Where are you from,what do you do?

[avmanansala]

Howdy! New here. I'm from Sacramento, CA and joined a while ago after lurking for a few weeks. I work as a designer for the State of California.

Looking at getting my first bike in almost 20 years (has it been that long???!). Probably going to end up with a Cannondale Bad Boy after test riding several hybrids/urban/fitness bikes. I don't like the rolling resistance of 26"ers on the street/bike paths so MBs are out. Road bikes just aren't comfortable for me...yet.

Besides this new interest, I also into photography and FMA.

Regards,
Anthony

 

[gnapalm]

I'm from Monterrey, México...28 y.o. & and i take running seriosuly...the other things in my life...are just plain hobbies...jejeje ......and....b-sides of runninf, I chase chicks to!!!....jojojo ....I love Runner Chicks!...they look so great!! ......and i'm single...just for the record!

 

[GeordieByker]

Gday.

I'm from Adelaide South Australia (43yo) have been riding my Mountain Bike

on the road for the last couple of years. I'm looking to buying a road bike later in

the year. Maybe a Giant or Trek 1200. Just started investigating last week, the

choice is huge.

Work in the wine industry and get to ride 2 to 3 times a week 30 to 40kms.



GeordieByker

 

[Roddo]

Hey everyone,

Im from Hamilton in Scotland, and am relatively new to cycling. I wanted to maintain a reasonable level of fitness and try and be more environmentaly friendly so ive started commuting on a Scott Sportster P5 ( a hybrid)...my first bike since i was like 15. I COULD NOT BELIEVE some of the prices of the better bikes.....im obviously getting old. The P5 is bit more robust....in my mind if nothing else. The road bikes im just sure would not cope with some of the potholes im hitting.

Its a 28 mile or 45 km commute. At the moment its taking me an hour to go one way (14miles). Hopefully this will improve a little once i get into the swing of it. I work a 3 shift system and generally travelling off peak apart from after a night shift. But as im travelling out of the city then, its no problem ...yet. Travelling through a few hairy bits at night.....just makes you go a little faster.

Im not sure how this is going to go. I mean to do this as far through winter as possible too.

Really looking to pick up on advice on the forums here... my biggest worry is breaking down through puncture. Im saying that but i have to admit ....my cars have never been too reliable.

Im not really into cycling for pleasure. Although i do get a lot of pleasure out of it at the moment. I suspect that will wear off when leaving for a nightshift in the middle of winter.....

Anyway im here now and hopefully ill stick with it.

The Cross.

G'day,

Don't fret about puncures, you're going to get them. The best advice I can offer is that you get kevlar belted tyres. These are available in sizes from 20mm wide upwards, they're not cheap but if you change to them after a while you'l notice the reduction in flats. I commute daily, 55km the round trip and carry a pump, tyre levers, and TWO spare tubes. Michelin make lightweight plastic tyre levers. These bend alarmingly but have never let me down despite that the Michelin tyres I run are the very devil to get off. I find that with really tight tyres you have to lever them on as well - hence carrying two tubes, as once I punctured my spare tube being clumsy with a lever then had to walk 45 mins home! I have also trimmed the corners off the "hook" on my Michelin levers as these were a bit sharp.
Remember when you remove the flat tube to investigate the cause of the puncture thoroughly and if you find that there is still a spike in the tyre remove it!
The other trick is to keep your tyres inflated to the high end of the manufaturer's recommendation. Not only do they roll much more easily but you're less likely to get "snakebite" punctures from potholes, stones etc.
Keep on bikin'

 

[fastcat]

First post here, so hello to everyone.

I'm Ken, 39, based in England. I'm a keen recreational road rider with an asipiration to time trialing (but by the time I get round to it I'll be a vet. !). Also done a bit of triathlon in the past, but now prefer to focus on the cycling.

Presently doing about about 100 miles/week working on building base fitness again after a few lean years when various things have conspired to reduce the amount of time I've spent on the bike.

When family and work commitments allow, my other passion is hillwalking, mainly on the mountains of Scotland, with occasional trips to the French Alps.

