how many people here ride bicycles and just for kicks why?
That would be me. been racing on the road for 12 years+. Why? Because I like to make people suffer in the hills...muahahhahhahaa.
I love my push bikes. Have a mountin bike and a road bike. I love the feeling of having got somewhere using my own power. I enjoy cycling as much as I enjoy riding my GS ;)
Why use YOUR energy? Riding a push bike is for people who cant run for fitness... its a lazy mans treadmill.
The only two wheels I put my ass on has a motor attached....
keep riding up those hills folks, I will wave on my way past, on a REAL bike.... :P
Just taking the piss....
Stay Safe :thumb:
I began seriously riding bicycles in my 39th year, because I didn't want to be a 40 year old fat man. I had a slow=speed wreck on my VX800 a year earlier, and swore off motorcycles.
I was our local bicycle club's "Rookie of the Year", and was the club's leader in commuter miles. That went on for several years, until my schedule changed and commuting to work and club rides didn't fit into my schedule. When a buddy showed up on a new Bonneville, I was hooked on motorcycles again.
Part of the joys is to putt up hills that I suffered while pedaling. This summer, I rode along our bike club's annual 120 mile hilly torture ride. I felt very refreshed at the finish, while the cyclists were salt-stained from sweating so much. :lol:
I used to ride a bike in philly to school and around town. You get no respect on a bicycle in an "urban" environment. Pedestrians would constantly walk in my path on my green. Cars and septa would just take your lane of travel away. I got hurt 3 times and said f*** it. Potholes will deal nasty groin injuries...
yup, ride bicycles all the time. used to race downhill, but all the places around here closed, so now i mustly ride urban and some xc. we still makes trips to pa for downhill from time to time.
yeah, chicks definitely don't ask for a ride on your bicycle as much as on your motorcycle. :)
if i could only do one, i'd have to pick my bicycles. it's just too in my blood and i can do so much more on a bicycle, see more things, and go more places.
(http://www.korossy.org/pictures/bike.jpg)
I love my Trek Y11. Great cardio and so much more fun than running... for me.
Used to ride my mountain bike 1-2 times per week. Haven't touched it since I bought my GS in March, and I've got the pounds to prove it. :dunno:
I've got a Gary Fisher Tarpin, or Tarpon, hmm.... yea Tarpon. Anyways it's just an entry-level mountain bike, but it beats your run-of-mill department stores bikes. Now if I just took the time to actually ride it...
Bicycles are just excercise machines. When you're young, such exertion seems to build-up your body. As you get older you find out you only have a finite amount of energy to waste each day before the needle hits empty. It tears you down.
I've found it makes for a much nicer day to simply put down the knife and fork at the appropriate time and get on with it than it is to spend my free time on a hamster wheel trying to burn off what I shouldn't have eaten in the first place.
to say that bicycling is for exercise (only) is like saying that motorcycles are good for commuting...they're both so much more than that.
Quote from: GisserBicycles are just excercise machines. When you're young, such exertion seems to build-up your body. As you get older you find out you only have a finite amount of energy to waste each day before the needle hits empty. It tears you down.
I've found it makes for a much nicer day to simply put down the knife and fork at the appropriate time and get on with it than it is to spend my free time on a hamster wheel trying to burn off what I shouldn't have eaten in the first place.
Uh, I think your confusing bicycles w/ exer-cycles... These things are actually used outdoors and are fully mobile... you can go places on them.
Of course your energy decreases as you get older, but that's why it's that much more important to exercise - not just for increased energy, but overall health/well being. And it really can be quite enjoyable and satisfying. Get past the initial few weeks of suffering and getting "torn down", and I think you'll like exercise, cycling or otherwise.
I have to go now, cause my Richard Simons video is almost over...
Pablo, anybody who rides a fixed gear bike does not ride "for kicks." There's something FAR more twisted going on there. :?
:)
Quote from: JohnNSPablo, anybody who rides a fixed gear bike does not ride "for kicks." There's something FAR more twisted going on there. :?
:)
Pablo, you ride a fixed gear in the hills!!!??? Then, nevermind the BS I just posted about exercise being enjoyable.
you're all working under the assumption that pain is not enjoyable. and that inflicting pain is that much less enjoyable...
i ride some xc. i would like to try some freeride but i'm a sissy (and its really expensive).
Been mountain biking for the past 12 years. Have a Cannondale Super-V the I built from the frame up. It cost me more than my GS! Hate being inside. Ride for the exercise and it's a great stress reliever. I live in a great area with plenty of awesome single track. Night riding is great too! Love the adrenalin rush...getting my fix tomorrow.
I also ride...alot. I have been known to race in elite mens class road racing, and have done 24 hours of adrenaline. I guess it helps that I have worked in a bike shop since I was 15, so 5 years now.
Riiding is a great sport. Its so healthy, and enjoyable. Not much beats the rush of pushing a road bike wearing nothing but lycra past 60 mph on a mountain road. :cheers:
i ride a lightspeed, (occasionally)((not sure of which model)),also every year i ride my 25 year old schwinn 165 miles in 2 days for a charity ride, really sucks when you dont practice :dunno: you sure can tell :x
1953 Monark Road King
1977 Scwinn Suburban
2002 Santa Cruz Heckler :)
Quote from: Rich500I have been known to race in elite mens class road racing,
Is that Elite U-23 racing or Cat 1/2/pro? I race 3 on the road.
well i am not where in shape to go road racing.. but I do ride a 60 dollar target special to school. ..
cant wait to get fully back in shape wherein i can do extended rides without worrying about running into issues with me getting overly tired.
I used to have a roadracer in highschool and back then i was in better shape than I am now. I have improved myself in the last few weeks of riding the bicycle but still not fully in shape.
In India my road racer was in 10'th gear. I took off the gearing system after it kept slipping.. so i kept it at 10'th. It took a while to accelerate but once i got moving i coudl keep on going. As i rode around i built muscles that actually made me stronger and build stamina. Sure India is mostly flat, but even small upslopes would feel like a killer initially, but as i grew muscles i actually didnt find them that much of a bother.
awesome, i thought there were a bunch of closet pedalers here! :mrgreen:
bicycles are my main obsession, streetbikes are slowly working their way up to 2nd place.
i used to race XC, then a string of injuries left me discouraged and slow so i took up freeriding. these days i primarily ride urban/skateparks/dirt jumps on my Cortina hardtail (http://www.blanksky.com/miscPix/cortina.jpg), a bit of road/trails on my Redline cyclocross (http://www.blanksky.com/miscPix/cross.jpg) bike and straight up torture on my singlespeed (http://www.blanksky.com/miscPix/ss.jpg)
if anyone's in the DC area, we host a big urban ride every thursday. even in the dead of winter we manage a handfull of riders :mrgreen:
I guess mountain bikes are more common as they have stronger frames and wheels but I still love my tiny triathlon Nishiki bicycle, which by the way, mates perfectly with my Honda Civic and my Suzuzki GS500... I might need a set of japanese bladerollers and a japanese skateboard...
Anyway, I love to ride the bicycle weekends in the university campus near home for a 20 Km ride, no cars are allowed so it's pretty safe, and since jogging hurts my calfs muscles then riding is the perfect choice, on the other hand the landscape varies much more than jogging and distances are impressive. In 2000 i rode for a triathlon, and got the n-1 place, with an average speed of only 27 Kph, but was very proud of me... he he...
Finally, riding downhill at 40 MPH is as great as 60 MPH on the GS or 80 MPH on the Civic...
QuoteRich500 wrote:
I have been known to race in elite mens class road racing,
Is that Elite U-23 racing or Cat 1/2/pro? I race 3 on the road.
ey Pablo, Its elite U-23, but I have done a couple in cat 1/2 pro also when in the states. :cheers:
I used to dig riding on bike paths with the better half.
We had a sweet set of matching chrome beach cruisers.
They were stolen while locked outside one night at my second LA apartment. I should have known better and brought them inside. :nono: in this town.
Why single speed cruisers you might ask. Not because we are twisteded about pain like someone we know :nana: but because she doesn't like bikes with gears :roll: She also refuses to learn to use a manual tranmision. It's okay because she lets me drive when were togerther :kiss:
Quote from: TRFinally, riding downhill at 40 MPH is as great as 60 MPH on the GS or 80 MPH on the Civic...
You ought to see what 60mph downhill on a road bike feels like.
It's ironic that I wont ride my gs without at least my leather jacket and helmet while on my bicycle I've been know to hit 55-60 mph regularly but I'm usually only decked out in lycra and a beanie.
Lycra, eh? I, too, feel compelled to wear athletic gear before taking a ride on those excersize machines. Bicycling with blue jeans makes me look like I don't have a car.
I ride a little... Just generic walmart crap... Great commute bikes. Used to keep one in the office, and ride to around to get to lunch etc... Hate working on them though... they break if I look at them funny... Hate the spokes too.
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: pantabloyou're all working under the assumption that pain is not enjoyable. and that inflicting pain is that much less enjoyable...
Uh oh...
