GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

Anyone? I'm an avid bicyclist, in addition to being a rabid motorcyclist. It always surprises people when I say that I feel a lot more safe on my motorcycle than I do on a bicycle, when I'm on the roads...

Anyway, here's my bicycle. It's a Rivendell Atlantis, made of steel, which, btw, is real... As they say...

(http://fellini.net/Grand_Manan/Grand_Manan-Images/68.jpg)

I've been mountain biking for a few years, I have a 2002 KHS comp pro, with some upgrades, and I've just bought an 05 Giant OCR2.  I heard pro racers sometimes train on road bikes, I guess that gives them a chance to concentrate on clean racing lines.

been riding bikes for as long as I can remember, don't put as many miles on these days since it's gotten easier to take the engined two wheelers, but still ride at least a couple times a week. I totally agree with the feeling safer on the moto comment, drivers have no respect for cyclists.
KHS team ST(mountain) built from frame
K2 attack 3.0(mountain) built from frame
Speciaized(road) built from frame
(http://members.aol.com/avlvt/b1.jpg)

damnit i love seeing a room full of bikes like that...

1998 Rocky Mountain Oxygen Race
2001 Bianchi Veloce
+ 1 unicycle  :)

Here's my homebuilt recumbent. Built it as an experiment, put a thousand miles on it over three years and then gave it to my nephew.

(http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k304/miphotoz_2006/homebuilt.jpg)

I'm now riding an aluminum frame EZ-1 lite. (http://www.easyracers.com/ez_1_lite.htm)

not me but my dad is into vintage bikes Like Masi and similar not sure if you guys are even familiar with those

i just got started riding this season.  2001 gary fisher big sur mtb and a 2005 motobecane cafe noir road bike.  to be honest, i feel safest on my mountain bike.  usually there's no cars trying to run me over in the woods.  i am thinking about trying to ride my first century next week.  i'll be in south carolina where it's nice and flat :)

Quote from: jiggersplati just got started riding this season.  2001 gary fisher big sur mtb and a 2005 motobecane cafe noir road bike.  to be honest, i feel safest on my mountain bike.  usually there's no cars trying to run me over in the woods.  i am thinking about trying to ride my first century next week.  i'll be in south carolina where it's nice and flat :)

Good luck with your century. Earlier this summer I did a 100k ride in 90+-degree heat and ridiculous humidity, and it nearly killed me. But it was a good experience.

Before getting the GS, I rode a bicycle to work for about a year.  I had been mountain biking for about 8 years before and didn't have a road bicycle.  

I felt safer on road with mountain bike as I could jump curbs and hit the sidewalks if needed.  I still ride to work a couple of times a month jumping curbs and dodging cars.

While riding to work on bicycle via neighborhood streets, I would guess one close call a week...while riding to work on motorcycle via freeways/thoughfares, I would guess one close call every 10 weeks.

Like others I love my Mt. bike...I ride it to work once in a while or on the weekends w/ my girl...ya were like that...

It's a Specialized FSR Comp that I p/ued at a state auction

Mountain biking here. Cannondale SuperV.

Been riding my bikes pretty much every day since 99. Mainly commuting type stuff. Nothing fancy, a Schwinn Frontier, back before the Pacific days, and a Trek 370.

QuoteAnyone? I'm an avid bicyclist, in addition to being a rabid motorcyclist. It always surprises people when I say that I feel a lot more safe on my motorcycle than I do on a bicycle, when I'm on the roads...

I love bicycles (current road bike an Italian Basso) and for awhile did centuries every weekend, even entered the lower rungs of racing.

Yeah, I actually feel more secure on motorcycles. So far I've never had a mishap on motorcyles, and that is with years where iI didn't even have a car. I've had two wrecks on bicycles, including being hit by a car.

I'm a mountain biker.  I've had a couple of Treks, all stolen (thanks, Berkeley and Federal Way), and ended up just buying a friend's used Singletrack 930, which has lasted.

I always wear a helmet, but in my one big crash, it did me no good - I landed directly on my chin.  So now I wear my MX helmet and armor.  I don't care how silly it looks - I want a chin bar...

