Saul (the mechanic) was too busy to do the work, but it was a good place to stop the video, since I'd alread exceeded the 15 minute YouTube limit (I edited out a few stoplight waits to get it under).
I took off early from work, in order to make sure the sun was out for the duration of the video; unfortunately, this means traffic was lighter than normal, so it doesn't demonstrate urban lowracer commuting as well as I'd like, but....doing it in the crepuscule was not gonna work.
So, here it is, with lots of examples of me taking the lane when appropriate, yielding to motorists when appropriate, waving furiously at motorists to make sure they see me, waiting patiently in line behind cars at stoplights, etc.....y'know all that Forester stuff about 'driving your bike like a vehicle'.
Twice, on this commute, I had motorists give me a grin and a big thumbs-up, and I was bummed out to find none of this shows on the video at all. One thing I'm struck by, given I reviewed the video right after experiencing the ride, is how much less visual info goes into the camera as compared to what is going into my brain through my eyes. I see a lot more than the camera does; I'd be terrified to do this if what shows on camera was all I could see. I'm still at a loss as to why folks think I would see more if I were up higher; I ride the same route on the time on my TiRush, and the main difference is that it's easier to turn my head to 160 degrees'ish on the more upright bike, plus the TiRush can turn a much tighter slow speed turn. But I can turn my head all 'round on the TiCa, too...it just takes more effort. My mirror situation is a little better on the lowracer than on the socked TiRush, where I'm limited to just my eyeglass Take-A-Look mirror. However, on that style bike, I could probably do the commute without too much trouble with no mirror at all, given the ease of turning my head, and the stock upright seating. In any case, it's all a matter of degree, and adaptation to the characteristics of each platform; the vehicular cycling principles are the same.
The biggest thing I can see that is risky on the lowracer is getting at all close to other cars; the lines of parked cars on the left on Blanchard in this video (during the first part), and the ones on the right on Dexter later on, are the biggest hazard. I am very, very aware of just how close I am to these vehicles, and where the vertical sight lines are for someone sitting in the driver's seat of them. It's second nature to constantly be gauging this. There's a big van parked on the left side early on in this video, and there was a real risk that some smaller car was hidden behind him; you better believe I was watching my speed, watching out, hand on the brake (that front disc brake is the bomb). Of course, bicycle height is a non-issue here; I could've been riding a penny-farthing and that van would still have effectively obscured me from view from a vehicle behind it.
Similarly, anyone at cross streets on Dexter is a potential problem, given the line of parked cars on the right, obscuring me from them. Again, my bike's height has nothing to do with this. It'd be exactly the same on a roadbike; the idea that they'd see my helmet (were I riding a roadbike, or something higher than the lowracer) bobbing above the line of parked cars is ludicrous. The best defense here is to be very, very aware, watching for this, to take the lane when I can (the further out into the center I am, the better they see me from the side), and I also do a lot of friendly waving (at least, it's my hope it's perceived as friendly, and mainly, that's it's perceived :)). I've ridden this road on my roadbike in years past, and the issues are identical. The idea that the sightline is better on a higher bike is a confused notion, once you examine the geometry.
(disclaimer: rank opinionated bloviation follows)
In any case, I have yet to have a close call on this commute (knock on wood). I give a lot of credit to Seattle motorists. It's de rigeur for cyclists to knock the motorists, but....it's my perception that Seattle motorists obey the law better and put up from sub-par behavior from Seattle cyclists much more than the other way around. I don't have a lot of patience for cyclists who use their vulnerability to cars as an excuse to engage in non-vehicular behaviors (running stoplights, hopping curbs, basically doing anything a car can't do because it's bigger). Of course, it's only my opinion, but...Washington state law is pretty clear on this subject, and that's not a matter of opinion. Folks who disagree can work to get it changed, but just to disobey it because they don't like it? I don't get why we as a society are so worried about prosecuting victimless crimes (I'll refrain from naming the obvious here; but read between the lines), yet traffic violations are somehow considered unimportant, misdemeanors that we mostly tolerate; we don't really want the police enforcing these.
I'm all for American's freedom, but...somehow I don't think freedom to violate the laws of the public roadways was what the Founders had in mind when we seceded from Great Britain.
(ok, enough editorializing).
