Bikes!
 

I'm still working off the Euphoria of two hours in the saddle so why not try another bike thread? I do this at least once a year hoping some of the new folks ride.

Breaking News rides so that's two...Pete is three, she intended to ride 10 miles at lunch today and did 30, good grrrl!

I had a pretty quiet loop today. They've resurfaced some of my best descents with tar and stones which makes things a little dicey but my ride is a Trek 520 touring bike which weighs 1.3 tons but handles ugly stuff like a dream. The bike disappeared under me right away today, I don't even remember the hairpin turn that usually gives me the jitters coming down our mile long hill. More later g

I jus' hafta say there's nothing better than a root beer float when you've just ridden off the equivalent of five of them!
I had one of those moments today when I passed two riders going the other direction and I was going a lot faster. I felt like a kick ass rider til i discovered that I had a tail wind. Good ride though. No better way to play hookie from work.

Yeah, it's not so much fun being a cyclist and living in New York City. Riding is tough, not only because you have to venture out into city traffic, but because tall buildings and strategically positioned trees make the after-work hours a very dim time. We won't get into moronic roller bladers and people who ride their bikes the wrong direction in Central Park while talking on their cell phones. Totally absurd.

I'm looking into getting a new bike this winter. I'm riding a bit of a modern tank - a 1999 Lemond Zurich. Factory specs say 21.8 pounds, but with Mavic open pros, a generic seatpost and a Forte (Performance Bike) stem, it must be nearing 23 pounds (not to mention the 250g set of Look 396s). Might as well be dragging cinder blocks when I ride.

My brother rides a Trek 5900 with 9-spd Dura-Ace and Bontrager race-lites - beautiful bike! I took it out for 40 miles a few weeks ago ... climbing was incredibly easy, though I have to admit I didn't have a very good time on descents. His bike is one size too small - I'm dying to try the next larger.

Sunday I just rode a bike for the first time since college. Went from Collegeville to Green Lane and back on the Perkiomen Trail. I had rented some sort of mountain bike, a lot better than anything I'd ever ridden before. I mean, I used to ride Sears-special bikes with traditional (read: shitty) derauillers and no working brakes, and here I am on something with sequential shifters, brakes that grab like (um, can't post that at work), a frame of something other than lead-filled steel, front suspension, and wheels that were actually round and everything.

Anyway, I had a good time but I'm not sure I want to get into biking. I'd have to get a bike, then I'd have to get two bikes (one for the road and one for the unpaved stuff), and then I'd never get out on my skates any more.

I somehow left this part out in my last post ...

I really want to get back into racing, but cycling is soooo damn expensive! It's a great lifetime hobby, and I'll definitely do it as long as I can ... but for now, trying to keep up with the wanna-bes in the racing scene is really draining on the wallet. :(

[Jeri]You will be assimilated.[/Ryan]

Folks don't realize how well engineered modern bikes are, especially with the big box stores selling badly assembled junk. The good stuff is expensive but bikes can last a long time if they're maintained well. My mountain bike has eaten two sets of wheels and some components but I've had it since '92(?).

That's a very sexy machine. When I hit the lottery I think I get the titaniumMoots YBB. Those road racing machines are twitchy but in your size I bet it handles a lot better. Did you find that the carbon fiber soaked up much of the roughness of the road?

Can I swap 7/9 out for Mystique?

At $4800? See why I don't want to get into biking? Even the most expensive racing skates ain't THAT much.

$2475, just for the frame. Or $2650 for the SL frame. Yikes.

You can get a quality bike for $600, but if you're gonna dream...

[mystique]You will be a-simulated.[/mystique]

Yeah, bikes and bike equipment is just god-awfully expensive. Especially if you want to get top-of-the-line junk (which is totally unnecessary, just nice to have - kind of like a car).

My brother's racing team is Trek sponsored, so he got his for $2200. I thought about asking him to get another 5k series, but I suppose if I'm going to drop all that freakin' cash, I might as well wait for the new series to come out.

I'm looking at titanium - possibly buying an '04 Litespeed Tuscany frame and building it with Ultegra 10. Or dura-ace 9. I'm not sure how much I'll be needing the 10 though - if I race here in NYC, the terrain is very very plain, so gear variety is not a huge issue.

Anything will beat my steel Lemond. Reynolds alloy is a great material, rides very well on flats and even climbs like Greg once did, but if I can shed about 10 pounds for $2500-3500 (and maybe 10 more off my fat ass), that would be worth the investment.

