Author: Kim Camara
Doggone it !!!
Doggone It!
ByBob Mionske
When chased, crashed or bitten by a charging canine, here’s where you stand.
Every cyclist has had a piece of a dog’s mind at one time or another. To a dog, you may be fleeing prey or a trespasser; in either case, the canine will often give chase. In a flatout race, you might leave the dog behind. But when the animal is waiting ahead of you, ambushes you from the side or chases you up a hill, all bets are off. To a cyclist being chased, it may seem that the dog is the problem. In fact, it is the owner’s failure to exercise control over the pet that leads to the conflict—and to the owner’s potential liability.
CRASH You may collide with the dog, which could bring you down, or you might simply lose control and fall trying to evade the barking animal. In either case, depending on the circumstance, the dog’s owner may be found liable for your injuries. On the other hand, you have no liability if the dog is injured incidentally; if you intentionally harm the dog, you will face potential liability.
HIT Even if you foil the dog’s attempt to bring you down, there is another danger: traffic. In Northern Ireland, cyclist David McCall was killed in 2008 when he dodged a dog and was hit by a driver who was passing too fast and close. The driver was prosecuted and found guilty of causing McCall’s death. In a civil case, the question is who caused the crash. The cyclist, the driver and the dog’s owner could be at blame to varying degrees. The threat of the dog versus that of traffic depends on the situation, but stopping to face the animal may be preferable to tangling with a dog in traffic.
BITE If teeth meet calf, or some other part of you, the dog’s owner isn’t necessarily going to be punished. In 18 states, the law allows one “free bite”—the owner won’t be held liable for the dog’s misbehavior until he’s made aware of the problem. After the free bite, the owner can be held liable in civil court for any future aggression. Also, “bite” can have a broad legal meaning—it may also involve other aggressive behavior, such as growling, snapping, lunging or chasing.
In 28 states the owner can be held liable for a dog’s behavior the first time it bites—although in some states, “bite” literally means “bite,” while in others it can also mean other aggressive behaviors. Four states have a mixed rule, with both one “free bite” and some elements of strict liability. And local laws, such as leash laws, will come into play when an owner has failed to control the dog.
ATTACK In the rare instance that an encounter escalates to an attack,you have the right to defend yourself. But do not stray beyond the reasonable self-defense that would be allowed against a human attacker, and never retaliate against the dog. The law is on your side; retaliation turns the law against you and could lead to criminal and civil charges if the dog is harmed.
So what should you do when confronted by an angry dog? Some people suggest defusing the situation by stopping, placing your bike between the dog and yourself, and standing your ground without challenging the dog by staring it down. Others swear by giving the dog a firm command. I’m a dog lover, so I like solutions that keep both cyclist and animal safe, but what works in one situation may not work in another. Regardless of the specifics, if you encounter an aggressive dog, report the problem either to law enforcement or to the owner, who will be put on notice to correct the behavior.
Research and drafting by Rick Bernardi, JD.
BOB MIONSKE is the author of Bicycling and the Law. For more information, visit bicyclelaw.com or read his blog.
Winter Hibernation
Well people, in case you haven’t noticed, the shop has gone into winter “hibernation” mode ! Our new relaxed hours are Friday and Saturday from 9-5 ONLY. If you get lonely for a Yesteryear “fix”.. you can check out our new “live cam” link on the sidebar. Here you can keep a constant eye on us and make sure we’re not goofing off !!! You can also leave an email on the “contact us” page and we’ll get back to you but until mid-march it’s weekends only. 2014 looks like a very exciting year in the bicycle industry. Look for lots of FAT BIKES, Electric assist bikes, full suspension ATB’s and especially the brand new 650b ( 27.5) mountain bike. A few companies are offering these for ’14 but GIANT bikes are going to be the hottest and we’re gonna have them.
