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MTB'ing growing in popularity



 
 
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  #31  
Old March 10th 05, 12:43 AM
Tom Sherman
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Matt O'Toole wrote:

I don't think so. I think a lot of people were attracted to mountain bikes
because they offered greater comfort and riding ease than skinny tired,
overgeared, drop bar road bikes -- at least for beginning cyclists. I know
plenty of people who bought mountain bikes in the late 80s and early 90s, for
this reason. They thought they were the best thing since sliced bread. This is
still the case.


It would help if there were more reasonable drop bar road bikes, with
wide tire and fender clearances, 36-spoke wheels on reasonably sturdy
rims, with the handlebars set high enough, etc. Add to the above shops
willing to promote such bikes to new/prospective cyclists.

As Jobst Brandt likes to point out, a properly outfitted road bike does
just fine for moderate off-road use. Such a bike will also suffer far
fewer flats (and potential rim damage) than something with 25-mm wide
tires.

And yes, it is ridiculous for a rider with a 150W output to have the
same 53/39 and 11-23 gearing as a professional rider with a 350W+ output.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

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  #32  
Old March 10th 05, 12:45 AM
Tom Sherman
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Maggie wrote:

Tom Sherman wrote:

Maggie wrote:


Tom Sherman wrote:


Maggie wrote:



Tom Sherman wrote:



Maggie wrote:




...
I think comfort bikes are growing more and more popular as this

baby



boom generation gets out there to ride. Just my humble opinion.

As a



Boomer looking for a comfortable ride. ;-)

There is always the option of going over to the dark side.

Get Bent!

--
Tom Sherman - Earth



:-) Right back at ya Mr. Earth.

If you would rather perch way up in the air on a tiny saddle,


rather

than recline in comfort on a true seat while cycling, that is your

choice.


--
Tom Sherman - Earth


There is no way I am perching on a tiny saddle way up in the air.


I

recline in comfort on a very comfortable seat. I went out looking


for

the perfect "comfortable seat" when I bought the bike.
I think that WAS my choice.
I am the baby boomer looking for comfort, I'm not trying to imitate
Lance Armstrong. I just want to ride a comfort bike around town,


to

work, on some fun rides and maybe a few tours. Hey, what was the
original question?
Maggie (dazed and confused)


Maggie,

Are you aware that "dark side" is the British slang term for a


recumbent

bicycle and thus saying "get bent" is not an insult in this context?

This is my fast AND comfortable bicycle:
http://www.ihpva.org/incoming/2002/sunset/Sunset001.jpg.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth




OOOOOOOOOPS....I am not up on British Slang......I'm from Joisey. I
knew Liverpool slang in the sixties..when I was "GROOVEY".....but now
The dark side to me comes from Star Wars. ;-) And Get Bent
means....GET BENT! :-0
Maggie with due respect and apologetic.


Maggie,

No offense taken. Being a veteran of a few too many off-topic flame
wars, someone has to try really hard to offend me on Usenet.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

  #33  
Old March 10th 05, 03:36 PM
Peter Cole
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Tom Sherman wrote:

It would help if there were more reasonable drop bar road bikes, with


wide tire and fender clearances, 36-spoke wheels on reasonably sturdy


rims, with the handlebars set high enough, etc. Add to the above

shops
willing to promote such bikes to new/prospective cyclists.


There are plenty of these bikes, they're called "touring bikes". They
are eminently practical bikes, available in the $600-1500 dollar range.
Why more aren't sold, especially to new or non-racing cyclists, I don't
know.

  #34  
Old March 10th 05, 04:16 PM
Ken Marcet
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"Peter Cole" wrote in message
oups.com...

Tom Sherman wrote:

It would help if there were more reasonable drop bar road bikes, with


wide tire and fender clearances, 36-spoke wheels on reasonably sturdy


rims, with the handlebars set high enough, etc. Add to the above

shops
willing to promote such bikes to new/prospective cyclists.


There are plenty of these bikes, they're called "touring bikes". They
are eminently practical bikes, available in the $600-1500 dollar range.
Why more aren't sold, especially to new or non-racing cyclists, I don't
know.

My opinion on to why more touring bikes aren't sold.
I think most people look at a bike with drop bars as a racing only bike.
Now I am certainly no expert, but I learn new stuff about bikes almost
everyday.
And it seems to me that if bike shop sales people were able to correctly
size a frameset to a customer,
and then explain the advantages of a road frame, more people would buy a
road bike.
But this is just my opinion.

