Impressed by "Novice" bike commuter

Until recently, I commuted to work by bike regularly. 12 miles there,
14 miles back by a different route. I stopped doing this when I was
transferred to the 4:30 pm to 12:30 am evening shift. I've got a
decent lighting system, but I don't really feel like riding back after
midnight every night. I get my riding in during my off hours in the
day time now.

One of my fellow night shift workers was recently the victim of car
theft. His 10 year old Saturn was stolen from in front of his
apartment building. Several days later, it was found abandoned, and
not too badly damaged, but he didn't know this was going to happen, of
course. I gave him a ride to and from work the first night, but then
went on vacation. While scouting around for a replacement car, he
decided to buy a $90 K-mart bike and ride to and from work on it. He
also sprang for a battery light.

BTW, no need to explore the discount store bike theme again. I agree
that he would have been much better off trying to find a usable $250
hybrid in a bike shop. The K-mart bike is what he actually did get,
on the theory that he needed to save as much money as possible for
another car (no theft insurance, just liability).

His apartment is somewhere between 12 and 15 miles from work, taking
the straight route on the interstate. With the back roads he needed
to use on a bike, figure an extra couple of miles at least.

So for two nights in a row, this totally inexperienced rider just
hopped on a bike and went for it. He says he ended up walking toward
the tops of some hills, and it took him a couple of hours each way,
but he did it because he needed to. He says that his battery light
was pretty effective, but tended to run the batteries down rather
quickly, so that he replaced them after the first night. I gather
that the shifting and brakes worked about as you might expect for a
bike of this kind.

"Serious" riders tend to a make a fuss over finding just the right
equipment to use for a commute. Nothing wrong with that, and I'm
certainly not recommending cheap discount store bikes. But this guy
is a reminder that what you mostly need is motivation.

Now that he has his car back, he plans to use his bike for local
errands.

Email address clumsily de-spammed.

MP

"MP" wrote in message
...

One of my fellow night shift workers was recently the victim of car
theft. ...
snippity

While scouting around for a replacement car, he
decided to buy a $90 K-mart bike and ride to and from work on it. He
also sprang for a battery light.

BTW, no need to explore the discount store bike theme again.
snip snip

It's not the bike, per se, that bugs me; but the tires. I presume they're
ultra-heavy low-pressure 1.9" full-knobbies, right? Wow. Those really suck
pedalling energy on pavement. If it's a full-suspension bike, with those
tires, it must be a real workout to ride 14+ miles on that bike.

His apartment is somewhere between 12 and 15 miles from work, taking
the straight route on the interstate. With the back roads he needed
to use on a bike, figure an extra couple of miles at least.

So, we're talking 16+ miles on back roads. That's a helluva commute, even
in daylight and good weather.

So for two nights in a row, this totally inexperienced rider just
hopped on a bike and went for it....
but he did it because he needed to...

Need is an effective motivator.

I gather
that the shifting and brakes worked about as you might expect for a
bike of this kind.

Y'know, people on usenet bike NG's do make a fuss about high-end components
and all. I have 4 mountain bikes (5 if you count my MTB tandem). They're
equipped with XT/XTR drivetrains, and none of them shift very well at all.
Hey, I know how to setup and adjust shifters and derailleurs. Ever since I
switched to 9-speed rear mechs, I've had problems that I've never had
before.

Poor shifting isn't necessarily a function of dollars spent, or even of
mechanical aptitude. Just thought I'd add my $.02 on that point (since it's
on my mind of late...).

"Serious" riders tend to a make a fuss over finding just the right
equipment to use for a commute. Nothing wrong with that, and I'm
certainly not recommending cheap discount store bikes. But this guy
is a reminder that what you mostly need is motivation.

That is so true. Our local Big Ten state university (30,000+ students)
offers daily proof of the determination of commuters to defy all reasonable
safety precautions and basic bike maintenance to get where they need to go
on-the-cheap. It's commonplace to see dozens of rusted Huffies with wheels
wobbling badly, brakes almost non-functional, pedal bodies gone, shifters
stuck in the top gear, bottom bracket creaking and wobbling, tires badly
underinflated, etc. They're terribly unsafe, and about to fall apart under
the riders. But this is what many local students ride to school, day in and
day out. They see the bike very differently than I do. The fact that it
manages to get them to school is good enough for them (even if they have to
stop the bike Fred Flintstone style.)

Now that he has his car back, he plans to use his bike for local
errands.

