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-   -   Bikes! (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=6570)

LabRat 04-01-2005 11:52 AM

color me green with envy...I was at the dentist this morning :D

breakingnews 04-18-2005 02:36 PM

it's official
 
Lance is done after this year's Tour de France. Let's cheer him on as he goes after No. 7.

Quote:

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) _ Lance Armstrong says he will retire after this year's Tour de France.

Griff 04-18-2005 07:57 PM

Win or lose he's had an awesome run. :beer:

Bent the derailler hanger on my new ride in my first ride with the mtn bike crew Sunday. I bent it back nice and easy by using my Alien Tool as a lever leaving the allen wrench in the derailler bolt. We kept riding but now I've got that weakened hanger in the back of my head.

BigV 04-19-2005 04:25 PM

Bike rookie here. Son of V has recently graduated to two wheels only, on purpose and in control! Now I have a new riding buddy! Promise to post in "my kid doing something cool" soon.

Anyway, I want a bike to ride with along with him, and I know very little about bikes. I would like some input from knowledgable veterans like y'all.

Some particulars that may help narrow the focus. I'm 6'4", 250#, and I don't intend to race the bike, or make cross country trips with it. I would like to be able to follow my son wherever he may ride on his little dirt bike (Giant 145?). Off pavement travel is highly likely, so those reeeeeeeally skinny tires don't seem appealing. I would like to have something that I could ride to work, 10 miles each way, urban traffic/bike lanes, some hills (Seattle). Oh, and I'm cheap. I will definitely be looking for a used bike, but I don't know this from that to look for.

We're involved in scouting and on many trips, the bikes come along camping with us. I'd like something that I can participate with.

What buzzwords features traps luxuries warnings makes models styles sizes accessories etc should I be aware of? Plus all the stuff I left out?

Thanks very much in advance.

Griff 04-19-2005 05:13 PM

You may want to get an inexpensive mtn bike and swap the stem out for one that gives you a more upright riding position. You can put smoother tires on it for riding to work. I prefer not to be so upright but most folks who haven't ridden in years are more comfortable that way. Its hard to give someone advice other than try a few different bikes and see what you like. Make sure you have fun with it whatever you decide. Good Luck!

breakingnews 04-19-2005 06:36 PM

Yeah, okay to go inexpensive, but I would go after a sturdier brand (most stores these days mostly carry Trek, Giant, Raleigh anyway). Basic Treks and some basic Giants are very good. Go for steel, or aluminum if you find something you like, but steel will be much more comfortable riding off-road.

You shouldn't have to pay more than $200-300 all said and done. Switching tires is no problem - ask the store what they might be willing to put on there for you. Anything in between racing slicks and hard, knobby tires will do just fine. It mostly depends on how much road riding you think you'll be doing.

Oh, it's also very, very hard to ride a bike with front suspension on asphalt and at a leisurely pace, so you might want to avoid that.

BigV 04-19-2005 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by breakingnews
Yeah, okay to go inexpensive, but I would go after a sturdier brand (most stores these days mostly carry Trek, Giant, Raleigh anyway). Basic Treks and some basic Giants are very good. Go for steel, or aluminum if you find something you like, but steel will be much more comfortable riding off-road.

Thanks for the responses, I really appreciate them.

Your remark left me puzzled--how in the world could the difference in frame material steel v aluminum be translated into a different feeling ride? I understand they're different, density weight elasiticity--but so much so that the ride is different? And how would the ride be different? Maybe it's something I could understand better if I had more comparative experiences... hard for the beginner to sort out from all the other variables, though, like tires, inflation, terrain, seat, suspension, speed, etc. Not tryin to be a smartass, but I am trying to learn.

Thanks.

BigV 04-19-2005 07:01 PM

also, from your post, you talk about trek and giant.. Are you implying that these are the sturdier brands? I was riding on my older son's mtn bike (don't remember the model) and as I was standing on the pedals on an uphill stretch I cranked down with my leg and bent the pedal shaft where it connects to the crank! So, now the pedal is no longer parallel to the ground..That was a problem. Sturdy is good.

breakingnews 04-19-2005 08:54 PM

Frame material makes a huge difference in the type of ride. It's very obvious when riding a road bike at aggressive speeds; honestly, though, I don't have a tremendous amount of experience with different mountain bike frames. Last time I rode serious terrain, I never sat down long enough to get a good feel - too bumpy to notice, anyway.

But you have the right idea. Different materials have different characteristics, and it also dictates how the frame is put together at the joints. If you ride a lot, you'll be able to tell the difference especially when cornering, powering up a hill, taking a fast descent, etc.

Trek is a good brand. Giant is also good, but some of their equipment is so-so. What you busted on your son's bike was the bottom bracket. It happens - why you should pay up a little bit to get better components.

Griff 05-13-2005 05:39 PM

Morning Ride
 
Nice ride to work this morning. Yah it was 31 degrees F but what the heck, what does anyone really need ear lobes for?

LCanal 05-13-2005 08:16 PM

I saw Bikes but alas it is the pedal variety. Aw well.

Nice drive to work this morning. Yah it was 31 degrees C but what the heck. What does anyone really need A/C for anyway.

I like the sign off in the thread starter "More later g" I might adopt that.

More g later.

Kine 05-13-2005 11:26 PM

I got stranded today 2 miles from home, 30 minutes from an appointment. I had gotten a flat tire and had to walk, so I figured I'd drop it off at a bike shop. These people charge you up th nose...almost 70 dollars just to get my brakes fixed as well as a new tire since this one was OLD. And I'm getting my bearings adjusted. Labor was almost 40 dollars. What a rip. But...I didn't have a choice and since I was there...

zippyt 05-13-2005 11:40 PM

Then K carry a spare tube , tire tools ,a patch kit, a pump, and some knolage with you , or quit byotching about haveing work done !!!!!

Griff 05-14-2005 07:29 AM

LCanal, I think Big V started a motocycle thread a while back I remember seeing an old Vincent...

You do need to be practiced and prepared, of course I carried nothing repair related yesterday...

breakingnews 05-14-2005 11:57 AM

Wow, I just had a showdown with a Ford Explorer and one of those new boxy Mercedes SUVs. Went for a 50-miler this morning (across GW bridge to NJ). I was cruising home on my street (two lanes each way), riding on the right-most edge of the far right lane, when this damn Explorer comes flying down the street in the left lane and cuts right in front of me, missing me by about 1.5-2 feet. I shout, but my voice is muffled by the rumble of the Mercedes, which then did the SAME EXACT thing (apparently in pursuit of the Explorer).

The trucks are side by side at the red light ahead, so I wheel in front of both of them and flick 'em off. The light turns green, I drop into my highest gear, take off sprinting down the street. Only problem is there is a beer delivery truck blocking the far right lane. I'm pulling about 30-31 mph at this point, and I hear the Explorer accelerating in the left lane (Mercedes is behind me) as we're approaching the truck. I cut into the left lane to avoid the truck, but a bus is coming in the opposite direction and the space between the bus and this big ass beer truck is too tight for the Explorer. The asshole driving the Explorer slams on his brakes, and the Mercedes, which was trying to jump behind the Explorer, almost crashes into him. Let's not forget the dozen or so cars that were behind those guys. And then, like a sign from the heavens, in front of the beer truck was an NYPD traffic cop, who signals for the Explorer to pull over. I didn't stick around to make myself the scapegoat.

I know, I know, *I* am such an asshole. :)


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