[thecyclingeconomist]

@KLizotte 33187 wrote:

Wow, that’s a long arse ride up the mountain. Beautiful countryside though. How fast do most cyclists go on the way down?

On the first descent I know people often hit 50+. On my Bacchetta Corsa SS, I topped out significantly over 60 (eek.) On the second I showed, it’s pretty technical, so hitting upper 30s is about all one should do.

The second descent is called “the little dragon” by motorcyclists, and is an extremely popular ride because of the technical nature.

The climbs are spectacular! The first climb (the crux of it) is about 8 miles long with an average of 8% grade with a couple pitches of 14%. The second climb isn’t as steep, but is longer by about a mile. The last climb is the shortest and easiest (that’s why I do the loop in that direction).

Here is a quick clip from the best ride in my life: Yosemite during the unpublisized week where they only open to cyclists before tourist season. (Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150790560843621&set=vb.573603620&type=2&theater) This was a hard ride. 72 miles with 9600ft. of climbing averaging about 8000ft. of elevation during the ride which makes breathing a bit tougher.

[thecyclingeconomist]

Man… talk about reshaping what I was writing.

I am a 365 commuter; boy, I sure do hate pedaling…

😡

[thecyclingeconomist]

Um… well, they were a primary sponsor… and who knows how many bikes he destroyed…

It’s some seriously sick riding, and I came on tonight with the intent to post a link… glad someone else did!

[thecyclingeconomist]

@jabberwocky 32967 wrote:

As for running red lights, I personally think too many cyclists do it as a matter of habit and try to justify it as a safety decision.

I try to always stop at any intersection where there are visible cars. Yeah, it takes longer, but the key to being safe is being visible and riding predictably. Cyclists that don’t signal, ride blindly through intersections, weave through lanes, do half-crossings while trying to stay up on their fixies… they all put every cyclist at risk because cars do not respect cyclists due to their highly unpredictable (and often unsafe) behaviors while in a motorway. I get WAY more angry at bad cyclists than I do drivers. They give the rest a bad name. It only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch right?

Only once has a driver actively done a “road-rage” on me… and it’s on video. If he’d hit me, I’d be able to take him to court and probably get a pretty significant ruling against him.

Now, do I respect the letter of the law at all times? No. I’m to blame for getting a driver/other cyclist irked here and there too. (Though I do always try to apologize when I realize that I cut it too close, or made someone nervous.) By no means am I the picture of cycling perfection (according to the League of American Bicyclists safety instructor courses) when it comes to always being courteous to other riders/motorists. The lights/stop-signs that I regularly do a roll-through are definitely unjustified based upon any safety excuse… I do it because I don’t want to stop and have to get started again. I don’t have 150 horsepower at the whim of my toe. My max measured power output in a red-lined sprint is 2hp (around 1500 watts). If I could leisurely accelerate from 0mph to 20mph in 2 seconds, then I’d always stop. But, I do it knowing that it is not the law, it is a calculated risk. If I got into an accident, I’d be screwed, even if it wasn’t “all my fault” (as pointed out earlier in this thread). If I got a ticket, I’d be screwed.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@DismalScientist 32841 wrote:

Ye of little faith…

BTW, spacing doesn’t really matter with a steel bike.

On the first part: you’ll only find them online, as we both showed him. And unless he’s bike-savvy, the chances of making an error on purchase and having to deal with horrible return policies ramp up quickly. Finding a replacement set in a local shop: it won’t happen, and that’s what I meant.

I’d have to contend that last part. Having converted dozens of older steel framed bikes to new groups, unless you cold-set the rear spacing appropriately, you’ll have a seriously terrible time (on average) anytime you have to replace the tire, tube or cassette. The angle of the drops makes locking in the wheel with a skewer worse (making you have to over-tighten) when you force a 130 into a 126. In addition, just forcing the wheel in doesn’t mean that both stays are flexing equally: meaning that the wheel alignment to the frame will almost assuredly be wrong.

Unless you plan on switching out the whole gruppo, it doesn’t matter though: just get a replacement that fits from the get go. Phoenix bikes sounds like a good place for vintage parts for a good price.

Good luck and God bless! Once you get your vintage ride up and running, it’ll be awesome!

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Trav21 32817 wrote:

I’ve just been given my dad’s old road bike. I’ve never riden a road/racing bike before, but would like to get into some casual/recreational riding. The bike is an old, (80’s?), fuji valite 10 speed. I’ve lubed it up and everything seems to be running as it should, however, it has sew-up rims, 700c. I’d much prefer a set of clinchers.

