New Year pedolutionists



SuzieB said:
I really am beginning to wish I had bought a different bike for my first one. I have a hybrid GT Timberline which is a heavy beast of a thing, hence it's nickname, "The Beast". Anyway, being shy and unsure this bike with big tires seemed good and the bike shop didn't try and sell me anything different. Then I realised that it wasn't so good with the knobblies on the road so I switched to slicks. Now I realise that the bike is stuck somewhere in nowhere land. It's not so good for a commuter or tourer as it's really heavy and it's really not good for mountain biking with the slick tires.

I took it to Lysterfield yesterday where EuanB and Bikesoiler very kindly waited for me to either walk up the hills because my legs just wouldn't do any more or walk down the hills because I was so terrified of slipping. I'm happy to leave the mountain biking to the boys for now and ride my beautiful road bike a lot more. I'll use the hybrid for riding to work a couple of days a week but I see a trade-in coming in the future.
Click to expand...

It's interesting all these different horses-for-courses... Much like this my first bike when I got back into riding was a mtb which became and remains the regular commuter (mainly because it was a matter of 'making-do' than of conscious choice) - But it's funny how just today when I walked past the bike in my office I thought how it's the perfect commuter for me - I've changed the bars to TT to give a more aero, focussed position, and it's got slicks naturally, but the old Alivio drivetrain just won't die, and while the frame's heavy it just won't break no matter how hard I try, despite potholes, crashes, etc. plus the beefy stays make towing the trailer a breeze and I never have to feel concerned about mis-use of the equipment.

It's weird how what is the perfect commuter for me is seemingly the opposite to the flat-bar road bike which is becoming a commuter of choice for many! (I always knew i was slightly weird...)

Of course I still pine for a nice road bike, and am building up a fixie which I may commute on, but I get the feeling I'll keep coming back to my mongrel...
 
Zebee Johnstone wrote:
>
> In aus.bicycle on Mon, 09 Jan 2006 02:53:27 GMT
> TimC <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > My beef with MTBs is that most of them are ridden only ever on the
> > road. So they're grossly overengineered for that purpose, and it's
> > just like those 4WDers who never end up off road. This in turn means
> > that the lower demand for road bikes (by a factor of 10) pushes up
> > their price substantially.
>
> I'll tell you why I bought an MTB with no desire to go off road.
>
> Because I considered (and still do) the crouched position on a roadie
> to be uncomfortable.

I hear a lot of people say this, but I wonder if they just have bikes
that don't fit? Because I find roadie position very comfortable.

> I don't give a damn about aerodynamics, I want to sit up and see thr
> traffic. Not to mention those saddles!

Mention them - what about them? I use a road saddle on my MTB. I didn't
do to well with the men's saddle that originally came on my 2nd roadie
('cos my **** is too wide) but I find them no different. Which MTB
saddle is it that you like (better go test it, I like new stuff anyway).

Agreed on the traffic though. I don't find it problematic on my roadie,
though.

> I also noted that they had a better range of gears - the road bikes
> were all aimed at speed, not at new commuting cyclists.

I was lucky in that my first road bike had a triple, so I had heaps of
gears to play with. I definitely agree with this comment, although
hopefully the new trend towards promoting compacts will help?

> I used to commute on a roady, but got sick of the rims warping from
> potholes, and riding an MTB was a revelation! Slower for sure, but so
> much easier and more comfortable.

I haven't had that problem, but I find little mini bunny-hops help.

> Hybrids weren't that common, and still aren't. MTBs are comfortable,
> easy to use, good range of gears, strong wheels, they feel more solid.

They feel more solid, and if you're commuting in an area where bogans
regularly try to run you into the gutter, it's very nice having
something with which you'll at least attempt to jump the kerb. :D

> So for the vast majority of ocasional cyclists - rather than the
> dedicated speedfreaks - MTBs make a lot of sense. Hybrids make more
> sense, but aren't as flash and so don't attract as well.

Do you think that's true? I bought a MTB because it was at least a bike
that I could take off road if I chose to, not because it looked better.
Also because for the same price, some the componentry was one spec up,
the frame was lighter, and the suspension was in the forks, instead of
in the seatpost (which seemed like a really stupid and inefficient place
to put suspension).

> Roadies aren't attractive at all to your average non-ehthusiast who
> are the people who are buying most bikes.

