My favorite guns pointed at somebody story. A friend of mine had a Yama FJR motorcycle, not completely stock. He was riding it on a beautiful afternoon near Bellingham, Washington and had just turned off onto the Chuckanut Drive from I5. This is a road that runs for quite a few miles toward the coat in a dead straight line. A moment after he came off I5, a pale blue pickup drew up next to him and the driver started shooting at him with a pistol. My friend opened the throttle all the way on his bike and went down the highway as fast as he could. Soon thereafter, he passed a Washington State Patrol car on the shoulder. Of course my friend immediately slowed, pulled over and stopped on the shoulder. With lights and siren the cop pulls up and exist his patrol car. "Do you know how fast you were going?" he yelled. "There was this guy in a pale blue pickup shooting at me," my friend explained. "Where?" the cop inquired. My friend pointed back up the rod and the job jumped into his car, did a 180 and hauled ass up the road. My friend sat there a while, letting his heart rate come down and rather enjoying going 0 mph. Shortly, the cop returned. "We got him!" he exclaimed. "We've been after him for two weeks - some dumb fuck shooting randomly at people. Thanks. And by the way, you were doing 186 mph. ... Have a nice day." and the cop left.
I had the pleasure of spending a week in Denmark for work earlier this year. It was absolutely amazing on so many levels. I’ve been kind of down ever since because I know it could be so much better in the US if people only understood. Part of me really wants to move there.
Dear Rebecca. Much love and hugs from the Netherlands, and yes I am more than happy to adopt you. Cycling is a big part of my life and everyday I whish other people would cycle more, for all the good feelings it gives me. Have another hug, before I jump on the bike to go to work.
Don't lose focus on the good experience just because of the bad one. We would all be better off if more people rode bikes. Thanks for sharing that story.
I used to ride my bike to work when I worked at a casino. Pretty much all of my coworkers asked me if I was biking because I lost my driver's license. When I told them I did it because I enjoyed it, they looked at me like I had grown a second nose. I wish more people understood the joy of cycling.
hugs - we live in texas my sons school is on the same road about a mile and a half away from the allen outlets mall shooting, we are wanting to move out of Texas, my sons elementary school is now forced to hire a private security guard who patrols both inside and outside the building with a firearm, the principle has no information of the frequency of the guards evaluations and training. We are originally from England and this seems like the inherently bad direction and band aided solution. You are right the USA can do better my son shouldn't have to walk past a guard open carrying a firearm on his way to class every morning. It's clearly insanity. We have stats and example countries that show that these types of things are mostly preventable without hiring armed guards to be in your kids schools hallways, nor has having armed guards a guarantee of safety.
I feel you, Rebecca; your bike ride took some serious emotional twists and turns. One never knows what may be around the bend but I'm glad you got home safely.
Random Encounters from Drivers: Swearing, yelling, swerving, drinks thrown at me, bizarre attempts to get my attention from drivers and passengers. Once, early on in a ride, a driver yelled at me. I thought it would sour the rest of my trip. But it is so hard for me to stay miserable on a bike, my mood lifts after a few minutes of pedaling and zooming around. If I was driving, I fucking know I would have been swearing and fuming the rest of the trip. On my bike, I've had similar interactions as Rebecca had with the Motorcyclist. Sometimes people ask for help and I provide in a way that warms my heart. Hard to beat the high of helping a stranger navigate our confusing transit system. Me and pedestrians are super considerate when we meander past each other.
Thank you for sharing this. Bicycle commuting was one of the absolute high points in my life despite some very vulnerable and terrifying moments. We could do so much better for ourselves if we embraced bicycle culture like the Netherlands.
Same here. I was incredibly lucky to have chosen a WFPB diet at 21 and then got an amazing university support job with a near- perfect cycle commute on quiet roads, paths and parks witha really good hill every morning. At 63 I can't help noticing the poor health even of people 10 or 20 years younger ...
Canada has had a total of 355 mass shootings SINCE JAN 2005. The US has had 484 so far THIS YEAR. We are getting better at accommodating bicycles, but winter sucks. We are friendly for the most part.
I know that feeling of being worried about a gun situation and then it actually happening. Just a few weeks ago, I was at an outdoor campus for a volleyball game when some guy ran up to the crowd and started screaming with a gun. I was in his closest proximity, so in that moment I was 100% certain I was going to die. But he turned around elsewhere. Later, we discovered he was chasing somebody else. Encountering a situation like that eventually almost feels inevitable in this country.
What a complicated ride! Take care of yourself. Yeah, biking connects you to the world. I’m 60, and I’ve been biking around downtown Toronto as my main mode of transport since I moved here at 25. More than anything, it’s that connection to the world around me I love. But you can’t pretend you don’t see the homelessness, the people in trouble as much as you get to experience little moments of joy and connection. I think it makes me a better citizen. Good luck with your training and I look forward to stories of your Death Valley experience.
I rode from Buffalo to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side a few years back and it was lovely! would’ve been cool to try for Toronto but never had the time
I used to live just on the other side of 580 from Skyline High-School. Only about 2 miles, as the crow flies. But this was just over 10 years ago. Oakland felt dangerous to me then (and I used to ride my bike through Crips and Bloods territory in LA, in the late 80s). I can only imagine how dangerous it feels now. Current Frisco Bay area would share me to death. I spent all my free time on Alameda Island. (Partly because I worked there.) But, mostly, because it just felt so much safer there. The island isn't huge, but you should be able to work out plenty of different training routes there that will get you plenty of training miles. No hills though. Just ride faster. Maybe put Indy in a trailer. Another nice thing about Alameda is that there are plenty of low-key bars and places to hang out to rest. There used to be this really large coffee shop right on the corner on Park Street with huge front windows and super comfy sofas. It's the one thing I miss about leaving the Bay Area. (Don't miss the rent.) As to the motorcycle: I was motorcycle-only when I first moved there. The highways around there are insane. There are just so many exits and transitions, with little lead time, that I used to have to plan out and memorize every single lane change for my whole trip or I would miss an exit and get lost. Anyway, I hope you can find a place where you can feel safe out there. If not, there's always Minnesota!
❤ you're very welcome to visit us in the Netherlands 🇳🇱. A gun is such a rare sight I've never seen one in my life (outside of the airport). Bikes aplenty. Hardly any hills 😂. Lots of festivals.
I'm in the Netherlands. I'll adopt you. You won't like the weather though. But seriously, I feel you. I've lived in the U.S. for two decades and returned to the Netherlands just two years ago. And while I miss America a lot -- it is a wonderful place in so many ways -- I feel a lot more at ease here. And not just when I'm riding my bicycle. There is a certain kind of nervous energy in the air in the U.S. that can be exhilarating at times, but also kind of terrifying.
(local East Bay details below) I was on Grizzly Peak the other day just north of Claremont and someone rolled into the shoulder just to scare the crap out of me. He succeeded. Stay safe out there. By the way, if you don't know, Wildcat Canyon between Camino Pablo and Inspiration Poiint is closed to vehicular traffic because the road collapsed last winter and well ... it's just SUBLIME on a bicycle. A nice wide road, so smooth, no cars. 2.5 miles of pure lovely. If you want a good, climb. Start at Camino Pablo and ride of Wildcat Canyon to El Toyonal (horse stables) then go up that to Loma Cantada and that back up to Grizzly Peak. Just one long climb, but so lovely.
Dutchy here. Absolutely unfathomable that people would be purposefully drive cyclists off the road, let alone specifically rob them! But nothing as bizarre as the concept of (very regular) school shootings. Our country is far from perfect, but I'm so glad those are all things I do not have to worry about. And yes, I'd adopt you ;p Sending you good vibes, Rebecca. That was an intense day.
damn. I am an immigrant to US and during my 2nd week in the country a shooting happened in my university with a student killing her prof and herself. that day evening i told my mom who is not in US there was a shooting in my uni. she laughed and was asking for "which movie?" man i wish i still lived in such world where a shooting means a film shooting and not what happens here
Hey Rebecca, long time lurker. I've followed along with you since you were in a science based podcast with two guys. I thought the podcast was really funny until you left, then I realised you were really funny, and followed you here. This is horrible and I wanted to say something. That's a really affronting experience, honestly in every direction. It's enough that the situation with guns makes you question helping someone. If you'd left it might have been "smart", but I wonder if it would have stayed with you. It's a socialised cost everyone has to bear in different ways. I live in Scotland and we don't have too many guns, and some bikes. Feel free to crash if you want to, although Indy would make me sneeze. I use love my bike even if it gets a bit Snowpeircer here every so often. Anyway, I hope you're doing ok, that sounds like a horrible shock.
