Grassroots bicycling

bastomatic wrote: In reply to golfduke: That's the truth. I've had a hard time transitioning to not riding so much - I went from no kids, in a place with good roads, and many nearby trails - to having a newborn, with no decent bike lanes nearby and the closest trail is a 30+ minute drive away. Can't wait til this spring though, I have to get a trailer for my daughter so we can ride together. What I really want is this, but $3000 is a lot of money.

I could totally see making one of those with a junk bike and a wheelbarrow!

golfduke wrote: I'm spoiled. I can commute to my office without touching pavement until I get into the parking lot. 12 miles of singletrack, fireroads, and other stuff in between.

I... hate... you... more... than.... words... can... describe...

If I could do that I probably wouldn't even be on this forum... since I wouldn't give two sh1ts about racing cars...

Thanks GRM, now I'm trolling craigslist and ebay for bike parts.

Anybody got some old Shimano 8-speed road shifters they would part with? I'm specifically looking for the Dura-Ace 7402/7403 8-speed road brifters.

bastomatic wrote: This is long, and borrowed from Surly. It fits. - If you think your bike looks good, it does. - If you like the way your bike rides, it’s an awesome bike. - You don’t need to spend a million dollars to have a great bike, but if you do spend a million dollars and know what you want you’ll probably also have a great bike. - Yes, you can tour on your bike – whatever it is. - Yes, you can race on your bike – whatever it is. - Yes, you can commute on your bike – whatever it is. - 26” wheels or 29” or 650b or 700c or 24” or 20” or whatever – yes, that wheel size is rad and you’ll probably get where you’re going. - Disc brakes, cantis, v-brakes, and road calipers all do a great job of stopping a bike when they’re working and adjusted. - No paint job makes everyone happy. - Yes, you can put a rack on that. Get some p-clamps if there are no mounts. - Steel is a great material for making bike frames - so is aluminum, carbon fiber, and titanium. - You can have your saddle at whatever angle makes you happy. - Your handlebars can be lower than your saddle, even with your saddle, or higher than your saddle. Whichever way you like it is right. - Being shuttled up a downhill run does not make you a weak person, nor does choosing not to fly off of a 10 foot drop. - Bike frames made overseas can be super cool. Bike frames made in the USA can be super cool. - Hey, tattooed and pierced long shorts wearin flat brim hat red bull drinkin white Oakley sportin rad person on your full suspension big hit bike – nice work out there. - Hey, little round glasses pocket protector collared shirt skid lid rear view mirror sandal wearing schwalbe marathon running pletscher two-leg kickstand tourist – good job. - Hey, shaved leg skinny as hell super duper tan line hear rate monitor checking power tap train in the basement all winter super loud lycra kit million dollar wheels racer – keep it up. - The more you ride your bike, the less your ass will hurt. - The following short answers are good answers, but not the only ones for the question asked 29” Brooks Lugged Disc Brake Steel Campagnolo Helmet Custom Rohloff NJS Carbon 31.8 Clipless Porteur - No bike does everything perfectly. In fact, no bike does anything until someone gets on it to ride. - Sometimes, recumbent bikes are ok. - Your bikeshop is not trying to screw you. They’re trying to stay open. - Buying things off of the internet is great, except when it sucks. - Some people know more about bikes than you do. Other people know less. - Maybe the person you waved at while you were out riding didn’t see you wave at them. - It sucks to be harassed by shiny happy people in cars while you’re on a bike. It also sucks to drive behind shiny happy people on bikes. - Did you build that yourself? Awesome. Did you buy that? Cool. - Wheelies are the best trick ever invented. That’s just a fact. - Which is better, riding long miles, or hanging out under a bridge doing tricks? Yes. - Yes, you can break your collar bone riding a bike like that. - Stopping at stop signs is probably a good idea. - Driving with your bikes on top of your car to get to a dirt trail isn’t ideal, but for most people it’s necessary. - If your bike has couplers, or if you have a spendy bike case, or if you pay a shop to pack your bike, or if you have a folding bike, shipping a bike is still a pain in the ass for everyone involved. - That dent in your frame is probably ok, but maybe it’s not. You should get it looked at. - Touch up paint always looks like E36 M3. Often it looks worse than the scratch. - A pristine bike free of dirt, scratches, and wear marks makes me sort of sad. - A bike that’s been chained to the same tree for three years caked with rust and missing parts makes me sad too. - Bikes purchased at Wal-mart, Target, Costco, or K-mart are generally not the best bang for your buck. - Toe overlap is not the end of the world, unless you crash and die – then it is. - Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it’s your fault. - Yes, you can buy a bike without riding it first. It would be nice to ride it first, but it’s not a deal breaker not to. - Ownership of a truing stand does not a wheel builder make. - 32 spokes, 48 spokes, 24 spokes, three spokes? Sure. - Single speed bikes are rad. - Bikes with derailleurs and cassettes are sexy. - Belt drive internal gear bikes work great too. - Columbus, TruTemper, Reynolds, Ishiwata, or no brand? I’d ride it. - Tubeless tires are pretty cool. - So are tubes. - The moral of RAGBRAI is that families and drunken boobs can have fun on the same route, just maybe at different times of day. - Riding by yourself kicks ass. You might also try riding with a group. - Really fast people are frustrating, but they make you faster. When you get faster, you might frustrate someone else. - Stopping can be as much fun as riding. - Lots of people worked their asses off to build whatever you’re riding on. You should thank them.