If only it the word "Roadies" was replaced with "Huffys" *sigh*
hehehehe. It's true. I'm still looking for a very cheap deadly treddly
for my shopping trips. I want a big basket with flowers on it. The
decaying Malvern Star Renegades in our shed are starting to look a bit
like a project... (I so totally resent the way Dad refused to give them
to charity and let all the working parts rust instead... frames ok tho.)

BTW to the people who whinge about going past MTBers... If you're so
fast that they're slowing you down, you should have had plenty of
opportunities to change lanes and go around them, because surely you're
moving along at the same speed as the traffic.

I commute about 26km each way and, with traffic lights, it takes almost
an hour. My MTB is heavier and slower than my roadie and the gearing on
my roadie is great for commuting. I save my MTB for offroad.

_My_ only gripe is with people who find some reason to not pay
attention, thereby not taking responsibility for their own safety.

Tam
 
On Mon, 09 Jan 2006 03:37:33 +0000, TimC wrote:

> Zactly. Think calm blue oceans. Calm blue oceans :)

****! There's no bloody surf!

Well, that didn't work. Any other ideas?
--
Dave Hughes | [email protected]
"If you're bored, find something and break it" Jamie Rapson - 1996
 
On 2006-01-08, David Trudgett (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> As a matter of fact, and I did at least allude to this in passing, I'm
> somewhat persuaded that clipless systems are technically superior to
> toe clips for particular purposes, those being mostly sport and
> recreation purposes. I'm pretty sure that a good clipless system would
> feel a lot better and improve peddling efficiency over toe
> clips. However, my main use of a bicycle is for transport, and for
> that purpose, in my opinion, clipless sucks, to put it in the
> vernacular. They are completely impractical for commuting and
> transport as far as I'm concerned, requiring one to change shoes every
> time one gets on or off the bike. Yes, I know there are people who do
> this, and yes, I also know some clipless system shoes can be walked
> in, for some definition of 'walk'.

Personally, I store one pair of newish KT26s :) at work, one pair of
almost dead KT26 (my staple shoe :) at home, and just take the cycling
shoes with me whereever I go, unless I am going to be spending a large
amount of time off the bike, not at work or home.

What a few people seem not to know about look pedals in particular, is
that you can buy cleat protectors -- small bits of rubber that fit
over the cleat. It was quite useful for protecting you from falling
down your front steps with bike in hand (that hurt a bit), but they
are not that much cheaper than cleats themselves (at least, where I
bought mine from), and they only lasted 4 or so months before wearing
out themselves -- about the time I got out of my first pair of cleats.

On the whole, if I had enough money to buy cleats and pedals again,
I'd go for something else rather than looks. But on the other hand, I
can't now go back to normal shoes and toestraps now that I have
experienced cleats. Darn.

--
TimC
I'm not a procrastinator! I'm temporally challenged! --unknown
 
On 2006-01-08, aeek (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>
> Random Data Wrote:
>>
>> The "sneaker" style Shimano SPD shoes are quire comfortable to walk
>> in,
>> and the cleat is reasonably protected. I regularly ride to work in
>> them,
>> work/walk/shop/etc. then ride home. If I'm walking a few km I'll tend
>> to
>> pack a pair of joggers, purely for cleat wear reasons.
>>
>
> The topline carbon reinforced ones with blades to walk on have recessed
> cleats and are bad to walk on. Mine have handy toe spikes for scratching
> tiles.

Do you mean _not_ bad or bad?[1]

A large collection of my front tiles have broken off now that I am
back to walking along them in bare cleats. Glad it's a rental
property with "generally tired property" written on the property
condition form :)

[1] Don't you hate when you forget to type a word that completely
negates what ends up being said? :)

--
TimC
NOT A CHANCE! I know for a *fact* the kittens aren't frightened
by temporal anomalies. Clock watching simply ain't their bag.
John Schmidt in ARK
 
TimC wrote:


> What a few people seem not to know about look pedals in particular, is
> that you can buy cleat protectors -- small bits of rubber that fit
> over the cleat. It was quite useful for protecting you from falling
> down your front steps with bike in hand (that hurt a bit), but they
> are not that much cheaper than cleats themselves (at least, where I
> bought mine from), and they only lasted 4 or so months before wearing
> out themselves -- about the time I got out of my first pair of cleats.

