Bicycles

[imoldernu]

... not Bikes

I like the subject of bicycles in any way shape or form. Doing a search for "bicycles" on ER brings up 220 hits, so there are others here who have some kind of interest in bicycles... "Bikes" has come to mean motorcycles, and while I like them too, bicycles is a first love.

Sooo... as long as there are threads on pets and songs and jokes and food and Ipads and photography etc. ... why not a general topic of bicycles
- Old bicycles
-New bicycles
-Bicycle repair
-Bicycle touring and trips
-Bicycles for exercise
-Tricycles and recumbants
-New Technology for bicycles
-Pictures of bicycles
-Bicycle clothing and headgear
-"Bicycles I have owned"
-Bicycle tips
-Bicycle stories to share
-Bicycle that I ride to work
-Road bikes
-Touring bikes
-Bicycle safety and security
-Bicycle history
-Bicycle trails and tours.
-Chicago Divvy and other rental bikes
-Bicycle history

I love all of these subjects, and know many of my friends do too. Would love to hear about ANYTHING to do with bicycles.

To start off, has anyone heard of my last $5 bike? A Schwinn "bent tube"....

 

[hausfrau]

One of my bikes is a $5 bike as well. Not a Schwinn, but a British bike from the 60's that my DH found at a yard sale. I love it because it's comfy and I'm too old for it to be ironic. I used to participate in bike races when I was younger, but these days, I just ride for fun with my family.

 

[Major Tom]

My only forms of transport are my legs, public transport, and my Marin hybrid mountain bike (or whatever they're called) that I bought used from a guy on Craigslist for $125 about 5 years ago. I use it almost every day and love it. Maintenance costs are low, and it gives me a bit of exercise. I sold my car in 2002, bought a bicycle and haven't looked back since!

 

[imoldernu]

My only forms of transport are my legs, public transport, and my Marin hybrid mountain bike (or whatever they're called) that I bought used from a guy on Craigslist for $125 about 5 years ago. I use it almost every day and love it. Maintenance costs are low, and it gives me a bit of exercise. I sold my car in 2002, bought a bicycle and haven't looked back since!

sincerely....!!!!

... and the Marin's a great bike...If I traded in my car, i could almost afford one. think you got a really good deal.

 

[easysurfer]

I didn't see a mention of folding bicycles on the list, so thought I'd put a shout out to that. I own a Dahon 16 inch folder that is used for getting around town to run short errands and go a few miles for some exercise. In fact, just got the bicycle tuned up about a week ago so when spring finally arrives, I'll get a chance to put it to use this year.

 

[Bikerdude]

I like bikes and bicycles, more bicycles these days. I'm in the market for a new bicycle and maybe someone here can help recommend one. I'm interested in a hybrid type but with drop bars if possible. I do mainly road or paved bike trails and prefer the speed of a road bike but would like to be able to ride on hard dirt or gravel. Any suggestions? I'm currently looking at a Trek Crossrip or the flat bar FX.

 

[golftrek]

My husband and I also have Dahons, great folding bikes. We fold them and put them on our boat when we travel on the Intercoastal Waterway.

Jo Ann

 

[samclem]

I had a Schwinn Varsity 10 speed that I rode on my paper route for a few years. Dropped "rams' horn" handlebars, I even put toe-clips on it, tot he casual observer it might have looked like a real racing bike, if they didn't know it weighed about 80 pounds. That was one tough bike, and it gave me no real trouble despite a lot of abuse.
When we looked at our present house it was full of junk that was conveying as part of the sale. There was a Varsity of the same color as my old bike in the basement, I think it was a sign. I'm going to spiff it up and ride it for fun. Why not? The extra weight means I'll get more exercise per mile.

 

[imoldernu]

One from the the "history" side... BIL owns bicycle shops in Canada and Cuba... Here's a pic of him riding his Penny Farthing.

 

[Marita40]

I've owned a Raleigh for at least 30 years and it is still going strong. That reminds me that I need to get it tuned up!

 

[HFWR]

198? Fuji ten-speed, bought in 1993 for $40 at a garage sale, plus a new seat and a few sets of tires/tubes; still going strong. Weighs about 30lbs...

Have an el-cheapo Trex "mountain"bike as well, for dirt and gravel riding, though it doesn't get much use...

 

[imoldernu]

My 1978 Motobecane Super Mirage... file pic, but mine looks just as good...
Another $5 purchase, but $5 of steel wool and $5 rust remover, to get it that way. I really like this bike... Frame is solid and a wonderful ride.

 

[nash031]

So, bikes may hold back my FI. I own two carbon fiber rockets... A Cannondale SuperSix roadie and a Cervelo P3C TT bike. Paid cash for both, and maybe when I am done working, I will spend many more hours with them!

 

[travelover]

There is really only one bike good enough for me.

 

[F4mandolin]

Recumbent rider here. Don't understand why, but my body just said NO to regular bikes all of a sudden about 7 years ago.....saddle sores, numb hands, neck pain etc etc. Currently riding a Bacchetta. If I had the money, this one below is likely what I would be riding. It's the carbon fiber version. But.....I only have a Giro 26. You can ride a few hours on these bikes and no butt pain, no saddle sores, no numbness.....just enjoyment.

 

[imoldernu]

So, bikes may hold back my FI. I own two carbon fiber rockets... A Cannondale SuperSix roadie and a Cervelo P3C TT bike. Paid cash for both, and maybe when I am done working, I will spend many more hours with them!