Griff, ever consider the Jersey double-century? Dunno if they do one out your way in PA, thouugh I'm sure there is.

There is an MS ride up in Utica (?) I think that's a double. Pete and I talked about it but I haven't had the time to train for it. I'd like to aim at one next summer if we don't do a week touring somewhere else.

Steel is real as they say. I had an aluminum failure last summer (old frame design flaw not material failure) so I kinda lean steel, titanium would be it though.

When I worked in a shop we always tried to get folks to take the inexpensive (belly) pounds off before moving up in bike price.

but my ride is a Trek 520 touring bike which weighs 1.3 tons

Yeah! Hard tail steel frame all the way! They last forever. My old Trek 820 has seen better days, but it continues rolling quite well. Getting it up the steps at the end of a ride is the hardest part.

Anyone want to share their highest milage? I've ridden the Suncoast Parkway two times in recent years -- 55 miles, total. I'm never in shape for it, either. I collapse and hurt for a good three days afterwards and I'm never sure if it was really worth it. I have no idea how people can ride century rides.

So, here's my question to those of you that own $1000+ bikes: does it really help? I know actually getting in shape is the best option, but do the lighter bikes make a huge difference? If someone can crank out 10 miles on a normal bike, will they be able to do many more on a racing bike?

trying to keep up with the wanna-bes in the racing scene is really draining on the wallet

Then don't try to keep up. I pedal up and down the bike paths on what is supposed to be a mountain bike, that I paid $300 for some years ago, that I put street tires on and while I don't ride behind someone in their airstream, I certainly don't enjoy my ride any less. Its still a great workout and I'd hate to think that the need to keep-up would take the pleasure of riding away from anyone.

And god dammit, someone out there please manufacture a comfortable seat!

The past two years Pete and I have done the MS 150 out of Seneca Falls. That's 100 miles on Saturday and 50 more on Sunday. The Sunday fifty is much more painful. For me any mileage over 60 doesn't matter. Once you've ridden 60 you can do it. Of course I haven't done 60 this year, which leads me to believe that I'll be curled up in a fetal position this coming Sunday morning after Saturday's century. We toured in Ireland once and and did 300 miles in 5 days. We were not in shape before that trip but came home in pretty good condition.
My 520 is sub $1000 just barely but under. When you road ride with a competitive group it matters after you've tuned yourself to the highest degree. [commercial]The 520 has a nice group of components assembled for durability and precise shifting in bad conditions.[/commercial] It's made to be a reliable bike for heavy (self-contained) touring. When you ride longer distances you want a bigger chainring for more mechanical advantage than most mountain bikes come with and a more comfortable geometry for a relaxed ride. I'll let BN address the racing stuff.

Mountain bikers are generally a little less competitive and that's how I spend my summers. My old Jamis is fine for that stuff although a front shock would allow me to descend faster. My old hardtail is dominant when we're climbing. The nice thing about the Trek is that I can get in shape without the constant little injuries you get riding single-track.


This baby fights that um...er... numbing problem.

And god dammit, someone out there please manufacture a comfortable seat!

This is such a sticking point for me that I refuse to ride. It's not a question of "Gosh, that's a little sore" after a few hours of riding; I cannot sit on bicycle seats. They cause me outright pain. My husband keeps telling me that "professional-grade" seats are comfortable, but so far, every one he's had me try has been the same.

This baby fights that um...er... numbing problem.

From the site: It's a completely thought-through design. But does it work? In a word, yes. Tests conducted by Dr. Robert Kessler, Professor of Urology at the prestigious Stanford University Medical Center, have conclusively proven that the Body Geometry design is clinically effective, both at preventing problems and even reducing or eliminating existing pain, numbness and erectile dysfunction.

Whoa! I was just complaining that my legs and feet go numb over long distances. Maybe I am in the wrong sport! :eek:

I have a bicycle seat with a hole in it that helps prevent the nerve pinch problem, but I've found it also helps to stand on the pedals every few miles and stretch. With continued problems, though, I just might upgrade to a "granny seat". :D

This is such a sticking point for me that I refuse to ride. It's not a question of "Gosh, that's a little sore" after a few hours of riding; I cannot sit on bicycle seats.

