NBD! (New Bike Day)

[alantig]

Yeah, I ride a mountain bike for exercise, so I’m not into the “cool” shorts. I’m one of those guys that the serious bikers look at and snicker. I’ll wear cross training shoes, and dry fit Nike or Adidas cross training shorts and shirt, with compression shorts underneath. I don’t wear bike outfits. Homey don’t play that.

I ride a mountain bike (admittedly rarely) for exercise as well. I do have a couple jerseys (the pockets give me a place to stash the iPod and a couple other things), and I do wear the shorts because some of us push down a little harder on the seat than you skinny guys. But the shorts are one of those two-piece deals that look like regular shorts. And yeah, just regular shoes, not the clip-in cleats.

 

[garrett]

Hey now...
Cheating is doing nothing... that's cheating yourself
Sorry to hear you got hit! Hope you're OK.

Yeah was low speed fortunately. Driver wasn't looking while rolling through a red light to turn. But when you apply force like that, the wheels turn into tacos...

Yeah, I ride a mountain bike for exercise, so I’m not into the “cool” shorts. I’m one of those guys that the serious bikers look at and snicker. I’ll wear cross training shoes, and dry fit Nike or Adidas cross training shorts and shirt, with compression shorts underneath. I don’t wear bike outfits. Homey don’t play that.

I hear ya. Even my wife picks on me when the lycra comes out. The practical advantages are invaluable on longer rides, though.

 

[veinbuster]

Very cool Dave.
The motor is only cheating if you are racing, not if you are just out for exercise and fun.

 

[Mike Duncan]

I do 20 miles a day on this '07 Gary Fisher MTB. I need to get a road bike, but everytime I have money I buy a guitar.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

That photo looks like it was taken in my garden!

 

[RaySachs]

If your goal is to get in shape and really RIDE that thing, the motor is cheating. If it's not, then it's not. So you get to decide. I used to ride 4,000 - 6,000 miles a year for about ten years and then probably 2-3000 a year for another 7-8 years. Then I started having health problems that kept me from riding and now, on the occasion when I'm healthy enough to be able to, I'm so out of shape and can only ride at such a pitiful level compared to my memories / expectations that I just don't. I still have a town bike I ride around town doing errands on, but the big miles and big mountains are all in my rearview mirror. But if I didn't have that history with it I'd probably love getting into it now to whatever extent I'd be able. I give given up basketball and tennis and skiing for the same reasons. Fortunately, I was never good enough at guitar to be ashamed of how bad I am now in comparison, so I should be able to keep doing this for a good long time...

Enjoy that thing, whatever you do with it and however into it you get...

-Ray

 

[veinbuster]

I’ll have to look, LOL.

It’s a nice bike. Carbon and high-end Shimano shifters. I had a Specialized Roubaix Pro, but I needed something more upright this time. My biggest problem riding are my neck and upper shoulders from holding my head up.

No neck and shoulder problems on this. It also happens to be my fastest bike (with the seat in a somewhat different position than shown here)

 

[CVS]

All the bikes in this thread are awesome. Like Ray, I have had to take my mileage down, but still ride my road bike about 60 miles every week (and I am fortunate enough to live in a place where you can do this 52 weeks a year). Riding does really help "keep the doctor away"

 

[veinbuster]

If your goal is to get in shape and really RIDE that thing, the motor is cheating.

I disagree strongly.
You can get in better shape without doing all of the work. If riding under your own power is so dissatisfying that you don’t ride at all, and riding with a bit of help gets you out, your fitness will improve. Even if the motor does half the work, you still get the benefits of the other half.

 

[veinbuster]

All the bikes in this thread are awesome. Like Ray, I have had to take my mileage down, but still ride my road bike about 60 miles every week (and I am fortunate enough to live in a place where you can do this 52 weeks a year). Riding does really help "keep the doctor away"

I biked a lot when I was young. Then a bad thing happened and for a few years it was hard to ride more than a few miles. A different type of bike let me ride noticeably longer, but I still had a pretty hard limit of about 45 minutes.
I tried a bunch of things and over a period of about 10 years extended that hard limit on a traditional bike to about 2 1/2 hours. But I can ride my trike as long as I frigging want to - subject to managing my energy expenditure, nutrition and hydration.

