|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
Cyclists -
Bike: Sun Retro-Alloy Cruiser. It’s a 3-speed with coaster brakes. Today I took a dry run to the grocers and mall where I'll do most of my shopping. There is one hill of which I still can’t get to the top. I’d like to stand up to pedal, but I’m still quite large and I’m afraid my chain will break. Once I’m able to climb that hill, I’ll install my pannier baskets, which weigh about 6 lbs and try a few more dry runs to the stores. The baskets will be more or less permanently attached, so I might get a used bike for exercise and fun riding. I like the 3-speed but maybe I’ll try a 5-speed to get used to the up-to-date bike gears. There’s another hill right by my house (at the top of the hill) Lately I’ve been making it to the top of that one, but by then I’m in the lowest gear and I’m almost to a full stop, not to mention out of breath. I’d rather not get into that situation while away from home. Local buses now have bike racks and there’s a park in Liverpool with great bike paths. And also you can ride along the Erie Canal for endless water-level miles, from what I hear. I think the pannier baskets will interfere with loading on bus and car racks, but I won’t know ‘til I try it. Happy riding, Bob Syr Syracuse, NY |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
bob syr wrote:
Cyclists - Bike: Sun Retro-Alloy Cruiser. It’s a 3-speed with coaster brakes. Today I took a dry run to the grocers and mall where I'll do most of my shopping. There is one hill of which I still can’t get to the top. I’d like to stand up to pedal, but I’m still quite large and I’m afraid my chain will break. Have no fear on that score. Your chain will not break. Lots of large cyclists climb very steep hills in very low gears, and their chains don't break. Once I’m able to climb that hill, I’ll install my pannier baskets, which weigh about 6 lbs and try a few more dry runs to the stores. The baskets will be more or less permanently attached, so I might get a used bike for exercise and fun riding. I like the 3-speed but maybe I’ll try a 5-speed to get used to the up-to-date bike gears. Up-to-date? There’s another hill right by my house (at the top of the hill) Lately I’ve been making it to the top of that one, but by then I’m in the lowest gear and I’m almost to a full stop, not to mention out of breath. I’d rather not get into that situation while away from home. That's part of the fun. Really. Local buses now have bike racks and there’s a park in Liverpool with great bike paths. And also you can ride along the Erie Canal for endless water-level miles, from what I hear. I think the pannier baskets will interfere with loading on bus and car racks, but I won’t know ‘til I try it. I don't really get the bike-on-bus or bike-on-train idea. I mean, you have a bike. What do you need with a bus or train? For now, bike where you are, and go where you can on the bike. -- David L. Johnson "What am I on? I'm on my bike, six hours a day, busting my ass. What are you on?" --Lance Armstrong |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
David L. Johnson wrote, On 6/20/2008 12:54 AM:
bob syr wrote: snip Local buses now have bike racks and there’s a park in Liverpool with great bike paths. And also you can ride along the Erie Canal for endless water-level miles, from what I hear. I think the pannier baskets will interfere with loading on bus and car racks, but I won’t know ‘til I try it. I don't really get the bike-on-bus or bike-on-train idea. I mean, you have a bike. What do you need with a bus or train? For now, bike where you are, and go where you can on the bike. I certainly get the "bike-on-bus or bike-on-train idea". Its fun explore other places - places that are too far away to comfortably reach from home by bicycle. Bob just wants to check out some other places to ride. What's wrong with that? -- Paul D Oosterhout I work for SAIC (but I don't speak for SAIC) |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
"bob syr" wrote: (clip) There is one hill of which I still can’t get to the top. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It would have been okay to end that sentence with a preposition. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I’d like to stand up to pedal, but I’m still quite large and I’m afraid my chain will break. (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Not to worry. The chain tension cannot exceed what it takes to move the bike up the hill. It matters not whether this comes from standing on the pedals or sitting and using leg muscles. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
On Jun 19, 10:00 pm, bob syr wrote:
Cyclists - I’d like to stand up to pedal, but I’m still quite large and I’m afraid my chain will break. Fear not... there are a lot of things that may go wrong... On a bike with no derailleur and no lateral movement of the chain there are very few chain failures, and most of them are maintenance issues (I have jumped way out on a limb in my assumption that the three-speeds are provided by a internally geared hub) There’s another hill right by my house (at the top of the hill) Lately I’ve been making it to the top of that one, but by then I’m in the lowest gear and I’m almost to a full stop, not to mention out of breath. I’d rather not get into that situation while away from home. Yeah, a recent change in routes has me going up a hill that made me stop at the top and catch my breath the first couple times. But after only a couple weeks I'm back to cursing at the motorists most of the way up it, pretty soon I'll have enough wind that they might even hear me. The conventional wisdom is that using lower gears and keeping your feet going around quickly is a better long term strategy than standing up... but if you've already shifted as low as it goes what else ya gonna do. Local buses now have bike racks and there’s a park in Liverpool with great bike paths. And also you can ride along the Erie Canal for endless water-level miles, from what I hear. I think the pannier baskets will interfere with loading on bus and car racks, but I won’t know ‘til I try it. There are a lot of removable panniers, the makers of them tend to be pretty proud of them and they price them accordingly. I like folding wire baskets, I think Wald is the manufacturer. You may have to spend some money but there is a way to make your inter-modal dream come true, you bet. The biggest problem is getting the bus or train to stand still long enough for you to figure out what's gonna work and what isn't (you could shoot one of the tires out and then check out the rack while they're making repairs). The one end of the spectrum of options is the folding bike... Dahon & Green Gear (bike friday) are a couple of the outfits that make these things, google will return lots of hits. Happy riding, Bob Syr Syracuse, NY |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:14:03 -0700 (PDT), DennisTheBald
