Nah, it was pretty quiet up my way.

NEW BIKE! Cool. What'd you go with?

Well, I haven't actually bought it yet. But I am nearing a decision (counting the days to a decision, I guess).

Buying an '03 Litespeed Tuscany frame, and building hopefully with Dura-Ace 10 (if I can get a good price); otherwise I'll probably buy an Ultegra 9 custom kit from COlorado Cyclist.

Their custom build kits are great, great deals - full component group, Ritchey handlebars, decent Douglas saddle/seatpost. The real seller, I'm sure, are the Velomax Ascent wheels. Never ridden them, but I've heard positive things.

The System
 

Very sexy bike.

So I tested out the system the last two days. It is about 1.5 hours in the saddle to work. I don't have time to ride 3 hours on any given day so Thursday I drove to work with the Trek on the roof. I rode home from work leaving the car in the lot. It was a sunny warm ride with a nice swath of new pavement on Powderhouse road. Powderhouse is one of the few smooth ascent/ decents around without any really steep sections. You can really mash the pedals along there. That is followed by a substantial climb up West Hill road. Then this morning I rode in in the fog and actually had the driver of a van pull up next to me to say my dayglo green jacket was all that. He went on and on about how well he could see it. Very Cool. Its nice to have a pleasant interaction with the car set. I got to work and accepted accolades far beyond the scope of the accomplishment but what the heck. Anyway it worked like a charm. I got to work in a really good mood and carried it through the day. :)

Shindagan Hollow
 

I rolled out early to meet the guys and ride Shindagan Hollow State Forest up near Ithaca (ten square miles surrounded by reality), NY. Fantastic ride if you've got the time to get up there. Miles and miles of single track and jeep trails.

Some of the local youts have put together something they call Area 51. It's basically a whole bunch of playground equipment for mtn bikers. Elevated ramps, jumps, teeter totters, log barriers and other stuff designed to break things. Brian and I had to hold our guts laughing at our bud Sam as he failed miserably on several obstacles we were too um sensible, thats it, sensible to attempt. I watched Sam load and attempted to unload his front wheel to hit a ramp properly except that when he loaded the wheel (put weight on it) he basically stuck it in the ground. His rear wheel came almost 2 feet off the ground and he was pedalling like a cartoon when he biffed, freaking hilarious.

The real joy was in the single-track though. I'm finally in decent shape and was able to hammer the full time we were there. Usually you get tired and you start making foolish mistakes which cost blood and treasure but today everthing was clicking perfectly.

Couldn't have asked for better weather, today? Freakin' beautiful here in NYC ... I got out for 60 miles, which felt fantastic because I haven't done that much mileage since mid-summer. Up to the GW bridge, over to Jersey and up 9W (Palisades Pkwy) to the NY border. Now there are always 5,000 cyclists on the route, and if I'm riding solo I usually link up with a group within the first 10 miles or so. But as many riders as I saw going the opposite direction, I never caught a single rider on my side of the road (except for one older lady). That really sucked too, because it was pretty windy at one point. Oh well.

I almost spilled going from grooved to fresh pavement on Riverside Dr. A car came flying up my left side and squeezed me into a nasty rut. Not fun.

But I felt awesome after the ride, despite having a raging hangover. Then I wandered over to Central Park and parked it on the great lawn, and saw quite a few hotties sunbathing in bikinis. Gotta love that ghetto urban lifestyle. :)

I do some biking myself. Actually I only really started this year an did about 500km during the summer. I'm more the swimmer and runner, but i'd like to do some triathlon.
So last week I did my first race : 106km. I never did as much. And the first 80km were very pretty, because there was a lot of plain riding in group and you just do incredible speed (roughly 2h45 for 80km). The last 2 were very hard, I got real problems and had to stop for 1/2 hour, due to cramps. I pushed my bycicle for 5km uphill. I couldn't ride. So I finished after 4:46. It's okay with me. This race is very popular in Luxembourg, named after our best racer ever : http://www.lacharlygaul.lu/ (sorry only in french or german) I did B-Race with 106km and 1100m heigh differences. Very nice and not so easy.
I own a Trek 1500, bought it for about 1500€. But I'm not very happy, I had to change some pieces and also the chain (too short). I think I also have to change the handlebars...

