Okay, in that case, here's a tip I've learned from urban riding:

1) While in traffic, keep your hands on the brake hoods (you know where those are right?) This stabilizes the handlebars and steering of the bike, and;

2) Keep yourself in a gear that gives you torque. Like cars, it's torque that gets you out of trouble. In cycling, it's not a spin gear where you're doing 80 RPMs, but something a little slower and using a bit more leg strength.

When someone gets in your way, you're already poised for power. You only need to stand up on the cranks (pedals), and you're gone like a Porsche in 3rd gear. Works for me every time.

Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot tip #3.

You have to shave those fine legs of yours. :D

I'm down with #1 and #2, dd, but my wife would divorce me for #3. :)

Actually I've been doing those instinctively, I guess. The problem is that "traffic" where I live means people passing me at 50-80 mph (well, I guess 30-60 relative, since my speed can't be over 20).

Doesn't give me a whole lot of reaction time or room for error. Hell, by the time I realize they're coming up on me, I could've been dead.

On the motorcycle I just twist the grip, and they're gone.

Maybe I'll just get a trainer and pedal alongside Lance during the next Tour. ;)

Speaking of Lance - what a freak of nature that guy is. He is to a bicycle what an engine is to a motorcycle in my mind.

There's a theory about him I'm not sure I'm down with. Maybe a radiologist can confirm this. But his radiology treatments broke down his body so severely, that it altered his muscle structure to the point that on his way back to strength, he developed an entirely "new" physique, including much stronger organs and muscle tissue.

I don't know. That's a little less plausible than use of these new designer (and undetectable) drugs in my mind. I'm not knocking the guy, but if he wins a 6th Tour, there's some serious "Terminator" action happening inside him.

I think in his book (I didn't read it, a coworker told me about it) he talks about how he rebuilt himself (or oriented his training that way) after the cancer treatments with cycling in mind...whereas prior to his cancer he had more of a triathlete's build.

When you're trying to build muscle, the effort actually tears muscle. The regrown muscle is stronger than the old. Maybe this is what Lance experienced???

Self-employment has its benefits, ya know. Sometimes you get to work 60 hours a week, and sometimes you get to work 4 hours a week. :)

When I came back to cycling (Feb 03), I rode less than 15 miles/ride. You grow into it. The best 911 drivers and strongest cyclists read from the same book... basically more time = more speed ;)

I thought I'd let you guys know that I'm going down to order a new Trek tomorrow. The store owner is an old repeat client of mine and is doing a great deal for me on a 4100 or 4300 MTB.

I don't really need disc brakes (although they're really cool), but I do want the superlight alloy frame. I'll take some pictures of it over the weekend for you guys. It'll be good to get back on the road and do a little trail riding and off-roading.

Even though it'll be for fun, it's mainly for fitness. I was thinking about a Topeak Panorama cycle computer, but I'll probably go with a good old CatEye. The consumer reviews don't favour the Topeak very well. All I want it to do is tell me my speed and trip/total distance travelled.

I ain't gonna be shaving my legs, though. ;)

Make sure the cord for the computer is long enough to go down the (looooong) MTB forks - I couldn't fit a regular Cateye (the cheap NZD40 one) on my MTB and still wind the forks out to their longest setting. I took it off and bought the Giant road bike instead - it even came with a computer ;)

I sorta figured I didn't need to know how far or how fast when I was off road, so MTB remains with nothing. I occasionally ride it around town though, just for fun. When I bought it (in November, haha, I didn't last long with one bike), a road bike was far from my mind and I got a set of Geax Streetrunner Kevlar tyres - they are 26x1.25 and nice and fast on-road. Worth it for another NZ$80 or so (or less because there are cheaper tyres too) if you plan to do lots of road riding.

#1 is key - you have way more control of the bike - only use the drops for TT style riding. I had wide bars and liked how riding the hoods opened my chest more for breathing. We usually dropped anyone who tried to ride in the drops on group rides - very dangerous.

#2 depends on your riding style. I was very focused on spinning 80-100 RPM with bursts to 130+ RPM. This resulted in quick acceleration from a seated position (more control - less wind exposure) that was the norm in road racing. Either way, I think a road mishap with a car or pedestrian will happen too fast for you to be able to react to.

#3 yes, leg shaving is the norm for road riding. If you're serious about the sport there won't be an issue. Sure the first time I shaved it felt weird, and I wore a lot of long pants off the bike, but that changed and I actually enjoyed the smooth skin - as did my GF. Hey lets be real, racing bikes = seriously great legs. Body builders at the gym had nothing on me. Riding a road bike with hairy legs is like driving a 911 decked out with J.C. Whitney's latest.