Or you can use Shimano SPD-SL's that have walk-pads builtin. Not
ideal, but I've walked 5km in them once ...
 
On 2006-01-09, TimC <[email protected]> wrote:
> Zactly. Think calm blue oceans. Calm blue oceans :)

Hm. Nice calm waters there. Wonder what's underneath the surface. Time
to go hire a tank and have a look ...

--
My Usenet From: address now expires after two weeks. If you email me, and
the mail bounces, try changing the bit before the "@" to "usenet".
 
SuzieB wrote:
>
> TimC Wrote:
> >
> > My beef with MTBs is that most of them are ridden only ever on the
> > road. So they're grossly overengineered for that purpose, and it's
> > just like those 4WDers who never end up off road. This in turn means
> > that the lower demand for road bikes (by a factor of 10) pushes up
> > their price substantially.
> >
> > If bike shops and Kmart didn't push MTBs so much over roadies, then
> > road bikes would come down in cost, and that argument that you get
> > more value per dollar out of a MTB would no longer hold. So everyone
> > on a MTB, get out there and buy a roady, and make it cheaper for me :)
> >
> >
>
> I really am beginning to wish I had bought a different bike for my
> first one. I have a hybrid GT Timberline which is a heavy beast of a
> thing, hence it's nickname, "The Beast". Anyway, being shy and unsure
> this bike with big tires seemed good and the bike shop didn't try and
> sell me anything different. Then I realised that it wasn't so good with
> the knobblies on the road so I switched to slicks. Now I realise that
> the bike is stuck somewhere in nowhere land. It's not so good for a
> commuter or tourer as it's really heavy and it's really not good for
> mountain biking with the slick tires.
>
> I took it to Lysterfield yesterday where EuanB and Bikesoiler very
> kindly waited for me to either walk up the hills because my legs just
> wouldn't do any more or walk down the hills because I was so terrified
> of slipping. I'm happy to leave the mountain biking to the boys for now
> and ride my beautiful road bike a lot more. I'll use the hybrid for
> riding to work a couple of days a week but I see a trade-in coming in
> the future.
>
> --
> SuzieB

Yay I am not the only one scared of riding down hills! You need someone
like Lotte to teach you how to MTB without getting scared. She's the
best. I have a girl-crush on Lotte.

Tam
 
In aus.bicycle on Mon, 09 Jan 2006 13:59:44 +1000
Tamyka Bell <[email protected]> wrote:
> Zebee Johnstone wrote:
>>
>> Because I considered (and still do) the crouched position on a roadie
>> to be uncomfortable.
>
> I hear a lot of people say this, but I wonder if they just have bikes
> that don't fit? Because I find roadie position very comfortable.

Dunno. I am not slim and fit, so I was compressing my stomach and
leaning on my hands.

It might be a fit thing, but I didn't notice any difference when I
bought from an LBS who swore it was the right size compared to buying
2nd hand.


>
>> I don't give a damn about aerodynamics, I want to sit up and see thr
>> traffic. Not to mention those saddles!
>
> Mention them - what about them? I use a road saddle on my MTB. I didn't
> do to well with the men's saddle that originally came on my 2nd roadie
> ('cos my **** is too wide) but I find them no different. Which MTB
> saddle is it that you like (better go test it, I like new stuff anyway).

I did get a nice gel saddle when I bought my first MTB. No roadie I
looked at came with a comfortable saddle, and only one shop suggested
one. IF I hadn't already known they could be swapped...

>> I also noted that they had a better range of gears - the road bikes
>> were all aimed at speed, not at new commuting cyclists.
>
> I was lucky in that my first road bike had a triple, so I had heaps of
> gears to play with. I definitely agree with this comment, although
> hopefully the new trend towards promoting compacts will help?

I think bicycles are like motorcycles - the manufacturers look for
niches. If it is "road bike" then that means "racer" and so you get
all the racer looks. Ditto MTB.

It's dead hard to find a "general purpose" motorcycle these days, they
are either race replicas or Harley replicas, with a few offroaders
thrown in. I think the bicycle market's the same because to the
manufacturers they are toys. Not workhorses.

So all the buyers see is different shaped toys....

The closest to an all purpose bicycle that most people see is the MTB.
Inthe motorcycle world it is the cruiser, the harley knockoff. For, I
think, the same reasons - upright position, looks easier to ride and
more comfortable.

