My 'Bent Is Starting to Annoy Me

"Tim McNamara" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Edward Dolan" wrote:

I have been around bikes for the past 35 years and consider myself an
expert on the subject of comfort. If you are young and physically fit
you can more or less be comfortable on an upright for several hours
at best, but even then you cannot be comfortable on them all day
every day for weeks at a time.

A recumbent is the ONLY way to go if you want TOTAL comfort. You give
up some speed, especially on hills, but the comfort is more than
worth it. This is actually a subject not even worth talking about as
anyone who knows recumbents can tell you.

Those of you presently on uprights who think you can live with them
will find out that as you age that you in fact cannot. At that point,
you will either give up cycling - or you will graduate to recumbents.

Oh bull**** as usual, Edward. I find my uprights comfortable enough to
ride up to 400 km in 24 hours. How much more comfortable do I need my
bike to be? I'm 47. I know people in their 50s and 60s and even 70s
who do this kind of riding on uprights quite comfortably.

But you do not get TOTAL comfort on an upright like you do on a recumbent. I
am insulted when discomfort kicks in on a bike, but maybe you do not mind
being insulted by discomfort. This is all a function of one's intelligence
of course.

I do not know of anyone in their 70's who can ride an upright with any
degree of comfort. Hey, live long enough and even you may get to be wise
like me.

Once again you are overgeneralizing. What is true for you may not be
true for others. If recumbents keep you riding I think that's great and
more power to you. If I develop some kind of health problem which
results in a choice between not riding and getting a recumbent, I'll get
a recumbent. A few friends of mine ride recumbents because they just
like 'em. Two friends of mine with cervical disk problems have gone
this route quite happily because they don't aggravate their proximal
and/or distal pain. I have a cervical disk problem of my own and who
knows? I might be on a recumbent one of these days too. It's great
that there are options!

It has nothing to do with health problems. It has everything to do with
getting old and feeble. You will be more comfortable on a recumbent and you
can leave speed to the teenagers where it belongs. The most pathetic sight
in the world is a middle age slob attempting to keep up with teenagers,
whether on a bike or in other department of life.

As far as the comfort question goes, for some reason most people I see
on recumbents around here are middle aged guys who are 50-75 pounds
overweight. I think I have spotted the problem with normal bikes being
uncomfortable for them. I hear a lot of complaints about "recumbent
butt" to make it clear that recumbents are no panacea.

Yes, almost all Americans over a certain age are overweight. What else is
new?

Recumbent butt only kicks in for those too stupid to solve the problem. All
that is required in most cases is just more foam padding and a sufficient
lean back. It is the main reason why you do not want the BB to be too low.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

PS. Are you any relation to Jim McNamara, an adversary of mine on ARBR from
Chicago that I have been feuding with for years?

"Mark the biker" wrote in message
ups.com...

Prisoner at War wrote:
Okay, so I've been putting through my HP Velo SMGTe through all kinds
of conditions around town for almost a year now. After all the
potholes, rain, mud, grit, heat and cold I finally managed to really
**** it up Sunday. A chainring got bent slightly, and eventually the
chain itself broke and messed up some drivetrain components in the
process!


I've now almost completely disassembled my 'bent, so as to clean out
all the grit and grime and reinstall the chain, etc. Damn, this is
going to be some education in bike mechanics! I'm really learning the
hard way...on my own. I'm kind of looking forward to it, out of
curiosity. Just wish I had the space to lay things down properly and
leave them around.


It sounds like you have the repair of your bent well under way and
just needed
to vent a little frustration. I have never had as much trouble with any
of my bents
but maybe do not ride the way you do. In the long run you are better
off doing
these repairs yourself so that you will understand why it's important
not to
**** it up in the first place.

Mark has got it right. I ride a bike very gentle and I have avoided a
universe of problems by so doing.

Also, look where the hell you are going every second.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

Can you guys take this off the R.B.M list please?

"KERRY MONTGOMERY" wrote in message
ink.net...

snip
I've been around bikes for the past 40 years, around this world for 56,
and
in fact can live with upright bicycles.
Kerry

Sniveling, dirty legged kid, 55 and 63 respectively.

I tried riding a bent for a few minutes about 30 years ago and I just felt
to uncomfortable trying to keep it balanced.

I can appreciate that for some people with physical limitations, a bent is
the only way that they can enjoy cycling. That's great for them.

Chas.

"Gareth" wrote in message
...

ALL TOP POSTERS ARE IDIOTS!

Can you guys take this off the R.B.M list please?

What the **** for? There is nothing on RBM except a bunch of idiots
blathering away about nothing at all. All cycling newsgroups are equally
stupid. The sooner you learn this, the better.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"* * Chas" wrote in message
...

"KERRY MONTGOMERY" wrote in message
ink.net...

snip
I've been around bikes for the past 40 years, around this world for 56,
and
in fact can live with upright bicycles.
Kerry

Sniveling, dirty legged kid, 55 and 63 respectively.

I tried riding a bent for a few minutes about 30 years ago and I just felt
to [too] uncomfortable trying to keep it balanced.

I can appreciate that for some people with physical limitations, a bent is
the only way that they can enjoy cycling. That's great for them.

Chas.

It has nothing to do with physical limitations. It has everything to do with
comfort. What an idiot you are!

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

* * Chas wrote:
"KERRY MONTGOMERY" wrote in message
ink.net...

snip
I've been around bikes for the past 40 years, around this world for 56,
and
in fact can live with upright bicycles.
Kerry

Sniveling, dirty legged kid, 55 and 63 respectively.

I tried riding a bent for a few minutes about 30 years ago and I just felt
to uncomfortable trying to keep it balanced.