@@noobule Me too. She's also who I have to thank for getting me out of the whole skeptic scene when she made the misogyny and racism in it public. I'm very thankful for people who try to do the moral thing and advocate for good in a world that seems to be run by the worst people humanity has to offer. I'm also a cyclist and a very anxious person and can see myself a lot in her situation. Especially the feeling of vulnerability while slowly crawling uphill. Only that I live in a pretty safe place without gun violence, only cars trying to kill me. It's difficult enough to get out and face all the imagined and real dangers without being gunned down being one of them. Cycling through death valley sounds very cool though and like a great experience to look forward to.
That was a roller coaster of a ride (just watching it); it must have been so much more roller coaster experiencing it. Crap. It's heartbreaking to hear of these things. In Canada, not once have I worried someone will try to steal my bike while I'm on it. Wasn't even on my radar. I can't imagine the chronic long-term stress it must place upon people living in the states who have to deal with all that gun idiocy. You'd get decision fatigue about going out on your bike (should I or shouldn't I--pros and cons...). Yes, biking connects us to our neighbours and to people. I recognize most of the regular cyclists and we wave as we pass each other, or if one is stopped, another will stop to make sure they're ok or if they're having a mechanical issue. I stopped at the local cycle shop on Saturday for some spare parts and ended up chatting with several complete strangers and joking with them, all over our love of biking. I'm antisocial to the extreme but we just all connected. I had a neighbour who used to time my rides if he saw me out on the roads out of town while he was in his car. I'd get back and he'd inform me of the speed and distance I covered (no Strava back then, and I didn't have a cycling computer). Very encouraging and I appreciate he was interested enough to time me (he was a great guy...then he moved away). The world would be so much nicer if more of us biked. Less guns, less cars, more bikes, more connecting to each other, and more of the types of feel good experiences you had with the motorcyclist.
I am sorry you went through this experience, I can see how much of an impact it had on you. It saddens me that we have created an environment where it is reasonable for a person to have to worry about helping someone who is asking for help. I agree, with you, we can do so much better. You should know that you are one of the people who are helping making things better. Good luck with your training and keep up the great work. Sending you my best.
I admire that despite trepidation you stopped to help in a *potentially* sketchy situation. I drove a city bus in Minneapolis for 10 years and my ability to give anyone the benefit of the doubt (until firmly proven) was utterly squashed. Permanently, I fear. That's on me, I know, but to this day if I am solicited out of the blue I ASSUME some bad faith motivation--and I always feel like shit when 1) they are quite innocent in intent, or 2) they're an acquaintance I failed to recognize, or 3) it's a situation I've otherwise misjudged. Which is almost always.
I'm so sorry Rebecca. It seems so easy for everyone to just be kind to each other, you did it even though you were scared. Why can't the world be better
"Not injured". Not physically, no, but if you're paranoid about the potential of a car stopping in front of you while riding a bike, then the poor kids who HAVE to go to school must absolutely feel either numb or pants-crappingly scared every morning. That HAS to be some sort of deep injury that's going to inform the society to come for years.
I am from Europe and this story makes me feel like citizens in the US must be living under what is essentially crisis conditions. I mean, I know we all are to an extent with climate change and whatever else - but to have to weigh the possibility of armed robbers taking your bike against a ride outdoors - or to be confronted on a weekly basis with people with guns and murderous tendencies - it just feels like there is something ragged about the US. Maybe it's as simple as the difference between rich and poor, which is growing everywhere, being so much greater in the US, so that desperation is more rampant and the violent crime that it engenders is that much more common. I don't know. Whatever the case, I hope for much better and more peaceful things for you and everyone in the US.
if guns werent available, the next most lethal weapon would be used, its the lack of fear criminals possess that gives them the balls to do what they do. The punishment isnt severe enough to deter them... harsh crimes with intent require harsh judgement. The US no longer in many cases impose harsh judgement for the crimes commited.
@@bunnykiller What you are saying is a statement of fact - what we call a proposition. As such, it can be judged against reality to find out, whether it's true. I think you will find, that to a large extent, what you are proposing is not a true statement of the facts. Harsher punishments do not, empirically, seem to do much to deter crime, for example. It's a whole discussion, a whole field of scientific inquiry, in fact. I'm sorry to be - snide? Is that the word? But I can very well get on board with the thoughts and feelings of wanting a harsh punishment for someone who has done some heinous crime. However, that's my empathy and my lust for justice or vengeance talking. That's not necessarily any good solution to a societal problem.
@@bunnykillerAdd to that the fact that criminal behavior doesn’t carry the social stigma it once did. Criminal behavior gets glorified by lots of people. On top of that you have the single mothers that will defend their juvenile criminal no matter what the little bastard does. The absent fathers don’t give a damn if his son goes to jail or not. Because he’s got 6 or 7 more with 3-4 other women. The lack of morals, the lack of shame, the lack of any religious conviction all makes for a bad mix. The best thing for responsible citizens to do is to keep your Roscoe ready at all times and snuff the criminal before they make you the next victim on the list. It’s not a crime to defend yourself with lethal force if necessary.
It all feels pretty Mad Max... also, laughable that there are suggestions from people here that one of the countries with the largest prison populations in the world is not punishing people enough. Sure, more prison sentences, that'll do it... don't engage with your society's underlying problems at all while you play whack-a-mole with its byproducts.
You live in the safest and softest time and place in the history of the world, yet somehow have convinced yourself that you're living in "crisis conditions"... Bwahahahahahahahahaha
One of the rare times I comment on anything on UA-cam: Older Canadian bike rider here, and I discovered your intelligent, thoughtful, colourful channel not too long ago: I feel your concern about typical car driver/bike rider interactions, but this whole armed bikejacking thing is at a whole new level from my perspective in Canada. Kudos to you for still recognizing that a fellow road user needed help, and for responding despite the risk. More on the gun culture - my high school got locked down in 1977/1978 due to a student shooting several people in another school in our district in Ontario. Why is it that to this day I remember the name of the shooter but none of the victims?? The frequency doesn’t compare to I what I hear from the USA, but we all need to do better. I’m a sucker for a cyclist raising funds for a cause, especially someone for whom the cycling is secondary to the cause. Please repost or link to your fundraising site; I’ve been through my share of rides where the fundraising is the hardest part! And your dog is awesome!
So well said, and awesome video! I love cycling for these reasons and more and wish many many more people would embrace it for recreation, daily chores, commuting, and even longer vacations. It is so fulfilling and healthy.
I live in your general area and there’s so much we could be doing to help relieve the social pressure that causes these fears (and realities). But everything is moving faster than we can solve for, which is wild and I’m not sure how to help.
I was brought up in a pro-gun household but man... if you aren't suffering from fatigue from all these school shootings and other mass shootings, I don't know what to say. It's heartbreaking and it happens so often.
I’m surprised how the pro gun rhetoric in the usa tends to be “laws don’t work, criminals will still get guns, 2nd amendment rights, having guns is worth having dead kids” when it should talk more about the following: Legal loopholes that allow guns to get into the hands of people who should not have them has caused many deaths. Close the loopholes. Inadequate background checks in particular allowed mass shooters to get their hands on guns they were not legally allowed to own. Possibly requiring firearm training for all citizens. Many people have did because they or their kid or dog mishandled a firearm. Teach teenagers how to properly handle a gun in case they encounter one. Having a low cost licensing process, that, because of the second amendment, is mostly paid for with federal tax dollars. The inequality of law with regards to poor vs rich people being allowed to own guns. Guns and ammo are expensive. So are permits. If a poor person lives next to a school, they cannot legally have a gun without special permits. And because they are poor they cannot afford to get that expensive permit plus an expensive gun. If owning firearms is a right, the federal government should help cover these costs. Since the natural consequences of having gun ownership be a right is gun injuries and death, federal funds should cover all gun associated healthcare costs and funeral costs. Including mental healthcare costs. Instead of crying “it’s a mental health crisis!” Banning people with the ill defined problem of “mental health issues” from owning guns and calling it a day, maybe actually put more funding into schools and communities earmarked specifically for mental health care, including therapists, prescription medication, non medication based therapies, and of course providing impoverished people with jobs and monetary support, because it turns out being impoverished not only temporarily reduces iq by 10 points, but is also really bad for mental health. Oh and maybe do make it illegal for anyone accused of domestic violence to purchase firearms until charges have been cleared. And while we are at it, reform the prison system so reoffending is less likely by making it less difficult for ex-cons to get jobs. And maybe reinstate their rights after they serve their sentence, particularly voting rights, but also gun rights. Like, there are all these issues with gun ownership that we should all be able to talk about. But generally either you get lumped in with people who hate guns, or people who hate kids and would rather lose kids than their guns. The reality is much more complex than that, and we all need to come together and make an actual plan instead of tolerating complacency.
