Road Bikes, Cycling

“WTF is the Hilly 100 and why did my sphincter just clench up?

The road bike is very different from my MB. Much more ridged and every bump is transmitted straight to your arms. It only took me five minutes to figure out that I was locking my elbows and that was a bad thing. The gearing is all different too.”

“ Hilly Hundred

And yea it is a lot different Nigal...
Welcome to the world of "snob biking!" :)”

“But don't worry, Nigal, there's no hills...(OMG) and it's only 100 miles!

Actually, it's a great ride...nothing like hearing 4,000 clips clip in at one time (even if it was after being stopped because of a bike wreck)”

“I was gonna say, it's put on by the Central Indiana Bicycling Association. Central Indiana? Hilly? They should call it the Flat Ass Hundred. LOL!

I'm not sure I'm up for 100 mile ride yet. I just got the bike two days ago.”

“Lol it's actually only 50 miles a day...and there might be a hill or two...or 50!
It is a great event tho...and you have till Oct...you can do it!!”

“That's a good link for used bikes. Seems hard to find a frame in a smaller size. I wouldn't buy a bike I couldn't look at first so that limits me to finding something that's not too far away.”

“day 1.

day 2.

they will kick your arse. guaranteed. :D :D :D”

“Try this on for size:

http://www.deathride.com/”

“Now why did you go and do that...now we'll never get him out there!

There's an awesome hill at Red River Gorge and there's also a really good climb in Brown County...

I live in Kentucky...nothing but stinking hills!”

“Those both look like challenging rides! I'm doing a 65 mile ride this spring, but I'm looking for flat rides. I've been commuting on the trike all winter, and have really enjoyed it. My triker leg muscled have gotten stronger so I'll see how I do in a group ride. I have not had any problem with road width on my commute to work. I rode all winter, only missing a week when they plowed the snow onto the shoulders. Its pretty cool to ride through 3 inches of fresh snow. I had a studded tire to help me with traction.”

““Try this on for size:

california alps v. indiana cornfield? what's your point?


bob, got pic of the trike?
last edited: 5/04/09 12:58:10 PM”

“Touchy, touchy. I was just illustrating a true balls out ride.”

“

here is this trike going down the hill from my house:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfalX1fdCW4

I recently hit 39 on the lower stretch of this run, and there was a cop stopped at the cross street at the bottom. Its a 20 mph street, but maybe I had slowed by the time I got to him. He didn't stop me.
last edited: 5/04/09 2:10:40 PM”

“Nice, Bob! I'm not a recumbent guy, but seems like you got it figured out. Do you have back problems?”

“I have had back problems off and on for years, but I had an incident two years ago that was very painful and debilitating. I gradually got better from that, but that got me thinking about a ride that gave me back support, and that I could ride all year without worrying about falling over on an ice patch. I could ride a road bike now, but the trike is more fun, so my road bike is collecting dust.

The back is good enough now that I can backpack, and I have been leading a lot of trips for my son's scout troop. Here is a link to our spring break hike.

http://boisetroop100.wordpress.com/2009/04/04/grand-gulch-utah/
last edited: 5/05/09 10:26:53 AM”

“My wife and I went out for a quick ride and we're peddling along at the end talking and she starts telling me how she had to do some "aggricultural riding" on the ride when she she suddenly hits a small patch of thin mud and splat, does a face plant hard on the pavement. Her knee's all kinds of black and red and about double the size but she did wonderful and sucked it up.

After telling her, "Yeah, dry pavement's the only place for these bikes." I shook her hand and said, "Congrats, you just busted your cherry.".”

“Well, she's gotten it over with. I don't ride my road bike on wet roads, tired of wiping out! Wait till you're flying along and all of a sudden there's a big walnut and you can't miss it..it's one of those oh sh..... moments!

What kind of bike did you get her?
last edited: 5/07/09 8:45:35 AM”

“Yeah, or a squirrel. I have run over two squirrels. They've both gotten up after I flattened them and carried on! LOL! But I didn't dump...

The worst are bad roads and flats.”

“bad roads...broken asphalt...potholes..loose gravel...

squirrel...really? I would have dumped!”

“What kind of bike did you get her?

She got the Giant Avail 3. It's an entry level bike but still, made me cringe to see her laying down a $800 bike like that. And to make things worse she refuses to wear a helmet. DUH!”

“My wife biffed on a bike. Got caught in a groove and went over sideways. Slammed her head on the ground and was knocked out cold. Had a concussion and broke her arm. The lower half of her helmet on the side she fell was crushed in. Can't imagine if she hadn't been wearing it...”

