LA - Mickey Shunick, 21, Lafayette, 19 May 2012 - #16

[HouDat]

Bike probably has pinch brakes on both tires + the drum.... remove the drum and you still have both pich brakes.

I'm out of my depth. More research on the Schwinn whatever it is is needed. I read that a common mod is to remove the rear drum brake to save weight.

Remember, this is a fixed-gear bicycle, so a rear brake might be considered overkill to the minimalist rider.

 

[chicken fried]

Correct. I believe that to be a "-->" (right arrow, mostly obscured by the sign in the direct line-of-sight to the photographer who snapped the photo) beneath the text on the sign.

ETA: Confirmed via Google Maps Street View. Right-facing arrow.

Which aligns perfectly with the river being situated off-camera, to the left of that shot; and with that area being well in excess of 2500' from the water's edge at the boat ramp.

For orientation purpose, this shot appears to have been snapped a couple hundred feet to the south of I-10, facing in a generally northern direction.

No, wait. You fooled me with "river" we have to use exact terms. I believe that photo to be near the Pilot Channel, facing north, not the Work Canal. To the left, I believe is the small boat ramp into the Pilot Channel - not 2,500' Only a small distance. Look at the Whiskey Bay picture.

If we don't all use the terminology, we won't get anywhere. The word "river" doesn't apply to the Whiskey-Bay layout

 

[Chili Fries]

They are then left with only a front brake? What happens when they break suddenly?

Her bike, the Schwinn Cutter, has a back wheel that can be used one way as a fixed gear and flipped around if you want to freewheel. Basically that means...if it's in fixed gear mode the pedals always turn when the back wheel does, this is not like a normal bike which can freewheel.

If you don't have a rear brake then you are most likely riding as a fixed gear so you do what is called a skid stop. It involves picking the back wheel up off the ground (just a little bit) so the wheel stops turning then putting it back down, holding the pedals so it doesn't turn and skidding to a stop. It sounds complicated but good fixie riders do it easily.

Here's a better description:

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Stop_a_Fixed_Gear_Bicycle

 

[happyhappyjoyjoy]

I saw it, and thank you. I don't have the experience with that type of waterway and it's 'behavior', so to speak, to determine the efeects of the bend. The fact that the bike and the grips were found separately in the same area, had me assuming that the site was approached by land, rather than waterway; but, you could be spot on about everything collecting there in a bend. The police did state that there was other "trash" in the area.

Chicken - As I am not familiar with this waterway, does the current change as it does in the Teche?

 

[HouDat]

Exactly what I think - but it's a left arrow on the sign, not right. The boat ramp access would be to the left.

Take a look at the Street View. Also, look at the back of that sign...there's another one with a left-facing arrow, which points east to the Work Canal/public launch.

I know of the launch of which you speak (the primitive one, which launches into WBPC), but it's not a true public launch, a' la the launch at the Work Canal.

 

[tresptip]

Actually this truck really isn't like finding a needle in a haystack.There aren't too many Z71 trucks that have both the 2 door handles and the lower side black stripe.I had a hard time just finding an image of one on google.Here is one that was sold from Karolina Koaches in Piedmont, SC .I don't know when it was sold though.

 

[crzimmer]

That's my point. It was an odd thing for the police to say - that the bike was submerged and surrounded by trash. That matches my scenario perfectly. The bike, after all, was trash, too. It all collects at certain places after bends.

It is reasonable to ask what a bike of that size and approximate weight would do when thrown into a river of swift current. Rather than floating, it could have tumbled in the current. Even though the bike is heavy, the weight is distributed across a large frame. Those large spoked wheels likely slow water moving through the rims. So they make have acted like a fin or rudder blade.

 

[chicken fried]

Chicken - As I am not familiar with this waterway, does the current change as it does in the Teche?

Yes - the hydraulic effect of the tides coming up from the Gulf works just like a brake master cylinder in a car.... when the Gulf moves, the water moves.

 

[chicken fried]

It is reasonable to ask what a bike of that size and approximate weight would do when thrown into a river of swift current. Rather than floating, it could have tumbled in the current. Even though the bike is heavy, the weight is distributed across a large frame. Those large spoked wheels likely slow water moving through the rims. So they make have acted like a fin or rudder blade.

Exactly my idea. It would sink more slowly, and cover less horizontal distance, the less the resistance offered by the bike structure. The more resistance - the farther it travels before it sinks - my theory as to how it got near enough the bank to be found......

 

[TheTruthWillOut]

Don't know how useful this will be but thought I would post it.

