Cycling (bicycles)

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Knotahippie

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I know there's some TreeHousers out there that do some cycling from time to time and I thought it'd be interesting to see some bikes and hear some stories.

I got into bicycling some years ago due to various reasons and the habit just kinda' stuck with me. After a while, people were bringing me bikes to repair or just giving me bikes that were decaying in their yards. Before I knew it I had maybe 100. Well, due to a budget crisis, the shop space I had no longer exists, so, I ended up donating a lot of them to various causes and folks in need of a transport. Now, I'm down to about 15 bikes. But alas, they keep arriving or returning to me.

Here's a couple of the latest additions to my bicycle herd.

Haven't done any real research on the Peugeot - from what I can tell by parts, maybe an 85-86'? Took me a couple days to dial in how it rides; feels like riding a maroon coat hanger! It's a nice bike for old steel, though.

Also got a 77-79? Schwinn cruiser - Weighs about 200 lbs. Sort of a peicer but it's kinda' stylin' riding in town.
 

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Cool thread. Here's mine, I bought it second hand about 3-4 years ago (maybe longer). When I bought it the tires still had the little rubber tabs from when they were molded, I doubt it had 40-50 miles on it. Way more bike than I need but the price was right and I like the built in suspension in the seat post and front forks. 21 speed with grip shifters but I only use about 4 gears. Hybrid style tires so they don't have a lot of resistance on pavement but there's a bit of tread on the sides for off road areas. I'm riding about an hour per day on my days off.
 
Nice bikes.
Haven't had a bike in over 10 years. Since my last (6th) knee surgery about 6 weeks ago I've been thinking about getting a bike again. Long distance (for me) running is too hard on my wheels. Hopefully I'll have some pics and stories to contribute in the near future. I think I'll be getting a bike with this years tax return.
 
What sort of terrain would you be riding, Jesse? Lots of hills or off road? I have five or six bikes, but single speed is what I usually ride, unless sloshing through the snow. Falling over a lot doesn't require a good bike.
 
I haven't been on a bike for over twenty years. Before then, I lived on my Gitaine. It's in the shed hanging on rafters, I wonder if I could get all the rust off. People count points for hitting bikers here, I think.

That Schwinn IS beautiful! I'd hate to carry it up a flight of stairs though.
 
Fixed gear is a good approach, only one speed. It does get you in good shape, bikes are quieter and simpler too, birds on the ground often don't hear you coming. For hills though, not the way. Opinions differ, but having a lot of gears is not necessary, from my experience. I have geared bikes, but don't ride them much. A three speed seems to about cover it.
 
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One gear's all you need, right, Jay? Dependable, for sure.

I'd be careful with Craig's List bikes, unless you really know what you're looking at and who it's from.

If you got the $, spend it on the sure thing.

Wow, Jesse - 6 knee surgeries? Brutal!

What's the doc say about cycling on that knee? I'd probably be too afraid to cycle.
 
Fixie all the way, Josh.

When I get to riding a lot, my knees start to hurt a bit. Riding position is critical, it can be helpful to get some good advice on that. The height and type of your handlebars, seat, frame dimensions all play a part. The newer racing bikes have shorter wheel bases, turning the front wheel may hit your pedal if it is extended. Everybody buys them because they are the style now, but really the design coming down from professional racers is not for most folks. A longer wheel base can give quite a bit more comfortable ride, but you may not get a bike shop telling you that, since they don't stock them. A custom made frame where the maker knows how you will be riding is one good way to go, but it can get into some money for one, plus the parts.
 
Definitely watch Craigs list for sure! I've seen some killer deals on there, certainly around this time of year! A little Googling and you can research and find out if it's worth owning or not.
 
Josh,
I think you're right on the dates for that Peugeot. I closed my shop in 1985 and that is what the Peugeots looked like then.

Start.jpg

We rode twenty-year-old 1987 Trek 520s from Oregon back to Delaware in 2007. This is us at a friend's place in Corvallis the morning of the first day of our trip. The rest of the tour journal is at:
Cross Country Journal - from Oregon to Delaware

Now I ride a Blue Competition NX-7 full Ultegra carbon fiber bike that a childhood friend gave me as a thank-you for hospice nursing support during his mother's cancer-related decline. The NX-7 weighs about a pound less than my 346XP (gassed and oiled). Mountainbike is a Jamis Dragon, steel hardtail.
 
Jesse,
If knees are an issue, spin lower gears, don't lug high gears.
Jay,
If you get knee pain after a certain amount of riding one of the common problems (if not fore and aft position of the seat) is weak piriformis muscles.
Look into stretches and strengthening for the piriformis. Of course if you're riding fixed gear (fixie) that alone can do knees in.
 
Thanks for the advice. I must ride about 5000 kilometers a year, mainly commuting that way when not doing tree work . It's only recently that the knees have been saying something. The discomfort comes and goes. I bet stretches would help. Riding a bike is really good for my back, I have noticed that for a long time, seems to stretch it out well and eliminate some aches that start up there from working.
 
5000 km a year? thats better than 14 km / day. good on you. I am aiming to get on my bike more often in the next year and onwards, 10km / day seems like a decent goal.
 
The commute to my shop is exactly that, 14 kilometers up and back, plus going to the hardware store, etc, additional recreation riding, it adds up. I wish everybody rode, it eases stress, except from some idiot car drivers, and the world would be a better place.
 
no argument, bike lanes are hard to come by here, and riding on the roadside is treacherous to say the least.
 
Cars and bikes don't mix, no matter what some politician thinks the laws should be. IMO people who ride bikes in automobile traffic are not right in the head. I'll stick to residential streets or roads with bike lanes. Otherwise I'm on the sidewalk stopping at every corner and looking over my shoulder at every driveway I cross. The law isn't going to protect me when the chick yapping on her cell phone doesn't see me and plows into me. I will avoid putting myself in a situation where I'm dependent on all drivers noticing and avoiding me in order for me to remain alive.
 
Skwerl said:
Cars and bikes don't mix, IMO people who ride bikes in automobile traffic are not right in the head. I'll stick to residential streets or roads with bike lanes. The law isn't going to protect me when the chick yapping on her cell phone doesn't see me and plows into me. I will avoid putting myself in a situation where I'm dependent on all drivers noticing and avoiding me in order for me to remain alive.
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

When I was pushing around an orca I took a few vehicle vs bike traffic collisions, one being a fatality for the bicyclist (about a week after the crash.) In all that I can remember, the bicyclist were at fault. Drivers definitely drive HUA but most bicyclists I see, assume too much and don't ride defensively.
 
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