How do I go about replacing the wheels? I need an affordable (not race worthy) set of wheels that will accept tubes and fit without any modifications. I’m not trying to turn this bike into a project. This is my first bike, and I’m not ready for all that, nor am I ready for the costs. I just want to have some fun riding as cheaply and safely as possible

Where do I look, and what exactly am I looking for?

Thanks in advance for helping a new rider get into the sport!

It’s going to be tough to find a rear wheel that has a 5-speed cassette and 126mm spacing unless you buy used. But, if you want new; here is a new option on ebay; all that you’d have to do is flip the freewheel from your wheels onto this set. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Sun-CR18-27-Silver-Road-Bike-Wheelset-Freewheel-126mm-5-6-7-Speed-Freewheel-/271067560057?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f1ce2b879

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Dirt 32785 wrote:

It isn’t only bikes that can be coveted.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shebicycles/8009982383

I covet the mountains I used to live at the foot of… These are just two of the 3 major descents (I didn’t include the climbs of course) on my somewhat regular 56 mile loop. Argh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cptNyXwH7I&feature=g-upl

[thecyclingeconomist]

@mstone 32721 wrote:

It’s not stupid, it’s very practical in this region. You could go down the steps of congress, or the washington monument.

I guess this idea has already been tried: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Will_Robertson_of_the_Washington_Bicycle_Club_riding_an_American_Star_Bicycle_down_the_steps_of_the_United_States_Capitol_in_1885.jpeg/386px-Will_Robertson_of_the_Washington_Bicycle_Club_riding_an_American_Star_Bicycle_down_the_steps_of_the_United_States_Capitol_in_1885.jpeg

[thecyclingeconomist]

Excellent point!

This is the most trek-ready moonlander I’ve seen equipped. Gnarly! http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3ypauw3nT1qdxjrfo1_1280.png

[thecyclingeconomist]

Are you talking about a unicycle handlebar? I’ve seen them on offroad unicycles to help with hopping up terrain, and for comfortability on longer rides.

Did it look like this? http://www.corbinstreehouse.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/img-1892-tm.jpg

[thecyclingeconomist]

@Bilsko 32719 wrote:

Hmm… I’m torn – the Moonlander looks good, but I’m kind of partial to the Neck Romancer: http://surlybikes.com/bikes/neck_romancer_pug

The tires on the moonlander are an OBSCENE 4.7″ wide… mwhahaha… I love that! It’s just stupid… which makes it worth coveting.

[thecyclingeconomist]

Two fun things to covet in a rather “odd” stable of bikes: Why? Because they just are so far outside the norm…
A full suspension offroad ready recumbent:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]1775[/ATTACH]
The Surly Moonlander:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]1776[/ATTACH]

[thecyclingeconomist]

@jabberwocky 32699 wrote:

I dunno, tires that large aren’t even that common on mountainbikes, where tire volume is a huge benefit. Hell, thats what I run on my DH bike, and thats a bike I do 10’+ drops on (granted, those tires are over 3 pounds apiece…)

I totally get that 23mm race tires aren’t always the best tool for commuting duties, and larger tires certainly have advantages, but I don’t think I’d ever run tires that big on a commuter unless I was trying to deliberately make my commute harder than it needed to be. :p

What pedal system do you use/how tall are you? You can test ride mine, and I’ll be you’ll convert…

:p

[thecyclingeconomist]

I definitely get the budget thing… and I guess I should keep that in my head more. I have a bicycle sickness, and have had up to 13 bikes ranging from folders to racing recumbents to commuters to my road bike; all in the garage at one time…

I had to sell 9 just to be able to downsize to 5 between my wife and I before moving here… For a single, do-it-all, I’ve now settled on my frankensteiner-29er. It’s not pretty. But it’s fast, comfortable, and I can technically ride on just about any terrain out there.

This is a picture of the ugliness that is my go-to: [ATTACH=CONFIG]1772[/ATTACH]
When the suspension is loaded, it mimics the geometry of my road bike, and having the TT bars drastically cuts the wind for 80% of my commute…

[thecyclingeconomist]

I owned a chariot sidecar before moving to D.C.

It’s a REALLY cool option to have your child where you can see them/point things out. However, it does make you as wide as a bicyclist and a half. On really heavily utilized bike-paths, I wouldn’t go for it.

Video of the sidecar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrJHyISAjUg&feature=youtu.be

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