I DO understand about the $$$ and retirement. I have a 65 year old buddy in FL who rides about 400mi/wk... His carbon fiber bike cost about $5K... a set of pedals set him back $214.

a little story here: He invited one of his riding buddies to a party at our clubhouse. As we were sitting around the table, I casually mentioned that Jim, (my friend) had a five thousand dollar bike, expecting that this would be an awesome statement. His friend, who I later found out was aged 86... quietly said to me... "Yeah, I know... Crazy... Mine cost over ten thousand dollars."

Wheee OH!... my most expensive bike was a damaged (bent fork) $159 Mongoose that I bought at Walmart for $40...

hey!... travelover... nice bike...Schwinn '95 Black Phantom...
worth about $1,000 to the right person.

Recumbent rider here. Don't understand why, but my body just said NO to regular bikes all of a sudden about 7 years ago.....saddle sores, numb hands, neck pain etc etc. Currently riding a Bacchetta. If I had the money, this one below is likely what I would be riding. It's the carbon fiber version. But.....I only have a Giro 26. You can ride a few hours on these bikes and no butt pain, no saddle sores, no numbness.....just enjoyment.

... been looking, and one short test ride... wondering how the balance and steering is when you're going slow

 

[ERhoosier]

Triathlon bikes. Really cuts the power needed to go fast...or far. Convinced that investing in one of these bad boys helped me finish my 1st (& only!) ironman triathlon a couple yrs ago.

 

[Walt34]

Recumbent rider here.

I'm interested in one of those.

I've only seen photos of recumbents but never IRL. It looks like it would be more stable that a "normal" road bike - lower CG and rider's weight much farther behind the front wheel. Also if you hit an obstacle that stops the front wheel it looks like the fork would bend before the rider went over the handlebar, thereby making it a bit safer. Is that true?

I've been trying to talk DW into taking up bicycling for years now and even bought a couple of folding Dahons with weedeater engines off Craigslist when I thought we were going to get a travel trailer. They're not very comfortable for long rides though.

 

[travelover]

.........hey!... travelover... nice bike...Schwinn '95 Black Phantom...
worth about $1,000 to the right person............

Not mine, just channeling my inner PeeWee Herman.

 

[F4mandolin]

... been looking, and one short test ride... wondering how the balance and steering is when you're going slow

There are all kinds of recumbents, including trikes. Some are lower to the ground, some higher. Some have long wheel bases. At slow speed they can be a handful. The first few times going up a steep hill and cranking hard just to stay close to 4mph had my attention.....most of the recumbents wobble pretty good when you get close to 3mph...you just don't have the upper body movement to help balance... practice makes a big difference. The ones with smaller front wheels are easier to steer and more maneuverable. On flat ground and downhill I consider them faster than regular diamond frame bikes....little slower uphill (that comment causes all kinds of arguments online). I bought a "high racer style" because I was living in N Yorkshire when I bought it.....lot's of high dry stone walls that reduce visibility at intersections....sitting higher is a lot easier to not get killed.

Bentrider is a good site that has a lot of info on all kinds of recumbents (bents).

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I have a classic Schwinn Hollywood coaster bike...like the one Jessica Fletcher rode in Murder, She Wrote. I even have a wicker basket. It is not particularly light weight. I flop the seats down in my old Land Cruiser and drag it in through the back in order to transport it to a rail trail.

 

[Rosie]

I started road biking about 10 years ago. A few years later I fell in with the wrong crowd and got involved in long-distance cycling, especially a type of long-distance cycling called randonneuring, where otherwise sane people go off on unsupported rides ("brevets") of 200 kilometers or more.

I was also planning to ride a double century (yep, 200 miles) to celebrate my 50th birthday back in October 2009 -- the Solvang Fall Double Century for those of you who know of these things.

Unfortunately, while I was training for it I had a bad solo crash, five years ago this month. It took several months, but luckily I healed up completely and I was riding again, although I did a much shorter ride on my 50th birthday than I had originally planned!

I still ride a lot, but I've lost interest in the long-distance stuff, at least for the time being. My husband also rides, and we often load our bikes in the car when we go on trips. In fact, we're heading down to Pacific Grove/Monterey in a couple of days and we plan to bike along the 17 Mile Drive.

 

[TOOLMAN]

Triathlon bikes. Really cuts the power needed to go fast...or far. Convinced that investing in one of these bad boys helped me finish my 1st (& only!) ironman triathlon a couple yrs ago.

We had an Iron man race that passed by my house. I enjoyed taking pictures of them. Most didn't look like they were having much fun at the time.
I find riding bicycles on the road too dangerous, so I ride the safer blue one.

 

[imoldernu]

In fact, we're heading down to Pacific Grove/Monterey in a couple of days and we plan to bike along the 17 Mile Drive.

Green with envy
Arguably the most beautiful ride anywhere... Just one time, when I was still employed, long ago in 1985... Etched in memory. The next day, went on a fishing boat that anchored off Pebble Beach during a tourney.

Enjoy!!!

 

[Mr._Graybeard]

My 1978 Motobecane Super Mirage... file pic, but mine looks just as good...
Another $5 purchase, but $5 of steel wool and $5 rust remover, to get it that way. I really like this bike... Frame is solid and a wonderful ride.

I've got a Mirage that I bought new in 1974. Still riding it!