vegan lifestyle??? never that im an italian cheese eating fool and last time i was in italy i was eating wild boar and other related madness) i eat vegans for lunch
anyway...i just checked and the brooks seats i got arent pristine. on one, the whole top layer seems to be flaking off (although its not actually flaking off)
then i got two old old raleighs (matching his and hers) and their seats are in good shape, but one has some flaking on the sides.
i'll take some pics tomorrow morning of all these bikes. shit is ridiclous. i let the situation get way out of control.
my personal daily usage bike is a nice 27" cannondale racing bike frame assembled by an old friend for me. its been a rock solid bike for four years. needs a new seat, but i fly on that thing.
I want a Brooks (my current seat/saddle is foamy and falling off, esp. cuz every time it rains I forget to plastic bag the seat!) but I want one that's already azz-broken in...
But then how does that work w/different ass-shapes. Maybe not a good idea to get a broken/worn in one craigslist style?
Yeah man, you need to buy a new one, so the leather molds to your ass. Dude, it's worth the investment. A Classic looking saddle that is mad comfortable.
...the only acceptable use, from what I can see, of add-on bar ends...
what's the feeling on bar-ends in the retro MTB scene? I freak out on cyclocommuters when I see them...I hate bar ends and helmet-mounted rearveiw dentist mirrors more than even fixiekids...
I put some on mine when I fell hard onto my bar end and fractured my sternum. It wouldn't have happened if the ends were spreading the area of impact. Imagine asking someone to hit you as hard as they can with a ball-pane hammer right over your heart.
Not feeling the look of them, but they have a purpose and do help on steep bits. I personally took mine off after a while and learned to avoid the steep bits Steep bits are for lycra warriors and other puppet-sized continentals.
Bar ends worked on that thing because it was recumbent and you can't put your bodyweight over the pedals, so it helps for leverage uphill. Uphill on that was brutal. They told us before the ride that we'd have to get out and push like every other crew had, but we were in good shape and had one dude who'd done all the public stages of le Tour and we were like all macho and fuggit.
We did make all the hills but the day after we all felt like we'd been kneecapped with that same hammer. Stairs were an issue for days.
Couriers: Are you all masochist no-brake fixie riders? I admire your dedication, but I can't think of a cycling environment where being able to stop instantly would be required more. A friend of mine has got a no-brake fixie in SF. To me, that seems mental. Uphill, killer. Downhill, lethal.
NYC commuter checking in. Goddamn is it a grind on those days when I have to trade my morning ride to fight my way onto the train.
Currently on a Kona Unit for the daily, but like any bike fiend I'm always scheming on my next shit. I'm figuring there should be folks unloading bikes soon as the reality of imprudent spending over the last couple years catches up with people who don't ride what they've got.
There's also miscellaneous shit I'm looking for, and maybe the Strut hoarder mentality makes this the place... Anybody got a singlespeed chainring, 104 bcd, in something 36 to 42 teeth?
I need to get rid of some bikes so if anyone in the NYC area is looking for a lightweight frame to fock around with I've got an ~9 y/o Cannondale CAAD4 bike like the one in the picture below that I'd let go for really cheap or some trades. The catch it that it's a 60 cm frame. I'm 6'1/2" and it's a little big for me, but set this thing up for some singlespeed action and it'll be a rocket ship.
Couriers: Are you all masochist no-brake fixie riders? I admire your dedication, but I can't think of a cycling environment where being able to stop instantly would be required more. A friend of mine has got a no-brake fixie in SF. To me, that seems mental. Uphill, killer. Downhill, lethal.
NYC dudes im bout to start at columbia grad school in the fall. im moving from new mexico which is fairly bike friendly. i hear that i should leave my bike here because its impossible to not get your bike stolen. how true is this? and should bring my baby with me?
Couriers: Are you all masochist no-brake fixie riders? I admire your dedication, but I can't think of a cycling environment where being able to stop instantly would be required more. A friend of mine has got a no-brake fixie in SF. To me, that seems mental. Uphill, killer. Downhill, lethal.
Your skidding skillz must be mad strong, dog.
I rode a track bike with a free wheel and a front brake (later rear as well) I always though the fixies were fools, there's not a single advantage and numerous disadvantages - slower, less maneuverable, worse braking, kills your knees, leads to f*cked muscle development in your legs etc etc.
