rationalist - I'll do the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic with you in 2009. Anyone game for 2008?

WOOT! You're on, Katze!!!

All the more reason to find a speedy light bike.

I used to blast through stop signs until I went through a four way stop at full speed on my road bike only to be t-boned by a triathelete reclining on his fucking aero bars. I may have also been playing with my cyclometer.

going full speed downhill and blowing through stop signs then not having enough brake power to stop before hitting cars going 40 m.p.h. - brings back memories. I'm surprised I still have brain cells. Doh!

I wanna ride in Portland, sounds like a lotta fun... I plan on taking my hipster mobile to NC with me next week. Ride from Wilmington / Wrightsville beach to Southport and back up through Southeastern NC.

Any helpful hints on traveling with bicycles people?

Steven [appleseed] - don't get all defensive now man. You started off calling me out on some bullshit:

"heh, I know what it's for John; it's still a fucking trend. Steel/cromoly fixie frames and you're worried about dents and rash? haha"

Sounds pretty PERSONAL - dunno, maybe it's just me. I'll quit this dick measuring contest now and say, neither one of us knows each other and we have no right calling each other out - I probably wouldn't have said anything back if I wasn't drunk off Margaritas in Mexico.

Truce.

xoxo

;)

a friend of mine has taken a bike to NYC from Colorado a couple of times for that 5 Boroughs 100 mile ride. Las year he found it cheaper to UPS the bike instead of flying with it as luggage.

If you have a USAC racing license they give you discounts on I think United.

JP – try to get to Seattle next year to do the Portland run. As for traveling advice, I agree with FRO – it's sometimes cheaper to go UPS. I'd check with the airline and weigh out your options w/shippers.

I'm gonna need some serious work before I can do an STP. At my current rate of speed, It'd take me about 16 hours to make the trip, assuming we're not hampered by too many stoplights and traffic.

ah, we can do it rationalist - no worries! we will definately opt for the two day ride.

ohhhh yeah, the one-day is not even an option. I just wonder how many hours per day most people ride on it? Because I think about that and go, ok, two eight-hour days of riding. Not something to take lightly, but there's still a lot of hours left in the day there. I'm pretty slow, so I'd expect most people on the two-day to only ride like six hours per day... or are a lot of the people that do it a bit more liesurely about it?

...maybe we can create a three day event :)

I hope I'm not that bad!

I have decided to start biking to work on at least 3/5 of work days. I live 3 miles from the office and was able to map out a route where I won't be living in complete terror of being flattened by a bus.

The only thing I need now is a bike. The extent of my bike purchasing in the past has been whatever was on sale at k-mart. I'd like to find something at least a little better in quality and definitely more suited to commuting. Still, I don't want to spend an arm and a leg...I don't think I'd be comfortable parting with more than $250 at the most right now. I'm willing to go used.

Any recommendations?

NEW BIKE DAY!

bryan, as I'm new to it myself, I'll just share my one nugget of wisdom gleaned recenty:

Hybrids sound better than they really are. If what you really want to do is zip around town easily and conveniently, I'd look at a used road bike. The hybrids feel heavy and clunky in practice.

bryan-

get a older lugged steel framed road bike. the steel will be a nice ride for the city and it'll be better than some crappy chinese bike from kmart.

you can usually score decent rides between $100-200... most need a little work though to get in good commuter riding condition.

craigslist is a great place to look.

r, A -

thanks for the advice. i definitely want to stick with a road bike. i found a few things on CL that look interesting.

i'm in a similar situation as bryan4arch... in october my office is moving downtown within about 8 blocks of my house... i'm looking forward to biking to work... i don't think that i've even climbed onto a bike since i spent 3 weeks in amsterdam about 4 years ago... i'm just starting to look into bikes and am willing to spend up to about $1000, but would like to keep it closer to $500...

so far i've been looking online at bikes like this gary fisher mendota...


or maybe this trek 7.5 FX...


anyways, any thoughts/advice? thanks.

