Posts: 1,471
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2008
Reputation:
7
The Bicycle Thread
03-23-2015, 11:08 PM
Nice, I really hope when we all have your bikes this results in a spinoff "Bike Game" thread.
Posts: 1,471
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2008
Reputation:
7
The Bicycle Thread
03-24-2015, 12:50 AM
What about a Chain Lock which are also supposed to be tough?
Posts: 1,471
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2008
Reputation:
7
The Bicycle Thread
03-27-2015, 01:43 AM
What kind of portable road bike pumps do you guys like?
At the store they have like 30 diff brands, sizes, and models...
Posts: 418
Threads: 0
Joined: Sep 2011
Reputation:
3
The Bicycle Thread
03-27-2015, 08:47 AM
So I converted the old Japanese road bike into a completely brakeless fixie... what an interestung feeling it is!
It makes me ride differently and I'm learning to spin faster. I even stop for red lights now!
Next will be to get some maintenance done on the grocery bike - the wheels from the Japanese bike and some really skinny tires will go on, and I'll get the brakes dialed in. I do miss freewheeling at going down bridges a little bit, plus brakes are nice sometimes.
Posts: 4,877
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2008
Reputation:
112
The Bicycle Thread
03-27-2015, 07:06 PM
Lol today I rediscovered something I learned from driving: pickup drivers are the kind of people who will take time out of their busy day to pull over, get out of their car and kill you. Thankfully, I had a chance to quickly dart away down an alley. Don't risk it with white trash/cholo pickup truck drivers.
Posts: 1,471
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2008
Reputation:
7
The Bicycle Thread
03-27-2015, 09:02 PM
Be careful in the heat.
I saw a driver lose his temper at a stop light when the light changed b/c the biker in front of him didn't get going fast enough.
He lost it and tried to go around him and it seemed like a crash waiting to happen.
Basil - do you wear any hi-vis gear for your commute?
Posts: 4,877
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2008
Reputation:
112
The Bicycle Thread
03-27-2015, 11:24 PM
I wear some brightly colored (but not high viz colored) accessories. Good lights are probably more effective than high viz gear, but high viz certainly doesn't hurt.
Any recommendations for shorts/pants? I'd like something a little more stylistically versatile than Lycra, but if nothing else comes close, in terms of performance and comfort, I can go with that. Do the MTB tights compromise road commuting performance much? The less I look like a cyclist (or as cyclists say, a Fred) the better, if there's no performance tradeoff.
Posts: 4,877
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2008
Reputation:
112
The Bicycle Thread
03-28-2015, 01:14 AM
Ah I meant MTB shorts. Seems like tights are mostly for warm weather, but I have seen local cyclists wear them in warm weather.
Something you can get is high viz reflective bands with velcro for your ankles and even wrists. They keep your pant leg from getting in the chain, and also enhance visibility supposedly because they're on a moving part of your body - your legs, which are pedaling. Since they're moving, they'll be at different angles and reflect light around more. Most stock pedals have reflectors built in as well; if they don't, you can add reflective tape.
Posts: 4,877
Threads: 0
Joined: Aug 2008
Reputation:
112
The Bicycle Thread
04-21-2015, 10:51 PM
Western, for small accessories, you can get a cheap BV bag off Amazon. I recommend the large, as these things always come in handy.
Lube for the chain, grease for everything else, air for the tires.
As for a lock, get a u-lock. I've heard Abus is best but pricey. Kryptonites is good, especially the orange evolution and the yellow fuhgeddabout it lines (yellow pricier, better heavier). Get a cable lock too with looped ends to protect the front wheel. If you commute, see if you can leave a lock at the rack at work.
There are some new locks on the market from kickstarter, but its unclear how they compare to traditional u locks.
Posts: 2,982
Threads: 0
Joined: Dec 2008
Reputation:
222
The Bicycle Thread
05-19-2015, 08:04 AM
I just started commuting to work by bike. It takes a little longer than by car, but at least I'm burning calories on a commute that I'm going to make anyway. Efficient use of my time and will help me stay healthy.
Posts: 459
Threads: 0
Joined: Nov 2012
Reputation:
0
The Bicycle Thread
06-26-2015, 03:58 PM
I got one six months ago for riding round town and am really enjoying it, it's probably become my favourite hobby. On a sunny day I ride with my shirt off through the local park. When girls eyefuck me I stop and have a chat. So much easier than a walking approach and for some reason being on a bike gives you a bit more dominance, plus a quick escape route. Shame it's only sunny 4 days out of thirty where I live..
I've always had very skinny calves and tried everything to get them to grow in the gym. Since I got a bike they're blowing up.
It also makes it easy to find targets, you can drive past a bar and check out the talent, can do lots of reconnaissance in a short period of time. Likewise shop girls etc. Then lock it up and approach on foot.
For some reason being on a bike makes me brave, ill wave at a girl or blow a kiss as I ride past, would never do that walking.
Also in making an approach look natural, can survey from a distance and manouvre quickly into position. I spied a promo girl working on a stall in town who was busy serving, I rode circuits from a distance where she couldn't see until I saw she wasn't serving. Cycled over to where she was having a cig break on a bench, plonked myself down and acted like I was just stopping for a drink of water and she happened to be sat on the bench. Banged that night.
It's Friday night it's 10pm and I'm in bed because at 9am ill be cycling all over town fresh and energised and exploring and approaching.
Bike game