Bikes!

[Clodfobble]

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.

[Kitsune]

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!

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".

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.

[slang]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

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.

Pardon me for busting in on your thread here guys. The recumbent bike theme has been of interest lately and when I saw this thought you might be able to give some additional info.

What type of 4 wheeler was that? About how much to they cost? There's one listed on the net for about 2k and another reeeeeaallly nice one for 8k.The fantasy of shit-spiking my automobile ( and all related perpetual costs and fees) is still running around in my head now that I'm planted here and spending some real money on something like this would be a possibility.

The problem is that I'm looking for something for transportation not just goofing around on the weekends. That's a toughie. Especially in winter.

Getting run the fuck over with a Rumpkies truck early in the morning doesnt sound too appealing either but I'm trying to build a fantasy here.

[Griff]

My father-in-law has a Vision recumbent which he is very high on. It is the two wheeled variety though. The position is very good for his back and although he denies it climbing hills is harder on a recumbent. Be careful though, you could easily slide into the "local character" compartment riding such a machine.

[wolf]

Originally Posted by Griff

Be careful though, you could easily slide into the "local character" compartment riding such a machine.

I don't think that's a major concern as he got that within two weeks of arrival.

Possibly sooner.

[Cyclefrance]

Originally Posted by slang

.....I'm trying to build a fantasy here.

Look no further

[Griff]

Thanks Wolfie.

[breakingnews]

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.

[breakingnews]

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.

[Kitsune]

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.

[breakingnews]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

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

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.

[Skunks]

<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.

[Griff]

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.

[Skunks]

Originally Posted by Griff

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.

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.

[wolf]

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.