Cycling

[HereWeGoAgain]

Hi. I've nothing to add as I'm a relative notice; I do bout 12 miles a day four days a week on a "fat tyred" bike.

I took cycling up after I did my Achilles playing basket ball...which I took up age 55.......played social for about three years. I have a Giant Trance downhill but for around town I use this one...

(not actual but much the same).

I don't ride on roads except to cross them so stick to bikepaths(combo or cement and light scrub). It's not all that heavy but I'm a big bloke with some back trouble..(bloody back spasms) . It suits me. (current age 61.)

Greg

Quick question Greg, do you get more rolling resistance (harder to pedal) on the fat tired bike than you got with a mountain bike? I've seen these things around and have considered getting one with the bigger wheels and fat tires like the one you showed for mountain biking. The tires look like they could handle some pretty stout terrain.

Yes, but it's quite surprising how steady it goes. It's slower than the hard and soft tails I have but I'm not looking to do any fast times; just cruising. Sounds loud on the concrete when you get a bit of speed up..especially going down hills but there are plenty of gears and I just get into a groove. Plus I have legs like tree trunks. getting on and off paths is easy; I borrowed my son's bike once and went to mount the path from grass; the wheel went the direction of the rise in the path from the grass; I went straight ahead. Not a problem with the fat tyres.

Greg

Your front chain rings reflect the rolling resistance.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Hey Here We Go Again...........................now that you've gotten your bike picked out and know what you're gonna ride now, how's about we switch the topic of the thread from what you're gonna buy, to cyclists swapping tips and other tricks of the road that they've used. I know that over the years, I've learned a thing or two, and so have you.

One of the ways that I knew you were a real cyclist is when you were talking about 90 to 100 rpms and spinning as a more efficient way of riding.

That.........................and the fact you thought that BioPace was crap. Anyone who has spent more than just a mile or two riding knows that to be true.

Here's my tip for the day.........................

When riding in cold weather (below 40 deg), put on a pair of nylons, then your bike shorts, and then a pair of tights. The added layer of the nylon hose works extremely well to keep you warm, and there isn't a whole bunch of bulk or bunching in your crotch from heavy clothing.

Another tip, is when washing your water bottle, put a couple of drops of bleach in the water, fill the bottle almost full and shake vigorously. Then, empty the water via the nipple at the top by squeezing it out. It will get any of the nasty critters that were left over from your last ride.

Make sure your panniers have sufficient backing or are backet tight or they'll get blown into your spokes at high speed.
Found out the hard way outside of La Grange doing 50 on a downhill.
Rode it without crashing even after the tire blew.

Oh...and you can get a speeding ticket on a bicycle.

You know, in my late 20's and early 30's, I was capable of hitting respectable speeds on my bike that would get me a ticket.

I remember one time I was riding to work, and cruising down a nice long hill, when I noticed that I was catching up to a car. Well, I caught the car (was doing 50), and all of a sudden the kids in the backseat started pointing and yelling, then the mom looks out the front passenger seat and her eyes got really big. She then tapped her husband who looked over at me, then down at the speedometer, then back at me again, and then he accelerated and took off.

I also liked to piss off the base police. Speed limit was 25 mph on base, and I was capable of hitting 40. First time I got pulled over, I took my computer off the bike and palmed it. The police asked "do you know how fast you were going?", and I said nope, I don't have a speedometer. They let me go, but would always pull me over and warn me when I went past over the speed limit.

Another time, I was leaving the base, and was fortunate enough to be able to draft off of a garbage truck. Well, I tucked in and rode his draft for about 2 1/2 miles at around 53 mph. Next day, when I walked into the hangar, the Command Master Chief was there and asked me if I had a moment. I said sure, and walked into his office. He then told me to sit down (by this time I'm going over all the crap that I'd gotten away with and was wondering what he caught me with). Then, he looked at me and said "Murph, quick question, how in the HELL do you move that thing so fast? I was behind you last night and you were doing 53 miles per!"