NYC dudes im bout to start at columbia grad school in the fall. im moving from new mexico which is fairly bike friendly. i hear that i should leave my bike here because its impossible to not get your bike stolen. how true is this? and should bring my baby with me?
Getting your bike stolen is not inevitable - but you have to buy a serious lock and use common sense about where, when, and how you lock it.
Unless your bike is a $3,000 unit, in which case it will get stolen.
Still a battle, but much better now than when I was a messenger. Way more bike lanes (virtually none in my day) and people are getting used to the fact that bikes are here to stay.
i hear that i should leave my bike here because its impossible to not get your bike stolen. how true is this? and should bring my baby with me?
Getting your bike stolen is not inevitable - but you have to buy a serious lock and use common sense about where, when, and how you lock it.
Yeah, I'd second what Horseleech says. In ten years of pretty heavy biking in new york, including some ill-advised multi-day outdoor lockups, the only things I've had stolen were removable parts (brakes, etc.), As long as you have a good lock and don't attach yourself to scaffolding or something dimantleable your wheels and frame should be fine.
Riding to/from Columbia is a nice situation as well because you can use the west-side bike path for traveling and they have racks next to the guard booths at both 116th street campus entrances. People aren't stealing shit from those.
However, if you're calling your bike "my baby" you might want to consider picking up a second everyday bike that's lowkey and wouldn't break your heart to lose...
OKAY MTB TRIP REPORT: Opening Day Tiger Mountain (about 30 mins outside of Seattle, a nice after-work spot)
took the day off and met up with the dudes who have the crazy gear: this was new for me: internal sun-geared cranks, the chain never moves...eliminates a front derailler ("mech" for y'all euromans). A little heavier, but DANG if it's not pretty trick. Probably as old as planetary gears in a rear hub, but whatever. I dug it.
some trails were snow-free:
some were not:
this zone is always cool--I've never seen it with sneaux on it...pure ewok village zone. I always expect to see a wizard or a wyvern or some shit in here:
There was nobody there, about five other bikers other than our group.
This guy, however, was there:
So dope. He was with a chick who had like a legit dirt jumper hardtail bike...she'd already disappeared into the snowy woods, and he was gearing up for getting down. Too bad HIS FORK IS BACKWARDS!!! I believe that is known here as NAGL... It was obviously the situation of dude trying to hook up with Extreme Chick, and when she's like "oh i'm into mountain biking you into that?," he says, "yes of course I'm into that let's roll," and proceeds to go straight to wal-mart and cop a full gear kit: sweats, soon-to-be-broken bike, and helmet. It was cold (see the snow?), and dude was about to be SO muddy and SO cold... so cold. ice cold.
Gotta be a supermarket special. Looks like the first time it's been ridden. Bike has 21 speed and quill = $120 new? And he's got a tie-on gel seat cover and paper stickers still on the up stays. Dude came to ride in a forest, in snow. In light-coloured sweats and trainer socks.
Darwin was right.
Hey. That Scott Ransom is sweet. And looks like you ride it too - there is (dare I say it?) a scratch on the "R"? Props. Worth more than my house, probably!
Dope post. Especially feeling the lack of fixies in here too. EFFA FIXIE.
Hopefully my track bike doesn't ruin it for you.
oh BOOOOOOOM!!!
see, even though it's a fixed gear, and you posed it in front of your records...it's still so good. MURDERED OUT MEGA-LOOK I'm handfanning over here... I took my old 3speed on an outdoor concrete velodrome last week (as raer as cold blood LOL), and that's no joke right there... there's a reason for your bike: straight up pedal-until-it's-over speed. Wow.
A track bike on a track really is a far cry from some old 70s ten-speed converted to a "fixie" up and down hills (although, in my town: not really up OR down hills, more like walked down the sidewalk and chained to racks and signposts in front of various coffeeshops and dive bars)...Grandfather: trussit- that's a ride right there frillamane whoa
wi-five on that thing boom look at that (as dizzying as the background is)...
Gotta be a supermarket special. Looks like the first time it's been ridden. Bike has 21 speed and quill = $120 new? And he's got a tie-on gel seat cover and paper stickers still on the up stays. Dude came to ride in a forest, in snow. In light-coloured sweats and trainer socks.
