Yeah Sydney is a city I generally won't cycle in, cause of the traffic/roads. Sucks though.
There are some really nice routes, my dad regularly goes on the "Fred Hollows route", which was created by the dude himself. But as a way of actually getting around it is not at all fun.
Actually, though now I live in maroubra, cycling to uni would be a lot less of a hassle. It's flat all the way along anzac parade. Might have to give it a go, sometime.
trying to imagine what the rear shocks there would feel like. My new bike has small shocks under the seat and even that feels odd so far
I get the impression that those bikes are meant for something somewhat more turbulent than my daily commute though
Well, the second one is a pro-level downhill bike, just Youtube some Redbull downhill championship races to see what bikes like that are capable of. You could literally jump over your house if you wanted.
trying to imagine what the rear shocks there would feel like. My new bike has small shocks under the seat and even that feels odd so far
I get the impression that those bikes are meant for something somewhat more turbulent than my daily commute though
Well, the second one is a pro-level downhill bike, just Youtube some Redbull downhill championship races to see what bikes like that are capable of. You could literally jump over your house if you wanted.
Pff you don't need things like suspension or sturdy tires to do silly things on bikes. Just ask Martyn Ashton:
Road bikes are incredibly durable if you mind their few weaknesses. You can go almost anywhere! Gravel, dirt, stairs, bunny-hopping up ledges, etc. You just have to have a good feel for how much impact shock you're delivering to the wheels and how to soften the blows. Of course, if you try that stuff with your feathery 16-spoke Cosmic Carbones, you'll probably regret it.
The real problem is mud and fine sand, because, boy howdy, slicks don't get crap for traction there.
WeaverWho are you?What do you want?Registered Userregular
I had an old Raleigh, which got it's frame snapped when a driver ran a red light while I was crossing the intersection. Then I bought a new Raleigh, which was immediately stolen. Then I got an old Peugeot that I ended up having to sell because food. Now I just walk everywhere.
I haven't been able to do as much biking this season as my youngest was born this year and has been eating up all my free time in the evenings.
I do have some rides coming up soon I just hope I'm in good enough shape to finish them respectably. I have a 60 mile ride this weekend and I foolishly signed up for a century the following weekend. I know I'll finish the 60 (I've been doing 50 mile rides every weekend) I'm not so sure about the century.
I have two road bikes (and a mountain bike that's been in storage for years. My old road bike I bought used from a bike shop. One of the workers there had owned it and had the frame painted a cool custom green color. After I had it about 6 years I upgraded to this which I've had for about 2 years
I think thursday I am going to do an 80 mile ride, I am really nervous, but there should be a bike route for most of the way. I want to do the US tour SO SO badly, and this would be like one day on tour. I am pretty pumped (and terrified)
If you ride more than a little bit, and you're not in a hurry, 80 miles shouldn't be a big deal. I did a century a while ago, and I spent a heck of a lot more time training up than I probably needed to, I reckon. (it took me pretty much all day, mind you)
I have accumulated too many bikes over the years, I guess, but I can't face getting rid of any:
Daily commuter when it's nice out, '86 Marinoni Special; when I got it it still had the original tubular wheels, but sheesh, I do not have the energy for that, so I picked up some cheap used deep V's and replaced the broken spokes (which is why they were cheap), and voila.
Daily commuter when it's not so nice out / for riding on trails with knobbies on, '96 Specialized S-Works. On its second set of shifters due to lots of use, third rear derailer due to too many sticks getting caught in the back wheel, on its third rear rim because one wore out and the next one had a spoke rip out, but otherwise it has lasted very well.
Daily commuter when my ride was shorter and didn't have a great big downhill in both directions, still fun for shorter rides; Sekine of unknown year, butchered into a fixed-gear with loctite and a bottom-bracket lock ring because I am too cheap to buy a proper hub, and I still have brakes on it in case of the unexpected.
Daily commuter for shorter rides and when it's really snowy outside, '03 Catamount frame + old bomber z4 + some sort of cheap rear shock off ebay. (currently missing tires, thus the mismatched photo). I originally built it up as a singlespeed, though it's rigged as fixed-gear in that photo -- but fixed-gear on trails really is not any fun (or at least it's more work than I wanted to deal with on downhills / rock gardens) so I went back to singlespeed.
'99 Dyno Slammer, which hangs in the garage making me feel guilty that I never put in enough time to learn whiplashes. (as demonstrated by Kevin Jones here:
Well, I ride one or the other of them every day depending on weather, so on the average I guess they come out to a daily commuter? It's more that I don't have "the bike for training rides" or "the bike for triathlon" or whatever; those ones are all bikes for getting from A to B on. I guess the Catamount is now only for trails; I used to swap wheelsets back and forth on the Specialized when going out to the trails, but I wound up getting lazy and swapping bikes instead, and slogging painfully up hills on the singlespeed.
