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[Psychotext]

Doesn't matter, KOM is KOM.

(Just make sure you turn of your notifications so you can pretend that no-one ever beat them)

 

[jakonovski]

Strava scares me. I just use offline Sports Tracker and curse when it inevitably sucks ass.

 

[Psychotext]

You don't have to worry about the segments, it works really well just for tracking.

 

[thomaser]

Doesn't matter, KOM is KOM.

(Just make sure you turn of your notifications so you can pretend that no-one ever beat them)

What I'll do is print out today's achievements, hang it on the wall, then cancel my account and forever be number one.

Strava scares me. I just use offline Sports Tracker and curse when it inevitably sucks ass.

Many of my riding friends say the same - they won't use Strava because they'll see how much better everyone else is. That's silly IMO. The others don't count, it's about bettering your own times. Not everyone can be a 25-year old genetic freak on a 6-kilo superbike. It's fun to see what they can do, though, and inch steadily closer to them, a couple of seconds at a time.

 

[Psychotext]

As an old man I just like to try and be in the top third or so. Happy enough with that. But I don't look at the segments when I'm out, only when I've finished the ride and I'm at home.

 

[Jobiensis]

Not to rain on the parade, but I don't think age is that much of a limiting factor. I see 35+ dominating the leaderboards in my area. Luckily no one in the Tour de California uploaded to Strava.

 

[Psychotext]

Probably not on the road, but you rarely see old guys dominating the times off road. I think as we get older most of us realise that healing from a shattered pelvis is likely to take a while.

Those that don't exist, but most of the super fast old guys end up becoming roadies.

I've got (or had) a handful of top tens, but I maintain that had more to do with barely holding on as the bike did the work.

 

[thomaser]

Not to rain on the parade, but I don't think age is that much of a limiting factor. I see 35+ dominating the leaderboards in my area. Luckily no one in the Tour de California uploaded to Strava.

Well that's true. The local races around here (racing and tempo), and the longer Strava segments, are often won by people between 35 and 50. They have stamina up the wazoo. But the big Strava climbs are usually taken by 20-somethings. The mtb-races can go to anyone, really. One I participated in was won by a 25-year old last year, and a 45-year old the year before that.

Fun fact: one of the best local guys is 42 years old, and started cycling five years ago! Then, he was untrained and weighed 105 kilos at 190 cm. Now, he weighs 77 kilos, and has won both the local tempo ride and the national veteran tempo championship two years in a row. He's also participated in the world veteran tempo championship twice, and was set to win two years ago but had a puncture shortly before the finish. He has a hefty training regime, though - 18 hours a week in the wintertime, much more during the warm months. So age isn't a factor if you're willing to train very hard, and have good genes and an iron will...

 

[Mascot]

Probably not on the road, but you rarely see old guys dominating the times off road. I think as we get older most of us realise that healing from a shattered pelvis is likely to take a while.

Those that don't exist, but most of the super fast old guys end up becoming roadies.

I've got (or had) a handful of top tens, but I maintain that had more to do with barely holding on as the bike did the work.

How old is old? I'm nearer fifty than forty and will be out reclaiming my old KOMs in the spring.

Well, trying to anyway.

Proud that when I lose a KOM its normally to a full-suss cheat!

 

[MrGame&Watch]

Hey everyone,

I'm thinking of purchasing a bike. I know there's that saying, "it's like riding a bike", but I didn't ride much when I was younger and haven't been on a bike in at least 12 years. (I'm 25). Couple with the fact that I know absolutely nothing about bikes and you can understand why I've been a bit apprehensive purchasing one.

With that out the way can anyone recommend me a bike that would be good for riding in San Francisco for ~$300. Should I go anywhere specific to get a bike? I heard Target bikes suck.

 

[Psychotext]

How old is old? I'm nearer fifty than forty and will be out reclaiming my old KOMs in the spring.

You'll probably count if you're closer to 50. Like I said, there are a handful of nutters.

