Tell me about bicycling

[LuV2SkRaTcH]

Yeah, also I would reduce tire pressure a little under max pressure. It's funny how tiny COPYRIGHTDMCA or weird berries will wake me up really fast when I'm biking. My tires' recommended psi is 125, I run it at 120 for those pesky little COPYRIGHTDMCA. I do it for a smoother ride, when I go up to 125 I can feel every groove/bump/crack.

 

[nanovapr]

Heh, I am going really slow (averaged 8mph tonight over 11 miles, and I actually passed another old person), and I am also moderately shaky on the bike. I am still doing baby steps here, but I no longer quiver and quake at the thought of walking up stairs! I know that if I saw a walnut coming, and leaned back to put more weight on the back wheel, and mashed a bit more, the front would be lighter, and go over it easier (from my motoX/enduro/trials/dirt bike riding past). I am not there on a bicycle, but I know it with my mind.

I read about the Sports RX things, but I have really strange eyes, and my regular glasses cost USD $400> I cannot afford the fancy ones!

 

[nanovapr]

Got the helmet, it's light, comfy, and fits fine, but seems big. I haven't worn a helmet of any kind for years, I know I am not used to it. I was stoked to ride tomorrow AM, but we are having big thunderstorms, we need rain badly in the Midwest. The KATY trail is packed very hard and won't likely ever become muddy. With the absence of fenders, I know it will sling a little trail of slop all over me, however.

Back from a band gig, performed tonight with a band I had never even practiced with. It went well, I got $140 for three hours!

 

[LuV2SkRaTcH]

Got the helmet, it's light, comfy, and fits fine, but seems big. I haven't worn a helmet of any kind for years, I know I am not used to it. I was stoked to ride tomorrow AM, but we are having big thunderstorms, we need rain badly in the Midwest. The KATY trail is packed very hard and won't likely ever become muddy. With the absence of fenders, I know it will sling a little trail of slop all over me, however.

Back from a band gig, performed tonight with a band I had never even practiced with. It went well, I got $140 for three hours!

You should be able to adjust the straps so it's snug. And it should come with instructions on proper sizing with it... Unless you got a used one, but that wouldn't be good.

 

[elmattias]

i'm sorry for being off topic, but as soon as i read the title of this thread, i simply had to respond with this:

 

[mostapha]

If anyone cares, olympic team track cycling starts tomorrow.

 

[nanovapr]

Hi bike guys, I'm still turning cranks, still not liking the heat. Help me out on biking speedo/computer thingies? A basic GPS in the pack really does most of what I need, but can't see it until I stop. My horizon is also often shaded by riding beside bluffs, I drop signal several times.

Things I don't care about:
cadence
heart-rate
GPS/altitude/track
acceleration
lap time
backlight

Things I (think) I want
wireless
display able to show two fields at the same time (probably speed, and toggle between odometer and average speed)
elapsed time
clock

This is pretty basic stuff, I know. I didn't think I wanted wireless, but have been reading up on them. 5 years ago wireless had problems with RFI interference from traffic signals, TV/radio stations, PCs, wifi, close proximity to other wireless riders and power lines. Now they have all of that fixed, apparently. I also won't ever be riding around any of those things, except for passing under power lines.

Wireless of course has two batteries to deal with, but by most accounts they last a year. Wired can be torn off by off-road riding (not gonna happen for me) or careless bike rack loading (could happen, I'm still a newbie, I'm still tired after riding).

I have three bikes this could be used on, so another plus for wireless.

The local Walmart has a 15-function Bell, but it had about a 50% failure rate, according to hundreds of reviews on Amazon.

 

[LuV2SkRaTcH]

Why not just find a mount for your current gps? Some things I don't like about my cyclometer is the little magnet you put on the spokes... Accidentally touch it and it can loosen, or if you lift the front wheel and let it spin and you can alter the results (show your max speed an insane amount).

But I do agree, i would find the dropped signals frustrating. My cyclometer is pretty basic but has the capability to get a few more bells and whistles but I think because it's specialized it was expensive.

 

[mostapha]

My Cateye Cadence is good, but I really wish it had a backlight……then again, I ride at night. The wires don't annoy me at all (for some reason)……or, they don't now……when you're installing it, if you use the down tube, don't cinch your rear shift cable to the tube (i iz dumb).