Ken

  #35  
Old March 10th 05, 11:53 PM
kituyjkm
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The problem with touring bikes is that no one tours. People see those
dropped bars and immediately remember the pain they suffered on their
first multispeed bike. MTBs are certainly a step in the right
direction for most people's riding (around the block once or twice).
They won't ride off-road, but fat tires get fewer flats (until they
sit in a garage for 6 months).

My silly wife was recently complaining about how her "new" comfort
bike (that she has had for 6 months and ridden maybe 3 times) needs to
have the tires pumped up every time she rides it. "This bike sucks -
I never had to pump the tires on my bike in Japan". Sez I: Well,
that's because you were riding around with flat tires and the bike was
so ****ty you didn't realize it, or someone else was taking care of
the bike for you, as I am now."

If you really want to tour- i.e. ride long distances, get a recumbent!
It used to be that recumbents were expensive compared to decent DF
bikes, but it seems the prices on decent recumbents have dropped. Now
if they ever get to the Walmart price range, they'll really take off.
  #36  
Old March 11th 05, 01:12 AM
Tom Sherman
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kituyjkm wrote:

...
If you really want to tour- i.e. ride long distances, get a recumbent!
It used to be that recumbents were expensive compared to decent DF
bikes, but it seems the prices on decent recumbents have dropped. Now
if they ever get to the Walmart price range, they'll really take off.


Shhhhh..., you are not supposed to mention recumbents on rec.bicycles.*.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

  #37  
Old March 11th 05, 12:40 PM
Ken Marcet
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"kituyjkm" fchg wrote in message
...
The problem with touring bikes is that no one tours. People see those
dropped bars and immediately remember the pain they suffered on their
first multispeed bike. MTBs are certainly a step in the right
direction for most people's riding (around the block once or twice).
They won't ride off-road, but fat tires get fewer flats (until they
sit in a garage for 6 months).

My silly wife was recently complaining about how her "new" comfort
bike (that she has had for 6 months and ridden maybe 3 times) needs to
have the tires pumped up every time she rides it. "This bike sucks -
I never had to pump the tires on my bike in Japan". Sez I: Well,
that's because you were riding around with flat tires and the bike was
so ****ty you didn't realize it, or someone else was taking care of
the bike for you, as I am now."

If you really want to tour- i.e. ride long distances, get a recumbent!
It used to be that recumbents were expensive compared to decent DF
bikes, but it seems the prices on decent recumbents have dropped. Now
if they ever get to the Walmart price range, they'll really take off.

Well this is true about recumbents they are much more comfortable, I have a
swb bent that I built myself in my garage, and it rides great! However
because it sits much lower to the ground it is much less visible to people
driving motor vehicles. Being comfortable isn't going to do you any good if
you are dead!

Ken

  #38  
Old March 11th 05, 02:28 PM
Maggie
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Tom Sherman wrote:

Maggie,

No offense taken. Being a veteran of a few too many off-topic flame
wars, someone has to try really hard to offend me on Usenet.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth



Thank you for accepting my apologies. Personally, I can't understand
how ANYONE can get offended by a newsgroup post. Maybe I have been
jaded because of the business I work in, but I really don't understand
how this can be taken so personally. I am in business flame wars every
day.

I am not a verteran of NG flame wars and I actually find them amusing.
(it takes very little to amuse me.)

If you think about life too much you have to find it rather amusing or
you'll go insane.

I sometimes think there is a higher power somewhere looking down at us
playing us like checkers. We get kinged, jumped, triple jumped,
sometimes we lose and sometimes we win. Sometimes we fall off the
board and occasionally the higher power takes the board and throws it
in the air, upsetting the game.

Maybe I think too much. I should ride more and think less. ;-)

All Good Things, (IT'S FRIDAY!!!)
Maggie.

  #39  
Old March 12th 05, 01:46 AM
Tom Sherman
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Maggie wrote:

Tom Sherman wrote:


Maggie,

No offense taken. Being a veteran of a few too many off-topic flame
wars, someone has to try really hard to offend me on Usenet.

--
Tom Sherman - Earth




Thank you for accepting my apologies. Personally, I can't understand
how ANYONE can get offended by a newsgroup post. Maybe I have been
jaded because of the business I work in, but I really don't understand
how this can be taken so personally. I am in business flame wars every
day....


I have never witnessed a project manager or field superintendent get
angry.

Go ahead - blame the soils engineer!

--
Tom Sherman - Earth

 




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