I can appreciate that for some people with physical limitations, a bent is
the only way that they can enjoy cycling. That's great for them.

Chas.

You would be surprised at how far the recumbent world has come in
30 years Chas. It is always a curiosity to me when people think I must
be
uncomfortable to be on a bent. Uncomfortable could be like you say,a
balance
problem. I also have upright bikes but for shame the tires are flat and
no one will
take the time or effort to pump them up.

In article ,
"Edward Dolan" wrote:

"Tim McNamara" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Edward Dolan" wrote:

I have been around bikes for the past 35 years and consider myself
an expert on the subject of comfort. If you are young and
physically fit you can more or less be comfortable on an upright
for several hours at best, but even then you cannot be comfortable
on them all day every day for weeks at a time.

A recumbent is the ONLY way to go if you want TOTAL comfort. You
give up some speed, especially on hills, but the comfort is more
than worth it. This is actually a subject not even worth talking
about as anyone who knows recumbents can tell you.

Those of you presently on uprights who think you can live with
them will find out that as you age that you in fact cannot. At
that point, you will either give up cycling - or you will graduate
to recumbents.

Oh bull**** as usual, Edward. I find my uprights comfortable
enough to ride up to 400 km in 24 hours. How much more comfortable
do I need my bike to be? I'm 47. I know people in their 50s and
60s and even 70s who do this kind of riding on uprights quite
comfortably.

But you do not get TOTAL comfort on an upright like you do on a
recumbent. I am insulted when discomfort kicks in on a bike, but
maybe you do not mind being insulted by discomfort. This is all a
function of one's intelligence of course.

No, in this case it is a function of your self-righteousness.

I do not know of anyone in their 70's who can ride an upright with
any degree of comfort.

Then you don't know enough cyclists.

Hey, live long enough and even you may get to be wise like me.

I'll pass on being wise like you, thanks.

Once again you are overgeneralizing. What is true for you may not
be true for others. If recumbents keep you riding I think that's
great and more power to you. If I develop some kind of health
problem which results in a choice between not riding and getting a
recumbent, I'll get a recumbent. A few friends of mine ride
recumbents because they just like 'em. Two friends of mine with
cervical disk problems have gone this route quite happily because
they don't aggravate their proximal and/or distal pain. I have a
cervical disk problem of my own and who knows? I might be on a
recumbent one of these days too. It's great that there are
options!

It has nothing to do with health problems. It has everything to do
with getting old and feeble.

Or you can skip the getting feeble part. A good exercise program can
prevent many of the losses stereotypically associated with aging.
Older people derive the same benefits from aerobic and resistance
training as young people, and in addition derive improved vigor and
mental capacity. The risk of dementia, falls, injuries due to falls,
and of nursing home placement is reduced by regular exercise.

You will be more comfortable on a recumbent and you can leave speed
to the teenagers where it belongs. The most pathetic sight in the
world is a middle age slob attempting to keep up with teenagers,
whether on a bike or in other department of life.

One of the most sights is a fit middle aged person leading the paceline
with the young 'uns struggling to keep up.

As far as the comfort question goes, for some reason most people I
see on recumbents around here are middle aged guys who are 50-75
pounds overweight. I think I have spotted the problem with normal
bikes being uncomfortable for them. I hear a lot of complaints
about "recumbent butt" to make it clear that recumbents are no
panacea.

Yes, almost all Americans over a certain age are overweight. What
else is new?

That's a fixable problem.

Recumbent butt only kicks in for those too stupid to solve the
problem. All that is required in most cases is just more foam padding
and a sufficient lean back. It is the main reason why you do not want
the BB to be too low.

I like the BB just behind my knees.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota aka Saint Edward the Great - Order of
the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

PS. Are you any relation to Jim McNamara, an adversary of mine on
ARBR from Chicago that I have been feuding with for years?

No.

Mark the biker wrote:



It sounds like you have the repair of your bent well under way and
just needed
to vent a little frustration. I have never had as much trouble with any
of my bents
but maybe do not ride the way you do. In the long run you are better
off doing
these repairs yourself so that you will understand why it's important
not to
**** it up in the first place.



Thing is, I just ride around town. Nothing off-road, no stunts or
anything. Sure, there's rain and whatnot -- but that's to be expected.
What surprised me was how quickly things break down. I mean,
considering that my wheelset still seems fine! I would have thought
I'd have popped a spoke or two by now, given how everything else seems
to have gone hors de combat just outside half a year!

Bents are still too fun for me to ebay mine in disgust -- but it's
getting pretty annoying. I just hope I learn how to do repairs myself
now. That's the only silver lining here.

Prisoner at War wrote:
Mark the biker wrote:



It sounds like you have the repair of your bent well under way and
just needed
to vent a little frustration. I have never had as much trouble with any
of my bents
but maybe do not ride the way you do. In the long run you are better
off doing
these repairs yourself so that you will understand why it's important
not to
**** it up in the first place.



Thing is, I just ride around town. Nothing off-road, no stunts or
anything. Sure, there's rain and whatnot -- but that's to be expected.
What surprised me was how quickly things break down. I mean,
considering that my wheelset still seems fine! I would have thought
I'd have popped a spoke or two by now, given how everything else seems
to have gone hors de combat just outside half a year!

Bents are still too fun for me to ebay mine in disgust -- but it's
getting pretty annoying. I just hope I learn how to do repairs myself
now. That's the only silver lining here.

The only thing I can add is that you,re the only guy I know who bought
a bike made out of German cheese.
I have all the confidence that your machine will be running smoothly
before too loog.
Happy new year