Bikes Bikes Bikes (the kind you pedal)

geezer said:
I quit riding May 16, 2023, could not pedal all the way to the top of our court. I do not like to walk a bike. Age 89 then.

Thanks for the good words, Hengelo, I too enjoy re reading it. Written years ago, for my sons. They just requested I email a copy for their kids.
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I'm sure you have impressive stats. Biking isn't everything and it doesn't define me, although it's certainly something I like doing while I can. Nothing wrong with moving on to the next passion in life.

And by the way, great story.
 
Wife picked up a Trek Domane yesterday.all carbon, 105 Di2. We did an hour this morning just to get used to it. We need to raise the seat a bit, otherwise geometry is nice.
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I’m not a Trek fan, but it’s hard to find a 46/47/48 carbon bike in stock somewhere m and she’s not a serious rider so she’s apprehensive about buying without riding. I don’t hold that against her.
 
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Nice bike, congrats, keep getting her out there!
 
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Very nice! There is a little secret screw under those hoods that will adjust/bring the brake lever closer in. Smaller riders often have smaller hands.

Also for reference, Bianchi has some small frames.
 
Hengelo said:
Very nice! There is a little secret screw under those hoods that will adjust/bring the brake lever closer in. Smaller riders often have smaller hands.

Also for reference, Bianchi has some small frames.
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Yes, and Bianchi has good steel frames too. Or they did. Not sure what their current offerings are.
 
I really LOVE steel frames. Of course I've ridden carbon since 2012 but my steel Schwinn Traveler was the only bike I've ever descended down a grade at over 55 MPH. It wasn't super heavy. It had a triple crankset and could handle the Napa hills. The ride was super nice.
 
Hengelo said:
….Also for reference, Bianchi has some small frames.
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And Cervelo. The shop that did my Willier is also a dealer for Pinarello, Cervelo, and Bianchi. Unfortunately, he just didn’t have something small enough in stock.

I turned her shifters over to AXS pattern..bug button rear/small button front and put her on semi synchronous which matches her style better than OOTB manual.

She’s happy and that makes me happy.
 
Eight knee surgeries, two hip replacements, and several low back procedures.... I still love riding bikes but prefer electric assist. I just ordered two Aventon fat tire ebikes that we'll pick up in Oregon on the way south in the Sprinter van. The plan is to spend several days in Moab along the way. Then Colorado, New Mexico, and across Texas. I'm really looking forward to putting some hours on the new bikes. Not state of the art in the fat tire genre but plenty good enough for our use.
 
Aventon has a good reputation, I would love one of their electric assist cargo bikes.
 
Thats a lot of hardware! Glad you’re still riding!
 
Stewartb said:
I just ordered two Aventon fat tire ebikes that we'll pick up in Oregon on the way south in the Sprinter van. The plan is to spend several days in Moab along the way. Then Colorado, New Mexico, and across Texas. I'm really looking forward to putting some hours on the new bikes. Not state of the art in the fat tire genre but plenty good enough for our use.
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My experience with the Aventure I bought used a few years ago has been very good. Is that the model you got?

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I bought Aventure 3s for wife and myself. The Lectrics stayed down south this trip so the bike rack is vacant for the trip south. With new bikes to play with the itinerary will change. I need to get the Lectrics back to Alaska to put them in the Cub and find some remote riding spots.IMG_3620.jpeg
 
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Today’s event. Used Garmin’s “navigate to start” feature and learned it did not associate the course with the event so I missed some data at the start of the ride.

I was shooting for an average speed of 15mph or better and 90mins or faster and no stopping.

Goals accomplished.

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You guys are shaming me to get back on my bike. I was in great shape three years ago and doing some racing. Got my golf handicap into single digits at the expense of my miles.

Was following the POA group on Strava and reasonably in the mix, but lost interest when a bunch of rando's from Singapore started posting huge miles. Not sure why they wanted to show up a bunch of elderly Yanks, but there you go.
 
Cyrep on chain cleaners - Park Tool CM25 pro cleaner.

For years I've used their Cyclone chain scrubbers - you clamp it on the chain, fill it with solvent and crank the pedal and the chain comes out clean. The problem is they are messy, plastic, and they break frequently.

The CM25 is made of metal, and is intended for day in day out use in bike shops. It's less messy, and does a better job. The chain gets as clean as it would get if you removed it, and immersed it full length in a solvent tray and scrubbed it down. Probably cleaner. I'm pretty happy with it so far.

I like to use Finish Line dry lube. It goes on wet, but dries to a teflon coating, but for it to work you have to start with a very clean chain. I've looked in to chain wax before but that is waaaaaaaaay too much work. I do it every 500 miles - so far I'm pushing 11K on the Cervelo, with Shimano Ultegra, still on the original chain. I've been getting around 6K per chain on the Tarmac with the cheap SRAM Apex.
 