Totally agree...I am a bike rider and have been for fifty years. Biking would be much safer and easier if America would develop bicycling infrastructure. I also feel that 95% of all gun owners are not competent to own or operate one. They go to the range once a month maybe once a year or not at all. You would think hunters would be better but NO and they are the ones most likely to be drinking alcohol particularly duck hunters. The macho around gun ownership is a joke yet taken seriously by the fools who own more guns than they have teeth(well at least some of them). America is going to have a address the issue sooner than later.
hey rebecca, im from the netherlands, and if i where able to get a house here me and my girlfriend would gladly adopt you. two things i wanted to share, we just cycled to france the other day, and what you said about being more in your enviourment on the bike really resonates with me, i think it is a verry important aspect that is often overlooked when people talk about more bike friendly infrastucture. secondly, as some people have noticed in the comments, as a european i was shocked by the apperent opresive fear you felt during a simple bike ride. I can not even imagine cyling and being afraid of being pulled over by people with guns or when someone shouts for help being hesitant in case they are trying to play a trick, that must really suck. maybe you should move to the netherlands like the guy from not just bikes, although you would have to content with our lack of large wildlife reserves and mountains.
I once had a guy try to literally run me over on my bike in the Bronx, and when he missed me and I made it safely to the sidewalk, he threw a glass Snapple bottle at me. I definitely got scared off my bike when that happened, and to make matters worse, even with the plate the cops wouldn't do a thing about it. So, yeah. That was a joy. Anyway, all that to say I know how you feel about it.
We had a hostage situation in our apartment complex a couple weeks ago. 30+ cops, canine unit, two swat vehicles, breaking out windows. It wasn't a gun situation. It was a knife. Two people were stabbed but are reportedly okay. The suspect was eventually taken into custody. The cops made people go inside, even several buildings away because they were worried about the suspect possibly having a gun. I haven't ridden my bike in a few years, but until this summer I was doing long walks every day. Trying to figure out with my doctor what is up with my energy levels. Haven't been quite right since I had covid (fairly mild case, all things considered) back in February. I got it at a concert. It was the first place I'd gone where I spent any significant amount of time near people without a mask. I'm getting pretty sick of this timeline.
Damn, sorry to hear that. Don't know what your doc has said, but I'd recommend doing some research into ME/CFS. It's related to long covid, can really f-ck you up if not managed correctly, and often goes undiagnosed.
I have guns and enjoy hunting. I can't see significant difference in my eating meat I killed vs what some farmer killed. When I came back from Vietnam I was shocked to see so many military looking guns in stores. I took it as a sign of a somewhat childish/sick interest, and since then I have noticed that angry people who want to kill a lot tend to go for military looking and rapid fire high capacity guns. That would be more the sick interest than childish interest. So, I too wish Americans had fewer guns and more bikes. I have a bike I ride quite a bit: another enjoyable outdoor sport. I like Rebecca's attitude vs life.
I like shooting guns. I don’t need a semi auto shotgun, but I want one. I don’t need an ar-15, but I want one. For me, it is purely childish joy. I don’t imagine shooting at anyone when I am at the range, I enjoy hitting targets and hearing the target ring. This isn’t enough to justify how lax laws are in the usa, just a simple reason for why I will buy guns if it is legal and I have the funds, even though there is no real purpose for it beyond it being fun to my brain.
Thank you for sharing and kudos to you for helping that person. My brain would have gone “deaf person without a phone in 2023 wearing a full-head helmet they didn’t take off while not riding? I’m outta here” and I would have left without a word and had no idea. After your story, I’m so curious 😂
I ride a solar-powered e-bike (called an ELF). It's pretty eye-catching & gets considerable attention when I'm out pedaling. I'm healthier, it's better for the planet, & all of the obvious things. The less obvious: I have meaningful encounters with many more (random) people than I otherwise would, who are approaching those interactions with curiosity & a genuinely positive & joyful frame of mind. Doing things for the planet is huge... but restoring my belief in the general good nature of so many of my fellow citizens is much, MUCH bigger, & the bike has essentially been a means towards achieving that for this old curmudgeon. I totally get where you're coming from. I suppose that those frequent positive interactions can even make dealing with the other stuff seem just a bit more possible too.
Supportive comment from the Netherlands: We have lots of bikes and hardly any guns. That is definitely a better way for things to be. Not sure how easy it is to arrange adoption ;-)
Sorry that happened. Virtual hugs. I also love biking but stopped because I got scared, but you're right, it would be nice to go out again, and we could do better. Hope you're feeling alright again.
What an emotional rollercoaster; I hope it doesn’t put you off cycling. I’ve had the good fortune to cycle in quite a few countries (including a little in the USA) and I agree very much that you get a deeper, richer experience of a place by bike. You also make yourself vulnerable to the elements and to the communities you pass through, and on the whole I think that is a good thing. When it comes to risk - in a cold, objective sense cycling is less risky over the long term than driving. Whilst cyclists are at significantly higher risk of meeting a sudden, dramatic end on the road they are also less likely to suffer a mundane but much more common demise from heart disease. Whilst it’s counterintuitive, cyclists have a longer life expectancy than their peers who drive everywhere. On one trip I was warned about armed muggings similar to what you described happening near Marseilles (so not unique to the US) - but crime involving guns remains relatively rare in Europe. Hope you’re able to continue to enjoy your bike.
As a cyclist, I have all the emotions about this video. Sometimes, I think about moving to Finland to ride bikes. Porvoo seems nice. But yes, we could do so much better here if we would collectively decide to do that. Sigh.
I. Think the more we all learn and use the roads decently. We also interact with. Are better. I see so many club rides taking up a entire lane and not move for the car. If it was first responder they’d be late to the scene. For me it shows education is a big issue.
@theundead1600 first responders have sirens and lights. Anyway, I also drive a car. I see plenty of bad behavior on both sides, but it is drivers that are most likely to kill someone.
@@theundead1600 When you're in a car you also take up an entire lane. By yourself even. People walking, riding a hand-cycle, using a bus, riding a horse, walking their dog, sitting in a tram, riding their unicycle or walking their donkey ALL use the roads & ALL have a right to *be* You are not more important & no, you may not drive over them.
Hey Rebecca. While I was not expecting the extreme twist there (the final subject is intense and deep and is desperate for solutions) but what I really wanted to let you know is that you definitely don't need to edit videos like this because you are incredibly adept at presenting with authenticity, professional style and clear explanation and also great story telling ability - easy to follow you and your thought process thanks to your ability to convey yourself. 💙
Not very related to the video: One of my hobbies is building classic bikes and painting them. Something about this video makes me want to build a cruiser with a paint job themed after your space shuttle poster. I too wish we had more bikes and less guns. I don't even cycle because of my disability, but my wife does so I find ways to enjoy that aspect of her life. We used to shoot firearms recreationally fairly regularly, but I don't think we've touched a firearm in ~4 years. They're just... so unnecessary and not even that fun to shoot. Shooting gets old very quickly, and I hate even possibly being lumped in with the people with such fragile egos that they have to project strength through firearms. I'm sorry that happened to you on your ride. My wife and I had a bomb threat during our first date... it's weird going through stuff like that.
With that conclusion it's a perfect essay - no matter how spontaneous it was. I also live in a city with very high crime (although luckily we don't have the US's random shooting sprees, but it's 'made up for' by masses of gang violence and armed robberies). So your conclusion really works for me - when you understand all the implications of bikes for transport vs the cultures of violence and control, bikes vs. guns seems like a real cultural standoff.
Also, I have a beautiful mountain bike (Genesis v2900) that I rarely ride because of health problems, I'm lazy and I really don't want to get it dirty because it's beautiful. ...it's also because I am Black, live in a hilly area of metro Atlanta am afraid of getting shot by a cop or a criminal while riding.
The other side of this equation is how ridiculously expensive a decent bike is (even to replace, whatever it is) since, ...oh, maybe 2004 or something. I mean, there was always bike thefts but the stakes didn't used to be like that. and you could still put something decent together for a couple hundred bucks, if not exactly the highest dollar stuff some might have had. I think my ex and I spent like five on something new and pretty sweet generally around 2004 and that was the last years' model being phased out. Now if people are getting jacked by *teams* for em, it's like, maybe a decent bike shouldn't be that black-marketable. :) I don't ride much anymore, really, mostly about the road I live on and it being a pointless ordeal in usually tough weather with my artritis, but I still fix stuff and especially during the pandemic there was a big *parts* crisis. It shouldn't be that freaking hard.
