Describe your experiences biking - the bike, the destination, the experience,
what you would do differently next time if there is a next time.

103 responses total.

We put together (from parts of abandoned or donated bikes) two 'new' bikes
to use on dirt roads, both open frame.  Jim's is green with the purple front
fork from another (combined the good parts).  Mine had mountain bike curved
handlebars which forced me to ride upright so we rotated it 180 degrees to
get the bars forward and lower, and then moved brake levers and shifters
around to match, and adjusted the brake levers closer and then the brake pads
farther and it all works nicely now except you have to shift two numbers to
get to one gear away.  We got a nice early start on a bike ride at 4:00,
stopped for half an hour to talk to a neighbor back from the nursing home,
and then headed west to get to Frain's Lake which is about 10 miles east, via
Barton Hills.
        The woods there are full of wild geraniums and the golf course full
of golf carts.  We headed north up Whitmore Lake Rd (little traffic on a
Sunday) and then east for many miles on Warren Road, which is high quality
dirt.  Many stretches have no potholes.  We stopped just east of Dixboro at
the Audubon Nature Preserve to listen to bullfrogs, climb the observation
tower to see red and yellow birds, and explore the pitcher plants and poison
ivy.  We continued east, turned a few times to get across the highway and
found Frain's Lake where there is not yet the promised county park.  At this
point the sun was setting so we ate our pita and hummus picnic on the rocks
at the Preserve and biked furiously back on the nice dirt as far as Pontiac
Trail (paved but not too many cars until you hit town, at which point there
is a bumpy sidewalk - watch for overhead branches!).  Four hours with very
little traffic until we got back south of the river.  It is possible to get
back before dark from Frain's Lake if you leave just as the sun is setting.
The air cools quickly once the sun sets, and the low points are much cooler
than the hilltops.
        At Warren and Vorhies Roads there is a large enclosed property wtih
an enormous house (?) on it and gates, and people driving around inside it
on a golf cart.  Jim thinks this might be the Taubman residence - anyone know?
They have fence going through the wetlands.
        Does Joy Rd have as little traffic as Warren Rd?

I've talked about it in the divorce item, but a week ago I got an Adams 
Trail-a-Bike.  It's a bicycle wheel with a seat and pedals, allowing a 
child to ride along behind an adult and contribute to the peddling, 
effectively turning the bike into a tandem bike.

It has allowed me to take my 5 year old bike riding, which has allowed 
me to ride my bike at all.  We've ridden around Tecumseh almost every 
day.  This is a great device for parents of a kid too old for a child 
carrier or trailer, but too young to ride by himself.  It comes with 
two hitches that allow the Trail-a-Bike to be switched from one adult's 
bike to another in about 30 seconds.  A two-child model is available, 
and there are models that have changeable gears (my son's has just one 
gear).  Mine cost $160 at the Adrian Cyclery.  The Saline bike shop has 
them for $170, and the bike shops in Ann Arbor all seem to charge 
around $200 for the model I got.  I recommend it very highly.

I've seen a similiar product by another company at work, but there was 
a recall.

I had the tires and tubes replaced on my bike: an old Sears Free 
Spirit still in very good shape.  It is heavy, but I have owned 
another, and I know these bikes are warhorses.  They will last and 
last forever.  I biked to work on Saturday.. about 3 miles, I guess.  
I found on the way back that the shifter needs to be adjusted so the 
rear gears will work.  It keeps derailing and jamming on the lowest 
gear setting.  There's a bike store in town, so I will take it there 
probably Tuesday, and no, Sindi, I do not trust myself to do it nor do 
I have any friends to make the proper adjustments.

For those who do want to save money and do it themselves (not necessarily you)
Jim says there are two screws (assuming this is a standard derailleur nota
3-speed) on the back side of the derailleur near the bottom.  One is for
keeping it from jumping into the spokes and the other one is for keeping it
from jamming against the stays - they keep it from falling off the inner and
the outer edges, respectively (largest and smallest sprocket).  The lowest
gear setting is the largest (inner) sprocket.  Low meaning number 1 and the
gear you use to go up hills and he presumes you mean it is jamming against
the spokes (the wheel).  Which end of yours is actually jamming?  The
adjustment would be made with a straight or a philips screwdriver(the screw
is a small one which takes either type screwdriver).  You can hold the rear
wheel up in the air and move the pedals by hand to see how each adjustment
has affected performance.   I cannot manage to get Jim to tell me which screw
is which - he says he does not know if it is the large sprocket.  Whichever
one is close to the limiter, he says.  I have no idea what a limiter is.  Try
both or get a book from the library on this subject.