I think it was like $18 or something like that……IHNFC. But Cateye makes good stuff. Just find the one with the features you want……should be pretty cheap.

 

[nanovapr]

In the interest of convenience, I got a wireless Bell from the local ChinaMart. It was indeed junk, it's going back. Replaced both batteries, mounted it properly, it is just unreliable.

I tried a free phone app, and it is a nice thing for free. It uses GPS which is borderline on my trail riding since I am riding with 50% of my horizon blocked by riding right next to tall bluffs. I was leery of battery life because my phone is most important to be able to call out in case of emergency, but my two-year old Blackberry holds up well with it. Map My Ride, the best thing is that it automatically uploads your rides to a web site. It shows each ride mapped on Google maps, with elevation graphs (pointless for me, on a flat rail-trail). It does not log top speed, just average speed. On the phone itself, it displays speed live, but no handlebar mounts for me, it's tucked in the top back pocket of my small backpack (away from tools and other metal stuff).

I can see that I am now averaging about 15 miles on each ride now. I am finally getting in shape, and the weather is much cooler than when I started! I got some Demarchi bibs for cheap on Ebay, you guys are right, it is a whole new level of comfort! I wear a shirt over it, I am still not superhero body type.

A friend gave me some old Lone Peak panniers, we are contemplating a one-night camping trip on the trail.

I am still liking the toe clips and straps, easy enough to get my feet out, but I am eyeing some SPD pedals/shoes. Are the recessed cleats completely walkable?

 

[mostapha]

Camping like that would be a lot of fun, but I haven't done it yet. And the only friend I have who's into both is moving to London in a few weeks. So that one's probably out for a while.

Recessed cleats are completely walkable, but the shoes are really stiff. I don't recommend wearing them all day. I rode to work one day (at Georgia Tech) and locked my bike outside. Apparently that was the day Facilities came by and cut all the bikes off of the bike racks (during the break b/t semesters) and I thought it was stolen. It wasn't a huge problem walking around my building and going outside for smoke breaks (before I started vaping) but the 2-mile walk back to my Fraternity House (where I got a ride home) wasn't the least bit pleasant. Of course, I was also wearing a bib + jersey because I was too ...... off at the response GTPD gave me to reporting my bike stolen to bother changing back.

Since people are going to ask, yes, I got my bike back the next day. But it was annoying. The facilities guys were talking about how mad they were I came and found it; apparently, they keep bikes that aren't claimed after 30 days and they'd already started putting names in a hat to see who got it once the 30 days was up. And, no, they didn't replace my lock.

Which brings me to another point: if you use your bike for commuting, figure out how your insurance is going to work ahead of time and register it with the local police department if you can. There is no such thing as a bike lock that's secure. You still need to use them to dissuade the laziest of opportunistic thieves, but if someone has access to an angle grinder or the right kind of saws, nothing will stop them.

 

[nanovapr]

This trail has several campgrounds, the trip we are planning will just be an easy cruise. We've been riding several times a week after work, and by the time we get started riding, we are in a hurry, and usually chasing dark when we return. Tentatively, we could ride from our local trailhead for 7 miles to a micro-town that has lots of stuff on the trail. There's a wood-fired pizza place there that is great. Hang out, relax, then another 10 miles is another tiny town, they have campgrounds right on the trail, hot showers/bathrooms. I have a little alcohol stove, some lightweight hiking type stuff, enough to survive for a night. There is the remains of an old railroad roundhouse there, lots of cool 100-year old railroad junk about.

There is one spot that is completely secluded from the rest, encircled in a 100-foot ring by trees, and nothing but farm fields behind it.

Found a new LBS today, that I really like. The "main one" has been there for 40 years, $millions of dollars of cool new bikes, a staff of 30 people, lots of repair, lots of gear. This one was 30 miles away from the one in the big college town. It's a one-man show right on the trail, run by a really old dude that has bad knees. "I can't hardly walk, but I can still ride pretty good". He's a retired machinist, makes bikes, seems to know his stuff. More importantly, he knows this trail intimately, and knows what's best for this particular one. I talked to him for a couple of hours today, I have a feeling I will be more. This is Chuck, owner of Chuck's Bikes.

