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Bicycle age

A

ATF487

Member
Do any of you guys live in cities and need to leave your bike unattended for a period of time?

I think it'd be fun to buy a bike to roam around Cambridge/Somerville/Boston but I don't know how much to spend on something that could possibly be stolen. It'd be fine in my house/in the shed in the yard but I'd like to use it for transportation, especially into the area of Boston where all the students live since it'd be faster than anything else..
 
5

5amshift

Banned
ATF487 said:
Do any of you guys live in cities and need to leave your bike unattended for a period of time?
Click to expand...

Fellow Boston-GAF here,
I ride all around the city almost everyday in the Spring/Summer. Cambridge, Somerville, Boston included. You can buy whatever bike you want, you just want a strong lock. Preferably a chain like me.

kryptonite-new-york-fahgettaboudit-bike-chain-lock.jpg


Maybe a U-Lock/cable combo. So you can U-Lock the bike to the pole, while putting the cable through and locking together both front and rear wheels, protecting those. Totally up to you. Everybody in the city will usually have a U-Lock, which is fine for quick lockups, but definitely not overnight.

I just wear a messenger bag and keep that in it. I'll ride around and whatever games and stuff I buy I just throw in my bag with my lock. Lock the bike up in open areas (Newbury Street/Boylston, etc.) I left my bike overnight a couple times when visiting my girlfriends dorm, and although I was pretty damn nervous, I felt it was going to be ok.
 
A

ATF487

Member
5amshift said:
Fellow Boston-GAF here,
I ride all around the city almost everyday in the Spring/Summer. Cambridge, Somerville, Boston included. You can buy whatever bike you want, you just want a strong lock. Preferably a chain like me.

kryptonite-new-york-fahgettaboudit-bike-chain-lock.jpg


Maybe a U-Lock/cable combo. So you can U-Lock the bike to the pole, while putting the cable through and locking together both front and rear wheels, protecting those. Totally up to you. Everybody in the city will usually have a U-Lock, which is fine for quick lockups, but definitely not overnight.

I just wear a messenger bag and keep that in it. I'll ride around and whatever games and stuff I buy I just throw in my bag with my lock. Lock the bike up in open areas (Newbury Street/Boylston, etc.) I left my bike overnight a couple times when visiting my girlfriends dorm, and although I was pretty damn nervous, I felt it was going to be ok.
Click to expand...

Damn, that's a nice lock. A little pricey but definitely worth it. Now just to find a decent road bike...

Thanks for the help, maybe you'll see me riding around Memorial/Storrow Drive when all that snow melts!
 
5

5amshift

Banned
ATF487 said:
Damn, that's a nice lock. A little pricey but definitely worth it. Now just to find a decent road bike...

Thanks for the help, maybe you'll see me riding around Memorial/Storrow Drive when all that snow melts!
Click to expand...

That's my route I go to get to Copley/Downtown Crossing/The rest of Boston. :D
 
Mick Swagger

Mick Swagger

Member
SmokyDave said:
The Audi concept is is gorgeous but it's a big full-susser. The closest I can think of would be an Orange Patriot or something but that's not a trials / street bike by any means. How about a Specialized P-Series?
Click to expand...

Orange Patriot looks like a good choice. Appreciate the help, he'll be ecstatic.
 
V

vidcons

Banned
I got some bad news about cleaning white frames...

but Ridley's are so damn hot. There is a lime green one up for sale on Competitive Cyclist right now; it is stunning.
 
D

DasMarcos

Banned
I can't cycle where I'm at right now but I do use the bike machine in my school's gym.

I do a HITT program with 4-5 sets every other day and it is a great workout for my legs. Can't wait to be able to ride on the roads again with a real bicycle though.
 
F

F0NZ

Member
vidcons said:
I got some bad news about cleaning white frames...

but Ridley's are so damn hot. There is a lime green one up for sale on Competitive Cyclist right now; it is stunning.
Click to expand...