 

[outunderthestars]

Hey everyone,

I'm thinking of purchasing a bike. I know there's that saying, "it's like riding a bike", but I didn't ride much when I was younger and haven't been on a bike in at least 12 years. (I'm 25). Couple with the fact that I know absolutely nothing about bikes and you can understand why I've been a bit apprehensive purchasing one.

With that out the way can anyone recommend me a bike that would be good for riding in San Francisco for ~$300. Should I go anywhere specific to get a bike? I heard Target bikes suck.

I'd be glad to help! I sold bikes for the better part of a decade. When you picture yourself riding a bike, what do you see? Where are you riding? Why are you riding? What do you want to be able to do on your bike?

Is $300 your limit? Does that limit include money for lights, lock, and helmet?

 

[jakonovski]

For $300 I'd look for a sale item, which should be doable at this time of year. Or you could go for used, but you'd need a knowledgeable friend to check the bike for you.

How about scouring some online stores and linking some that you like here?

 

[Jasup]

Hey everyone,

I'm thinking of purchasing a bike. I know there's that saying, "it's like riding a bike", but I didn't ride much when I was younger and haven't been on a bike in at least 12 years. (I'm 25). Couple with the fact that I know absolutely nothing about bikes and you can understand why I've been a bit apprehensive purchasing one.

With that out the way can anyone recommend me a bike that would be good for riding in San Francisco for ~$300. Should I go anywhere specific to get a bike? I heard Target bikes suck.

I'd recommend you find a few bike shops around your area, look around and test a bit. Because you don't know much about bikes it's really hard to give recommendations over the internet, although you have some kind of vague idea of what you're looking for.

Purchasing a bike can be a bit of an overwhelming experience for many as the variety of different bikes is substantial. It's not made easier with the fact that those giving recommendations make have their own personal biases towards certain style of biking. For example when I was purchasing my current bike (for daily commute from suburbs to the city and for short bike trips) one dealer recommended cyclocross bikes, other wanted me to test very upright commuters (granny bikes) and the third vouched for mountain bikes. It took a few trials to narrow down what I was really looking for, but when I found it I was pretty confident it was the right bike for me.

That's why it's best to try things out for yourself. Bike dealers usually let you take test rides with the bikes, and although it might sound like a bit of a chore I really recommend you do that. The thing is that purchasing a bike is less like buying a television and a bit more like buying a car in that it's a bit more personal affair than just getting something that's "best with certain specs".

 

[Quote]

So a little update about traveling with my bike.

I leave this weekend and done a ton of reading and it just don't make sense to try and fly with my bike. I'll have to pay ~$400 for a travel case and another $150 each way, which some airlines won't even insure it's safety.

So instead I'm going to have a local bike shop pack it up and then take it to FedEX and ship it to either my hotel or bike shop. I have to ship it myself as it seems no shop is willing to do it for me.

The other option was buying a bike when I get out there, but my RIP 9 RDO is built for California, so it'd be such a waste. The only issue is that I have it setup for 1x chainring in the front right now, as in Florida we don't need many gears. I might upgrade to xx1 when I get out there.

 

[Mascot]

Minus 7C in the forest at dawn, and still not cold enough for long pants or gloves.
Hardcore, muthafukkahs!

 

[Psychotext]

Barking.

 

[jakonovski]

I put my Plug together at work and rode through semi-frozen sleet. I was like 50 metres from home, thinking "at least I didn't fall", and then rode right into a patch of slush 20cm thick and was on my side in an instant. At least it was a soft landing, if a bit wet. I'm using 35c Nokian W240 tires, loads of grip if the surface is at least semi solid.

The bike itself is really weird. For starters singlespeed makes you feel like you've been to the gym. Then there's the geometry, which was supposed to be upright but is in fact super aggressive. Wouldn't be a problem but I need to lose more weight so my gut doesn't get in the way. I don't like the hood positioning, my hands are too big to rest comfortably for long.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I feel you on the aggressive. My SS is smaller than my road bike and yet I feel like I'm further into the drops and pushing quicker. Also on the gut being in the way. Ugh. I keep my seat a little lower to keep it from becoming an issue. I don't get why you'd want a super high seat when you ride, unless you're racing, but then I mostly ride to commute with a loaded backpack on.