:thumb: Well, I bought a Burley Encore last night, and took the munchkin on her first ride. I was so excited I didn't even care it was sprinkling. She loved it!! After the first big hill, all I heard was: more! more! MORE!!! Now I can ride whenever I want, so long as I bring Blankie and plenty of fruit snacks! Go me!

Very Cool. Make sure you put a really obnoxious flag on there so you're seen by the gas burners. We had one (burley cart) when our youts were little, its good fun if they are entertained or asleep. :D

Whenever I am walking on certain trails, it makes me wonder how many kids are growing up looking at their dad's ass.

or mom's :D

friday did 9 mi, sat, 10mi with kid in tow. it was great. she had her baggie of cereal, sippy cup, a book, Blankie, and Puppy and still plenty of room for her. On sat's ride i stopped at a park and let her play off some steam. while we were there a couple of boys put up a chair with a sign by the side of the road that said basically "wanna go with us to homecoming?" lots of people honked, and i might have offered to go if i thought i could still fit into an old formal dress. went for a run Sun instead since my tush was too sore. trees along the trail were really pretty now that they are changing. sorry, no pics. i'll have to talk my hubby into bringing his work camera home some night so i can get one of my rig. hope the weekend was as great for all of you!

You are so lucky! My own children hated the bike trailer and after the maiden voyage could never be coaxed into it again. I'm still bitter about it too....

Duct tape Jinx, remember the duct tape. ;)

Fall Rides
 

I broke out the wool yesterday. A little rain, very little sleet, wind gusts, and police patrols... all in all a perfect day for a ride. The rain/sleet in my eyes kept me from my normal 45-50mph descent through a 30mph zone, which was fortunate since SP Officer Bacon was on the scene. I had a tough head wind coming down powdwerhouse which forced me to pedal harder and I had a tail wind going up Powderhouse which gave me life causing me to pedal harder. By the time I finished my 3 hour cruise my thighs were completely burned, perfect. I'm gonna search the net for cold weather gear cuz that friggin rocked. g

Watched my buddy trash his old GT frame on a ramp today, ugly ugly wipe. He was coming down off it and stuck his front wheel something had to give, at least it wasn't his neck. GTs old frames were practically bullet proof but enough hits over enough years and it had to crumple. Met a couple guys with a map of Shindagin, turns out there is a 15 mile loop we hadn't found yet... must keep riding.

Sat was REALLY windy but almost 70F here, so I took out LO (little one) for about 2.5 hrs. We went to the library and got some books and videos about real animals (why must there be so many cartoons????); stopped at FAREWAY and got groceries to make monster cookies (where I left my wallet to be retrieved this morning. lucky girl); then stopped at a park and went down the slide 50 million times. After all of that, when we got home, she refused to get out of her Burley. So, she sat in it another 20 min while I put stuff away and got lunch ready. Definately $$ well spent. Was a great morning. My tush gives me no troubles anymore, so that makes it a lot more pleasant. (original seat) Was thinking about getting an indoor trainer to keep up what progress I've made over the winter, anyone have any experience with these? Waste of money? Worth their weight in gold? Hoping to do another triathalon before I get knocked up and have to be off again for another 2 years.

I just got a new mag one that should be a lot quieter than my old fan one. They are not much fun since you don't have fresh air and such but if you can convince yourself to use it during tv time that can help. I use mine while watching football. I prefer to cc ski in the winter but you need snow to go with the cold. You can get some really expensive high techy trainers that allow you to hook up with your pc and do interval training under race type conditions, cool.