Indeed there's a bit of a trade-off, but she sure is pretty and well worth the hassles of the extra time needed to get her all clean and ready for the next outing.

Competitive Cyclist has some great deals, for example, this BMC Complete Shimano 105 is on sale for $1150.

I picked up the Ridley from them, and found their customer service to be outstanding. I don't think I'll be buying any other bikes from my LBS.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Not sure I follow. Why would having a dirty bike be a particularly bad thing in the rain?

Unless you thought I meant clean as in "no oil"... which I don't.
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
Nice bike Fonz.

Cables and brake tracks on the wheels should be kept clean too. Cleaning the bike regularly gives you a chance to check over everything, it is fairly standard to hit >45mph on a descent or be doing >25mph in a flat having someone 6 inches in front of you and another 6 inches behind you. You don't want to have things go wrong under those conditions. I'm not going to lie though, a clean bike looks good, and roadies like to look pretty.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Jobiensis said:
Cleaning the bike regularly gives you a chance to check over everything
Click to expand...

That sounds great in theory, but as someone (yes, even for a mountain biker) who keeps their bike obsessively clean it really doesn't work out that way in practice. I can clean a bike to showroom levels without really knowing if something needs re-torquing or if my chainset is worn etc.

You'd probably spot some obvious cracks. Maybe even some bends here and there but if you really want to check a bike you've got to get the torque wrench out on it or strip it down properly for a regrease and rebuild.
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
Psychotext said:
That sounds great in theory, but as someone (yes, even for a mountain biker) who keeps their bike obsessively clean it really doesn't work out that way in practice. I can clean a bike to showroom levels without really knowing if something needs re-torquing or if my chainset is worn etc.

You'd probably spot some obvious cracks. Maybe even some bends here and there but if you really want to check a bike you've got to get the torque wrench out on it or strip it down properly for a regrease and rebuild.
Click to expand...

I'm talking more about the stuff that will end badly: a frayed brake cable, a tire with a slash in it, a cracked rim. I don't think a person would normally be able to catch a carbon fork crack, and those failures have resulted in fatalities, so yeah it certainly isn't foolproof.

Your point stands though, I've never replaced a chain until it has gone so far that I have to replace the cassette. :)
 
M

muu

Member
So is it going to be century day tomorrow for StravaGAF? I'm thinking of a longer ride over the weekend but between overtime at work and starting the Couch to 5K program (cycling muscles do not translate to running muscles!) I'm feeling a little spent already.

Psychotext said:
lol, cleaning. Silly roadies.

The only bit of your bike that needs to be clean is your chain. :p
Click to expand...

You clean your chains? All I do is grab the excess gunk w/ paper towels and dab more lube to it.
 
V

vidcons

Banned
I'm not sure if I'll do a century after struggling with a ride earlier this week but some miles will definitely be thrown down.

No climbing, though. I don't trust all of the ice to thaw on the mountains and crashing at 50-60mph is not my ideal weekend.
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
muu said:
So is it going to be century day tomorrow for StravaGAF? I'm thinking of a longer ride over the weekend but between overtime at work and starting the Couch to 5K program (cycling muscles do not translate to running muscles!) I'm feeling a little spent already.
Click to expand...

If you are referring to the Quark challenge, it is next week. I'm not completely committed on the exact route tomorrow, but there will be a long ride. I'm going to have to play around with routes to get in a century ride next week. Really want to get the challenge done (not sure why), but I really need to not fuck up my training doing it.
 
M

muu

Member
Jobiensis said:
If you are referring to the Quark challenge, it is next week. I'm not completely committed on the exact route tomorrow, but there will be a long ride. I'm going to have to play around with routes to get in a century ride next week. Really want to get the challenge done (not sure why), but I really need to not fuck up my training doing it.
Click to expand...

screw the quarc challenge unless they put you into a drawing for a powermeter for doing it (wait, do you?), I was talking more the informal distance challenge that was being mentioned here. Could be a good week to work on the gaming backlog though...
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
muu said:
screw the quarc challenge unless they put you into a drawing for a powermeter for doing it (wait, do you?), I was talking more the informal distance challenge that was being mentioned here. Could be a good week to work on the gaming backlog though...
Click to expand...

