Why every cyclist needs a pool noodle

https://qz.com/1620913/the-best-cycling-hack-is-a-pool-noodle/

by ubasu • 7 years ago

47 29 7 years ago

I'll have to admit, that's pretty clever and the best actual use for a pool noodle I've ever seen. I still don't understand what exactly you're supposed to do with a pool noodle.

fingerlocks• 7 years ago

I like to sit on them float in an upright position, like being in a chair. You can hold a beer in one hand maneuver around with the other.

dfmooreqqq• 7 years ago

I have a 5 year old who comes up with a new use for a pool noodle every time he's in the pool. A raft, an octopus, blowing water through it, a spy glass,... The simplest toys have seemingly infinite uses.

duxup• 7 years ago

Kids hit each other with them.

Based on my kids enthusiasm it seems to be a good product.

m1n1• 7 years ago

This also deters the user from speeding between two lanes of traffic that has stopped ... a deed that carries with it some risk and that probably irks some drivers.

barongrounds• 7 years ago

I'm a motorcyclist and do this regularly and legally on Sydney's narrow streets. It is quite safe. For leg powered cyclists riding with a reasonable degree of care it is certainly safer than the regular flow of moving traffic.

Pinckney• 7 years ago

/r/Motorcycles had this posted a couple days ago:

https://i.redd.it/59jp81szfdy21.jpg

A bicyclist likely would have lost their legs, if they survived at all.

Meanwhile, the risk of lanesplitting is that might sideswipe somebody and need to pay to get their paint fixed.

viburnum2• 7 years ago

Use a metal pipe. Drivers care more about scratching the paint of their car than they do murdering a human.

viraptor• 7 years ago

You mean, if someone drives too close, you prefer your whole bike to be pushed over? Because that metal pipe would have to be mounted in a secure way / not fall off accidentally.

mantap• 7 years ago

Only the end needs to be metal. In fact it just has to look metal. Wrapping with kitchen foil would probably have the required deterrent effect. It would also look hilarious.

viburnum2• 7 years ago

Good point

throwaway875u58• 7 years ago

Side note: I commute to work on a bike occasionally. My commute isn't long (~3miles) and I try to be considerate and move to the side when possible, stop at stop signs, not run lights, not sneak up while waiting at stop lights, and stay off the sidewalk. You know: behave like a considerate driver sharing the road.

The reason I do this is because all the bikes I see when I drive are flagrantly disregarding traffic laws and acting like they own the road. These pool noodlers seem like they are doing more of the same.

I wish they got pulled over by cops more often because all they are doing is endangering everyone else who is actually sharing the road.

Cyclists are why I have a dashcam.

blacksmith_tb3• 7 years ago

My response, when I hear someone tell me that they see cyclists breaking the law, is to ask how many - in a given day. Five? Ten? Sure, I could believe that. Then I ask them how many drivers they see breaking the law in a given day...

projectileboy3• 7 years ago

Bicyclists where I live - even otherwise well-behaved bicyclists - routinely violate traffic laws all the time. I guess we live in different towns, but where I live I don’t also see drivers regularly blasting through red lights when they get tired of waiting.

imtringued• 7 years ago

The length of the pool noodle is equal to the minimum safe passing distance. If you touch it you're breaking the law.

dwighttk• 7 years ago

These pool noodlers seem like they are doing more of the same.

why?

willio58• 7 years ago

The sad thing is that the type of driver that comes closer than 3 feet to a cyclist has a good chance of being the type of person who would be enraged by this. Could result in more conflict than its worth.

swsh2• 7 years ago

I cycle and also occasionally tow (which puts me in the group of annoying slow road users). My frustration with these type of articles is they only ever ask for the road to be shared, but do not share the road themselves. As a slower road user you should also be considerate of other road users. An example would be when towing and driving at a more sedate pace, when it comes to passing lanes - SLOW DOWN - to allow the pile up of cars behind you to pass. However most people simply maintain their speed, ignorant of the building frustration behind them. By slowing down you might add 30seconds to your travel time, but give 10-20 people back minutes to their travel time (a net win for society!).

In this case if the cyclist periodically slowed down and moved to the shoulder when going downhill (or in general), the pile up of cars and frustration might be mitigated.

"Through my eyeglass-mounted mirror, I watch cars inevitably pile up behind me. When the terrain flattens out and I move back to the shoulder, a stream of cars pass me."

I'd argue that the pool noodle may have unintended consequences, and will most likely increase road rage. It seems to scream EMPOWERMENT ("taking back the road"), but I think it leans more towards SELFISH BITCH.

JPKab• 7 years ago

Thank you for this.

She wasnt commuting here: this was a vacation/personal challenge ride. Meanwhile, cars piled up behind her age probably people going to work or hauling goods.

I really think the bourgeoisie image that modern cycling and it's conspicuous consumption attitude (my coworkers mostly ride 3-5000 dollar bikes) that converted simple affordably machines to status symbols has fueled more resentment from motorists.

projectileboy3• 7 years ago

My God, thank you for this comment. I live in Minneapolis, which is very bike friendly (at least for the US). The majority of bicyclists are well behaved and just want to share the road, but an alarming number of bicyclists seem to think that taxpayer funded roads were built with only them in mind. The sense of entitlement is astounding.

jjeaff3• 7 years ago

And not to forget that many of these roads are maintained with fuel taxes.

Zanni• 7 years ago

If cars are piling up behind you, you should pull over to let them pass--even if you are in a car--but only if it's safe to do so. The implication in the article is that it's not safe ("to protect myself from stumbling off the edge"), so the "selfish bitch" is the one screaming at the cyclist, not the cyclist herself.

swsh2• 7 years ago

Read the sentence immediately preceding the one you quoted, her reasoning is to "bask in a glorious downhill". She needs the full width of the road to give a larger margin of error due to speed and to maximize her enjoyment.

A simple considerate solution would be to slow down and pull over.

The crux of the issue is that people of every persuasion, be it cyclist or driver, would never consider inconveniencing themselves or sacrificing their enjoyment for the good of others. i.e. they are selfish.

Why every cyclist needs a pool noodle

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