#121
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AmericanNazbro posted:
blocking traffic with an archaic, slow mode of transportation.



*splits lanes, blows past your idiot 2 ton metal coffin stuck in traffic*

#122
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guidoanselmi posted:
biking on sidewalks is suicide with cars pulling out of a lot trying to get viability before making a turn. they literally dont look at the sidewalks.



I wasn't saying you should be on the sidewalk, just that you shouldn't be on the road if you're not ready to accept and adapt to the urban cycling environment.

shennong posted:
i didnt notice this before, look at the headtube lol. EO are you like 6'6" or what



6'7"

#123
meet me in st louis
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^ oh sorry. i had a few close calls on sidewalks and i learned the hard way to not bike there.

deadken posted:
silver lake is weird. when i went every bar there was rammed but the streets inbetween were like postapocalyptically empty. is that where you live guidoanselmi



ew no. i was by UCLA last night though busy. if you're ever in pasadena, lemme know.

shennong posted:
do you think the more relaxed geometry will be easier on the back? i had someone tell me at one point that road posture is supposed to be good for strengthening your back if you're keeping your back flat, but i don't know if i buy that.



I don't really know to be honest. back even before my first surgery i was riding as it was more comfortable to get around instead of walking. the road posture probably makes you have a tight core so i can see that as a good thing but:

i hadn't thought about visibility issues with road posture before, do you mean that your head position is higher so you're able to see more? i sometimes wonder how the recumbent guys aren't constantly getting creamed, they're so low



exactly that. sitting up right really gives you a better view of what's around you. i've been lazy about getting a rear view mirror but that's my next purchase.

there's a few coworkers i see with recumbent bikes. i tried it once and i just didn't feel like i could get much force on the pedals. maybe it just wasn't the right fit - but going up hill would seem to suck with those.

#124
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EmanuelaOrlandi posted:

guidoanselmi posted:
biking on sidewalks is suicide with cars pulling out of a lot trying to get viability before making a turn. they literally dont look at the sidewalks.

I wasn't saying you should be on the sidewalk, just that you shouldn't be on the road if you're not ready to accept and adapt to the urban cycling environment.

shennong posted:
i didnt notice this before, look at the headtube lol. EO are you like 6'6" or what



6'7"


holy god ur a fuckin giant

#125
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i cant even acknowledge people above the height of 6'2" as entirely human in any way that i can understand
#126
[account deactivated]
#127
[account deactivated]
#128
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i would whoop ryus ass
#129
[account deactivated]
#130
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idk if its the road posture or my stupid back, but back before i rode at all during winter, id get terrible back pain when i started riding again in spring. it could also be because my frame is not the right size. i dont actually know what size it is, but i feel like my saddle is way above my handlebars.
#131
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TG posted:
idk if its the road posture or my stupid back, but back before i rode at all during winter, id get terrible back pain when i started riding again in spring. it could also be because my frame is not the right size. i dont actually know what size it is, but i feel like my saddle is way above my handlebars.



theres a lot of nonsense about fitting and im not too sure what to believe about it. i usually just try to get it so the saddle is in a position where my leg is close to fully extended at the bottom of my pedal stroke and put the bars at around the same height. i see a lot of people on track bikes with their asses up in the air and the stems dropped into the headtube and im not sure if that's supposed to help with sprinting or what but it's super uncomfortable for me and the center of gravity feels way off.

#132
Poronto
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BIXI is stupidly expensive imo
#133
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i havent used it, how much is it?
#134
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shennong posted:

discipline posted:
I'm riding the barclays bikes

well, uh... when the weather's nice

they've got those here as well

i dont know how they keep them properly maintained, i've heard two stories of people ruining themselves riding htese these drunk so far. they must be seriously heavy duty to put up with the beating they get being outside all the time and ridden into the ground

from what i know about london im guessing the answer is 'they dont even try'

i got a work stand and a floor pump , gonna do some fixin this eve assuming the rain doesnt start again

