Life on 2 Wheels: the bicyclists thread

[Linus]

One of the big things I've been looking forward to as part of moving to Cali was getting back on my bicycles (my custom touring Gunnar Rock Tour and my DaVinci single speed modded MTB). I know I'm not the only avid cyclist out there who uses their bikes for not only fun but also to actually get places.

I figure we could share war stories, race info (for those into competitive and non-competitive rides) and other stuff.

[SnackTime]

Great idea for a thread Linus!

I am hoping to use my bikes (mainly the mountain bike) to commute to some places next year. I am rather limited on riding at least until early spring.

At the moment, I have my Gary Fisher Advance mountain bike in the trainer. I also have a Trek road bike.

[Linus]

Well. I went out for an hour ride (truth be told I managed to get a little lost). But the good side was that the bike fared well so I should be able to use it next week. I did feel sa little naked without an helmet, gloves and whistle (i have a dingy bell but they are, IMO, useless in traffic and a pealess whistle is awesome). We'll be heading to a couple of bike shops today and probably REI. My current helmet, somewhere in a box, is about 10 years old so its due to be replaced.

What I found truly interesting was that it pretty much felt like I had never stopped cycling. And the roads in this area of Los Angeles are a cyclist's dream: perfectly smooth with no glass shards on them.

[shadows papa]

Awesome thread Linus! Anyone who is around me for any length of time is sure to find out that I LOVE all things bicycle! Hopefully when the weather cools down a bit here and I can figure out some system of book organization where I don't have to carry a 40 lbs. backpack each way, I will ride my bike back and forth to school a couple of days a week. We only live 4 miles from the campus, making it a nice little leg stretcher. This Saturday I am doing a 25 mile ride to benefit WoundedWarriors.org and the 11 mile mountain bike race in October is to benefit RideforReading.org. I like to ride for charity,for fun,for fitness,and just to RIDE. I have been seriously curtailed this year with my school commitments but I am,and always will be, a crackhead cyclist. I love to ride, find bikes for other people, work on bikes,and watch bike racing. I currently have a 1991 GT Timberline mountain bike, a 1990 Trek 1200 road bike and a 2005 Trek 1000 Discovery Edition road bike. One of these days,when time permits, I have a winter project in mind to build a bike or two or three from the frame up, full carbon fiber rigs that will fly down the road and cut the wind like a knife!! For now I ride when time permits and enjoy tearing through the woods on a mountain bike trail, at least once a week during a GOOD week!

[Linus]

Originally Posted by shadows papa

Awesome thread Linus! Anyone who is around me for any length of time is sure to find out that I LOVE all things bicycle! Hopefully when the weather cools down a bit here and I can figure out some system of book organization where I don't have to carry a 40 lbs. backpack each way, I will ride my bike back and forth to school a couple of days a week. We only live 4 miles from the campus, making it a nice little leg stretcher. This Saturday I am doing a 25 mile ride to benefit WoundedWarriors.org and the 11 mile mountain bike race in October is to benefit RideforReading.org. I like to ride for charity,for fun,for fitness,and just to RIDE. I have been seriously curtailed this year with my school commitments but I am,and always will be, a crackhead cyclist. I love to ride, find bikes for other people, work on bikes,and watch bike racing. I currently have a 1991 GT Timberline mountain bike, a 1990 Trek 1200 road bike and a 2005 Trek 1000 Discovery Edition road bike. One of these days,when time permits, I have a winter project in mind to build a bike or two or three from the frame up, full carbon fiber rigs that will fly down the road and cut the wind like a knife!! For now I ride when time permits and enjoy tearing through the woods on a mountain bike trail, at least once a week during a GOOD week!

Hehe.. you could always turn one of those bikes (probably the 1200 or the Timberline) into a single speed winter bike (with winter tires). I did that to my old MTB and it's awesome.

As for riding with 40lbs of stuff, take a look at Ortleib panniers and seriously consider getting a back rack on your bike. You back will thank you. The MTB should have the eyelets for this if the 1200 doesn't.

[shadows papa]

Originally Posted by Linus

Hehe.. you could always turn one of those bikes (probably the 1200 or the Timberline) into a single speed winter bike (with winter tires). I did that to my old MTB and it's awesome.

As for riding with 40lbs of stuff, take a look at Ortleib panniers and seriously consider getting a back rack on your bike. You back will thank you. The MTB should have the eyelets for this if the 1200 doesn't.

I had thought about that Linus,and both bikes can be rigged for a rack and panniers but my budget won't let me do it. I've got a locker at school, it's just a matter of knowing which books to bring home on which day to cut the weight I'm carrying. Building a single speed is on my list of things to do once school is done. I think the 1200 will serve as a good commuter bike. I used it to commute 24 miles round trip to school at the first college I attended. The only think I may do is convert it to a flat bar bike as the drop bars are a bit of a reach when riding with a backpack and that isn't very expensive to do. Thanks for the info!