I always like old maps for reminding us of the places that they thought were important, or would be important, back then, but are minor or forgotten today. For example note the prominent lettering of the town of Colusa and compare with the tiny lettering for Chico, now 20x larger than Colusa. Bodie is noted, but today it's completely abandoned.
Also I want to point out that the notion of riding from Coalinga (then: Alcalde) to Panoche (then: San Benito) via New Idria, on a bicycle, is lunacy. It's a major workout on a modern dirtbike with modern roads. I can't imagine that was a reasonable bicycle ride in 1895, or that anyone had a reason to undertake it from and to these unimportant sites. Must have been different back then.
resoluteteeth 1 week ago
The bikes and roads would have been worse than now (e.g. the bikes would have been single speed) but on the other hand in 1895 it seems like the first car hadn't been sold commercially in the US so I feel like the lack of car traffic might have somewhat offset that in the overall experience, and since people do all sorts of crazy rides now I don't think it's that surprising that they were doing it then too.
I bet a fair amount of modern cyclists would be willing to ride an 1895 bike on 1895 roads if it meant zero cars.
somat 1 week ago
The bicycle was an amazing revolution in travel that we(or at least I) don't really acknowledge. A relatively affordable machine(both in initial and maintenance costs) compared to a horse. but it makes you 10 times more efficient when you need to go somewhere. The bicycle was amazingly popular for good reason in the late 1800's. Sort of eclipsed by personal motor vehicles just a few years later however.
kjkjadksj 6 days ago
And probably for the same reasons people don’t like bike commuting today when they have a car. The engine obviates topology for you. That is the big difference maker. Throw all the bike lanes on the road you want and if you have some ugly elevation on your a-b, its going to be basically unbikeable unless you give up and walk the bike or are in amazing cycling shape. A hill need not be too big for this either, a false flat can be brutal enough especially coupled with a headwind rolling down that flat.
jeffbee 6 days ago
This is why the electric bicycle is so popular.
kjkjadksj 6 days ago
Not without its tradeoffs either. Cost. Lack of good manufacturers and oems or really very many ebike stores. Lack of serviceability of the ebike specific components. The bike specific components generally crap. 2-3x the weight of a human powered bike. Heavier tires that are more annoying to deal with in every metric. Nonzero risk of batteries exploding. Uncertain water resistance ratings. Arguably higher risk of theft.
Plenty of people do tool around on ebikes in socal. But it is a lot fewer people than I might have guessed would be doing it today if you asked me 5 years ago. Not even all that many people rent the scooters anymore.
jeffbee 6 days ago
Careful there. I think some of your axes are down to the nub. Maybe all those drawbacks exist to an extent but the market is speaking and ebikes are very popular.
lelandfe 1 week ago
Bodie mentioned! It's an inhospitable ghost town that will make you appreciate modern conveniences. Hot summer days plunge into freezing cold at night. The sheer danger the stamp mill held for residents is wild to read about. Definitely worth checking out for those heading to Mammoth outside winter (I think the dirt roads close for the snow).
jeffbee 1 week ago
Bodie is an amazing place. I don't think it ever closes, it just becomes unreachable by car. You can ski or snowshoe in, and the park is even staffed in the winter by people who live there and have snowmobiles.
Panzer04 1 week ago
It was a different world. You had to walk, ride a horse, take a carriage or take a train. If the train wasn't available, all of the alternatives were probably just slower than riding a bike.