 

[Boogie]

I biked a lot when I was young. Then a bad thing happened and for a few years it was hard to ride more than a few miles. A different type of bike let me ride noticeably longer, but I still had a pretty hard limit of about 45 minutes.
I tried a bunch of things and over a period of about 10 years extended that hard limit on a traditional bike to about 2 1/2 hours. But I can ride my trike as long as I frigging want to - subject to managing my energy expenditure, nutrition and hydration.

Folks, don’t let his humble demeanor fool you, he’s a hardcore cyclist! Aint nothin’ Mr. Pete can’t do!

Hey Dave, that’s a totally ******n bike...does it come in men’s?

(*hiding in the broom closet chuckling and giving away my location*)

 

[dmatthews]

Yeah was low speed fortunately. Driver wasn't looking while rolling through a red light to turn. But when you apply force like that, the wheels turn into tacos...



I hear ya. Even my wife picks on me when the lycra comes out. The practical advantages are invaluable on longer rides, though.

I'm just glad it was only the bike wheels that got "tacoed".

 

[dmatthews]

I do 20 miles a day on this '07 Gary Fisher MTB. I need to get a road bike, but everytime I have money I buy a guitar.

Lol! That's what I've been doing... guitars and amps... I finally had to break the... wait for it... cycle!

 

[dmatthews]

No neck and shoulder problems on this. It also happens to be my fastest bike (with the seat in a somewhat different position than shown here)

Coolest pic ever!

 

[dmatthews]

Folks, don’t let his humble demeanor fool you, he’s a hardcore cyclist! Aint nothin’ Mr. Pete can’t do!

Hey Dave, that’s a totally ******n bike...does it come in men’s?

(*hiding in the broom closet chuckling and giving away my location*)

Why you little... (picture of Homer choking Bart)...

 

[alantig]

No neck and shoulder problems on this. It also happens to be my fastest bike (with the seat in a somewhat different position than shown here)

I've seen a few people riding recumbent bikes, but I've never actually looked into getting one. I have a stationary bike that's recumbent (and gets a ton of use - we burned the last one out). I'd love to take one out on the trail for a spin.

 

[veinbuster]

I've seen a few people riding recumbent bikes, but I've never actually looked into getting one. I have a stationary bike that's recumbent (and gets a ton of use - we burned the last one out). I'd love to take one out on the trail for a spin.

Its quite a different experience, but worth trying out. The recumbent market is going decidedly to trikes. This is mine.
To me the advantages are two fold:
- they are easy to manage on multi use trails where kids, dogs and other surprises can dart out at any time
- you can go really slow without tipping over - like climbing mountains in the Rockies

 

[RaySachs]

I disagree strongly.
You can get in better shape without doing all of the work. If riding under your own power is so dissatisfying that you don’t ride at all, and riding with a bit of help gets you out, your fitness will improve. Even if the motor does half the work, you still get the benefits of the other half.

OK, in that sense it's kind of like training wheels - if it gets you over the hump to where you can do it without the motor, it's a fine thing. But at a certain point to get maximum benefit you gotta ride it your own self. Training wheels is a bad analogy - training wheels suck and teach exactly the wrong lessons about how to balance - most kids learn to ride despite them not because of them. These motors don't suck. They can work on many levels, including as training wheels...

-Ray

 

[dmatthews]

Training wheels, cheating, a crutch... I don't care what anybody calls it. It's a freakin' blast to ride.
And if it gets me to places nobody else goes, that's cool too.

 

[bodia]

Yeah, I ride a mountain bike for exercise, so I’m not into the “cool” shorts. I’m one of those guys that the serious bikers look at and snicker. I’ll wear cross training shoes, and dry fit Nike or Adidas cross training shorts and shirt, with compression shorts underneath. I don’t wear bike outfits. Homey don’t play that.

They make bike shorts that look like cargo shorts, you know. And, that seat isn't as uncomfortable as it looks. However, if you don't get it set up right, you'll be oddly numb in places you don' want to be.