“bad roads...broken asphalt...potholes..loose gravel...
Heh, how bout a Suburban? I had some lady pull out right in front of me once and then after I slammed into the side of her at bout 20 mph she just kept going...
That's ok tho I'm betting she had fun explaing to hubby why the rear quarterpanel on the Suburban was all caved it! lol

And btw Nigal, tell Kelly I said "WEAR YOUR HELMET!"”

“Found a cool web site for mapping rides and such. I can't figure out how to download routes to my Garmin Nuvi` though. Still neat.

http://www.mapmyride.com/”

“Yesterday, I bought a Pinarello FP3 and picked it up today after getting a good fitting at a local bike shop. I rode several bikes and this one felt and fit best to me. The shop was great, very helpful and nice people too. They spent a lot of time with me to get everything feeling just right. I only took a short ride this evening and after riding mountain bikes for 20 years a road bike seems so different. It might take me a while to get used to it.”

“At the shop I got my bike from they had a video scanner you stand in and it takes all your measurements and gives a printout of the optimum set up. I haven't had to adjust it so it must be close. I think it's probably 80% gimmick and the wrench monkey who knows his stuff could fit me by eye just as well. LOL!”

“Having been a wrench monkey for a bike shop I can tell you the fit process is a lot piano tuning. There are two ways to do it. One by feel (ear) and one by the numbers. A wrench monkey can set the bike by the numbers but when it comes right down to it, the feel of it is what matters unless you are looking for best top ergonomics and willing to tailor your style to achieve that goal. The numbers are a great starting point, but the feel is what matters and that comes only from the way it meshes with your style.”

“i didn't do much adjusting on my mtn bike. i raised the seat until my leg was only slightly bent when at the far end of the stroke. Other than that it's pretty much from the factory. frankly i am not sure what else i could adjust...”

“The only thing that not adjustable on a bicycle is the hard tubing of the frame itself. Anthing else that bolts on or is otherwise attached can either be swapped out for a different size or changed in the angle it sits at or some such thing. When I was a wrench monkey we se up a bike for a dwarf. Normal torso size... little short leg length. It was a neat job.”

“Aside from selecting a frame (a one time adjustment) and the seat height and angle what else can I adjust that equates to fit?”

“Stem length/height/angle of drop or rise
handlebar width/drop/offset
Crank arm length
Seat post length/style/angle
saddle configuration front to rear/side to side
*Chain ring sizes
*rear cassette sizes
*pedal types
lever controls and positions

To a limited extent the fork can be replaced or changed to affect the wheelbase offset and fit characteristics although this should not be done lightly as it will mess with the geometry of the bicycle. It cam be done but is not recommended for normal riding use.
*While not pertaining to ergonomic fit per se these items can make a big difference in how efficiently and effectively you ride.
last edited: 5/11/09 4:58:42 AM”

“So basically everything. LOL!

I';m with you Yogi. As far as the mountain bike goes seat height is the only thing I'd be able to change that'd make a difference.”

“If you want to play.. here are some ideas for simple adjustments that can make a huge difference. Unless the handlebars are absolutely straight rotating them in the stem can effect the shoulder reach and stretch. In addition, many stems have a rise/drop adjustment accessible from a bolt somewhere on the stem. The position can vary. (This is more common on Mt. bikde than road bikes but not a universal feature. Adjusting that rise/drop angle has impact on the position of the torso as you ride, combined with the rotation of the bars you can really fine tune that position.

Sliding the saddle forward or back in the seat post clamp can make a difference in torso angle/position but also in knee/crank alignment. It's been a while since I set a bike up like this but if I remember correctly the knee should be centered directly over the crank axle. +/- depnding on personal taste and the baseline style of setup you use. Downhill technical freestyle can use a different configuration than single track touring because you want the weight distributed on over the rear axle differently. Similarly uphill competitions would look for a different configuration due to the increased power required to race on the climbs.
last edited: 5/11/09 5:51:28 AM”

“i guess i can adjust the tire pressure as well...”

“Saturday the bike shop put on a handlebar stem that was a little higher and 20mm shorter to fit me better. Even though the shop used all these measurements to get me fitted, after the first ride I changed the handlebar position and moved the seat forward more. Measurements and other ways to fit are okay I guess, but I go by what feels right.”

“I have a vintage Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2 in excellent condition for sale. It has been modified with a triple chain wheel for alpine gearing. The rear cog is frozen and the chain is in need of replacement. All the compnents are top of the the line. Bar end shifter with touring derailleurs. Center pull brakes. Excellent wheels and hubs. 21" chrome/moly diamond frame. This was my wife's bike when she was riding the skinny tire road bikes. The whole set-up is <28 lbs by my estimation.

