returning to riding...

Bill Baka <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

If you ride where I do and the way I do on the trails
or lack thereof, most bikes would break from the pounding. Levis, Black
redneck hat, back pack, and a Huffy pretty much defines me. Oh, and the
Huffy is even a girls model but the frame is still holding up. Call me
a Fred for that, I can live with it, but my Schwinn Super Sport with the
way too skinny TT tires (700 x 25?) just can't handle much beyond new
pavement.

Baka, your exploits are really impressive. But I swear, just thinking
about them gives me a headache.

Try some cycling shorts, gloves, and a rack, man. You'll be more
comfortable and less cranky. These things weren't invented for wimps,
they really do help a lot.

Also, 700x25 is pretty fat-- there is no reason why a road bike could
not handle serious punishment "off-road". If the pink huffy survives,
a half decent road bike will do even better assuming the wheels are
good.

Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:43:43 -0500,
<[email hidden]>, Kevan Smith

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Bill, dump the baggage and buy a condo.

Sounds like you finally met that real-estate babe in the Honda! Cool.

She was ... what? ... three years ago? There are newer models out.

Maybe Fab's doing his retro thing again.
--
zk

On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 00:00:20 -0700, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Eric S. Sande said:

I actually don't care what Frank has to say about whether riding
a bicycle is dangerous or not. I mean I respect him and so forth,
but Frank does not ride a bicycle in DC traffic.

It in fact is not that bad, I wouldn't call it dangerous.

So Frank is right.

So then I guess there's no need to be 'terrified'.
Or confident. Just somewhere in-between.

I'm finding that when I have high energy, and can easily sprint, I
feel a lot more confident. When I'm dragging from several hard
workouts, I'm more conservative. Obvious, I guess, but one reason why
I work on intervals and sprints and spinning up.

-B

Quoted message said:

cheers,
Tom

Claire Petersky said:

Fred: someone who is not as good a cyclist as I am.
Poser: someone who is better cyclist than I am.

This definition works for everyone, no matter how good a cyclist he or she
might happen to be.

Cute, but I consider most of the Freds I know to be more knowledgeable
and better cyclists than I. I've been riding 40 years now and have a
garage full of stuff that runs from practical to artifacts, but they
ones that are commuting in rain and snow without lining up other
options 'just in case' and are generally the real thing. I haven't
done that in about 10 years, speaking completely honestly. And only
for a short time then. Have to go back another ten or so to when I did
it year round and for a while. A few miles from the parking lot
doesn't really count.

They're the ones that show up at the 9:00 pm advocacy meetings on
bikes. Most of them seem to ride 5,000 plus miles a year and I'm well
short of that most years lately.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

Bill Baka said:

You need to get a life off of the bike. I am married, kids, grandkids,
cars (those hated smog machines), lawn to mow, etc. I am not married
to the bike or a time trial.

Bill, I'm not the one rudely criticizing people who want something more or
different from riding than I do, and have set their priorities and spend
their money accordingly.

Who needs to get the life (or at least some manners) here, exactly?

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo

On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 16:29:54 -0400, tcmedara <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Bill Baka said:

Quoted message said:

I asked at the LBS I go to, rarely, because he is too far to lug a
broken bike. There are about 20 different cassette adapters, many of
them not that common, but hey go for about $15.00 each, or so he said.
Most of the other stuff does not look expensive but it would add up,
and I would need to store it where it was accessible. It just isn't
that much of a thrill to be working on a bike when I could be riding.
Bill Baka

Quoted message said:

How many different types of cassettes do you have? You don't strike me
as
the type of guy with a shop full of different wheels/hubs. I'd be
surprised
if you needed more than two. 6 bikes in my garage and I only need one.
That and a cheap chain whip and you've liberated yourself from another
trip
to the LBS, all for under 20 bucks if you look around long enough.

So can you admit you are confused now that your $300.00 scenario has been
pretty well wrecked?

Tom

I have at this point four different types of cassette/freewheel. Too much
time on E-bay. Seriously, there are about 20 types, many of which are of
historical interest only, but that is the nature of being prepared, maybe
even overprepared. My favorite is an old Suntour Alpine 14-39 that keeps
outlasting the wheels I put it on. Only 5 gears and I wish it had a 12, but
it keeps going. Buy a Shimano? Me? Maybe.
Bill Baka

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

H said:

Bill Baka <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

If you ride where I do and the way I do on the trails
or lack thereof, most bikes would break from the pounding. Levis, Black
redneck hat, back pack, and a Huffy pretty much defines me. Oh, and the
Huffy is even a girls model but the frame is still holding up. Call me
a Fred for that, I can live with it, but my Schwinn Super Sport with the
way too skinny TT tires (700 x 25?) just can't handle much beyond new
pavement.

Baka, your exploits are really impressive. But I swear, just thinking
about them gives me a headache.

I never plan very much, just sort of point and shoot, and I am
riding in that direction then I see where I wind up. In the
last week I have been to two ghost towns in the mountains,
one from the gold rush days, and one recently due to a road
change. Coming up is a trip by way of highway, dirt road, and
side of river trail to another ghost town, not even on the map.
I give myself a headache sometimes since I never know what I
am going to get myself into.