Love the experience of riding a bike over anything. I don't ride often on the roads. I mainly ride off-road but the times I do ride on the road its a great experience. We have built our cities in the US to force everyone into a car its pretty awful. We do need to do better. The amount of hateful angry drivers is astonishing. The other day I got flipped off in traffic not sure how it was possible. Just sitting at a light waiting for traffic to move in front of me that had just changed to green. I was so frustrated by it. I live in a top ten state for confrontational drivers. Guns have become so permissible here that even a small incident can result in a shooting. Its happened a few times this year already.
Hi Rebecca. I live in The Netherlands. I'd adopt you, if it would do any good. Cycling and public transport is the way I get around. And, it's really hard to get a gun here. (Yes, I know criminals have guns, but criminals can get guns in every country.) I'm sure you, and other Americans, would rather stay in the US and make it better, but I get that you guys must get very tired of the state of things there. Good luck. Safe cycling. Thanks for the content. Give Indy a pat from me.
So if the criminals still have guns how is it any better? Now you don't even have the option to fight back. I think America has a very unique culture which leads to unique problems. It's not just that we have guns that leads to school shootings. it's 1. Inner city Gang fighting, most school shootings would fall under this umbrella. 2. The lack of father figures and the vilification of masculinity. 3. The lack of a sense of community. She even talks about why this is why she likes biking.
A lot of insightful comments. At the beginning of the story, when you were talking about the bike jackings, I was weirdly a bit relieved that what you were explaining was "just" robbery, and not some kind of violent anti-bike sentiment. Anyway, I hope those kids are alright... It's not fair.
I don't know if this will help dispel any of the lingering after effects of this unnerving experience, but the Mercury News reports that no one at the high school was injured, at least not by gunfire. As a fellow East Bay resident, I breathed a sigh of relief. I'm disappointed to learn that riding one's bike up the steep hills in Oakland carries the risk of being robbed at gun-point. Glad you're OK. I have a chronic back condition that prevents me from riding a bike, but walking gives me many of the same benefits you report.
Check out some of the local recreational clubs - the East Bay is bike club central. You can probably find some people to ride with - it will lower your anxiety about it a bit, and you can meet some cool new people who will bug you to come out and ride more.
Take care of yourself Rebecca. I am in Scotland we have the Highlands beautiful and rugged there are bicycle trails in the Cairngorm mountain range. There is an American artist painter who has moved to Scotland and cycles round the coast of Scotland. She has a UA-cam channel Sarah in Scotland I would recommend watching. Our police are not armed and getting a gun is almost impossible you need a very good reason to have one. Again take Care Stay safe.
As far as the gun thing goes, yea, sh*t sucks... As far as bikes are concerned, if anyone watching this wants to be able to cycle around their town, please go to your local town/county meetings. I started going to mine about 1 year ago and literally no one shows up to these meetings. I know "get involved" is advice as old as time but seriously, get involved, no one on your local town council is going to just magically wake up one day and decide to start building safe bike infrastructure for you, you gotta go ask for it, repeatedly, and preferably with other residents. Assuming you don't have any interest in running for office yourself that is, which, totally don't blame anyone that doesn't want to do that.
Having had guns pointed at me by men robbing me, at multiple occasions, I can tell you that you are correct in assuming it can be an upsetting experience.
What a rollercoaster of a bike ride... Rarely comment on videos - but your content is super informative and sarcastically brilliant. yikes, America sure is dystopian. Glad you made it home safe!
Hey Rebecca - Come to Australia and we'll adopt you. One way I stay safe on my bike (I know this is not what the video was about) is I have a basket that's big enough to bring one of my little dogs along (they're smaller than Indy). Having one of them along keeps me thinking about the safest path to take. They also absolutely love it. That doesn't work when I'm riding to run an errand like going to the grocery store, but it keeps my general fitness rides on safe routes.
For all the amazing foresight the framers of The Constitution had, the vagueness of the Second Amendment is one of the great mistakes. But I was thinking about it the other day, and while gun violence in this country is a huge problem, the greater overall violence problem is the issue that needs to be addressed. The US ranks at the top of the developed nations for all forms of violence. Maybe that is a product of the puritanical roots of the nation. Maybe it is because of a lack of mental healthcare. Maybe it is something else or a combination of all of the above.
@@thinkharder9332 funny that you, like SCOTUS, glossed right past the beginning "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state...". Please explain to me how having no restrictions on the purchase of ANY firearm is related to a "well regulated militia". I also note that you are a low-key racist. Systemic racism, which IS a function of the highly religious bigots in the nations history, continues to have effects on minority communities.
This is kinda part of why I like motorcycles. It's very similar vibes. I'm not in a box going past things. I'm riding thru them. I wave to cyclists as I give them space going by.
Fellow California e-cyclist. Can't count the number of times I've passed someone walking a bike or looking like they need help, gone 10-12 feet, and stopped to ask if everything is ok, precisely to be out of reach if this was a fakeout trap.
I live in a rural part of central North Carolina so I don't ride my bike on the road very much because it doesn't seem very safe. On Monday afternoon last week I was at work and I stepped outside when I saw 8 law enforcement vehicles racing towards campus at UNC. Alas, it turned out that a professor had been murdered.
I tried several times to write something meaningful and profound as this deserves that. But nothing was meaningful and profound enough. So sorry that you had to experience that. Thanks for sharing. Somehow sharing a personal experience like that, seen first hand, makes it more real than the media news circus. I hope this moves at least one person to the side of needing to do something about guns. Take care, especially of your metal well-being.
After the compassionate interaction with the biker, you were probably more open and vulnerable emotionally, so the sirens and the news about the school hit harder, more viscerally. Ain't that America. Glad there were no casualties. Hope you have some nice even keel days ahead, to balance it out
No worries about being bike-jacked. The guys that jump out with guns know more about bikes than you do, Rebecca! They aren't going to go to the trouble over your bike. Now ... that techbro next to you with the 25k e-bike? Um ... let him go ahead of you ... far ahead.
You should consider getting your motorbike license (don't know what it's called in the US) and going on a long road trip. Motorcycles are amazing and I'm constantly jealous of how beautiful America is (specifically for riding your motorbike - nature, nice curvy roads, etc.) vs. super boring straight flat roads here in Europe
I haven’t watched the video yet but I like my guns. I would happily trade a few for an electric bike. Watched it, and so I guess I have more to say now. There are many situations in day to day life where my normal non electric bike has made me happier and healthier and has been of use. My guns do make me happy, but they don’t make me healthier. In fact they are bad for my hearing, cost money, and expose me to lead. In a situation where a group of people gets the jump on me, the gun won’t be useful. When someone I know was getting shot at this past summer, owning a gun didn’t help. When school shootings occur, civilians are not allowed to intervene, owning a gun doesn’t help. For every situation where a gun is used to harm others, there are only a few where one could hypothetically benefit from also being armed. Guns are by nature an offensive weapon. And an offensive weapon only has advantages when used before the other person can react. Criminals may have a harder time getting a gun, but if they do get one, they always always always have the advantage. I dunno what else to say.
The thought that I might be forced to interact with people while I'm already suffering on a bike, really makes the appeal significantly lower than it already was.
I never ever respond on socials ( lol i only use youtube) ....Buttt eeeeeehhhh. WoW this is intens, i truly feel for you, o boy what er we ( humans ) short of of empathy ....... what could have been..... i'm afraid that's the last thing we think when the lights go out. take care Rebecca! wish yoou all the best!
I knew a deaf biker. He had a whole group of deaf biker friends, biking around Scotland.
My favorite guns pointed at somebody story. A friend of mine had a Yama FJR motorcycle, not completely stock. He was riding it on a beautiful afternoon near Bellingham, Washington and had just turned off onto the Chuckanut Drive from I5. This is a road that runs for quite a few miles toward the coat in a dead straight line. A moment after he came off I5, a pale blue pickup drew up next to him and the driver started shooting at him with a pistol. My friend opened the throttle all the way on his bike and went down the highway as fast as he could. Soon thereafter, he passed a Washington State Patrol car on the shoulder. Of course my friend immediately slowed, pulled over and stopped on the shoulder.
With lights and siren the cop pulls up and exist his patrol car. "Do you know how fast you were going?" he yelled. "There was this guy in a pale blue pickup shooting at me," my friend explained. "Where?" the cop inquired. My friend pointed back up the rod and the job jumped into his car, did a 180 and hauled ass up the road.
My friend sat there a while, letting his heart rate come down and rather enjoying going 0 mph. Shortly, the cop returned. "We got him!" he exclaimed. "We've been after him for two weeks - some dumb fuck shooting randomly at people. Thanks. And by the way, you were doing 186 mph. ... Have a nice day." and the cop left.
I had the pleasure of spending a week in Denmark for work earlier this year. It was absolutely amazing on so many levels. I’ve been kind of down ever since because I know it could be so much better in the US if people only understood. Part of me really wants to move there.