Does anyone know how to adjust the newer 7-gear rear derailleurs that have
twist shifters?  I have to shift from 1 to 3 to get to 2, and sometimes the
gear does not shift when I want it to, but rather a minute later when I don't
want it to (and makes noises in the meantime).  Jim suggested I find a book
on how to adjust new bikes.

The limiter is the thing the screw bumps against, he says.  It's just a piece
of the parallelogram which is what a derailleur is.  (Does that make it a
piece of the derailleur?).  Yeah, the screws bump against part of the
derailleur but the inside adjuster only bumps when it is on the inside and
the outside one bumps when it moves to the outside.  Inside being the largest
sprocket so if that is really the problem, look for the screw that bumps when
you are on the largest sprocket and maybe it is not bumping correctly so
adjust it to bump.

For those interested in my cycling stories I refer to:
http://home-l2.tiscali.nl/~sparhawk/cycling.htm
Beware: graphic intensive

You can spot me here and there on mountain slopes.
They are in an ever continuing process of upgrading.

I've got a (fairly new) Raleigh M-30.  I mostly just ride around Ann 
Arbor, I haven't done any thing longer than about 8-10 miles.  (And when 
I do ride 8-10 miles, it's usually something along the lines of 4 miles 
to get to something, 4 to get home, not really a straight 8 mile ride)

The screws are often (but not always) labeled H and L, for high and low.

I don't know if I'd call 7 speed "newer."  I think that was standard at least
10 years ago.  New stuff tends have nine (or even sometimes ten, I think)
gears on the back.

Indexed shifting systems need to have the cable tension adjusted, since that's
what controls what position the derailleur is in when the shifter is in a
given position.  There's a barrel adjuster where the cable enters the
derailleur, and often another one on the shifter or where the cable housing
ends on the down tube.  If you unscrew the aduster, you increase the cable
tension, while if you screw it in, you decrease the cable tension.  If
shifting into lower gears isn't working, it needs to be increased.  If
shifting into higher gears isn't working, it needs to be decreased.

I'd like to invite you all to come riding with the Ann Arbor Bicycle 
Touring Society (AABTS). We have all kinds of rides: long, short, fast, 
and slow. To find out more about the club, go to www.aabts.org 
(maintained by yours truly). Click on the "Calendar" link there to get 
a schedule of upcoming rides.

John and I rode in the Clinton Memorial Day parade today.  The Tecumseh 
parade was at the same time, but I didn't know that.

Clinton has a very small Memorial Day parade, with the American Legion, 
high school marching band, Girl and Boy Scouts, and anyone who wants to 
ride a bike.  I was sure John and I would be unique with our Trail-A-
Bike, and we were, but we weren't the most unusual entry among the 
bikes.  Someone else was riding a tandem recumbent bike.  Wow...

I got some advice on how to set up the Trail-A-Bike to stay straighter 
up; someone else had had one and saw John wasn't very straight in his 
seat.  Great, now maybe I can correct that problem.

I put new tires and tubes on my bike today; it's 3 years old and still 
had the original tires, which were cracked and elderly looking.  It's 
the first time I've put tires or tubes on a bike since I gave up my 
paper route when I was 16.

Does anyone use a recumbent bike?  (For those on the fringes like 
myself, it's a bike on which you lean back in a seat with a back and 
push forward with your legs; the steering is kind of underneath you.)  
I'd be interested in hearing more about them, such as what they cost, 
whether people like them, etc.

One disadvantage of recumbent bikes:
when it rains your crotch is the first thing that gets wet.
(just wanted to mention that)
Can't think of any other major disadvantages.
Well, I woudn't want to ride a recumbent bike in the mountains.