Quoted message said:

Try some cycling shorts, gloves, and a rack, man. You'll be more
comfortable and less cranky. These things weren't invented for wimps,
they really do help a lot.

Shorts probably wouldn't work since I bike to places that require
hiking through weeds and carrying the bike until it gets rideable
again. Gloves might work since I have long since worn out my fuzzy
handlebar grips. My wife is suggesting a rack too, since I am up
to the point of 3 water bottles on the frame, a full back pack, and
a [censored] pack for the cell phone and camera. Some times I will go out in
the morning and not get back until sunset and consume 2 gallons of
water plus all the food I can pack. I can't say these are rides, more
like bicycle based outings, and I would not even know how to compare
what I do with riding a Century. Probably harder since I have ridden
over 100 miles on the flats and when I do an 'outing' I come back
a lot more worn out.

Quoted message said:

Also, 700x25 is pretty fat-- there is no reason why a road bike could
not handle serious punishment "off-road". If the pink huffy survives,
a half decent road bike will do even better assuming the wheels are
good.

700x25 is fat? Where have I been to miss that? My Schwinn has 700x25 and
those will fit into a decent crack in the road. Besides, the Huffy is
purple, since that was my daughters favorite color when I bought the
bike for her. If my digital camera would take some decent pictures of
the places I go I would post them on my site and people would see
what I mean about killing a road bike. Damn near killed myself on some
of those rocky trails coming back down when I should have walked.
Bill Baka

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

Bill Baka said:

tcmedara said:

Bill Baka said:

>

I asked at the LBS I go to, rarely, because he is too far to lug a
broken bike. There are about 20 different cassette adapters, many of
them not that common, but hey go for about $15.00 each, or so he
said. Most of the other stuff does not look expensive but it would
add up, and I would need to store it where it was accessible. It
just isn't that much of a thrill to be working on a bike when I
could be riding. Bill Baka
>

How many different types of cassettes do you have? You don't strike
me as
the type of guy with a shop full of different wheels/hubs. I'd be
surprised
if you needed more than two. 6 bikes in my garage and I only need
one. That and a cheap chain whip and you've liberated yourself from
another trip
to the LBS, all for under 20 bucks if you look around long enough.

So can you admit you are confused now that your $300.00 scenario has
been pretty well wrecked?

Tom

I have at this point four different types of cassette/freewheel. Too
much time on E-bay. Seriously, there are about 20 types, many of
which are of historical interest only, but that is the nature of
being prepared, maybe even overprepared. My favorite is an old
Suntour Alpine 14-39 that keeps outlasting the wheels I put it on.
Only 5 gears and I wish it had a 12, but it keeps going. Buy a
Shimano? Me? Maybe.
Bill Baka

I grant you there are many different types, but that doesn't change the fact
that one will cost you under 10 bucks. While it may be a specialized tool,
the cost associated with the tool is quickly recouped after the second or
third use. If you ride as much as you say and do your own wrenching it
would seem silly to leave something so simple to the LBS. Your choice, I
just think your logic is off (or non-existent)

Tom

Bill Baka said:

I never plan very much, just sort of point and shoot, and I am
riding in that direction then I see where I wind up. In the
last week I have been to two ghost towns in the mountains,
one from the gold rush days, and one recently due to a road
change. Coming up is a trip by way of highway, dirt road, and
side of river trail to another ghost town, not even on the map.
I give myself a headache sometimes since I never know what I
am going to get myself into.

Quoted message said:

Shorts probably wouldn't work since I bike to places that require
hiking through weeds and carrying the bike until it gets rideable
again. Gloves might work since I have long since worn out my fuzzy
handlebar grips. My wife is suggesting a rack too, since I am up
to the point of 3 water bottles on the frame, a full back pack, and
a [censored] pack for the cell phone and camera. Some times I will go out
in the morning and not get back until sunset and consume 2 gallons of
water plus all the food I can pack. I can't say these are rides, more
like bicycle based outings, and I would not even know how to compare
what I do with riding a Century. Probably harder since I have ridden
over 100 miles on the flats and when I do an 'outing' I come back
a lot more worn out.

I just figured it out. "Bill Baka" is just someone's idea of a
caricature -- the "anti-Fabrizio" if you will.

Bill "had us all going for a while there...good job!" S.

Bill Baka <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

[...]

700x25 is fat? Where have I been to miss that? My Schwinn has 700x25 and
those will fit into a decent crack in the road. Besides, the Huffy is
purple, since that was my daughters favorite color when I bought the
bike for her. If my digital camera would take some decent pictures of
the places I go I would post them on my site and people would see
what I mean about killing a road bike. Damn near killed myself on some
of those rocky trails coming back down when I should have walked.
Bill Baka

Please do post a detailed ride report on rec.bicycles.rides. Pics
would be interesting to see also, its okay if they aren't the
greatest. I want to see you on the girl's huffy in the desert.

-H.