Dear Rebecca. Much love and hugs from the Netherlands, and yes I am more than happy to adopt you.
Cycling is a big part of my life and everyday I whish other people would cycle more, for all the good feelings it gives me.
Have another hug, before I jump on the bike to go to work.
Don't lose focus on the good experience just because of the bad one. We would all be better off if more people rode bikes. Thanks for sharing that story.
Humans ability to squander potential is mind boggling.
Oh, boy. You can say that again.
I used to ride my bike to work when I worked at a casino. Pretty much all of my coworkers asked me if I was biking because I lost my driver's license. When I told them I did it because I enjoyed it, they looked at me like I had grown a second nose. I wish more people understood the joy of cycling.
hugs - we live in texas my sons school is on the same road about a mile and a half away from the allen outlets mall shooting, we are wanting to move out of Texas, my sons elementary school is now forced to hire a private security guard who patrols both inside and outside the building with a firearm, the principle has no information of the frequency of the guards evaluations and training. We are originally from England and this seems like the inherently bad direction and band aided solution.
You are right the USA can do better my son shouldn't have to walk past a guard open carrying a firearm on his way to class every morning. It's clearly insanity. We have stats and example countries that show that these types of things are mostly preventable without hiring armed guards to be in your kids schools hallways, nor has having armed guards a guarantee of safety.
I feel you, Rebecca; your bike ride took some serious emotional twists and turns. One never knows what may be around the bend but I'm glad you got home safely.
Random Encounters from Drivers: Swearing, yelling, swerving, drinks thrown at me, bizarre attempts to get my attention from drivers and passengers.
Once, early on in a ride, a driver yelled at me. I thought it would sour the rest of my trip. But it is so hard for me to stay miserable on a bike, my mood lifts after a few minutes of pedaling and zooming around. If I was driving, I fucking know I would have been swearing and fuming the rest of the trip.
On my bike, I've had similar interactions as Rebecca had with the Motorcyclist. Sometimes people ask for help and I provide in a way that warms my heart. Hard to beat the high of helping a stranger navigate our confusing transit system. Me and pedestrians are super considerate when we meander past each other.
Thank you for sharing this. Bicycle commuting was one of the absolute high points in my life despite some very vulnerable and terrifying moments. We could do so much better for ourselves if we embraced bicycle culture like the Netherlands.
Same here. I was incredibly lucky to have chosen a WFPB diet at 21 and then got an amazing university support job with a near- perfect cycle commute on quiet roads, paths and parks witha really good hill every morning.
At 63 I can't help noticing the poor health even of people 10 or 20 years younger ...
My main take away: "Don't let the news make you an asshole!" 🤗
Canada has had a total of 355 mass shootings SINCE JAN 2005. The US has had 484 so far THIS YEAR. We are getting better at accommodating bicycles, but winter sucks. We are friendly for the most part.
I know that feeling of being worried about a gun situation and then it actually happening.
Just a few weeks ago, I was at an outdoor campus for a volleyball game when some guy ran up to the crowd and started screaming with a gun. I was in his closest proximity, so in that moment I was 100% certain I was going to die.
But he turned around elsewhere. Later, we discovered he was chasing somebody else. Encountering a situation like that eventually almost feels inevitable in this country.
Jesus, I’m so sorry
You'd be surprised about how many US-Americans have moved to the Netherlands over the last decade or so.
Sensible people are always welcome...
What a complicated ride! Take care of yourself. Yeah, biking connects you to the world. I’m 60, and I’ve been biking around downtown Toronto as my main mode of transport since I moved here at 25. More than anything, it’s that connection to the world around me I love. But you can’t pretend you don’t see the homelessness, the people in trouble as much as you get to experience little moments of joy and connection. I think it makes me a better citizen. Good luck with your training and I look forward to stories of your Death Valley experience.
I rode from Buffalo to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side a few years back and it was lovely! would’ve been cool to try for Toronto but never had the time
I was soooo worried at the start of your story lol. Glad to know it turned out well.
I used to live just on the other side of 580 from Skyline High-School. Only about 2 miles, as the crow flies. But this was just over 10 years ago. Oakland felt dangerous to me then (and I used to ride my bike through Crips and Bloods territory in LA, in the late 80s).
I can only imagine how dangerous it feels now. Current Frisco Bay area would share me to death.
I spent all my free time on Alameda Island. (Partly because I worked there.) But, mostly, because it just felt so much safer there. The island isn't huge, but you should be able to work out plenty of different training routes there that will get you plenty of training miles. No hills though. Just ride faster. Maybe put Indy in a trailer.
Another nice thing about Alameda is that there are plenty of low-key bars and places to hang out to rest. There used to be this really large coffee shop right on the corner on Park Street with huge front windows and super comfy sofas. It's the one thing I miss about leaving the Bay Area. (Don't miss the rent.)
As to the motorcycle: I was motorcycle-only when I first moved there. The highways around there are insane. There are just so many exits and transitions, with little lead time, that I used to have to plan out and memorize every single lane change for my whole trip or I would miss an exit and get lost.
Anyway, I hope you can find a place where you can feel safe out there. If not, there's always Minnesota!
❤ you're very welcome to visit us in the Netherlands 🇳🇱. A gun is such a rare sight I've never seen one in my life (outside of the airport). Bikes aplenty. Hardly any hills 😂. Lots of festivals.
I'm in the Netherlands. I'll adopt you. You won't like the weather though.
But seriously, I feel you. I've lived in the U.S. for two decades and returned to the Netherlands just two years ago. And while I miss America a lot -- it is a wonderful place in so many ways -- I feel a lot more at ease here. And not just when I'm riding my bicycle. There is a certain kind of nervous energy in the air in the U.S. that can be exhilarating at times, but also kind of terrifying.
Hear, hear for more bikes, and fewer guns! What a difference it could make. Thank you for sharing.
(local East Bay details below)
I was on Grizzly Peak the other day just north of Claremont and someone rolled into the shoulder just to scare the crap out of me. He succeeded. Stay safe out there.
By the way, if you don't know, Wildcat Canyon between Camino Pablo and Inspiration Poiint is closed to vehicular traffic because the road collapsed last winter and well ... it's just SUBLIME on a bicycle. A nice wide road, so smooth, no cars. 2.5 miles of pure lovely. If you want a good, climb. Start at Camino Pablo and ride of Wildcat Canyon to El Toyonal (horse stables) then go up that to Loma Cantada and that back up to Grizzly Peak. Just one long climb, but so lovely.
wish I could gift people the joy cycling gives me.
Many well wishes and bike wishes from the Netherlands!
Dutchy here. Absolutely unfathomable that people would be purposefully drive cyclists off the road, let alone specifically rob them!
But nothing as bizarre as the concept of (very regular) school shootings.
Our country is far from perfect, but I'm so glad those are all things I do not have to worry about.
And yes, I'd adopt you ;p
Sending you good vibes, Rebecca. That was an intense day.
damn. I am an immigrant to US and during my 2nd week in the country a shooting happened in my university with a student killing her prof and herself. that day evening i told my mom who is not in US there was a shooting in my uni. she laughed and was asking for "which movie?" man i wish i still lived in such world where a shooting means a film shooting and not what happens here
Hey Rebecca, long time lurker. I've followed along with you since you were in a science based podcast with two guys. I thought the podcast was really funny until you left, then I realised you were really funny, and followed you here. This is horrible and I wanted to say something.
That's a really affronting experience, honestly in every direction. It's enough that the situation with guns makes you question helping someone. If you'd left it might have been "smart", but I wonder if it would have stayed with you. It's a socialised cost everyone has to bear in different ways.
I live in Scotland and we don't have too many guns, and some bikes. Feel free to crash if you want to, although Indy would make me sneeze. I use love my bike even if it gets a bit Snowpeircer here every so often. Anyway, I hope you're doing ok, that sounds like a horrible shock.
heh I stopped enjoying SGU after Rebecca life too. It was good but goddamn the show needs her personality to work
@@noobule Me too. She's also who I have to thank for getting me out of the whole skeptic scene when she made the misogyny and racism in it public.
I'm very thankful for people who try to do the moral thing and advocate for good in a world that seems to be run by the worst people humanity has to offer.
I'm also a cyclist and a very anxious person and can see myself a lot in her situation. Especially the feeling of vulnerability while slowly crawling uphill. Only that I live in a pretty safe place without gun violence, only cars trying to kill me.
It's difficult enough to get out and face all the imagined and real dangers without being gunned down being one of them.
Cycling through death valley sounds very cool though and like a great experience to look forward to.
