Bicycling

[mama2one]

we have trails around here
husband & teen did 20 miles last trail ride

he has his dad's bike now
his dad did some 100 mile rides with his biking friends

 

[The happy Objectivist]

we have trails around here
husband & teen did 20 miles last trail ride

he has his dad's bike now
his dad did some 100 mile rides with his biking friends

The most I've ridden in one day is 67 miles. That was on the trails around Vail Pass and Breckenridge, Colorado.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

returing to cycling

What kind of bike do you have or are you looking to buy one?

 

[timewerx]

I have a "mongrel" gravel bike. Not a brand but different cheap generic Chinese made parts put together.

Ironically, I rarely ride them over gravel as I live in the middle of a big city. Only when I have enough free time, I can ride couple of hours, enough to get out of the city and see some gravel. The wide tires are actually useful for comfort over our melted asphalt roads!

 

[The happy Objectivist]

Yeah, I have 650 B on mine and it is comfortable compared to skinny tires but I don't really notice that I ride slower. In fact, I can ride faster on our rough roads because I don't feel every jolt from hard skinny tires. I don't worry so much about potholes and cracks wrecking me either. I have fun playing around with tire pressure. I usually run them around 30 lbs. But if I'm descending on a washboard dirt road I'll let out a few pounds. It makes all the difference.

 

[timewerx]

Yeah, I have 650 B on mine and it is comfortable compared to skinny tires but I don't really notice that I ride slower. In fact, I can ride faster on our rough roads because I don't feel every jolt from hard skinny tires. I don't worry so much about potholes and cracks wrecking me either. I have fun playing around with tire pressure. I usually run them around 30 lbs. But if I'm descending on a washboard dirt road I'll let out a few pounds. It makes all the difference.

Wide tires are safe indeed! At least I don't have to swerve around potholes I see. We also have plenty of them in city roads. A bit dangerous to swerve around them in the presence of cars in narrow lane roads. Wide tires help and still thinking of trying to fit even wider tires!

 

[The happy Objectivist]

I've got 2.2 inch tires. It's basically a fat roadbike. I've got 3.8 inch tires on my Surly. I could go as big as 4.6 but I think the 3.8s are just fine. I can ride in snow and mud and sand easily. I haven't ridden much in the city. I road quite a bit in Phoenix while I was visiting my daughter and it was fun. The drivers there are very courteous. They have great bike infrastructure. Denver is another story. They have great bike trails there but the drivers are jerks and the bike trails are trashed by the homeless. I was riding there and there were homeless people lying passed out in the middle of the trail. Homeless camps and trash everywhere. They spent millions of dollars on these trails and then let them be taken over. Plus I've heard that bike theft is rampant. I'll stick to my national forest roads and farm roads.

 

[timewerx]

I've got 2.2 inch tires. It's basically a fat roadbike. I've got 3.8 inch tires on my Surly. I could go as big as 4.6 but I think the 3.8s are just fine. I can ride in snow and mud and sand easily. I haven't ridden much in the city. I road quite a bit in Phoenix while I was visiting my daughter and it was fun. The drivers there are very courteous. They have great bike infrastructure. Denver is another story. They have great bike trails there but the drivers are jerks and the bike trails are trashed by the homeless. I was riding there and there were homeless people lying passed out in the middle of the trail. Homeless camps and trash everywhere. They spent millions of dollars on these trails and then let them be taken over. Plus I've heard that bike theft is rampant. I'll stick to my national forest roads and farm roads.

My bike can only fit up to 40mm wide tires at the moment. Next year I'll be switching to frame that fits plus tires at the same time I need to replace the tires and move over the components there. It's still way cheaper than buying a whole bike.

People don't respect bike lanes here almost everywhere, drivers and people. Collisions with vehicles are common in the bike lane! and I wear elbow pads for added protection. Bright clothing, horn, blinking lights in daytime, loud hub helps to make presence known and minimize collisions.

Phoenix sounds like a great place. I've done some long road trips on the gravel bike, it's a bit slower than road bike but don't really mind.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

My bike can only fit up to 40mm wide tires at the moment. Next year I'll be switching to frame that fits plus tires at the same time I need to replace the tires and move over the components there. It's still way cheaper than buying a whole bike.

People don't respect bike lanes here almost everywhere, drivers and people. Collisions with vehicles are common in the bike lane! and I wear elbow pads for added protection. Bright clothing, horn, blinking lights in daytime, loud hub helps to make presence known and minimize collisions.

Phoenix sounds like a great place. I've done some long road trips on the gravel bike, it's a bit slower than road bike but don't really mind.

Drivers here are good but most rides I only get passed once or twice. I used to be afraid to ride on the busier roads with cars but I got a mirror for my helmet and that has made all the difference. I ride out on the busiest road now with lots of semis and no shoulder because I can see them getting over and tell that they see me. I'm always ready to bail though. So far I've only had one close pass in over five years. 95 percent of drivers go all the way into the other lane when passing. I always give them a thumbs up. The problem I have is dogs. Lots of loose dogs in packs around here. I got bitten several times but now I carry bear spray. all the dogs in a ten mile radius from my house now run when they see me coming. Lots of pit bulls here for some reason. I don't hesitate to spray them. I never give them the benefit of the doubt. Others I try to read their body language because I don't like causing dogs pain but I won't be wrecked or bitten again.

I don't really go for speed either. I prefer comfort. Those tires at 25 to 30 lbs. are very supple. I've taken it on some pretty gnarly roads but it definitely isn't a mountain bike. Have to really watch my pedaling because the bottom bracket is a lot lower.