The whole radiology/physique sounds fake - but Lance's dominance in the sport is not. He is a true champion. The kind of performance he displays on a bike only comes from years and years of training more miles than most people drive in a lifetime. I recall early in his career when he was a classics specialist. He was in the TDF and it was a 30+ mile time trial. About halfway through Miguel Indurain (Banesto) blasted past him for 2 or 4 minutes to eventually take something like 12+ minutes out of Lance. :eek: Talk about the master vs. student. I imagine Lance is now close to, or even with, Miguel's performance when he was in his prime. To my knowledge Miguel still holds the records for VO max and other endurance type measurements. What distinguishes Lance from the previous cast of characters is that he overcame cancer (Greg Lemond overcame a shotgun blast - but still not comparable) to achieve the success his has today.

Top that off - he is also dating Sherl Crowe.

Okay, though most ur...men...will be turned off by this, my GF at the time I took a Norelco to my sticks, thought it was a huge turn on. I couldn't get her off me or my legs. What does that mean? I dunno. Was she a closet L-girl? No. Did I feel I needed to buy an airline ticket to Sweeden for 'an operation?' No. I only equate it to the same as one shaving their head: don't knock it until you try it! :D

As far as Greg and Lance go, well from what I know about LeMond is most shotgun blasts like he suffered would kill almost anyone. His conditioning was what pulled him through. He won his next Tour with buckshot still in his kidneys (I believe).

But cycling almost killed him too. He developed a debilitating disease (I forget the ailment's name) which is induced by too much exercise. It supposedly plagues quite a few athletes in sports where there's continual exertion - i.e. cycling.

Greg LeMond
Born: June 26, 1961
Cyclist

3-time Tour de France winner (1986,89-90); only non-European to win the event until Lance Armstrong in 1999; retired in Dec. 1994 after being diagnosed with a rare muscular disease known as mitochondrial myopathy.

Yeah, not to minimize Greg's gunshot, he actually has a couple pellets still in the lining of his heart, but I think the total body attack of Lance's cancer and treatment trumps.

That brings me to an "issue" I had with Greg. I couldn't help but call B.S. to his claim of disease and subsequent dropout of the 1991 TDF. He was leading the race with Miguel posing a serious threat. After the close stage finish Greg made some bogus comment to belittle Miguel, vowing to crush him in the next days stage. Hey they have to be arrogant, I know, but his comments were especially childish and low. Of course Miguel proceeded to absolulely crush Greg the next day and go on to win the race. It was after that deciding stage that Greg immediately started making excuses of health problems and withdrew from the race. His thinking was if he couldn't win the yellow why keep going. What a baby. There are guys that slug through with fevers, broken bones, and other major setbacks, just to finish. Apparently Greg was not up to that sort of behavior. I've never viewed him with the same respect after that race.

He is a whiner to a degree. But the "I will crush you" talk is all psychological. It's like boxing. Besides, Greg by then was wearing out. What's a pro cyclists career span? Seven years? He was racing since '80, so I don't think he did too poorly.

His freakin' filthy rich now. All he races are cars now that Trek bought LeMond Bicycles off him.

He is sort of a skeezer, though, firing his old man from the company, and all...

#3 yes, leg shaving is the norm for road riding. If you're serious about the sport there won't be an issue. Sure the first time I shaved it felt weird, and I wore a lot of long pants off the bike, but that changed and I actually enjoyed the smooth skin - as did my GF. Hey lets be real, racing bikes = seriously great legs. Body builders at the gym had nothing on me. Riding a road bike with hairy legs is like driving a 911 decked out with J.C. Whitney's latest.

Haha, this confirms my current suspicion that cyclists who shave their legs do so because they love their legs (which represent much time and effort). The "it means road rash heals faster" is a scam.

Cam

Disclaimer: While I don't currently shave my legs, I'm thinking about it. Hairy legs and lycra look even more wrong than shaved legs and lycra.

No not a scam - road rash is easier to administer to w/o hair. Plus you don't get bugs stuck to your legs, wind resistence :), massage's are better (deep tissue - yikes!), and you're not automatically labeled a Fred. That title you have to earn. Cyclists who claim shaving is not for asthetic reasons are not being completely honest.

What's strange is that men are quick to bash leg shaving but rarely bat an eye when some dude shaves his chest for that body builder look. :rolleyes:

I am a reasonable facsimile of a sasquatch. No way in heck am I shaving any part of my anatomy below the neckline.