That was a roller coaster of a ride (just watching it); it must have been so much more roller coaster experiencing it. Crap. It's heartbreaking to hear of these things. In Canada, not once have I worried someone will try to steal my bike while I'm on it. Wasn't even on my radar. I can't imagine the chronic long-term stress it must place upon people living in the states who have to deal with all that gun idiocy. You'd get decision fatigue about going out on your bike (should I or shouldn't I--pros and cons...).
Yes, biking connects us to our neighbours and to people. I recognize most of the regular cyclists and we wave as we pass each other, or if one is stopped, another will stop to make sure they're ok or if they're having a mechanical issue. I stopped at the local cycle shop on Saturday for some spare parts and ended up chatting with several complete strangers and joking with them, all over our love of biking. I'm antisocial to the extreme but we just all connected.
I had a neighbour who used to time my rides if he saw me out on the roads out of town while he was in his car. I'd get back and he'd inform me of the speed and distance I covered (no Strava back then, and I didn't have a cycling computer). Very encouraging and I appreciate he was interested enough to time me (he was a great guy...then he moved away). The world would be so much nicer if more of us biked. Less guns, less cars, more bikes, more connecting to each other, and more of the types of feel good experiences you had with the motorcyclist.
I am sorry you went through this experience, I can see how much of an impact it had on you. It saddens me that we have created an environment where it is reasonable for a person to have to worry about helping someone who is asking for help. I agree, with you, we can do so much better. You should know that you are one of the people who are helping making things better. Good luck with your training and keep up the great work. Sending you my best.
I admire that despite trepidation you stopped to help in a *potentially* sketchy situation. I drove a city bus in Minneapolis for 10 years and my ability to give anyone the benefit of the doubt (until firmly proven) was utterly squashed. Permanently, I fear. That's on me, I know, but to this day if I am solicited out of the blue I ASSUME some bad faith motivation--and I always feel like shit when 1) they are quite innocent in intent, or 2) they're an acquaintance I failed to recognize, or 3) it's a situation I've otherwise misjudged. Which is almost always.
I go mountain biking a lot in the greater Vancouver area, and the vast majority of people out on the trails say hi. It's like a whole other world.
I'm so sorry Rebecca. It seems so easy for everyone to just be kind to each other, you did it even though you were scared. Why can't the world be better
"Not injured". Not physically, no, but if you're paranoid about the potential of a car stopping in front of you while riding a bike, then the poor kids who HAVE to go to school must absolutely feel either numb or pants-crappingly scared every morning. That HAS to be some sort of deep injury that's going to inform the society to come for years.
I am from Europe and this story makes me feel like citizens in the US must be living under what is essentially crisis conditions. I mean, I know we all are to an extent with climate change and whatever else - but to have to weigh the possibility of armed robbers taking your bike against a ride outdoors - or to be confronted on a weekly basis with people with guns and murderous tendencies - it just feels like there is something ragged about the US. Maybe it's as simple as the difference between rich and poor, which is growing everywhere, being so much greater in the US, so that desperation is more rampant and the violent crime that it engenders is that much more common. I don't know. Whatever the case, I hope for much better and more peaceful things for you and everyone in the US.
if guns werent available, the next most lethal weapon would be used, its the lack of fear criminals possess that gives them the balls to do what they do. The punishment isnt severe enough to deter them... harsh crimes with intent require harsh judgement. The US no longer in many cases impose harsh judgement for the crimes commited.
@@bunnykiller What you are saying is a statement of fact - what we call a proposition. As such, it can be judged against reality to find out, whether it's true. I think you will find, that to a large extent, what you are proposing is not a true statement of the facts. Harsher punishments do not, empirically, seem to do much to deter crime, for example. It's a whole discussion, a whole field of scientific inquiry, in fact. I'm sorry to be - snide? Is that the word? But I can very well get on board with the thoughts and feelings of wanting a harsh punishment for someone who has done some heinous crime. However, that's my empathy and my lust for justice or vengeance talking. That's not necessarily any good solution to a societal problem.
@@bunnykillerAdd to that the fact that criminal behavior doesn’t carry the social stigma it once did. Criminal behavior gets glorified by lots of people. On top of that you have the single mothers that will defend their juvenile criminal no matter what the little bastard does. The absent fathers don’t give a damn if his son goes to jail or not. Because he’s got 6 or 7 more with 3-4 other women. The lack of morals, the lack of shame, the lack of any religious conviction all makes for a bad mix. The best thing for responsible citizens to do is to keep your Roscoe ready at all times and snuff the criminal before they make you the next victim on the list. It’s not a crime to defend yourself with lethal force if necessary.
It all feels pretty Mad Max... also, laughable that there are suggestions from people here that one of the countries with the largest prison populations in the world is not punishing people enough. Sure, more prison sentences, that'll do it... don't engage with your society's underlying problems at all while you play whack-a-mole with its byproducts.
You live in the safest and softest time and place in the history of the world, yet somehow have convinced yourself that you're living in "crisis conditions"... Bwahahahahahahahahaha
Got to be careful about firearms even in the Netherlands. Several people own guns, given the existential risk from killer tulips.
One of the rare times I comment on anything on UA-cam:
Older Canadian bike rider here, and I discovered your intelligent, thoughtful, colourful channel not too long ago:
I feel your concern about typical car driver/bike rider interactions, but this whole armed bikejacking thing is at a whole new level from my perspective in Canada.
Kudos to you for still recognizing that a fellow road user needed help, and for responding despite the risk.
More on the gun culture - my high school got locked down in 1977/1978 due to a student shooting several people in another school in our district in Ontario. Why is it that to this day I remember the name of the shooter but none of the victims?? The frequency doesn’t compare to I what I hear from the USA, but we all need to do better.
I’m a sucker for a cyclist raising funds for a cause, especially someone for whom the cycling is secondary to the cause. Please repost or link to your fundraising site; I’ve been through my share of rides where the fundraising is the hardest part!
And your dog is awesome!
So well said, and awesome video! I love cycling for these reasons and more and wish many many more people would embrace it for recreation, daily chores, commuting, and even longer vacations. It is so fulfilling and healthy.
I live in your general area and there’s so much we could be doing to help relieve the social pressure that causes these fears (and realities). But everything is moving faster than we can solve for, which is wild and I’m not sure how to help.
It hurts that I understand you.
Thanks for being you.
That was worrying, then great, then terrible. So sorry you had to deal with all that whiplash first hand.
I was brought up in a pro-gun household but man... if you aren't suffering from fatigue from all these school shootings and other mass shootings, I don't know what to say. It's heartbreaking and it happens so often.
I’m surprised how the pro gun rhetoric in the usa tends to be “laws don’t work, criminals will still get guns, 2nd amendment rights, having guns is worth having dead kids” when it should talk more about the following:
Legal loopholes that allow guns to get into the hands of people who should not have them has caused many deaths. Close the loopholes.
Inadequate background checks in particular allowed mass shooters to get their hands on guns they were not legally allowed to own.
Possibly requiring firearm training for all citizens. Many people have did because they or their kid or dog mishandled a firearm. Teach teenagers how to properly handle a gun in case they encounter one.
Having a low cost licensing process, that, because of the second amendment, is mostly paid for with federal tax dollars.
The inequality of law with regards to poor vs rich people being allowed to own guns. Guns and ammo are expensive. So are permits. If a poor person lives next to a school, they cannot legally have a gun without special permits. And because they are poor they cannot afford to get that expensive permit plus an expensive gun. If owning firearms is a right, the federal government should help cover these costs.
Since the natural consequences of having gun ownership be a right is gun injuries and death, federal funds should cover all gun associated healthcare costs and funeral costs. Including mental healthcare costs.
Instead of crying “it’s a mental health crisis!” Banning people with the ill defined problem of “mental health issues” from owning guns and calling it a day, maybe actually put more funding into schools and communities earmarked specifically for mental health care, including therapists, prescription medication, non medication based therapies, and of course providing impoverished people with jobs and monetary support, because it turns out being impoverished not only temporarily reduces iq by 10 points, but is also really bad for mental health.
Oh and maybe do make it illegal for anyone accused of domestic violence to purchase firearms until charges have been cleared.
And while we are at it, reform the prison system so reoffending is less likely by making it less difficult for ex-cons to get jobs. And maybe reinstate their rights after they serve their sentence, particularly voting rights, but also gun rights.
Like, there are all these issues with gun ownership that we should all be able to talk about. But generally either you get lumped in with people who hate guns, or people who hate kids and would rather lose kids than their guns.
The reality is much more complex than that, and we all need to come together and make an actual plan instead of tolerating complacency.
You're being a good human. Putting this shit into words is hard and should be. Having to do so shouldn't have to happen.
I am happy that you were able to overcome your fear to still help someone.