Just found out that TREK bicycles have aquired Electra bikes ( who make the Townie line ) so distribution should be even better in 2014. Shimano and Pearl Izumi is offering all kinds of new clothing and shoes and we will have it all in the spring. The New Bedford Bicycle Committee is going under a bunch of changes, including a yet to be named new prez, so watch out for tons of news. Group rides, bike path street markings, events, etc. ( www.nbbike.org ). In the early spring the city department of infrastructure will be picking up the Saris workstations from the shop and installing them downtown and at Fort Taber. Look for updates both in the Standard Times and here on the website. Also in the planning is an early spring “Bike Flea Market and Swap Meet” to be held on Yesteryear property. Booths will be available and this will be a great chance to both sell and buy TONS of cool bike stuff. Watch for further details !!!
Well, I’m personally going to pick out a piece of pink sand,
get myself a fruity drink and try to forget about the thousands of bicycles I fixed last year. You, however, need to get those bikes up on that trainer, put on the lycra and start crankin’….. Spring starts Thursday March 20th !!!!
CYA
There’s still time to put a bike under the tree !!!
How bicycles were made in the 1940’s
Back in the mid 19th century, Britain was renown worldwide for its bicycle industry.
In this vintage video by the British Council Film, you’ll get a pretty remarkable look at how workers at a Raleigh bicycle factory built steel bikes almost entirely by hand back in 1945.
Skip to the 11:36 mark to watch one guy prepare more than 1,000 new pedals in an 8-hour shift, and how women were trained to fill new tires and tubes in less than 50 seconds (14:08).
The plant was demolished nearly two decades ago and turned into part of the University of Nottingham. Nice to see a bit of its history still remains.
The Science Behind Why Cycling Makes Us Happier
The Science Behind Why Cycling Makes Us Happier
Photo by kharied – Flickr
You hear so many cyclists gushing about their daily rides that it might be a bit bewildering to imagine how biking could make so many people so happy. As it turns out, the reasons why are firmly grounded in science. Many people don’t realize that happiness emerges from the state of the body as a whole – how well we sleep, our energy levels, the stress hormones coursing throughout our systems all play a role in determining how happy we feel. So how does cycling affect all these different areas of life?
Cycling saves you from the stress of driving
The automobile is the way most of us in North America get around. According to The Guardian drivers report feeling more in charge of their lives than public transit users do. However, despite the positive feelings of control and status experienced by drivers, half of them report disliking their daily commutes. Researchers at Hewlett-Packard found something even more surprising when they monitored the heart rates of British commuters. In rush hour traffic the driver’s heart rates ran as high as 145 beats per minute; that’s more than twice the average heart rate of a healthy young adult. In fact, the commuter’s stress levels were worse than those observed in fighter pilots and riot police. The drivers also suffered from feelings of “impotence.” It’s not difficult to understand why when you contrast the idealized power of the automobile with the constraining reality of traffic congestion.
Cycling is cheap
Consider the cost of owning an automobile. According to Forbes Magazine, the average annual operating cost of a car is $8,220, compared to a $308 annual operating cost of owning a bike. Cycling is 26 times cheaper!
Cycling gives you more energy
The only group of commuters who report enjoying their daily trip to work are the active ones. Pedestrians, runners and cyclists make up that group, and cyclists travel the fastest out of the bunch. But isn’t all that biking going to make you feel more tired than you do already? Counter intuitively, expending the energy needed to bike actually leaves cyclists feeling more awake and less fatigued. A study published in Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics found that riding a bike actually lessened feelings of fatigue by 65% and boosted energy levels by 20%.
That’s because exchanging a driving commute for a biking commute means trading in agonizing bursts of stressful cortisol for invigorating bursts of dopamine, a neurotransmitter linked to energy that is released when we exercise. What’s more, you don’t have to bike hard to reap the benefits – just 3 days a week biking at a low to moderate pace will do the trick. If you want to feel more awake, it’s actually worse to drive.