I'm getting this one:

http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/...te18_Red_l.jpg

Snazzy lil machine! Set yah back a couple bucks?

I just snuck a mtn bike ride in before the sun fell with a clunk. Cold, wet, too much gunfire... close enough to perfect for me. :)

I have read that the mag ones are better due to increased resistance as you increase speed, vs fan ones where this is not the case. what is your opinion of this? why did you get the new one? was it cooled vs. not? the dude i talked to this weekend at Scheels basically told me that if i don't get a cooled mag one, it would get so hot it would burn up the magnets (and be a potential hazard if my little one touched it) However I know they work on commision, and the cooled one was $100 more... I'm not exactly greg lemond, so I doubt i'd burn anything up. My husband has agreed to donate 1/2 of the price of one for my Christmas present, so now I just need to decide what would be best for me. Although the PC hookup would rock, (seen 'em) in reality I doubt that I'd be spending enough time on the bike to warrant spending that much $$. I am just looking for something to help me keep in shape. I LOVE to CC ski, but the last few winters have been pretty sparse in the good snow dept. Sad, because there are some really pretty trails and golf courses around here to use if I could.

The mag trainers get very hot after about 15 minutes, but you're not going to burn up anything (at least not in the short term). It will get extremely hot to the touch though - I have a burn on my arm from accidentally touching the roller too soon after a workout about two weeks ago.

The other option is fluid trainers, which seem to work pretty well. My oldest brother has one - pretty cool gizmo. Has a mountable lever to change the level of resistance on the fly. I actually don't have a cadence sensor - I'm considering one of the new Cat Eyes with the full readout functions.

I broke my seatpost mtn bike riding Sunday morning. I had to do about 40 minutes of single-track standing on the pedals. Wow talk about shakey legs man I had them when I got back. I blame Geor...

how in the world does one break a seat post?? GWB aside :)

Buns of Steel. :)

There must have been some metal fatigue. The post had about a decade of torque and crashes going for it and was pretty light weight. I was getting up to mash a climb when it snapped, weirdest thing. My weight was against it since I fell over the back of the bike and bruised the back of my left thigh and knee on the exposed seat tube.

You are very lucky to have only bruised yourself a bit.

But you are already in the gene pool.

It was a much closer thing than I wish to consider. Like you said though the youts are already out there preparing their snares, looking to carry my mediocrity forward. Anyway I picked up a new seatpost after work and was treated to a seatpost horror story by the mechanic. It involved a significant amount of blood loss. Looking at the forecast I'm not sure much riding is gonna happen this weekend but I have the trainer and 3 hours of Duce grinding up the NY Jetjetjets to look forward to.

after some research, I figure i'll probably get a (cooled?) mag trainer. reviews of the fluid ones had way too many people complaining of leaks for my liking. the one that i am leaning towards is a Minoura Hyper Mag, based on reviews on the web. griff, what did you purchase, why, and did you try others? thanks for your time :) haven't gone to the stores yet and actually tried any...

I picked up an Ascent trainer. I got a closeout deal on it from Nashbar. I didn't really check them out that closely but this one looks to be well made. I'm sure the Minoura will be fine. The one I got is much nicer than my old fan model, the bearings are nice and smooth, its quiet so I can read while I spin, and it looks to be well built. Does your trainer come with a block for your front wheel? If not you'll need a block of wood or something to keep your weight back.

I have one of these: http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=4122

I have used a wood block in the past, but I like this gadget because it cradles the front wheel and feels a lot more stable. Has three levels of incline for whatever reason. On sale too! Only $13.

Went to the store yesterday and looked at the new Trek Madone line-up. Great machines. I'd like the SSL model (what Lance's teammates ride; he's on a newer model, the ponte verde or something), but the 5.9 is probably the most I could afford. Maybe a 5.2SL. Must give them a test ride though.

Here's my pride-n-joy in her fancy ride...

Tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo CUTE!

Woo Hoo! Just bought this yesterday, can't wait to get my bike on it. Now I just need to convince my husband to let me put it in front of the TV...

PS thanks Griff, she is as sweet as she is cute. (must have been switched at the hospital)

Despite my riding outside Sunday morning the trainer is doing good work. I just finished another book, while spinning, thats been hanging around here. Winter starts tonight though, hopefully we'll need a XC skiing thread.

from Weather Underground
Forecast for Susquehanna County
Updated: 3:30 PM EST on January 4, 2005
Winter Weather Advisory late tonight through midday Thursday...
Tonight
Cloudy...rain...snow and sleet likely after midnight. Little or no snow accumulation. Lows in the mid 20s. Light and variable winds. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
Wednesday
Cloudy with snow likely. Snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches. Highs around 30. North winds around 10 mph in the morning...becoming light and variable. Chance of snow 70 percent.
Wednesday Night
Snow with a chance of sleet in the evening. Freezing rain and sleet after midnight. Total snow accumulation of 4 to 8 inches. Lows in the lower 20s. North winds around 10 mph in the evening...becoming light and variable.
Thursday
Cloudy. Rain likely through the day. Freezing rain and sleet likely in the morning. Highs in the mid 30s. Southeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.

I used my trainer last week for the first time, for 20 min. Wow, I was surprised how much I sweated, at least as much if not more than when I run that long. I thought those little T-shaped sweat catchers were kind of silly, but I see now why they were invented. Since I was warned about the magnetic ones getting so hot as to burn skin, I was curious. After I got done, I felt the magnets, and they were just barely warm. I guess I wasn't going fast enough long enough to really heat up the unit. Probably won't either :) All in all I am VERY excited about the setup, and glad I made the purchase. Sometime I'll get a shot of our little home gym area, the treadmill, bike, exercise ball and free weights. Not bad at all for a non-contender...

Next thing you know you'll be trolling for sponsors for your world record attempt. :biggrin:

Indisputably the world's best cyclist, Armstrong, the six-time winner of the Tour de France, has been hinting broadly that he might take a year hiatus from the event he has dominated since 1999. He has also speculated that his next goal may be a sporting challenge virtually unknown in the United States until now.

For the rest of the world, however, the Hour Record, as it is known, holds as much magnetism as ascending Mount Everest. The object is for a solo rider to ride as far as possible in 60 minutes on a banked velodrome.

:rollanim: :vomit:

I'm still spinning and I have a new motivator :) arriving by Fed Ex next week. :thumbsup:

I am racking my brain about what this might be...guess I'll have to wait till you tell us.
I just read "RAGBRAI Everbody pronounces it wrong" written by one of the two original men who came up with it, and it was a great read. They were just average joes (like those of us here) who decided what the hell, lets ride across the state. Very fun read. I liked it a lot better than the other one I just finished, Cycling for health, fitness, and well-being by James McCullagh. He is a great cyclist I am sure, but his book was a little to full of himself for my liking. I really didn't learn a whole lot reading it either. Anyone got any suggestions?

Besides Armstrongs "Its not about the bike." I really liked "The Immortal Class: Bike Messengers and the Cult of Human Power" by Hugh Culley. Neither book has anything instructional to say about cycling but they both open up different worlds.

New motivator!

http://www.khsbicycles.com/SOFTTA%7e1.jpg

Here's the story. I've been hunting for a new XC machine on and off since last fall. I worked in a bike shop during my undergrad years so I know the sales game and I kinda know bikes. Since I worked in a shop, I have had a bias towards using bike shops rather than the internet for bike purchaces. Unfortunately, when I went into my local shop looking for a new ride the sales guy tried to sell me what they had in stock not what they could get. The bike he was pushing was a middle of the line Trek that was set up not for XC but rather for nothing in particular. The riding position was too upright, the top tube was too short and too high, and the components were crap. Having broken my confidence in their shop, I started poking around on the net and found a lot of quality machines for much less money. The bike I got is a last years model KHS Comp ST, which I got for about $200 dollars less than the Trek. Way more bike for way less money. The on-line guys built the bike, set it up, took it partially apart for shipping, and sent it to me no tax or shipping charges. As far as service goes, most XC riders do their own maintenance anyway because its part of the fun and isn't exactly rocket surgery. So now I'm one of those evil on-line purchasers who is killing the old bike selling paramacallit.

