Bicycles

[Cycleman]

Paul, if you want to cycle on the road, want to get a bike, a few things to consider:

 

Road bikes need not be uncomfortable.

There are more and more road bikes designed for just riding around, not racers.

Two attributes, at least, to look for:

(1) The top of the handlebars should likely be no more than 1-inch below the top of the saddle, once that latter fit is figured out. That way, you don't need to be bent over a lot to ride.

(2) The tires should be at least 25mm wide, and if the bike takes 28mm width tires, that's even better. But wider than that might be too much, and 23mm is too narrow for riding around.

 

Another attribute of road bikes that makes them more comfortable than hybrids or mountain bikes is the dropped handlebars.

Those bars give you several positions for your hands, as you ride -- on the tops, on the curves, on the brake hoods, in the drops, just to name the four main positions. That's far more comfortable, over time, than the basically one-position handlebars on most other bikes. And when combined with a small amount of drop from saddle top to handlebar top, as mentioned above, you can move around easily to increase comfort.

 

Also, where in Texas do you live? I ask because the other forum where I regularly spend time, the Paceline Forum, is akin to this CA place, but for bicycles. And either I could ask for you, if you'd like, or you could register there and ask what might be the most important question:

What are some good bike shops in my area of Texas?

 

That's a vital question, because in some ways you're not buying a bike, you're buying a bike store. That is, while there are lots of good choices from many brands, including the big ones like Trek or Specialized or Giant or smaller brands such as Jamis or many others, it's in the suggestions and the fitting that a bike shop is worth its money. (As WWaldmanFan also basically said above, too.)

 

So, whether here or via private message, if you have more questions, I'd be glad to help.

 

Dave, who didn't get his screen name here by accident and between him and his wife owns over 20 bikes and has a full shop at home where's he's built up over 100 bikes from bare frames over the years and yet is not a racer but a daytripper who rides with his local club and/or his wife and therefore comes to this with the perspective of an average recreational cyclist

[Jud]

I'm talking about the bike.

 

Zing! Don't forget to tip your waiter....

[sandyk]

Perhaps Paul could get himself a battery assisted bicycle, and gradually wean himself off the battery aid when the going gets tough, as he gets his weight down ? Another advantage is that riding a bicycle for extended periods keeps you away from the refrigerator.

[wgscott]

Low gears should help out. I think he is from Austin, which is mostly flat, but has some good hills near the river, IIRC.

[sandyk]

Low gears should help out. I think he is from Austin, which is mostly flat, but has some good hills near the river, IIRC.

 

We didn't have such luxuries 60 years ago when I was initially a Junior Postal Officer delivering Telegrams and lugging around full public telephone coin boxes ! I came to grief on a hill on one occasion when the front wheel caught in tram tracks,

and ended up with gravel in a badly grazed leg. The chemist near the P.O. helped out there with cleaning it up for me .

I also had a foot run over by the back wheels of a double decker bus, and had to limp back to the P.O. over a bridge and up a hill with a badly swollen foot, damaged shoe, and a buckled front wheel. No, I didn't suffer head damage at any stage !

[DigiPete]

We didn't have such luxuries 60 years ago when I was initially a Junior Postal Officer delivering Telegrams and lugging around full public telephone coin boxes ! I came to grief on a hill on one occasion when the front wheel caught in tram tracks,

and ended up with gravel in a badly grazed leg. . .

 

 

So you had a fully loaded bike like the modern Danish Post Bike?

 

 

 

 

[wgscott]

I'm seriously tempted:

 

[sandyk]

Yikes ! But you can almost piss from one side of Denmark to the other, can't you ? (grin)

 

Try juggling a couple of heavy and full, Public Telephone coin boxes with pre decimal coins while riding a 2 wheel bicycle and dodging neighbourhood mutts snapping at your heels. One guy that I worked with, just "accidentally" dropped a full coin tin on the head of the dog snapping at his heels!

[DigiPete]

I'm seriously tempted:

 

 

wgscott - You wanna cycle that thing to the South Pole?

 

 

This trike actually did just that:

 

White ICE Trike story.

 

 

[Jud]

Low gears should help out. I think he is from Austin, which is mostly flat, but has some good hills near the river, IIRC.

 

Don't know how recently anyone here's been in Austin, but based on the traffic and drivers a couple of summers ago when my wife and I were in to watch the US Grand Prix, Paul would be taking his life in his hands riding a bike most places in town. Outlying areas, OK.

[Jud]

wgscott - You wanna cycle that thing to the South Pole?

 

 

This trike actually did just that:

 

White ICE Trike story.

