for some reason, cycling brings out the worst in people a lot of the time, especially when they get in groups. No idea why, but i've witnessed my fair share of it having been married to a professional cyclist/triathlete for several years now.

2/14/2009 8:12:05 PM

Quote :

"for some reason, cycling brings out the worst in people a lot of the time, especially when they get in groups. No idea why, but i've witnessed my fair share of it having been married to a professional cyclist/triathlete for several years now."

Thats what happens when a group of who feel oppressed get together for a common activity. They will whine and complain about how bad society persecutes them and refuse to take any responsibility for their own contribution to the situation. The second someone gets it in their head that they are a martyr for some frivolous/nonsensical cause, they will devote their life to complaining about how persecuted they are. Case in point: critical mass.

I normally ride alone and go above and beyond what is necessary to avoid tricky situations with cars. If a driver gives me crap, I normally let it go and try to avoid whatever contributed to that situation the next time. Its just not worth getting worked up about road-rage. If I can't relax and enjoy my ride, I might as well quit biking.

2/15/2009 11:36:19 AM

generally

"being oppressed" on a bicycle means being at the whims of someone who could easily kill you and not even realize it

so yeah

what a bunch of assholes, trying not to die

2/15/2009 2:24:21 PM

any attention is good attention

if some 60 year old woman and says "what does this prick think he is, lance armstrong?"

its better than her saying "what was that bump, oh well, back to my cell phone"

2/15/2009 2:31:22 PM

^^ stantheman and I are obviously both cyclists (road and mtn, for me), but that doesn't mean I'm above calling cyclists as a whole a bunch of assholes. Obviously that's a generalization and often is not true, but cycling seems to bring out the jerkoffs (or brings out the inner-jerkoff from an otherwise normal person) like no other sport or activity I've seen.

and it extends beyond just "cyclists trying to stay alive" on the road - I, of course, have total sympathy for that cause, but often cyclists actions put them in more danger than they would be otherwise. But the attitude extends to all sorts of issues - bike brands, clothing styles, mtn vs. road, 26" vs 29", full suspension vs. rigid, geared vs. single speed, tri vs. road, etc. Battles between cyclists with different personal preferences can make the PC/Mac wars look docile.

2/15/2009 4:41:28 PM

yeah, cyclists take the terms "elitist" and "clique" to a whole other level. that's why i mostly ride alone or with one or two close friends. i've tried to meet up for a couple of group rides and inevitably end up as "the other guy".

2/15/2009 4:51:45 PM

I'm a commuter/tourer who likes to fix bikes as her community project. Listening to roadies talk, it's like a whole
other world..

"carbon fiber Pinarello this, technical fiber that, grams etc." What the hell is this carbon fiber business? Clipless pedals? All my frames (2 touring, 1 town, 1 cruiser) are all steel, and I use cages.

2/15/2009 7:30:39 PM

Quote :

"All my frames (2 touring, 1 town, 1 cruiser) are all steel, and I use cages."

LAAAAAAAAAME!!!

2/15/2009 9:00:49 PM

I understand the value of clipless pedals and shoes for cycling efficiency in more serious riding, but I can't
justify changing in and out of them on a 6 mile round trip to work, to the grocery store, etc. Or wearing
them around...people spend $200+ on some nice Sidis and wear them like sneakers!

Also, a friend of mine broke his foot when clipped in by falling over at slow speed. Of course, people
hook fenders on toe cages all the time if there's not enough clearance, so there's problems to both.

2/16/2009 12:58:26 PM

The people riding carbon fiber and clipless aren't going on 3 mile trips.

2/16/2009 1:12:08 PM

if you use a bike part-time as a commuter or to go to the store or whatever, but you also want to do some "serious" riding with it, you can get pedals that will do both.

for example, you can use these with crank-bros cleats, but they also have a large cage you can use with regular shoes


or ones like these that have clipless on one side and a cage on the other

http://www.dp76.com/products/shimano-m324-spd-cliplessplatform-pedals/


http://www.dp76.com/products/shimano-m424-spd-cliplesscaged-pedals/

as far as falling over a low speed? Well..... that just takes practice. (watch out - here comes some of the cyclist elitism I was just railing against a few posts ago) Once you're used to them, clipless pedals are just second nature, and they end up being a lot easier and safer to get out of than toe-clips that wrap around your normal shoes.