Well, I'd think that a few days of 4-hours-plus round trip commutes would
cure him of any need to commute to work by bicycle. He probably has better
things to do with his time than huff and puff for half of his free time like
that, even if it is great exercise.

-=B=-

"Serious" riders tend to a make a fuss over finding just the right
equipment to use for a commute. Nothing wrong with that, and I'm
certainly not recommending cheap discount store bikes. But this guy
is a reminder that what you mostly need is motivation.

Whatever. Grind it out for a few years and it's mostly habit,
anyway. The equipment is whatever doesn't break and is suited
to the climate and conditions.

Commuting is a fairly hard use of a bicycle, I'd say. A little
maintenance here and there is always a good idea, though.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________
------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------
in.edu__________

MP wrote on 10/1:


"Serious" riders tend to a make a fuss over finding just the right
equipment to use for a commute. Nothing wrong with that, and I'm
certainly not recommending cheap discount store bikes. But this guy
is a reminder that what you mostly need is motivation.

The toys are nice, but all you need to start out is the will to turn one
revolution after another. Congrats to your coworker, and I hope biking will
become a life-long habit for him now.

Michael

In article ,
MP writes:

Now that he has his car back, he plans to use his bike for local
errands.

If the car is a convertible, he could fill it with topsoil, plant
an azalea or rhododendron in it, and move it around in the front
yard, to follow the sunlight. If the car's a hardtop, the Jaws
of Life would fix that. Hell, so would an hacksaw and a little
bit of elbow grease.

Maybe pop the trunk lid, and plant some shade lovers like
impatiens or diefenbachia or coleus in there. The bike
could be used to fetch the plants from the local garden
centre.

A fountain, driven by the cooling system, shooting up from
between the front & back seats would be a nice touch. And
some sunflowers, just to make things cheerful. And maybe
some Tom Thumb tomatoes sprawling on the hood.


cheers,
Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

In article ,
"B. Sanders" wrote:

"MP" wrote in message
...

One of my fellow night shift workers was recently the victim of car
theft. ...
snippity

While scouting around for a replacement car, he
decided to buy a $90 K-mart bike and ride to and from work on it. He
also sprang for a battery light.

See below for my comments; I think he could have gone cheaper.

"Serious" riders tend to a make a fuss over finding just the right
equipment to use for a commute. Nothing wrong with that, and I'm
certainly not recommending cheap discount store bikes. But this guy
is a reminder that what you mostly need is motivation.

True.

That is so true. Our local Big Ten state university (30,000+ students)
offers daily proof of the determination of commuters to defy all reasonable
safety precautions and basic bike maintenance to get where they need to go
on-the-cheap. It's commonplace to see dozens of rusted Huffies with wheels
wobbling badly, brakes almost non-functional, pedal bodies gone, shifters
stuck in the top gear, bottom bracket creaking and wobbling, tires badly
underinflated, etc. They're terribly unsafe, and about to fall apart under
the riders. But this is what many local students ride to school, day in and
day out. They see the bike very differently than I do. The fact that it
manages to get them to school is good enough for them (even if they have to
stop the bike Fred Flintstone style.)

My objection to these sorts of bikes is that they could be fixed for so
little into something like a really good bike. Chains, pedals, even BBs
are really cheap.

Worse yet, garage sales offer an almost limitless supply of serviceable,
_good_ bikes for little cash. On the weekend, I picked up two bikes, one
from a garage sale, one from my secret source, and both cost me C$11.
The $1 one was an amazingly good late-70s Apollo frame with Shimano 600
components but trashed wheels and notable frame damage.

The big $10 was spent on a rideable mid-80s Japanese Bianchi with
nondescript Sakae and other lesser-brand components. The combination of
these two bikes will become my winter rain bike; if you don't need
indexing, you can find a lot of bicycle out there.

--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine
President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

"MP" wrote in message
...

"Serious" riders tend to a make a fuss over finding just the right
equipment to use for a commute. Nothing wrong with that, and I'm
certainly not recommending cheap discount store bikes. But this guy
is a reminder that what you mostly need is motivation.

I'm with you up to a point, but I've also known plenty of people who felt
forced onto a bike, rode it as long as they had to, and then turned their
backs on it as soon as they were able, saying "never again."

It was hard, it hurt, it was uncomfortable, it wasn't fun. It was made worse
by an inappropriate bike, poorly set up.

Immediate necessity is certainly a powerful motivator. It's not the only
one, though, and it has the downside of not being self-sustaining. As
witness your co-worker's immediate reversion to driving as soon as it was
possible.

Nice that he's still riding at all, though.

