23 janvier 2006

Scott Martin

We’re in trouble now.

At this month’s Los Angeles Auto Show, the hot trend among car makers was adding features that make your vehicle feel like your living room. Not just TVs and DVD players for the rugrats in the back seat, mind you. We’re talking refrigerators, barbecue grills, adaptors for iPods, even laptop computers so drivers can look for directions or send e-mail.

And you thought distracted motorists blabbing on cell phones posed a threat to cyclists.

“Quiet down, kids. We’ll be home soon. Lemme just flip these burgers, grab some cold sodas, check my e-mail -- look at all this freakin’ spam -- cue up Harry Potter and the Mountain of Merchandising, and . . . whoa, did I just hit something? Dang! Looks like a piece of blood-smeared Lycra stuck on my side mirror.”

The LA show also featured a Nissan concept car, dubbed the URGE, that lets drivers use the steering wheel and pedals to play video games. I’m hoping the transmission first has to be in P.

One reason for this customization trend, said one automotive analyst, is that long commutes are increasing some consumers’ desire for a rolling sanctuary.

Let’s see, I’m spending three hours a day stuck in traffic. I could: (a) ride a bike to work; (b) take public transportation or carpool; (c) telecommute; (d) live closer to my job; (e) install a fireplace and a fish tank in my car.

So, how can roadies battle this pimp-my-ride plague of DWO (driving while oblivious)? The answer: Fight fire with fire by customizing our bikes to safeguard us from multi-tasking motorists. (After all, we invented the cup holder, a.k.a. the water bottle cage.)

For starters, I’m thinking about a stem-mounted rocket launcher.

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Scott Martin wrote feature articles for Bicycling magazine for 12 years. You can e-mail him at scottmartin@roadbikerider.com

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