(strictly speaking, I guess I don't ride every day any more -- I used to ride literally year-round, but now I have a longer ride I can't keep my fingers warm all the way once it gets below -10 or so, so I take the bus sometimes in winter. But when it was a shorter ride and I didn't have kids to pick up to keep me on schedule so much, the Catamount + a few inches of fresh snow in the quieter neighborhoods to get first tracks through -- that was a _lot_ of fun. Heck, I commuted on the Dyno when that was the only one I had, though I don't think my knees would thank me for that nowadays)
I'm really lucky, there is a bike Co Op down the road from my place so I can borrow tools and use their space while I look up videos of how to do the work
I haven't been able to do as much biking this season as my youngest was born this year and has been eating up all my free time in the evenings.
I do have some rides coming up soon I just hope I'm in good enough shape to finish them respectably. I have a 60 mile ride this weekend and I foolishly signed up for a century the following weekend. I know I'll finish the 60 (I've been doing 50 mile rides every weekend) I'm not so sure about the century.
I have two road bikes (and a mountain bike that's been in storage for years. My old road bike I bought used from a bike shop. One of the workers there had owned it and had the frame painted a cool custom green color. After I had it about 6 years I upgraded to this which I've had for about 2 years
I should have spent less time writing posts before I leave for the day and more time looking at the weather... which had turned to rain.
I did have a weird interaction with a driver the other day. I was going downhill and slowing down and approaching a stop sign. A van going across the intersection (which didn't have a stop sign) starts turning but stops half way. The older man driving the van then proceeds to lean out the window and yell at me that there's a stop sign.
I have no idea why he felt the need to block traffic and tell me this though since I was already aware of it and slowing down.
I used to ride a bike all the time until I got my license. I should probably ride a bike again, tbh. But that would also entail getting a new bike.
Also, I work in Menlo Park/Palo Alto, which has pretty generous bike lanes, and I still get people riding on the sidewalk. On the wrong side of the sidewalk, even.
I love biking--it was my primary mode of transport when I was in school, but now that I work full time I don't bike as often. In fact, I've gotten really out of shape. And since my apartment seems to be at the top of a hill, well, it's become a bit of a self-reinforcing problem. I really need to get on fixing that.
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UnbrokenEvaHIGH ON THE WIREBUT I WON'T TRIP ITRegistered Userregular
I love biking--it was my primary mode of transport when I was in school, but now that I work full time I don't bike as often. In fact, I've gotten really out of shape. And since my apartment seems to be at the top of a hill, well, it's become a bit of a self-reinforcing problem. I really need to get on fixing that.
better your apartment at the top of the hill than the bottom, I'd rather get sweaty and gross on the way home.
I love biking--it was my primary mode of transport when I was in school, but now that I work full time I don't bike as often. In fact, I've gotten really out of shape. And since my apartment seems to be at the top of a hill, well, it's become a bit of a self-reinforcing problem. I really need to get on fixing that.
better your apartment at the top of the hill than the bottom, I'd rather get sweaty and gross on the way home.
Yeah, in the long run it's fine, but in the short run, I'm too weak to get back home after I go out. First time I tried, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
Problem with biking: I have over booked myself this evening and I could totally alleviate some obligations if I had my car to go do some errands while I'm on lunch break.
Pro with biking: My butt and legs already feel great from a couple of commutes.
Posts
There are some really nice routes, my dad regularly goes on the "Fred Hollows route", which was created by the dude himself. But as a way of actually getting around it is not at all fun.
Actually, though now I live in maroubra, cycling to uni would be a lot less of a hassle. It's flat all the way along anzac parade. Might have to give it a go, sometime.
Might be just as awful, but worth a shot.
Steam // Secret Satan
Just bought this! Hope to get out this coming weekend.
Bus drivers, taxi drivers and garbage truck drivers are monsters tho.
Here's mine. It's easily the best thing I've ever bought. It helps that the Twin Cities are a great place to be a cyclist.
It is also nearly 9 years old and as heavy as an Sherman tank, so if any of you could pretty please be a dear and just pop one of these under my bed:
I'll be eternally grateful!
that's a sexy bike
I get the impression that those bikes are meant for something somewhat more turbulent than my daily commute though
Well, the second one is a pro-level downhill bike, just Youtube some Redbull downhill championship races to see what bikes like that are capable of. You could literally jump over your house if you wanted.
It's green! Also I don't have to spend any time oiling a chain.
