[cvcalhoun]

Alas, I lost my perfect attendance record in this competition yesterday! In my defense, my bicycle was completely destroyed on Thursday, I wasn’t able to buy a new one until today, and I don’t live anywhere near a CaBi station. The good news is, I got in 14 miles bringing the new one (a 2012 Trek 7300, which I bought from Bike and Roll) home.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6183[/ATTACH]

[cvcalhoun]

This might help you pin down the model year.

[cvcalhoun]

Because few people cycle. If, for example, Milloy himself engages in speeding so persistently that he gets his license revoked (yes, he really did), motorists still don’t have an image problem. People often sympathize, because they’ve violated speed limits themselves sometimes. Even if they don’t, they consider Milloy’s speeding a reflection on Milloy, not on all motorists.

By contrast, suppose a bicyclist goes through a red light (after coming to a full stop and looking both ways, and motivated by the fact that the cyclist will be safer if s/he goes through the light before motor vehicles). In general, a) people have no sympathy, because they don’t cycle themselves and thus don’t understand that going through a red light may be safer under the circumstances than waiting for the green, and b) people blame “cyclists,” not just the particular cyclist.

@StopMeansStop 90110 wrote:

Not to side with Milloy, but why is it that cyclists seem to have an image problem in the first place?

[cvcalhoun]

The answer to how often I carry loads is essentially “always.” At a minimum, I have a rack and oversized panniers, because I never know when I’ll need to stop at the grocery store while I’m out. And I have my purse, and a U lock, and foul weather gear, and a reflective vest, and extra lights and batteries, and bike tools. And that’s before I add stuff particular to that trip, like scripts and costumes for rehearsals, food for when I’m rushing from place to place with no chance to stop in between, a briefcase with books and papers, changes of clothes so I can do a quick change out of sweaty bike clothes before a business meeting, etc. I don’t do purely recreational rides, and I’m not commuting to an office where I could shower or leave stuff, so I carry a small apartment with me wherever I go.

@DismalScientist 90089 wrote:

Well, I’ve done fully loaded touring on a 30 lb 10 speed bike and a better quality 25 lb 18 speed bike. They handled pretty similarly. The riding was better on the more expensive bike because I had a wider range of gears and the wheels rode better. The wheels on the more expensive bike were stronger, but lighter and had much better hubs. The notion that heavier is sturdier does not always hold, but the tradeoff is higher prices.

Sure, weight differences are most noticeable on unloaded bicycles. How often do you carry loads? You will definitely feel the difference on an unloaded bicycle. I can’t get my wife or daughter the ride the Trek 7300 anymore after riding the lighter bike. Weight differences matter most on the moving parts of the bike, particularly the wheels.

I would think that riding on trails should only affect the choice of tire. Any type of bike that accommodates 28 to 35 mm tires should be fine. Any type of bike without a carbon seatpost can take a trailer. Night riding shouldn’t matter much in bike selection. Any bike with rack mounts should be suitable for carrying gear in panniers.

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[cvcalhoun]

Yeah, this is what I’m questioning. I ride daily, in good weather and bad. I ride at least once a week on the Georgetown Branch Trail, which is mud, ruts, and gravel. I ride a lot at night. I carry a lot of random stuff, from a purse to a granddaughter.

A Trek 7200 has worked well for me for a long time. So when people say I really should get a road bike, my first question is why — what advantages it would have for me (not for some random person) that would warrant the financial burden it would be.

@mstone 90083 wrote:

The advice seems to be coming fairly prematurely, unless I missed some stuff. Where do you plan to ride? How far? How often? Do you ride only in fair weather in daytime, or in the rain or dark? Do you plan to carry things on the bike? Groceries and such in their own bags, or packing things up specifically for the bike? Advantages and disadvantages depend very much on how the bike is used.

The reason there’s so much of a bias against the seat & fork suspensions is that they tend to add a good bit of weight, soak up a good bit of efficiency (from pushing the suspension up and down) and don’t really add much comfort (people tend to buy them because they look at the suspension and assume it must automatically feel better). Suspension can be very important for mountain biking–but its purpose is as much for safety (keeping the wheels from bouncing off the ground) and to avoid breaking the bike as to feel good. At this point it’s getting really hard to buy a bike on the low end of the market that does not have some kind of suspension, mainly due to customer perception, to compensate for the fact that people tend to over-inflate their tires, and as a way for the manufacturers to add relatively cheap bling to what’s otherwise a simple machine. (And especially at low price points the suspension is generally not all that functional.) All that said, you’re the one riding the bike and if it works for you, go with it. Also, you sometimes need to make compromises to hit a price point, and the front suspension hybrids are produced in sufficient quantity that you can sometimes get reasonable deals fairly cheaply.

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[cvcalhoun]

But I’m back to the question of whether a lighter bike helps if I’m going to add a bunch of cargo to it. The difference between a 25 lb. bike and a 35 lb. bare bike would be a lot more noticeable than the difference between a 65 lb. bike (including cargo weight) and a 75 lb. bike. And that’s something a test ride won’t test.

[cvcalhoun]

But I’m back to the question of what is the advantage? If I’m going to overload the bike anyway, a light weight for the bike itself becomes unnoticeable. The benefits in terms of muscles used seem to depend on riding in a less upright position, which I’m unwilling to do. So what am I paying money (that I really can’t afford) to get?

And it’s not a question of don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Even to try it would be a huge financial deal for me, so I need to understand why that could possibly be worthwhile.