Clodfobble, have you ever considered getting a recumbent bicycle? My friend went through back surgery for an injury and so he cannot sit on a normal bicycle very long. He eventually tried out and purchased a recumbent with excellent results -- he cruised past me on the suncoast trip with little difficulty and was comfortable the entire journey. He did complain that hills are sometimes are serious problem, though.

That's ironic griff, cuz right now I have an old model of that specialized saddle on my Lemond. :) I do have a fancy san marco racing saddle, but I swapped it out with the specialized one because its rails are a tad longer and the positioning felt better. I also don't really have a need to use it right now .. figured I would save my ass as much as possible until component weight becomes an issue.

I recently read somewhere that those wide granny saddles are actually worse for you, because it's not natural for the body's positioning (think how your ass gets really sore from sitting on a bench or a flat chair for a while). The narrow racing-style saddles actually support all that needs to be supported - and puts less strain on your ass muscles because of the greater range of motion.

If your tail hurts, get a good pair of cycling shorts with nice modular padding. Performance's elite series is on sale for about $40 and for me has a great fit in the crotch region, though I'm not very particular about what I wear to ride.

Hey, I had one of those too! Great fuckin bikes ... Antelope series, I believe. Incredible uphill ride, excellent acceleration, but those came out in the early days of rock shox - which would have helped me tremendously. My fork really took a beating and I think is now busted, but I retired it rather than taking it to the shop. Bought a Giant afterward, but don't ride it much since I got into road cycling.


Anyone want to share their highest milage? I've ridden the Suncoast Parkway two times in recent years -- 55 miles, total. I'm never in shape for it, either. I collapse and hurt for a good three days afterwards and I'm never sure if it was really worth it. I have no idea how people can ride century rides.

I've gone about 90-95 miles, just shy of the full century. Griff's right - once you hit the 40/50-mile barrier, pretty much any distance after that can be handled very easily (with proper training of course).


So, here's my question to those of you that own $1000+ bikes: does it really help? I know actually getting in shape is the best option, but do the lighter bikes make a huge difference? If someone can crank out 10 miles on a normal bike, will they be able to do many more on a racing bike?

Of course it's mostly the kind of thing where if you understand the technical stuff, you'll mentally feel better about your riding. :P

The most notable difference though is frame material - higher priced bikes are just so incredibly well engineered. It's particularly important for carbon, and slightly so for titanium. For example, the Trek 5900 is made with OCLV 110 carbon, which is extremely light yet very sturdy. You could be riding on a 6 percent uphill grade, give one heavy pedal stroke and the bike will literally take off from underneath you (frame stiffness factors into how responsive the bike will be to your pedaling). Aluminum, on the other hand, won't have this kind of zip, but ppl say it handles cornering well and has a very soft overall ride.

Titanium is not as light as carbon, but stronger, which is important when you are exerting a lot of stress on the bike, such as fast downhill corners/turns/sweeping bends. And when climbing hills out of the saddle ("jogging" on the bike, as Mr. Armstrong calls it), stronger materials won't sag. That's something I didn't notice until i tried my other brother's aluminum Cannondale R1000, which felt kinda flimsy when I was out of the saddle and cranking hard on the hill in Central Park. I weigh more than he does though, which is why it probably works better for him.

Then there comes the components. If you can afford nicer stuff, great. Otherwise making sure all the parts fits YOU is the most important thing. If you find a bike doesn't fit well, ask about changing some of the parts - longer/shorter pedal cranks, obtuse or longer stem (part that holds the handlebars), different styles of handlebars, different saddles, different seatposts, taller/shorter headsets. Buying expensive components won't necessarily mean that they fit - unless you ride for U.S. Postal (soon to be Discovery Channel) and Shimano *custom* makes parts specifically for you.

This is all highly technical stuff that I hardly think about. Some of it didn't even become apparent until watching the technical spots on the Lance Chronicles. Bottom line is a more expensive ride will get you better handling, better feeling, stronger acceleration, but it takes a while before any of that makes a difference.

Tyler Hamilton won the Olympic time trial yesterday and Bobby Julich took third. The US is turning into an absolute force in cycling. :) Anybody watch Paolo Bettini using Sergio Paulinho to take the Gold in the mens road race? Pretty interesting strategy conflict between the two of them.