My reply? "Practice Master Chief, lots and lots of practice".

Also helped that my front chainring was a 54 tooth and my smallest cog was 10 teeth. That gets you MONSTER gear inches and lots of speed, if you can push something like that, that is.

 

[gtopa1]

Hi. I've nothing to add as I'm a relative novice; I do bout 12 miles a day four days a week on a "fat tyred" bike.

I took cycling up after I did my Achilles playing basket ball...which I took up age 55.......played social for about three years. I have a Giant Trance downhill but for around town I use this one...

(not actual but much the same).

I don't ride on roads except to cross them so stick to bikepaths(combo or cement and light scrub). It's not all that heavy but I'm a big bloke with some back trouble..(bloody back spasms) . It suits me. (current age 61.)

Greg

I've seen those a lot lately.
That spinning weight has to be ridiculous!!
But I bet it's smooth as hell!

It's quite smooth but I have just adapted to the bike.

Greg

 

[ABikerSailor]

Oh...I can still wear lycra,as long as I wear a baggy shirt to cover the slight muffin top I've acquired.

Want a good solution for that? Instead of wearing regular bike shorts, get either bib shorts or a body suit (shorts attached to a vest like shirt and zipper down the front). Those kind of shorts while more expensive, act like Spanks, and that will flatten out your "love handles".

It's a trick that I use. I like to wear lycra because it's comfortable, but hated the muffin top it gave me, so I switched to bib shorts and speed suits.

 

[gtopa1]

You know Here We Go Again, it's been kinda nice to be able to talk bikes with someone who knows a bit about them.

Most people around here think a Huffy is the pinnacle of bicycles.

You cant go anywhere on the weekend around here without running into at least one large pack of lycra clad pedal mashers.
I cringe at the lack of technic from most of them,it's like spinning is an unknown practice. Watching them with their 60 rpm cadence makes me want to pull them over and give them riding lessons.
Most are rich guys riding 5k bikes trying to out spend each other.

I hear ya. I never get a computer that doesn't have cadence, and I try to keep it at 90 to 105 rpm. You're right, a lot of people have the mistaken idea that the bigger the gear they can ride in, the faster they can go, when actually, speed is more a result of a decent cadence AND knowing how to spin. One of the biggest wastes of money that I ever did with a bicycle was buying into the BioPace bullshit. They told me that slightly out of round chainrings would make more power and make you faster, so I bought a set.

All it did was mess up my spin, and I got rid of them after about 2 weeks.

And yeah, it's funny to ride up alongside some of those rich idiots who have all the brand name top of the line gear and they don't know how to ride or even keep a line.

I remember that when I was stationed in Memphis, I had a friend of mine who was a big black man that rode like a train. He and I were both hammer dogs at the time, and took great enjoyment in trolling the streets for some of those kind of riders, challenging them to a 1 or 2 block race and blowing their doors off.

Good times...........................

It cracks me up when approaching a group of pedal mashers from behind and watching their ass cheeks swivel from side to side.

It's like...fer fucks sake acquire some kinda form!!!!

Ahem: lycra and me don't mix!!! I don't ride in groups.

Greg

I got a few buddies I rode with,looks like I'll be back with em.
Now i'll have to listen to their shit about me being to slow after my long absence.

I did a forty miler with my sons a last year; I beat them back to the start. lol. It was a real hare vs tortoise job....they did some detours thinking they would easily catch up with me. It's slower but not all that much...still a reasonable pace.

Greg

 

[gtopa1]

Oh...I can still wear lycra,as long as I wear a baggy shirt to cover the slight muffin top I've acquired.

Want a good solution for that? Instead of wearing regular bike shorts, get either bib shorts or a body suit (shorts attached to a vest like shirt and zipper down the front). Those kind of shorts while more expensive, act like Spanks, and that will flatten out your "love handles".

It's a trick that I use. I like to wear lycra because it's comfortable, but hated the muffin top it gave me, so I switched to bib shorts and speed suits.

