None of the above - Any cyclists?

Discussion in 'Cars, Motorcycles, Boats, Airplanes Talk' started by yotacowboy, Jan 2, 2017.

  1. Prydz

    Prydz Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    210
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Norway
    It rides very well indeed, but its slow at climbs. I'm not conditioned very well for cycling yet, and prefer a high cadence. The heavy weight combined with gearing from the 80s is a real struggle. To avoid grinding I have to hold like 18km/h minimum. My friends have modern bikes so... :D

    I was actually looking at getting a modern bike, but have decided to wait duo to new rules for TDF.
    Hoping for a new Canyon Aeroad
     
  2. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    9,151
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Amsterdam
    Home Page:
    They can be decent bicycles. Thing is, do you actually have (enough) grip with those thin tires?

    In the Netherlands hipsters with a bit of money who prefer and/or love cycling, race around on these bicycles. In the rain though on tarmac (especially fresh/new-ish tarmac) grip levels can be hit or miss. Even with wide MTB/Cross tires you have to dose the brakes.

    These bicycles have a drawback in urban areas. Without lights attached in the dark these can be almost invisible. Is that an issue for you?
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2019
  3. Prydz

    Prydz Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    210
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Norway
    Are you talking about grip for old road bikes, or road bikes in general?
    I've not tested the bike at its limits in corners, for obvious reasons.
    It came with Mavic GP4 rim with Dura Ace hubs, so its a tubular rim. That means that the tire is glued on. Not very convenient for us normal people. Therefore I bought some Mavic Open 4cd clincher rims with Dura Ace hubs aswell.
    I run 25mm Conti GP5000 tires.

    I live in a city so its never pitch black. But yes, I always make sure of my surroundings. That I see them before they see me.
     
  4. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    9,151
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Amsterdam
    Home Page:
    I really dislike those skinny tires. Tram tracks and pavement edges are tricky.

    Yes, I prefer wider tires for more nimble handling. Too little grip on oddly shaped city streets and you start to wobble.
     
  5. Prydz

    Prydz Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    210
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Norway
    Wobble?:D Sounds to me like you never gave narrow tires enough time!

    I think we can all agree that bikes and tight corners isent ideal in terms of speed
     
  6. Deep Funk

    Deep Funk Deep thoughts - Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    9,151
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Amsterdam
    Home Page:
    Speed is overrated. Nimble handling is better.

    Top speed is not all there is. Acceleration is much more important if you want to flow with traffic. I now live and work in The Hague. Corners are everywhere.
     
  7. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    11,631
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NOVA
    Home Page:
     
  8. JustAnotherRando

    JustAnotherRando My other bike is a Ferrari

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,374
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    Do I spy downtube shifters?
     
  9. Prydz

    Prydz Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    210
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Norway
    Yes!
     
  10. Davids

    Davids New

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2020
    Likes Received:
    39
    Trophy Points:
    13
    Location:
    Boston Massachusetts
    Bikes? Yes please!

    I spent my late 20s and early 30s chasing the audiophile obsession and built a pretty nice high-value system by the early 90s. Then my baby gave me a new focus for a few years.

    In 2001, though, I decided that I needed to keep creeping middle-aged softness at bay and bought a mountain bike. It didn’t happen all at once but within a couple years I found my obsession with bicycles had reached the level of my previous hifi monomania. And it turns out that even higher-priced bicycles are a hell of a lot more affordable that high-priced speakers or power amps!

    Over a few years I became a passionate cyclist. In the late 2000s through mid-2010s I was riding thousands and thousands of miles a year. And regularly buying bikes, wheels, components and accessories. I made friends, including the local crew I rode with nearly every day and a wide-ranging group of friends in the interweb. I was introduced to some of the leading lights in the custom frame world and some of them became good friends. And I bought bikes.

    This is a Kirk cyclocross bike. It was made for a friend but fits me perfectly. I raced it once , nowadays it's the bike on my trainer or on dirt roads.

    [​IMG]

    Here's my mountain bike, a Specialized Stumpjumper in its preferred setting:

    [​IMG]

    My tandem and my stoker. It's a Co-Motion Speedster and it come apart so we can cart it around the country:

    [​IMG]

    My first full-custom bike, from a builder who's become a very close friend. This one's designed to be a racing bike with room for fenders and a rack. It's become my commuter for the duration:

    [​IMG]

    My other full custom, built for me by one of the world's best builders. I had the honor of being personally fitted for this custom-painted stainless steel Grand Tourer:

    [​IMG]

    And my favorite, from the same builder. This one is off-the-rack but it's the one I'd choose if I had to pick just one. Fat aluminum tubing makes this thing a rocket:

    [​IMG]

    My passion for the newest has cooled. Part of that is that these bikes are so damn good. Part of it is that I've been riding a lot less. 2020 was going to be the year I got back into a daily rhythm. You can imagine how that has played out.

    But I’m hoping that, once the world rights itself, I’ll be riding a lot again. And listening to music through some damn fine equipment when I’m not.