As far as saddles hurting, there really is a break-in period for both the saddle and your butt. Thats one of the things I've been worried about going into Saturdays ride, my butt isn't in the condition it should be because of lack of training. It's tough for shop owners because by the time you really know a saddle isn't going to work for you, it's used merchandise. Pete bought a Terry saddle that never really worked for her but then picked up an inexpensive Nashbar saddle that really is comfortable. Terry is a pretty cool company, it is run by women for women. They were still new in the business way back when I was a shop guy. They are all about lady cyclists getting the right equipment, bikes, saddles, and clothing.

My father-in-law switched to a recumbent after his back surgery as well. He claims that hills are not a problem but I haven't seen him on any. :D He really likes the bike though and it brought his leg around after it had atrophied pretty badly.

Damn you guys! After reading this thread, yesterday, I couldn't resist: I pulled the bike out, cleaned it up, and braved the roads and traffic. I only did seven miles, but it still felt great!

The bike had a little bit of "sand squeek" in the chain, which I managed to clean out with a bit of oil and a brush. While it still looks good, I think it might need replacing at some point in the near future. The brakes also feel a bit loose. Do you guys take your bikes into a shop to get them "tuned up" or do you do it all yourself? How often do you replace parts and what do you replace? Rather sadly, I always wait until something actually breaks before I replace it and since I started doing trips over twenty miles, I realize that isn't the best plan, anymore. Walking home that far with a broken bicycle really ruins a day.

Somethings, I guess, can't be fixed on the road. My friend lost a pedal while we were out on a long ride, once, and the crappy little toolkits we all carried didn't have what we needed to reattach it. Note: a leatherman tool is a really good thing to have on a ride.

Little spurt of ethusiasm, eh Kit? I'm hoping to get out for a bit tonight, but the forecast is for more rain here in NYC. I really should drag a camera along the next time I do a ride through central NJ - some really beautiful scenary up in the "mountains" of Princeton.

I take my bike in sometimes once a year for a major cleaning. Not always necessary, but a good preventative measure. Plus once your bike is disassembled, shop will sometimes find damage you wouldn't otherwise notice. Otherwise I maintain everything myself, which is actually pretty easy, but should only be done after some experience with tune-ups.

Bike should always be inspected before/after every ride (often can give a quick glance, and you'll learn to notice something quirky right away after you start pedaling). Check brakes, derailleurs, cables, and make sure your quick-release wheels are properly seated. My rear wheel popped out last summer when I hit a pothole - not only did I mangle my wheel (wobble wobble), I came to a dead stop in the middle of a busy intersection and nearly tumbled.

Always ALWAYS take a bike to a shop to be checked out after crashing or taking a severe beating. Many offer a "crash check-up" - the shop near me in NJ does it for $30-35.

I'm hoping to get out for a bit tonight, but the forecast is for more rain here in NYC. I really should drag a camera along the next time I do a ride through central NJ - some really beautiful scenary up in the "mountains" of Princeton.

This is why my bike has sat on the deck and needed serious cleaning: we've had rain in Florida every afternoon now for two months! And while rain makes riding difficult on the roads, it has aboslutely killed what I love to do, which is ride the bike paths in the parks which are all closed due to flooding -- nearly all of them are currently underwater, so they've locked the gates and I've been forced to hit the streets. The problem is that I'm very nervous in traffic, perhaps because I'm not so used to navigating it yet and wet roads compound the danger. It didn't take me long to see why many people dish out good money for disc bakes! That, and the rain streak up the back is always ugly. Note to self: fenders wouldn't hurt.

God, I hate riding in traffic. I've never felt so close to death so many times in so few miles.

So I've taken to riding my bike around campus, which has lighter traffic in the evenings that permits lots of bicyclists and rollerbladers. And I should take my camera, too, for the, uh, "scenery". ;) Its the only thing that breaks up the monotony of riding around in circles on the streets.

Yeah for Americans! Great rides, great performances in both men's and women's. I wish we had done a little better in the road race - the entire U.S. men's squad was written off right from the start, but I suppose when you line them up with Europe's elites, they're really not huge threats.

The time trial looked to be a solid course. I expected more from Ullrich, but I suppose you have your up and down days. Julich really turned it on, even with the broken wrist, which now is casted.

Something interesting was Julich's <A HREF="http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/6807.0.html">chain rings</A>. He's been using these ovular rings all season, similar to Shimano's biopace design (Kit, your Trek should have them). I always though they made a lot of sense, but they haven't made their way into the mainstream for some reason.