RichC

On Wed, 01 Oct 2003 06:54:56 -0700, Ryan Cousineau
wrote:
Worse yet, garage sales offer an almost limitless supply of serviceable,
_good_ bikes for little cash. On the weekend, I picked up two bikes, one

Good examples, and for a minor sacrifice in quality, you
can pick up bikes that are being discarded for free. The
problem with that, for the OP's friend, is that he needed
transportation NOW, not next trash day or weekend.

--
Rick Onanian

MP wrote in message . ..


"Serious" riders tend to a make a fuss over finding just the right
equipment to use for a commute. Nothing wrong with that, and I'm
certainly not recommending cheap discount store bikes. But this guy
is a reminder that what you mostly need is motivation.

A few months ago my commuter bike was stolen. It was a worn down bike
almost 10 years old that worked well enough for me but I guess it
looked better than it was. The jokes on the theif.

Now I ride an old K-mart special that a friend gave to me. It is heavy
has a kickstand, and I'd be ashamed of were a cycling friend to see me
on it. But I can be sure that it will be there when I get back.

I admire anyone who gets off their butt and tries something they
haven't done. This guy has my respect.

Andy


Now that he has his car back, he plans to use his bike for local
errands.

Email address clumsily de-spammed.

MP

"Kevan Smith" /\/\ wrote in message
...
On Wed, 1 Oct 2003 01:21:01 -0500, "B. Sanders" from
Prairienet, The Community Network For East Central Illinois wrote:

They're
equipped with XT/XTR drivetrains, and none of them shift very well at
all.
Hey, I know how to setup and adjust shifters and derailleurs.

Or, maybe not.

I guess *somebody* had to say it ;-)

Well, all of my other bikes shift beautifully, only the 9-speed bikes (all 3
of them) have problems. I used Shimano-supplied cables and housing on two
different all brand-new Shimano drivetrains on brand-new frames. My new road
bike, which has a beautiful and perfectly aligned Soulcraft Royale frame,
has an Ultegra/DuraAce drivetrain and Ultegra shifters. It will shift OK for
a week or so, then go out of trim. I'm always having to fiddle with the
cable tension trim - much more than I've ever had to in the past with 7- and
8-speed drivetrains.

On my new 9-speed mountain bike, the problems are very similar. It's a
brand-new Easton frame with new LX shifters, XTR rear derailleur and XT
chain,. The LX shifters seem to be the problem. Shift detents are vague (as
they are with Ultegra), and the action is waaay too light. I'm always
over-shifting, or under-shifting because I can't feel the detents easily.
The LX shifters are *very* sensitive. You have to "punch" them just right,
or they mis-shift. If you press the downshift thumb lever too slowly, the
derailleur can either miss the shift, or shift poorly (leaving the
derailleur off-center of the cog). I've tried correcting for this vague and
unpredictable shifting with a little bit of cable tension trim biasing
(ever-so-slightly preferring up- or down-shifts). It helps; but doesn't cure
the problem. I'm constantly adjusting the cable tension trim, and no single
setting seems to completely cure the shifting problems through the entire
range, on both up- and down-shifts. IOW: I can count on some good shifts,
and some mis-shifts, every time I ride. It's not a matter of set-up
problems. Setting up indexed shifting on the workstand is easy. Getting
these 9-sp LX shifters to behave is quite another thing.

Since I'm having basically identical problems on all three of my current
9-speed bikes (one of which was setup by a pro mechanic, not by me), I have
to conclude that there is something inherently flawed in the design of the
shifting system. Again, I restate: Never had these kinds of problems
before I switched to 9-speed STI and RapidFire.

The M5 Low Racer (recumbent) that owned briefly in 2002 had a 9-speed
XT/DuraAce/Veloce hybrid drivetrain, featuring the best shifters on the
planet: Dura Ace bar-cons. That bike had zero shifting problems, despite
the gigantic chain length (3x normal chain length) and extra-long
fully-housed cables. Because that 7 1/2-ft-long monster recumbent shifted
so perfectly with the D/A 9sp bar-cons, I'm increasingly of the belief that
9-sp STI brifters and RapidFire+ shifters are the problem. As a result, I
will probably go with all Campy for my next road bike (9-speed, not
10-speed). I'm not sure what to do about the mountain bikes; but I'm
thinking about trying the Forge thumbshifter mounts for DuraAce bar-cons.
That should be the perfect setup for 9-sp. I've had nothing but good luck
with Shimano bar-cons and thumbshifters.

-=B=-