That is the most un-bicyclist thing I have ever read, and totally cool.

Ian F wrote:

golfduke wrote: I'm spoiled. I can commute to my office without touching pavement until I get into the parking lot. 12 miles of singletrack, fireroads, and other stuff in between.

I... hate... you... more... than.... words... can... describe... If I could do that I probably wouldn't even be on this forum... since I wouldn't give two sh1ts about racing cars...

but... snow! To be completely honest, the riding season is pretty long here, but Jan-end March sucks. Snow, mud, and cold- the trifecta for misery.

In reply to golfduke:

That's why they make fatbikes and warm clothes, yeah?

I have to say on a board, with people obsessed with going fast for the least amount of money possible, the responses on here have been surprising.

You guys are spending complete challenge budgets on something with a 1/100th of the parts and 1/1,000,000 or the complexity. Yeah they have advanced materials and yes they very cool processes for the frames.

But I have seen those processes and pale in comparison to what we build for the same money in a car. Do you guys have any idea how much in materials, processing, and machinery tech go into to making just the interior door panel on your car? I will tell you this. It's a hell of allot more money, research, and advanced tech in that then the whole bicycle.

When I was a kid on my huffy, I loved that bike and road it everywhere. When I went to college on my used Trek, I liked it and rode it around. I got a Raleigh and was less than impressed (although I was fatter then too.)

I am beginning to look at bikes like horses. In certain parts of the world they are a necessity, but in the modern world they are prestigious symbol that the actual value is close to zero and the hobby/shiny happy person factor is close to infinity.

You guys are weird, but you knew that already.

bastomatic wrote: In reply to golfduke: What I really want is this, but $3000 is a lot of money.

you could buy several dozen for $3k...

bastomatic wrote: Can't wait til this spring though, I have to get a trailer for my daughter so we can ride together. What I really want is this, but $3000 is a lot of money.

I'm an advocate of spending lots of money on bikes...but this looks like it truly wouldn't be too hard to replicate with some scrap and a welder.

Guys, I'm not actually going to buy a bakfiets. I'll buy a trailer for the kid.

I'm saving for my next bike, at this point its one of these two:

That's actually the more expensive model than what I want...I want the lower B-3 model...which only costs $2600.

$3500

Meanwhile I'm looking for a sub-$2000 Honda Civic to save a few MPG. Thats priorities.

Needs moar lefty...

bastomatic wrote: In reply to golfduke: That's why they make fatbikes and warm clothes, yeah?

Yeahwell. Maybe I'm just looking for excuses to be lazy...

FYI- I don't know if it's any issue at all to post here so I won't post a link unless someone says it's okay, but I have a L 2011 Giant Reign 2 with a pushed vivid air (6.7" travel) frame on the bay right now that I'll sell for a swan right now. It's my last years bike and I'm looking to get something different. As per my wife, however, the new toy doesn't get ordered until the old one leaves the stable.

Having previous owned a Lefty MAX 140, I don't see the attraction.

If it were considerably less weight than a comparable travel fork, I'd be interested, if it were considerably cheaper, I'd be interested, and if performed considerably better, I'd be interested. Unfortunately the Lefty, even the new Supermax which will probably be ridiculously expensive, still only weighs .25-.40 lbs less than a traditional fork with 160mm travel (Fox 34).

I'm not saying that if I was buying a Cannondale I'd be afraid of owning a Lefty Supermax 150, especially if I had the money.

I just can't see spending gobs of money trying to source one for my non-Cannondale.

In reply to golfduke:

If I wasn't in the process of building a Niner WFO for DH I'd be tempted... my current DH bike is a '98 Yeti Lawwill fitted with parts from my old '00 M-1.

I miss my Konas.

In reply to Flight Service:

There isn't much logic to the bicycle thing. A lot of cyclists have bikes that are worth more than their cars--and a car doesn't go obsolete.

When I was a big box bike tech, I'd answer the "what's your cheapest bike" question with "buying a complex machine that costs less than a good pair of running shoes that last 6 months probably isn't a good idea.

Meanwhile, the wheels on my main roadie were $650--and that's cheap in the roadie realm.

golfduke wrote: FYI- I don't know if it's any issue at all to post here so I won't post a link unless someone says it's okay, but I have a L 2011 Giant Reign 2 with a pushed vivid air (6.7" travel) frame on the bay right now that I'll sell for a swan right now. It's my last years bike and I'm looking to get something different. As per my wife, however, the new toy doesn't get ordered until the old one leaves the stable.

Any chance you mistyped and meant a medium size frame??