>> I used to commute on a roady, but got sick of the rims warping from
>> potholes, and riding an MTB was a revelation! Slower for sure, but so
>> much easier and more comfortable.
>
> I haven't had that problem, but I find little mini bunny-hops help.

Never occurred to me. Nor did I know how to do them.


> They feel more solid, and if you're commuting in an area where bogans
> regularly try to run you into the gutter, it's very nice having
> something with which you'll at least attempt to jump the kerb. :D

*grin* never had the problem so nevr developed the solution. But I
did feel safer on the MTB. Was just ****** off it was slower!

>
>> So for the vast majority of ocasional cyclists - rather than the
>> dedicated speedfreaks - MTBs make a lot of sense. Hybrids make more
>> sense, but aren't as flash and so don't attract as well.
>
> Do you think that's true? I bought a MTB because it was at least a bike
> that I could take off road if I chose to, not because it looked better.
> Also because for the same price, some the componentry was one spec up,
> the frame was lighter, and the suspension was in the forks, instead of
> in the seatpost (which seemed like a really stupid and inefficient place
> to put suspension).

Are you the average non-enthusiast?

Do you think most folk know what componentry is what beyond "Shimano,
must be good?"

<pause for howling from the Campy lot>

I think I did find that the MTBs seemed to be better for the price
than roadies. There was nice gear on roadbikes <as in easy to use and
seemed sensible, not enthusiast idea of nice> but the price!

Last time I bought, suspension was only just coming in. The few times
I've looked, it seemed very gimmicky on the MTBs.

>
>> Roadies aren't attractive at all to your average non-ehthusiast who
>> are the people who are buying most bikes.
>
> If only it the word "Roadies" was replaced with "Huffys" *sigh*

Hell yes!

Most of the really cheap ones are horrible. How to tell people that
though?

What can be said that will be important enough for the newcomer?

> hehehehe. It's true. I'm still looking for a very cheap deadly treddly
> for my shopping trips. I want a big basket with flowers on it. The
> decaying Malvern Star Renegades in our shed are starting to look a bit
> like a project... (I so totally resent the way Dad refused to give them
> to charity and let all the working parts rust instead... frames ok tho.)

Mum had a beautiful lady's treadly she bought about umm.. 10 years
ago. Light as a feather and the proper upright style. very nice to
ride. Some ******* stole it last year...

She can't recall where she bought it alas. But at least that late
they were there. This was Asian I think, not a brand I'd heard of.


> _My_ only gripe is with people who find some reason to not pay
> attention, thereby not taking responsibility for their own safety.

Hell yes.

Especially the ones in the cars...

Zebee
 
TimC said:
On 2006-01-06, Random Data (aka Bruce)

I read a story over the weekend at Cafe90 about a mentally ill guy who
died trying to steal a bicycle. The police investigated and found
+300 bikes in the house, of which only about 40 weren't stolen, and
then hundreds of other parts. The house was barely habitable, with
even the bath piled full of wheels and the like. But he was very
systematic in his stacking of bikes and parts.

Project Oppy, or something like that -- google isn't telling me
anyhting.

--
TimC
Calm down, it's *only* ones and zeroes.
Click to expand...


It was written up in 'The Age' probably at least 18 moths ago. and about 6 months before that. Most of the bikes had been taken from the Melbourne CBD between about 1990 and around 2000-02. He kept them in a shed at his house in Geelong. They were found when he died and the police went to clear the house. I don't know about mentaly ill, he was just obsessed about bikes. I might be in trouble that way myself judging from the contents of my shed, although I don't go round pinching them.

After about six months the police sorted through them all and produced a list to try to match up owners with recovered bikes. I went down and looked it over, they had it at the world trade centre station, as I lost an Abeni from the CBD in late 1989, but no luck.

The two stories were written up as separate pieces

So if anyone out there knows of a 1984 vintage 24" blue Abeni with a mixture of Superbe Pro and Ofmega running gear it would be nice to have it back.

Rory W
 
Tamyka Bell said:
BTW to the people who whinge about going past MTBers... If you're so
fast that they're slowing you down, you should have had plenty of
opportunities to change lanes and go around them, because surely you're
moving along at the same speed as the traffic.

