Why ride a MTB

Bill Baka <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Uh Ken, most riding in the city is flat so who cares what the bike
weighs?

Your city maybe but not mine.

David Reuteler said:

Bill Baka said:

Uh Ken, most riding in the city is flat so who cares what the bike
weighs?

which city might that be bill?

Quoted message said:

not a Lance wannabee who cares what you ride. And what is up with you
don't
want all that extra weight in the city? Do you like to drag race at stop
lights?

blah, blah, blah. you & your 50 pound backpack & single speed cruiser
up and down the hills of san francisco..

San Francisco is one of the exceptions. I don't even like to drive a
car there, especially not a stick, because of all those damn stop
signs right at the top of a hill. Besides, I will stick with a
mountain bike in S.F. just for the extra low gears. Not that I
ever plan to bike there. I would still feel safer with a MTB due
to the trolley rails.

--
Bill (?) Baka

Ken kcmarcet'@'hotpop.com said:

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

Quoted message said:

Ken kcmarcet'@'hotpop.com said:

"do not spam" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> "Ken" <kcmarcet"@"hotpop.com> wrote in message
> news:<[email hidden]>...
> > in the city? I have noticed that many more people prefer to ride

MTBs

Quoted message said:

> in
the
> > city than ride road bikes.
>
> There are several reasons:
> 1. thick, wide tires are plusher on rough roads and less likely to

flat

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> 2. more upright riding position gives you better visibility in

commuter

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

traffic
> 3. almost all low-end (under $500) bikes are mountain bikes (or at
> least
> styled like mountain bikes)
> 4. when commuting, there is no performance benefit to a road bike

No performance difference? How about all the extra weight! My road

bike

Quoted message said:

probably weighs half of what the average MTB weighs! I can't see

riding

Quoted message said:

with
all that extra weight in the city! Maybe if i had to commute through

the

Quoted message said:

woods and over stuff you might find in the woods! I will take my road
ride
anyday!

Ken

Uh Ken, most riding in the city is flat so who cares what the bike
weighs?
I have two road bikes but they rarely get a ride. The two MTBs get most
of
the mileage, to the point that one is beginning to fall apart. If you
are
not a Lance wannabee who cares what you ride. And what is up with you

don't

Quoted message said:

want all that extra weight in the city? Do you like to drag race at stop
lights?

weight is weight, it still requires more energy to move 30lbs than it
takes
to move 15lbs!
I am not a Lance wannabe, but I have owned both MTBs and road bikes and I
would prefer a road bike! But that is just me and my crazy opinion.

Ken

I never said it was a crazy opinion but I personally ride for
the exercise so a litte extra weight doesn't matter to me.
More weight = more calories burned = better workout.
That's all I meant, so aside from the racer/yuppie (does anyone still
use yuppie?) types, I ride to get a workout not to be the fastest guy in
town.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Bill (?) Baka

--
Bill (?) Baka

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

Quoted message said:

most people will just scratch thier heads and wonder why you spent that
much.

Those are the types you want to stay far away from.

If you ever want to ride with the A-Group then you must
change your way of thinking.

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 02:07:55 GMT, Fabrizio Mazzoleni <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

most people will just scratch thier heads and wonder why you spent that
much.

Those are the types you want to stay far away from.

Yes, those and the red necks who look at riders like target for
a beer bottle toss. My problem, country riding, country hicks.

Quoted message said:

If you ever want to ride with the A-Group then you must
change your way of thinking.

If I ever want to ride with the A-Group I need to,
A: Lose about 20 years.
B: Win the lotto so I really can ride full time.
C: Convince the wife that cycling is better for her than smoking.
D: Convince her that I really am riding my bike and not
seeing that blond that likes me.
E: A whole lot of stuff that I will remember just after I send this.

--
Bill (?) Baka

Quoted message said:

Subject: Re: Why ride a MTB
From: Bill Baka [email hidden]
Date: 11/29/2004 9:23 PM US Eastern Standard Time
Message-id: <[email hidden]>

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 02:07:55 GMT, Fabrizio Mazzoleni <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

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

Quoted message said:

most people will just scratch thier heads and wonder why you spent that
much.

Those are the types you want to stay far away from.