Chain life depends on so much. I’m a fan of the ultrasonic cleaner and parafin wax. 11k is amazing. Mine are stretched out after a fraction of that.
 
Hengelo said:
Thought this might deserve it's own thread.

What are you riding, what rides are you doing, what races are you watching, what shiny carbon tidbits are you pondering... you know the drill.
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One pic to answer the first 2 questions:

Miyata Stanislaus.jpg

In the garage: CAAD 12; at the hangar: restored Serotta team bike.

No racing. No carbon fiber. No Lycra. Flat pedals. Total bliss.
 
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Bill said:
Had triple hernia surgery Thursday, will be off bike 6-8 weeks during recovery.

Getting started again is gonna suck.
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Ouch. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Hope they could do it laparoscopically. Had a couple done last year this time; can barely remember the downtime. Worst part was all the CO bubbling around for ten days afterwards.
 
Hengelo said:
Ouch. Wishing you a speedy recovery. Hope they could do it laparoscopically. Had a couple done last year this time; can barely remember the downtime. Worst part was all the CO bubbling around for ten days afterwards.
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It was done robotically, but my Dr still wants 6-8 weeks before I stress the repair.
 
At 73, my really long rides are behind me, but I still like to get one of my bikes out when I can. I eschew road riding now because of the number of distracted drivers. That, and most of the roads around here are covered with chip seal. Riding over that stuff will shake fillings out of your mouth. Crashing on it is even worse. These days I mostly ride my mountain bike on woodland trails, or my gravel bike on more refined trails. Fortunately, there is a LOT of great trail riding near me. The Olympic Discovery Trail is a great asset that runs off and on from Port Townsend, WA to the Pacific coast. I can drive my car to one of the trailheads and start riding, or fly to the Sequim airport (W28) that abuts a paved portion of the trail and start there. Here's a recent 20 miler (out and back) on a portion of the trail that was mostly paved and off road. ODT-Central-20miler.jpeg

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Roger Wilco said:
One pic to answer the first 2 questions:

View attachment 146095

In the garage: CAAD 12; at the hangar: restored Serotta team bike.

No racing. No carbon fiber. No Lycra. Flat pedals. Total bliss.
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Absolutely no shame. You cycle because you like to cycle. Your toolset may vary. I have rode a variety of bikes from a young age starting with a little training wheel bicycle, which I learned to ride after the training wheels came off (I remember that, San Diego) and have progressed from there. Preteen years was a French Gitane 10 speed, youth model with 650 cm rims, not sure where dad even managed to get it but he did, then high school years was this horrid 10 speed Huffy that was such bad quality that it had spot welds on its thin formed tubes. It seemed to work. Well it did work.

The first step up in riding was the Schwinn Traveler. It was what they termed a "Sport Tourer." I loved that bike. It had a steel frame but it wasn't super heavy, and it had a triple crank. I could conquer the Napa hills.

The next bike was my first mountain bike. A Raleigh M700. Awesome bike. I rode it for nearly ten years until its aluminum frame succumbed to stress corrosion fracture. No more aluminium frames.

I like technology, but I don't relegate myself as a person that needs it. I'm happy with something I can pedal and that gets me there.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Absolutely no shame. You cycle because you like to cycle.
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I totally agree.

For nearly 30 years I rode in San Francisco and the Bay area, with occasional long trips. My worst experiences were not tangles with cars or aggressive dogs or chafing, but encounters with other bicyclists. That observation holds true whether I was riding a bicycle or motorcycle, driving, or (especially) walking about the city. One of the most annoying aspects of being a bicyclist among other bicyclists was the arrogant, sneering, and often aggressive snobbery I witnessed and endured. Snobbery about nearly every aspect of the ride, including what bike one was riding, technique and speed, and what apparel one wore. Many riders felt a sort of peer pressure to buy the latest $10k superbike and get all-duded-up like Lance Armstrong in order to ride through Golden Gate Park on Sunday, lest they feel shamed by other bicyclists. They couldn't just throw a leg over the bike and ride 10 blocks to Sightglass for coffee without donning the complete uniform. The flip-side was hipsters on fixies terrorizing pedestrians (including yours truly) in the Mission. As a whole, NorCal was a great place to be a bicyclist, but the scene was often spoiled by a cadre of yellow-jersey wannabes and self-righteous, preening showdogs. And I will admit to being part of the problem, mostly for taking great pleasure in gratuitously dropping many of the more obnoxious of those yellow-jersey wannabes with their Tour de France kit while riding my 1986 steel touring bike--with mudgards--while clad in a white shirt, jogging pants, and a pair of Vans on flat pedals. If the shame in shaming applies equally to the counter-shamer, well, it was a guilty pleasure of mine and I will own it. But like you, my ideal ride was casually pedaling from A to B, and often, just pedaling from nowhere to nowhere through some of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Noting that many of your most memorable riding experiences were had on a Schwinn Traveler, and in light of your statement that "I'm happy with something I can pedal and that gets me there," it's clear that you get it. So pedal on, happily, shamelessly.
 