    And hey - If any of this cycling obsession interests you, I’ve got a forum for you to check out.
     
  11. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    11,631
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NOVA
    Home Page:
    :bow:

    Dario was the man.
     
  12. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,144
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Sector 8023 of the Third Quadrant
    Ooh, Dura Ace wheels. Very nice.

    Welp, since the gym has been closed for a while now, I'm getting a trainer now since I haven't done a decent outdoor cycle ride in what seems ages. Time to dust off the old equipment..
     
  13. shredical

    shredical Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2015
    Likes Received:
    261
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Home Page:
    f**k!!

    What a tragic loss to our community

    Anyone interested in a Giant Omnium track bike? Asking for a friend.

    upload_2021-2-23_9-46-6.png
     
  14. aufmerksam

    aufmerksam Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,337
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    E. Lansing, MI
    What year / size? My commuter cred would go THROUGH THE ROOF if I still commuted anywhere...
    But seriously, sorry to hear about the track, that blows.
     
  15. shredical

    shredical Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2015
    Likes Received:
    261
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Home Page:
    umm i forget.. but its atleast a 2015 or newer. All black. M/L size.
     
  16. ergopower

    ergopower Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2018
    Likes Received:
    864
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    South Central PA
    That's a real shame. I just checked, and Trexlertown (70 mi from me) has a 2021 schedule posted, so they're still in business
     
  17. Hammy

    Hammy Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2015
    Likes Received:
    578
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Oregon, USA
    Sad news about the Alpenrose Velodrome in Portland. An end of a Portland cycling era.

    I lived in that area of Portland 25 years ago and would visit the velodrome to watch races and events. But never rode around it. Then I moved up to Bellevue/Redmond (I got assimilated by the Borg). I visited the Marymoor velodrome in Redmond to watch races. I even took a recreational spin around it. It's larger and not as steep as the Alpenrose velodrome and more inviting to just try and find out what it is like to ride on a banked turn like that (it's weird to ride a banked turn that steep). The Marymoor velodrome is right near a bike path that I regularly rode. Being right near a nearby and popular bike path made it convenient to visit the velodrome and see what was going on or go visit for a scheduled race.
     
  18. shredical

    shredical Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2015
    Likes Received:
    261
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Home Page:
    yeah... i might still hang on to my track bike to go up to Marymoor this summer. Atleast i ended ALpenrose with a good memory. Won the sprint against a more advanced guy in a sprint race after getting whooped aginst him all season

    Btw, good to see you ham_sandwich
     
  19. Hammy

    Hammy Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2015
    Likes Received:
    578
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Oregon, USA
    I sold my Cannondale road bike in 2007 and bought a fixed gear bike to replace it. I'm still riding that fixie bike around for funs. It's a commuter/roadie style fixie, not a track style fixie. It has brakes. It's just more fun to ride a fixie bike around. The downside is that it limits me to only 32 mph max on downhills.

    Here's my fixie bike.
    46x18 gearing with a flip-flop style hub. Frame is fixed gear geometry with a higher bottom bracket and horizontal dropouts. Frame is welded double butted 4130 ChroMoly like a BMX bike frame. So it's heavy like a BMX bike. But I'll forgive the weight because the bike is for fun riding and the frame is durable, proper fixie geometry, and not expensive. It's a bike for riding for fun, not racing. It has Crankbothers Eggbeater pedals. For the combination of cornering clearance and the compatibility with MTB shoes that I can walk in if stopping at a coffee shop during a ride. But Eggbeater pedals would not pass muster on a velodrome. For good reason. Having a foot pull out of a pedal at 140+ RPM would be bad. Very bad. I'm aware of that and replace the cleats when they feel like they're getting worn. I also think of the Eggbeater pedals as somewhat of a theft deterrent because a thief would have a difficult time riding away on a fixie with Eggbeaters if they didn't have the right shoes on.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2021
  20. shredical

    shredical Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2015
    Likes Received:
    261
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Home Page:
    nice bike.. yeah i switched to a single speed bike for commuting and neighborhood rides. I did get a aluminum bike (Raleigh RXC) though with disc brakes cause i did plan on racing singlespeed cyclocross in 2020, but i guess i'll have to wait and see if it'll happen in this year .
    Opted for flatbars with shimano disc brakes. I forget the gearing but the experimentation i did i had it primo tuned for my commute (25 miles round trip). 75ish gear inches i think.

    Thing is, i sold my cannondale cross bike as well to switch to singlespeed like you . Had a 2015 CAADX Rival.

    Just run flat pedals on my commuter though. I used to use Crank Bros candies o my cross and gravel bike, but switched over to Time pedals instead. Felt the crank brothers was too vague an engagement.

    One downside of Time pedals compared to Shimano is the soft brass cleats (so switch out every season almost) and the non familiarity. so if in a pinch at a race its harder to find folks who run them to come to your rescue.


    IMG_1958.jpg
     

Share This Page