#135
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theres a bike shop about 5mins walk from my office full of seasoned dudes in like their 30s and 40s who know all the shit (all of the shit) and fix up old stuff for resale and give lots of free advice, more confidence building than all the 20somethings working in evans in the city centre
#136
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that sounds like a good resource, particularly if you get stuck or dont' have a particular tool. on that centurion frame in the OP i couldn't get the fixed cup off with the appropriate wrench (fixed cups are notoriously difficult to wrench off) so i ended up going to a nearby shop to use their fixed cup remover, which is like $200 and you'll probably use it maybe 5-10 times in your life if you're not working as a mechanic. stuff like that, its really helpful to have an old guy who will ding you a couple bucks to do the steps you can't
#137
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yeah theyre obviously old bristol hippies who have been doing the cycling thing since i was kneehigh to a whatsit, everything was a mess, shit all over the counter including some biscuits someone was eating, dude had to dig around to find everything (but never looked in more than one place for anything), barely enough room to stand on the shop floor, hardly any bags or clothing or accessories, just bikes and lots of them
#138
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lol, yeah, that's a real shop alright. a lot of those older guys are people who spent a lot of time touring back when everyone was touring and have a lot of practical info on repair-on-the-road which is difficult and frustrating if you aren't prepared for it. they'll probably also know if there are community bike shops around that you can check out for particular old tools (freewheel pullers..) or old parts that you might not otehrwise be able to find, etc
#139
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i got a chain breaker so i can feel pro as heck even though im only gonna use it once, probably, utility consumerism yall
#140
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no you'll use a chain breaker pretty much every time you replace a component of your drivetrain, replace chain, remove old chain (better to do this with bolt clippers if its really rusty tho, you can break the pin on the chain breaker otherwise), etc. a lot of ppl keep a chain breaker in their road tools kit w/ tire irons & patch kit, theres a lot of situations you'll need one
#141
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eggcellent
#142
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i'm borrowing a bike until mine gets here and it's too small for me. not having a comfortable bike to ride is really one of the worst things. it makes going somewhere such a chore and it really makes me wonder how people who ride shitty heavy bikes that barely work or dont fit them etc... even get motivated to go anywhere. there's something about not being able to ride aggressively and with confidence that can make urban riding extremely unsettling.
#143
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the frame i have right now is too small for me and its pretty uncomfortable, the worst part is that your pedal strokes are a lot shorter and you can't extend your leg so you get way less power & control
#144
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yeah. i ride with risers so i usually need to throw the frame around a lot, but when it's really small it becomes uncomfortable. also these are those awful platform pedals with the metal body and the little metal frame around it to stand on and i've ridden them for like 3 days and my 250 lb ass is already breaking them shits hahaha.
#145
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i guess i normally ride a 62 steamroller which is in fact a little too small for me, but i actually like a 'little' too small. 56 or whatever this is is pretty bad.
#146
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yeah 56 is way too small for 6'7". its the scaled up version of a 5'8" dude on those tiny bmxs

did you order a new bike or having that big blue one shipped?

#147
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i left he big blue one in austin because im not riding around a vintage cannondale in the city that is like a giant STEAL ME. i'm having my surly and my guercotti shipped up from puerto rico, just riding this loaner while i'm waiting on my friend to get a chance to get to send it off
#148
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nice, what kind of guercotti? hope shipping goes well
#149
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some 80s rode frame i ride singlespeed. its an import with an american paint job. white/indigo/black
#150
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i dont see many non-bianchi italian frames around here but i always like looking at them when i do, the worksmanship is usually good to excellent. i met a guy with an early 2000s steel colnago master x light that was unreal. the tubes were all in this crazy x/star shape, chromed lugs, and even the drain cutout on the bottom bracket shell was a colnago club symbol
#151
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i picked mine up in pr. it's pretty much like the US in that respect but there are SOME old frames floating around. not like in spain and argentina and shit where you can find mad vintage frames.

i'm thinking about going 2 the frame building class at ubi in oregon this fall because it might be something i'd be interested in doing and also just because the idea of actually building your own frame is so fucking appealing...
#152
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that would be awesome, i would love to do a framebuilding class. i told the guy who taught me mechanics at one point that i wanted to build frames and he laughed at me and asked how many hours i had behind a tig welder and shattered my dream

i think some people start out building bamboo frames tho so that might be one thing to try if i ever get enough free time



thats the master x frame, i have no clue how they manage to weld those crazy ass tubes into the headtube lugs
#153
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damn that frame is ill. threadless fork too. oof.
#154
[account deactivated]
#155
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tpaine posted:
fuck your bikes!


The tubing's ID isn't sufficient.

#156
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EmanuelaOrlandi posted:
i'm borrowing a bike until mine gets here and it's too small for me. not having a comfortable bike to ride is really one of the worst things. it makes going somewhere such a chore and it really makes me wonder how people who ride shitty heavy bikes that barely work or dont fit them etc... even get motivated to go anywhere. there's something about not being able to ride aggressively and with confidence that can make urban riding extremely unsettling.

yea

#157
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shennong posted:
that would be awesome, i would love to do a framebuilding class. i told the guy who taught me mechanics at one point that i wanted to build frames and he laughed at me and asked how many hours i had behind a tig welder and shattered my dream

i think some people start out building bamboo frames tho so that might be one thing to try if i ever get enough free time



thats the master x frame, i have no clue how they manage to weld those crazy ass tubes into the headtube lugs

im nowhere near close to knowing what im meant to be looking at here

#158
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cleanhands posted:
im nowhere near close to knowing what im meant to be looking at here



the most notable thing is the shape of the tubes- its a steel frame bike with some seriously gnarly star-shaped tubing (rather than your typical round cross-section). check out as well the super-ornate chromed lugs on teh headtube, club utouts on the fork crown and C/club details on the seat tube lug etc. just a lot of nice details

#159
Poronto
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shennong posted:
i havent used it, how much is it?



ok i was wrong BIXI is stupidly expensive if you want to use it casually without subscribing (they put a $250 deposit on yr credit card lmao) or ride for more than 30 mins at a time w/o checking the bike back into a station briefly. otherwise pay $100 and use it all you want for a year. the bikes are REALLY heavy tho. i imagine it wd be akin to driving a tank with bumper car controls

#160
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My mid-70s Raleigh Sprite: