Windy and windier

Starting with some good news, for the French. The French parliament has passed laws limiting use of electric scooters that we would do well to copy.

• Riding on the pavement will be prohibited unless in designated areas, and then at walking speed only

• Only one rider will be allowed per device, and no mobile phone use will be allowed

• Users cannot go against the traffic flow and must use cycle paths where available

• Riders will not be allowed to wear headphones while on their scooter

• By next July, the scooters' top speed will be capped at 25km/h

• Users riding on permitted faster roads must wear a helmet and high-visibility clothing

• E-scooters will be banned completely on country roads

Any infringement will be punished by a fine of $150, and up to $1,666 for going over the speed limit.

I rode with the Klines this Saturday on a windy 200k. Fortunately Greg pulled us into the worst of it. I tried the veggie baguette at The Crema and it was awesome. Surprisingly it got me all the way to El Monte. 

Stacy wanted to eat somewhere with a view so we eschewed Chronic Tacos and ate at Tequila Jacks which was very busy but Stacy managed to wrangle us some stools at a counter. She ordered a jalapeno margarita which sounded horrible but she liked it. The view was very nice. 

I took the opportunity to try out some new video glasses. They were uncomfortable and had some poor design features. I wouldn't recommend them, but the video was OK.

On Sunday I rode to Beachwood BBQ in Seal Beach with Amber. It was even windier today. Amber had the frittata which looked so good I'm going to try it next time. Finished with a sore butt and legs but it was good practice for building up to my Five Rivers 300k next year and maybe Willie's JTree to Vegas 300k.

Gi Fly folding electric bicycle

I came across this fascinating bicycle while reading an article on Argentina's economy. The bike is made in Argentina primarily for the US market. It has a number of interesting innovations such as a belt drive, proximity locking, solid tires, quick, simple folding, and an ingenious fender that rolls up out of the way. I really like that the top electric-only speed is 15mph. If you want to ride like a maniac you have to pedal. It's called the Gi Fly.

And it looks pretty good on the road too.

What's the cost, I hear you ask? A steal at $2,729 - hmm - more than I'd pay, but I bet it would be perfect for a lot of people.

If you're interested, the technical specs are here.

I do see a couple of potential issues though.

• If the proximity locking is based on being within bluetooth range of your phone, what happens if the bluetooth fails while your're riding? Do the wheels suddenly lock? Ouch!
• I bet that cool rollup rear fender will snap closed every time you hit a bump!

New PCHRandos RBA

The Los Angeles chapter of RUSA has a new RBA, Kerin Huber, who took over from Greg this year. The most important change is that we are severing all links with CIBC so we can regain control of our finances. It has become clear that we were charging more for rides than we needed to, so Kerin has decided to introduce a flat $5 annual membership fee and reduce the cost of each ride commensurate with the amount of support being offered. In effect offering a frequent rider discount.

The $5 fee will help offset the costs of our new website which is currently under construction. It will include fully integrated online registration and payment via PayPal, rider and club stats, automatic emailed confirmations, and many other features. Once it is ready we will hook it up to our domain.

Here's a screen print of the home page. Your's truly took the photo at Avila Beach while supporting the California Coasting ride. A modified 400k version of this ride will return in 2021 which will route down this very stretch of road.

Because of insurance issues with RUSA, we will require all riders to be current RUSA members and all riders must be at least 18 on the day of the event. I doubt this will affect many of us. There will be no day-of-the-event registrations. In order to simplify paperwork and avoid chaos at the start of the ride, registration and payment must be completed at least 48 hours prior to the start of the ride, at which time registration will automatically close. We hope these changes will not inconvenience you too much, but in Kerin's first year as RBA we need to keep things simple for the ride hosts.

We have submitted an ambitious ride calendar to RUSA for 2020.
We have a 110k populaire, nine stand alone 200k events, two 300k, a 400/600, and a 200/400/600 event. Thanks to everyone who stepped up. That gives us a full SR series and 11 of the 12 monthly events needed to get you your R12.

I hope we all enjoy hosting our respective events and come back to host more in coming years.