I commute about 26km each way and, with traffic lights, it takes almost
an hour. My MTB is heavier and slower than my roadie and the gearing on
my roadie is great for commuting. I save my MTB for offroad.

_My_ only gripe is with people who find some reason to not pay
attention, thereby not taking responsibility for their own safety.

Tam
Click to expand...

My only gripe is when mountain bikers pass me when I am on the roadie. Oh the shame. :eek:
 
On 2006-01-09, SuzieB (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> I really am beginning to wish I had bought a different bike for my
> first one. I have a hybrid GT Timberline which is a heavy beast of a
> thing, hence it's nickname, "The Beast". Anyway, being shy and unsure
> this bike with big tires seemed good and the bike shop didn't try and
> sell me anything different. Then I realised that it wasn't so good with
> the knobblies on the road so I switched to slicks. Now I realise that
> the bike is stuck somewhere in nowhere land. It's not so good for a
> commuter or tourer as it's really heavy and it's really not good for
> mountain biking with the slick tires.

Apparently it is necessary to make a big mistake on your first bike
(and first tent and first everything else that is expensive). But you
then learn what you want. Of course, with bikes, you always want one
more bike anyway. Dammit.

> I took it to Lysterfield yesterday where EuanB and Bikesoiler very
> kindly waited for me to either walk up the hills because my legs just
> wouldn't do any more or walk down the hills because I was so terrified

What!? A day after your Amy's ride? /I/ certainly was struggling
yesterday on the BR. Partly because I didn't eat enough Saturday
night, and partly because I just plain cannot do two long rides in 2
days. What tips do people have, other than eating more pasta?

--
TimC
Black holes are where God divided by zero. -- Steven Wright
 
Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on Mon, 09 Jan 2006 13:59:44 +1000
> Tamyka Bell <[email protected]> wrote:
> > Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> >>
> >> Because I considered (and still do) the crouched position on a roadie
> >> to be uncomfortable.
> >
> > I hear a lot of people say this, but I wonder if they just have bikes
> > that don't fit? Because I find roadie position very comfortable.
>
> Dunno. I am not slim and fit, so I was compressing my stomach and
> leaning on my hands.
>
> It might be a fit thing, but I didn't notice any difference when I
> bought from an LBS who swore it was the right size compared to buying
> 2nd hand.

Being the right size and fitting are related, but not the same.

> > Mention them - what about them? I use a road saddle on my MTB. I didn't
> > do to well with the men's saddle that originally came on my 2nd roadie
> > ('cos my **** is too wide) but I find them no different. Which MTB
> > saddle is it that you like (better go test it, I like new stuff anyway).
>
> I did get a nice gel saddle when I bought my first MTB. No roadie I
> looked at came with a comfortable saddle, and only one shop suggested
> one. IF I hadn't already known they could be swapped...

The truth tends to be :

Soft seats sell in lazy shops, seats that fit are comfortable for long
rides.
You'll notice that I haven't written that soft seats fit, or that seats
that
fit are necessarily soft.

> >> I also noted that they had a better range of gears - the road bikes
> >> were all aimed at speed, not at new commuting cyclists.
> >
> > I was lucky in that my first road bike had a triple, so I had heaps of
> > gears to play with. I definitely agree with this comment, although
> > hopefully the new trend towards promoting compacts will help?
>
> I think bicycles are like motorcycles - the manufacturers look for
> niches. If it is "road bike" then that means "racer" and so you get
> all the racer looks. Ditto MTB.

There's a world of difference between a trek 3700 and a trek fuel 90,
for example.

> It's dead hard to find a "general purpose" motorcycle these days, they
> are either race replicas or Harley replicas, with a few offroaders
> thrown in. I think the bicycle market's the same because to the
> manufacturers they are toys. Not workhorses.

We sell a lot of workhorse commuter bikes. Mostly Trek or Apollo
hybrids or low end MTBs. The vast majority of bikes out there globally
are workhorses. Have a look at the biggest bike manufacturer in the
world :

http://www.herocycles.com/mainproducts.html

> So all the buyers see is different shaped toys....
>
> The closest to an all purpose bicycle that most people see is the MTB.
> Inthe motorcycle world it is the cruiser, the harley knockoff. For, I
> think, the same reasons - upright position, looks easier to ride and
> more comfortable.