I believe this the "pilot"? ramp on Google streetview http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...d=vA-I2wlcLq-NE78U8LDNKg&cbp=12,44.61,,0,4.09

If you are gentle with the control's, you can move around for better views. I'm surprised the Google van went down there!

 

[mamamia54]

It's the wheels, the wheels are different on the trucks that were shown. I'm just looking for abnormalities on the one we are looking for. It's just so difficult to see because the picture is so distorted.

 

[jenerik833]

anybody can buy those gas covers, sometimes they are even a stick on material, sold at Autozone, Pepboys, and even walmart...pretty cheap things

True. I am a local and have been looking at every white Z71 and supprisingly I haven't seen one yet with this detail. Narrows the search.

 

[HouDat]

No, wait. You fooled me with "river" we have to use exact terms. I believe that photo to be near the Pilot Channel, facing north, not the Work Canal. To the left, I believe is the small boat ramp into the Pilot Channel - not 2,500' Only a small distance. Look at the Whiskey Bay picture.

If we don't all use the terminology, we won't get anywhere. The word "river" doesn't apply to the Whiskey-Bay layout

I should have been clearer. I have used "Whiskey Bay" and "Whiskey River" interchangeably all my life...but, to your point, perhaps others have not.

Anyway...there's well in excess of 2500' between the center of that photo and the Work Canal launch.

 

[chicken fried]

Take a look at the Street View. Also, look at the back of that sign...there's another one with a left-facing arrow, which points east to the Work Canal/public launch.

I know of the launch of which you speak (the primitive one, which launches into WBPC), but it's not a true public launch, a' la the launch at the Work Canal.

Well, we have no idea which side the bike was found on. The reports are too vague. Reporters don't study waterway terminology in college. They drink and study general studies

 

[pjcitizen]

Hypothetical Math here but...

The distance between the bank cam and the St. Landry cam is roughly 1850 feet. If it took Mickey about a minute between camera shots she was going roughly 21mph.

If the truck passed the St. Landry camera about 1 min after Mickey (assuming it travelled 35mph) it would have been about 939 feet behind her.

Doing the math and assuming Mickey likely varied speeds I calculated the amount of time it would have taken the truck to catch up to Mickey and assumed she continued down Landry at 18-21 mph average.

I've marked the area on the on the map in which the truck would have caught up to her on the bicycle assuming it travelled 35mph and no stops.

Does anyone know if the nursery/greenhouse at the corner of St. Landry and Colliseum is still actively used?

It is still active. My understanding is she would have turned right on Coliseum though.

 

[mamamia54]

Don't know how useful this will be but thought I would post it.

I believe this the "pilot"? ramp on Google streetview http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...d=vA-I2wlcLq-NE78U8LDNKg&cbp=12,44.61,,0,4.09

If you are gentle with the control's, you can move around for better views. I'm surprised the Google van went down there!

Yes, I noticed that the other day, i was able to get right down there, but if you fool around too much with it, you'll end up back up on the highway lol.

 

[chicken fried]

I should have been clearer. I have used "Whiskey Bay" and "Whiskey River" interchangeably all my life...but, to your point, perhaps others have not.

Anyway...there's well in excess of 2500' between the center of that photo and the Work Canal launch.

If you'ce checked it on StreetView, I trust it. but there were trucks everywhere that day. Maybe those trucks were searching the east end.

From all the reports, can you tell me definitely at which end of the area the bike was found?

 

[RANCH]

Bike probably has pinch brakes on both tires + the drum.... remove the drum and you still have both pich brakes.

I'm out of my depth. More research on the Schwinn whatever it is is needed. I read that a common mod is to remove the rear drum brake to save weight.

Here in Sacramento a lot of guys build fixed gear bikes and use no brakes at all. The rear hubs are called fixed gear because they don't freewheel when you stop pedaling. These guys don't stop for stop signs. They just keep going as much as possible. Sometimes that causes problems.

On the "Find Mickey Now" website, there is a picture of her on the bike and you can see the brake calipers and levers.

http://findmickeynow.com/

 

[HouDat]

Well, we have no idea which side the bike was found on. The reports are too vague. Reporters don't study waterway terminology in college. They drink and study general studies

I'll drink to that.

 

[jbpateaux]

Attached is a photo montage I arranged and edited for quality.

Was trying to prove to myself that the tailgate was down in the last image, although it apears to be up.

Not to open the truck topic again - but the one with the dark fuel door driving to the left is not the same truck as the Z71 driving to the right. The chrome/dark fuel door truck has been ruled out and we are only seeking the Z71 that followed right behind Mickey. Confusing, but true.