Dude, you have no fucking idea. Come to NYC and I'll take you for a spin around town. I've already been hit by a car once, nearly squashed by a bus and almost took a nasty spill on some cobblestones amid rush-hour traffic.

Oh, the scenary is central park is definitely worth the trip. :)

<img src="http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~gvidas/photos/mongoose.jpg">

I bought it a few days ago. $75 from a yard sale. The rust sort of worries me, and I had to replace the springs on the brakes (the plastic that held them had broken on all four, so neither adjustment screw accomplished anything.) Additionally, the handlebars squeak a little under vertical strain (pulling up/pushing down). Future projects include reseating the front brake pads (they jitter a lot), setting the rear indexing, and aimlessly dismantling the front shifter in the hopes that I will incidentally make it less finnicky.

However, I figure it'll be stolen in a few months, so what the hell. It's fun to ride, problems aside.

As far as traffic goes, I find people to be fairly observant. I think Eugene has enough bike lanes, sidewalks, and other bikers that people tend to avoid me more than, say, Astoria, where I once had someone pull up alongside me in a large, commercially-marked panel van on a two-lane one-way street with cars on both sides (and no bike lane) in order to suggest I ride on the sidewalk.

Are Eugenes bike lanes legit or are they door zone lanes? A lot of towns put a bike lane along side parked cars, which is much much worse than no lane at all. If its there cars expect you to use it and if you use it you will eventually get creamed by a door. I try to stake out a place for myself in traffic but let people pass when safe.

Funny you should mention Biopace. My Univega (~1989) has Biopace and I get teased for it frequently. "Oh - I see you got suckered into Biopace eh?" I hear that it doesn't do any harm but doesn't really do any good either. I think they come and go out of style cyclically.

Well we're about to jump in the car to head up to Seneca Falls. Looks like a rough night for camping and maybe a wet start in the morning. It's cycling! There is no bad cycling! later g

I love Seneca Falls. Friends owned a house right on Van Cleef Lake, across from the Lutheran church that's on the cover of nearly all the tourist brochures for the Finger Lakes Region.

If you weren't riding, I'd suggest you do the wine tour. You might have to teach one of the girls to drive a little early, thoug.

longest ride , probley about 50-60 miles ,
Now biggest climb on a bike , i rode up the mountin to cades cove Tn once 9 miles up and 2 miles down 11 miles around the loop 2 miles back up , then 9 miles down the hill FAST !!!!!! A station wagon tried to pass me but i kept pulling away !!!! Thank GOD i had had my wheels trued befor we went .
From what i understand they don't allow folks to ride the hill any more , something about falling a few hundred feet if you mess up or some such .

This ride was on a Motobican nomad , steel frame , i have since aquired a fuji olimpian 12 speed . I unforntuently haven't ridden any distance in more than a few years :thumbsdn: :thumbsdn:

Get on that bike Zip!

It turns out that not doing any long training rides didn't destroy our weekend. Day One. 103 miles.
We took off in the rain around 7am with a belly full of bananas and gorp. It was under 60 degrees F. Pete can correct my misrememberins'. I think it rained until 9:30-10:00. This was actually kind off ideal for me. Heat is my enemy, if I can keep my body temp reasonable I can ride and ride. One guy with us was suffering pretty badly at the rest stop having lost too much body heat, I was suprised since he was a pretty beefy guy, although he has little body fat. The rain stopped a little earlier in Seneca Falls itself at which time the bulk of to 100 milers left but it was too late we were way ahead of the speedsters and would not be caught! This is not a race but it still hurts to have someone pass. Cayuga Lake is gorgeous with low cloud cover. There were many stunning vistas but we didn't carry the camera in the rain.

The first 80 miles reeled off pretty easily. The keys are to stick to a good pace, stand on the pedals occasionaly to get the blood moving, and eat and drink plenty of water and bananas. There were a lot of volunteers from Lions Clubs etc... who were invaluable. We then got to the last 20 odd miles feeling good I even considered skipping the last break area. I bonked at mile 97. The last 20 miles were brutal going right into the teeth of an headwind which kept shifting in intensity. We couldn't maintain a steady pace because the shifting intensity kept us from settling into a good gear. This is where I paid for my lack of training. One guy we ride with commutes 45 miles a day by bike whenever the roads are not snowy. He breezed the whole ride on a bike with full rear and handlebar packs carrying stuff for some other folks. We hit the cafeteria only to find that being wheat free my only choice was salad, since cyclists often gorge on pasta for energy. Pete and I ran down after dinner where we went to Baileys Ice Cream Shop. They've changed locations to the canal side of the building while they refurbish the old place into some sort of cyber-cafe'. Its a nice place to hang out when calories don't count. We made it back and got into the wine tasteing followed by the awards for fundraising. We hit the sack about the time the band started their second set. Don't blame the band, we were tired.