I had to have chest surgery in '93 and it itched like crazy when the hair grew back.

Both Cam and David are right:

Road rash heals faster, and hairy legs and lycra don't do for an appealing look. Think of your fattest, greasiest uncle bedecked with gold chains and in a Fila sweatsuit, or worse, a Speedo, and herein lies the image of shapeless hairy stumps stymied in lycra shorts.

As the girls who like good shaved legs say: "Ewwwww!" :D

Ahh..... I see the problem here.

You're assuming I care what people think about my appearance.

Actually, my wife likes the fact that I am hirsute...it keeps her from "sticking" to my chest in warmer weather. ;)

Okay, so what is a "hairshirt?"

I guess I better call J.C Whitney for their latest catalog. Ain't shaved my legs. Might try it one day. I'd only do it for looks.

Breaking news. I just bought another bike "for the wife". She has a mountain bike already (bought when I got mine) and is doing "have a go" women's triathlon's here (first one in 2.5 weeks). Obviously, she needed (my words - see comment at the bottom) a road bike.

So I just bought her a second-hand Schwinn Peloton - I think it is a 1999, and has mostly Ultegra with a Dura Ace rear derailleur (good) and crappy Mavic CXP21 rims (bad). Bike is steel (Reynolds 853) and thus looks old-school :D, but with upgraded carbon fork. It appears to be pretty low km, but stored somewhere slightly damp so there are a few minor areas of surface corrosion (but not on the frame). I'll spend tonight cleaning it up :D Everything works, needs new tyres though.

The best bit is that I am only an inch taller than her - 6' vs 5'11", and we have the same length leg, so the bike fits me just fine ;)

Why didn't you "urge" her to go with something she can grow into.... like say a Giant TCR Composite. Comon. You know you, I mean she, wants one.

Don't place too much emphasis on the bike. I thought my new bike would be a revolution. It isn't much better than my old Trek, to be honest. It is ALL about the engine. :D

Haha, I know about "the engine" bit. I'm only somewhat faster on my road bike than on my mtb with slicks. But I am faster...

The TCR is pretty light - I keep thinking naughty thoughts about stealing the superior components (only really the shifting and brakes) off the Peloton and pimping out the TCR.

Biggest shock for the wife will be going from an MTB with 3 front rings and 26" tyres to an easiest gear of 39/25 (could have been 39/23 like my bike!) and 700c tyres. She'll have to learn fast about standing on the pedals...

Every bike shop where I went on holiday last week seemed to have a 2004 TCR 1 Composite (Ultegra, with FSA carbon cranks and Ksyrium wheels). Something like NZ$5000 (US$3500 or so) though - more than 2x what I have spent on two second-hand road bikes and accessories!!!

Your TCR is stinky light. It should be lots of fun.

Does the wife know how to use the gears well? Most women are clueless about bikes. At least she's trying. That's saying a lot.

I tried to buy a TCR Composite 2 ($2300US) in November, but Giant was backordered until Feb 2004. I wasn't prepared to wait 4 months. I ended up buying a semi-custom build on an off-the-shelf frameset with nice Campagnolo components. The components are worth the bucks, but the frame and wheels were overkill. On the other hand, I got exactly what I wanted, and I have absolutely no urge to upgrade a single part. I will keep this bike for 4-5 years, perhaps longer, so $2200 isn't so bad for something so valuable in my life. I didn't really need those fiberglass bumpers and SSIs anyway. ;)

ride on,
jürgen

Your heart thanks you!

I hesitate to say this, but the Giant actually seems "reasonable" value --> as distinct from some of the bikes out there!

RIDE Cycling Review (www.ridemedia.com.au) has just put out a new issue (it is quarterly) with a review of the TCR1 and three other carbon bikes. They thought it was great.

Yo, Cam, you still riding.

It hit 74 degrees (23 C) here today. I nearly sweat my balls off. :)

I'm only riding about 80 miles a week, due to weather and not much daylight, but the riding season is about to start bigtime.

Still pondering the leg shaving event. I still have my doubts about that kind of stuff, ya know. :)
Jürgen

Legs still hairy here too ;)

I have managed nearly 200km in a couple of weeks on the Schwinn (gotta check it is ok for the wife ;)). Plus about 100km on the Giant. Lots of hills too.

After that "too much too soon" effort, I have done about 50km a week of very very gentle spinning, as I have a wee bit of tendonitis. Bummer.

