KymcoForum.com
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: ScooterWolf on August 15, 2012, 03:29:23 PM
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Hey All,
I've written to Skadamo, this sites administrator about creating a Roadcraft category under the General section. Haven't heard back from him, but I'm curious how many would be interested in this idea? While there is no short supply of discussions on technical, mechanical and repair problems, this would be a place for riders to post and share their tactics and experiences for riding -- scooters, or motorcycles, practice techniques and skill development.
Any thoughts?
-Wolf
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I'd have no problem with that, you can never have too much knowledge on anything.
Even the most experienced riders can never know it all, and there is always tips and tricks to learn whether youre a total novice or a 30+ yr Vet. :)
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And then somebody will just hi-jack the threads and talk about booze... Anyway, I like the idea for that to have a specific category. Information that will be shared there will surely help especially those newbies in riding.
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A fine idea! Fine Idea indeed :)
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..i know i've learned a few tricks and clicks since i started riding in december of 07..
..i'd sure be willing to share my experiences!!
..and i swear to try real hard not to trash the threads....
;)
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..and i swear to try real hard not to trash the threads....
;)
Promise?
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I could sure use a drink... All this booze talk, and Vivo's excellent Rum. I wonder where I can get a bottle of Rum right now. It's like 3:00 am. Any ideas? Anyone?
How about the Yankee game. Anyone know the score?
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I drank lots of rum during the flood/storm.... made me relax and think straight.... after that, lots of fresh coconut water... to replenish dehydration .... i'm good now.. ;) ;) ;)
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You sound in good spirit! Glad you're getting thru it all. I guess you don't need me to mow the Island this week.
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No more grass to mow just garbage all over the city returned to us by the sea waves. I still need you and a payloader...
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well i think that went well no one trashed this thred yet
that reminded me though, im running low on jd will have to make some more and baileys for the little woman
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Count me in. I think starting to ride in 1960 with nothing to guide me except the occasional input by occasionally qualified individuals and divine intervention qualifies me to make input. Just like many of the rest of you! One of us may just have the story to help save one of the rest of us and I think that is the idea here.
Karl
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Well since we're still in the General Discussion thread I guess trashing it is still allowed. Still, hope to get the category up. Anyone know how to get a hold of Skadamo?
-Wolf
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(http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/i370/liftman87/283.gif)
(http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/i370/liftman87/271.gif)
(http://i1090.photobucket.com/albums/i370/liftman87/277.gif)
Trashed ;D
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lol wish i could throw a tray like that.
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Anyone know how to get a hold of Skadamo
..send him a pm...
..you can also click the "notify" tab on your message board...
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Thanks, Word.
-Wolf
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..no problem wolf!
..give skad a few minutes tho...
;)
..he hassa full time gig and another forum as well..not to mention a family to attend to...lol..
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It's been over a week with no reply from Skadamo. Guess I'll hae to keep trying.
-Wolf
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..yeah, i'm fixin' to hit him up with a "Cobra" slot....
..got me a 2001 cobra racer..lol..
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Go get him Wolfman, I'm with you.
Richard L.
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I just spent 6 hrs in the saddle today on a bike course, 3 hrs learning controlled riding, clutch control, safety riding etc in a safe off-road compound, lunch, then a 2 hr ride with another guy and a qualified trainer thro the town and country roads using intercoms. Had a blast and learned more than i ever imagined, and all for only £100, inc the use of a 125cc geared motorcycle.
I thought i would be totally bored cos i would know it all, but i didnt want to stop. Trainer was great and even let me have a blast along the country roads alone while he stayed with the other guy who was only 16 and on a 50cc moped so couldnt go over 30mph. Soon as i heard him in my earpiece say " Steve if you want to open her up along here you can, dont worry about us, just go. Wait for us at the next village", i was off like a bat outta hell, kinda, i hit 65-70mph ;)
Well worth the money and time.
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It's amazing how much perspective returns when you stop some of those bad habits we tend to grip on to. It's a bright new day my friend! Bright new day.
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when you stop some of those bad habits we tend to grip on to. It's a bright new day my friend! Bright new day.
..bright new day...
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Streido, feel free to share any of your riding tips. Reviews never hurt, and new tips can go a long way for making a safe ride.
-Wolf
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..be aware of cagers blind-spots, and stay out of them...
;)
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RIGHT ON WITH THE BLIND SPOTS
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I believe all of us 50cc guys should wear "dog tags".
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RIGHT ON WITH THE BLIND SPOTS
On my training day our instructor used the phrase "Dont forget to do your Lifesavers", ie always check your blindspot before turning or changing lanes. Stuck in my head real good. Prob one of the things i took most from the day, that and my road positioning both riding along and at junctions too.