My brother does road racing, and in the mountains of California, his speedo has shown 60 - which is pretty goddam fast to crash wearing only a bike helmet and lycra.  I doubt I'll ever see over 30, and that's plenty fast enough to hurt a lot without more gear than bicyclists typically wear.  I think that's why the crashes on bikes tend to be worse.

Quote from: hulap0prIt always surprises people when I say that I feel a lot more safe on my motorcycle than I do on a bicycle, when I'm on the roads...

steel is real... ba-by

Cat 3 road racer for 12 years before I bought the motorcycle...



the stable-
note Bianchi fixed gear for road training. [steel]
note Guercotti track bike. [steel]
note Eddy Merckx road bike. [steel]
note custom Easton race bike [light! alum.]



Funny thing is, now I ride the local canyons on my 600rr, but I'd been training up there on my bicycles for racing for a decade...So yeah, I'm ad avid cyclist....

Gary Fisher MTB rider here.

Bicycling is what actually got me into motorcycling.

And I feel MUCH safer on my motorcycle since people actually acknowledge my presence, which is totally the opposite when I am on my bicycle.

I've been riding pretty much since about 1990, road and mountain bikes. Tried a few races early on but never really had the confidence to keep at it. Currently I have my 1992 Trek 2300 and my very old but very well cared for Nashbar mountain bike. I have thought about trading my GS in on a better mountain bike next year but I'm not sure yet. So little time and money but so many things I want to do. :dunno:

Derek

Specialized Enduro FSR MTB rider.  Not very active at the moment.

OK Now that enough real responses have come ...
Isn't the GS a bicycle ...
Cool.
Srinath.
:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

I've got a Giant Rainier that I bought 4 years ago I think, just a recreational mountain biker.  

Just got a road bike this spring, the wife and I are training for a century ride (shameless plug (http://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=tntncaJGreen)- it's with Team in Training, raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society).  I went with a Lemond Buenos Aires, leftover from '04, at a considerable discount.  It's got an oddball part steel, part carbon fiber frame, very nice riding.  Having lots of fun with it.

I also feel safer on the motorcycle - it's funny how I get all geared up to ride that, but wear nothing but a helmet and gloves on the road bike, depsite that I'll be zipping down hills at 30+, with tiny tires and pitiful brakes!

jeff

+1 on feeling safer on the motorcycle...when riding the road bike

Bikes:
Surly Cross Check w/ Campy Centaur
Cannondale 3.0 from road racing in college, B class
Schwinn Moab MTB which hardly gets used
Litespeed Ultimate--Ti, the ultimate material

Drivers don't respect the cyclists on the road, unfortunately a lot of riders bring that on themselves (and others) b/c they blow off lights, don't yield the right of way, and block traffic.

Quote from: RC
Bikes:
Surly Cross Check w/ Campy Centaur
Cannondale 3.0 from road racing in college, B class.

My wife has a Surly Long Haul Trucker. I'm not sure there's a better deal out there on a bike than those from Surly.

Hey, that Cannondale... Is that the aluminum crit bike? I was lucky enough to pull a nice Cannondale crit bike out of the trash this spring. In perfect condition...

I have a specialized rockhopper that I've had since college... I haven't been on it in a while, it could use a tune-up and some fresh tires.

I have an '01 Gary Fisher Big Sur...currently it's sporting 2 flat tires.  I used to do some trail riding, but I haven't so much as sat on it for over a year.

Quote from: hulap0prIs that the aluminum crit bike? I was lucky enough to pull a nice Cannondale crit bike out of the trash this spring. In perfect condition...

Dang, I need to keep my eyes on the dumpsters!

Quote from: Roadstergal

Quote from: hulap0prIs that the aluminum crit bike? I was lucky enough to pull a nice Cannondale crit bike out of the trash this spring. In perfect condition...

Dang, I need to keep my eyes on the dumpsters!

Yeah. It pays off sometimes. My town has a 'transfer station' rather than a dump. They haul all the stuff away at the end of the day. There are different bins for different things. The bike came out of the scrap metal bin.  :lol:

Here she is...

I used to have a new mountain bike, but i live in bicycleland so it got stolen within days after I got it.