Yes, those and the red necks who look at riders like target for
a beer bottle toss. My problem, country riding, country hicks.

Quoted message said:

If you ever want to ride with the A-Group then you must
change your way of thinking.

If I ever want to ride with the A-Group I need to,
A: Lose about 20 years.
B: Win the lotto so I really can ride full time.
C: Convince the wife that cycling is better for her than smoking.
D: Convince her that I really am riding my bike and not
seeing that blond that likes me.
E: A whole lot of stuff that I will remember just after I send this.

--
Bill (?) Baka

Good post, I don't need to fit someone else's mold of what my riding should be
like.

Bill Baka wrote:
|| On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 17:39:06 -0500, Ken <kcmarcet"@"hotpop.com>
|| wrote:
||
|||
||| "Bill Baka" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
||| news:[email hidden]...
|||| On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 16:33:27 -0500, Ken <kcmarcet"@"hotpop.com>
|||| wrote:
||||
|||||
||||| "do not spam" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
||||| news:[email hidden]...
|||||| "Ken" <kcmarcet"@"hotpop.com> wrote in message
|||||| news:<[email hidden]>...
||||||| in the city? I have noticed that many more people prefer to ride
|||| MTBs
|||||| in
||||| the
||||||| city than ride road bikes.
||||||
|||||| There are several reasons:
|||||| 1. thick, wide tires are plusher on rough roads and less likely
|||||| to flat
|||||| 2. more upright riding position gives you better visibility in
|||||| commuter traffic
|||||| 3. almost all low-end (under $500) bikes are mountain bikes (or
|||||| at least
|||||| styled like mountain bikes)
|||||| 4. when commuting, there is no performance benefit to a road
|||||| bike
|||||
||||| No performance difference? How about all the extra weight! My
||||| road bike probably weighs half of what the average MTB weighs! I
||||| can't see riding with
||||| all that extra weight in the city! Maybe if i had to commute
||||| through the woods and over stuff you might find in the woods! I
||||| will take my road ride
||||| anyday!
|||||
||||| Ken
|||||
|||| Uh Ken, most riding in the city is flat so who cares what the bike
|||| weighs?
|||| I have two road bikes but they rarely get a ride. The two MTBs get
|||| most of
|||| the mileage, to the point that one is beginning to fall apart. If
|||| you are
|||| not a Lance wannabee who cares what you ride. And what is up with
|||| you don't want all that extra weight in the city? Do you like to
|||| drag race at stop lights?
||||
||| weight is weight, it still requires more energy to move 30lbs than
||| it takes
||| to move 15lbs!
||| I am not a Lance wannabe, but I have owned both MTBs and road bikes
||| and I would prefer a road bike! But that is just me and my crazy
||| opinion.
|||
||| Ken
|||
|||
|| I never said it was a crazy opinion but I personally ride for
|| the exercise so a litte extra weight doesn't matter to me.
|| More weight = more calories burned = better workout.
|| That's all I meant, so aside from the racer/yuppie (does anyone still
|| use yuppie?) types, I ride to get a workout not to be the fastest
|| guy in town.

I don't see anything wrong with the way you ride, but perhaps you might
consider that others might enjoy going faster than you like to ride and
still not be Lance wannabes. And riding faster can be a good workout too.

Ken' kcmarcet'@ said:

in the city? I have noticed that many more people prefer to ride MTBs
in the city than ride road bikes. Maybe it is just the area I live
in, the "Flat State" or Florida! I have lived in a couple of other
states as well and have definately noticed in the past 10 to 15 years
lots more people seem to moving towards the MTB style of rides. Can
anyone explain why this is or has no one ever given this any thought?

I have both, but I usually take the mountain bike for around town errands.
First, it's not as new or flashy looking, so it's probably less likely to be
stolen, vandalized, or scratched up in bike racks. Second, I usually do errands
with a backpack, and the more upright MTB bars are better for carrying loads
this way. A MTB is marginally better in traffic because I don't have to worry
as much about bad pavement or glass, it's more stable and chuckable, and gives a
slightly better view. It's also easier to put my lights on and off of.

