Bikes!

[breakingnews]

That's ironic griff, cuz right now I have an old model of that specialized saddle on my Lemond. I do have a fancy san marco racing saddle, but I swapped it out with the specialized one because its rails are a tad longer and the positioning felt better. I also don't really have a need to use it right now .. figured I would save my ass as much as possible until component weight becomes an issue.

I recently read somewhere that those wide granny saddles are actually worse for you, because it's not natural for the body's positioning (think how your ass gets really sore from sitting on a bench or a flat chair for a while). The narrow racing-style saddles actually support all that needs to be supported - and puts less strain on your ass muscles because of the greater range of motion.

If your tail hurts, get a good pair of cycling shorts with nice modular padding. Performance's elite series is on sale for about $40 and for me has a great fit in the crotch region, though I'm not very particular about what I wear to ride.

[breakingnews]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

Yeah! Hard tail steel frame all the way! They last forever. My old Trek 820 has seen better days, but it continues rolling quite well. Getting it up the steps at the end of a ride is the hardest part.

Hey, I had one of those too! Great fuckin bikes ... Antelope series, I believe. Incredible uphill ride, excellent acceleration, but those came out in the early days of rock shox - which would have helped me tremendously. My fork really took a beating and I think is now busted, but I retired it rather than taking it to the shop. Bought a Giant afterward, but don't ride it much since I got into road cycling.


Anyone want to share their highest milage? I've ridden the Suncoast Parkway two times in recent years -- 55 miles, total. I'm never in shape for it, either. I collapse and hurt for a good three days afterwards and I'm never sure if it was really worth it. I have no idea how people can ride century rides.

I've gone about 90-95 miles, just shy of the full century. Griff's right - once you hit the 40/50-mile barrier, pretty much any distance after that can be handled very easily (with proper training of course).


So, here's my question to those of you that own $1000+ bikes: does it really help? I know actually getting in shape is the best option, but do the lighter bikes make a huge difference? If someone can crank out 10 miles on a normal bike, will they be able to do many more on a racing bike?

Of course it's mostly the kind of thing where if you understand the technical stuff, you'll mentally feel better about your riding. :P

The most notable difference though is frame material - higher priced bikes are just so incredibly well engineered. It's particularly important for carbon, and slightly so for titanium. For example, the Trek 5900 is made with OCLV 110 carbon, which is extremely light yet very sturdy. You could be riding on a 6 percent uphill grade, give one heavy pedal stroke and the bike will literally take off from underneath you (frame stiffness factors into how responsive the bike will be to your pedaling). Aluminum, on the other hand, won't have this kind of zip, but ppl say it handles cornering well and has a very soft overall ride.

Titanium is not as light as carbon, but stronger, which is important when you are exerting a lot of stress on the bike, such as fast downhill corners/turns/sweeping bends. And when climbing hills out of the saddle ("jogging" on the bike, as Mr. Armstrong calls it), stronger materials won't sag. That's something I didn't notice until i tried my other brother's aluminum Cannondale R1000, which felt kinda flimsy when I was out of the saddle and cranking hard on the hill in Central Park. I weigh more than he does though, which is why it probably works better for him.

Then there comes the components. If you can afford nicer stuff, great. Otherwise making sure all the parts fits YOU is the most important thing. If you find a bike doesn't fit well, ask about changing some of the parts - longer/shorter pedal cranks, obtuse or longer stem (part that holds the handlebars), different styles of handlebars, different saddles, different seatposts, taller/shorter headsets. Buying expensive components won't necessarily mean that they fit - unless you ride for U.S. Postal (soon to be Discovery Channel) and Shimano *custom* makes parts specifically for you.

This is all highly technical stuff that I hardly think about. Some of it didn't even become apparent until watching the technical spots on the Lance Chronicles. Bottom line is a more expensive ride will get you better handling, better feeling, stronger acceleration, but it takes a while before any of that makes a difference.

[Griff]

Tyler Hamilton won the Olympic time trial yesterday and Bobby Julich took third. The US is turning into an absolute force in cycling. Anybody watch Paolo Bettini using Sergio Paulinho to take the Gold in the mens road race? Pretty interesting strategy conflict between the two of them.

As far as saddles hurting, there really is a break-in period for both the saddle and your butt. Thats one of the things I've been worried about going into Saturdays ride, my butt isn't in the condition it should be because of lack of training. It's tough for shop owners because by the time you really know a saddle isn't going to work for you, it's used merchandise. Pete bought a Terry saddle that never really worked for her but then picked up an inexpensive Nashbar saddle that really is comfortable. Terry is a pretty cool company, it is run by women for women. They were still new in the business way back when I was a shop guy. They are all about lady cyclists getting the right equipment, bikes, saddles, and clothing.

My father-in-law switched to a recumbent after his back surgery as well. He claims that hills are not a problem but I haven't seen him on any. He really likes the bike though and it brought his leg around after it had atrophied pretty badly.

[Kitsune]

Damn you guys! After reading this thread, yesterday, I couldn't resist: I pulled the bike out, cleaned it up, and braved the roads and traffic. I only did seven miles, but it still felt great!

The bike had a little bit of "sand squeek" in the chain, which I managed to clean out with a bit of oil and a brush. While it still looks good, I think it might need replacing at some point in the near future. The brakes also feel a bit loose. Do you guys take your bikes into a shop to get them "tuned up" or do you do it all yourself? How often do you replace parts and what do you replace? Rather sadly, I always wait until something actually breaks before I replace it and since I started doing trips over twenty miles, I realize that isn't the best plan, anymore. Walking home that far with a broken bicycle really ruins a day.

Somethings, I guess, can't be fixed on the road. My friend lost a pedal while we were out on a long ride, once, and the crappy little toolkits we all carried didn't have what we needed to reattach it. Note: a leatherman tool is a really good thing to have on a ride.

[breakingnews]

Little spurt of ethusiasm, eh Kit? I'm hoping to get out for a bit tonight, but the forecast is for more rain here in NYC. I really should drag a camera along the next time I do a ride through central NJ - some really beautiful scenary up in the "mountains" of Princeton.

I take my bike in sometimes once a year for a major cleaning. Not always necessary, but a good preventative measure. Plus once your bike is disassembled, shop will sometimes find damage you wouldn't otherwise notice. Otherwise I maintain everything myself, which is actually pretty easy, but should only be done after some experience with tune-ups.

Bike should always be inspected before/after every ride (often can give a quick glance, and you'll learn to notice something quirky right away after you start pedaling). Check brakes, derailleurs, cables, and make sure your quick-release wheels are properly seated. My rear wheel popped out last summer when I hit a pothole - not only did I mangle my wheel (wobble wobble), I came to a dead stop in the middle of a busy intersection and nearly tumbled.

Always ALWAYS take a bike to a shop to be checked out after crashing or taking a severe beating. Many offer a "crash check-up" - the shop near me in NJ does it for $30-35.

[Kitsune]

I'm hoping to get out for a bit tonight, but the forecast is for more rain here in NYC. I really should drag a camera along the next time I do a ride through central NJ - some really beautiful scenary up in the "mountains" of Princeton.

This is why my bike has sat on the deck and needed serious cleaning: we've had rain in Florida every afternoon now for two months! And while rain makes riding difficult on the roads, it has aboslutely killed what I love to do, which is ride the bike paths in the parks which are all closed due to flooding -- nearly all of them are currently underwater, so they've locked the gates and I've been forced to hit the streets. The problem is that I'm very nervous in traffic, perhaps because I'm not so used to navigating it yet and wet roads compound the danger. It didn't take me long to see why many people dish out good money for disc bakes! That, and the rain streak up the back is always ugly. Note to self: fenders wouldn't hurt.

God, I hate riding in traffic. I've never felt so close to death so many times in so few miles.

So I've taken to riding my bike around campus, which has lighter traffic in the evenings that permits lots of bicyclists and rollerbladers. And I should take my camera, too, for the, uh, "scenery". Its the only thing that breaks up the monotony of riding around in circles on the streets.

[breakingnews]

Originally Posted by Griff

Tyler Hamilton won the Olympic time trial yesterday and Bobby Julich took third. The US is turning into an absolute force in cycling. Anybody watch Paolo Bettini using Sergio Paulinho to take the Gold in the mens road race? Pretty interesting strategy conflict between the two of them.

Yeah for Americans! Great rides, great performances in both men's and women's. I wish we had done a little better in the road race - the entire U.S. men's squad was written off right from the start, but I suppose when you line them up with Europe's elites, they're really not huge threats.

The time trial looked to be a solid course. I expected more from Ullrich, but I suppose you have your up and down days. Julich really turned it on, even with the broken wrist, which now is casted.

Something interesting was Julich's <A HREF="http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/6807.0.html">chain rings</A>. He's been using these ovular rings all season, similar to Shimano's biopace design (Kit, your Trek should have them). I always though they made a lot of sense, but they haven't made their way into the mainstream for some reason.

[breakingnews]

Originally Posted by Kitsune

God, I hate riding in traffic. I've never felt so close to death so many times in so few miles.

Dude, you have no fucking idea. Come to NYC and I'll take you for a spin around town. I've already been hit by a car once, nearly squashed by a bus and almost took a nasty spill on some cobblestones amid rush-hour traffic.

Oh, the scenary is central park is definitely worth the trip.

[Skunks]

<img src="http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~gvidas/photos/mongoose.jpg">

I bought it a few days ago. $75 from a yard sale. The rust sort of worries me, and I had to replace the springs on the brakes (the plastic that held them had broken on all four, so neither adjustment screw accomplished anything.) Additionally, the handlebars squeak a little under vertical strain (pulling up/pushing down). Future projects include reseating the front brake pads (they jitter a lot), setting the rear indexing, and aimlessly dismantling the front shifter in the hopes that I will incidentally make it less finnicky.

