shop. I have some tools, chain tools, and rear cassette tool, etc, but no headset cup press unfortunately.

Heh, thats just one of the bikes in the stable, the daily commuter. Yeah, it does have huge tubes, and the tires are also larger than they could be (but its a trade off here, I still ride in places I probably shouldn't). That front fork is absolutely the next thing to go (the stupid suspension seat post shown in the picture is already gone for a savings of 1.2 lbs, WOO HOO). 100% agreed on the suspension on city bikes -- USELESS. That front shock so bothers me... But like you said, it is indeed a converted mountain bike. The frame for me is a trade off. I'd love to have a frame that weighs as little as my road bike, but I've been bashed by drivers, buses, and stupid maneuvers riding down stairs and the like (see reason for the conversion on that bike). Heck, I think my road bike fully dressed weighs less than the frame of my commuter. But, I wouldn't leave my road bike locked up outside of work unless I was well insured (I lost my first carbon frame this way in a matter of 15 minutes inside of my work - before I could even get to my desk where I can look out the window to where I lock my bike). I've completely torqued my share of frames, and for the daily beater that I am not afraid of locking up pretty much anywhere, it works for that purpose. There is still more weight to lose though! Note - that my statements about weight are about removing weight, and simplifying the bike. As you can see, for at least that ride, I started with a very heavy machine. Its not just the absolute weight, its the "zen" of the ride type deal too. Eh, I'm just a nutter about bikes and playing around with em... But its FUN! But, back to bike buying advice - go to the local shops, get PROPERLY fitted for a bike, and try em out. We can all disagree about what we must have on a commuting bike, and as you can see, there are all sorts of things you can do to add or remove features that you discover are useful to you. But watch out, its addictive (*see above*) ;)

Nuff said ;) Of note, the 3 speed doesn't provide enough gearing for truly hilly cities such as Cincinnati. If I had the loot, I'd go with the 7 speed around here, in a flatter city, there's no doubt that I'd go 3 speed. (That is, if I were of the mind to actually add weight to my bike ;) Edit - Actually, on the hub note, if I really had the money I'd probably go with a continuously variable rear hub instead of the 3 or 7 speed... http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/nuvinci.html Again, I may be nutty about this, but I am all about the absolute minimum. Anything I don't have to carry is energy I have to move me from point A to point B. All said, I've removed about 7 lbs from my bike, and I certainly notice that difference.

Also, Monzel's number of 226 is based off a different number of hours of operation, and a different number of days of operation. His total hours of operation is off by about 33 percent (under) from what is proposed, so you can reduce that ridership number by that factor. He did not clarify if it was per car or system wide, but the way he used that number he seemed to be talking about the system as a whole (at least during last nights debate).

504g is more than a lb of weight, by comparison, my rain suit weighs 300g (and I only carry it on days when the forecast has some chance of rain). IF I could get easily removable both front and rear fenders, I might consider it. That said, I don't walk my bike because of rain, like ever... You also have to remember, that I am a bicycle minimalist. If it doesn't absolutely have to be on my bike, its not on my bike (I fully admit I am kinda nutty like that). As far as the helmet question, I wear a city helmet that looks more like a bulked up black ball cap than a helmet. I wear it on almost all rides. I have lights as well, but those only get put on when I will be doing night riding.

Heh, this is true... Always good to quote the definitive source! Seriously though, if you are using the bike for all the time commuting, you really should be wiping it down after riding in the rain. I am not convinced that my chain got any less grime from rain riding with vs. without fenders - also I wipe it down and wax fairly frequently. As far as derailleurs, GET RID OF EM. As far as lower races, well there is no contesting that (and bottom bracket for that matter). But these parts, they all will need replacing after time. Screw fenders, its just more weight! (or not, if you don't do day to day maintenance)

;)

^ I think YOU have hit the nail on the head as regards conservative vs. liberal views of rail systems. I find myself on a hard line on these issues. Generally, I am a social liberal - I believe in government spending on social policy, especially where the market is ill suited to provide the desired service. I believe that along with the conservative version of government (as well put above as providing military, police, economic infrastructure) there is another role for government, to provide those services which the private sector alone cannot adequately provide. Social security is a perfect example - social security is an insurance plan that is need based, and existing condition blind. NO private insurer could do this because they would HAVE to take on some percentage of aid recipients who will never pay into the system - a serious losing money proposition. This is what Social Security does now, and unless you take the extreme view that "the uninsurable" should do without and just die, well , we need to provide some minimal baseline. So, I am for government spending on these types of programs that I see the private sector is ill suited to provide (the marketplace would dictate a result I disfavor) However, in other cases, where the market could provide, but does not provide, then I think there needs to be a justification for that spending, in real dollars and sense, ROI fashion. Sometimes, what the private sector needs is a good kick in the pants to realize that there is indeed a market for something, and I think this can be justifiable government spending (where the return is plausible). From my perspective, modern rail systems, such as the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar, fall into this latter category. The market could provide, but it does not yet see the value. Show them the returns that such systems can yield, and its a whole new ball game.

Hah, now that is funny ;) Nah, I wipe the bike down after riding in the rain anyhow (as everyone who respects their bike should, fenders or not ;))

I still think a rain suit is a better answer than fenders. You can strip it off and no matter what you have to wear to work, its dry and protected. Fenders prevent swamp ass, rain suits protect everything. Best site out there with tons and tons and tons of great info.