Will go out in a few minutes (finished work). Maybe 30-60 mins, gentle stuff. It sucks having to take it so easy.

80 miles a week is pretty decent! Especially in winter.

I didn't ride at all last weekend, as I was down in Taupo (holiday town next to a very large lake). My wife was entered in a womens' triathlon - an easy event (300m swim, 10km ride, 3 km run) designed to get lots of women involved. There were almost 1,000 of them!

It felt like winter. Raining, approx 13-14 deg C (<60 deg F), pretty stiff (and cold!) wind. Where did summer go?

I'm having these guys (http://www.xacd.com.cn) build me a titanium single speed MTB frame with an eccentric bottom bracket and disk tabs without the V-brake bosses. I've also ordered their rigid Ti fork. I have one of these forks on a Ti Mongoose Pro MTB frame that I built up to about 15.5 lbs (with full knobbies). People would pick this bike up and just laugh. I expect the single speed to be around 15 lbs. with disks.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078391523.jpg

Here's my other single speed, a Surly 1x1. Low-tech, steel, and cheap. The head badge fits the bike's demeanor.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078392066.jpg

CamB, take care of those knees. When I got my new bike, I pushed too hard and crudded up my right knee. Stupid me, I rode again the next day. It took 2 week off to get back to normal. If you need some hot air for your winter rides, let me know. I can bottle up some Tennessee hot air. Summertime temps reach 35+ degrees C with lots of humidity.

Nader, your single speed MTB weighs 3 pounds less than my road bike (with some carbon bits thrown in to make me look fast). :)
Jürgen

Not quite sure how you did that? Was your knee already suspect? Did you crash? Standing or seated? During the start of a season my lungs and heart would blow way way before any bones or joints - you must be really fit.

Maybe shaving would help :)

Simply pushing too hard. I hadn't ridden in 2 months and simply thought I could pound the gears hard to go fast. My knees are the weakest part, but stretching exercises helped a lot. An analogy one fellow stated,"You don't start benching 400 lbs the first day you hit the gym, and you don't pound a 53-11 on the first ride, either."

My heart and lungs are far from good. 2 months layoff absolutely destroyed my conditioning. I feel like a slug on wheels. Pre-accident (oct 2003) I rode just over 20 mph average speed on rolling/flat terrain. Now, I'm struggling to hit 18.5 mph average. It will come with more miles. Lance I am not.

For now, I prefer the JC Whitney add-ons to the 911 vs. shaving, but I MIGHT come around eventually. :)
jurgen

Here's some of my bikes:

50's Columbia 3-star deluxe
pre-war Schwinn Cycle Truck
early 60's Columbia tandem

http://vintagebus.com/bikes/3star2.jpg
http://vintagebus.com/bikes/cycletruck-02.jpg
http://vintagebus.com/bikes/tandem1.jpg

Thom, that tandem rocks! :D

I'll post a pic of my bike over the weekend.

I think you guys are covering all my favorite hobbies at one point or another. I love this place...

titanium single speed MTB frame with an eccentric bottom bracket and disk tabs

That is so cool that you can do that! I was reading about eccentric bottom brackets the other day and they fix the "singlespeed with disc brakes" problem in a flash. 15lb is unbelievable. I guess my bike is about 18lb too.

A couple of the guys I've been mountain biking with are singlespeeders (some of the time). One of them actually won last years World SS Champs in Australia (major feature of the race - you could do a very technical and long downhill, or skull a beer and take a shortcut). Needless to say, with 27 speeds I'm still 1,000 miles behind.

I did basically what Jurgen did - I wasn't pushing big gears on the flat but I rode up a LOT of hills. Now, my legs and lungs still feel fabulous, but when I have to actually push the pedals (eg up a hill, into the wind) rather than just spinning, it hurts along the top of the patella. It's really frustrating, because every part of me EXCEPT my knee wants to go out for a hard two hour ride right NOW.

I'm going to get my bike setup checked again, I think.

I just remembered, I took photos of the bikes (mostly for insurance reasons, so excuse the crap pics) this week:

My Giant:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078534814.jpg

Anna's Schwinn (she's yet to ride it!):

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1078534859.jpg

Cam: judging from the top tube, it looks like Anna's a fairly tall girl. The Giant's great, isn't it? I test rode one. The sloping tube isn't quite for me though - I'm more of a "classic" person. The giant seemed to oversteer a lot for me.

I found the only way to combat knee strain while on the cranks, particularly uphill, is to shift into a lower gear. If your leg is all but fully extended at the six o'clock position on either left or right crank, you're adjustments are fine.