OT: Cycling ... as in... riding bikes... as in... bicycles

[Tarekith]

Where's the brakes?

[zalo]

Where's the brakes?

you mean my legs?

EDIT: I named my old bike "deathtrap" because it was fixed no brakes no clips flipped and chopped bars no tape hahaha

cant find a picture of the bike but these were my pedals



it was a great bike, schwinn traveller, but it got stolen, and hope it lived up to its name

[Tarekith]

You mean those tire skid marks behind you?

[Tone Deft]

i know several people whose daily commute on a fixed is 30 miles

all respect. I come across fixies on my commute and some are bad mofos. if I get off work at the right time the bike traffic across town gets fun. peletons form, breakways and catch ups. still, I bet your 30 mile a day fixie friends have more than one bike. so you know people, the difference is in between knowing one and being one.

armadillo on the front gatorskin on the back

that needs to be a rap lyric.

Where's the brakes?

you mean his blown out knees?

[pepezabala]

(did 60 miles yesterday, nothing a fixie could handle.)

the original tour de france was only fixed

i know several people whose daily commute on a fixed is 30 miles,

WE played on a fix-gear-bike-shop-opening in june and met these people that drove all the way from sweden to barcelona on fixies. they made a blog about it, really crazy guys. Check it out, that's the real hardcore, no gears, no brakes, only moustaches!
http://www.letitriderideride.com/

[bosonHavoc]

check this out lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4\

i just noticed someone beat me to it .. o well just in case you missed it

my bikes





i ride the purple pimp wagon for a living

[aqua_tek]

Question... has anyone turned their 10 or 12 speeds into single gears? I've thought about doing this to mine. Seen some videos. Doesn't look super complicated as a DIY project, but it may be expensive ( ? )

oh noes!!! he's turning hipster!

don't do it man, don't do it.


ugh. does your bike have a straight rear dropout? IOW check the slot where the back tire clamps in, is it slanted up or straight back? straight back is what you want.

want all the fun of a hipster without the expense? don't change gears.

(did 60 miles yesterday, nothing a fixie could handle.)

not a hipster thing... at least for me. I just HATE the friction shifters on my bike. Requires way too much concentration to pull them just the right amount.

i've also been looking at changing them for indexed (clicking) shifters. Not sure if it's possible.

[zalo]

i could probably work up to it, unfortunately i live in a freakishly bike unfriendly town

but moving soon and my bike is going to become my main transport

skidding is a trick, on a daily basis i dont skid, skip stopping is effective, so is slowing down

ive had more problems on bikes with brakes than without

i naturally become more aware without brakes and i get into less situations

also, riding in one gear on a multigear and riding a singlespeed not fixed is nowhere near the same

the lack of derailers eases up the power train and all the sudden you have all this new stamina, you also dont have to worry about, am i in the right gear, it takes all thought off the bike

[Tone Deft]

ahh bullshit. you do it or you don't, you don't. knowing someone that does 30 miles on a fixie and doing it yourself are completely different things, we all know people.

congrats on your junkyard bicycle, you're so cool.

that's a bullshit zen riding philosophy. 'new stamina' my ass, you're just limiting yourself and are going to blow out your knees. there's less stamina, you can never stop pedaling on a fixie.

$80 bike, my tires cost more than that. for the third time in this thread:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vn29DvMITu4

props to Pepe for keeping it topical.

[8O]

Today's ride on the Trek...



Flat as a pancake round these parts!

Fished out two big splinters of glass out of the tyres afterwards. No punctures. Damn these tyres are good...

[Tone Deft]

whoa I had no idea! one cool part about the forum, learn about the world.


even flat, 100 miles is a long frigging ride. I did 60 this weekend (nearly a metric century!) and 40 more miles would be digging deep. I made it to the middle '101' sign in that map I posted on a previous page.
http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?p=969314#p969314
I was looking at the freeway thinking "damn, I don't even like to drive this far." I've always been a cyclist but I let it slip when I hit 33-35, I got fat and lazy. the crazy part is at the beginning of the year I couldn't bike 3 miles without puking. it's been a good summer. this weekend it's either up Mt Tam from the north or I go straight north and explore the north half of that century ride.


as for flats I'm liking Continental tires. pricey at $40/each but I don't bother carrying a tube and pump, just cash for the cab ride to a bike shop.

[8O]

^ Is there anyone else you can do the century with? May help keep you sane and keep you going. I swear the hardest part is psychological... really!

Lemme make a profile of where I used to cycle as a kid... hang on...

[8O]

Just 5 miles - used to run it or cycle it, but one loop was enough - those hills were evil

[8O]

also, riding in one gear on a multigear and riding a singlespeed not fixed is nowhere near the same

Oddly enough, I've experienced the same. Prefer gears (and a freewheel) though.

the lack of derailers eases up the power train and all the sudden you have all this new stamina, you also dont have to worry about, am i in the right gear, it takes all thought off the bike

Maybe, but all the top places at the European Cycle Messenger Championships went to dérailleur-ed riders... I was watching carefully...

[bosonHavoc]

u.t. football game this weekend.
plus labor day
and i'm broke
so i am working from wed thru sunday night
i'll report back with earnings
.. i have no way to estimate mileage but it will be allot plus some some nasty hills


but i may buy a bike computer before ACL fest this year
my estimates for ACL are 130-180 miles in 3 days loaded with Drunk passengers in my pedicab.