Flight Service wrote: But I have seen those processes and pale in comparison to what we build for the same money in a car. Do you guys have any idea how much in materials, processing, and machinery tech go into to making just the interior door panel on your car? I will tell you this. It's a hell of allot more money, research, and advanced tech in that then the whole bicycle.

Really? Vinyl over fiberboard is more advanced that dual-piston brake calipers?

Besides, all that money goes into a door panel because they'll sell fifty three billion of them. Fewer SRAM carbon-fiber cage derailleurs will be sold, so each carries more of the development cost. C'est la vie.

Flight Service wrote: I am beginning to look at bikes like horses. In certain parts of the world they are a necessity, but in the modern world they are prestigious symbol that the actual value is close to zero and the hobby/shiny happy person factor is close to infinity.

If you're not into it you're not into it, but where does it have to say that anything you don't get excited about has zero value? I've ridden nice bikes and I've ridden crap bikes. I'm able to utilize a larger proportion of what makes my $2700 mountain bike good than what makes my $27,000 WRX good, and much more often...

And I'd certainly rather ride than pay a gym membership... Keep in mind, for those of us who actually enjoy riding, this is like getting the much-needed exercise out of the way while autocrossing

I will skip addressing the part where cyclists are particularly shiny beyond this: Let's just say that no hobby has a lock on that.

Flight Service wrote: You guys are weird, but you knew that already.

Well, yes.

ransom wrote:

Flight Service wrote: But I have seen those processes and pale in comparison to what we build for the same money in a car. Do you guys have any idea how much in materials, processing, and machinery tech go into to making just the interior door panel on your car? I will tell you this. It's a hell of allot more money, research, and advanced tech in that then the whole bicycle.

Really? Vinyl over fiberboard is more advanced that dual-piston brake calipers? Besides, all that money goes into a door panel because they'll sell fifty three billion of them. Fewer SRAM carbon-fiber cage derailleurs will be sold, so each carries more of the development cost. C'est la vie.

Flight Service wrote: I am beginning to look at bikes like horses. In certain parts of the world they are a necessity, but in the modern world they are prestigious symbol that the actual value is close to zero and the hobby/shiny happy person factor is close to infinity.

If you're not into it you're not into it, but where does it have to say that anything *you* don't get excited about has zero value? I've ridden nice bikes and I've ridden crap bikes. I'm able to utilize a larger proportion of what makes my $2700 mountain bike good than what makes my $27,000 WRX good, and much more often... And I'd certainly rather ride than pay a gym membership... Keep in mind, for those of us who actually enjoy riding, this is like getting the much-needed exercise out of the way while autocrossing I will skip addressing the part where cyclists are particularly shiny beyond this: Let's just say that no hobby has a lock on that.

Flight Service wrote: You guys are weird, but you knew that already.

Well, yes.

Yes vinyl over fiber has more tech in the process than dual piston calipers. You have no idea how much tech in is that thing from a material and processing stand point. Short of your GPS speed systems I have seen on bikes, the ancient old doors are more advanced short of an all out race bike.

But besides that, unless you own a Jag or certain MB, the door panels are multipiece plastic cores, laser punched and the pieces are ultrasonically welded for the assembly and then you have the adhesion process which is part water based adhesive that is heat activated and the vynil is vac formed to the plastic assembled core. Then any anti squeek process are added to any contact points. Then it goes to final assembly for switches and speakers and the like, that part is the easiest.

You think that is fun? You should see what it takes to get those nice soft dashboards with airbags.

I don't put my lack of skill as a measure of somethings worth.

Oh it has nothing to do with what I am into. It is value (which from what I can see no one here understands that term) Not worth or amount or cost but value, cost/usefulness is a good cliffs notes on what value is.

Do I think a total carbon fibre and titanium bike is cool? Absolutely!!! I would rock that Audi bike...for about $3K and that is if I was rockin' Gates money. People spending $30K on a bike??? WTF for? That is what I don't get. This whole board is about not going out and buying the new Z06, but building the VW beetle that looks like a T-bucket and runs the quarter just as quick for $2K.

Bicycles are one of the highest volume produced machines on the planet. Much more than cars. There is no reason the cost is where it is for most of the stuff. Except for one thing. It is what the market will bear.

And I am glad you all admit we are weird.

Priorities... a number of my biking friends make more money than i do... and drive absolute CRAP cars. They put their money into their bikes. To them, what we spend on cars is wasteful. Why we have more than one car makes zero sense. Most of the "norms" I work with don't understand either world.

The current ride: Santacruz superlight... not over-rated, it's really that good

Mine - Took my time and waited for deals on the bike and the upgrades.

Still spendy to most people, so I don't talk money.

New fork and rear shock on order.

In reply to akamcfly:

The Spinergy wheels are straight BALLIN'!!!

My MTB is getting to be woefully obsolete (2004 spec), but I'm not "into" it enough to care. I'm much more of a roadie--a roadie who rode a lot of MTB in the 90's.

Probably gonna get a different crankset for it and convert it to 2x9, though. The triple irks the crap out of me. Recently looked up some info on it and it seems to make sense.