[Cattle Rustler]

This brings a good question, What is cycle cross?

[estraudi]

Best app by far for android users is S-Health. Maps out what you ride but does not provide actual maps. Google maps does. Heart rate, calories burned, elevation, ascent/descent, pace and duration. Very interactive.

[The_CEO]

(03-14-2015 11:11 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

This brings a good question, What is cycle cross?

Cyclocross-
They look like a road bike but with more rugged tires.
The frame geometry is a bit different than a road bike though (such as more clearance for obstacles).
Guys race them on + off road, but they have gained popularity as commuter bikes.

They typically have disc brakes (which get good reviews but are supposed to be good in wet weather). They will be lighter than a mountain bike or hybrid.

Someone who knows more about bikes can tell you more.

As I said I like road bikes too and I know people use them as an all around commuter but for me it seems like driving a Ferrari around a city to run errands.

One other thing about cyclocross, you could throw fenders on it for wet weather but from what I understand, it'd be hard or not possible on many road frames.

[Basil Ransom]

The problem with modern road bikes is that they are designed for dudes with a hard on for Lance Armstrong. They make lots of tradeoffs that reduce their utility as an all around commuter, in the name of... Winning the tour de france? I barely know anything about biking though, so take it from Sheldon Brown, a most respected writer about cycling (RIP).

Skinny tires make the ride uncomfortable, and increase the incidence of flats. Twitchy steering is, well, twitchy - at least for me, more deliberate steering seems a lot safer, and more comfortable, makes it easier to ride straight. Higher bottom brackets so that you can pedal through sharp turns, but make the bike less stable (cyclocross bikes have higher BBs too).

In a race, a few seconds of time shaved can make all the difference between victory and abject failure. For commuting, it's irrelevant - added comfort, safety and stability are easily worth going 1% slower.

http://sheldonbrown.com/upgrade.html

[The_CEO]

^^^^^^^^
Basil R. -
so your vote would be for a hybrid (vs. a cyclo)?

[Basil Ransom]

Honestly, I'm looking for a relaxed road bike. Trouble is picking through CL is hard when you don't know old bikes and newer ones you like don't show up.

BikesDirect has a couple that interest me - the Mercier Galaxy AL 2014/2015, and the Motobecane Turino (all have wider tire clearance, not sure about the geometry though - for anyone reading, let me know your opinion of these), but I'd rather get something used, in person. Those also aren't steel, which I'd like to try.

Mercier http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/merc....htm#specs

Motobecane Turino http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/moto...-bikes.htm

[el mechanico]

Basil go on eBay and look at the salsa bikes.

[Buster]

Prices look really good on both of those bikes. Mercier was the shit back in the day. I had a Motobecane Grand Record back in college in the 70's, pretty bike that rode well, but it was the victim of a drunk driver at a concert, hated that, but no broken bones.

[Basil Ransom]

I looked at Salsa, pricey and cyclocross style rides.

Buster, the brands are faked - BikesDirect just bought the trademarks, so they have no substantive relation to the original Mercier and Motobecane bikes. Not that these BD bikes are bad, just unrelated.

[General Mayhem]

Finally PM'd Tuth and got the thread title changed.

I finally got my bike fixed and washed yesterday. New wheel bearings and handlebar. It is like a brand new bike. New brakes are next one the list.

[Buster]

@ Basil
Thanks for the intel, I would have never known. It looks like they were using good components on both of those so I guess they are still a good deal for the money. I still have an old 70's frame, it's chromoly tubing, brazed, but without lugs, haven't built it up but I have most of the stuff to finish it. The old wheels are 27", I replaced the spokes, but when gas got back down below $4 a gallon, I put the project aside.

[The_CEO]

I have been checking out cyclocross bikes but based on what you guys are saying, may look for an older road bike.

[Basil Ransom]

Highly recommend going to a local bicycle co-op for fixing your own bike - it's cheap - you generally only pay for stand time at $5-10 an hour, and you'll learn how to take care of your bike.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_cooperative

[Basil Ransom]

Also, I strongly recommend learning how to ride in traffic properly. Lots of people who have been doing it for years still do things that are wrong or dangerous (not talking about rolling through stop signs). The helmet is your last line of defense, not your first.

