Local Cyclist Invented the “Survue” to Alert Cyclists to Vehicles Approaching from the Rear
One of our two guests, Josh Fox, an engineer and cyclist, felt trapped with tall curbs and zooming traffic several years ago, so decided it was too risky to trailer his daughter when riding. “I started by just taking my phone and literally duct-taping it to my bike, recording a video, and running it through an open-source algorithm to see what happens,” Fox says. “The algorithms grew more and more efficient in pinpointing the location of a vehicle and predicting its future movements. The battery got better and smaller, so the device was eventually small enough that a cyclist would be willing to stick it on their bike.”
MOAC Group Cycles the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail
Pat Coon organized a five-night camping and biking trip in Vermont in June 2024. From Pat, “I’ve biked since I was a kid. When I was in college I learned to fix bikes and started commuting from Amherst to Northampton, and taking longer adventures, across Massachusetts then from Boston to Florida. Then I was a bike courier in Chicago for a winter. That was fun. I lived for years without a car in Maine and biked everywhere. As I got older I got out of it, I think there were two summers when I didn’t have a functional bike. Then about three years ago, I got back in. First with electric bikes, then analog. I started doing some bike touring, and I discovered the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail, roughly a 150-mile, (3-4% incline) flat ride from Burlington to St. Johnsbury, Vermont.”
In preparation, Pat posted multiple bike rides around South Portland that he called, “Bug to Barrel,” from Bug Light to Barrelled Souls, a brewery. Each ride included parts of the Eastern Trail, roads around SoPo, Cape and Scarborough. The final “shakedown” ride was 40 miles, fully loaded with touring gear.
Bike adventures are a challenge of logistics, of mechanics, of endurance, and of spirit. Come see and hear how the group had a super duper trip!
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In addition to the presentations, the meeting is a chance to hear about recent outings, hear about upcoming outings, and socialize with other MOACers. It’s also a chance for new or prospective members to ask questions. Meeting begins at 7:00, but come at 6:30 to socialize and meet people.
Location: the Allen Avenue Unitarian Universalist Church, 524 Allen Avenue, Portland (near Northgate Shopping Plaza). Here’s a Google Map link.