However, I figure it'll be stolen in a few months, so what the hell. It's fun to ride, problems aside.

As far as traffic goes, I find people to be fairly observant. I think Eugene has enough bike lanes, sidewalks, and other bikers that people tend to avoid me more than, say, Astoria, where I once had someone pull up alongside me in a large, commercially-marked panel van on a two-lane one-way street with cars on both sides (and no bike lane) in order to suggest I ride on the sidewalk.

[Griff]

Are Eugenes bike lanes legit or are they door zone lanes? A lot of towns put a bike lane along side parked cars, which is much much worse than no lane at all. If its there cars expect you to use it and if you use it you will eventually get creamed by a door. I try to stake out a place for myself in traffic but let people pass when safe.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by breakingnews

Something interesting was Julich's <A HREF="http://www.velonews.com/tech/report/articles/6807.0.html">chain rings</A>. He's been using these ovular rings all season, similar to Shimano's biopace design (Kit, your Trek should have them). I always though they made a lot of sense, but they haven't made their way into the mainstream for some reason.

Funny you should mention Biopace. My Univega (~1989) has Biopace and I get teased for it frequently. "Oh - I see you got suckered into Biopace eh?" I hear that it doesn't do any harm but doesn't really do any good either. I think they come and go out of style cyclically.

[Griff]

Well we're about to jump in the car to head up to Seneca Falls. Looks like a rough night for camping and maybe a wet start in the morning. It's cycling! There is no bad cycling! later g

[wolf]

I love Seneca Falls. Friends owned a house right on Van Cleef Lake, across from the Lutheran church that's on the cover of nearly all the tourist brochures for the Finger Lakes Region.

If you weren't riding, I'd suggest you do the wine tour. You might have to teach one of the girls to drive a little early, thoug.

[zippyt]

longest ride , probley about 50-60 miles ,
Now biggest climb on a bike , i rode up the mountin to cades cove Tn once 9 miles up and 2 miles down 11 miles around the loop 2 miles back up , then 9 miles down the hill FAST !!!!!! A station wagon tried to pass me but i kept pulling away !!!! Thank GOD i had had my wheels trued befor we went .
From what i understand they don't allow folks to ride the hill any more , something about falling a few hundred feet if you mess up or some such .

This ride was on a Motobican nomad , steel frame , i have since aquired a fuji olimpian 12 speed . I unforntuently haven't ridden any distance in more than a few years

[Griff]

Get on that bike Zip!

It turns out that not doing any long training rides didn't destroy our weekend. Day One. 103 miles.
We took off in the rain around 7am with a belly full of bananas and gorp. It was under 60 degrees F. Pete can correct my misrememberins'. I think it rained until 9:30-10:00. This was actually kind off ideal for me. Heat is my enemy, if I can keep my body temp reasonable I can ride and ride. One guy with us was suffering pretty badly at the rest stop having lost too much body heat, I was suprised since he was a pretty beefy guy, although he has little body fat. The rain stopped a little earlier in Seneca Falls itself at which time the bulk of to 100 milers left but it was too late we were way ahead of the speedsters and would not be caught! This is not a race but it still hurts to have someone pass. Cayuga Lake is gorgeous with low cloud cover. There were many stunning vistas but we didn't carry the camera in the rain.

The first 80 miles reeled off pretty easily. The keys are to stick to a good pace, stand on the pedals occasionaly to get the blood moving, and eat and drink plenty of water and bananas. There were a lot of volunteers from Lions Clubs etc... who were invaluable. We then got to the last 20 odd miles feeling good I even considered skipping the last break area. I bonked at mile 97. The last 20 miles were brutal going right into the teeth of an headwind which kept shifting in intensity. We couldn't maintain a steady pace because the shifting intensity kept us from settling into a good gear. This is where I paid for my lack of training. One guy we ride with commutes 45 miles a day by bike whenever the roads are not snowy. He breezed the whole ride on a bike with full rear and handlebar packs carrying stuff for some other folks. We hit the cafeteria only to find that being wheat free my only choice was salad, since cyclists often gorge on pasta for energy. Pete and I ran down after dinner where we went to Baileys Ice Cream Shop. They've changed locations to the canal side of the building while they refurbish the old place into some sort of cyber-cafe'. Its a nice place to hang out when calories don't count. We made it back and got into the wine tasteing followed by the awards for fundraising. We hit the sack about the time the band started their second set. Don't blame the band, we were tired.

Day Two. 57.7 miles.
Contrary to expectations, we were not balls of pain needing to be extracted from our tent Sunday morning. We both had a little right knee pain which we blame on driving not cycling. The weather was gorgeous as we rode along the shore of Cayuga Lake then passed across to Seneca Lake and back to Seneca Falls. more later g