I suppose most people ride mountain bikes because they're mostly what's been
offered for the last 15 years. For awhile there were hardly any road bikes in
shops. But that's changing, because people who came into the sport as mountain
bike riders are discovering that road bikes take less effort to pedal. Most
people ride mainly on-road anyway. Also, road riding is easier on aging, out of
shape bodies, requires less fiddling with equipment, and can be done right from
your front door. People are finally figuring this out after a decade of
plodding around on mountain bikes.

Matt O.

Rich Clark said:

Drop bars can be positioned to provide an upright posture. There is
very little difference between my posture on my 'cross and touring
bikes compared to a typical MTB.

This is true. There's no difference in the seat/handlebar relationship of my
road bike and mountain bike. I just did a casual measurement -- the bar center
to seatpost center is identical, as is the drop between saddle and bar. Of
course the bar ends are brake hoods are the same except for width. Most avid
riders I know have their bikes set up similarly. The difference with the road
bike is being able to use the drops to get lower.

However, the crosswise grip and wider bars make the MTB more stable and
confidence-inspiring, especially when carrying 30 LB of groceries in a backpack.

If I were to build the ultimate around-town bike, it would probably be a "sport
touring" kind of road bike with a rear rack, slightly fatter tires, fenders for
rainy days, and some kind of built-in light system, probably with a hub
generator. But I already have a mountain bike, and it works well enough. For
most people, this is the bottom line.

Matt O.

"Ken" <kcmarcet"@"hotpop.com> says...

Quoted message said:

in the city? I have noticed that many more people prefer to ride MTBs in the
city than ride road bikes. Maybe it is just the area I live in, the "Flat
State" or Florida! I have lived in a couple of other states as well and have
definately noticed in the past 10 to 15 years lots more people seem to
moving towards the MTB style of rides. Can anyone explain why this is or has
no one ever given this any thought?

Ken

A no-brainer. MTBs are tougher, have a softer ride and are more
versatile. Jumping off curbs, taking shortcuts and crashing through
potholes are much better on an MTB. MTBs have better slow speed
maneuverability, and you will be going slow and dodging obstacles often
in the city. The speed difference is more myth than reality. I've put
countless miles on both types of bikes and the difference is only about
10%. Sustained speeds of 20mph are no problem on my FS 28lb MTB with
semi-slicks.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Matt O'Toole said:

If I were to build the ultimate around-town bike, it would probably be a "sport
touring" kind of road bike with a rear rack, slightly fatter tires, fenders for
rainy days, and some kind of built-in light system, probably with a hub
generator.

There are some specific randonneur-configured bikes that I
think would admirably fill that bill.

Quoted message said:

But I already have a mountain bike, and it works well enough. For
most people, this is the bottom line.

One other feature I like about old-school MTBs is the old
cantilever brakes with big levers. It's quite comfy to
just rest my hands flat over the grips and drape all my
fingers over the levers, without really gripping all the
time, and yet have fistfuls of braking power instantly at
my avail. These newfangled, tight little two-fingered
V-brake levers don't allow that kind of hand comfort.

And MTB top-mount thumb shifters are a piece of cake for
adjustment and maintenance, as well as actual use.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Tom Keats said:

In article <[email hidden]>,
"Matt O'Toole" <[email hidden]> writes:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

If I were to build the ultimate around-town bike, it would probably
be a "sport touring" kind of road bike with a rear rack, slightly
fatter tires, fenders for rainy days, and some kind of built-in
light system, probably with a hub generator.

Quoted message said:

There are some specific randonneur-configured bikes that I
think would admirably fill that bill.

Even an older run of the mill sport tourer would do. I don't need super fat
tires, just 28-30mm, w/ fenders. Unfortunately the frame clearance of modern
bikes is ridiculously, unnecessarily small. Full-on touring bikes usually
handle too sluggishly. There are plenty of nice cyclocross designs around these
days, but I actually prefer caliper brakes -- less twiddling.

I may build a bike like this eventually, for commuting, and rail-trails (where
drop bars, fenders, and fatter tires are a boon). I use the MTB for rail-trails
now. I come home all muddy, with dead arms and shoulders.

Quoted message said:

And MTB top-mount thumb shifters are a piece of cake for
adjustment and maintenance, as well as actual use.

