Newbie update! - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

01-07-2007, 10:09 AM

Three miles - 38 minutes of stop and go biking in Valley Forge Park.
Not bad for a 41 year old 275 pound novice cyclist. And no crashes into
mailboxes!

01-07-2007, 12:12 PM

"The Historian" <Spamscone@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1168193361.668775.218880@51g2000cwl.googlegro ups.com...
> Three miles - 38 minutes of stop and go biking in Valley Forge Park.
> Not bad for a 41 year old 275 pound novice cyclist. And no crashes into
> mailboxes!

I hate it when those mailboxes jump out at ya like that.

01-07-2007, 05:25 PM

The Historian wrote:
> Three miles - 38 minutes of stop and go biking in Valley Forge Park.
> Not bad for a 41 year old 275 pound novice cyclist. And no crashes into
> mailboxes!
>

Keep up the good work ! :-)

01-07-2007, 05:47 PM

"The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1168193361.668775.218880@51g2000cwl.googlegro ups.com...
> Three miles - 38 minutes of stop and go biking in Valley Forge Park.
> Not bad for a 41 year old 275 pound novice cyclist. And no crashes into
> mailboxes!
>
What's the weather like out there?

Pat in TX

01-07-2007, 06:25 PM

Pat wrote:
> "The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:1168193361.668775.218880@51g2000cwl.googlegro ups.com...
> > Three miles - 38 minutes of stop and go biking in Valley Forge Park.
> > Not bad for a 41 year old 275 pound novice cyclist. And no crashes into
> > mailboxes!
> >
> What's the weather like out there?
>
> Pat in TX

Ride was at 10:07 AM, featuring clear skies, 50 degrees, light breeze,
and a bike path filled with people letting their dogs relieve
themselves and walkers taking up both lanes. It's raining now, and will
tomorrow, so there's no biking on the agenda.

01-07-2007, 07:03 PM

> Ride was at 10:07 AM, featuring clear skies, 50 degrees, light breeze,
> and a bike path filled with people letting their dogs relieve
> themselves and walkers taking up both lanes. It's raining now, and will
> tomorrow, so there's no biking on the agenda.

Because? After all, if it's raining, you're likely to see fewer walkers
along the bike path!

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

"The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1168223130.542286.207880@51g2000cwl.googlegro ups.com...
>
> Pat wrote:
>> "The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
>> news:1168193361.668775.218880@51g2000cwl.googlegro ups.com...
>> > Three miles - 38 minutes of stop and go biking in Valley Forge Park.
>> > Not bad for a 41 year old 275 pound novice cyclist. And no crashes into
>> > mailboxes!
>> >
>> What's the weather like out there?
>>
>> Pat in TX
>
> Ride was at 10:07 AM, featuring clear skies, 50 degrees, light breeze,
> and a bike path filled with people letting their dogs relieve
> themselves and walkers taking up both lanes. It's raining now, and will
> tomorrow, so there's no biking on the agenda.
>

01-07-2007, 07:33 PM

Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
> > Ride was at 10:07 AM, featuring clear skies, 50 degrees, light breeze,
> > and a bike path filled with people letting their dogs relieve
> > themselves and walkers taking up both lanes. It's raining now, and will
> > tomorrow, so there's no biking on the agenda.
>
> Because? After all, if it's raining, you're likely to see fewer walkers
> along the bike path!

I don't think it's good for the bike to be out in a downpour. And,
since the brakes on a 500 dollar bike are not the most subtle, it's not
good for the bike or rider to skid and slip on a wet path. Or am I
wrong?

01-07-2007, 08:08 PM

"The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1168227182.545983.99230@i15g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
>
> Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
>> > Ride was at 10:07 AM, featuring clear skies, 50 degrees, light breeze,
>> > and a bike path filled with people letting their dogs relieve
>> > themselves and walkers taking up both lanes. It's raining now, and will
>> > tomorrow, so there's no biking on the agenda.
>>
>> Because? After all, if it's raining, you're likely to see fewer walkers
>> along the bike path!
>
> I don't think it's good for the bike to be out in a downpour. And,
> since the brakes on a 500 dollar bike are not the most subtle, it's not
> good for the bike or rider to skid and slip on a wet path. Or am I
> wrong?