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..yeah, our blind spot is one thing....
..but also be aware of the cagers!! blind spots...
..if you cant see their face in their side-view mirror, they cant see you....
..itsa true story..
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..but also be aware of the cagers!! blind spots...
..if you cant see their face in their side-view mirror, they cant see you....
..itsa true story..
.....It is a true story.........
..That's why half of the time when I ride, especially in town I ride dam near on the yellow line. I WANT TO see THEM in THEIR mirror as well..... Get that anticipated next move going on in my head.. :D...
...(good way to beat 'em for lane choices too...)
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...yup, city riding requires a lot of work!!!
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...yup, city driving requires a lot of work!!!
I know that sh**'s right......
You wouldn't believe the road rage I get at these freaking idiots..
I actually stopped in the middle of a main rd here called Merrimon Ave(5 lane) recently. Dam dude was running me out of the rd onto the sidewalk. I was flipping out. He seen me finally. I jumped in front of him and STOPPED, then rolled my scoot to the edge of an entrance to a strip mall and RAN back in the road to his car BEGGING him to get out, slapping the windows. (he was stuck at a red light at this point with traffic. ;) :D)...Usually the mexicans around these parts don't mind a fight.. :D... Figure he was an illegal, new at driving type thing or I just put the fear of God in him ;D :D 8)
That incident and I was "hot enough to f*** with a branding iron."
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..i know, it's nearly every day that somebody...usually on a cell-phone either pulls in front of me or tries to enter my space from the other lane...
..no matter which lane i'm in either...
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I have come to DESPISE a cell phone.
I used to do the same sh** on the reg but after 4-1/2yrs on a scoot I can't stand it.
I have been known to swing out in the turning lane just to go around those fks. ;).....On a low speed rd anyway.. :D
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It gets crazy out there
I always try to keep in mind how hard it is to see a scooter. Sometimes I catch myself doing something dumb/dangerous and have to scald myself over it.
One thing that I think really helps is to use your high beams during the day. It really helps other drivers see you and you won't blind people in daylight.
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..yup, i run high beams 24-7...
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Keep the tips coming guys. I only wish we could place your post in the Roadcraft category.
When ever I pull up behind a large vehicle -- SUV, truck, bus, whatever, I make sure I'm on the left side of the lane and far back so I can see their side view mirrors. This also will allows me to see what's coming down the opposing lane of traffic in case someone makes a left hand turn. If I was behind the truck in the middle or right section of the lane, the drive wouldn't know I was there, nor would a left hand turner in the opposing lane.
See and be seen,
-Wolf
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+1 wolf!
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..yup, i run high beams 24-7...
Yup, totally. Get yourself seen.
Tho i still refuse to wear a Hi-Vis vest, sooner take my chances :)
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Yup, totally. Get yourself seen.
Tho i still refuse to wear a Hi-Vis vest, sooner take my chances :)
lol i can tell by your new picture to the left, you dont like wearing vests. ;D
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lol i can tell by your new picture to the left, you dont like wearing vests. ;D
;D
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Yup, totally. Get yourself seen.
Tho i still refuse to wear a Hi-Vis vest, sooner take my chances :)
:D :D :D
I completely agree ;D
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..ditto..
..usually a tank top in the summer...lol..
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..and for the 50cc riders, i see a lot of them pulling to the side at traffic lights...and a car pull up beside them to the left...
..dont do that!!..makes you invisible!!!
..always take possession of your lane when stopping..
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Also watch for cyclists sneeking up the inside when you stop at junctions or are filtering slowly thro a stopped line of traffic, i almost hit one who shot up behind me as i pulled out the other week :o
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No filtering in the US. Wish we could :-\
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No filtering in the US. Wish we could :-\
Wtf ???
So its illegal to filter thro stopped traffic queues over there ???
Doesnt that defeat the purpose of buying a scoot/bike to avoid city traffic queues? May as well be in a car ???
Here its legal to filter, its also legal to go onto the opposite side of the road to go up the outside of a long stationary queue of traffic, as long as nothing is coming at you in the opposite direction (you just cut in and stop if someone does come towards you). It is illegal to blast thro the middle of stopped queues at high speed cos that is dangerous, but slow 5-10mph filtering is fine.
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Here, it's being done also not because it's legal but because people just do it because it's common sense.... if there's a space, and your bike can fit.. then proceed.. if not, stop...
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Here, it's being done also not because it's legal but because people just do it because it's common sense.... if there's a space, and your bike can fit.. then proceed.. if not, stop...
Here in my part of Indiana, you can lane split (which is what I think you're calling "lane filtering") as long as traffic is stopped.
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Yeah, lane splitting or weaving slowly in between stationary traffic is considered filtering here, as long as it is at low speed and not dangerous to pedestrians or other vehicles.
