Cycling bikes

  On 4/20/2023 at 3:19 PM, milkface said:

Some cities I've been around have decent enough cycle lanes separated from the roads unlike in London where a lot of the time it's just an extra painted lane. I hope more places adopt safer cycle paths.

 

Nottingham:

 

Birmingham:

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Ooh, I stand corrected.

  On 4/20/2023 at 4:45 PM, beerwolf said:

I prefer paths, bridle ways and tracks without traffic. Lucky I have quite a few ‘round my way. Windsor Great Park, Richmond Park, Dorney rowing Lake, Thames Path (during the week not on a weekend) and Grand Union Canal. I really don’t like cycling on roads round my way unless necessary. Or if I have to then I get up at 6am and get going. It doesn’t help that in recent years with the popularity of cycling the media has stirred it up as cyclists vs motorists. Nothing gets a radio talk show hosts phones ringing off the hook than a load of angry right wing motorists who hate anybody on two wheels. I never go cycling on a weekend past 10am. Then it’s a circus, and a circus I wish to miss. Massive fucking headache. Lucky I usually cycle during the week when I have a day off. I use to find it quite depressing how my lifetime hobby had become way too popular and every Tom, Dick and Harry was out cycling causing mayhem and aggravation. Like I said if I have to go cycling on a Sunday, I’m on the road at 6am. Winter cycling is also great because all the fair weather muppets won’t venture out.

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Or maybe not.

Sunday 10am + is Numptyville Daymare In Summer. Fuck that 

HELL ON EARTH!!

I think once I had some issue with my bike and perhaps a delayed train and my 6.30am early start meant that I was out past 10am on the narrow towpath of the Grand Union Canal on a sunny Sunday. What the fuck. I was like Dracula having his coffin ripped open in the mid day sun. Boaters, runners, families, picnickers, bird watchers, dope smokers, fishermen, dog walkers, dimwits, and of course the fair weather cycling gang. Like trying to smack a massive fucking square peg into a very tiny round hole.

IT WAS LIKE A FUCKING WAR ZONE!!!!

Nah. No thanks.

  On 4/20/2023 at 10:22 PM, beerwolf said:

Sunday 10am + is Numptyville Daymare In Summer. Fuck that 

HELL ON EARTH!!

I think once I had some issue with my bike and perhaps a delayed train and my 6.30am early start meant that I was out past 10am on the narrow towpath of the Grand Union Canal on a sunny Sunday. What the fuck. I was like Dracula having his coffin ripped open in the mid day sun. Boaters, runners, families, picnickers, bird watchers, dope smokers, fishermen, dog walkers, dimwits, and of course the fair weather cycling gang. Like trying to smack a massive fucking square peg into a very tiny round hole.

IT WAS LIKE A FUCKING WAR ZONE!!!!

Nah. No thanks.

 

 

 

 

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Yeah, I have that, but with running.

And the packs of thoroughly incompetent Sunday cyclists acting like they own the road are the absolute worst

  On 4/21/2023 at 1:32 PM, Limo said:

Yeah, I have that, but with running.

And the packs of thoroughly incompetent Sunday cyclists acting like they own the road are the absolute worst

Maybe if we all pitch in WATMM could buy you a bike so you don't have to resort to running? Either way sorry to hear you've fallen upon hard times and hope you're able to adjust to the best of your abilities.

fuck

  On 4/23/2023 at 11:06 AM, Hail Sagan said:

fuck

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every bit of that is just bonkers. on the edge. so fast and that manual was sick. 

Trying out different seatpost heights in the fog earlier

People telling me the dropper post is a game changer..I think saddle height is all down to personal preference 

  On 5/11/2023 at 11:01 PM, Schlitze said:

Trying out different seatpost heights in the fog earlier

People telling me the dropper post is a game changer..I think saddle height is all down to personal preference 

 

 

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how tall are you? 

Does anyone have an electric bike? I live in a very big city and don’t want a second car but I’m too scared to get a motorcycle. That leaves me with either an electric bike or maayybe a Vespa. I don’t know if either is really the right choice. Either way, I’m curious what your thoughts/experiences are. 
For what it’s worth, I’m attracted to this newer model that REI has:

I've tried it, but decided to go for a normal bike, since commuting is a nice everyday workout for me. A lot of my colleagues have electric bikes and as far as I know, they are all very happy with it. The only downside (apart from lack of workout) is that electric bikes are extremely popular among the bike thieves where I live.

Still have yet to see an Orange in the wild over here in the states. Slick looking bikes though. 