2/16/2009 1:15:17 PM

Quote :

"But the attitude extends to all sorts of issues - bike brands, clothing styles, mtn vs. road, 26" vs 29", full suspension vs. rigid, geared vs. single speed, tri vs. road, etc. Battles between cyclists with different personal preferences can make the PC/Mac wars look docile."

oh i know that

thats why i didn't address that part of the conversation

i was talking about the "being oppressed" part

unless you've met some 29"ers who act like they're being oppressed by the 26" crew

and as far as the whole clipless vs clips, i've got a pair of the old red shimano DH/BMX clipless pedals

so much better than the newer ones

if you hit a sketchy part of the trail, clip out and still have a full pedal to use

2/16/2009 1:29:07 PM

and you can also get full toe-clips that clip into clipless pedals

2/16/2009 1:29:46 PM

i'm a huge fan of toe cages

2/16/2009 1:35:46 PM

i loved them before i really learned how to bunnyhop

of course, i'm a fattie

so its more like a bunnyskip

2/16/2009 1:38:57 PM

Quote :

"generally "being oppressed" on a bicycle means being at the whims of someone who could easily kill you and not even realize it so yeah what a bunch of assholes, trying not to die"

Just for the record, I have personally chased down and confronted motorists who nearly hit me or deliberately tried to intimidate me. But I don't run stop lights, pass cars stopped at lights or take up a lane riding uphill at 10 mph on Avent Ferry Road. I don't commute down Glenwood Avenue or take a leisurely ride on Six Forks Road during rush hour. If you ride like an idiot and get hurt, I have no sympathy for you.

[Edited on February 16, 2009 at 1:40 PM. Reason : .]

2/16/2009 1:39:56 PM

i've never been able to figure out how to bunnyhop without the assistance of clipless pedals.....
I mean, i think it's kind of like an ollie on a skateboard where you pull up one end then kind of "hit it" forward to pull up the other end, but i've just never been able to do it. I'd be screwed without clipless.... I yank up on my pedals so hard that if my foot happens to slip out i'd just fly right off the bike.

I was riding on the Chapel Hill trails yesterday with a group of 8, and I was behind a guy who was hopping, and easily clearing all the log crossings. It was like, we were going at normal trail speed and there was an 8" log crossing, and seemingly without standing up or doing any run-up, he just popped over them with inches to spare. With a 6" log, if I have enough speed and a good launching and landing area, I can hop it, but it's a full-body exercise for me - lots of pumping on the shocks and pulling on the bars and pedals and hoping by back wheel doesn't slam into the log. For 8-12" logs, i just have to slow down enough to pop the wheels over one at a time.

2/16/2009 1:45:24 PM

thats actually really surprising

i think you're going about it in too much of an academic sense

the way you describe the technique sounds exactly word-for-word the way they describe it in like old issues of bicycling and MTB

i don't think the "pushing forward" thing is as literal as you're making it out to be

but of course, me explaining how to do it here is about as useless as it being explained in a magazine

2/16/2009 1:59:10 PM

ok, maybe instead of "pushing", could it be described as "twisting"? As if there was an axis point in the middle of the main triangle of the frame, and once the front wheel is up you "twist" or "spin" the bike around that axis so the rear comes up.