Later, I saw a crappy bike in the trash, so I picked it up, put new tires, didn't paint it, added gaffers tape all over the place (as if it was holding things together), placed a regular flashlight to the front and kept it in place with tape...

so basically I made the bike look even worse than when I picked it up (but just the looks), and so far, nobody seems to want to steal it  :thumb:  so im very happy.

I'll post some pics later when I get home.

Quotehulap0pr wrote:
Is that the aluminum crit bike? I was lucky enough to pull a nice Cannondale crit bike out of the trash this spring. In perfect condition...

Yes, it is. The bike has some unusual geometry and the large OD tubes can rattle your fillings on a bad road. Can't get rid of that bike though...I left it old school with down tube shifters and an aluminum fork.

Surly is a great value and riding a steel bike is great. I bought the Cross Check frame/fork and built up the bike myself. It is a great bike that can go anywhere. I use it to commute to work occasionally.

I have my Miyata 610 touring bike that I bought used in 1982.  Once upon a time I rode weekly time trials with the local club and did a couple low key road races with that bike.  More recently, it's been used on multiday tours.  It's since been relegated to foul weather commuter duty with fenders and permanent lighting system.

Three or four years ago, I went shopping looking for a mountain bike (hey, all the cool kids were doing it) and wound up with another road bike.  I got to thinking, "why would I truck a bike to some trailhead when there is a perfectly good road at the end of my driveway" and wound up with a Trek 2200 aluminum frame road bike which gets most of the miles now.  

I also have a Dahon Piccalo D3 16" folder that's accompanied me on a several trips and lives in the trunk of my car ready for impromtu use.

Finally there's a beater "theft-resistant" Huffy 3-speed with a genuine RubberMaid trunk box that lives at work for bopping between buildings on campus.

Quote from: MarkB

I also have a Dahon Piccalo D3 16" folder that's accompanied me on a several trips and lives in the trunk of my car ready for impromtu use.

As we veer further away from GS500s...
I'd love to know what you think about the Dahon. I'd very much like to get one at some point, for exactly the same reason as you. I'd like to throw it in the back of the car and always have it. Also, I'd like to schlep it onto the train and such...
-d

The Dahon Piccolo is a lot of fun as long as you aren't in a particular hurry to get anywhere.  Even so, I've ridden it respectable distances on a few occasions (about 2 hrs/25 miles just last weekend being one of my longer forays).  Not surprisingly, it's kind of flexy in the handlebars and seat post so you can't really hammer on it, but it's fine if you don't try to overwhelm it.  Getting out of the saddle on hills just doesn't work, but it's geared low enough that modest hills aren't unreasonable.  

It has a 3-speed (3/4, 1/1, 5/4) internal hub and third gear on the flat is manageable if one wants to push it, but it's more of a "cruise with a tailwind" gear.  The little wheels roll surprisingly well on smooth pavement but aren't real happy on bumpy stuff or gravel.  It's twitchier than a normal bike but not so as to be an issue.

The overall quality is pretty good given the price (~$300).  The frame and hinge seem robust enough.  My main complaints are the brake hardware is kind of chintzy and I'll eventually put something better on the front and a couple of bolts are rusting like something Suzuki would sell.  You really can fold/unfold the thing and be off in about 30 seconds.  I've got the carrying bag/backpack and getting it in and out of that takes a minute or two.  It came with fenders and a rack that works well with my trunk box.

When I was shopping for it I was torn between going for minimum size (the Piccolo) and getting one of the models with longer legs.  I haven't regretted my decision.

For those who are wondering what I'm talking about, here' the catalog photo of the bike:
(http://www.dahon.com/images/l-piccolod3.jpg)

Quote from: Roadstergal

Quote from: hulap0prIs that the aluminum crit bike? I was lucky enough to pull a nice Cannondale crit bike out of the trash this spring. In perfect condition...

Dang, I need to keep my eyes on the dumpsters!

my Easton alum bike has seen some crit duty:

(http://charlestonbicycle.com/db4/00375/charlestonbicycle.com/_uimages/warning.jpg)

One of my toys at my local trail.  From April to September the Warning is real.   I ride a few times a week on this trail and see snakes every time and gators near or on the trail about once a week.