wrote: There’s another hill right by my house (at the top of the hill) Lately I’ve been making it to the top of that one, but by then I’m in the lowest gear and I’m almost to a full stop, not to mention out of breath. I’d rather not get into that situation while away from home. Yeah, a recent change in routes has me going up a hill that made me stop at the top and catch my breath the first couple times. But after only a couple weeks I One thing you can do on very hard hills until you get them conquered is to pull into a side street about halfway up, or when you feel overexerted. Then ride down the side street a few yards (they're usually flat) and recover and turn around. Tthen pull back out onto the hill with a bit of momentum and complete the hill. I have a long 4 mile hill that I sometimes get calf cramps riding, and have had to use this tactic a few times. It usually only takes about 20 seconds to recover and get going again. HTH |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
On Jun 20, 8:05 am, Paul O wrote:
David L. Johnson wrote, On 6/20/2008 12:54 AM: bob syr wrote: snip Local buses now have bike racks and there’s a park in Liverpool with great bike paths. And also you can ride along the Erie Canal for endless water-level miles, from what I hear. I think the pannier baskets will interfere with loading on bus and car racks, but I won’t know ‘til I try it. I don't really get the bike-on-bus or bike-on-train idea. I mean, you have a bike. What do you need with a bus or train? For now, bike where you are, and go where you can on the bike. I certainly get the "bike-on-bus or bike-on-train idea". Its fun explore other places - places that are too far away to comfortably reach from home by bicycle. Agreed. Bikes make a great combination with bus and/or train transit and allow for much greater flexibility of destinations. Where I am there are also a number of bridges which don't allow bicycle access so using a bus to get across opens up whole new areas for bike rides, whether for transportation or for recreation. The bus bike racks that I've used space the bikes pretty well so I'd think you could still use them with the side baskets attached. Some bus companies have a demo rack where you can try out the operation without any pressure from an impatient driver (or passengers). Check with your local companies to see if they have something conveniently located. |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
On Jun 19, 10:00 pm, bob syr wrote:
Local buses now have bike racks and there’s a park in Liverpool with great bike paths. And also you can ride along the Erie Canal for endless water-level miles, from what I hear. I think the pannier baskets will interfere with loading on bus and car racks, but I won’t know ‘til I try it. Our local transit system (The TTC in Toronto) has bike racks on many bus routes (including my local one) and also allows bikes on the subways and streetcars outside of rush hours. However, the bus rules require all removable items to be removed from the bike including panniers (and water bottles, though that's up to the driver.) I don't use the bus/bike racks that often, but always take my panniers off while I'm waiting for the bus, when I do use them. I use "bike buckets" that I make myself. They're great for groceries, etc, as you can bring them into the store, either in hand or hooked to the inside of a shopping cart, so you know when you're getting close to capacity. Here's a link to a 'how to" page about them: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Buckets |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
By the way, the Erie Canal is a great ride for the most part, but there are usually patches that are loose enough to be unrideable, especially after rain. Fortunately, there are always local roads nearby. A bonus is that there's a cafe near almost every bridge on the canal On my Lake Ontario trip, I met the same sailboat 3 or 4 times between Rochester and Lockport. They kept putting along while I kept hopping in and out of the diners. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
dry run to the markets
In article ,
"David L. Johnson" writes: Local buses now have bike racks and there’s a park in Liverpool with great bike paths. And also you can ride along the Erie Canal for endless water-level miles, from what I hear. I think the pannier baskets will interfere with loading on bus and car racks, but I won’t know ‘til I try it. I don't really get the bike-on-bus or bike-on-train idea. I mean, you have a bike. What do you need with a bus or train? For now, bike where you are, and go where you can on the bike. For cycling commuters, rack-fitted buses and commuter trains which allow bikes onboard can be a boon for shortening travel time to or from work. Sometimes it's worth it, just for that extra (or only) cup o' tea or coffee. And if the weather suddenly turns inclement, it's nice to have to option to take public transit most or all of the way. If you're lost out in the boonies (e.g: Cloverdale, BC,) the bus can get you to some familiar spot where you can at least regain your bearings. But, yeah -- once awheel, I too generally harbour a profound reluctance to dismount and relinquish riding to adopt another mode. That's why I don't "get" triathlon ;-) I mean, really -- how could anyone just dump their bike and run away from it!? That's like enjoying a few morsels of a nice steak dinner, and then leaving it to scrub bathroom tile grout. Perhaps triathlon would be improved if the running segment was replaced with throwing darts at balloons tacked onto a pegboard, or throwing baseballs at milk bottle pyramids, or shooting BBs at moving tin ducks. Kinda like biathlon. Maybe triathletes should, instead of running, use public transit. cheers, Tom -- Nothing is safe from me. I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Technical Analysis of stocks/commodities/futures markets Latest Software | futa | Unicycling | 1 | February 1st 06 01:01 PM |