2/16/2009 2:07:01 PM

thats kinda more like it

i'd almost describe it as jumping off a diving board

almost

all i know is that you should try fucking around on a rigid bike with flat pedals

when you can get a hop on that, then you can worry about preloading suspension and whatnot

2/16/2009 2:17:32 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAem3L7Rlpk

this may be the best tutorial i can find

again, like i said, its like diving

your front/top needs to be going forward while your back/bottom needs to be going up

[Edited on February 16, 2009 at 2:31 PM. Reason : link fail]

2/16/2009 2:24:07 PM

its gonna take you a while to get it

start by practicing getting the front end off the ground. compress your fork and then yank up towards your chest. you should be getting the front tire off the ground by at least a couple inches. the more the better

after you are comfortable cruising around popping the front end up work on getting just the rear of the bike off the ground. with your pedals at the 3:00 and 9:00 position (horizontal) and your dominant foot forward, press into and backwards on the pedals. imagine trying to scrape mud off the bottoms of your shoes, with both feet at the same time.

if you do this correctly, the rear wheel should hop off the ground by a few inches. again, practice this until you can do it every time, getting more and more hop out of the rear.

once you are comfortable with getting the wheels off the ground independently, we can tie it together.

as you compress the front, be thinking about twisting the handlebar forward at the same time. as the handlebar approaches the top of the arc, roll the handlebar forward. the instant you begin doing this, push down and back with your feet, again, in a scraping motion.

this combination, when properly executed = success!

2/16/2009 2:33:51 PM

n/m.

read above posts, it's not that hard

[Edited on February 16, 2009 at 2:41 PM. Reason : .]

2/16/2009 2:34:45 PM

Just stick a set of platform pedals on there and practice. That way you can't rely on the clips. I used to be able to hop up 4 stairs on my 32 lb BMX bike with no problem.

Then do this and you'll be rad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9eNzLt0evU

2/16/2009 2:47:05 PM

^^^again

if you can bunnyhop without worrying about suspension

you will be that much better at bunnyhopping

2/16/2009 2:49:23 PM

^^^^ just to make it clear (i mean, i have a reputation to withhold here! ), I can bunnyhop and easily clear curbs, and ride a wheelie and endo and trackstand and hop in circles and all that. i.e. I'm not starting from scratch. I'm just trying to take it to the next level so I could, for example, clear a cyclocross-sized barrier without losing all my speed or momentum. of course, starting from scratch (like in those videos) is probably a good idea to try to rid myself of 20 years of bad bike handling habits.

but, yeah.... i guess the rest of your advice is useful for others here.

[Edited on February 16, 2009 at 2:54 PM. Reason : . ]

2/16/2009 2:51:42 PM

oh cyclists

we're nothing without our reputation

2/16/2009 2:56:58 PM

after watching a bunch of youtube videos

i realize i now want to learn to manual

2/16/2009 2:58:09 PM

There used to be a BMX vid that had a local guy doing a huge manual down Hillsborough St. He went from the Belltower down to Charlie Goodnights iirc.

2/16/2009 3:10:20 PM

^nice
thats impressive

also impressive

apparently lance fuckhead armstrong just went down in a peloton crash

2/16/2009 3:38:28 PM

Lance wasn't in the peleton crash - a photographer hit him

Quote :

" 12:19 PST 79.5mi/36.4mi to go Lance Armstrong has just crashed, evidently hit by a race photographer's motorcycle! 12:21 PST Armstrong is back on a spare bike, being paced back to the peloton by Chechu Rubiera. However, there is also word that a massive 50-rider crash has affected the peloton. 12:24 PST Correction, that's 15 riders who went down. OUCH riders and Quick Step riders were affected. One of the riders ended up under a parked car. Both crashes occurred on wide-open, flat stretches of road. 12:29 PST Torrential rain is now pelting the break. All of the riders who went down in the peloton are back on their bikes and are in the process of bridging back to the field. One rider is receiving aid from the race doctor. "

Quote :

"12:42 PST All of the riders involved in the 15-rider crash have resumed contact with the field, except for Andy Jacques-Maynes (Bissell Pro Cycling) who has abandoned. Bad news for the Jacques-Maynes family, while brother Ben is off the front. Evidently, Andy is being transported to a hospital right now."