Totally agree...I am a bike rider and have been for fifty years. Biking would be much safer and easier if America
would develop bicycling infrastructure. I also feel that 95% of all gun owners are not competent to own or operate
one. They go to the range once a month maybe once a year or not at all. You would think hunters would be better
but NO and they are the ones most likely to be drinking alcohol particularly duck hunters. The macho around gun ownership is a joke yet taken seriously by the fools who own more guns than they have teeth(well at least some of them). America is going to have a address the issue sooner than later.
but its ok to own a car that can do 2 - 3X the legal speed limit and cause accidents that effectively change lives forever....
hey rebecca, im from the netherlands, and if i where able to get a house here me and my girlfriend would gladly adopt you.
two things i wanted to share,
we just cycled to france the other day, and what you said about being more in your enviourment on the bike really resonates with me, i think it is a verry important aspect that is often overlooked when people talk about more bike friendly infrastucture.
secondly, as some people have noticed in the comments, as a european i was shocked by the apperent opresive fear you felt during a simple bike ride. I can not even imagine cyling and being afraid of being pulled over by people with guns or when someone shouts for help being hesitant in case they are trying to play a trick, that must really suck.
maybe you should move to the netherlands like the guy from not just bikes, although you would have to content with our lack of large wildlife reserves and mountains.
I once had a guy try to literally run me over on my bike in the Bronx, and when he missed me and I made it safely to the sidewalk, he threw a glass Snapple bottle at me. I definitely got scared off my bike when that happened, and to make matters worse, even with the plate the cops wouldn't do a thing about it. So, yeah. That was a joy. Anyway, all that to say I know how you feel about it.
We had a hostage situation in our apartment complex a couple weeks ago. 30+ cops, canine unit, two swat vehicles, breaking out windows. It wasn't a gun situation. It was a knife. Two people were stabbed but are reportedly okay. The suspect was eventually taken into custody. The cops made people go inside, even several buildings away because they were worried about the suspect possibly having a gun.
I haven't ridden my bike in a few years, but until this summer I was doing long walks every day. Trying to figure out with my doctor what is up with my energy levels. Haven't been quite right since I had covid (fairly mild case, all things considered) back in February. I got it at a concert. It was the first place I'd gone where I spent any significant amount of time near people without a mask. I'm getting pretty sick of this timeline.
Damn, sorry to hear that. Don't know what your doc has said, but I'd recommend doing some research into ME/CFS. It's related to long covid, can really f-ck you up if not managed correctly, and often goes undiagnosed.
I have guns and enjoy hunting. I can't see significant difference in my eating meat I killed vs what some farmer killed. When I came back from Vietnam I was shocked to see so many military looking guns in stores. I took it as a sign of a somewhat childish/sick interest, and since then I have noticed that angry people who want to kill a lot tend to go for military looking and rapid fire high capacity guns. That would be more the sick interest than childish interest. So, I too wish Americans had fewer guns and more bikes. I have a bike I ride quite a bit: another enjoyable outdoor sport.
I like Rebecca's attitude vs life.
I like shooting guns. I don’t need a semi auto shotgun, but I want one. I don’t need an ar-15, but I want one. For me, it is purely childish joy. I don’t imagine shooting at anyone when I am at the range, I enjoy hitting targets and hearing the target ring.
This isn’t enough to justify how lax laws are in the usa, just a simple reason for why I will buy guns if it is legal and I have the funds, even though there is no real purpose for it beyond it being fun to my brain.
Thank you for sharing and kudos to you for helping that person. My brain would have gone “deaf person without a phone in 2023 wearing a full-head helmet they didn’t take off while not riding? I’m outta here” and I would have left without a word and had no idea. After your story, I’m so curious 😂
I'm not American but I'm crying along with you.
Correct use of 'fewer'. Respect!
I love this. Although I am in Canada and we have fewer guns. But I love biking! Although the smoke is killing me.
I ride a solar-powered e-bike (called an ELF). It's pretty eye-catching & gets considerable attention when I'm out pedaling. I'm healthier, it's better for the planet, & all of the obvious things. The less obvious: I have meaningful encounters with many more (random) people than I otherwise would, who are approaching those interactions with curiosity & a genuinely positive & joyful frame of mind.
Doing things for the planet is huge... but restoring my belief in the general good nature of so many of my fellow citizens is much, MUCH bigger, & the bike has essentially been a means towards achieving that for this old curmudgeon. I totally get where you're coming from.
I suppose that those frequent positive interactions can even make dealing with the other stuff seem just a bit more possible too.
Did you add solar power to a regular ebike or did you buy it? That would almost make me interested in buying one.
"we could build a better place to live" really stuck with me here
No Rebecca, we need you here! Glad you're OK and I'm right there with you, we could do so much better. More bikes, way fewer guns!
Supportive comment from the Netherlands: We have lots of bikes and hardly any guns. That is definitely a better way for things to be.
Not sure how easy it is to arrange adoption ;-)
Yakuza is what would happen if you made a GTA game in a walkable area with sensible gun control.
Sorry that happened. Virtual hugs. I also love biking but stopped because I got scared, but you're right, it would be nice to go out again, and we could do better. Hope you're feeling alright again.
What an emotional rollercoaster; I hope it doesn’t put you off cycling. I’ve had the good fortune to cycle in quite a few countries (including a little in the USA) and I agree very much that you get a deeper, richer experience of a place by bike. You also make yourself vulnerable to the elements and to the communities you pass through, and on the whole I think that is a good thing.
When it comes to risk - in a cold, objective sense cycling is less risky over the long term than driving. Whilst cyclists are at significantly higher risk of meeting a sudden, dramatic end on the road they are also less likely to suffer a mundane but much more common demise from heart disease. Whilst it’s counterintuitive, cyclists have a longer life expectancy than their peers who drive everywhere.
On one trip I was warned about armed muggings similar to what you described happening near Marseilles (so not unique to the US) - but crime involving guns remains relatively rare in Europe.
Hope you’re able to continue to enjoy your bike.
As a cyclist, I have all the emotions about this video. Sometimes, I think about moving to Finland to ride bikes. Porvoo seems nice. But yes, we could do so much better here if we would collectively decide to do that. Sigh.
I. Think the more we all learn and use the roads decently. We also interact with. Are better.
I see so many club rides taking up a entire lane and not move for the car. If it was first responder they’d be late to the scene. For me it shows education is a big issue.
@theundead1600 first responders have sirens and lights. Anyway, I also drive a car. I see plenty of bad behavior on both sides, but it is drivers that are most likely to kill someone.
@@theundead1600 When you're in a car you also take up an entire lane.
By yourself even.
People walking, riding a hand-cycle, using a bus, riding a horse, walking their dog, sitting in a tram, riding their unicycle or walking their donkey ALL use the roads & ALL have a right to *be*
You are not more important & no, you may not drive over them.
Hey Rebecca. While I was not expecting the extreme twist there (the final subject is intense and deep and is desperate for solutions) but what I really wanted to let you know is that you definitely don't need to edit videos like this because you are incredibly adept at presenting with authenticity, professional style and clear explanation and also great story telling ability - easy to follow you and your thought process thanks to your ability to convey yourself. 💙
Not very related to the video: One of my hobbies is building classic bikes and painting them. Something about this video makes me want to build a cruiser with a paint job themed after your space shuttle poster.
I too wish we had more bikes and less guns. I don't even cycle because of my disability, but my wife does so I find ways to enjoy that aspect of her life. We used to shoot firearms recreationally fairly regularly, but I don't think we've touched a firearm in ~4 years. They're just... so unnecessary and not even that fun to shoot. Shooting gets old very quickly, and I hate even possibly being lumped in with the people with such fragile egos that they have to project strength through firearms. I'm sorry that happened to you on your ride. My wife and I had a bomb threat during our first date... it's weird going through stuff like that.
With that conclusion it's a perfect essay - no matter how spontaneous it was. I also live in a city with very high crime (although luckily we don't have the US's random shooting sprees, but it's 'made up for' by masses of gang violence and armed robberies). So your conclusion really works for me - when you understand all the implications of bikes for transport vs the cultures of violence and control, bikes vs. guns seems like a real cultural standoff.
I teared up with you. The country you wish for is Australia… but you already know that xx
Who knew, that in this day and age, it would have to take a Tremendous amount of courage to interact with other people...
What have we become?
Also, I have a beautiful mountain bike (Genesis v2900) that I rarely ride because of health problems, I'm lazy and I really don't want to get it dirty because it's beautiful.
...it's also because I am Black, live in a hilly area of metro Atlanta am afraid of getting shot by a cop or a criminal while riding.
The other side of this equation is how ridiculously expensive a decent bike is (even to replace, whatever it is) since, ...oh, maybe 2004 or something. I mean, there was always bike thefts but the stakes didn't used to be like that. and you could still put something decent together for a couple hundred bucks, if not exactly the highest dollar stuff some might have had. I think my ex and I spent like five on something new and pretty sweet generally around 2004 and that was the last years' model being phased out.