J.K. ;)
Actually, getting a bike is definitely on my list of things to do in the near future. I love bicycling. It's such a great workout, and you're getting/going somewhere in the process which is a lot more appealing to me than the more conventional ways of getting an effective workout. :thumb:
57.2 according to my speedo- on a mountainbike w/ road tires. very scary, but whoa fun! :mrgreen:
once my crew and i were coming back from riding at timerbline in west virginia, and we get to this section of road which as a 10% grade for 5 miles. we pulled over to the shoulder, unloaded our bikes, and went for it. my friend's girls drove the cars down behind us. they had us up to about 50mph, but then lost us in the first turn. nothing like the look on some drivers face as you pass them on a bicycle like they're standing still :mrgreen: .
96' GT Zaskar LE MTB (All XTR)
99' Fat Chance Trials Bike (mostly high end parts beat up by trialsin')
Worked in a bike shop all through high school. Great place to learn the basics of wrenching. Helps make me more confident when working on the motorcycle.
I rode a pushbike up to about five years ago when the local terrain got the better of me, my old man rode one up to the age of about 65 but he lived in Deal, a nice flat town nearbye. My son, fit mid thirties has to ride one because he lives in central London given the traffic, parking and crowds on public tpt its the only way to go. All three of us enjoy it but we are all known "eccentrics" (Polite for loonies)
Quote from: pantabloQuote from: TRFinally, riding downhill at 40 MPH is as great as 60 MPH on the GS or 80 MPH on the Civic...
You ought to see what 60mph downhill on a road bike feels like.
Well, 40 MPH is the highest speed I could achieve on that twisty downhill road, all dressed like cyclenaut (licra, foam helmet, gel gloves, etc.) and I can say it gave me my adrenaline share for good. Perhaps on a straighter downhill road could get 60 on the Nishiki, 120 on the GS and 150 on the Civic.
Thanks for suggesting... :mrgreen:
BTW, my new TCP fairing makes cruising at 80-90 a delight...
Maybe its cos its a nishiki... Ha ha...
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: seshadri_srinathMaybe its cos its a nishiki... Ha ha...
Cool.
Srinath.
Yeah, and only 100 MPH because the motorcycle is a Suzuki, and only 140 MPH because the Civic is Honda... :P
Oh come on man... Buy american... or well atleast american sounding name with chineese components, assembled in Taiwan and sold by Wal Mart... You know I'm just kidding. I just like to buy american... with an eye for quality and price. Anyway... it was only a joke... nothing serious.
Cool.
Srinath.
The stable:
1989 Mongoose Mountain Bike--now a commuter
1990 Trek Aluminum 520 -- the faster commuter
1994 custom Peter Mooney Steel with campy parts and 26-inch wheels (i'm a shortie)
1997 Specialized MTB hardtail with rock shox
1957 Armstrong British three-speed
1995 Suzuki GS500
1995 Honda Civic
coming up:
a fixie
a cross bike
a campy triple and lightweight rims for the Peter Mooney
a Suzuki SV650
All the bicycling makes for better motorcycling technique and traffic-handling ability. Motorcycling helps you manage high-speed bicycling.
Two wheels are way more fun than four.
yeah, whether you'ge got to power those two wheels, or let an engine power them for ya :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :cheers:
Quote from: moThe stable:
....
1994 custom Peter Mooney Steel with campy parts and 26-inch wheels (i'm a shortie)
Glad to see there are people out there who still believe in and ride steel frames. I've been riding an Olmo (all Campy with the all but forgotten down tube shifters) for years. IMO its hard to beat hand crafted steel. Italian steel in the case of the Olmo. Lugs are your friends!
the 25 year old schwinn i ride, late '70's schwinn super letour, (with a few campy components, and 10+ year old tires survived 150+mile charity ride last summer without problems, (no flats even), i was passing broken-down multi thousand dollar bikes w/ flats, some more than one time, i only gave $25 for it. :dunno: go figure, biking is quite fun, but then again, so is riding :mrgreen:
Yes I got an aluminium frame mongoose XR 150 for $15 over the weekend. Whooo hooo.
Cool.
Srinath.
Quote from: WrencherLugs are your friends!
eddy merckx
bianchi
guerciotti
I couldn't agree more.
DeRosa has some mighty fine lugs as well. Old Serottas are unique too.
My Olmo functioned flawlessly for my ride across Kansas. Not so much as a flat tire from the Colorado border to Missouri. Don't bother with the smart arse comments about Kansas being flat either unless you have ridden several hundred miles through the rolling hills of eastern KS. Border to border in 6 days, I promise, its doesn't SEEM flat.
Eddy Merckx, used to drop into my "local" whenever he crossed the channel, he seemed a good guy, liked a pint, but very few Belgians don't.
At risk of expanding the thread, long before lycra was invented I used to be half of a tandem racing team for a local club (They bought the tandem) now that was a buzzz. No funny remarks, the back half........