I would say you have that a little wrong. Rust can happen but we covered
that. Just oil your chain and it will disappear. The bad part is keeping
the bike clean when you pick up dirt from the road and the oil can get dirty
too. Keep the bike clean and no problems. Stay dry yourself however. Keep
the speed down a notch for slippery areas. Test the brakes on all surfaces.
Not sure
what is meant by subtle unless it means you might wipe out. My bike is
$500 and it is perfect in the rain. I have discs but my Trek was good too
with the right tread on the pad. Course the rim gets gungy with rim brakes
I have noticed. More cleaning. I like a clean machine.
Don't be dissing $500 bikes. That is alot of money for some people.
You can use toe in brakes that skim away the water and have better braking
power in the rain or just touch the brakes to the rim while riding once in
a while to skim off the water. Be very cautious like riding at night.
Speed according to safety. Pump the brakes softly not jamming them.
That should smooth it out for you.

I wear water proof jackets but do not bother about the pants anymore.
Getting wet is refreshing anyways. The air is delicious and easy to
breathe. Get out there and have fun.

SN
ps cars speed up in wet weather so be wary too.

01-07-2007, 08:44 PM

nash wrote:
> "The Historian" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:1168227182.545983.99230@i15g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
> >
> > Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
> >> > Ride was at 10:07 AM, featuring clear skies, 50 degrees, light breeze,
> >> > and a bike path filled with people letting their dogs relieve
> >> > themselves and walkers taking up both lanes. It's raining now, and will
> >> > tomorrow, so there's no biking on the agenda.
> >>
> >> Because? After all, if it's raining, you're likely to see fewer walkers
> >> along the bike path!
> >
> > I don't think it's good for the bike to be out in a downpour. And,
> > since the brakes on a 500 dollar bike are not the most subtle, it's not
> > good for the bike or rider to skid and slip on a wet path. Or am I
> > wrong?
>
> I would say you have that a little wrong. Rust can happen but we covered
> that. Just oil your chain and it will disappear. The bad part is keeping
> the bike clean when you pick up dirt from the road and the oil can get dirty
> too. Keep the bike clean and no problems. Stay dry yourself however. Keep
> the speed down a notch for slippery areas. Test the brakes on all surfaces.
> Not sure
> what is meant by subtle unless it means you might wipe out.

A novice biker and wet roads aren't a good combination. 'Subtle' was a
poor choice of words on my part, and incorrectly implied there was
something poor about the brakes on my bike.

My bike is
> $500 and it is perfect in the rain. I have discs but my Trek was good too
> with the right tread on the pad. Course the rim gets gungy with rim brakes
> I have noticed. More cleaning. I like a clean machine.
> Don't be dissing $500 bikes. That is alot of money for some people.

I wasn't dissing my Trek. It's a wonderful bike, and I am very happy
with it. I was told by a friend that the brakes on my Trek need to be
handled lightly because they'll send me flying if I brake hard. He owns
a high end Cannondale; possibly that has a different braking system?

> You can use toe in brakes that skim away the water and have better braking
> power in the rain or just touch the brakes to the rim while riding once in
> a while to skim off the water. Be very cautious like riding at night.
> Speed according to safety. Pump the brakes softly not jamming them.
> That should smooth it out for you.
>
> I wear water proof jackets but do not bother about the pants anymore.
> Getting wet is refreshing anyways. The air is delicious and easy to
> breathe. Get out there and have fun.
>
> SN
> ps cars speed up in wet weather so be wary too.

Thanks again for the advice, as always.

01-08-2007, 08:04 AM

In article <1168231473.564245.318450@i15g2000cwa.googlegroups .com>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] says...
>
> I wasn't dissing my Trek. It's a wonderful bike, and I am very happy
> with it. I was told by a friend that the brakes on my Trek need to be
> handled lightly because they'll send me flying if I brake hard. He owns
> a high end Cannondale; possibly that has a different braking system?

Bah. I have a Trek, and the brakes don't have super powers. Just don't hit the
front brake with a Death Grip, and you'll be fine. Rear brakes can never send
you flying over the handlebars, and the front brake will only do so if
improperly used.

In the wet, stick to the rear brake, to avoid front-wheel skids (bad!). In the
dry, learn to use the front brake, starting with very light pressure, over the
rear, as it is more efficient at stopping you.

<http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html> is the Bible for this topic.

If your Trek didn't come with fenders, consider adding them. They make a HUGE
difference in keeping road spray and grit off you when riding in (or
immediately after) rain.

--

__o Kristian Zoerhoff
_'\(,_ [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
(_)/ (_)