Now if people are getting jacked by *teams* for em, it's like, maybe a decent bike shouldn't be that black-marketable. :)
I don't ride much anymore, really, mostly about the road I live on and it being a pointless ordeal in usually tough weather with my artritis, but I still fix stuff and especially during the pandemic there was a big *parts* crisis. It shouldn't be that freaking hard.
Love the experience of riding a bike over anything. I don't ride often on the roads. I mainly ride off-road but the times I do ride on the road its a great experience. We have built our cities in the US to force everyone into a car its pretty awful. We do need to do better. The amount of hateful angry drivers is astonishing. The other day I got flipped off in traffic not sure how it was possible. Just sitting at a light waiting for traffic to move in front of me that had just changed to green. I was so frustrated by it. I live in a top ten state for confrontational drivers. Guns have become so permissible here that even a small incident can result in a shooting. Its happened a few times this year already.
I was expecting him to grab your phone and run as soon as you started looking at Google maps (given the set-up to your story)
Hi Rebecca. I live in The Netherlands. I'd adopt you, if it would do any good. Cycling and public transport is the way I get around. And, it's really hard to get a gun here. (Yes, I know criminals have guns, but criminals can get guns in every country.) I'm sure you, and other Americans, would rather stay in the US and make it better, but I get that you guys must get very tired of the state of things there. Good luck. Safe cycling. Thanks for the content. Give Indy a pat from me.
So if the criminals still have guns how is it any better? Now you don't even have the option to fight back.
I think America has a very unique culture which leads to unique problems. It's not just that we have guns that leads to school shootings. it's 1. Inner city Gang fighting, most school shootings would fall under this umbrella. 2. The lack of father figures and the vilification of masculinity. 3. The lack of a sense of community. She even talks about why this is why she likes biking.
A lot of insightful comments. At the beginning of the story, when you were talking about the bike jackings, I was weirdly a bit relieved that what you were explaining was "just" robbery, and not some kind of violent anti-bike sentiment.
Anyway, I hope those kids are alright... It's not fair.
I don't know if this will help dispel any of the lingering after effects of this unnerving experience, but the Mercury News reports that no one at the high school was injured, at least not by gunfire. As a fellow East Bay resident, I breathed a sigh of relief. I'm disappointed to learn that riding one's bike up the steep hills in Oakland carries the risk of being robbed at gun-point. Glad you're OK.
I have a chronic back condition that prevents me from riding a bike, but walking gives me many of the same benefits you report.
Check out some of the local recreational clubs - the East Bay is bike club central. You can probably find some people to ride with - it will lower your anxiety about it a bit, and you can meet some cool new people who will bug you to come out and ride more.
Being an American is so exhausting. I can’t believe we choose to live like this.
Take care of yourself Rebecca. I am in Scotland we have the Highlands beautiful and rugged there are bicycle trails in the Cairngorm mountain range. There is an American artist painter who has moved to Scotland and cycles round the coast of Scotland. She has a UA-cam channel Sarah in Scotland I would recommend watching. Our police are not armed and getting a gun is almost impossible you need a very good reason to have one. Again take Care Stay safe.
You are a great human! Hang in there
As far as the gun thing goes, yea, sh*t sucks...
As far as bikes are concerned, if anyone watching this wants to be able to cycle around their town, please go to your local town/county meetings. I started going to mine about 1 year ago and literally no one shows up to these meetings. I know "get involved" is advice as old as time but seriously, get involved, no one on your local town council is going to just magically wake up one day and decide to start building safe bike infrastructure for you, you gotta go ask for it, repeatedly, and preferably with other residents.
Assuming you don't have any interest in running for office yourself that is, which, totally don't blame anyone that doesn't want to do that.
I own an ebike, road bike and mountain bike. I love cycling.
I hope you can live in joy and hope, and ride your bike, rather than living in fear, and needing a gun.
More bikes, less cars, less guns on the streets please 🙏
I hope you're Ok. I'm sorry this happened to you.
Having had guns pointed at me by men robbing me, at multiple occasions, I can tell you that you are correct in assuming it can be an upsetting experience.
Best wishes to you, & us all really, in all this.
What a rollercoaster of a bike ride... Rarely comment on videos - but your content is super informative and sarcastically brilliant. yikes, America sure is dystopian. Glad you made it home safe!
Hey Rebecca - Come to Australia and we'll adopt you.
One way I stay safe on my bike (I know this is not what the video was about) is I have a basket that's big enough to bring one of my little dogs along (they're smaller than Indy). Having one of them along keeps me thinking about the safest path to take. They also absolutely love it. That doesn't work when I'm riding to run an errand like going to the grocery store, but it keeps my general fitness rides on safe routes.
For all the amazing foresight the framers of The Constitution had, the vagueness of the Second Amendment is one of the great mistakes. But I was thinking about it the other day, and while gun violence in this country is a huge problem, the greater overall violence problem is the issue that needs to be addressed. The US ranks at the top of the developed nations for all forms of violence. Maybe that is a product of the puritanical roots of the nation. Maybe it is because of a lack of mental healthcare. Maybe it is something else or a combination of all of the above.
@@thinkharder9332 funny that you, like SCOTUS, glossed right past the beginning "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state...". Please explain to me how having no restrictions on the purchase of ANY firearm is related to a "well regulated militia".
I also note that you are a low-key racist. Systemic racism, which IS a function of the highly religious bigots in the nations history, continues to have effects on minority communities.
This is kinda part of why I like motorcycles. It's very similar vibes. I'm not in a box going past things. I'm riding thru them. I wave to cyclists as I give them space going by.
I'm sorry that happened to you. Then again, I'm sorry when it happens to anyone.
It could all be so much better
I like the idea, but I don't think you're gonna convince the mass shooter crowd to ply their trade with bikes.
Fellow California e-cyclist. Can't count the number of times I've passed someone walking a bike or looking like they need help, gone 10-12 feet, and stopped to ask if everything is ok, precisely to be out of reach if this was a fakeout trap.
I live in a rural part of central North Carolina so I don't ride my bike on the road very much because it doesn't seem very safe. On Monday afternoon last week I was at work and I stepped outside when I saw 8 law enforcement vehicles racing towards campus at UNC. Alas, it turned out that a professor had been murdered.
I tried several times to write something meaningful and profound as this deserves that. But nothing was meaningful and profound enough. So sorry that you had to experience that. Thanks for sharing. Somehow sharing a personal experience like that, seen first hand, makes it more real than the media news circus. I hope this moves at least one person to the side of needing to do something about guns. Take care, especially of your metal well-being.
After the compassionate interaction with the biker, you were probably more open and vulnerable emotionally, so the sirens and the news about the school hit harder, more viscerally. Ain't that America. Glad there were no casualties. Hope you have some nice even keel days ahead, to balance it out
No worries about being bike-jacked.
The guys that jump out with guns know more about bikes than you do, Rebecca! They aren't going to go to the trouble over your bike.
Now ... that techbro next to you with the 25k e-bike? Um ... let him go ahead of you ... far ahead.
You should consider getting your motorbike license (don't know what it's called in the US) and going on a long road trip. Motorcycles are amazing and I'm constantly jealous of how beautiful America is (specifically for riding your motorbike - nature, nice curvy roads, etc.) vs. super boring straight flat roads here in Europe
Me,too. Me, too. 😔
I haven’t watched the video yet but I like my guns. I would happily trade a few for an electric bike.
Watched it, and so I guess I have more to say now.
There are many situations in day to day life where my normal non electric bike has made me happier and healthier and has been of use.
My guns do make me happy, but they don’t make me healthier. In fact they are bad for my hearing, cost money, and expose me to lead. In a situation where a group of people gets the jump on me, the gun won’t be useful. When someone I know was getting shot at this past summer, owning a gun didn’t help. When school shootings occur, civilians are not allowed to intervene, owning a gun doesn’t help.
For every situation where a gun is used to harm others, there are only a few where one could hypothetically benefit from also being armed. Guns are by nature an offensive weapon. And an offensive weapon only has advantages when used before the other person can react. Criminals may have a harder time getting a gun, but if they do get one, they always always always have the advantage.
I dunno what else to say.
The thought that I might be forced to interact with people while I'm already suffering on a bike, really makes the appeal significantly lower than it already was.
I never ever respond on socials ( lol i only use youtube) ....Buttt eeeeeehhhh. WoW this is intens, i truly feel for you, o boy what er we ( humans ) short of of empathy ....... what could have been..... i'm afraid that's the last thing we think when the lights go out. take care Rebecca! wish yoou all the best!
The way I was so anxious listening to your story. Like expecting the worst 😂