phil-

what are you looking to do with the bike? is it PURELY for commuting to work? or would you use it for exercise, or some minor transportation? that'll change the type of bike you might look at. also consider your storage situation. do you have to carry the bike up stairs? can you store it out on the street? how safe is leaving it on the street even locked up?

the bikes you're looking at are somewhat hybrid-y and i feel like you'd be spending a lot of money for those particular bikes but reaping minimal benefits (lacking quality components, a faster geometry, weight). you could spend 5-700 and get a more road-oriented bike that'll be much faster and lighter. or spend under $200 and get an older used road bike that'll get the job done as well as those two above w/o having some shiny new bike that the thief is looking for.

thas' a hot looking marinoni.

i like.

If I could rewind a few months while retaining what I've learned since then, I'd go for something along these lines: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/bik/383485988.html

Good bones, may need some love and accessories (like lights, so you don't get arrested in Santa Monica), but a good solid bike that's not so flashy as to be a bike thief magnet.

for those in Canada - PEDAL

I got my first roadbike this past week - nothing new or special, but the price was right and it's fast...at least for what I'm used to. should be great for commuting to class come fall.

Nice find.

in looking at transportation policy stuff, came across this interesting group association of pedestrian and bicycle professionals. I though of rationalist and ya'll on the bicycle thread.

I got the Marinoni built up...


57tt
55.5 st
32.5" standover
phil woods track / track to mavic open pros [radially front, 3x rear]
miche primato 165 track cranks, campy chainring
campy bb, hs, binder bolt
nitto aa + 2" riser
sell turbo bio saddle

and liked the bar / stem combo so much, I did the same for the KHS Aero

OOPS. Sorry, here it is

I've got one of those little computers so I can keep track of time and distance and all that.... well, my odometer rolled over to 600 miles yesterday. I'm halfway to my goal for the year (keep in mind that I started in May).

Time to pick up my new fixie project. Yes, I am finally joining the club.

Ooops. It's a mid-80's lime green Takara road bike - 57 st (58.5 c to t) and 56 tt. The Dia-Compe 750 center pulls are too sweet to remove. And I am not hard core enough...

Anyone got wheels for me? I'd like a flip flop fixed/free though I'd be willing to go full fixed if the price is right. Either 622 or 630 diameter with 130 mm spacing.

anyone ever heard of or ridden a 'swing bike'? These guys at the welding shop down the street have been making some out of old cruiser frames (business must be slow...). Basically the rear triangle and seatpost are attached to the rest of the frame by a second headset. Got to ride one around a bit at lunch today- FUN!!

here's a pic I found online that gets the point across:

i've seen friends align the cranks in the same rather than opposing directions so you sorta bunny hop along. very funny to watch. easiest on a fixie.

I need an odometer too. I usually log 100-120 miles a week depending on weekend rides.

on top of that, I have been eating like a horse.

Is there an odometer pretty enough?

hahahaha. Maybe I can find a b&w one.

I recently got an email from a rather concerned cyclist bashing my Marinoni...

It's quite funny.

so somebody actually tried to hit me yesterday, or at least tried to make me think they were going to hit me. In two ways! First, when they passed me, the passenger stuck his arm out of the window and made a slapping motion, accompanied by the verbal sound effect "BAP!". Then, when I passed them (ha!), the same guy OPENED HIS DOOR as I passed, then quickly closed it again. I understand that sometimes your seatbelt, scarf, or whatever gets caught in the door and yo uwant to get it out, but given the slapping thing I'm preeeetty sure he knew I was there.

WTFFFFFFFFFF?! Where is this coming from? I wasn't in their way, I was riding politely and legally. I don't get it.

So to the passenger of the red Datsun from Westwood Blvd. yesterday afternoon at 5:30 - FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE.

I'm about to invest in my first real bike since high school--it will be a commuting bike only.

I like the simplicity and looks of a fixed-gear. I like the idea of not having to switch gears as you ride.