Sweet new ride G !!!!

Thanks man. I finally got to the point in the last couple years where my old bikes capabilities were holding me back. I was getting dropped on downhills and dropping folks on flats and ups so now I have a ride that can descend at speed... I'm definitely breaking a collar bone this summer. :biggrin:

Nothing perks one up like something NEW to play with, fun! That shop is helping to put itself out of business by not providing the customer the service they deserve. Don't feel guilty about being intellegent and picky! Congrats on the savvy purchase, and here's hoping none of your injuries are too serious :)

Some of my trail is still snow covered but I still got a nice ride in today after noodling around with the youts on their machines for an hour or so. The compliance of the rear suspension suprised me and it was a little noisier than I anticipated. I think the rear suspension gave me more traction on steep climbs and I know the front gave me more control on twisty downhill single-track. :love: I can't wait to get out again!

color me green with envy...I was at the dentist this morning :D

it's official
 

Lance is done after this year's Tour de France. Let's cheer him on as he goes after No. 7.

Win or lose he's had an awesome run. :beer:

Bent the derailler hanger on my new ride in my first ride with the mtn bike crew Sunday. I bent it back nice and easy by using my Alien Tool as a lever leaving the allen wrench in the derailler bolt. We kept riding but now I've got that weakened hanger in the back of my head.

Bike rookie here. Son of V has recently graduated to two wheels only, on purpose and in control! Now I have a new riding buddy! Promise to post in "my kid doing something cool" soon.

Anyway, I want a bike to ride with along with him, and I know very little about bikes. I would like some input from knowledgable veterans like y'all.

Some particulars that may help narrow the focus. I'm 6'4", 250#, and I don't intend to race the bike, or make cross country trips with it. I would like to be able to follow my son wherever he may ride on his little dirt bike (Giant 145?). Off pavement travel is highly likely, so those reeeeeeeally skinny tires don't seem appealing. I would like to have something that I could ride to work, 10 miles each way, urban traffic/bike lanes, some hills (Seattle). Oh, and I'm cheap. I will definitely be looking for a used bike, but I don't know this from that to look for.

We're involved in scouting and on many trips, the bikes come along camping with us. I'd like something that I can participate with.

What buzzwords features traps luxuries warnings makes models styles sizes accessories etc should I be aware of? Plus all the stuff I left out?

Thanks very much in advance.

You may want to get an inexpensive mtn bike and swap the stem out for one that gives you a more upright riding position. You can put smoother tires on it for riding to work. I prefer not to be so upright but most folks who haven't ridden in years are more comfortable that way. Its hard to give someone advice other than try a few different bikes and see what you like. Make sure you have fun with it whatever you decide. Good Luck!

Yeah, okay to go inexpensive, but I would go after a sturdier brand (most stores these days mostly carry Trek, Giant, Raleigh anyway). Basic Treks and some basic Giants are very good. Go for steel, or aluminum if you find something you like, but steel will be much more comfortable riding off-road.

You shouldn't have to pay more than $200-300 all said and done. Switching tires is no problem - ask the store what they might be willing to put on there for you. Anything in between racing slicks and hard, knobby tires will do just fine. It mostly depends on how much road riding you think you'll be doing.

Oh, it's also very, very hard to ride a bike with front suspension on asphalt and at a leisurely pace, so you might want to avoid that.

Thanks for the responses, I really appreciate them.