My solution? I don't look in mirrors.

Greg

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Oh...I can still wear lycra,as long as I wear a baggy shirt to cover the slight muffin top I've acquired.

Want a good solution for that? Instead of wearing regular bike shorts, get either bib shorts or a body suit (shorts attached to a vest like shirt and zipper down the front). Those kind of shorts while more expensive, act like Spanks, and that will flatten out your "love handles".

It's a trick that I use. I like to wear lycra because it's comfortable, but hated the muffin top it gave me, so I switched to bib shorts and speed suits.

Hell these days I'm good with lycra shorts and a t-shirt.
I dont want to look to much like a road weenie riding a flat bar bike.
It'll look like I'm trying to hard.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Oh...I can still wear lycra,as long as I wear a baggy shirt to cover the slight muffin top I've acquired.

Want a good solution for that? Instead of wearing regular bike shorts, get either bib shorts or a body suit (shorts attached to a vest like shirt and zipper down the front). Those kind of shorts while more expensive, act like Spanks, and that will flatten out your "love handles".

It's a trick that I use. I like to wear lycra because it's comfortable, but hated the muffin top it gave me, so I switched to bib shorts and speed suits.

Hell these days I'm good with lycra shorts and a t-shirt.
I dont want to look to much like a road weenie riding a flat bar bike.
It'll look like I'm trying to hard.

You can get mountain bike shorts then. They are regular shorts with a bike short sewn inside. They also have thigh pockets on them.

And, if they look like regular shorts, you don't have any worries, but still get to keep the comfort.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

It's kinda funny....
Had a buddy when I was around 18 or 19 and we'd ride from Houston to Austin 3 or 4 times a year,hit the bars on 6th street,crash at a cheap hotel,then head back home.

Now it's coined as some grueling test of stamina as the MS 150.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Oh...I can still wear lycra,as long as I wear a baggy shirt to cover the slight muffin top I've acquired.

Want a good solution for that? Instead of wearing regular bike shorts, get either bib shorts or a body suit (shorts attached to a vest like shirt and zipper down the front). Those kind of shorts while more expensive, act like Spanks, and that will flatten out your "love handles".

It's a trick that I use. I like to wear lycra because it's comfortable, but hated the muffin top it gave me, so I switched to bib shorts and speed suits.

Hell these days I'm good with lycra shorts and a t-shirt.
I dont want to look to much like a road weenie riding a flat bar bike.
It'll look like I'm trying to hard.

You can get mountain bike shorts then. They are regular shorts with a bike short sewn inside. They also have thigh pockets on them.

And, if they look like regular shorts, you don't have any worries, but still get to keep the comfort.

I've had several pairs of those over the years.
In my youth I refused to wear "spandex" shorts at the risk of looking like a homo.
And dont get me started on those little gay hats.

 

[ABikerSailor]

It's kinda funny....
Had a buddy when I was around 18 or 19 and we'd ride from Houston to Austin 3 or 4 times a year,hit the bars on 6th street,crash at a cheap hotel,then head back home.

Now it's coined as some grueling test of stamina as the MS 150.

You know, there are lots of people who think that riding anything over 10 miles is a challenge. About halfway through my Navy career, I decided that I didn't need a car and lived on a bike.

Everyone thought I was nuts, especially when I rode my mountain bike to work in the winter through the snow.

But, I can also say that was one of the better decisions I made, because at almost 54, I'm still in pretty good shape for an old guy.

When I transferred from Memphis TN to Jacksonville FL, in the travel section of my transfer packet, they asked for a license plate so they could pay me for traveling via POV. Well, bicycles don't have license plates, so I simply wrote down the serial number on the bottom bracket of my bike.

The lady who does the transfers, called me in and said that my license plate had too many numbers and she needed the real one. I told her that was the real one because it was the serial number of my bicycle. She then told me that I couldn't ride a bike to Jacksonville and she wouldn't pay me POV travel.