Had an absolutely terrifying bout of wobble yesterday. It was so frightening that when I finally got it under control the adrenaline had my entire body shaking. Took me a good 15 - 20 minutes to get myself calm again. Had it start again today and right before an icy spot too. I'm probably going to have to get my headset looked at it as it's been a little loose since I fell the other day.

 

[Quote]

I dropped my bike off at the shop to be shipped and ended up buying the new XTR groupset (minus cranks). Damn it.

 

[Psychotext]

I dropped my bike off at the shop to be shipped and ended up buying the new XTR groupset (minus cranks). Damn it.

Rookie mistake!

 

[jakonovski]

I feel you on the aggressive. My SS is smaller than my road bike and yet I feel like I'm further into the drops and pushing quicker. Also on the gut being in the way. Ugh. I keep my seat a little lower to keep it from becoming an issue. I don't get why you'd want a super high seat when you ride, unless you're racing, but then I mostly ride to commute with a loaded backpack on.

Had an absolutely terrifying bout of wobble yesterday. It was so frightening that when I finally got it under control the adrenaline had my entire body shaking. Took me a good 15 - 20 minutes to get myself calm again. Had it start again today and right before an icy spot too. I'm probably going to have to get my headset looked at it as it's been a little loose since I fell the other day.

Wobbling sounds like the worst thing ever. How fast were you going?

I dropped my bike off at the shop to be shipped and ended up buying the new XTR groupset (minus cranks). Damn it.

And here I thought I was being spendy. Totally understandable though, bike stores have this magical aura.

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

Wobbling sounds like the worst thing ever. How fast were you going?

I'm not sure, my computer fell off the other day and I'm looking for a new one. I was trying to race my wife down the hill too...she won.

Speaking of computers, I'm taking this as an opportunity to get a GPS unit, something that doesn't need a smart phone to be useful.

 

[thomaser]

Wobbling sounds like the worst thing ever. How fast were you going?

I experienced wobbling once last year, on a very long downhill in windy weather. It was only the second time I ever sat on a racer, and it was set up too aggressively for me, so I was kinda nervous to start with. Didn't go faster than maybe 40 km/h when it started wobbling. Adjusted the handlebars up afterwards, and didn't have any further trouble.

 

[Jasup]

I didn't know about speed wobble before, doesn't sound like fun at all.

In other (non)news, I had a rare chance to commute during daylight hours today. I just had to take a picture:

And before you ask, the cycle way is supposed to be white in winter. There's a layer of packed snow on top of the asphalt.
Also this is usually quite a busy cycle route, but this picture was taken just after 1 o'clock, outside the peak hours.

 

[davidnic]

Speaking of computers, I'm taking this as an opportunity to get a GPS unit, something that doesn't need a smart phone to be useful.

I have Garmin 1000 it's great but bit costly but I got it at good price it has everything you want but, I did have the Garmin 800 before that it was good to expect the mount broken after 2.5 years.

 

[sir_kevith]

Newer to the forums but always wanted to join in with you guys here. I just started biking as an adult around 1.5 years ago (I'm 31). I've commuted to work every day since getting my bike in rainy Portland. I only have to ride about 4 miles to work so it's not a bad daily commute. I started off with a low-end hybrid by Breezer which was cool but really not my style in the end. Since then I found this guy at Goodwill:

A Miyata 914 from the early 90s. Looked it up and it was on the higher end of their consumer line so I figured it was a good candidate to fix up. I really like fixing up old stuff and wanted to learn how to work on my bikes in the future so I bought it. It had the most absurd gel seat with an additional gel covering over and the cranks were bent so I had to redo a bunch of stuff. The original owner must've been heavy or maybe just into some serious touring?