Quote :

"12:50 PST Armstrong, too, has made the trip back to the team car to shed heavy clothing and grab some food. He's being paced back by teammate Chechu Rubiera. 12:52 PST Rock Racing continues to set tempo at the head of the peloton. They've been at the front all day. 12:54 PST 92.5mi/23.4mi to go An ambulance has just passed the peloton, possibly carrying Andy Jacques-Maynes. There aren't any sideroads off of Highway 1 here, so the vehicle had to make its way through."

2/16/2009 3:57:11 PM

lol, either way lance went down

and thats all i care about

jan ullrich for life son

2/16/2009 4:00:50 PM

we were watching the Tour of California stage 1 yesterday, and I was just thinking how amazingly lucky Armstrong was through his years in le Tour. It's incredible that he went 7 straight years without any major mechanicals or accidents that took him out.
2003 was his toughest year where he seemed to get a bit complacent, and got caught up in some nasty incidents, but came out good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRxGNttpaZA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr89ku-K2WU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrltVHjghsk

2/16/2009 4:47:16 PM

all i have to say is


Rain, 2005
Final Time Trial
1 KM to go, less than 30 second back
Ullrich's derailleur sparking on the street

woodfoot cried that day
woodfoot cried

2/16/2009 5:08:16 PM

oh the pain of those 2nd placed years

t'was tough

2/16/2009 5:11:46 PM

fuck Dopestrong

2/16/2009 5:15:59 PM

the sparks off his derailleur were little fireworks of excitment for me

2/16/2009 5:16:40 PM

then fuck you too

2/16/2009 5:18:06 PM

Woodfoot, do you gain pleasure by being contrarian?

2/16/2009 5:30:05 PM

i have no problem admitting that ullrich was one of the best we have seen

my problem with the fatass german is that he didnt try, he got sloppy and then blamed others for his poor performance

he knew exactly what he needed to do, both on and off the bike, race season and off season. he didnt do those things he needed to

he could have put more effort into building a stronger team, he could have worked more closely with his sponsors (who loved him by the way), he could have done lots of things

but he didnt.

2/16/2009 5:34:07 PM

aha, someone stole armstrong's TT bike!

2/16/2009 5:56:34 PM

yeah, and 3 other team bikes.

Lance's was, literally, one of a kind, though. So.... whoever stole it better be planning on keeping it as a collector's item and never showing anyone.

2/16/2009 8:23:08 PM

Quote :

"Woodfoot, do you gain pleasure by being contrarian?"

i'd be ashamed for him if that guy really thinks i was saying fuck you to him

and please don't act like you've never had an argument on this site

but to answer your question: sometimes

2/16/2009 9:49:06 PM

So this is probably the wrong place to ask, since you guys are a lot more serious with this than I am:

If I wanted to buy just a cheapo bike to ride around on (not necessarily just on roads), what would my best bet be? Just grabbing one off Craigslist?

[Edited on February 16, 2009 at 10:14 PM. Reason : .]

2/16/2009 10:14:40 PM

ja

2/16/2009 10:20:05 PM

Probably, but people on Craigslist like to charge $texas for stuff that's worth more like $rhodeisland. Deals can be had, but it might be wise to post the link here and get some opinions.

I've also had good luck with bike shops this time of year. They'll clear out some of the last season's stock to make room for the new, and if you get lucky you can get a hell of a deal.

2/16/2009 10:52:39 PM

i happened to drive past All Star bikes today at Ridgewood shopping center, and they had "2008 model sales" signs in their window

2/16/2009 11:12:08 PM

define "cheap"

you can get some really good deals @ performance right now, i'm guessing

2/16/2009 11:15:21 PM

"Cheap" like "I need the adult version of the Huffy I had as a kid".

2/17/2009 11:37:21 AM

i think i'm gonna try to catch the end of stage 7 of the tour of california since it ends a few miles from my apartment

apparently this stage ends with 5 laps basically around the rose bowl -- is that normal? i don't really know anything about cycling, but it seems so strange to me to just have 5 ~5-mi laps at the end

2/17/2009 12:45:03 PM