They are indeed, but neither RF+ or Gripshifts have given me a lick of trouble.

Matt O.

On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 22:19:39 -0500, Roger Zoul <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Bill Baka wrote:
|| On Mon, 29 Nov 2004 17:39:06 -0500, Ken <kcmarcet"@"hotpop.com>
|| wrote:
||<major snip>
|||
|| I never said it was a crazy opinion but I personally ride for
|| the exercise so a litte extra weight doesn't matter to me.
|| More weight = more calories burned = better workout.
|| That's all I meant, so aside from the racer/yuppie (does anyone still
|| use yuppie?) types, I ride to get a workout not to be the fastest
|| guy in town.

I don't see anything wrong with the way you ride, but perhaps you might
consider that others might enjoy going faster than you like to ride and
still not be Lance wannabes. And riding faster can be a good workout
too.

I am not pushing anything about riding styles and if someone passes me
he might just be in for a race (for fun of course). I can get one of my
MTBs over 30 MPH, just not for long. 42 ring/11 rear. Even my 2 road
types are geared slower, like 14 teeth in the rear.
Just trying to have fun on 2 wheels.

--
Bill (?) Baka

Super Slinky said:

"Ken" <kcmarcet"@"hotpop.com> says...

Quoted message said:

in the city? I have noticed that many more people prefer to ride MTBs
in the
city than ride road bikes. Maybe it is just the area I live in, the
"Flat
State" or Florida! I have lived in a couple of other states as well and
have
definately noticed in the past 10 to 15 years lots more people seem to
moving towards the MTB style of rides. Can anyone explain why this is
or has
no one ever given this any thought?

Ken

A no-brainer. MTBs are tougher, have a softer ride and are more
versatile. Jumping off curbs, taking shortcuts and crashing through
potholes are much better on an MTB. MTBs have better slow speed
maneuverability, and you will be going slow and dodging obstacles often
in the city. The speed difference is more myth than reality. I've put
countless miles on both types of bikes and the difference is only about
10%. Sustained speeds of 20mph are no problem on my FS 28lb MTB with
semi-slicks.

What he said! I can sustain 20 MPH for a while on either an MTB or a
700 x 25. 30 something MPH is the peak with either type of bike due
to wind resistance not tires. Plus it is much harder to do a bunny hop
over a curb with an MTB than a pure road bike.

--
Bill (?) Baka

"Bill Baka" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I never said it was a crazy opinion but I personally ride for
the exercise so a litte extra weight doesn't matter to me.
More weight = more calories burned = better workout.
That's all I meant, so aside from the racer/yuppie (does anyone still
use yuppie?) types, I ride to get a workout not to be the fastest guy in
town.

I have 5 bikes, each one set up to do different things. To me, riding the
open road on a MTB is like fly fishing with a deep sea rod -- do-able, but
not much fun. As much as I appreciate cycling for exercise, I could never
just see it as a workout, it wouldn't last. There's nothing I enjoy more
than a fast club ride with the all-lycra set, unless it's careening down a
rocky trail, or riding country roads on an all-night brevet, or mixing it
up with urban traffic on my fixed gear, or ...

Life's too short, and cycling's too affordable to limit yourself, why not
have it all?

Peter Cole wrote:
|| "Bill Baka" <[email hidden]> wrote
||||
||| I never said it was a crazy opinion but I personally ride for
||| the exercise so a litte extra weight doesn't matter to me.
||| More weight = more calories burned = better workout.
||| That's all I meant, so aside from the racer/yuppie (does anyone
||| still use yuppie?) types, I ride to get a workout not to be the
||| fastest guy in town.
||
|| I have 5 bikes, each one set up to do different things. To me,
|| riding the open road on a MTB is like fly fishing with a deep sea
|| rod -- do-able, but not much fun. As much as I appreciate cycling
|| for exercise, I could never just see it as a workout, it wouldn't
|| last. There's nothing I enjoy more than a fast club ride with the
|| all-lycra set, unless it's careening down a rocky trail, or riding
|| country roads on an all-night brevet, or mixing it up with urban
|| traffic on my fixed gear, or ...
||
|| Life's too short, and cycling's too affordable to limit yourself,
|| why not have it all?