Darwin was right.
Hey. That Scott Ransom is sweet. And looks like you ride it too - there is (dare I say it?) a scratch on the "R"? Props. Worth more than my house, probably!
I got hooked up on the Ransom: there's no way I'd pay retail for a carbon mountainbike with a proprietary shock...but, I couldn't resist the deal...I know dudes ayo
I did ride it yesterday in that muddy snow. I find it's better when it's covered in mud, because then I can't see all the indecipherable dials and levers on the ridiculous scuba-tank-looking space shock:
what a bitch to clean though... and it has to be at a stupid PSI... and I have to endure the endless serenades of "doctor, doctor, gimme the news" and whatever else song has "doctor," "lawyer," or "dentist" in the lyrics...
Yeah, I probably should have put some fancier records and some weed in there for full effect, but (a) I don't really have any baller pieces, (b) those happened to be sitting on the floor the other day when I took the pic, and (c) a few crumbs and stems are even less impressive that a Cold Blood and a Music for Lesbians record.
Bikesnob's blog is great. He reviewed one of our bikes recently and even though he didn't like the bike, it was still the most entertaining review of our bikes I've read.
Bikesnob I can't see wanting this one, since I don't really see the point of a bike that looks like a pro race bike but really isn't. A number of companies make road frames with taller head tubes that also have eyelets here and there and are less expensive than this one to boot, and I'd much rather have one of those instead.
This guy from Alaska just stopped by and was showing me a new bike he's selling that's made for snow and sand. Custom titanium built by the dudes who used to do Litespeed. Dude has some crazy ass stories about rides in Alaska - girl getting mauled by a bear during a 24 hour race, being holed up in a snow cave for 10 days in the middle of a long point to point race waiting for a storm to pass - just some gnarly shit. Folks are different up there.
My brother has a 585 from a few years ago, and rides it every day...if you have more than one Look (as I suspect you may), don't worry about records, as those are your "baller pieces." Hot damn.
...and nikesnobNYC didn't really dislike the bike itself; more of the whole genre of the bike...right?
dooooood
and that orange piece is insane. There's a dude in my neighborhood, I've been trying to capture him on film...he commutes on a Surly Pugsley. It's like riding down the bike path on a DH rig or something, it's so out-of-place looking...so good. The hubs --and rims!-- on that orange thing are so crazy wtf
stoked on bikes right now
and I will trade you all my cold blood records for a frameset: I have like three of them. You could double up on the one pictured and I have the ice block one too LOL
can't wait to go pose my bikes in front of my records, though...that's pretty much an imperative at this juncture
also: if I keep replying to myself, this shit's going five-pager status easy
Hah - It must be like sprinting with sofa cushions on your feet. But of course, the frame is titanium, so that will make it much faster It does look magnificently OTT but it would probably add ten minutes onto my commute.
Chas, do you work for Look? Always wanted one, but I seem to be the wrong build for road frames, long legs but short arms, so once the seat is high enough for my legs, the hoods are too far away to be comfortable. No wonder continental types all ride road, they are the other way around. Drive an Alfa Romeo - pedals too close, steering wheel light-years away!
i have 3 bikes but i would like to have just 2. raleighs are working for me. i love my raleigh roadbike, i will take pics but my friend made a seat cover for me for it from some african mudcloth. another friend was kind enough to get me new handlebars. it's feeling good for summer.
more importantly all philly people report to this bike path survey at once:
Comments
im an italian cheese eating fool
and last time i was in italy i was eating wild boar and other related madness)
i eat vegans for lunch
anyway...i just checked and the brooks seats i got arent pristine. on one, the whole top layer seems to be flaking off (although its not actually flaking off)
then i got two old old raleighs (matching his and hers) and their seats are in good shape, but one has some flaking on the sides.
i'll take some pics tomorrow morning of all these bikes. shit is ridiclous. i let the situation get way out of control.
my personal daily usage bike is a nice 27" cannondale racing bike frame assembled by an old friend for me. its been a rock solid bike for four years. needs a new seat, but i fly on that thing.
But then how does that work w/different ass-shapes. Maybe not a good idea to get a broken/worn in one craigslist style?
I put some on mine when I fell hard onto my bar end and fractured my sternum. It wouldn't have happened if the ends were spreading the area of impact. Imagine asking someone to hit you as hard as they can with a ball-pane hammer right over your heart.