Scott has one, I think.

re #12: I thought recumbent bikes were supposed to make riding easier 
on any surface, by letting you get more power from your legs.  I've 
never tried to ride one myself.

I wonder if it's possible to rent one to try it out?

I wonder if recumbent bikes are more dangerous since they are so low to 
the ground and thus more difficult to see. 

Recumbent bikes are favored by people with back problems since it puts all
of your weight on your rear.  Jim has never seen a woman riding one, just
middle aged, generally heavy, men.  You cannot see as well from them.
My shifters don't work properly in either direction.

I've used a recumbent for the last 4-5 years.  I got it because I had shoulder
problems riding a standard bike.  Overall I like it better than a standard,
but there are some caveats.

Good:
1. Comfort.  Recumbent riders refer to regular bikes as "wedgies".  Plus you
don't have to strain your neck to look straight ahead.
2. Aerodynamics.  Much better; I get going really fast on even slight
inclines.

Bad:
1. It's harder to lock the bike up or put it onto some car racks, due to the
nonstandard shape and longer frame.
2. Numb feet.  Not all people have this problem, but by having the feet higher
up the circulation isn't as good.  After an hour or so my feet start getting
numb and I have to stop periodically.  

I have an old 10-speed Schwinn LeTour.  By today's standards it's a
"heavy" road bike.  (It's about 30 pounds.)  I'm happy with it, though I
still have some work to do on it.  The front wheel bearings need
repacking, and it needs a new seat.

I actually *passed* two people on a tandem recumbent the other day.
With my upright mountain bike and draggy mixed-use balloon tires, I
was pretty happy about that.  I may not be fast, but I'm no slouch!

I've been thinking about buying a recumbent for some time, but I
haven't gotten there yet.

I've been seeing a fair amount of recumbents on the roads around here.  They
decend really fast, but get really slow on steep climbs (most likely because
the riders can't put their weight down on the pedals while climbing).

I've never riden one.  How are they for cornering, and for other things that
on a normal bike would involve shifting weight around?  

Not so good for body-English things.  Bunny-hopping is right out, for
instance.

The cornering takes some getting used to, and there's a choice between shorter
and longer wheelbase models.  Shorter wheelbase, like I have, is more tricky
to steer and a little nervous at high speeds, but it does very tight corners.

My son and I went on a 7 or 8 mile bike ride, moving continuously this 
time, rather than stopping like we did a few days ago.  This one was 
much more painful for me.  I could barely walk; it was more of a 
hobble.  I don't remember it feeling like that when I went on bike 
rides when I was a kid.  Owwww...

Keep doing it, and it will get easier really fast.

I own a 'build it yourself' bike with a Faggin (Italian brand) frame, 
Shimano shifters, campagnolo brakes, Shimano 8 speed (or is it nine?) 
gear set with a triple (including a granny) on the front. 24 gear in 
all. My friends laugh about that, but it gets me up the mountains 
fairly easy. Since I can't compare between being a smoker and now I 
have quit yet, I don't know how I will ascend, these days. I'll have to 
go to the Alps first. 
I have got a 3XPO, or something, mavic wheelset, look pedals. My tires 
got a breaker layer (kevlar), it reduces the chances for a flat with 
80%, but I guess works better than that. Veeery necessary in the 
Netherlands, especially for the parts in urban areas. There is oads of 
glass about.
As for clothing: sidi shoes, castelli shirts and bandanas, Giro helmet, 
canondale shorts, craft underwear, gore wind breaker.

re #23: I'm going to keep doing it.  I expect it will get easier, as 
you said.  I'm all right this morning.  I'm just amazed that a 7 or 8 
mile bike ride could do that to me!

re #24: I have a Huffy bike I got from K-Mart.  My other equipment 
consists of a pair of blue-jean shorts, old tennis shoes, and whatever 
shirt I happen to be wearing.  My helmet is made by Bell.

Does everyone wear a helmet when riding?  I started it mainly to be a 
good example for the kids.  I was talking to my bike-freak brother in 
law one time, and remarked to him that it seemed strange to wear a 
helmet.  I didn't have one when I was a kid.  He said I probably didn't 
wear a seat belt when I was a kid, either.  I thought that was a good 
point and have viewed the helmet differently ever since.

