Considering a Road bike for commuting... good idea?

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 12:40:53 -0500, wrote:
If you have a long beard, a beer belly and love to wear sandals, a 'bent
is like the second coming.

Kevan, this is the first thing you've ever said that's
actually convinced me of something. While I'm usually
clean shaven [except for some bushy sideburns], I have
the belly and love to wear sandals.

Maybe I should seriously consider a 'bent.

--
http://home.sport.rr.com/cuthulu/ human rights = peace
mouse cuts a dog hence
12:40:40 PM 7 August 2003
--
Rick Onanian

Kevan Smith wrote:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2003 14:39:05 -0700, Benjamin Lewis
from Simon Fraser University wrote:

It's been over 3000 miles since my last flat tire on my road bike.

Wow, did you ever just jinx yourself.

That's okay, jinxes only work if you believe in them.

Anyway, after a year of no flat repair I'm getting out of practice.

--
Benjamin Lewis

There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking
about.
-- John von Neumann

Thu, 07 Aug 2003 20:54:30 +0100,
, David Bertenshaw
wrote:

On 07 Aug 2003 17:07:06 +0100 (BST), David Damerell
wrote:

Dan Musicant wrote:
wrote:
I don't think that's quite true - the mass market ten-speeds were at least
reasonably good at going from one place to another quite quickly. :-/
What are we talking about here? Nishiki's, Raleighs, Schwinns?

In Britain I remember Raleigh and Peugeot as the most prolific
manufacturers, although given my age I saw only the end of the ten-speed
boom.

Ah memories - first 'proper' bike was a Peugeot 10 speed (from the YHA
shop in Manchester) in '78. Then a Raleigh Record Ace (not the early
one but the updated model they released later) in '80.

10 gears was quite posh, back then...

David

I remember in 1970-71, Raleigh, Dawes and Falcon being the premier
British bikes. Mercier, Gitane, Motobecane and Peugeot as the leading
French brands with Atala and Torpado representing Italy. Schwinn made
only one bike worthy of consideration, the Paramount. There were odd
batches of other lesser known brands of mass produced bikes being
imported. Basically anything with skinny tires and drop bars would
sell out as soon as it arrived. There were few, if any, Japanese bikes
imported and they were scoffed at even though Sun Tour was making the
most advanced derailleurs.
--
zk

"Dan Musicant" wrote

At the risk of getting flamed I'd like to ask what's the appeal of
recumbents. I see them often in Berkeley, CA and I always think they
look silly. They look as though they are not very manueverable. I wonder
what I would do if I had to avoid trouble quickly. Also the extremely
low riding position appears to me to be extremely dangerous. You can't
see over many objects. Are all these people suffering from back
conditions?


Fun, can be fast, appeal to your inner geek, and for some riders, can be
more comfortable.
It does take some getting used to. Slightly different muscle group,
different balance and reflexes.

Recumbents encompass many different designs. Some more agile than others.
Some more aerodynamic than others.

The apparent lowness is not really as low as you think. On many bents, the
riders head is the same height as a sports car driver. And because you are
sitting head up rather than head down, often you have better visibility than
on a regular DF bike.

They are merely different style bikes. Nothing magical or evil about them.
Unless of course you are a failed, hasbeen boy racer, like our boy Flabby.

Pete
vive l' differance

"Kevan Smith" /\/\ wrote in message
...
On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 15:47:51 GMT, Dan Musicant

from SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com wrote:

At the risk of getting flamed I'd like to ask what's the appeal of
recumbents. I see them often in Berkeley, CA and I always think they
look silly.

If you have a long beard, a beer belly and love to wear sandals, a 'bent
is like
the second coming.

It's not a beer belly, it's an aerobelly. Provides a nice curved surface to
the airstream.

Pete

"David Damerell" wrote

Curiously luggage is not macho either - which is odd, because those of us
with luggage have to push it up the hills as well.

Luggage is too utilitarian. Go fast, stupid light bikes are the macho thing.
Everyone knows this. Ask Flabby.

Pete

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 20:09:44 GMT, Paul Southworth cnhyf-
wrote:
dorks. Having your parents choose your bike is like going to
school in home-made clothes and hair-cut, as I know too well.

Choosing your own bike doesn't always work out so
well either. I'm young enough that as a child, I
was right at the beginning of the department-store
MTB boom; the Huffy I got as my first 26" (or maybe
it was 24") bike, it turned out, was also bought
around the same time by somebody else in the
neighborhood.

Guess who was called the poser?

--
Rick Onanian

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 15:19:47 -0500, wrote:
clean shaven [except for some bushy sideburns], I have
the belly and love to wear sandals.
Maybe I should seriously consider a 'bent.

You're a bit too conservative, but, if you don't mind the Libertarian
label, I think it would fit you.

Last time I looked at a Libertarian website, I did
come away thinking I might make a pretty good one,
if a bit conservative in practice.

--
Rick Onanian

On Thu, 07 Aug 2003 21:48:28 GMT, Pete wrote:
It's not a beer belly, it's an aerobelly. Provides a nice curved surface
to the airstream.

Thank you. You've just upgraded my bike!

Pete
--
Rick Onanian

Pete wrote in message ...


. Go fast, stupid light bikes are the macho thing.

Sorry, can't go stupid light, the UCI has capped the
minimum legal weight at 6.8kg.

Go weigh your bike, if you're much over that then don't
leave the house.