The no-brakes thing sort of scares me. I don't really care about what other bikers think of my "ride."

Could a fixed gear be the right thing for me?

Are they in any way difficult to ride? Or is it like the old bikes from the seventies with "backpedal brakes"?

farwest1, I know several good bikers who have a fixed gear with at least one brake. I've gotten the impression that only really advanced bikers (see Prolly, above) should attempt a fixie without a brake. I personally don't think it's the wisest thing but then again, I'm not at that skill level.

Also, as you start to shop for your bike, consider some of these things:

-what type of handlebars feel good to you? There is this little thing called "wind" that you may not know much about if you are just starting to commute. I just made acquaintance with it recently myself, and although I like the comfort of the straight handlebars, I now think the curved ones may be better for me, since they are conducive to speed.

-the big cushy seat may feel good at first, but in the long run you'll want a skinnier one. trust me.

-if you think you'll want any kind of accessories, like a rack or anything, keep that in mind when selecting a frame. Make sure it's light enough, and make sure you have real estate on the frame for things like a bottle cage, or whatever else you may want on there.

I am a commuting amateur myself, so hopefully this is helpful to you!

Very helpful! Thanks!

...because 'nectuers know everything...

rode to work this morning, and couldn't help but notice that it was pretty chilly. in fact, i could have used a pair of light gloves, or perhaps some long sleeves... which reminded me... winter is coming, and i have no idea what it'll be like riding every day in winter, or what gear to get etc... so, i'll be paying a visit to my bike shop, but i thought i'd start a bit of discussion here....

my ride is 8.5 miles in the morning and 12.75 miles back (though the ride back is along the lake which might be undesirably windy in the winter)...i'm in chicago

so, any gear recommendations? anyone take long rides in the winter?

I'm planning on getting some mudflaps for the winter, but that's about it. Oh, and a nice Northface jacket. But then I'm a relative newbie as well, so maybe others have better/more extensive suggestions.









Thought y'all might be interested: here's a pretty good article that deals with crunching the numbers on bicycle safety. I found it a very good read, and am happy to see that the numbers do bear out what I've been telling my friends and coworkers (based completely on instinct): that the safety risk is nothing to the health benefits of riding.

I rode everyday 2 winters ago, and will probably be riding most days this winter. Gloves help ALOT.

Last night, about 6:30, I decided to ride to a nearby park. Everyone else must have had the same idea, because about 4 blocks from the park, I met up with 2 other bikers. Every block, another couple of bikers joined up till we were practically a gang, there must have been 8 or 10 of us all entering the park together. Rationalist, don't you have a counting method for spotting other riders?

Oh, so I got a new bikeabout 2 weeks ago, and I love it and have been riding it to work. I bought it used for pretty cheap, but it was well taken care of and only 1 year old. It rides like a dream, effortless and FAST. WonderK - why do you not like your big seat? I like mine.

Oh, and rationalist, that's HORRIBLE about those fuckheads trying to run you over.

I don't have a big seat, I have a skinny seat. I think rationalist had a big seat and it became a problem. But I like my skinnier, cushy seat just fine.

I did have a counting method, but I called it the "Bike Commuter Index", and was designed to see how many people were using their bikes as vehicles (i.e. anyone wearing spandex and carrying no backpack or panniers only counted for 1/2, children didn't count at all).

I had a big seat. It took me two weeks or so of commuting to figure out that the large nose of the seat was what was turning my thighs into mincemeat (seriously, pain upon pain), and an additional three weeks for them to return to their normal state after I switched to a skinnier seat. The one I have now is still not a racing seat or anything like that, but is definitely less cushy, with a smaller nose.

Treehugger had some stuff on the Eurobike Awards 2007 - including this sweet ride

We held our second Rat Pack Hustle last night. At 145th and the West Side HWY, there's a nice, freshly paved bike path where we taped off a 250m [I think?] long drag strip.

Went it dual heats. Best time advanced. A lot of fun...





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