biking

[TurdBerglar]

if you can get a pieced together quality vintage bike with Shimano or Campagnolo(campy) components built by an actually bike tech for 400 bucks in good condition, don't fucking hesitate.

have you ever used newer shifters? they're incredibly easy and smooth to use.

Road Shifters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YYzVjWDJy0

Mountain Shifters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dil-Lyr3bPI

[TurdBerglar]

Just bought this:

http://cdn.mos.bikeradar.imdserve.co...38-960-540.jpg

Got a really good deal on it because it was last years model and is a weird color(they call it snozzberry).

[Bob]

i started biking and it kind of rules

i was scared of it for a long time because boston streets/drivers are awful, just awful, but i've dipped my toes into the water with hubway (those public short term commuter rental bikes all over the city) and i'm gonna get a bike of my own soon

it's nice because i live 7 miles away from work, which is a good distance for biking and now i can get decent exercise just from commuting

haven't had any "oh shit i'm going to die" moments yet and i've been at it long enough to get some confidence

basically the trick is to know that 99% of cars are going to do their best to avoid killing you (if only to avoid the paperwork) and to just keep your eyes open for the other 1% and ready to dodge

[TurdBerglar]

I can't even imagine biking through boston. it's treacherous just on foot.

Eventually you develop this sixth sense of the cars around you. kinda just know what they're about to do before they actually do it. be very weary of young women drivers. not cautious at all. young men drivers are reckless but they at least notice you.

[ericg]

i got turned on to biking even more when RAD came out.. always wanted a Haro cuz the guy with the blue and white magged wheels was so awsome in the beginning of the movie. (they were all awesome!)
the last bike i had was a great mountain bike i rode everywhere in arcata, california when i was going to college there. i miss that bike.
anyway...

[Dorothy Wood]

Originally Posted by Dorothy Wood

ha, I forgot.

but what about this bike http://www.masibikes.com/bikes/fixed...uno-riser-2015

I might get that guy

Originally Posted by TurdBerglar

Honestly that bike is a little style over substance. specifically made to appeal to too cool for school hipsters with money to burn. so it's grossly overpriced. especially considering its lack of drivetrain components since it's a single speed. you can get a much better/more comfortable/faster/durable bike in that price range it just won't be as classic and pretty or cool.

it gets it's classic look from using out dated engineering.

It's definitely not a bad bike but you can do better for the price.

Alright, I got that one after all, a year later. 25% off. I like it! Just got it today. It just felt natural when I test rode it. Zipped around today and it performed well. I feel like I can almost jump stuff or pop wheelies. Handlebars are little wide, but kinda felt like bmx, in a good way. But I'll probably switch them out.

[TurdBerglar]

neat

If the bars are too wide you can just easily get them cut with a simple pipe cutter. A lot of bars have markings on the ends so you can easily cut them to a specific length. If you wanna get drop bars you'd have to get different brake levers.


I just got this:

http://vitusbikes.com/products/sentier-vrx-2017/

It's a fucking monster of a bike. The neatest thing about it is the seat post works like an office chair(called a dropper post). I can drop the seat down at a push of a button and get my ass down low for going over technical shit. Then I can push the button again and the seat shoots back up for better pedaling.

The only fucking problem has been the fucking weather. I bought it in February that week it was 70 degrees thinking it was going to be an early spring. Then we got that blizzard a couple a weeks ago in the middle of march. then that snow all melted. Then it fucking snowed again last night. Fucking bullshit.

[Bob]

Originally Posted by TurdBerglar

I can't even imagine biking through boston. it's treacherous just on foot.

Eventually you develop this sixth sense of the cars around you. kinda just know what they're about to do before they actually do it. be very weary of young women drivers. not cautious at all. young men drivers are reckless but they at least notice you.

Yeah the idea of it freaked me out for the longest time and I never would've imagined myself doing it, but something changed one day and now I'm giving it a try. mostly i'm just tired of the T

I'm still really careful about which roads I go down, some are better than others. And I'm still a coward that hops off the bike and crosses on foot at some of the hairer intersections. But if you plan it out in advance enough, you can pick a route with long straightaways on roads with bike lanes (such as they are) and you can get where you're going about as fast as you would if you took the T.

