Cycling - Page 4

ceptimus · #76 03-30-2007, 09:05 PM

The Trek lime range of bikes, which are intended to be fun bikes for non-enthusiasts, have automatic transmission. There is a three speed hub in the rear wheel, that is shifted electrically, using sensors and generator housed in the front hub.

viscousmemories · #77 04-01-2007, 02:15 PM

I had planned to take the bike for a spin this weekend, but took it to the shop instead. It had been mostly unridden for the past few years and sitting out in the elements for the last six months - so I took it in for a tune-up. I asked the guy to remove the kickstand and throw on some road tires while he's at it. Now I just need to buy some shorts, a helmet and computer and I'll be ready to hit the road.

Dingfod · #78 04-01-2007, 02:36 PM

There was a bicycle made in New England somewhere called The Yankee Bicycle. It featured an chain-driven automatic variable speed drive, as speed increased it changed the gear ratios. As you slowed going up a hill, the gear ratios increased, maintaining the same pedal effort or reducing it. They had other innovations on this bicycle such as the Kevlar-wrapped cable rim brake on the back wheel which actually became more efficient when wet, a lower frame to make it easier to mount, and high handlebars for comfort. The company was bought out by Nordic Track, which then marketed the bicycle as a Nordic Track bicycle. Apparently it didn't sell and is nowhere to be found now. I never heard of there being any quality problems with that bicycle, as is the case with Nordic Track products in general.

viscousmemories · #79 05-07-2007, 03:48 AM

I got the bike out of the shop about a month ago, but squian was out of town for a couple weeks so I didn't take it out until last week. Last weekend we did two laps around the Veloway (did I mention that earlier? It's a closed, paved course 3.1 miles long and 24 ft. wide) and three laps this weekend. I also bought a helmet, so once I can go five times around the Veloway without dying I'll hit the open road.

The Veloway is popular with cyclists, though, and riding a big ol' mountain bike with road tires is a bit embarrassing (not to mention uncomfortable). So... I expect I'll buy a new bike relatively soon.

wildernesse · #80 05-10-2007, 12:17 AM

Well, my dad and I just returned from our bike camping trip down the Natchez Trace Parkway. We rode from Nashville to Tishimingo, MS--about 150 miles in 3 days. It was pretty tough, but we had a good time. My dad rode more like 160 miles because he had an unplanned ride to get a Uhaul to get us home because of a family emergency.

viscousmemories · #81 05-10-2007, 01:06 AM

Wow, good job Wildy. I look forward to doing rides like that some day.

BDS · #82 05-10-2007, 04:45 PM

My new avatar is a picture of my son on our bicycling tour of Utah a year and a half ago. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon. For some reason, I can use my photos as avatars, but if I try to put them in the post, the computer won't let me, and says, "Too big."

viscousmemories · #83 05-10-2007, 05:02 PM

You can probably upload the pics to the photo gallery, then link to them from there.

The upload page is here, and IIRC uploading to the "Member's Gallery" will create a new directory with your login name.

BDS · #84 05-10-2007, 05:07 PM

Thanks.

Clutch Munny · #85 05-10-2007, 06:27 PM

Sounds like a great trip, wildernesse. That's plenty of biking every day, but still leaves you time to enjoy things.

wildernesse · #86 05-10-2007, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clutch Munny

Sounds like a great trip, wildernesse. That's plenty of biking every day, but still leaves you time to enjoy things.

We did something like 63, 66, 25 because there aren't really good places to stop at night on the Trace for cyclists. It was pretty hilly on the long days, which was tough. Plus, my dad was hauling about 40 pounds of gear on a bike trailer. The short distance day was well-paced, and the terrain had flattened out at that point--but that day was stressful for other reasons. But overall we did have a great trip and got to see some neat things.

viscousmemories · #87 05-20-2007, 03:40 AM

I'm sure one of y'all probably mentioned it, but I didn't realize that road bikes have a different gearing ratio (or whatever it's called) than mountain bikes. I was wondering why I had to pedal a lot faster to go the same speed as squian on his cruiser when we were both in the same gear. I test rode this guy today to get an idea for how road bikes handle, and hopefully I'll be able to buy it (or another in its class) pretty soon. My work contract is coming to an end soon and I've decided not to make any big expenditures until I get a new contract or I'm hired permanently somewhere.

inland wave · #88 05-20-2007, 04:53 PM

NIce bike vm. I hope that you will be able to purchase it sooner rather than later. I didn't realize your contract was going to be up, time really does fly doesn't it? Maybe they will hire you on full time, but there are other places that will appreciate your talents and I just feel someone will hire you on as a fulltime employee in quick order.

viscousmemories · #89 05-20-2007, 06:12 PM

Thanks iWave. I think you're right that if I'm not hired permanently where I'm at, I'll be able to find something else soon enough. I have a lead on a new job already, and at least I'll have 9 months of recent experience under my belt when and if the time comes for me to move on from my current job.