Behind him was this funny-looking old green bike? He said that's what John Deere used to give a farmer in 1957, when they bought a combine. He said it's new, never been sold, just been sitting around since then.

 

[LuV2SkRaTcH]

As far as free tracking apps, my favorite is RunKeeper, not sure if they have it on blackberry, but it graphs just about everything from incline/decline, speed, pace, average speed, and a bar graph that shows speed (where I search for my max speed and realized my max speed is on a very slight decline that I can't notice while biking). I always thought that it was because it's a straight away... But yeah, realized it's on a very slight decline, and wind kind of pushes helps also. LoL! There's a longer straight section, but wind usually crosses my path which I guess slows me down.

I haven't been riding lately though... Partly because I need some tubes for my tires, but also, kind of started to get in shape for my cousin's wedding that had a few weeks ago. However the main reason is because I got lazy and phased out of my short motivated and driven "rush."

 

[nanovapr]

I got the new rack, it seems nice, but I have never had one. It's a Blackburn EX-2, all aluminum, four struts on each side to help keep it solid, and the panniers out of the spokes on bumps.

I got it installed, loaded it with 25 pounds... the first three minutes I thought "ah, piece of cake". After 10 minutes, I was down a gear, then it was more manageable.

I know that the hard-cores prefer steel, so that while they are touring through Nepal, they can always get the village blacksmith to repair it. I'll never do that, I just want light and strong.

Yeah, I know, a MTB is not a touring bike, but it will work for the short camping trip planned. There's still room for stuff on top.

 

[nanovapr]

Here's one of our rides. I lost GPS signal a couple of times, I am not riding in the river.

Requires Google Earth and latest plugins.

 

[nanovapr]

And, yet another beautiful evening on the Katy Trail.There may be some much-needed rain brewing, up there in N-Nwest.

 

[nanovapr]

Ah, the end of summer. HEY YOU, YOU, DRIVING THE BOAT! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO STAND UP WHILE DRIVING AN OUTBOARD!!!.

oh well. they weren't hurting anybody. I was gasping for air and guzzling water. I think she was handing him a beer.

 

[mostapha]

Looks like fun. I really need to get around to doing that.

 

[LuV2SkRaTcH]

Went on a hike, and saw some mtn bikers on the same path I walked up... I haven't done any actual mtn bike climbs, but it looks somewhat doable! Some places were VERY steep... But like a fun ride. A mountain named Mission Peak, near my old house, that I only climbed today! Forgot to take a vaping picture... My brother asked why I "needed" one and told him, "I conquered the smoking addiction with vaping... It is something that means a lot to me because it is what is saving me from smoking again. Which is saving my life. Otherwise, I'd still be happily smoking years off my life. Along with conquering my smoking addiction, I just conquered this mountain somewhat easily." the hike up was only an hour and 45 minutes, a few more times, and I won't need so many breaks... (last week 2 weeks, I've been smoking hookah at night with my cousins' cousin since he's leaving the country after being here about a year... Grew pretty close to him even with a language barrier.) I converted him into a vaper, but once he found out he had to go back to Jordan, he started up again slowly... Hopefully he still vapes more than smoking when he goes back home.

 

[nanovapr]

Great scenery, Skratch! I spent most of my life in prairie flatlands, that is alien landscape for me. It's like any other physical activity, if you build up to it, it gets easier (and you won't hurt yourself as easily). I have never been a workout guy, and bicycling is the longest sustained exercise I have done (aside from working on a farm, and that was just work).

I went on a hike last spring in the hills of West Virginia. We were carrying gravestones to my in-laws' old family cemetary. I spent a couple of months hiking with weights, building up to it. When we got around to it, my actual pack load was almost 10 pounds lighter than what I was used to, it was no problem, then.

A MTB is my only bike, but don't have any good places to really ride off-road without trying to beat through brush you can't hardly walk through. It's good for this easy railtrail riding I have been doing, it's light, and the geometry is good for the relatively slow speeds we ride at. It's tough enough that (hopefully) carrying a load for the eventual camping trip shouldn't be any problem for it, just riding on the flat trail.