E-bikes are not legal to ride in HK (not that that stops anyone!) and a huge phenomenon in China. Rules of the road in HK are followed more or less, but have to watch out for truck, van, and bus drivers who can be a bit homicidal.

Envious re the rail trails!

Despite my politics being ultra-reactionary can’t help myself in supporting cycling initiatives which tend to come mainly from the other side. Guess willing to sell out some of my principles for a bike lane! 😀

I absolutely keep my political trap shut when out on the bike — especially back in the West.

I love, love! riding in traffic. In my 20s I applied for a job as a bike messenger in Chicago, but got an offer at higher pay for a factory job before the messenger company got back to me. I would have loved doing that! It’s just that now I’m a lot less invincible than I used to be so I’ve learned to limit myself. Mortality has its downside.

As you know, right of way goes the opposite direction here in the U.S., but that doesn’t mean motorists actually pay any attention to cyclists, with or without motors.

Many states in the U.S. have been serious about building up trails and paths and making connections. Options just keep getting better and better. Communities took old, unused rail spurs and made them multi-use paths and cyclists formed political groups at the local level to get approval for long range plans, connecting paths all over the place, even across states.

E-bikes are catching on here. Harley Davidson even makes a model. I first noticed them in heavy use on tours catering to folks in their 50s and 60s while working in Europe about 10 years ago.

Fair enough… and so much the better if you’re blessed with cycle paths and rail trails where you live. 30 years! I wish I’d had the good sense to start doing this when I was much younger.

Riding in traffic is an eye-opener re one’s fellow humans + keeps one’s wit and reflexes exercised. So there’s that.

There’s not a lot of flat terrain in Hong Kong, so climbing legs are a thing here. Longest possible climb is 10km at 10% and there are plenty of shorter and steeper climbs, ramps, and just plain walls. Disk brakes were a huge game changer here and the days of guys blowing out their carbon rims on descents are thankfully over. Standard road bike setup here is 50/34 in front and 11-28 or 11-32 in back.

Because of the hills and an oppressive climate for 6 months of the year, mostly ride road bikes for exercise/adrenaline around sunrise. It’s a real pleasure to be able to ride overseas and have many flattish kilometers of roads and lanes and bike paths to explore and that’s something I’ve missed during this Plague Year.

Also have a Brompton and a Moulton space frame bike — more suited to leisurely days out in the New Territories during the cooler months. These kind of quirky bikes are popular in Asia because go well with crowded public transport. Also it’s a rite of passage to climb steep hills on under-geared Bromptons and descend them at speed — two things they’re not really intended for!

Back to the radar. I’ve found it most helpful when riding fast or into a headwind. Wind noise makes it difficult to hear traffic approaching from behind. It seems to reduce the stress caused by not knowing what’s behind me. Definitely feel more relaxed in these conditions despite the safety aspect being more illusory than real given that I have no control over what the vehicle will or will not do.

Never heard of it. Just looked it up. Probably not necessary for me as I try to avoid traffick’ed roads as much as possible these days. I used to be fearless, but I had a bad, non-cycling related fall that messed up one of my arms for quite awhile. I’m now much more aware of my non-immortality!

Over 30 years I cycle commuted to various offices from various domiciles many, many, many… times, always in heavy traffic. One of those would have been very useful then.

What kind of riding do you do?

“It (sic) amazing how quick he moved to do the damage.”

Almost like it had cat-like reflexes?

I know she’s doing it as a tribute to Etta James, and she gives Etta much praise during the lead in (and seems sincere), but… Well, it’s personal taste but I do not think the student has surpassed the teacher here. Especially when Etta did it sui generis, with nothing else to go on. Well, there were other recordings of the song (it was nearly 20 years old when Etta recorded it), but she turned it on its head.

Have you put a Garmin Varia radar on the back of your bike(s)? Got one last year and it’s brilliant. Sensitive enough to pick up cyclists coming up behind as well as regular road traffic.