Your remark left me puzzled--how in the world could the difference in frame material steel v aluminum be translated into a different feeling ride? I understand they're different, density weight elasiticity--but so much so that the ride is different? And how would the ride be different? Maybe it's something I could understand better if I had more comparative experiences... hard for the beginner to sort out from all the other variables, though, like tires, inflation, terrain, seat, suspension, speed, etc. Not tryin to be a smartass, but I am trying to learn.

Thanks.

also, from your post, you talk about trek and giant.. Are you implying that these are the sturdier brands? I was riding on my older son's mtn bike (don't remember the model) and as I was standing on the pedals on an uphill stretch I cranked down with my leg and bent the pedal shaft where it connects to the crank! So, now the pedal is no longer parallel to the ground..That was a problem. Sturdy is good.

Frame material makes a huge difference in the type of ride. It's very obvious when riding a road bike at aggressive speeds; honestly, though, I don't have a tremendous amount of experience with different mountain bike frames. Last time I rode serious terrain, I never sat down long enough to get a good feel - too bumpy to notice, anyway.

But you have the right idea. Different materials have different characteristics, and it also dictates how the frame is put together at the joints. If you ride a lot, you'll be able to tell the difference especially when cornering, powering up a hill, taking a fast descent, etc.

Trek is a good brand. Giant is also good, but some of their equipment is so-so. What you busted on your son's bike was the bottom bracket. It happens - why you should pay up a little bit to get better components.

Morning Ride
 

Nice ride to work this morning. Yah it was 31 degrees F but what the heck, what does anyone really need ear lobes for?

I saw Bikes but alas it is the pedal variety. Aw well.

Nice drive to work this morning. Yah it was 31 degrees C but what the heck. What does anyone really need A/C for anyway.

I like the sign off in the thread starter "More later g" I might adopt that.

More g later.

I got stranded today 2 miles from home, 30 minutes from an appointment. I had gotten a flat tire and had to walk, so I figured I'd drop it off at a bike shop. These people charge you up th nose...almost 70 dollars just to get my brakes fixed as well as a new tire since this one was OLD. And I'm getting my bearings adjusted. Labor was almost 40 dollars. What a rip. But...I didn't have a choice and since I was there...

Then K carry a spare tube , tire tools ,a patch kit, a pump, and some knolage with you , or quit byotching about haveing work done !!!!!

LCanal, I think Big V started a motocycle thread a while back I remember seeing an old Vincent...

You do need to be practiced and prepared, of course I carried nothing repair related yesterday...

Wow, I just had a showdown with a Ford Explorer and one of those new boxy Mercedes SUVs. Went for a 50-miler this morning (across GW bridge to NJ). I was cruising home on my street (two lanes each way), riding on the right-most edge of the far right lane, when this damn Explorer comes flying down the street in the left lane and cuts right in front of me, missing me by about 1.5-2 feet. I shout, but my voice is muffled by the rumble of the Mercedes, which then did the SAME EXACT thing (apparently in pursuit of the Explorer).

The trucks are side by side at the red light ahead, so I wheel in front of both of them and flick 'em off. The light turns green, I drop into my highest gear, take off sprinting down the street. Only problem is there is a beer delivery truck blocking the far right lane. I'm pulling about 30-31 mph at this point, and I hear the Explorer accelerating in the left lane (Mercedes is behind me) as we're approaching the truck. I cut into the left lane to avoid the truck, but a bus is coming in the opposite direction and the space between the bus and this big ass beer truck is too tight for the Explorer. The asshole driving the Explorer slams on his brakes, and the Mercedes, which was trying to jump behind the Explorer, almost crashes into him. Let's not forget the dozen or so cars that were behind those guys. And then, like a sign from the heavens, in front of the beer truck was an NYPD traffic cop, who signals for the Explorer to pull over. I didn't stick around to make myself the scapegoat.

I know, I know, *I* am such an asshole. :)