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The legality of lane splitting varies from state to state and city to city. I'm not a big fan of it because it does expose you to danger, or if you are hit or hit another vehicle, the fault could be yours. That translates to money -- something I don't have a lot to throw around.
I can see the urge to do it, especially if you are moving slow, but in this age of cell phones and texting -- distracted drivers -- the risk of injury is greater.
In the states (at least in NJ) it's also illegal for two vehicles to occupy the same lane. At a stop sign, or light If a car moves into the same lane you are because you are on the far right, or left of your lane it's illegal. You have every right to tell them to back off because it puts you in danger. This has happened to me at a highway merger with a yield sign. As I wait for a break in traffic a car will often pull along side me to merge in. If we both take off at the same time and attempt to pull into the same lane you can guess which one of us will get the worst of it.
- Wolf
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Not to mention most American drivers would get road rage because you squeezed in between them at a stop light. Somebody raging in 3-1/2 tons of Cadillac Escalade trying to run me and my scooter off the road is not something I want to encounter. I won't do it just on that fact alone. It's just not road etiquette over here. And, for the most part I don't argue with that. Most scooters only go 40 mph at best and take forever to get there. So yeah, I'd be pissed too if a scooter got in front of me in my car at a stop light on a road with a 45 mph speed limit.
The only exception I can justify is if you're taking a right on red. Taking a right on red is legal in NC as long as there's no sign saying not to. There was a thread a while ago talking about this. Passing stopped cars on the right side to turn right, however, is not legal from what I hear. But most cops won't pull you for it. Even still, I've done it and had people give me dirty looks. Not only that, a guy in a Mercedes saw me in his mirror coming up on his right and actually cut his wheels to the right and tried to close the gap between him and the curb. Lol, I just popped the curb and went around him. What an asshole :D
I could see scooters filtering in a big city though. 20 mph speed limit... Couple hundred feet to the next light... Yeah, that does make sense.
People get mad here because scooters park in a parking space at the grocery store. It's ridiculous. No motorcycle spaces, they're all the same size. What am I supposed to do? Guess I could just ride right into the store :D ;D
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I do it every day. Only in stationary traffic queues tho, not moving traffic, and will never pull into the front of a queue if its on a hill or i knkw i will hold up traffic once the light change. I do it on the same roads every day after work, 30mph limits, and always speed away a lot faster than everyone else when it turns to green. Folk here tend to daydream at red lights and are rarely ready to move as soon as it goes green, apart from me :D
Its all totally legal, i know because i asked last week on my training day out, instructor said "Yeah, of course its legal. Why do you think so many city commuters buy bikes and scooters?".
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One of the first things I learned was to take charge in my lane. Turning into my street coming home from the gym, I naturally moved to the right to make a right turn. A car shot past me very close and scared the sit out of me. Now I take the left side of my lane to make a right turn. It sounds strange but it works. ;D
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If you don't have blinking brake lights, get them. It is amazing how far from me cars stop at a red light or even a stop sign. ;D
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If you don't have blinking brake lights, get them. It is amazing how far from me cars stop at a red light or even a stop sign. ;D
That IS illegal over here :(
Watch your position Fshfindr cos i know here if i did that a car WOULD def run inside of me to get the bend before me and cut me off. I always ride offensively now and keep to the centre or toward the lines dividing the lanes now after being sick of assholes treating me like a bicycle and overtaking me on single lane roads when there is oncoming traffic. Keeping centre stops them cos they dont have enough room.
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Things I like about my country:
1. Motorcycle Parking
(http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/65540079.jpg)
2. Motorcycle lanes on major thoroughfares
(http://www.interaksyon.com/assets/images/articles/interphoto_1329205374.jpg)
3. Wearing flip flops while riding....
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5147/5549062881_05b66d663d.jpg)
4. Legal filtering, lane splitting....
(http://www.city-data.com/forum/attachments/asia/66590d1281376607-manila-traffic-vs-bangkok-traffic-bkk_traffic_jam03.jpg)
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That IS illegal over here :(
Watch your position Fshfindr cos i know here if i did that a car WOULD def run inside of me to get the bend before me and cut me off. I always ride offensively now and keep to the centre or toward the lines dividing the lanes now after being sick of assholes treating me like a bicycle and overtaking me on single lane roads when there is oncoming traffic. Keeping centre stops them cos they dont have enough room.
Yep! It's your lane. Claim it
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What is that sexy orange bike in #4? A Motobecane?
Oh yeah on topic... Carry a small pistol for the people that have the "rage". Or a large sack of roofing nails. http://www.flickr.com/photos/andhe-roofs/1351405087/# (http://www.flickr.com/photos/andhe-roofs/1351405087/#)
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What is that sexy orange bike in #4? A Motobecane?