Best wishes

Ken

 

[TheCross]

G'day,

Don't fret about puncures, you're going to get them. The best advice I can offer is that you get kevlar belted tyres. These are available in sizes from 20mm wide upwards, they're not cheap but if you change to them after a while you'l notice the reduction in flats. I commute daily, 55km the round trip and carry a pump, tyre levers, and TWO spare tubes. Michelin make lightweight plastic tyre levers. These bend alarmingly but have never let me down despite that the Michelin tyres I run are the very devil to get off. I find that with really tight tyres you have to lever them on as well - hence carrying two tubes, as once I punctured my spare tube being clumsy with a lever then had to walk 45 mins home! I have also trimmed the corners off the "hook" on my Michelin levers as these were a bit sharp.
Remember when you remove the flat tube to investigate the cause of the puncture thoroughly and if you find that there is still a spike in the tyre remove it!
The other trick is to keep your tyres inflated to the high end of the manufaturer's recommendation. Not only do they roll much more easily but you're less likely to get "snakebite" punctures from potholes, stones etc.
Keep on bikin'

Roddo, thanks for the info and experience mate.

Just got my pump and spare.....so i need another eh? Tyres are at 100psi so hopefully that will help help. Getting to learn the main pot holes too.


Cheers

The Cross

 

[RussB]

Hi All,
I'm 46 from SE Massachusetts. I work as an Equipment Tech for Intel. And yes there is an "Intel Inside" my PC. The job gives my plenty of upper body excercise. I just starting riding last September. I needed to build leg strenght. If I kneeled down to pick up something off the floor, I was using my hands to pull myself back to a standing position. I bought a Gary Fisher Hybrid last year and Finally got my legs in shape enough to ride 5 miles at a time. Once the winter was over I started riding again. A few weeks ago, as a reward to myself for sticking to it, I bought myself a TREK Pilot 2.1 spa. Yesterday I did 27 miles with an average speed of 15.4 mph. This was with platform pedals with sneakers. Tomorrow I'll be upgrading to clipless. (I've read all the threads and I plan to put a label on my handlebars that says "UNCLIP" to remind my.) I've read about newbies forgetting after a long ride.

See you on the road

 

[StankApe]

Yowza. I'm in Sydney, work at the opera house...lifting stuff and making "magic" happen

 

[cyberlegend1994]

Hi All,
I'm 46 from SE Massachusetts. See you on the road

Welcome neighbor

 

[oz505]

from newcastle, just design and draw stuff for the coal industry, also have a sticker/signwriting business on the side with a mate!

 

[rider88]

hi, I am 52 from Malaysia . had been mountain biking for abouts 5 years.
mostly x-country. Can anyone tell me what is the correct height of the seat post for X-country riding. is it the same as on a road bike?

 

[Javan]

Who: John (Javan)
Where: Chazy NY (near the Canadian border on Lake Champlain)
but also currently living in a hotel in Cuyahoga Falls, OH for work)
Rides: GT Timberline comfort bike, Diamonback Wildwood CITI comfort bike. Both bikes have more racing style saddles, bar ends, clipless pedals and mtb slicks.
Riding style: Ride about 80% trails (towpath) and 20% roads. Currently riding about 50-80 miles a week.

Why: Got back into biking for the benefit of the exercise. Lost 20+ lbs since January and dropped 2 pant sizes and 2 shirt sizes since I started.

Been on other sites (bikeforums.net) and just found this one...

 

[2 wheels good]

Where? Im an Essex Boy (UK) but im trying to break the mould.

What? Just about to re start law career after a year travelling and a year wasted doing nada!
Am relatively new to cycling- did ''the most dangerous road in the world'' ride in Bolivia and there was no looking back.

Love excercising and hate traffic so much I cant be sitting in a traffic jam and take 50 mins to get to work (its less than 7 miles). Love sailing past them and flippin them a mental middle finger.

Want to get myself a decent racer and start taking on a bit more.

Now then, as a newbie, who's going play nice and give me some advice? cycling to work but having no showers, needing to look smart and being prone to sweat like a leeking tap- how am going to dodge that curveball? Baby wipes?!!

Whats the most dangerous thing on the roads?

 

[JTADAD]

Flagler Beach, Florida - Banker

Starting to cycle after 20 year break.

 

[alan_50501]

Yes, Vo2, I am certainly going to try. I did it last year, although I did not do much training. I have the Argus 3 times. However, I am not yet in the sub-3 category.

