Getting into Biking

[Neko]

yeah, I definitely hear what you're saying. My hybrid is awesome in the city for getting groceries, riding home drunk from friends houses etc. just not ideal for what I use it for most of the time. Once I buy two bikes, I guess it won't be long before I want 3rd though [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

local shop should be getting some rollers in a couple of weeks and have promised I can try riding my bike as well as a full on road bike on them, looking forward to that. The only set of bars they had was $700 (CDN). lol, that's almost as much as I spent on the bike.

[ottsville]

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Once I buy two bikes, I guess it won't be long before I want 3rd though [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]



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Here's my collection....

(sorry the pics suck)
my road bike(2005 scattante r660)


my old Bridgestone road bike I've turned into a fixie


My mountain bike I no longer ride and am going to sell(2002 Trek fuel 98)


My single speed rigid Kona mtn bike...a blast to ride!

And this old Diamondback I use with a child seat to ride my son around on.

[4drugmoney]

What's a hybrid? A mix between a mountain bike and road bike?

[ottsville]

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What's a hybrid? A mix between a mountain bike and road bike?

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Yes, more of a rail-trail bike than anything.

[kerowo]

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What's a hybrid? A mix between a mountain bike and road bike?

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You'll also hear it called a Comfort bike becuase they tend to have suspension on at least the front forks and perhaps the seat post. They have a more upright position so you aren't streacthed out to the handlebars. They tend to have smother fatter tires than roadies but not near as nobby or fat as mountain bikes.

[Neko]

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What's a hybrid? A mix between a mountain bike and road bike?

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You'll also hear it called a Comfort bike becuase they tend to have suspension on at least the front forks and perhaps the seat post. They have a more upright position so you aren't streacthed out to the handlebars. They tend to have smother fatter tires than roadies but not near as nobby or fat as mountain bikes.

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Most seem to be like that but mine (I posted a pic in the thread above) is much more road oriented, skinny ass tires, no suspension etc. Just sits a bit more upright then a road bike and has flat bars rather than drop bars. It sucks, for example, on almost any surface that isn't paved/smooth.

[Neko]

ottsville,

Nice collection. Whats the deal with the single speed road bikes? What do you use them for most? Are they geared for acceleration or speed? I can see why you'd want a single speed bike for trails and stuff but seems kinda strange on a road bike.

[ottsville]

Actually the red road bike is fixed gear, which means that as long as the wheels are moving, the cranks are moving. Like track bikes(velodrome) and many bike messenger bikes there is no freewheel on it. Theoretically, you could pedal it backwards.

I just built this up for something to do with my old road bike and plan on riding it a good bit this winter. The bike is 20 years old, so it wasn't worth anything to sell, plus I love the older lugged steel frames and didn't want to get rid of it. Fixed gear riding is supposed to improve your pedal stroke by making it smoother. I have the bike geared with a 39 front/15 rear which should be good enough that I'm not spinning like mad on the downhills yet can still ride the uphills.

Single speed riding is lots of fun, especially on trails. It will remind you of how much fun riding was as a kid. You don't worry about being in the right or wrong gear, you just ride. There's also something about the simplicity of the bike that's cool. I haven't done much mtn biking lately because I've been training for a century ride(and with having a little kid, driving somewhere to ride takes too much time), but I'll get out some this fall. I don't want to sound too flaky but single speed mtn biking is an almost spiritual fun.

BTW, Sheldonbrown.com is an excellent source for bike maintenance info and he's considered one of the best on the web.

[PokerFox]

I have nothing against serious cycling, but I just want to warn you:

There are 2 kinds of male cyclists: impotent ones, and ones that will be impotent eventually.

Google if you want more info, but if you ride for years you literally will make yourself impotent.

[ottsville]

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I have nothing against serious cycling, but I just want to warn you:

There are 2 kinds of male cyclists: impotent ones, and ones that will be impotent eventually.

Google if you want more info, but if you ride for years you literally will make yourself impotent.

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Although cycling may cause decreased sperm count, and MAY be cited as a factor in some cases of impotence, a blanket statement that all cyclist either are or will be is patently untrue.

If you are going to make claims, please back them up with facts, not allusions to what an internet search turns up. I could google unicorns, just because there's images of them, it doesn't make them real...