Honda XRM...
This is also a nice bike, the Suzuki Raider.....
THE BIKE FOOL!
(http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/9082/raiderwithcarwashbabe.jpg)
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Heads it's the Philippines/Tails it's Ireland... WOW WOW WOW! :-* :P :-* :P :-* :P :o
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Actually wearing flip--flops is really dangerous on a two wheeled motorbike. They offer no ankle protection, and you run the risk of slipping and having the flip-flop wrenched off your foot if you step on loose gravel, or a slippery surface like painted road arrows, construction plates and so on. Your foot also lacks protection from flying debris such as gravel, glass, or insects.
This is what happened to a woman wearing canvas shoes. it would be no different in flip-flops.
http://scooterbbs.net/board/DCForumID1/51542.html (http://scooterbbs.net/board/DCForumID1/51542.html)
During the summer I'll wear sneakers if its hot, but something thicker than canvas. Given the chance I love wearing heavier boots or ankle high shoes.
-Wolf
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lol i ride sometimes in flip flop type sandels. think i may stop now.
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Would never wear flip-flops, too cold here :D
I do wear canvas shoes like converse baseball boots or vans lowtop canvas shoes, no real protection but FEEL safer than flip-flops even if theyre not. Normally wear leather work boots tho anyway since most of my riding is to and from work or nipping about after work.
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Pro Keds 24/7. Well maybe 18/6. I try to go to the beach one day a week for the dogs. I think wrecking at anything over 20mph is not the time to worry about footware. I'd rather keep my teeth than my toes.
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These pigs will cushion a crash.....
(http://www.funis2cool.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Bikes-Of-Vietnams-Roads-01.jpg)
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Actually wearing flip--flops is really dangerous on a two wheeled motorbike. They offer no ankle protection, and you run the risk of slipping and having the flip-flop wrenched off your foot if you step on loose gravel, or a slippery surface like painted road arrows, construction plates and so on. Your foot also lacks protection from flying debris such as gravel, glass, or insects.
This is what happened to a woman wearing canvas shoes. it would be no different in flip-flops.
http://scooterbbs.net/board/DCForumID1/51542.html (http://scooterbbs.net/board/DCForumID1/51542.html)
During the summer I'll wear sneakers if its hot, but something thicker than canvas. Given the chance I love wearing heavier boots or ankle high shoes.
-Wolf
I actually have steel toe converse sneakers. You can't even tell that they're steel toe. I got them for work, but wear them whenever I'm on my scoot.
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i just have visions of the steal tocaps chopping off some toes off if you ever came off
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i just have visions of the steal tocaps chopping off some toes off if you ever came off
HAHA - I doubt that would happen. These are "safety shoes". Besides, I'm not sure I need ALL 10 toes... I'm reasonably sure that 6 - 8 toes would be just fine.
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http://mythbustersresults.com/episode42 (http://mythbustersresults.com/episode42)
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A guy I used to work with was driving a fork lift and hit a larger parked fork lift that I was standing next to. The 8ft fork went up onto my work boot and pinned my foot to the ground. Steel toe boots saved my foot. Could have been a lot worse. Don't wanna know what would have happened if I wasn't wearing steel toed boots. Just had some bruising on the top of my foot. The boot wasn't even damaged :D. Should always park a fork lift with the tips of the forks touching the ground. Wasn't me...
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A guy I used to work with was driving a fork lift and hit a larger parked fork lift that I was standing next to. The 8ft fork went up onto my work boot and pinned my foot to the ground. Steel toe boots saved my foot. Could have been a lot worse. Don't wanna know what would have happened if I wasn't wearing steel toed boots. Just had some bruising on the top of my foot. The boot wasn't even damaged :D. Should always park a fork lift with the tips of the forks touching the ground. Wasn't me...
Steel toe shoes/boots are awesome. It used to be that they all looked like steel toe boots. But, anymore, you can get some that look pretty normal. I'm a huge fan of them when I'm riding. Kind of a helmet for my toes. hehehe
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I wear steelies every day riding just because i need them for work and cant be bothered changing shoes when i get to the job every day. Never had an issue with them and riding.
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i got some big bike boots and kevlar woven denim jeans when i got the Suzie, i know my legs and feet will be safe.
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Steel toe shoes/boots are awesome. It used to be that they all looked like steel toe boots. But, anymore, you can get some that look pretty normal. I'm a huge fan of them when I'm riding. Kind of a helmet for my toes. hehehe
You're right, I've seen Skechers, Timberland, Converse, Rockport, Adidas, etc. safety sneakers and they don't look anywhere like your usual safety shoes. Awesome!