Roger Wilco said:
I totally agree.

For nearly 30 years I rode in San Francisco and the Bay area, with occasional long trips. My worst experiences were not tangles with cars or aggressive dogs or chafing, but encounters with other bicyclists. That observation holds true whether I was riding a bicycle or motorcycle, driving, or (especially) walking about the city. One of the most annoying aspects of being a bicyclist among other bicyclists was the arrogant, sneering, and often aggressive snobbery I witnessed and endured. Snobbery about nearly every aspect of the ride, including what bike one was riding, technique and speed, and what apparel one wore. Many riders felt a sort of peer pressure to buy the latest $10k superbike and get all-duded-up like Lance Armstrong in order to ride through Golden Gate Park on Sunday, lest they feel shamed by other bicyclists. They couldn't just throw a leg over the bike and ride 10 blocks to Sightglass for coffee without donning the complete uniform. The flip-side was hipsters on fixies terrorizing pedestrians (including yours truly) in the Mission. As a whole, NorCal was a great place to be a bicyclist, but the scene was often spoiled by a cadre of yellow-jersey wannabes and self-righteous, preening showdogs. And I will admit to being part of the problem, mostly for taking great pleasure in gratuitously dropping many of the more obnoxious of those yellow-jersey wannabes with their Tour de France kit while riding my 1986 steel touring bike--with mudgards--while clad in a white shirt, jogging pants, and a pair of Vans on flat pedals. If the shame in shaming applies equally to the counter-shamer, well, it was a guilty pleasure of mine and I will own it. But like you, my ideal ride was casually pedaling from A to B, and often, just pedaling from nowhere to nowhere through some of the most beautiful places on Earth.

Noting that many of your most memorable riding experiences were had on a Schwinn Traveler, and in light of your statement that "I'm happy with something I can pedal and that gets me there," it's clear that you get it. So pedal on, happily, shamelessly.
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I see you are in Napa. I was living in the Brown's Valley area, and riding my Traveler up Dry Creek Road, and down Oakville Grade and back. At the time, Robin Williams still had his house near the top of Oakville Grade and I'd seen him driving his convertible Porsche on that road a couple times. I still occasionally return there, leave the car at Alston Park, and ride the loop up Silverado Trail to Calistoga and back.

I agree other cyclists are some of the biggest problem. The only bad accident I've had was actually on the bike trail, when I slowed to make a left turn in to a rest stop, and a bone headed Lance Armstrong wanna be thought it would be a great idea to pass me on the left at full speed, never mind that I de-clipped, went to the center of the trail and signaled. Whammo, I went flying. I managed to ride home but still went to the ER for severe leg swelling, and had to take my bike to the ER for front rim straightening. These days I avoid the bike trails and mostly ride on the roads with nice bike lanes.

I don't really do marathon rides anymore. I used to knock out eighty milers on a Saturday, and have chalked up a couple solo centuries, but mostly I keep it between 20 to 50 miles, more on the 20 end, with a burger stop to keep it reward based. I don't particularly like group rides, but I will occasionally ride with one or two other people. A group of us on the Purple Board use to meet up in Santa Rosa for the Tour De Fuzz, but I haven't done that in a while.

I like riding in The City. Once I rode across the Golden Gate from the Marin County side and went all the way to Daly City. I did more climbing in that 40 mile ride than I did on 60 mile rides in the Sierras going from Auburn to Forest Hill.
 
I got my 2009 Trek 1.5 that has been hanging in the garage since we moved to this house in 2012 down over the weekend. My oldest (13 y/o) son just did his first official 5k race a few weeks ago and it kind of kicked me into "you gotta get off your butt and do something, man!" gear. I don't know that my knees would hold up to running (plus I've always hated running anyway), so the bike seems like a happy medium. Amazingly enough the original tubes still hold air - or at least they held air long enough for me to do a quick turn to the end of the road and back - I haven't checked them since I got back to see if they're still holding. I think I'll swap out the SPD pedals for flats at least for now. Need to get the derailleurs loosened up. Maybe I can convince myself to actually do some riding.
 
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