What about you? Any sparkling tips, drugs (hehehe), boosters etc?

im from iowa and self empolyed in lawncare snow removal

 

[LSU1981]

Hi,

I'm new to cycling -- for years I've been in the gym 3-5 days a week and I added bit of jogging around the track a few years ago. My knees started to bother me to so I decided to move to the bike. After a few months of 2-3 rides per week of 30-45 minutes on an old steel frame hybrid (Diamondback Wildwood) I decided to step up to a road bike. After a little research I picked up a Specialized Roubaix about 2 weeks ago. Upgraded the wheels to Mavic Ksyrium Elite, added cages, and a basic computer.

I'm in sales with a big patch (Americas) so travel a good bit but am looking forward to longer, faster rides when home in Colorado.

Glad I found this site -- seems to have a lot of good people and great information. I look forward the day I can contribute.

Mike

 

[twaney69]

Hello.
My name is Twaney ,Im born in Yonkers ny live in ct now for the past 16yrs.
I do daycare and landscaping,painting,cater company parties a few times in the summer.
I am goning back to school soon ,I'm intrested in bettering my futuer ,need schooling
,I am married and have beautiful children and a great hubby who works hard and I now wanna engage in becoming a chef maybe I am a great cook
I am Italian green eyes 5'2 a bit chubby, that's why I am also on a diet ,
criminal justice is also something I am thinking of taking on,maybe counciling for young troubled kids well uncertain but deep thinking on my part.

 

[philmcb]

I'm from Calabasas, CA. That's in the Valley.... in case you didn't want to know. I love riding and have been into cycling since I was a kid. I'm 6'3" and weigh about 185. I'm OLD.... 53. God that looks weird in print. Ouch. I'm just getting back into cycling after a layoff. I want to get better, obviously. Actually, I'd like to get better than I was when I quit, and do it without nearly as much killer training sessions. No, I never raced, but I should have. I was best in the hills, but sprinted pretty good. I'm NO GOOD for LONG rides. I pop after about an hour or two. But I can be pretty nasty duing that time. Even though I'm tall, I always thought that somehow I'd be good at sprinting. Again, not too taxing on the endurance component. Maybe I'll go to the Encino Velo some night and check it out if I can get past the stage fright.

Up until a few weeks ago I had 4 bikes. Now I'm down to 2, which is a good thing.

I've got a Masi 3Volumetrica and a Scattante SC-R Scandium. It's 60cm and weighs just 18 lbs. Amazing bike. Don't laugh. I know it's Supergo's house brand but nearly all bikes are made side by side at the same manufacturing facility in Taiwan anyway. At least that's what I've been hearing.

"It's not about the Decals"

Oh yeah... someone get me a fixed gear bike, ok?

What do I do? I'm a Network Support Specialist for the Los Angeles Community College District, and my worksite is at LACC (Los Angeles City College). Working within the Los Angeles education system is... interesting. I'll shut up now.

Greetings everyone!

Phil

 

[fcloster]

Hello Retired racing sailboat captain, fell in love with gracious lady cyclist, bikes my buns to death...!
Help- which road bike to buy...?
Considering Look kg 386 and Orbea Onix on EBAY websites- any experience with these bikes?
Use: week long maine cruising, 12-15 mph, like performance and enjoy the roses along the way...thanks Frank In CT US of A

 

[trike]

Hi I live in Norwich UK, and I've recently taken up Cycling well Tricycling really as i have a Powerbyke Trike, (i am disabled but wanted to cycle with my wife who has recently given up her company car in favour of a bicycle to commute on and my doctor suggested cycling as a non impact form of exercise ) i try to only use the electric motor when i find the hills to hard or when i get exhausted (Please don't flame me like another cycling forum i posted on, just for riding a electric assist form of transport),

my other hobbies include Photography, driving my Chevy Silverado Pickup truck, Caravaning in our American Trailer, and attending American car shows, my pets 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Freshwater Tropical fish, surfing the Internet how i found this forum, eBay, most of my hobbies intertwine with each other and i love life,i'm Happily Married with no children, we enjoy Holidays in the UK, Europe and the USA both cheaper without children lol..

anyway thats a bit about me

all the best
Trike