It's super quiet too which is nice, but it does startle some people when you come up behind them without any noise.
It's the landing that makes the difference.
Satans..... hints.....
Satans..... hints.....
I've been a year round rider for I think three years, and that means I can drink beer and eat cake, which is a pretty good deal
Pff you don't need things like suspension or sturdy tires to do silly things on bikes. Just ask Martyn Ashton:
(Edit: please nobody actually do those things)
Road bikes are incredibly durable if you mind their few weaknesses. You can go almost anywhere! Gravel, dirt, stairs, bunny-hopping up ledges, etc. You just have to have a good feel for how much impact shock you're delivering to the wheels and how to soften the blows. Of course, if you try that stuff with your feathery 16-spoke Cosmic Carbones, you'll probably regret it.
The real problem is mud and fine sand, because, boy howdy, slicks don't get crap for traction there.
I haven't been able to do as much biking this season as my youngest was born this year and has been eating up all my free time in the evenings.
I do have some rides coming up soon I just hope I'm in good enough shape to finish them respectably. I have a 60 mile ride this weekend and I foolishly signed up for a century the following weekend. I know I'll finish the 60 (I've been doing 50 mile rides every weekend) I'm not so sure about the century.
I have two road bikes (and a mountain bike that's been in storage for years. My old road bike I bought used from a bike shop. One of the workers there had owned it and had the frame painted a cool custom green color. After I had it about 6 years I upgraded to this which I've had for about 2 years
Daily commuter when it's nice out, '86 Marinoni Special; when I got it it still had the original tubular wheels, but sheesh, I do not have the energy for that, so I picked up some cheap used deep V's and replaced the broken spokes (which is why they were cheap), and voila.
Daily commuter when it's not so nice out / for riding on trails with knobbies on, '96 Specialized S-Works. On its second set of shifters due to lots of use, third rear derailer due to too many sticks getting caught in the back wheel, on its third rear rim because one wore out and the next one had a spoke rip out, but otherwise it has lasted very well.
Daily commuter when my ride was shorter and didn't have a great big downhill in both directions, still fun for shorter rides; Sekine of unknown year, butchered into a fixed-gear with loctite and a bottom-bracket lock ring because I am too cheap to buy a proper hub, and I still have brakes on it in case of the unexpected.
Daily commuter for shorter rides and when it's really snowy outside, '03 Catamount frame + old bomber z4 + some sort of cheap rear shock off ebay. (currently missing tires, thus the mismatched photo). I originally built it up as a singlespeed, though it's rigged as fixed-gear in that photo -- but fixed-gear on trails really is not any fun (or at least it's more work than I wanted to deal with on downhills / rock gardens) so I went back to singlespeed.
'99 Dyno Slammer, which hangs in the garage making me feel guilty that I never put in enough time to learn whiplashes. (as demonstrated by Kevin Jones here:
Satans..... hints.....
(strictly speaking, I guess I don't ride every day any more -- I used to ride literally year-round, but now I have a longer ride I can't keep my fingers warm all the way once it gets below -10 or so, so I take the bus sometimes in winter. But when it was a shorter ride and I didn't have kids to pick up to keep me on schedule so much, the Catamount + a few inches of fresh snow in the quieter neighborhoods to get first tracks through -- that was a _lot_ of fun. Heck, I commuted on the Dyno when that was the only one I had, though I don't think my knees would thank me for that nowadays)
And I hate bruised bananas.
hey
wrap yer banana
I should have spent less time writing posts before I leave for the day and more time looking at the weather... which had turned to rain.
I did have a weird interaction with a driver the other day. I was going downhill and slowing down and approaching a stop sign. A van going across the intersection (which didn't have a stop sign) starts turning but stops half way. The older man driving the van then proceeds to lean out the window and yell at me that there's a stop sign.
I have no idea why he felt the need to block traffic and tell me this though since I was already aware of it and slowing down.
Drivers are just constantly stupid around bikes.
I bury in my bundle of work clothes and it's still bruised.
my banana is just too soft.
You need a banana bunker!
http://bananabunker.com/products.html
At the end of the durability video he opens the banana the wrong way
clearly this company knows nothing about bananas.
Also, I work in Menlo Park/Palo Alto, which has pretty generous bike lanes, and I still get people riding on the sidewalk. On the wrong side of the sidewalk, even.
better your apartment at the top of the hill than the bottom, I'd rather get sweaty and gross on the way home.
Yeah, in the long run it's fine, but in the short run, I'm too weak to get back home after I go out. First time I tried, I thought I was going to have a heart attack.
Pro with biking: My butt and legs already feel great from a couple of commutes.
pics or they don't exist