Advertised at $175 but I'll make a deal with forum members. My email is in my profile.
last edited: 5/31/09 5:40:27 PM”

“After a four day break from riding due to illness I've been able to get back on the bike this week and it seems as though I'm a stronger rider now. I don't know if I needed the break or what but my average speed took about a 2mph jump.

It could be my brand new bike fag jersey too. It's a nice solid red and made out of this great material. I'm sure if it was brighter or had logos for Caribou Coffee or Fat Tire Ale I would be looking at an extra 1-2mph for fag factor. LOL! I'm thinking of ordering one in a subdued color for hiking.”

“Just finished my first half century bike ride. I did the following...

Miles: 52...
Calories burnt: 2778...

*Time: 3:48...

*Tires blown: 1 @ mile 47.8...

*Snot Rockets: 170 (2 never got off the launch pad and landed on my cheek)...

*Amount of time before my prostate came back to normal: Hasn't happened yet...”

“did 51 2 weeks ago..average speed was 17.5mph but its pretty flat here, hills no real mountains to speak of. It has rained everyday since that Sunday, I did get 20 in yesterday and am hoping for some rides this weekend”

“My averages got blown because my back tire went @ mile 47.8. It was so bulged and ready to blow I couldn't limp it home. I had to walk 1.5 miles home, jump on the mountain bike and do a couple miles just to get the 52.

I swear I don't think I've ever been as hungry as I was when I got done.”

“finally got out for a long ride, 42 today before breakfast. See what happens off the bike for 2 weeks my average went down more than 1 mph was 16.2, but the pancakes at the end were real good :)

I have blown more tubes this year then I have in the last 10 yrs of riding combined...it's like unreal, none today though”

“Yesterday, I did my longest ride yet on my new bike, 46 miles with 2067 feet of climbing. It took me 3 hours 51 minutes. At mile 23, I hit 6 miles of an old chip seal road surface that climbed up almost 500 feet gain and then after that I got rained on for 8 miles. I was soaked with the cars riding by and getting sprayed on. Still a good ride, but I wouldn't go that way again and ride on the chip seal. That stuff is terrible with skinny tires and like riding on gravel. They use it in areas with low traffic and it costs 25% what asphalt costs.”

“ok last weekend was awesome..I went to Martha's Vineyard, rode 70 miles that day and toured the island. What a day!! Yesterday I was down at the Jersy shore and did 36 in the morning.”

“Sounds like a great ride. I'm enjoying my road bike. Yesterday I rode it to Gouldsboro State park. 55 miles by the time I got home. I was going to take the mountain bike out today, but went fly fishing instead.”

“I had a great ride Sunday too. Did 30 miles. It was one of those rides where I just hit the back roads and wandered. No road hammer. No worrying about averages. No hurry. Just riding around.”

“The nother day my hubsand rode ower frends bike. He culd not reech the peddels perty good so I had to push him round the dribeway and yard. I was reddy for a rets but he sayed "push me more wommen!" and I sayed "what never" and retsed with a nap.

If I kno'd he was so hi maynance I prolly wuld not had marreed him - BOL!”

“Well I'm hoping to finally have my road bike woes rectified today. After paying the shop I bought the bike from to true my back wheel I took it for a 10 mile ride only to find that spokes were dropping out. WTF? The shop said bring it back and we'll make it right. I said f@3k you.

I found a small local shop with a really good, upfront mechanic who said he thinks he can save the wheel and explained how he would do it. He also signed me up for classes they offer in the winter. One is a one night class on basic adjustments and maintenance. Then there is a two night class where we basically tear down a bike and put it back together. The classes are only $20 and $40. The shop I bought the bike from charges closer to $100 for clinics.

I am also motivated by my frustrations to learn to work on my own bikes. I'm going to take the classes, buy a basic tool kit, get a copy of the Park Tool BBB book. My goal is to build my own road bike but to prepare for digging into that I'm going to take my old Trek 21 speed commuter bike and build a cool single speed from it.

Now all I need is a second job to support the habit.”

“hehe

he said "rectified"”

“Did you hit a pothole really bad? Seems like you just bought the bike for the wheel to go out of true already.

Park tools website has some videos that are helpful.”

“The bike has less than 800 miles on it and the back wheel went out of true. Well, me thinking I'm the smart guy that I am (or not) tried to true it up some. The more I worked on it the worse it got. The front derailer has also been out of adjustment more than it's been in. The shop fixed it and it went back out a month later. I'm trying to convince myself I got a sh*tty bike shop and not a sh*tty bike.”

“Without going back and reading the threads, I think you have a Giant Defy. That's a nice bike and I hear good things about it from guys that own them on the bike forums. I'd say you are right and the bike shop isn't a good one that worked on it. It shouldn't take a good tech long to true a wheel and adjust a front derailleur.
last edited: 9/18/09 6:59:23 AM”