Biking: Catch-all

Paleocon wrote:

If I lived in Colorado, I think I'd never go to work.

Gotta pay for these expensive hobbies somehow. God help me if I finally give in to my desire to kayak.

LiquidMantis wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

If I lived in Colorado, I think I'd never go to work.

Gotta pay for these expensive hobbies somehow. God help me if I finally give in to my desire to kayak.

Isn't that why folks work in bike/ski shops?

boogle wrote:

So, I bought a trek 1.2 today. It was on sale and I got a deal by exchanging some redbulls.

Congrats, Boogle. Should be a nice bike for you. You must have went a bit over your max, though. Filthy enablers in this thread.

I've decided that starting tomorrow I'm biking to and from work.
20ish KM each way. Going to start squirelling away some cash so I can buy a cyclocross bike to turn into a serious commuter.

Surly Cross Check FTW.

EvilHomer3k wrote:
boogle wrote:

So, I bought a trek 1.2 today. It was on sale and I got a deal by exchanging some redbulls.

Congrats, Boogle. Should be a nice bike for you. You must have went a bit over your max, though. Filthy enablers in this thread.

yeah I ended up spending like 800 ikncluding a new helmet. It was on sale how could I say no?

My son grew out of his 24" MTB. After some deliberations, I got him a new GT Outpost Disc from an LBS, at a decent price.

So, RAGBRAI starts this weekend. Anyone else gonna be there?

I just bought a Bridgestone 300 and did NOT go over my budget!

Serengeti wrote:

So, RAGBRAI starts this weekend. Anyone else gonna be there?

Now that I'm riding again, I need to RAGBRAI again. Next year. It would kill me this year.

Going to start riding again soon. I was in yet another car wreck (3rd time in 4 years) and my back is hurting. But more than anything I think stretching out on my bike for a few miles would be good for it.

Sometimes I see this thread title and I think it says "Bikini Catch-All" and then I get sad because it doesn't.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:
Serengeti wrote:

So, RAGBRAI starts this weekend. Anyone else gonna be there?

Now that I'm riding again, I need to RAGBRAI again. Next year. It would kill me this year.

Now that I have a bike that fits, maybe next year. Got to train up both my partying and my biking muscles.

boogle wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:
Serengeti wrote:

So, RAGBRAI starts this weekend. Anyone else gonna be there?

Now that I'm riding again, I need to RAGBRAI again. Next year. It would kill me this year.

Now that I have a bike that fits, maybe next year. Got to train up both my partying and my biking muscles.

Well, I'm sure I could find space for y'all on my team. We generally have a friggin spectacular time, and when we don't, it's still amazing.

If it wasn't 7000+ miles away, I'd be interested. Ya'll go on and have fun though.

Here's a major salvo in my ongoing campaign to bring you exhaust fume puffers over to the One True Way.

IMAGE(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/Liquidmantis/Bike/Centennial%20Cone/110720_0030.jpg)

IMAGE(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/Liquidmantis/Bike/Centennial%20Cone/110720_0035.jpg)

IMAGE(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/Liquidmantis/Bike/Centennial%20Cone/110720_0036.jpg)

IMAGE(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/Liquidmantis/Bike/Centennial%20Cone/110720_0038.jpg)

IMAGE(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/Liquidmantis/Bike/Centennial%20Cone/110720_0040.jpg)

IMAGE(http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a254/Liquidmantis/Bike/Centennial%20Cone/110720_0041.jpg)

LiquidMantis wrote:

Here's a major salvo in my ongoing campaign to bring you exhaust fume puffers over to the One True Way.

Yes, yes, that does do a lot to inspire me to ditch the road bike and get a new ride, just so I can zoom up all the mountains here in Minnesota.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

just so I can zoom up all the mountains here in Minnesota.

Your local Lebanon Hills looks like a fun trail. Then you've got Bloomington Ferry, Murphy Hanrehan, Mammoth Trail, The Farm and quite a few more in the area.

Me and the missus have mountain bikes. Back in the day when we were young and adventurous we'd load them on the car and take the half hour drive to the nearest decent trails and it was fun. But since then we've acquired a house and an eleven month old daughter and rearranged our work schedules so she doesn't spend much time in day care. Now when I've only got an hour after work for biking and my daughter to take care of I can't really hit the trails anymore.

LiquidMantis wrote:

Here's a major salvo in my ongoing campaign to bring you exhaust fume puffers over to the One True Way.