Riding isn't without risk, but you can significantly reduce your risk by not doing the dumb shit that causes most crashes where the cyclist is at fault. Looks like the resource I wanted to link is behind a paywall, but until I find a replacement, I'll write a few pointers:

*Make it obvious to everyone where you are and where you are going. This lets people easily avoid colliding with you, without having to slam on the brakes or the gas pedal.
* Hog the lane when there isn't enough room for a car to share your lane.
*Avoid riding on the sidewalks - drivers do not see you there, nor do they expect someone traveling much faster than a pedestrian. Plus there's lots of stuff in your way on the sidewalk.
* Don't ride on the left side of the road (aka don't be a salmon swimming upstream).
* Stay in the rightmost lane that gets you to your destination.
*Something I see cyclists do is at intersections where they have a red light, they dart over to the curb even though they intend to go straight. This is retarded - it often blocks the right turning lane, and takes you out of view of the motorists going straight, who you're going to be sharing the road with. It also makes it look like you're going to turn right, when you're not. Always stay in view of the people you're sharing the road with.
*Give yourself two feet of space between yourself and parked cars, so you don't get clotheslined by someone opening their door. Hog the car lane if needed.

Just because you can physically ride a bike, it doesn't mean you know how to ride smartly in traffic.

Salmoning and sidewalk riding are the leading causes of cyclist at fault crashes. Don't do them. Occasionally sidewalk riding is your best option (it is for me on a sliver of my route), but always look to avoid it.

Bicyclesafe.com has good pointers.

[The_CEO]

Basil R.:
Do you have a helmet style preference?

I've noticed that the snowboard/ skater style, like Bern makes is somewhat popular for urban riding.
At first I thought it was for style reasons which also may be the case but the do offer more coverage.

The traditional road helmet style seems to be more ventilated though.

[Basil Ransom]

The skater helmets may look cooler, but they're heavier. Get something that you like the looks of and that's well ventilated. I'd also choose something that's loud and visible, i.e. in a bright color, so people can see you. Should be able to find something for $30-50. Just remember the helmet is a last ditch effort. Consider getting gloves too, a bunch on Amazon are $10-20.

I like to buy cheaper stuff the first time around, because it's usually good enough, and if it's not, you can upgrade later. As a novice though, you don't know what's worth shelling out for.

[General Mayhem]

Basil is dropping a lot of value here.

Does anyone have any tips for riding after dark?

I'm on a college campus and the majority of bikers(and drivers) are retarded.

I also second basil's co-op advice. The one I went to on Saturday had a nice used parts section.

One alternative to working on your bike in a co-op is just having a toolbox with all the parts you need to perform basic work on your bike. For my bike all I need are a few different allen wrenches, 11/16 and 9/16 wrench, two 5/8 wrenches for the wheels, and a few screwdrivers. That allows me to do pretty much everything I would need. I have a small box that I keep all the tools in my closet.

[Basil Ransom]

You can find tips online, but a flashing red rear light and a front light are a bare minimum. (The Cygolite Metro 360, 400 or 500 series for the front, and the cygolite hotshot for the back). Some people have more lights than that, but most of my riding is during the day. Always remove them when parking your bike.

I like the co-op because I can ask people for help, and I don't need to worry about buying and storing tools for less routine jobs. It's a lot easier to service a bike with a stand. Plus you might make some friends.

Thanks for the rep General.

This thread could also be tagged under Health and Making Money (by saving) .

[Buster]

Thanks again Basil, solid info, +1. Another tip is to check out an online motorcycle test/manual for your state. Many of the tips to keep you safe on a motorcycle directly apply to riding a bike, ie, three lanes within a lane, parked cars, danger greatest at intersections. You are much harder to see on a bike.

Good gloves matter, get gel filled palm pads, it will keep your hands from getting numb on long rides.

I used to do century rides back in the day and traffic density is much higher now. Back then, dogs were the biggest problem, I kept a bike pump handy as a weapon of choice, pepper spray wasn't on the market then. My training route used to be a 40 mile loop and a german shepard lived on one uphill climb, he was always waiting for me to come by, like I was his entertainment..... I always rode against traffic patterns so it didn't work to ride the loop in the other direction.

[Basil Ransom]

It's like game in that while there's no substitute for experience, educating yourself will make those gains (in safety, utility, convenience) will come much faster.

There are people who have been cycling for years and still get basic things wrong - unlike game, if you do something wrong, you probably won't get a negative response from it, because negative feedback comes in the form of catastrophic but rare accidents, not a 50% rejection rate. So just because something has 'worked' for you, doesn't mean it's optimal. And people who have been biking awhile get touchy if you criticize them ...