Yeah, there are no prizes on the Quarq thing, other than the emblems that show in your profile if you complete it. Pretty much just achievements for cycling.
 
S

SmokyDave

Member
Jobiensis said:
I'm talking more about the stuff that will end badly: a frayed brake cable, a tire with a slash in it, a cracked rim. I don't think a person would normally be able to catch a carbon fork crack, and those failures have resulted in fatalities, so yeah it certainly isn't foolproof.

Your point stands though, I've never replaced a chain until it has gone so far that I have to replace the cassette. :)
Click to expand...
I dunno about road bikes but generally if I replace the chain, I replace the cassette and chainring(s) anyway.

Still, cleaning bikes is for wimps.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do polish my RTS and keep my Lopes reasonably spotless. My other bikes are caked in months of hard earned mud though!
 
C

Chip N Chance

Member
You should always clean your drive train and such on road bikes. While in the process it doesn't hurt to wipe the bike down with some water and cleaner, as its the best way to keep up with your bike as it slowly becomes untuned. You'd be surprised what gunk and old grease will do to the shifting/braking performance of the bike.
 
P

Psychotext

Member
Not a bad ride today, but too much getting off to get around goddamn lakes. Cycled through one... was waaaaay too high. Soaked my feet (again). Ended up carrying the bike up two serious hills. Could barely walk up one of them, was mental.

Bottled the final descent; was too steep and had some serious boulders. Never really done that before - I could have done with a full bouncer and a bigger set of balls.
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
SmokyDave said:
I dunno about road bikes but generally if I replace the chain, I replace the cassette and chainring(s) anyway.
Click to expand...

Ouch! I don't really want to shell out $300+ twice (or more) a year. Chainrings typically last a lot longer than the cassette and the cassette can easily last twice as long if you replace the chain before it becomes too stretched.
 
C

cbox

Member
ameratsu said:
Oh hey i would join you guys... but it's -20c outside. Maybe in a couple months

ps: trainers and stationary bikes suck
Click to expand...

I love the winter here in Toronto but it seriously sucks for cycling. Waiting on some +10C weather so I can get back out.

Trainers and indoor cycling suck HARD, agreed.
 
B

brentech

Member
ConvenientBox said:
I love the winter here in Toronto but it seriously sucks for cycling. Waiting on some +10C weather so I can get back out.

Trainers and indoor cycling suck HARD, agreed.
Click to expand...
Yea. I can only do like an hour on my trainer before I get bored out of my mind. Yesterday and today I just road the length of Breaking Bad episodes on netflix. Think it's like 46 min.
Can't wait to get on the road again.
 
davidnic

davidnic

Member
If I could watch TV\ Movies when I indoor trainer I could do 2hr+ probably but cause I only have my Ipod to listen to in the shed I can only do 1.5hr max. But some days I do DVD workouts if I get my laptop out, the workouts work can be super hard or medium depending how hard you push yourself but you do feel like you have done something in that 1 hr workout which I love.
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
Daven said:
But some days I do DVD workouts if I get my laptop out, the workouts work can be super hard or medium depending how hard you push yourself but you do feel like you have done something in that 1 hr workout which I love.
Click to expand...

If I put the bike on the trainer and do a suffer fest video, I'm done in an hour. It is hard to match that consistent intensity outside. There is no way I could do a long tempo ride indoors, I don't have the motivation to stay on the bike that long. One of the great things about riding out, is you have no choice but to ride back. Well, I can do the call of shame to my wife, but I try to reserve those for when I'm really stuck.
 