 

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]13424[/ATTACH]

 

What I'd be most interested in, having spent a lot of time in Edmonton, Alberta (same latitude as Moscow), is how she avoided covering her face in ice from exhalations. I would have mini-icicles hanging from my beard and moustache quite often after just walking outdoors a short distance in winter, and given the level of exercise she was getting, I wonder how she coped with that.

[beanbag]

Maybe it was because she shaved off her beard and mustache before the ride.

[tne]

Ah, the Bicycle thread.

Where objectivists and subjectivists, and everyone in between, live in perfect peace and harmony.

[Jud]

Maybe it was because she shaved off her beard and mustache before the ride.

 

Doh! Why didn't I think of that?

[Paul R]

Paul, do you want this (free)?

 

 

The frame is 53 cm. I would have to figure out how to get it to you. It's a good bike. Hand-made Al frame (in USA), hydraulic brakes, decent components, crap saddle (get a new one), lock-out front suspension, rack, fenders, generator hub for front and read lights. How tall are you?

 

Hi Bill- that looks like a lot of bike for me at the moment, according to the guys at the shop Inhave visited, probably wayyyyy too much. It is a beauty though, and thank you! (I have misplaced your address, mind dropping me a line when you have a moment or two please?)

 

I rode around (about a mile) on one similar to it and I could hardly believe the difference between that and the bikes we rode around on as kids. It was like riding on a wind to me - at least on smooth pavement. It would seem that I also weigh a bit too much for it right now. The mountain bike I tried a bit on was much easier on the rear quarter, but felt like I was in less control. A big fat old cruiser type bike actually felt the best, though it was obviously far less of a workout.

 

I'm 5'10". We live just north of Austin, so there are plenty of less used roads around my area that are relatively safe to ride on- well as safe as anything is in Texas. The Austin area has some fantastic roads to bike on in the hill country areas, but I do not plan to try one of those till I am a bit more proficient and confident about being able to get up some of those hills on two wheels.

[flatmap]

For those of you using the 5.10 bike shoes, do they run true to size?

And would you say they run narrow or wide? Thanks.

[wgscott]

When I bought the high-tops, I had to buy 12.5 rather than 12, which is my normal shoe size. I also bought a pair of 5 10 Maltese Falcons more recently, and they run more true to size.

 

I'm back to SPDs and normal cleats on my road bike, btw.

[InfernoSTi]

Low gears should help out. I think he is from Austin, which is mostly flat, but has some good hills near the river, IIRC.

 

Austin is in the "hill country" of Texas...enough of hills to be an issue for most novice riders. I'm from coastal Nor Cal originally so I know hills and Austin isn't flat by any stretch.

 

Best,

John

[flatmap]

When I bought the high-tops, I had to buy 12.5 rather than 12, which is my normal shoe size. I also bought a pair of 5 10 Maltese Falcons more recently, and they run more true to size.

 

I'm back to SPDs and normal cleats on my road bike, btw.

 

Okay, then I'll go with the size 13 in my case. Usually in the summer I switch over to my LOOK pedals (standard cleats) and my SPDs. The SPDs fit like a glove and have lasted for years, but with summer-only use. Haven't made the switch this season, but there's still time. Perhaps.

[jerry_rig]

Purists will object, but I am having a ball with my new Pedego City Commuter. It is a "sleeper" in that it looks like an Amsterdam city bike, but goes like a racer. As you would expect, it is very comfortable. Great for hills even though we don't have any here in SW Florida.

 

[sdolezalek]

Ah, the Bicycle thread.

Where objectivists and subjectivists, and everyone in between, live in perfect peace and harmony.

 

Quite amazing really -- must be the breeze in your hair, the freedom of the open road, the independence to go almost anywhere (love those new giant tire terrain bikes, I recently rode an electric version of that out across the cow pastures outside Austin), the stinging of raindrops in your face, getting tossed over the handlebars by a rock, losing traction at 50 mph on a downhill turn .... All those wonderful things that instill peace and joy in cycling.

 

wgscott: do the guys on the paceline thread get all nostalgic when they talk audio? Or is this a one way road?

 

Paul: You really owe it to yourself to stop by Mello Johnny's in Austin ( yes, I know Lance is now politically incorrect to support, but his bike shop is a treat and the guys there definitely know what they are talking about). Make sure you go downstairs and check out the super expensive Trek collection.

[Blake]

[video=youtube;n-AbPav5E5M]

[DigiPete]

[video=youtube_share;v0SEpVo33AM]

[wgscott]

There are, of course, certain rules, just like with audiophilia, except different:

 

Velominati › The Rules

[DigiPete]

How could I forget Karma Kanonen?

 

A fleet of Cargo Bike Boom Boxes on wheels

 

 

 

 

 

 

[video=youtube_share;LtO24vF7jug]

 

 

Karma Kanonen on FB