  On 5/12/2023 at 6:13 AM, J3FF3R00 said:

Does anyone have an electric bike? I live in a very big city and don’t want a second car but I’m too scared to get a motorcycle. That leaves me with either an electric bike or maayybe a Vespa. I don’t know if either is really the right choice. Either way, I’m curious what your thoughts/experiences are. 
For what it’s worth, I’m attracted to this newer model that REI has:

 

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they're all over portland. i've thought about getting one for all the short trips, grocery shopping and all that stuff. cycling infrastructure here is pretty good for most trips. there's 2 or 3 e-bike stores in town now. i'd def get a cargo bike style w/the small tires like the one in that pic but a little longer wheel base.

i book marked this page for reviews. 

https://gearjunkie.com/biking/best-electric-cargo-bikes

sometimes i will ride my bike to the store as it's so close but depends on what i need, how i'm feeling, if it's a shitshow of a weather day etc. cargo bike would make it all simpler. 

it beginneth

Just got a bike here - super easy to bike everywhere in town. So much better than back home in Ottawa, which is even reasonable by north american standards.

I thought for one brief second that Cylob had moved from walking to cycling. Lovely video though.

  On 7/2/2023 at 5:59 PM, Schlitze said:

 

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loving the anis perspective

I’m up in Portland right now. It great to see so many bikers. This city is so purdy. 

  On 7/3/2023 at 7:36 AM, J3FF3R00 said:

I’m up in Portland right now. It great to see so many bikers. This city is so purdy. 

summer is pedalpalooza in portland but there's always lot's of cyclists.

https://www.pedalpalooza.org

  On 5/12/2023 at 6:13 AM, J3FF3R00 said:

Does anyone have an electric bike? I live in a very big city and don’t want a second car but I’m too scared to get a motorcycle. That leaves me with either an electric bike or maayybe a Vespa. I don’t know if either is really the right choice. Either way, I’m curious what your thoughts/experiences are. 
For what it’s worth, I’m attracted to this newer model that REI has:

 

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This is my daily driver, a Riese & Müller Delite GT vario with continuous hub gear and belt drive, nicknamed The Beast. It's sturdy af -- it's built like a tank, feels and rides like a tank, and I absolutely love it. What it does is give me confidence and security, I feel like I can do anything (apart from any serious trails perhaps, which I have no interest in anyway) and go anywhere (at least as long as the battery holds up). And, maybe, just maybe I sometimes imagine I'm Batman when I ride it.

So here's my story: two years ago, when it was time for a new bike, I decided I was old enough for an electric one. I'm a lazy ass, and my mountain bike was gathering dust. Since I got this machine, my radius of movement has extended considerably, because I'm no longer afraid of any steep hill or long climb whatsoever. Still, I mostly drive it in eco mode and only unleash the kraken when the situation calls for it. I do my daily shopping with it, go for longer tours on the weekend or take it for a quick round through the woods, and it brings me great joy.

And yet, there is one thing that's been bothering me, which is that I can't really go any faster than 25 km/h. In short, I guess I'm still a little bit too fit for my e-bike, and I have to admit it can be a little frustrating when those aerodynamically optimized human projectiles on their little road bikes zip past me. I could chip it, which would be illegal and potentially dangerous. The alternative would be a second bike, a light, nimble, fast bike. Ironically, it seems like the e-bike has gotten me so into biking that I would like to bike more ... seriously? So when my beloved beast was in the shop for maintenance a couple of weeks ago and I was suffering from massive bike withdrawal, I thought, fuck it, did some research and discovered that gravel bikes were not only a thing, but actually quite the rage. Mind you, I'm the opposite of a hipster, but I do think I have a use case for it. I don't like to ride on roads populated by cars much, so I guess a gravel bike would be the best of both worlds, a bike that I could take off the beaten path but that would also be fast on tarmac. So I ordered a Cube Nuroad C:62 SL on a whim.

The thing is, I'm sort of getting cold feet now. My back is properly fucked, I had hernia surgery five years ago and now have another slipped disc, and I'm concerned with comfort. The Cube has zero suspension and I fear for my back and neck. Do any of you have experience with actually riding a gravel bike on gravelly or forest roads? Would my old bones be rattling uncontrollably? I'm also not sure about the more sporty position due to geometry and drop bars. Unfortunately I won't be able to really test drive it. The days without any bike at all were really hard, I hadn't even realized how much I had gotten used to riding daily, and it would be nice to have a second bike ready in case there's something wrong with the e-bike, but it also feels like quite the indulgence when I'm actually pretty happy with what I have, except for that one little niggle. What to do, what to do?

Semi-edit: While composing this epic post, I just got the e-mail that the ordered bike has arrived, lol. There is no obligation to buy it, they won't have any problem to sell it, but if I want it, I got five days to pick it up. Argh. Help me, WATTTUMMMMMMM!