Not feeling the look of them, but they have a purpose and do help on steep bits. I personally took mine off after a while and learned to avoid the steep bits
Bar ends worked on that thing because it was recumbent and you can't put your bodyweight over the pedals, so it helps for leverage uphill. Uphill on that was brutal. They told us before the ride that we'd have to get out and push like every other crew had, but we were in good shape and had one dude who'd done all the public stages of le Tour and we were like all macho and fuggit.
We did make all the hills but the day after we all felt like we'd been kneecapped with that same hammer. Stairs were an issue for days.
Your skidding skillz must be mad strong, dog.
How is it in New York?
I just applied for that job, here, in Paris.
These days I ride this bike :
http://www.sunnbicycle.com/fr/collection/2008/VTT/GORDON#none
Currently on a Kona Unit for the daily, but like any bike fiend I'm always scheming on my next shit. I'm figuring there should be folks unloading bikes soon as the reality of imprudent spending over the last couple years catches up with people who don't ride what they've got.
There's also miscellaneous shit I'm looking for, and maybe the Strut hoarder mentality makes this the place... Anybody got a singlespeed chainring, 104 bcd, in something 36 to 42 teeth?
I need to get rid of some bikes so if anyone in the NYC area is looking for a lightweight frame to fock around with I've got an ~9 y/o Cannondale CAAD4 bike like the one in the picture below that I'd let go for really cheap or some trades. The catch it that it's a 60 cm frame. I'm 6'1/2" and it's a little big for me, but set this thing up for some singlespeed action and it'll be a rocket ship.
Front brake when you need it.
I rode a track bike with a free wheel and a front brake (later rear as well) I always though the fixies were fools, there's not a single advantage and numerous disadvantages - slower, less maneuverable, worse braking, kills your knees, leads to f*cked muscle development in your legs etc etc.
For people desperate to be cool, IMO.
Getting your bike stolen is not inevitable - but you have to buy a serious lock and use common sense about where, when, and how you lock it.
Unless your bike is a $3,000 unit, in which case it will get stolen.
Still a battle, but much better now than when I was a messenger. Way more bike lanes (virtually none in my day) and people are getting used to the fact that bikes are here to stay.
Yeah, I'd second what Horseleech says. In ten years of pretty heavy biking in new york, including some ill-advised multi-day outdoor lockups, the only things I've had stolen were removable parts (brakes, etc.), As long as you have a good lock and don't attach yourself to scaffolding or something dimantleable your wheels and frame should be fine.
Riding to/from Columbia is a nice situation as well because you can use the west-side bike path for traveling and they have racks next to the guard booths at both 116th street campus entrances. People aren't stealing shit from those.
However, if you're calling your bike "my baby" you might want to consider picking up a second everyday bike that's lowkey and wouldn't break your heart to lose...
oh my goodness, it's all about that song!
OKAY MTB TRIP REPORT:
Opening Day Tiger Mountain (about 30 mins outside of Seattle, a nice after-work spot)
took the day off and met up with the dudes who have the crazy gear:
this was new for me: internal sun-geared cranks, the chain never moves...eliminates a front derailler ("mech" for y'all euromans). A little heavier, but DANG if it's not pretty trick. Probably as old as planetary gears in a rear hub, but whatever. I dug it.
some trails were snow-free:
some were not:
this zone is always cool--I've never seen it with sneaux on it...pure ewok village zone. I always expect to see a wizard or a wyvern or some shit in here:
There was nobody there, about five other bikers other than our group.
This guy, however, was there:
So dope. He was with a chick who had like a legit dirt jumper hardtail bike...she'd already disappeared into the snowy woods, and he was gearing up for getting down. Too bad HIS FORK IS BACKWARDS!!! I believe that is known here as NAGL... It was obviously the situation of dude trying to hook up with Extreme Chick, and when she's like "oh i'm into mountain biking you into that?," he says, "yes of course I'm into that let's roll," and proceeds to go straight to wal-mart and cop a full gear kit: sweats, soon-to-be-broken bike, and helmet. It was cold (see the snow?), and dude was about to be SO muddy and SO cold... so cold. ice cold.
crazy.
all in all, it was a great day to not go to work.