I then went to the OIC and told him about it. I also told him that I used a bike like most people used their cars (50 to 100 miles/day), and that since the bicycle was a vehicle that I owned, I was entitled to POV travel. He agreed, and told the lady to pay me for POV travel.

That ride was around 7 days total, and after I was able to do that, I decided to ride to each duty station from then on.

When I transferred out of Jacksonville, it was winter, so I bought a cheap car, drove to Newport RI, sold it, and that summer, I took leave and drove a rental car to Jacksonville and rode a bicycle back to Newport RI. That one took me 12 days.

During the time I'd been gone, they had a change of command. When I got back, the new OIC asked me if I was the nutcase that rode a bicycle from Jacksonville to Newport. I said yes, and he told me that I was his new Physical Readiness Training coordinator.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Oh...I can still wear lycra,as long as I wear a baggy shirt to cover the slight muffin top I've acquired.

Want a good solution for that? Instead of wearing regular bike shorts, get either bib shorts or a body suit (shorts attached to a vest like shirt and zipper down the front). Those kind of shorts while more expensive, act like Spanks, and that will flatten out your "love handles".

It's a trick that I use. I like to wear lycra because it's comfortable, but hated the muffin top it gave me, so I switched to bib shorts and speed suits.

Hell these days I'm good with lycra shorts and a t-shirt.
I dont want to look to much like a road weenie riding a flat bar bike.
It'll look like I'm trying to hard.

You can get mountain bike shorts then. They are regular shorts with a bike short sewn inside. They also have thigh pockets on them.

And, if they look like regular shorts, you don't have any worries, but still get to keep the comfort.

I've had several pairs of those over the years.
In my youth I refused to wear "spandex" shorts at the risk of looking like a homo.
And dont get me started on those little gay hats.

HEY!!!! I happen to have a couple of those "little gay hats". I like 'em.

As far as the spandex looking "gay"? I never felt that way, because I actually looked good in spandex.

One time, I was in a bar shooting pool (yes, there were places that let me park my bike inside), some chick came up to me, slapped my ass and said "nice butt". I turned around, saw she was a HUGE woman and she was wearing spandex polka dot shorts.

She got pissed at me when I told her Spandex was a privilege, not a right.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Oh...I can still wear lycra,as long as I wear a baggy shirt to cover the slight muffin top I've acquired.

Want a good solution for that? Instead of wearing regular bike shorts, get either bib shorts or a body suit (shorts attached to a vest like shirt and zipper down the front). Those kind of shorts while more expensive, act like Spanks, and that will flatten out your "love handles".

It's a trick that I use. I like to wear lycra because it's comfortable, but hated the muffin top it gave me, so I switched to bib shorts and speed suits.

Hell these days I'm good with lycra shorts and a t-shirt.
I dont want to look to much like a road weenie riding a flat bar bike.
It'll look like I'm trying to hard.

You can get mountain bike shorts then. They are regular shorts with a bike short sewn inside. They also have thigh pockets on them.

And, if they look like regular shorts, you don't have any worries, but still get to keep the comfort.

I've had several pairs of those over the years.
In my youth I refused to wear "spandex" shorts at the risk of looking like a homo.
And dont get me started on those little gay hats.

HEY!!!! I happen to have a couple of those "little gay hats". I like 'em.

As far as the spandex looking "gay"? I never felt that way, because I actually looked good in spandex.

One time, I was in a bar shooting pool (yes, there were places that let me park my bike inside), some chick came up to me, slapped my ass and said "nice butt". I turned around, saw she was a HUGE woman and she was wearing spandex polka dot shorts.

She got pissed at me when I told her Spandex was a privilege, not a right.

Hell,everyone looks good in "spandex" when they're young but as a conservative who hunted,shot guns for fun it would never fly in my circle of friends.
They already thought I was a little off for liking road bikes.

As far as the hats go?
Oh fuk no!! I prefer going without a hat and feeling the cooling winds.

 

[ABikerSailor]

Want a good solution for that? Instead of wearing regular bike shorts, get either bib shorts or a body suit (shorts attached to a vest like shirt and zipper down the front). Those kind of shorts while more expensive, act like Spanks, and that will flatten out your "love handles".

It's a trick that I use. I like to wear lycra because it's comfortable, but hated the muffin top it gave me, so I switched to bib shorts and speed suits.

Hell these days I'm good with lycra shorts and a t-shirt.
I dont want to look to much like a road weenie riding a flat bar bike.
It'll look like I'm trying to hard.

You can get mountain bike shorts then. They are regular shorts with a bike short sewn inside. They also have thigh pockets on them.

And, if they look like regular shorts, you don't have any worries, but still get to keep the comfort.

I've had several pairs of those over the years.
In my youth I refused to wear "spandex" shorts at the risk of looking like a homo.
And dont get me started on those little gay hats.

HEY!!!! I happen to have a couple of those "little gay hats". I like 'em.

As far as the spandex looking "gay"? I never felt that way, because I actually looked good in spandex.

One time, I was in a bar shooting pool (yes, there were places that let me park my bike inside), some chick came up to me, slapped my ass and said "nice butt". I turned around, saw she was a HUGE woman and she was wearing spandex polka dot shorts.

She got pissed at me when I told her Spandex was a privilege, not a right.

Hell,everyone looks good in "spandex" when they're young but as a conservative who hunted,shot guns for fun it would never fly in my circle of friends.
They already thought I was a little off for liking road bikes.

As far as the hats go?
Oh fuk no!! I prefer going without a hat and feeling the cooling winds.

If your helmet doesn't have a visor (mine doesn't), those hats work really good on sunny days to keep it out of your eyes.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Hell these days I'm good with lycra shorts and a t-shirt.
I dont want to look to much like a road weenie riding a flat bar bike.
It'll look like I'm trying to hard.

You can get mountain bike shorts then. They are regular shorts with a bike short sewn inside. They also have thigh pockets on them.

And, if they look like regular shorts, you don't have any worries, but still get to keep the comfort.

I've had several pairs of those over the years.
In my youth I refused to wear "spandex" shorts at the risk of looking like a homo.
And dont get me started on those little gay hats.

HEY!!!! I happen to have a couple of those "little gay hats". I like 'em.

As far as the spandex looking "gay"? I never felt that way, because I actually looked good in spandex.

One time, I was in a bar shooting pool (yes, there were places that let me park my bike inside), some chick came up to me, slapped my ass and said "nice butt". I turned around, saw she was a HUGE woman and she was wearing spandex polka dot shorts.

She got pissed at me when I told her Spandex was a privilege, not a right.

Hell,everyone looks good in "spandex" when they're young but as a conservative who hunted,shot guns for fun it would never fly in my circle of friends.
They already thought I was a little off for liking road bikes.

As far as the hats go?
Oh fuk no!! I prefer going without a hat and feeling the cooling winds.

If your helmet doesn't have a visor (mine doesn't), those hats work really good on sunny days to keep it out of your eyes.

I've got sunglasses.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Used to ride the Ho Chi Minh trail and Cambodia in Houston Memorial park a lot.
Some really good mountain bike trails for being in the city.

There was a section called the froot loop which was aptly named apparently.
We rounded a corner one day and saw some dude going down on another dude in the middle of the trail.

They didnt even slow down as we rode past.

 

[gtopa1]

Want a good solution for that? Instead of wearing regular bike shorts, get either bib shorts or a body suit (shorts attached to a vest like shirt and zipper down the front). Those kind of shorts while more expensive, act like Spanks, and that will flatten out your "love handles".

It's a trick that I use. I like to wear lycra because it's comfortable, but hated the muffin top it gave me, so I switched to bib shorts and speed suits.

Hell these days I'm good with lycra shorts and a t-shirt.
I dont want to look to much like a road weenie riding a flat bar bike.
It'll look like I'm trying to hard.