I repacked the bearings, replaced the bottom bracket with a new sealed one, replaced cranks with the same Shimano 1055 set, replaced the chain, replaced tires and tubes, replaced pedals, replaced bar tape, replaced brake and shifter cables, and finally replaced the damn fat seat with a Brooks that my gf bought me for X-mas.

Here's where it's at now:

I'm pretty satisfied so far and I've been riding it for the past 4-5 months. Learning to use those tube shifters felt really crazy at first but I'm pretty good at it now. I probably spent way more on it than it's actually worth but I mostly bought it for learning and to use as a commuter from now on without having to spend a lot of money on something new. Anyone else do any rebuilds or refurbishing?

 

[outunderthestars]

Newer to the forums but always wanted to join in with you guys here. I just started biking as an adult around 1.5 years ago (I'm 31). I've commuted to work every day since getting my bike in rainy Portland. I only have to ride about 4 miles to work so it's not a bad daily commute. I started off with a low-end hybrid by Breezer which was cool but really not my style in the end. Since then I found this guy at Goodwill:

A Miyata 914 from the early 90s. Looked it up and it was on the higher end of their consumer line so I figured it was a good candidate to fix up. I really like fixing up old stuff and wanted to learn how to work on my bikes in the future so I bought it. It had the most absurd gel seat with an additional gel covering over and the cranks were bent so I had to redo a bunch of stuff. The original owner must've been heavy or maybe just into some serious touring?

I repacked the bearings, replaced the bottom bracket with a new sealed one, replaced cranks with the same Shimano 1055 set, replaced the chain, replaced tires and tubes, replaced pedals, replaced bar tape, replaced brake and shifter cables, and finally replaced the damn fat seat with a Brooks that my gf bought me for X-mas.

Here's where it's at now:

I'm pretty satisfied so far and I've been riding it for the past 4-5 months. Learning to use those tube shifters felt really crazy at first but I'm pretty good at it now. I probably spent way more on it than it's actually worth but I mostly bought it for learning and to use as a commuter from now on without having to spend a lot of money on something new. Anyone else do any rebuilds or refurbishing?

Looks awesome! You could always replace those downtube shifters with bar end shifters if you wanted. How do you like your Brooks?

 

[sir_kevith]

Looks awesome! You could always replace those downtube shifters with bar end shifters if you wanted. How do you like your Brooks?

The Brooks is definitely starting to break in or I'm just getting accustomed to a stiffer seat. The first couple weeks I was seriously questioning the saddle but the last couple weeks I havent really thought about it. I'm gonna trust everyone that says it could take a while before it's ready and just give it time.

As far as the shifters go I think they're ok for now, but yeah I might decide to convert. I'm not competitive at all so I don't feel held back as they are but I know there's a superior solution. I honestly put a lot of work into the bike as it is that I just didn't think about changing them out.

 

[jakonovski]

Vintage bikes are the best! I'd love an early 90s mtb to learn how to fix bikes, and I know exactly where to get one, but unfortunately I have nowhere to tinker with bikes. Maybe once they finish up with the new and improved bike storage in our building...

 

[Mascot]

Slightly tenuous, but my new mirror for the top of the stairs is made from an old bicycle rim. Erm, and a length of chain, and some tit-shaped dome-thing hanger.

 

[Psychotext]

Bless you, and all your little cotton socks.

 

[jakonovski]

You guys know how they say cycling will shorten your hamstrings? Well for me it's the opposite. For the first time in my adult life I can bend over and reach my toes with my legs straight. Thanks race geometry!

 

[Psychotext]

I pretty much have to do regular yoga or find myself losing flexibility very, very quickly.

 

[Mascot]

Bless you, and all your little cotton socks.

It sets the buffalo skull off rather nicely, I thought.

 

[waypoetic]

I need to sit down and find out when the TDU is aired in my time zone. I don't want to watch highlight-reels

 

[Lucian Cat]

I pretty much have to do regular yoga or find myself losing flexibility very, very quickly.

Same. Damn our hammies

It sets the buffalo skull off rather nicely, I thought.