Anyhoo, 5 times around the Veloway this morning with only 2 pit-stops of about 2 or 3 minutes each. I probably could've gone around a couple more times but I figured I'd stick to my plan of adding a lap each week. However, I think I'm going to start going three times a week (at least) instead of once.

BDS · #90 05-21-2007, 07:23 PM

Here's my (unsolicited) advice, vm. Lose the velodome, and head out of town. You'll have more fun, and see more cool stuff.

viscousmemories · #91 05-22-2007, 12:06 AM

Oh don't worry, I will. It's just that Austin is very hilly and has lots of traffic, so I want to make sure I'm fit before I hit the open road. Ultimately I want to start participating in charity rides and such.

BDS · #92 05-23-2007, 12:55 AM

Today, my handlebars snapped in two as I was honking hard from a stop sign to hit a gap in traffic. I went down, but, fortunately, the cars stopped.

It was a bizarre bike failure, though.

viscousmemories · #93 05-23-2007, 02:09 AM

Wow, freaky. Congratulations on staying alive!

Clutch Munny · #94 05-23-2007, 02:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BDS

Today, my handlebars snapped in two as I was honking hard from a stop sign to hit a gap in traffic. I went down, but, fortunately, the cars stopped.

It was a bizarre bike failure, though.

Weird. Where on the bars did the break occur?

BDS · #95 05-24-2007, 04:35 PM

Half of the bar broke off right at the stem (in the middle). I'm sure it had rusted through over the years (or something like that). The other half stayed connected (although doubtless somewhat tenuously), so I could at least ride to the nearest bike shop to get new handlebars.

ceptimus · #96 05-24-2007, 04:52 PM

The low gears on your mountain bike are good for you. It's good to pedal at a high cadence. Most novice cyclists tend to push too big a gear and this is less efficient. Some pro cyclists still go out on a fixed gear (no gearchange and no freewheel) bike early in the season to get their cadence up.

90rpm is a good peddling speed to aim for - this may seem ridiculously fast, but you should certainly be well over 60rpm.

Comparing gear numbers between bikes is pretty meaningless - cyclists normally talk in terms of the number of teeth on the chainwheel and rear sprocket, (e.g. 53x11 is a fairly high gear) but even this comparison assumes a constant wheel size.

The 'correct' measure of cycle gearing is inches. The units are a bit weird as they developed from the old 'penny farthing' bikes where the pedals were connected directly to the driving wheel and the measure was the diameter of the wheel. The size of 'gear' you could run was limited by your inside leg measurement so a 60-inch gear was fairly high in those days, though still too low a gear to make rapid progress on a flat road.

To measure the 'inches' of gearing on a modern bike you have to take the wheel diameter and multiply by the ratio of the chainwheel/sprocket, so for a 27-inch wheel with 53x11 chainwheel and sprocket that would be a 'gear' of 130 inches. This would move the bike 130 :pi:

inches forwards for each rotation of the pedals.

viscousmemories · #97 06-03-2007, 10:52 PM

We did 12 miles on the city roads today. :oldbike:

livius drusus · #98 06-03-2007, 10:53 PM

But the old timey version is so cute!

viscousmemories · #99 06-03-2007, 10:55 PM

It's better than cute, it's adorable! But still.

Clutch Munny · #**100** 06-04-2007, 12:09 AM

That's a good ride, vm. Clearly you're getting pulled into that group ride!

I set out to do a 25km square circuit yesterday. When I made the first turn, I found myself looking west into a tall stack of green storm clouds. Hello! Tight turn, straight home again. So I didn't get the distance I wanted, but I got the intensity of a good workout, as I hauled ass to avoid getting hailed on again.