It also helps that there are lots of other bikes out there on the road, so usually you can just follow someone who looks like they know what they're doing and now cars are half as likely to not see you

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Bob

It also helps that there are lots of other bikes out there on the road, so usually you can just follow someone who looks like they know what they're doing and now cars are half as likely to not see you

This is what makes London a joy to ride in. The infrastructure is slowly getting better but it was always safer than the shitty backwards city I live in now even though it has less traffic because there is safety in numbers. There are always enough people around that regular drivers in London expect someone to be there. Tourists are a problem but it's hard to educate them because they are either looking up at buildings or looking down at phones - never what's in front of them.

[Dorothy Wood]

Originally Posted by TurdBerglar

if you can get a pieced together quality vintage bike with Shimano or Campagnolo(campy) components built by an actually bike tech for 400 bucks in good condition, don't fucking hesitate.

have you ever used newer shifters? they're incredibly easy and smooth to use.

Road Shifters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YYzVjWDJy0

Mountain Shifters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dil-Lyr3bPI

I have the road shifters, I still never use them! ha. Actually now one is fucked because someone hit my bike when it was locked up outside during a storm. I need a new bike soon, I just keep putting it off because my bike, even beat up, is still rolling along just fine. I just like the geometry of it. I have thought about getting some kind of heavier duty bike simply because the city streets are so rough. I feel like I'm riding on an obstacle course, a really shitty obstacle course. Fuckin rocks and crags and potholes, sink holes, sand pits, dust. Whoever is in charge of repairing the roads under this mayoral administration should be fired and banished from working in the field again. Just shameful.


Glad you're biking, Bob!

[TurdBerglar]

The bike I jus bought is a cyclo-cross bike(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclo-cross_bicycle). It's essentially a road bike that's just a bit sturdier and slacker(not as twitchy). Cyclo-cross bikes also have the frame clearance for fatter tires to help smooth out the bumps and pot holes.

I have yet to see a basic model though. They're all kinda high end. I was able to get mine for $800. Down from $1100 because it was last years model and nobody wanted it because it's fucking some kind of weird purple color.

The bike is definitely worth it. I fucking love it. It's so smooth and solid and can take a beating compared to a full blown road bike.

Cyclo-cross bikes make real good city bikes.

[Dorothy Wood]

What about this guy: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...ixie-track.htm

Seems decent, I would get someone more knowledgeable than me to put it together.

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...-wide-tire.htm

Aesthetically, I like that one a lot ^

I am warming up to bigger tires with the roads the way they are. I was into skinny tires for awhile for the speed, but it's not worth it with the roads being shitty. After I ate shit a couple years ago when my tire slipped into a railroad track groove in an industrial area, I got bigger tires and it's resulted in more control and cushioning...but I recently popped a tube hitting a pothole too hard. I've been trying to jump stuff, which is not always successful when I'm carrying a full pannier, ha. It would be cool to have a bike that is more agile/tough.

[TurdBerglar]

Both of those bikes seem pretty good for the price. The first one has an aluminum frame while the second one has a cro-mo frame. Aluminum tends to be lighter but cro-mo tends to be more forgiving and not as harsh as a ride. The first one has disc brakes which are loads better than rim brakes but it looks the second one has better over all components.

[Dorothy Wood]

Thanks, I might go for the green one!

There's also this: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...401105__401105

Which is okay

or this http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...400306__400306

Which seems pretty practical, but also kinda ugly.

[TurdBerglar]

that brown one is fucking awesome. Hydraulic disc brakes and internal gearing. The rear hub houses an 8 speed transmission internally. Won't get dirty or fucked up. Should work perfectly all the time. Hydraulic brakes are incredible. One finger braking. very powerful even when sopping wet.

An I deal commuter bike. Isn't over encumbered with a bunch of shit. Really lean and basic and fitted with parts that are bullet proof. If you ride in not so perfect weather conditions mostly commuting, that bike is the perfect fit for you. if you don't mind the price.

I don't find it ugly at all. Kinda has a very well made wallet or a nicely upholstered vintage chair look to it. Stately