Ever seen a midsize generic Jap bike? Think a Suzy GS500 or similar?
Loads of them around too .. and easy to get and cheap. They're not the
sexy bikes in the window usually, but they exist.

> >> I used to commute on a roady, but got sick of the rims warping from
> >> potholes, and riding an MTB was a revelation! Slower for sure, but so
> >> much easier and more comfortable.
> >
> > I haven't had that problem, but I find little mini bunny-hops help.
>
> Never occurred to me. Nor did I know how to do them.

You'll struggle to do them on flat pedals on an upright bike.

> > They feel more solid, and if you're commuting in an area where bogans
> > regularly try to run you into the gutter, it's very nice having
> > something with which you'll at least attempt to jump the kerb. :D
>
> *grin* never had the problem so nevr developed the solution. But I
> did feel safer on the MTB. Was just ****** off it was slower!

For most 'round town riding an MTB is not necessarily slower, put the
right tyres on it and it'll hoot along comfortably at 30km/h on the
flat with roughly the same effort as a roady.

> >> So for the vast majority of ocasional cyclists - rather than the
> >> dedicated speedfreaks - MTBs make a lot of sense. Hybrids make more
> >> sense, but aren't as flash and so don't attract as well.
> >
> > Do you think that's true? I bought a MTB because it was at least a bike
> > that I could take off road if I chose to, not because it looked better.
> > Also because for the same price, some the componentry was one spec up,
> > the frame was lighter, and the suspension was in the forks, instead of
> > in the seatpost (which seemed like a really stupid and inefficient place
> > to put suspension).
>
> Are you the average non-enthusiast?
>
> Do you think most folk know what componentry is what beyond "Shimano,
> must be good?"

If they go to a proper LBS and the staff there aren't lazy, then yes,
they should. If they buy their bike at kmart for peanuts, they get the
advice they paid for.

> <pause for howling from the Campy lot>
>
> I think I did find that the MTBs seemed to be better for the price
> than roadies. There was nice gear on roadbikes <as in easy to use and
> seemed sensible, not enthusiast idea of nice> but the price!

They are, for $400 you can get a perfectly servicable MTB or hybrid,
you won't get a roady for less than $1000, and that's a dunger.
 
SuzieB wrote:
> Tamyka Bell Wrote:
> My only gripe is when mountain bikers pass me when I am on the roadie.
> Oh the shame. :eek:
>

I've been passed like this many times but a few weeks ago on my commute
on the MTB I spotted a roadie going up a hill up ahead and I was
catching him. WooHoo! So I kept pushing hard and as I went by slowed my
breathing and adopted the most casual pose possible (despite the fact my
body was screaming for air and I was dying to get up and stand on the
pedals). Now I know that just because everybody passing me looks like
they are doing it effortlessly, some may well be on the verge of a
coronary trying to look like that.

DaveB
 
SuzieB wrote:
>
> Tamyka Bell Wrote:
> >
> > BTW to the people who whinge about going past MTBers... If you're so
> > fast that they're slowing you down, you should have had plenty of
> > opportunities to change lanes and go around them, because surely you're
> > moving along at the same speed as the traffic.
> >
> > I commute about 26km each way and, with traffic lights, it takes almost
> > an hour. My MTB is heavier and slower than my roadie and the gearing on
> > my roadie is great for commuting. I save my MTB for offroad.
> >
> > _My_ only gripe is with people who find some reason to not pay
> > attention, thereby not taking responsibility for their own safety.
> >
> > Tam
>
> My only gripe is when mountain bikers pass me when I am on the roadie.
> Oh the shame. :eek:
>
> --
> SuzieB

Well you shouldn't be riding your roadie on the trails! ;)

Tam
 
SuzieB said:
My only gripe is when mountain bikers pass me when I am on the roadie. Oh the shame. :eek:
Click to expand...
What about someone on a tourer with two full panniers? That seems to be one way to start a race when riding to work.
wink.gif
 