Non-exhaustive list of recommended gear: tire levers, allen wrench multitool, spare inner tube, micro pump, rear view mirror, gloves, helmet, front and rear lights, patch kit, saddle bag, u lock + wire.

[BagelConsultant]

The BD bikes are pretty decent for what they are but it's tough to get the fit right sight-unseen, not to mention a local shop will charge assembly and setup. Might be better off looking for a deal locally on a 1 year old model or thereabouts.

And Basil, you're right, gotta be able to change a flat and repair a puncture at a minimum. On a longer ride (40+ miles) I'll usually make sure I have the gear to change 2 flats.

And just for shits and giggles, here's me because I sometimes (think that I) look cool on my bike. In the foreground in black and red:

[Basil Ransom]

Trouble is I'm looking for something like a light touring/relaxed/endurance road bike with wide tire clearance (min 32 mm with fenders), and the pickings are slim, especially on CL.

CL is the best value, because you can pump and dump bikes at little to no cost, but it's less viable if you can't find what you want on it.

I found an interesting anti-race bike rant:
https://home.comcast.net/~pinnah/dirtbag...ng-bad.txt

[Buster]

Very good article and on point. A bike for what most of you guys will do needs a good caster angle and clearance for 32 cm or 1 1/4" tires in the old world. Many of the new bikes I see for sale would be too twitchy with the upright front fork, sure they can be managed, but on a long day, it is murder on the neck and shoulders. If you are riding with a buddy, its best to hang 3-6" off his back tire while taking a break, and switch off the lead to increase the distance you can cover. It really is amazing how much difference the draft makes and good headset angle makes it so much easier to stay there.

[Basil Ransom]

Ironically, on my ride home today, I had a spirited 'discussion' with a cyclist I encountered. The short of it is that he was lecturing me on the laws that he accused me of violating, drawing on his decades of cycling experience... Except he was wrong about what the law said, I just double checked. Cycling skills =/= knowing cycling laws.

On that note, I recommend taking a class. I took one, and it was very instructive. At least as important as driver's education, given the stakes and slim margin for error. If you take a cycling class, you will know the laws better than most of the cyclists on the road, and be better equipped intellectually to ride safely, though your technical skills may still be lacking.

This link supposedly provides a map of classes, but it wasn't working on my phone: http://bikeleague.org/bfa/search/map?bfaq=

Buster, and CEO, thanks for the reps. Yeah, I'm almost never going to be drafting or club racing or any of that. To the extent that I would, I wouldn't want to compromise on my bike's utility as a commuter just so I can race once in a while - like that guy wrote, that's like buying a drag racer to drive to work.

I came across this video:

The road/hybrid dichotomy is bullshit. You can design a road bike that's just as upright, stable and comfortable as a hybrid, while being faster, but those bikes just are rarely sold. Why aren't they sold? I'm guessing the current road bike market customer has Lance Armstrong pretensions, and the current/future hybrid users (me included) feel uncomfortable on drop bars... Because they've never used them. And with drop bars only available on flimsy race road bikes, they'll definitely never get the hang of them. And even hybrid users are adventurous - a hybrid itself is a lot jauntier than a city bike.

CEO, just saw your questions in the other thread.
Are you hitting the streets on your bike in LA? Yes.

Are you concerned about traffic (cars)? Yes. But there's a lot you can do: know the laws and your rights, know how to ride defensively (stuff I covered/linked to earlier). In addition, you're not taking the same routes by bike as you would in a car. Every route is different, and there are many ways of getting between two given places. Google maps is a good start, but if you're going somewhere regularly, try taking different streets each time to find which one is best. Lots of roads that don't make sense for motorists are great for cyclists. Plus cycling isn't aggravating like driving is, so you have a higher tolerance for a route that isn't the absolute shortest possible.

Do you wear a helmet? Yes. When I was a casual cyclist, I generally didn't, but with my vastly increased cycling now, I use it virtually every time I ride. Still, it's technically only useful for slow speed falls, not auto collisions. The helmet alone is ultimately small fry.


Does anyone get issues from sitting down at work all day combined with cycling? Has the fixed path of clipless pedals given you issues? I'm troubleshooting a minor issue, lest it blow up into something bad.

[Cattle Rustler]