You can get mountain bike shorts then. They are regular shorts with a bike short sewn inside. They also have thigh pockets on them.

And, if they look like regular shorts, you don't have any worries, but still get to keep the comfort.

I've had several pairs of those over the years.
In my youth I refused to wear "spandex" shorts at the risk of looking like a homo.
And dont get me started on those little gay hats.

HEY!!!! I happen to have a couple of those "little gay hats". I like 'em.

As far as the spandex looking "gay"? I never felt that way, because I actually looked good in spandex.

One time, I was in a bar shooting pool (yes, there were places that let me park my bike inside), some chick came up to me, slapped my ass and said "nice butt". I turned around, saw she was a HUGE woman and she was wearing spandex polka dot shorts.

She got pissed at me when I told her Spandex was a privilege, not a right.

Hell,everyone looks good in "spandex" when they're young but as a conservative who hunted,shot guns for fun it would never fly in my circle of friends.
They already thought I was a little off for liking road bikes.

As far as the hats go?
Oh fuk no!! I prefer going without a hat and feeling the cooling winds.

We have to wear the bloody things or we get fined; bloody doo gooding twits!!!

I can see the sense with downhill but in a conversation with a semi-??? Not much going to assist then.

Greg

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

Hell these days I'm good with lycra shorts and a t-shirt.
I dont want to look to much like a road weenie riding a flat bar bike.
It'll look like I'm trying to hard.

You can get mountain bike shorts then. They are regular shorts with a bike short sewn inside. They also have thigh pockets on them.

And, if they look like regular shorts, you don't have any worries, but still get to keep the comfort.

I've had several pairs of those over the years.
In my youth I refused to wear "spandex" shorts at the risk of looking like a homo.
And dont get me started on those little gay hats.

HEY!!!! I happen to have a couple of those "little gay hats". I like 'em.

As far as the spandex looking "gay"? I never felt that way, because I actually looked good in spandex.

One time, I was in a bar shooting pool (yes, there were places that let me park my bike inside), some chick came up to me, slapped my ass and said "nice butt". I turned around, saw she was a HUGE woman and she was wearing spandex polka dot shorts.

She got pissed at me when I told her Spandex was a privilege, not a right.

Hell,everyone looks good in "spandex" when they're young but as a conservative who hunted,shot guns for fun it would never fly in my circle of friends.
They already thought I was a little off for liking road bikes.

As far as the hats go?
Oh fuk no!! I prefer going without a hat and feeling the cooling winds.

We have to wear the bloody things or we get fined; bloody doo gooding twits!!!

I can see the sense with downhill but in a conversation with a semi-??? Not much going to assist then.

Greg

I generally dont wear a helmet.
I've rode bikes for damn near thirty years and never had a head injury.
I of course wore one during BMX races along with other gear.

 

[ABikerSailor]

You know, there was a time that I would sometimes ride with a helmet, sometimes I'd ride without. Well, riding into work one day, I hit some black ice and went down hard. I was wearing a Vetta (remember that brand HWGA?) hardshell helmet and it actually cracked the damn thing in half when I tried to put my head into a curb.

Rang my bell, and fortunately, there were no injuries other than my helmet.

Been wearing one ever since.

 

[HereWeGoAgain]

You know, there was a time that I would sometimes ride with a helmet, sometimes I'd ride without. Well, riding into work one day, I hit some black ice and went down hard. I was wearing a Vetta (remember that brand HWGA?) hardshell helmet and it actually cracked the damn thing in half when I tried to put my head into a curb.

Rang my bell, and fortunately, there were no injuries other than my helmet.

Been wearing one ever since.

I remember those.
I normally dont ride in inclement weather. The last time I commuted on a bike was when I was around 18.
If I plan on hitting it hard I'll wear a helmet but if I'm just tooling around I dont.
I cracked a helmet on the Ho Chi Minh trail in Memorial park once.
I ducked to go under what I thought was just a leafy branch,turned out there was a three inch limb behind those leaves.