Zebee Johnstone wrote:
> In aus.bicycle on Mon, 09 Jan 2006 13:59:44 +1000
> Tamyka Bell <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>Zebee Johnstone wrote:
>>
>>>Because I considered (and still do) the crouched position on a roadie
>>>to be uncomfortable.
>>
>>I hear a lot of people say this, but I wonder if they just have bikes
>>that don't fit? Because I find roadie position very comfortable.
>
>
> Dunno. I am not slim and fit, so I was compressing my stomach and
> leaning on my hands.
>
> It might be a fit thing, but I didn't notice any difference when I
> bought from an LBS who swore it was the right size compared to buying
> 2nd hand.
>
>
>
>>>I don't give a damn about aerodynamics, I want to sit up and see thr
>>>traffic. Not to mention those saddles!
>>
>>Mention them - what about them? I use a road saddle on my MTB. I didn't
>>do to well with the men's saddle that originally came on my 2nd roadie
>>('cos my **** is too wide) but I find them no different. Which MTB
>>saddle is it that you like (better go test it, I like new stuff anyway).
>
>
> I did get a nice gel saddle when I bought my first MTB. No roadie I
> looked at came with a comfortable saddle, and only one shop suggested
> one. IF I hadn't already known they could be swapped...
>
>
>>>I also noted that they had a better range of gears - the road bikes
>>>were all aimed at speed, not at new commuting cyclists.
>>
>>I was lucky in that my first road bike had a triple, so I had heaps of
>>gears to play with. I definitely agree with this comment, although
>>hopefully the new trend towards promoting compacts will help?
>
>
> I think bicycles are like motorcycles - the manufacturers look for
> niches. If it is "road bike" then that means "racer" and so you get
> all the racer looks. Ditto MTB.
>
> It's dead hard to find a "general purpose" motorcycle these days, they
> are either race replicas or Harley replicas, with a few offroaders
> thrown in.

When I bought it (In 86) my katana was as hard edged a sports motorcycle
as you could find. Hell someone had just won the castrol 6 hour on
one and a 1000 cc version had been built for Bathhurst. The road tests
mentioned the poor riding position and the horror pillion seat

Now its a placid easy to ride general purpose motorcycle with a
comfortable pillion seat.

Whats changed? Not the Kat (Well its stealth orange now. A low
visibility color designed to help it fade into the background and be
invisible to motorists)

THe definition of sportsbike has changed, All the new ones are so hard
edged the niche the Kat fits in has moved. Interesting huh?

And Zebee there are always BMWs :)


Dave
 
TimC wrote:
> On 2006-01-09, SuzieB (aka Bruce)
> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>
>>I really am beginning to wish I had bought a different bike for my
>>first one. I have a hybrid GT Timberline which is a heavy beast of a
>>thing, hence it's nickname, "The Beast". Anyway, being shy and unsure
>>this bike with big tires seemed good and the bike shop didn't try and
>>sell me anything different. Then I realised that it wasn't so good with
>>the knobblies on the road so I switched to slicks. Now I realise that
>>the bike is stuck somewhere in nowhere land. It's not so good for a
>>commuter or tourer as it's really heavy and it's really not good for
>>mountain biking with the slick tires.
>
>
> Apparently it is necessary to make a big mistake on your first bike
> (and first tent and first everything else that is expensive). But you
> then learn what you want. Of course, with bikes, you always want one
> more bike anyway. Dammit.
>
>
>>I took it to Lysterfield yesterday where EuanB and Bikesoiler very
>>kindly waited for me to either walk up the hills because my legs just
>>wouldn't do any more or walk down the hills because I was so terrified
>
>
> What!? A day after your Amy's ride?

Yeah. Kathy wouldnt get out of bed. Wouldnt let me in either :(
That Suzie done good ;)

Dave
 
LotteBum wrote:
> Theo Bekkers Wrote:

>> In my schools only pansies got driven to school.

> That hasn't changed at all, Theo. It's just that most kids ARE
> pansies these days - made so by their over protective parents.

But, but, their parents are my generation's children. WTF happened?

Theo
 
On Sun, 08 Jan 2006 21:20:11 -0800, Bleve wrote:

(of bunnyhops)
> You'll struggle to do them on flat pedals on an upright bike.

Not true. Upright bikes are easier to bunnyhop, and flat pedals aren't
that hard with a bit of practice. For a while I could bunnyhop higher in
flats than with cleats, because my timing was off in cleats.

> They are, for $400 you can get a perfectly servicable MTB or hybrid, you
> won't get a roady for less than $1000, and that's a dunger.

I would have said closer to $600 as a starting point. At $400 there are a
few too many compromised components. But they're not bad value

--
Dave Hughes | [email protected]
"If you're bored, find something and break it" Jamie Rapson - 1996
 
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