Gotta be a supermarket special. Looks like the first time it's been ridden. Bike has 21 speed and quill = $120 new? And he's got a tie-on gel seat cover and paper stickers still on the up stays. Dude came to ride in a forest, in snow. In light-coloured sweats and trainer socks.
Darwin was right.
Hey. That Scott Ransom is sweet. And looks like you ride it too - there is (dare I say it?) a scratch on the "R"? Props. Worth more than my house, probably!
EFFA FIXIE.
Richmond VA has a lot of hills and whenever I see people on these I can't help but wonder why. That shit must kill your knees.
oh BOOOOOOOM!!!
see, even though it's a fixed gear, and you posed it in front of your records...it's still so good. MURDERED OUT MEGA-LOOK I'm handfanning over here... I took my old 3speed on an outdoor concrete velodrome last week (as raer as cold blood LOL), and that's no joke right there... there's a reason for your bike: straight up pedal-until-it's-over speed. Wow.
A track bike on a track really is a far cry from some old 70s ten-speed converted to a "fixie" up and down hills (although, in my town: not really up OR down hills, more like walked down the sidewalk and chained to racks and signposts in front of various coffeeshops and dive bars)...Grandfather: trussit- that's a ride right there frillamane whoa
wi-five on that thing boom look at that (as dizzying as the background is)...
To clarify my position - I think fixies can be awesome.
Messengering on them is idiotic.
I got hooked up on the Ransom: there's no way I'd pay retail for a carbon mountainbike with a proprietary shock...but, I couldn't resist the deal...I know dudes ayo
I did ride it yesterday in that muddy snow. I find it's better when it's covered in mud, because then I can't see all the indecipherable dials and levers on the ridiculous scuba-tank-looking space shock:
what a bitch to clean though...
and it has to be at a stupid PSI...
and I have to endure the endless serenades of "doctor, doctor, gimme the news" and whatever else song has "doctor," "lawyer," or "dentist" in the lyrics...
but yeah it is so fun!
Yeah, I probably should have put some fancier records and some weed in there for full effect, but (a) I don't really have any baller pieces, (b) those happened to be sitting on the floor the other day when I took the pic, and (c) a few crumbs and stems are even less impressive that a Cold Blood and a Music for Lesbians record.
Bikesnob's blog is great. He reviewed one of our bikes recently and even though he didn't like the bike, it was still the most entertaining review of our bikes I've read.
Bikesnob
I can't see wanting this one, since I don't really see the point of a bike that looks like a pro race bike but really isn't. A number of companies make road frames with taller head tubes that also have eyelets here and there and are less expensive than this one to boot, and I'd much rather have one of those instead.
the bike:
f*cking big tires:
custom phil wood hubs:
My brother has a 585 from a few years ago, and rides it every day...if you have more than one Look (as I suspect you may), don't worry about records, as those are your "baller pieces." Hot damn.
...and nikesnobNYC didn't really dislike the bike itself; more of the whole genre of the bike...right?
dooooood
and that orange piece is insane. There's a dude in my neighborhood, I've been trying to capture him on film...he commutes on a Surly Pugsley. It's like riding down the bike path on a DH rig or something, it's so out-of-place looking...so good. The hubs --and rims!-- on that orange thing are so crazy wtf
stoked on bikes right now
and I will trade you all my cold blood records for a frameset: I have like three of them. You could double up on the one pictured and I have the ice block one too LOL
can't wait to go pose my bikes in front of my records, though...that's pretty much an imperative at this juncture
also: if I keep replying to myself, this shit's going five-pager status easy
Boston. Marathon Messenger. 4 years in the late 90's. It was at 10 High St. then, but I think they have moved since.
Stewart Tabakin is.....one hell of a guy to work for.
Holla at the alley cat races off Arlington.
Hah - It must be like sprinting with sofa cushions on your feet. But of course, the frame is titanium, so that will make it much faster
Chas, do you work for Look? Always wanted one, but I seem to be the wrong build for road frames, long legs but short arms, so once the seat is high enough for my legs, the hoods are too far away to be comfortable. No wonder continental types all ride road, they are the other way around. Drive an Alfa Romeo - pedals too close, steering wheel light-years away!
more importantly all philly people report to this bike path survey at once:
http://www.tooledesign.com/philadelphia/