Any comments/competition for Marin's urban bikes? Mtb/<1.75 " tires

[SuperSlinky]

Dan Daniel said...

> Bike messengers make their living on having a bike that can go
> anywhere and do anything in an urban environment. I don't know if I've
> ever seen one on a full suspension bike. Or front suspension. Or even
> a rigid MTB more than a few times. You'd think that if there any
> advantages to what you like to ride, they'd be using them.

I'm not a bike messenger, so I can't say what makes them choose their
bikes. My statements weren't intended for them.

> You're certainly not the only one here talking like this, I know. I
> pay much more attention to people who present their position without
> resorting to insults. It's tiring to pick out the real points from the
> other detritus.

Well, my post was a reaction to an obviously preposterous statement, and
an argumentative one at that. Sorry, but it got exactly the reaction
that it deserved. If my post was the most insulting thing you have seen
in a while, then I can only assume you don't get out much.

 

[Dan Daniel]

On Sun, 26 Sep 2004 04:00:56 GMT, SuperSlinky <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Dan Daniel said...
>
>> Bike messengers make their living on having a bike that can go
>> anywhere and do anything in an urban environment. I don't know if I've
>> ever seen one on a full suspension bike. Or front suspension. Or even
>> a rigid MTB more than a few times. You'd think that if there any
>> advantages to what you like to ride, they'd be using them.
>
>I'm not a bike messenger, so I can't say what makes them choose their
>bikes. My statements weren't intended for them.
>
>> You're certainly not the only one here talking like this, I know. I
>> pay much more attention to people who present their position without
>> resorting to insults. It's tiring to pick out the real points from the
>> other detritus.
>
>Well, my post was a reaction to an obviously preposterous statement, and
>an argumentative one at that. Sorry, but it got exactly the reaction
>that it deserved. If my post was the most insulting thing you have seen
>in a while, then I can only assume you don't get out much.

QED.

 

[SuperSlinky]

maxo said...

> Larger diameter wheels skim over irregularities in the road better and
> offer a more stable ride because of the increased gyroscopic action. There
> are plenty more advantages (and disadvantages).

I should have guessed you were a twelve year old. The difference in tire
diameter is very small between MTB and road tires. Whatever minuscule
ride quality advantage the very slightly larger diameter gives is blown
away by the lower pressures and larger air volume of MTB tires.

Gyroscopic action?!?! Hysterical. These forces are microscopic at any
speed on a bicycle and approach zero the slower you go. Even more sad is
you didn't know that what little gyroscopic action exits is also
dependent on rotating mass, not diameter alone. MTB wheels and tires are
much more massive than road wheels.

> I'm going to come out and say it: using a full suspension MTB as a city
> bike is idiotic (unless you use it in the woods as well and it does double
> duty of course).

And this is based on your vast experience of owning how many bikes? Two
or three and a trike?

> Yes it does, so use it you arrogant bouncy boy.
>
> can't mount a traditional rack

Most bikes can't, nor do I have any desire to do so.

> cant mount real fenders

Ditto

> mushy handling

Actually, the handling is very well suited for the slower speeds of
urban riding.

> more prone to theft because of the "bling" factor

My bikes don't get stolen because I don't put them at risk. Bike thieves
steal what they can steal.

> more things to go wrong and break

A year and a half and 4000 miles on my FS, on and off road. How long am
I supposed to wait for something to break?

> you can ride alongside potholes and not over them

Only if you see them in time, or see them at all.

> you can purchase 3-4 nice rigid bikes for the price of a decent FS bike
> and on and on and on...

I can also buy 3 or 4 rolls of generic toilet paper for the price of one
roll of Charmin.

> Ten pounds makes a huge difference with an urban ride that needs to be
> lifted on to bus racks and so on.

I thought we were talking about riding bikes, not buses. I don't ride
buses, and it will be a cold day in hell before I carry any of my bikes
mounted on the outside of anything.

 

[Phil, Squid-in-Training]

bri719 wrote:
> Dan Daniel wrote:
>
>> When you get to the low end bikes, $500- 800 maybe, is lockout a
>> feature? I'm not paying attention to what's available these days.
>>
>
> not necessarily on your average $500 bike...but one for $800 these
> days, yeah. almost all decent front forks come with a lockout
> mechanism if you want to go rigid.

Which bike are you talking about? To get a lockout on a OEM fork on a new
bike, you'll need to spend at least $1000 and more like $1200... not a cheap
price.

--
Phil, Squid-in-Training