It's already on my to-do list, along with windsurfing, kite-boarding, skydiving, paragliding, and sailing. I have expensive tastes when it comes to lesiure activities.

And in the defense of sucking exhaust fumes, last night I spent a couple hours riding like a bat out of hell, mostly on paved trails, with the occasional bit of road, and I felt like a million bucks afterwards. So it's not like what I'm currently doing isn't ticking my boxes...

Or do what I try to do sometimes: Ride cyclocross. It's the best of both worlds!

LiquidMantis wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

just so I can zoom up all the mountains here in Minnesota.

Your local Lebanon Hills looks like a fun trail. Then you've got Bloomington Ferry, Murphy Hanrehan, Mammoth Trail, The Farm and quite a few more in the area.

Lebanon Hills (I assure you, it's "hills", not HILLS) looks really good as I zoom by it on my road bike.

The last time I rode a mountain bike through a trail, I ate a lot of mud and nearly broke my arm. Bruised half my body along the way. My mountain bike is staying firmly on asphalt.

Ha ha, that's what happens with roadies on dirt!

"of" is a nice shot, although it looks as if there's about 15º of camera tilt to exaggerate the incline.

LiquidMantis wrote:

Ha ha, that's what happens with roadies on dirt!

O RLY?

LiquidMantis wrote:

"of" is a nice shot, although it looks as if there's about 15º of camera tilt to exaggerate the incline.

Looked very much like the beaches of San Clemente, CA to me, although last time I was there there wasn't a big cyclocross scene that I was aware of. That tree in the background is suspiciously angled, though the cliffs in San Clemente are very much that steep.

Went out and purchased bikes with the Missus today - I just turned 40 recently, and need to start getting some exercise and get rid of some Kilos, so this is all part of the 'Don't be one of those dudes that drop dead of a heart attack before they turn 50!' plan.

Other parts of the plan apparantly involve not eating like Elvis, and drinking less booze. To be honest, these aspects of the plan have me worried, they really don't sound like a whole heap of fun!

Anyway, having not sat astride a pushbike since I was about 16 (coincidentally around about the time I started drinking and bought a car..) I wasnt too sure what to go for, I used to have a road bike as a kid, but this time around I went for a basic mountain bike, hoping to get on some trails once I get my fitness up a bit. Doubt I'll be on the road a lot, not terribly safe around here. The missus went for a hybrid.

Got a good deal at the bike shop, sales dude knocked off about 200 bucks and threw in helmets, basic toolkit/pump, some mudguards for the SO (She had a thing about mudguards..) We bought one of those clip on racks for the back of the car, that's got me a bit worried, sounds a bit dodgy, guess we'll have to see how it goes. Anyone had any experience with these?

Pick 'em up next saturday - I bought a Giant Talon 3 for myself, she's got a female Trailglide

Very excited about it!

Goo:

I highly advise looking for a lifestyle change rather than self-punishment regimens. What's the difference? Well, a self-punishment regimen is cutting down on all the fat of a fat-heavy diet, but retaining basically the same menu and eating crap as a result. Example: Tofu Burgers Also, drinking less booze and craving for it like mad.

A lifestyle change is looking for livable ways in which to enjoy life without killing yourself in the process. Instead of "I will eat less meat," you say, "I will eat a more Mediterranean-style diet," which naturally has less meat because of the way the recipes are formulated, without tasting like crap. Alternatively, "I will eat Japanese sashimi style menu 4 times a week."

Cycling is a great way to lose weight and get fit, not only because it's easy on the joints, but because it's fun. Going around a scenic route to enjoy the Sydney weather with the missus is a great way to unwind, and you can do it as often as you want!

As for the booze problem, I recommend drinking fresh juice as a replacement outside bars and social events. I liked the Jack Lalaine branded juicers - lots of juice, and you can harvest the pulp for incorporation into muffins and cakes later on. Mmmm... ...Carrot cake... Fresh juice has strong flavors and varied textures, with clean finishes.

First week of biking to work: awesome.
Now I need a basic toolkit to hopefully begin to learn things by messing up my bike. Suggestions?

15mm pedal wrench, 5 & 6mm allen keys, needle-nose pliers, and cable cutters. Pretty much all you need for basic bike maintenance.

Also need small screwdrivers. Some of the older components still have screws in them. I think a comprehensive array of tools is available in a swiss-knife-like configuration, but I'd still get separate 5 and 6 allen wrenches, just because the separate ones are more convenient to use.