Day Two. 57.7 miles.
Contrary to expectations, we were not balls of pain needing to be extracted from our tent Sunday morning. We both had a little right knee pain which we blame on driving not cycling. The weather was gorgeous as we rode along the shore of Cayuga Lake then passed across to Seneca Lake and back to Seneca Falls. more later g

And don't forget that tail wind on Sunday. It was a gift! A reward for surviving Saturday

BTW - I just climbed the stairs here at work and my thighs felt rock hard by the time i got to the top - I think I;m hearing some sarcastic remarks from my muscles.

:thumbsup: OK, that's it. The cellar has officially changed my life. Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to ride RAGBRAI, but of course life happens and a dream has thus far continued to be just a dream. Well, I have recently recieved a small inheritance ($1000) and thanks to this thread have finally decided to just do it, and buy the road bike I have wanted for sooooooooo long. I took off early from work yesterday and hit 3 bike shops in the area, 2 M&Ps and one larger one. I have it narrowed down to two, the '04 TREK 1200 ($720 on sale) and '04 GIANT OCR2 ($765 on sale). I am test riding today if i can sneak out of work again, but am leaning toward the GIANT pre-ride due to features (don't care about color). Does anyone have any tidbits to share before I take the plunge? :confused: Maybe I'll see you on RAGBRAI someday :D http://www.ragbrai.org/

Sounds like these bikes are very similar. I'd go with the LBS you like best. If you're going to put a lot of miles on a bike, you want a shop that's going to take care of you.

Yeah, there was a definate difference in the shops, definately liked the smallest of the three. the salesman took the most time with me, (even though there were other customers in the store) and i really liked how he explained things to me. i have done some research, but acted like i hadn't, and he didn't try to BS me at all. Plus, they had the best price!! i am SO excited. thanks for the advice!

That's a good strategy. I'd go with the small shop, they're usually more willing to work with you on changes like if you want to switch stems for a better fit. I'm not really familiar with the Tiagra component group but in the (very) long run you might want a crank with replaceable chainrings (I don't know if they are). I wouldn't call that a deal breaker though. It looks like you'll get a good frame with any of these bikes. The Giant has a compact frame which lots of folks find more comfortable. Just ride them all. If it's comfortable support Mom and Pop, they'll remember your name and think about what kind of riding you do. Enjoy! g

That tour looks cool! It's gonna take some training though.

I think you'll get a better ride out of the Trek, but both are comparable bikes. I personally am not a fan of compact geometry (on the Giant), but you'll be more comfortable when cornering and cranking out of the saddle.

And go with mom n pop, if that seems the right thing to do. Unfortunately in Princeton there are two competing shops; the smaller one does much better work and is generally more knowledgeable, but they are a bunch of assholes. The other store has maybe 1 or 2 mechanics that really know their stuff, and they have pretty consistent pricing and a solid selection of bikes. Hafta go to different places for different services. :(

Tiagra components will do fine, until you're ready for something lighter and sturdier. As long as you keep the bike in good shape, it'll treat you well after 500 miles in the saddle. :)

Sounds like a fun ride. I was in Colorado with my brother one summer, and we passed the Ride the Rockies group. They were climbing a devastating hill near Grand Junction that day - riders were strung out literally over 40 miles of terrain.

Road bikes
 

Any buying advice for someone who knows little about the things?

Make sure it fits properly (you should be able to stand with both feet on the ground and have about an inch of clearance with your crotch), and when you're in the saddle with your hands on the drop-down part of the handlebars, look down and the middle of the handlebar should block your view of the front wheel's hub.

And don't pay more than you want to. That's why Trek makes 5,000 different models. Giant has fewer options, as does Cannondale.