 

[sunshineforJesus]

I have a nice green 20 speed but am not really into bike riding anymore so havent rode it in yrs.

 

[timewerx]

Drivers here are good but most rides I only get passed once or twice. I used to be afraid to ride on the busier roads with cars but I got a mirror for my helmet and that has made all the difference. I ride out on the busiest road now with lots of semis and no shoulder because I can see them getting over and tell that they see me. I'm always ready to bail though. So far I've only had one close pass in over five years. 95 percent of drivers go all the way into the other lane when passing. I always give them a thumbs up. The problem I have is dogs. Lots of loose dogs in packs around here. I got bitten several times but now I carry bear spray. all the dogs in a ten mile radius from my house now run when they see me coming. Lots of pit bulls here for some reason. I don't hesitate to spray them. I never give them the benefit of the doubt. Others I try to read their body language because I don't like causing dogs pain but I won't be wrecked or bitten again.

I don't really go for speed either. I prefer comfort. Those tires at 25 to 30 lbs. are very supple. I've taken it on some pretty gnarly roads but it definitely isn't a mountain bike. Have to really watch my pedaling because the bottom bracket is a lot lower.

Sorry to hear about those pitbulls. I guess I'm fortunate for not seeing unleashed pitbulls!

I'm the opposite with cars like I get passed every couple of seconds, even outside the city. I also often run 25 / 30 psi (front back) on my tires when I forget to pump air. They should be at 32 / 43 psi. 25/30 is probably too low on my 40mm wide tires but definitely more comfortable.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

Sorry to hear about those pitbulls. I guess I'm fortunate for not seeing unleashed pitbulls!

I'm the opposite with cars like I get passed every couple of seconds, even outside the city. I also often run 25 / 30 psi (front back) on my tires when I forget to pump air. They should be at 32 / 43 psi. 25/30 is probably too low on my 40mm wide tires but definitely more comfortable.

I'm sorry you have so much traffic. You must have some nice bike paths to ride if you're in the city. With money comes infrastructure. There's virtually no infrastructure here for bikes. I guess I'm blessed here to have little or no traffic but I like seeing other people out cycling and running but it's very rare to see where I ride. But my roads are pretty much straight with not a lot of scenery. I have to ride 18 miles to get into the hills and the curves. I don't mind the straight roads too much and the grid allows me multiple options for loops. I hate riding out and then coming back the same way.

Yep the larger the tire the less pressure they take. I often run my fatbike at 5 or 6 pounds. 10 is usual though. Gives me the best of both worlds. Soft enough that I don't feel the cracks and ruts but hard enough that it doesn't slow me down too much. I like to ride in sandy desert washes and that requires a low pressure.

I bet half the dogs I encounter are pit bulls. They scare me. They always get the hot sauce if they come near me. I was driving down a road near my house and 4 of them came out and tried to attack my tires. They chased my car for half a mile. I thought wow, what if I had been on my bike. But the bear spray works 100% of the time. It is better than mace because you can just give a little puff and the dogs run into it instead of spraying them full force in the face like the have to do with those little cans of mace.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

I have a nice green 20 speed but am not really into bike riding anymore so havent rode it in yrs.

That was me. I had a 1987 mountain bike I hadn't ridden since I was in my 20's. I got back into it about 6 years ago to get into shape and lose some weight. It worked and now I'm hooked. But that old bike is too uncomfortable now for me. I bought a Salsa Journeyman, see avatar picture, and it is a really reasonable entry into gravel riding at a thousand dollars. The shop used some laser thingy to fit me and it does fit me like a glove. very comfortable.

What brand is your 20 speed?

 

[BNR32FAN]

Any cycling enthusiasts around? Road, MTB? What kind of bike do you have? I have a Gary Fisher Big Sur 2001, all parts American made. I've been sidelined for a while due to health problems but am chomping at the bit to ride. I thought some talk would help my separation anxiety.

Im loving my Hyper E-bike. It’s fun to ride without putting too much strain on my arthritic knees.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

I think that the whole e-bike revolution is awesome because people are getting out to ride that might not have without e-bikes. I'm thinking about getting one for my wife.

 

[BNR32FAN]

That seems to be a common theme in many parts of the country. I know here in the city, stolen bikes are an everyday occurrence. I plan on trying my bike out in a new State Park built over a former toxic landfill and I'm needing to use a bike rack on my car for transporting, because I don't want to cycle to the park.
One cyclist was assaulted at a traffic light a few blocks from where I live a couple of weeks ago by a crazy pedestrian. I'm too old for this stuff.....

speaking of stolen bikes, here in Dallas a company tried leaving rental bikes all over town that you could unlock with an app on your phone and rent but they quickly went out of business because homeless people were stealing them left & right. I’m talking literally hundreds of bikes stolen from this company because they just left them on the streets spread out all over Dallas. People would break the wheel locks off of them and just steal them. That was definitely not a very good idea for a business.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

When I was in Phoenix, I saw those city rental bikes all over the place in flower beds, in ditches, and thrown down hills and under bridges, and even in the canals. It's a nice idea but when people don't own something themselves they don't take care of it.

 

[The happy Objectivist]

Im loving my Hyper E-bike. It’s fun to ride without putting too much strain on my arthritic knees. View attachment 309110

What's the max assist speed on that, 20 mph?

 

[BNR32FAN]

What's the max assist speed on that, 20 mph?

No I think around 25 or 30

 

[BNR32FAN]

What's the max assist speed on that, 20 mph?

It’s only 250 W motor so it needs some help climbing steep hills and the range is around 10 miles. I think they advertise a longer distance I might get about 15 miles on a charge.