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#1
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First ride of the season
The snow is all but gone and so are the resulting puddles (lakes?). So
I decided to bike home after dropping my car in for service: first ride of the year. Well, I made a couple of mistakes. First, I forgot to check on the current weather conditions, which turned out to be suboptimal: 30 KMH wind from the north (half my ride home was north); -4C (windchill -12C). The remaining puddles were now skating rinks. Second, I took my father's old bike (Raleigh Twenty folding bike) because it was easier to get in and out of my car. Unfortunately, it hasn't been maintained since he died in 2001. Might as well have been a fixy with a big gear. So, I fought a stiff wind on a badly maintained bike. All I can say is that I'll ride my own bike when I pick up the car. I guess I'm a terminal case. Jeff |
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#3
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First ride of the season
So the crappy brakes are SOP. Okay. I'd thought maybe it was due to
lack of maintenance. It was a great bike when my father bought it (ca 1970). Bikes really do last forever. Winnipeg is used as the template for most billiard tables. I ran the local marathon a few years ago: the difference between the highest point on the course and the lowest point was 28 feet (yeah, twenty-eight). And most of that was from the use of an underpass and a bridge. Jeff |
#4
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First ride of the season
wrote:
So the crappy brakes are SOP. Okay. I'd thought maybe it was due to lack of maintenance. It was a great bike when my father bought it (ca 1970). Bikes really do last forever. Yup, it's because of the *super* long reach brakes. It's possibly to make it better, but it would be a rather involved project. Still the Raleigh is a nice little bike, Sheldon Brown has a page devoted to them (if you're interested). http://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh-twenty.html I'm working on making mine into a nice little travel bike. Mine fits in a standard suitcase so I can fly without worrying about getting dinged with a fee. Winnipeg is used as the template for most billiard tables. I ran the local marathon a few years ago: the difference between the highest point on the course and the lowest point was 28 feet (yeah, twenty-eight). And most of that was from the use of an underpass and a bridge. Sounds nice, I'm currently living in Seattle, so riding a bike is a very up-and-down affair. I'd guess there's something like 800' feet of cumulative climb just going to work, and slightly less coming back. -- Dane Buson - Writing about music is like dancing about architecture. -- Frank Zappa |
#5
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First ride of the season
In article ,
Dane Buson writes: wrote: So the crappy brakes are SOP. Okay. I'd thought maybe it was due to lack of maintenance. It was a great bike when my father bought it (ca 1970). Bikes really do last forever. Yup, it's because of the *super* long reach brakes. It's possibly to make it better, but it would be a rather involved project. Ryan Cousineau suggests finding an adaptable BMX fork w/ a V-brake. In terms of just having a decent brake, that's probably the best solution I've heard so far. I've decided to keep my own Twenty as stock as possible, at least for the time being. With the orig chromed rims, that pretty much relegates it to being a fair-weather bike, which is okay with me. I just want to retain its overall sexy look. And I'm rather enjoying the nostalgic blast from the past provided by the AW 3 speed. cheers, Tom -- -- Nothing is safe from me. Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca |
#6
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First ride of the season
Well, I made a couple of mistakes. First, I forgot to check on the current weather conditions, which turned out to be suboptimal: 30 KMH wind from the north (half my ride home was north); -4C (windchill -12C). The remaining puddles were now skating rinks. Second, I took my father's old bike (Raleigh Twenty folding bike) because it was easier to get in and out of my car. Unfortunately, it hasn't been maintained since he died in 2001. Might as well have been a fixy with a big gear. So, I fought a stiff wind on a badly maintained bike. All I can say is that I'll ride my own bike when I pick up the car. I guess I'm a terminal case. Jeff That low temperature was rough! But, the wind? 30 KM per hour is stiff? We are having 30 MPH wind here in north Texas. I would kill for some 30 KMH wind. But, you can keep the chill.... Pat in TX |
#7
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First ride of the season
wrote in message ups.com... The snow is all but gone and so are the resulting puddles (lakes?). So I decided to bike home after dropping my car in for service: first ride of the year. And here I was bitching about 10c - 14c temps. Whereabouts are you riding? I hear Nfld got 20 cm last week. It was so sunny today I couldn't resist. Of course the temp was 1c. First spring ride 14c; second 10c; third ride 1c! The temps are going the wrong way!!! |
#8
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First ride of the season
Year-round riding isn't as bad as many people think. In your case, you
weren't dressed for it. That's the key. Wool socks, ski gloves or mittens, balaclava, and layers; and you could easily ride year-round. Jim Gagnepain http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/ |
#9
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First ride of the season
"oilfreeandhappy" wrote in message ps.com... Year-round riding isn't as bad as many people think. In your case, you weren't dressed for it. That's the key. Wool socks, ski gloves or mittens, balaclava, and layers; and you could easily ride year-round. Context is your friend! As for winter riding; I've been cycling year-round for years. But these were the first 3 rides of _spring_. |
#10
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First ride of the season
Context is your friend!
As for winter riding; I've been cycling year-round for years. But these were the first 3 rides of _spring_. Thanks recycled-one. You're correct. I was responding to the original post. Jim |
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