Well, i rode 'em, and I pick up my new OCR2 on Sat, WOO HOO!!!! :joylove: I feel like a little kid :D Got the bike, shoes, pump, tube, lube, computer, water bottle & cage, and a lock for $945 total. So that leaves me $55 for bike shorts. (already had a helmet, gloves, bag, and plenty of coolmax gear from my running hobby) Is it Saturday yet? Is there anything else I am going to wish I had? It felt SO SO SO good to be on a bike again. I rode A LOT when I was younger. The only things I want now are a pull behind carrier for my tot ~350 new i think (been looking for used forever can't get 'em), and a stand for the winter ~200. Christmas is coming.... :beer: Oh, I bought from the M&P, World Of Bikes in Iowa City.

I feel like a little kid

This is pretty cool -- I get to actually blame an online message board for getting me out (and perhaps others as well?) to get in some exercise, again. Thanks, guys, just for bringing up the topic, as it was what got me motivated to get the bike out, clean it up, and start hitting the trails!

Since there seem to be a good number of people here that do a lot of street riding, can anyone suggest safety gear besides a helmet? I went looking at lighting sometime ago and they had some insane headlight setups, costing hundreds of dollars, that used a battery that fit in a water bottle holder. Me? I just have a blinky red light under my butt. Yet, as the year goes on, the days will be getting shorter and I no longer want my riding to be restricted by the amount of daylight.

Again: damn you guys! :p
I don't have time to ride, but I must!

No experience here with headlamps or the like. I don't even have reflectors on my racing bike, which I really should considering I've been swiped by cars three times since moving here. You suddenly made me very self-conscious ...

Would you seriously ride at night when it's so dark you have to use a light? Crazy, especially on a trail. Man. Gonads.

High viz clothing is useful. I swear an old lady was about to turn right into Pete, who was wearing an asphalt gray wind breaker, until I came out from behind her in a high visability green one. She was looking right through Pete. Kinda scary how blind people are. Thanks for the jacket sweets.

You really need to try to figure out how much and what kind of riding you're going to do. Different bikes are good for different things.

Would you seriously ride at night when it's so dark you have to use a light? Crazy, especially on a trail.

Oh, no, the headlight and such are for people to see me, not to go places where I can't see. The streets are lit up by the streetlamps, but that doesn't mean cars can see you, even with reflectors. Any kind of light helps, hence the blinky LED taillight. I suppose just one of the $10 lamps that eats double A's would work fine.

There are some local groups around here that do night trail riding that requires headlights to see. They're insane! Tree roots and other obstacles come up a little too quickly. Hit one and the person who was behind you suddenly has a new obstacle to worry about. :)

When my kids were little night riding was the only way I could squeeze in my bike time. We were riding single-track and dirt roads. I only had one serious accident...

Nice bike weekend coming up in Binghamton. The Chris Thater races are going on at Rec Park. Pro racing Sunday. :thumbsup:

taking over NYC
 

I went on the <A HREF="http://www.times-up.org/cm.php">critical mass</A> protest ride here in NYC last night. My first time. I knew it would get ridiculously political re: the convention, but I felt compelled to go for the cause, which was a real take-back-the-streets rally-against-oil-companies-and-cars theme. It's true, there could be a lot more done for cyclists here and everywhere across the planet.

Police said there were about <A href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/28/politics/campaign/28protest.html">5,000 cyclists</A>. The ride went well, until the end when people just didn't seem to want to stop, which ended in 100 people being arrested. I left shortly before that because I wanted to go get wasted last night. :P

A few pics from the ride. First is from Union Square before it started - taken mostly because the reporter was cute. :)

Oh, apparently my pics are too big. I'll have to upload to web then, which I don't have time to do now, damnit.

It varies. The smaller residential roads often have no marked lanes and light enough traffic that you can just go where you want. The larger streets mostly don't have any parking on the side. In the few spots of 'door zone lanes', I mostly just hit the sidewalk. But yeah, it's pretty killer when they try that stuff on you.

Ok, LabRat. Share with us. Did you get out for a ride on your new wheels?

few photos, as promised
 

Couple neat shots from the critical mass. Kinda disappointing results with my Sony P-8. Apeture settings weren't good enough, and on-board flash certainly didn't cut it either.