Mountain biking freaks me out....rocky trials sound like a good way to end
up laid up in the hospital.
I would like to try an all-night ride on country roads, though.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Mountain biking freaks me out....rocky trials sound like a good way to

end

Quoted message said:

up laid up in the hospital.
I would like to try an all-night ride on country roads, though.

I know more people who have had bad crashes on the road than in the woods,
so the relative safety is arguable. A lot depends on how conservative you
are, at least while on the learning curve. Off-road cycling, besides being
a lot of fun, also is great for learning bike handling skills. Most spills
are low speed and involve only bruises. Beginners can avoid really rocky
areas in many locales.

Brevet riding is also lots of fun, but riding back roads, especially
unfamiliar ones, perhaps at night and/or in the rain, has its own hazards.
Still pretty safe if you use common sense. I'm fortunate to have a couple
of local brevet series (200/300/400/600/1200K rides) here in the Boston
area, they've provided some remarkable experiences. If you have any
interest in long-distance cycling, I'd encourage you to see if you can find
a series in your area. Check out: http://rusa.org/

Quoted message said:

Yes, those and the red necks who look at riders like target for
a beer bottle toss. My problem, country riding, country hicks.

In 30 years of riding I have never been accosted by "country hicks".
Country folks around here (North Florida and South Georgia), even young
men in pick-up trucks with Dale Earnhardt stickers on their window and
gun racks, are cordial. The only problems I have ever had with drivers
were in urban or suburban settings and the drivers were middle-aged and
affluent (judging by their vehicles).

[censored] Durbin

Peter Cole wrote:
|| "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote
|||
||| Mountain biking freaks me out....rocky trials sound like a good way
||| to end up laid up in the hospital.
||| I would like to try an all-night ride on country roads, though.
||
|| I know more people who have had bad crashes on the road than in the
|| woods, so the relative safety is arguable. A lot depends on how
|| conservative you are, at least while on the learning curve. Off-road
|| cycling, besides being a lot of fun, also is great for learning bike
|| handling skills. Most spills are low speed and involve only bruises.
|| Beginners can avoid really rocky areas in many locales.

I realize my fear is irrational, but it is there. Given the potentially
rapidly changing contours of the ground, plus being clipped in, it just
*seems* more dangerous. I do realise that a crash at speed on the road or
in the woods can be bad, so I do understand that road riding is not
necessarily safer. Yet, riding on a MTG on the ground as a certain appeal.

||
|| Brevet riding is also lots of fun, but riding back roads, especially
|| unfamiliar ones, perhaps at night and/or in the rain, has its own
|| hazards. Still pretty safe if you use common sense. I'm fortunate to
|| have a couple of local brevet series (200/300/400/600/1200K rides)
|| here in the Boston area, they've provided some remarkable
|| experiences. If you have any interest in long-distance cycling, I'd
|| encourage you to see if you can find a series in your area. Check
|| out: http://rusa.org/

I'm not sure if I have much interest in this type of riding. I do often see
this person riding loaded down the main thoroughfair near my neighborhood.
Frankly, it doesn't seem that much fun to me and I'm not really into camping
at night on a ride on a regular basis. I do have plans to ride around SC
(from city-to-city) with a friend but we'll likely check into a hotel at the
end of a day of riding. I didn't see any rides in SC but there are some on
NC and GA.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote

If you have any interest in long-distance cycling, I'd

Quoted message said:

|| encourage you to see if you can find a series in your area. Check
|| out: http://rusa.org/

I'm not sure if I have much interest in this type of riding. I do often

see

Quoted message said:

this person riding loaded down the main thoroughfair near my

neighborhood.

Quoted message said:

Frankly, it doesn't seem that much fun to me and I'm not really into

camping

Quoted message said:

at night on a ride on a regular basis. I do have plans to ride around SC
(from city-to-city) with a friend but we'll likely check into a hotel at

the

Quoted message said:

end of a day of riding. I didn't see any rides in SC but there are some

on

Quoted message said:

NC and GA.

Brevet riding isn't anything like loaded touring, there's no camping
involved. Brevet riding is like organized centuries, only a bit longer.