Joe Chapline
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Joe Chapline
ParticipantI think the best thing to do is be a good example. When one bicyclist out of five stops at a red light, the ones blowing past you may think there’s something wrong with you. If we get it up to three out of five stopping, the old herd instincts might start to work in favor of obeying the law. People do what they see other people do.
Offering unsolicited advice to strangers has seldom worked out well for me, regarding bicycling or anything else. Dirt has some good suggestions on how it could possibly work, though.
January 5, 2011 at 10:05 pm in reply to: Want recommendations on LIGHTWEIGHT bike for small female riders #924346Joe Chapline
ParticipantAnyone: I always look at bikes with the larger 700c wheels, because that’s my preference. Would Runner750 be better off looking at bikes with smaller, 26″ wheels, for weight, and/or for her smaller size?
RE the top tube, there are bikes that have an angled top tube, which gives you more clearance to stand over the frame. A true step-through frame allows you to dismount without swinging one leg over the seat. As baiskeli said, those were originally designed for women in skirts, but are also practical for anyone that has to get on and off the bike a lot. (Mail carriers, for example.) I don’t know if Runner750 is looking for a bike with a low top tube, or a true step-through frame, but both are available.
Last note for now: You can save some weight in the tires. If it does make sense to look for a bike with 26″ wheels, a lot of those are mountain bikes and may have big, fat, knobby tires on them. But the wheels will probably accept narrower, lighter tires.
January 5, 2011 at 1:47 am in reply to: Want recommendations on LIGHTWEIGHT bike for small female riders #924316Joe Chapline
ParticipantI’m moving this thread into “bikes and equipment” — seems like a better place for it.
January 5, 2011 at 1:32 am in reply to: Want recommendations on LIGHTWEIGHT bike for small female riders #924315Joe Chapline
ParticipantYou will have a lot of choices, but the first thing that pops into my mind is to look at Trek bikes. They’ve been offering hybrid bikes with diagonal top tubes (lower at the seat end) for many years. (So there are a lot out there if you want to shop for a used bike.) They also have a lot of Women-Specific Design (WSD) offerings. For many models that do have a high top tube, they also offer a version with a step-through frame. And they have models in every price range. I hesitate to suggest specific model, because it really depends on price range. It sounds like you don’t need a high-performance bike, but you still have a choice to spend more or less for a more-reliable or less-reliable bike. Here’s a link to look at as a starting point. You can go up or down in price from there.
Joe Chapline
ParticipantI see the Home Depot one, it does have reflective material. Also is an actual vest, with an open front, so would be easier to put on than a pullover. Let us know how it works out. In any case, it’s clear that this does not have to be a high-dollar item. The vest I have was cheap (I don’t remember exactly how much), and has lasted for many years. Like rain gear and warm clothes, this seems like an item that could come in handy for people that ever venture outside.
Joe Chapline
ParticipantThey make pullover safety vests that are very thin and light, no problem to carry one with you until you need it. You might want to check the bike store first, to make sure the vest is big enough to go over your coat and compact enough to carry. Hard to tell those things online, but here’s one of many that are offered.
Joe Chapline
ParticipantFollowing up on consularrider’s comment, OneEight commented below about a tire designed for cyclocross, which is done with road bikes. BikeArlington also mentions cyclocross tires on their Winter Cycling page. As long as you have wheels that can accommodate a wide-enough tire, you have choices that could make the road bike you have now also your winter bike, with a change of tires.
Joe Chapline
ParticipantMoving this thread to “Bikes and Equipment.”
Joe Chapline
ParticipantI wanted to say something about this, too. Bike manufacturers make no secret of using important components that are made by other manufacturers, Shimano being a well-known example. I think Giant was a big frame manufacturer for some time before anyone owned a bike with the Giant name on it. I was wondering if they still produced frames for other manufacturers, so Mark’s post is interesting to me. It’s a little different than cars — there’s much more sharing of the same components across all brands, not just “families” like GMC and Chevy. A big part of the bike business seems to be about putting together a package of components that can be sold for a profit at a given price point, and having your offering be the most attractive to some segment of buyers at that price point.
Joe Chapline
ParticipantWere there seven of them a-swimming? Happy holidays.
Joe Chapline
ParticipantThanks for the posts everyone! I wanted to remind you that we have the “Recent Snow and Ice Reports” section set up so that threads will disappear after a week. This one will disappear in a few days unless I change the settings. My idea was that you could start new threads for each new report, rather than posting to one long thread.
The problem with the long thread is that new users have to navigate to the end of it to see recent posts, until they figure out how to change their settings. Let me know what you think — I’m happy to set it up whatever way works best for everyone.
Joe Chapline
Participant@Dirt: my “regular” tires, that came with my Specialized bike, have a smooth rolling surface — no tread at all. The outside edges are knobby, so they provide traction on curves. I think they’re great, but OF COURSE they don’t do well on ice. I just never thought about getting different tires for winter, whether studded or something else. A separate set of tires is an expense, but compared to the cost of car maintenance, it’s not much. Thanks for the tips.
Joe Chapline
ParticipantWelcome, ChrisJ, thanks for joining.
Joe Chapline
ParticipantI’m working from home (as I do most days now) but took the snow-tire-equipped bike out for a short test ride in the 1/4″ of fresh snow we have in Baltimore. No problems. I’ll keep taking it out as conditions change and try to get a good feel for the tires, hopefully without hitting the pavement. I would not have thought about doing this a year ago, so thanks, forum.
Joe Chapline
Participant@Dirt 1457 wrote:
I often times get wrapped around the axle about using bikey gear, but forget about normal winter gear.
I hear complaints sometimes about having to buy a lot of stuff to be able to cycle in less-than-perfect weather. But really, if you ever walk, go to a football game, or do anything outside, you need to own some warm clothes. Even people that drive everywhere should carry the things they will need if their car breaks down.
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