Cycling helps you sleep better
According to the American Psychological Association getting enough sleep is crucial to feeling happy. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers found that cycling for 20-30 minutes daily helped people with sedentary insomnia fall asleep twice as fast, and increased their time sleeping by nearly an hour. The benefit may also be due in part to the sunlight we soak up when we bike. According to Professor Jim Horne of Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Centre, sunlight helps maintain our natural circadian rhythms and decreases our bodily levels of cortisol, promoting deep regenerative sleep. Sunlight also promotes vitamin D production in the body and leads to better mood according to research at Zayed University’s college of sustainability sciences and humanities.
Cycling improves your skin
If you worry that that additional sun exposure might damage your skin, think again! Bike Radar reported that biking helps protect the skin from the effects of UV radiation by increasing circulation, decreasing levels of toxins, and carrying oxygen and nutrients to the skin, siting research done at Stanford University. Exercise also promotes collagen production to keep the skin elastic and help it repair itself.
Cyclists inhale less pollution
Contrary to popular belief, all that biking actually means you will be exposed to less pollution than car, taxi, and bus riders! A study by the Imperial College of London determined that cyclists are exposed to about 1/5th the levels of pollution inhaled by people in cars.
Cycling promotes brain health
Still not convinced? Then think about the benefits cycling could have on your brain health. According toThe Think Team Researchers from Illinois University found that participants performed 15% better on mental tests after improving their cardio-respiratory fitness by just 5% with biking. They suspect this was due to the fact that exercise helps the brain area responsible for memory – the hippocampus – generate new cells. This positive effect can help ward off Alzheimer’s in the same way.
Cycling makes your heart stronger
The benefits don’t stop at the brain: scientists at Purdue University found that cycling can decrease a person’s risk of heart disease by 50% if enjoyed regularly. Biking as little as 20 miles each week can decrease your risk of heart disease to half that of a sedentary person. This is great news considering the huge toll coping with illness takes on happiness.
What did we learn?
Now that we’ve gone over all the incredibly diverse ways that cycling improves the areas of life linked to happiness, all those joyful stories from cyclists make a lot more sense. Bike riders are so happy about biking because it makes them feel great on many different levels, and now you know why. It’s literally a tune up for the entire body.
Try it for a month…I dare you!
Yesteryear “GIVES BACK”
We are very proud to announce the donation of 2 Saris Cycle Aid Stations to the City of New Bedford. In an effort to promote more cycling in the city, these custom made work stations will be strategically placed. One will be near the entrance to Wing’s Court in downtown and the other near the visitors center at Fort Taber in the south end. It was unanimously agreed that these are the 2 highest cyclist traffic areas in the city. The downtown/Purchase street area has many students from Umass and Fort Taber is a gathering spot for walkers and cyclists both.
Each one of these workstations are built to order and are available in 12 colors. They come equipped with 8 heavy duty tools which are the most commonly used in home repair. Tire levers, pliers, adjustable wrench, torx, phillips and standard screwdrivers make up the set. They are affixed to the workstation with stainless steel cables and are only able to reach the bicycle that is to be serviced. These stands are in use in most major cities throughout the United States and are virtually tamper proof.
In coordination with The New Bedford Bicycle Committee, Mayor Jon Mitchell along with Sarah Clermont who is with Mass in Motion, this whole project was the mastermind of Kim Camara, owner of Yesteryear Cyclery. ” I felt it would be a great idea for both residents and visitors to the city to have a way to fix a minor problem ‘on the fly’ without the need of a service call.” Each workstation has an ID plate with a “QR” code that can be scanned by any smart phone and recieve instant repair tips. Also affixed to the main tubes is a stainless steel plate which states, “Are you in over your head ??? Give us a call.” with the phone number of the bike shop. We will gladly give over the phone advice and tips or arrange for free pickup and transport to the store to better resolve the problem if the need be so.
Look for these workstations and feel free to use them !!!
Cycling weight Loss Success Stories
The question we ask EVERY day !!!