Lawd

I need to sit down and find out when the TDU is aired in my time zone. I don't want to watch highlight-reels

Would I ruin your day if I said I could watch the majority of this tour irl but I'm far too lazy?

Oh man I just googled it. It's racing in my work town tomorrow. I'll be like 500m away

 

[Mascot]

Same. Damn our hammies

I've never been able to touch my toes with completely straight legs, even when doing karate twice a week as a teenager (what can I say - martial arts movies were all the rage at the time). I really should work on my flexibility this year, make it part of my daily routine.

 

[Lucian Cat]

I've never been able to touch my toes with completely straight legs, even when doing karate twice a week as a teenager (what can I say - martial arts movies were all the rage at the time). I really should work on my flexibility this year, make it part of my daily routine.

I have for the last 4 years or so. But gotta keep up with those stretches when riding or I lose it pretty quickly. sadly I haven't been riding in ages, ex kept the bike he bought me in the breakup last year. Finally getting the desire to get a new one so that's the plan for this month. Woo!

 

[Marky Mark]

Where do you work? I usually go and have my lunch in Victoria Square but this damn TDU has taken over my spot. :/

edit: Oh wait, it's in Tanunda tomorrow I think.

 

[Lucian Cat]

Yup main street of Tanunda tomorrow. I work a street away. So glad I don't have to drive through that.

Also come to a radgaf meetup one day, dude.

 

[Marky Mark]

maybe ;_;

 

[jakonovski]

I pretty much have to do regular yoga or find myself losing flexibility very, very quickly.

I think for me it's just unhealthy lifestyle falling off little by little. I recall being quite bendy as a kid. Now I do stretches and core exercises to better relax after biking, but the last bit that I needed was indeed riding the singlespeed a few times, all doubled up.

 

[thomaser]

I'm sitting here spinning away on the roller every other day, but I don't really know what I'm doing. So far, I've just gone through random programs and films, but I want to follow a program that will make me a better rider, eventually. I want to lower my heart rate at higher intensities, raise the lactate threshold if possible, and so on. Any tips about how I should approach this?

My ultimate goal for the year is to complete a certain mtb-race in August in under 2 hours (did it in 2.20 last year), and to do that I need to better my endurance significantly.

 

[Psychotext]

I'm sitting here spinning away on the roller every other day, but I don't really know what I'm doing. So far, I've just gone through random programs and films, but I want to follow a program that will make me a better rider, eventually. I want to lower my heart rate at higher intensities, raise the lactate threshold if possible, and so on. Any tips about how I should approach this?

My ultimate goal for the year is to complete a certain mtb-race in August in under 2 hours (did it in 2.20 last year), and to do that I need to better my endurance significantly.

TrainerRoad my good man. Accept no substitutes.

 

[2SeeKU]

Question for all you off-road guys, do you use cleats?

 

[Psychotext]

Question for all you off-road guys, do you use cleats?

Yes, but only on cross country stuff. Downhill / hardcore terrain I switch to flats.

If I need to bail or emergency dab, I don't want even the slightest thing that could hold me up.

 

[2SeeKU]

Yes, but only on cross country stuff. Downhill / hardcore terrain I switch to flats.

If I need to bail or emergency dab, I don't want even the slightest thing that could hold me up.

That's basically my line of thinking. I'm picking up my new bike (Focus Black Forest) in a week or two and was thinking about getting a set of cleats too. I might leave it till later as l don't think l'd be as confident on the trails if l knew l could stab my foot down.

 

[Psychotext]

The more time you spend on flats the better you get generally anyway. The only place cleats are a no brainer are in road riding.

The ability to reposition your feet is particularly important as you learn to handle trickier terrain too. Especially at low speed.

 

[thomaser]

TrainerRoad my good man. Accept no substitutes.

Looks very nice, and exactly what I need for indoor cycling. It's another subscription, though... they're starting to pile up!

By the way, I'll start using the bike outside again in 2-3 months. Can I use the Trainerroad phone app to structure my workouts when cycling outside, or is it strictly for indoors?