H said:

Quoted message said:

Bill Baka

Please do post a detailed ride report on rec.bicycles.rides. Pics
would be interesting to see also, its okay if they aren't the
greatest. I want to see you on the girl's huffy in the desert.

i really truly do not wish to see those pictures.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

David Reuteler said:

H said:

Quoted message said:

Bill Baka

Please do post a detailed ride report on rec.bicycles.rides. Pics
would be interesting to see also, its okay if they aren't the
greatest. I want to see you on the girl's huffy in the desert.

i really truly do not wish to see those pictures.

I don't either, but I want him (Bill Baka, Baby) to post 'em HERE just to
annoy Jobst. (Ooops, I mean Jobst Brandt at Satanford Alumni dot org.)

Bill "must follow protocol" S.

Bill Baka said:

Spending all kinds of
money to have a super light road bike really makes me doubt the sanity
of the rider since wind resistance on the flats makes the difference.

Um, some of us are climbers and don't care too much about making our
bikes aero. To us, weight is everything.

Quoted message said:

Once you start climbing hills of any merit you are getting closer to the
mountain bike range.

Okay, now that's just plain funny. "Hills of any merit", on a
mountain bike? That's an apt description of hell.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

David Reuteler said:

H said:

> Bill Baka

Please do post a detailed ride report on rec.bicycles.rides. Pics
would be interesting to see also, its okay if they aren't the
greatest. I want to see you on the girl's huffy in the desert.

i really truly do not wish to see those pictures.

I don't either, but I want him (Bill Baka, Baby) to post 'em HERE just to
annoy Jobst. (Ooops, I mean Jobst Brandt at Satanford Alumni dot org.)

well, never let it be said i'm against annoying jobst.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 21:22:29 -0400, tcmedara <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I have at this point four different types of cassette/freewheel. Too
much time on E-bay. Seriously, there are about 20 types, many of
which are of historical interest only, but that is the nature of
being prepared, maybe even overprepared. My favorite is an old
Suntour Alpine 14-39 that keeps outlasting the wheels I put it on.
Only 5 gears and I wish it had a 12, but it keeps going. Buy a
Shimano? Me? Maybe.
Bill Baka

I grant you there are many different types, but that doesn't change the
fact
that one will cost you under 10 bucks. While it may be a specialized
tool,
the cost associated with the tool is quickly recouped after the second or
third use. If you ride as much as you say and do your own wrenching it
would seem silly to leave something so simple to the LBS. Your choice, I
just think your logic is off (or non-existent)

Tom

My logic is my own, psuedo random and non-boolean.
Bill Baka

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

David Reuteler said:

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

David Reuteler said:

H <[email hidden]> wrote:
>> Bill Baka
>
> Please do post a detailed ride report on rec.bicycles.rides. Pics
> would be interesting to see also, its okay if they aren't the
> greatest. I want to see you on the girl's huffy in the desert.

i really truly do not wish to see those pictures.

I don't either, but I want him (Bill Baka, Baby) to post 'em HERE just
to
annoy Jobst. (Ooops, I mean Jobst Brandt at Satanford Alumni dot org.)

well, never let it be said i'm against annoying jobst.

Not gonna happen. I ride in the mountains and not the desert. I take
pictures
of where I am not of me, and I would not post a picture of myself anyway.
I
look like an older white guy who looks Latino due to way too much sun.
56, 5'7", 145 pounds, dark hair, no gray, and that's all you need to know
about me. I may put some of the more interesting and odd pictures on my
site
with a pointer to the group but I would rather ride than maintain a
bragging
rights web site. Besides, after that massive cross post about 'bicycles'
and
Beatles music, blah, blah, I am not going to even try to waste bandwidth.
Moving on now,
Bill Baka

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/

"David Reuteler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

David Reuteler said:

H <[email hidden]> wrote:
>> Bill Baka
>
> Please do post a detailed ride report on rec.bicycles.rides. Pics
> would be interesting to see also, its okay if they aren't the
> greatest. I want to see you on the girl's huffy in the desert.

i really truly do not wish to see those pictures.

I don't either, but I want him (Bill Baka, Baby) to post 'em HERE just

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

annoy Jobst. (Ooops, I mean Jobst Brandt at Satanford Alumni dot org.)

well, never let it be said i'm against annoying jobst.

Can I join in?

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

Claire Petersky said:

"David Reuteler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

well, never let it be said i'm against annoying jobst.

Can I join in?

it's not a small club, claire. but not particuliarly mean spirited, either.
--
david reuteler
[email hidden]

Bill Baka <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

[...]
Not gonna happen. I ride in the mountains and not the desert. I take
pictures of where I am not of me, and I would not post a picture of
myself anyway. I look like an older white guy who looks Latino due to
way too much sun. 56, 5'7", 145 pounds, dark hair, no gray, and that's
all you need to know about me.
[...]

Damn!
I had you pegged as the George Liquor character from Ren and Stimpy:
http://tinyurl.com/4y57b
(about George: http://tinyurl.com/3zlms).

-H.

"H" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Also, 700x25 is pretty fat-- there is no reason why a road bike could
not handle serious punishment "off-road". If the pink huffy survives,
a half decent road bike will do even better assuming the wheels are
good.

That might handle a limestone trail, but any serious singletrack would
demand better tires. For some off-road applications, cyclocross tires would
work nicely.