[cvcalhoun]

Drop bars are exactly what I want to avoid, as they put me in a less upright position.

The flat bar road bike has some theoretical appeal. But, don’t I just end up paying extra (and money is, alas, in short supply) for a lighter bike which won’t actually be noticeable once I add heavier tires, load the thing up with cargo, etc.?

[cvcalhoun]

Honestly, I keep being told I want a road bike, but I’m mystified as to why. The advantages seem to be:
1. It goes faster. But I don’t want fast. Heavy and slow = safer, and I want safer.
2. It’s more efficient. But if what I’m trying to do is burn calories, more efficient doesn’t seem better.

Meanwhile, I see huge disadvantages to a road bike. I want to be able to ride as upright as possible, so I can see the scenery and what’s ahead of me, and to minimize pressure on my wrists. I want wide tires that can handle the rutted mud of the Georgetown Branch Trail, or the snow and ice of a Dc winter. I want a bike that is sturdy and rarely needs servicing. I want a bike on which I can carry groceries, or pull a bike trailer. And I want a bike I can afford both to buy, and to get parts for as needed.

[cvcalhoun]

Yeah, I’m 5’9″. Damaged bike is a Trek 7200. A loaner wheel would be wonderful, but I’m not sure how I’d get to you. Part of the problem is that we have only one car, and a totally frantic schedule where we need to be different places at the same time, for the next 3 days.

@DismalScientist 90029 wrote:

Both bikes are 15″.
The site where I bought the flat bar road bike suggest that 15″ is appropriate between 5’1″ and 5’4″ and a 19″ is appropriate between 5’9″ and 5’11”. I bought a 21″ bike of the same bike, which seems right, although according to the site I am between a 19″ and 21″.

Seat tube length shouldn’t be too much of an issue on a step through bike, as you can always raise the seat. It seems that you want a bike with a longer effective top tube, which may mean that you naturally want something with a more aggressive, less upright geometry. (i.e. you may want more of a road bike.:rolleyes:) This can also be accomplished by a longer stem or, if the bike comes with an adjustable stem, make the stem more horizontal.

P.S. What kind of bike is the damaged one? I might be able to loan you a rear wheel while you decide on a replacement bike.

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[cvcalhoun]

Unfortunately, I think the 17″ would be too small. I tried a 16″ today, and it definitely was.

@Emm 89995 wrote:

There’s a 17 inch 2012 womens trek 7200 for $225 or $250 being sold by a tenant in my building (Rosslyn). I think it’s purple. I haven’t seen it, but if your interested let me know and I’ll get the info for you. I might be wrong on the model, but I’m pretty sure it’s 7200.

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[cvcalhoun]

What size is your wife’s? I tried a 16″ Trek 7300, and a 19″ Raleigh, today, and the 19″ definitely felt like the better size.

@DismalScientist 90003 wrote:

Check out this thread: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?5931-What-do-you-think-of-the-Kona-Dew

I would suggest you test ride a flat bar road bike and compare with a standard hybrid. You are welcome to do a comparison test ride between my wife’s Trek 7300 (older, no suspension fork) and her flat bar road bike. If you want the Trek, you can have it at a reasonable price. Kathy is right: it is a tank. Also, unless you do off-road mountain biking, I would never recommend front shocks.

Unless I am misremembering your size, a 19″ frame sounds much too big. Maybe a 15″ would be more appropriate.

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[cvcalhoun]

Update: Here’s what the seller e-mailed to me:

2012 Treks I have:

All bikes are sold with the $60 msrp rear ultra lightweight Bontrager racks. Some of the bikes have expensive bells. All have light use, were used on weekends on paved flat roads in a guided tour that you were not allowed to stray from. The bikes have very little wear.

13.5″ (female) = 14 bikes $250
(The 13.5″ frame treks are bigger than they appear and can fit taller people as well as shorter people. I am 5’9 male and can even ride this size. Great universal fit for 4′ to 5’7).
15″ (male) = 9 bikes. $290
16″ (female) = 7 bikes $290
17.5″ (male) = 9 bikes $290
19″ (female) = 3 bikes $290
20″ (male) = 2 bikes $290

As far as the “built like a tank” part goes, remember that what I’ve been riding is a Trek 7200. As far as I can make out, the 7300 is a slight upgrade, but not all that different.

[cvcalhoun]

Whew! They finally posted the winners! I was thinking they weren’t going to get around to posting the June winners until sometime in August at this rate.

@PeteD 89631 wrote:

Looks like there were a couple of All Stars prize winners for June…

[cvcalhoun]

Not having experienced Ukrainian toilet paper, I have no idea how similar they were. However, the issue with British toilet paper at the time was not its color. It was the fact it was totally unsuited to the purpose for which it was intended. To begin with, all three varieties were nonabsorbent. Each was also painful in its own way. The brown paper variety was like parcel paper. If you tried to fold it so that you could at least scoop things off, it created a hard point that stuck into you. The wax paper was a little (but not much) softer, but only at the cost of further diminishing the already nearly nonexistent absorbency. And the sandpaper was abrasive as well as nonabsorbent.

If you are actually missing toilet paper that is similar to any of these, I can only say that while I would never criticize any kink you may be enjoying, with or without a partner of your choice, you will have to excuse the rest of us for safewording!

@cyclingfool 89602 wrote:

Speak for yourselves. I assume the paper in question is akin to the greyish TP I used to use in Ukraine, which I actually liked a lot and miss sometimes. I’d gladly take a year’s supply of that.

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