C

cbox

Member
Jobiensis said:
If I put the bike on the trainer and do a suffer fest video, I'm done in an hour. It is hard to match that consistent intensity outside. There is no way I could do a long tempo ride indoors, I don't have the motivation to stay on the bike that long. One of the great things about riding out, is you have no choice but to ride back. Well, I can do the call of shame to my wife, but I try to reserve those for when I'm really stuck.
Click to expand...

I always go way further that I should when I go for rides, and since I ride after work I'm usually coming back in the dark. Problem is, I train through a really dark path that runs alongside houses for probably 30km - there are no lights and it's incredibly creepy.

So exhilarating at night though with a cool breeze... Damnit I can't wait to get back out there and beat some of my old strava records.
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
Last week definitely was rough, I was supposed to do a bigger Sat. ride, but I just didn't have anything left for it. Going to need a break in May after I'm done with these centuries.

Nurse the hamstring, I pushed one of those when running and it ended up costing me a couple of months.
 
davidnic

davidnic

Member
Jobiensis said:
Nurse the hamstring, I pushed one of those when running and it ended up costing me a couple of months.
Click to expand...

Yep I am, I have 2 physio treating me one hands on and via email. I The physio remotely thinks it is my lower back so getting checked out tomorrow when I go. I think 1.5hr will do for today to see how it goes.
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
Rimfya said:
Thanks.

Do you Pro guys find the subscription is worth it? I find $6.50 (AUD) for some extra stats laughable compared to what you get for Netflix's $8 or Spotify's $12.
Click to expand...

The Heart Rate zone distribution is useful, the analysis is a joke if you don't have a power meter. Filtering the leader boards can be useful (you can est. people's age and weight). Overall the interface (and segments) are miles ahead of Garmin Connect (even if Garmin has more data) so I don't mind supporting them.

Edit: If you don't have a heart rate monitor premium isn't that useful.

Daven said:
Yep I am, I have 2 physio treating me one hands on and via email. I The physio remotely thinks it is my lower back so getting checked out tomorrow when I go. I think 1.5hr will do for today to see how it goes.
Click to expand...

You're a smarter man than me, good luck with it.
 
davidnic

davidnic

Member
Jobiensis said:
The Heart Rate zone distribution is useful, the analysis is a joke if you don't have a power meter. Filtering the leader boards can be useful (you can est. people's age and weight). Overall the interface (and segments) are miles ahead of Garmin Connect (even if Garmin has more data) so I don't mind supporting them.
Click to expand...

I use Garmin Connect for my Dairy I like it better then Strava over all and I think the power information in correct cause I had a different watts on Strava in less I was looking at the wrong power information. But I think I was?

Cause it just Endurance ride and Gamrin said 202 watts average and Strava said 215 watts or something like that.
 
davidnic

davidnic

Member
Jobiensis said:
You're a smarter man than me, good luck with it.
Click to expand...

Thanks mate, I just been learning a lot over the last 4 years completing for Australia at World cups, World Champs and Paralympic's in 2012 and talking to the best physio's etc. at training camps it has been really fun + a lot of hard work...lol

I just recently got a power meter on my TT so I can't wait to TT so get power zones!!
 
J

Jobiensis

Member
Daven said:
I use Garmin Connect for my Dairy I like it better then Strava over all and I think the power information in correct cause I had a different watts on Strava in less I was looking at the wrong power information. But I think I was?

Cause it just Endurance ride and Gamrin said 202 watts average and Strava said 215 watts or something like that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Strava doesn't seem to be aimed towards real training. They do use different algorithms for figuring out when you are stopped, so that may explain the differences (I've seen differences in Avg. speed too). The biggest inaccuracy I've seen in Strava is 'corrected elevation', the elevation profile looking like a seismograph is clearly wrong. I don't know why they don't smooth it more, I've seen fairly flat rides that look to be moderately hilly by the stats and have grades >35%.

Once I graduate to a power meter, I'll probably just use GoldenCheetah or WKO+ for training stats.
 
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