First failed attempt at taking a pic while on my bike
<IMG SRC="http://www.supdogg.com/wfphotos/criticalmass/images/image_5.jpg">

Kind of a dark shot, but you can see how many heads there were in the crowd
<IMG SRC="http://www.supdogg.com/wfphotos/criticalmass/images/image_9.jpg">

Approaching Times Square
<IMG SRC="http://www.supdogg.com/wfphotos/criticalmass/images/image_13.jpg">

Neat Times Square shot
<IMG SRC="http://www.supdogg.com/wfphotos/criticalmass/images/image_14.jpg">

At most intersections, a few riders would sacrifice themselves to stop traffic. And on a Friday night in NYC, indeed they did.
<IMG SRC="http://www.supdogg.com/wfphotos/criticalmass/images/image_18.jpg">

Yeppers, yesterday was bee-yoo-ti-ful here in eastern Iowa, so we dropped the offspring off at grandma and grandpas (i don't have a trailer yet), hubby went jetskiing with a buddy, and i went for a spin. We went to George Wyth State Park, in Black Hawk Co. a place where i did a lot of mountain biking when i was in college at UNI. There is an incredible network of paved paths that go thru the park and into both Cedar Falls and Waterloo, which is what I rode. My butt could only take 14 miles, but it was wonderful. Of course, before i even left the parking lot, i did the mandatory fall over while still attached to the damn pedals and mucked up my right wrist pretty good. took a nice chunk out of the left handlebar too, but at least no one :blush: saw it. (i didn't hear anyone laugh anyway) The shifters on the brake levers are new to me, and i thought they would be hard to get used to (my 93-94ish trek 820 has grip shifters) but it turns out i love them. after loosining the spring tension on my pedals, i practiced attaching and releasing my shoes while riding and that is a lot easier now too. hopefully won't be putting on any shows at busy intersections... the only thing i'm not familiar with is changing a flat, but at this point i won't be going anywhere remote so i'm not too worried about that. all in all it was a great day, and i figure by next weekend my butt will be ready to try another spin. till then i'll just stick to running, it's less technical :D on my christmas list is definately one of those seats with a cut out tho. never really needed one for my mtn bike, because you're out of the seat enough that even if you go for 2-3 hours, your butt isn't really all that sore.

thanks for asking!!

Breaking, AWESOME pictures!!! looked like a whole lot of fun!

You might be interested in this bicycle saddle page.

Very cool pics. :cool:

We saw the tailend of a nasty crash early in the Thater Memorial Cat 1/2 mens race. We heard a couple sick thuds. I turned in time to see a pile of bikes and a wheel bouncing away. A mess of riders went down and two stayed down. One guy hit the curb and the other other pancaked on the pavement. Apparently someone shot into a gap which wasn't there when he arrived. Last I heard there was a concussion a broken arm and a lot of road rash. That was rough.

Road with some out of shape folks Saturday. We did about 35 miles, nice day for a ride. I got a frozen yogurt at the half-way point, everyone else went the ice cream route. Pete had the ice cream and a hamburger, lives to ride/rides to eat that one. :)

Sunday the guys came over for a mountain bike ride before we went to our various clam / Rolling Rock oriented events. My trails are in pretty rough shape. Blood was let, tubes were blown, skin was flensed, and demons were exercised. I'm gonna have to work on my cassette and cog cuz I'm getting slippage when I crank in the granny. Good rough fun.

U shaped bike locks
 

ALERT !!!! I just found this page , it has a video of the lock being opened with a ball point pen !!!!!!!!
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...8&page=1&pp=25

Just thought i would pass this on .

U-locks
 

Oh, that's bad. Either the manufacturing tolerances are very poor or the springs on the pins are very weak or both.

Exercising Demons
 

That is really weak. Folks spend a lot of dough on those Krypto locks.

We got up early and went up to Oakley Corners (near Owego NY) to mtn bike this morning. It was pretty rough and tumble, very slippery. I lost my mojo at one point, if anyone finds it drop me a line. I found a slightly used one, a few minutes later, that I put some dents in but it's still servicable. It was friggin cold out there this morning my lungs still feel pretty burnt. Great ride though we went hard and and broke stuff.

Here's a funny auction on Ebay of a bike lock.
bike lock w/ two keys

Griff or any of your northeast folks, you guys get slammed with those ridiculous winds on Saturday? I tried to go out for a 50 mile solo - I got to the NJ side of the GW Bridge and just couldn't do it. Way too exhausted pushing through the wind by myself. I turned around and headed for Central Park - where a sharp pebble tore through the top of my rear tire. SUcks.

Counting the days until a new bike arrives ...