I wear a helmet.  I've noticed a pretty high percentage of bicyclists I see
around Ann Arbor are wearing them, compared to other places I've lived.

I thought it was silly to wear a helmet, since I bike safely, until the day
when my fender somehow got stuck in my brake while doing a turn at 2 mph and
the bike went sideways and I went forwards and I have little idea what
happened next except I sat there for half an hour.  Scrapes all over my arms
and legs and a couple small ones on my cheek, which would imply that I landed
partly on my head but no brain damage (I hope).  You can hurt yourself at any
speed and most of the fatal or serious bike accidents involve the head, which
is the high point when you fall off the bike.

Our bike clothing is similar to John's.  Jim has tried padded biking gloves.
Our bikes are similar quality.  It helps to keep them adjusted, air in the
tires, chain oiled.  John, if you make it to Ann Arbor on (or even with) the
bike(s) stop for a tune-up.  Jim says the tires will last longer without
cracking if you keep the sun from hitting them when not in use.  They should
be okay for more than 3 years.  It would be hard to find a better way to
exercise than having a kid who wants to go biking every day.  Any chance that
you could make it up to 6 miles each way this summer, to get him to and from
his 'child care provider'?  (In the morning and/or the evening).

I wear my helmet all the time too.  The only drawback is I tend to leave it
in restaurants and then have to go back for it.

I'm not going to pick up and drop off John every day when I'm taking 
him to his mother's house.  I'd be picking him up at 6:30 or 7:00 and 
riding for a half-hour to an hour to take him home; that wouldn't even 
leave time for dinner.  It's better to pick him up, eat and then ride 
for a while.

We did agree to try to ride at least as far as we did yesterday, and do 
it every day.  If we get further (10 miles instead of 8), we'll try to 
ride at least 10 miles every day from then on, and in that way, build 
ourselves up.

John was kind of hoping we'd get lost last night and have to ride to 
Ann Arbor, and stay at a motel.  (-:  We didn't get lost.

I agree that biking, the way we do it, is about the best exercise I'm 
likely to find that I can do with John.  (Along with swimming, which we 
do when we can, and walking/hiking, which we do occasionally.)

I've smashed enough helmets to know they're a good idea.

My bike is a K-Mart Huffy, as I said.  It cost about $130 new.  At what 
point do people start considering other types of bikes, such as 
mountain bikes, racing bikes, etc?  How do you know what to get?  Does 
anyone here have several bikes for different occasions?

I second what scg says about doing it again.  You have no idea
how out of shape you are until you put yourself to the test,
but a little work starts to change that in a hurry.

I don't go anywhere on my bike without a helmet.  I've worn a
helmet ever since I declined to participate in someone's suicide
on the diag one evening (I was headed over to the Hill, and this
bozo decides that he wants to end it all [must've known he was
going to fail some essential final] and I went over the bars of
my bike stopping to avoid him).  I still have a scar from that.

I went out and rode 11 miles at speed yesterday.  I felt it for
some hours.  I was worried about time and weather today, but I
still got a ride in at about 50% more distance and even better
speed.  I have a Diamondback mountain bike with generic tires
(the Velociraptors which were on it when I bought it have worn
out).  I wear random black bike shorts and a loud T-shirt, to
make it easy for people to see me.

Clees, you have missed a really good time to ride the USA.  I
crossed paths with an English couple who'd started at San
Francisco and came across Death Valley on their bikes.  Now
it's probably getting too hot to take that route.

Handlebars are something about which I have questions.  When I was 
growing up, the cool handlebars were the curved ram-shaped things.  My 
first bike didn't have them, though; it had the relatively straight 
handlebars that stick up above the level of the seat.  My current bike 
has those, too.

Many of the "cool" bikes I've seen have handlebars more or less like 
mine, but with a stem on each side sticking up.  What are those all 
about?

What type of handlebars are Those Who Know recommending, and why?

I would like to get handlebars which don't require me to bend over, as 
I am not flexible and sometimes get a stiff back if I ride for a while.

One more thing, I see teenagers riding around on bikes too small for my 
son, at least to my eye.  Why did that trend happen?  Aren't those 
little bikes pretty uncomfortable?

Mountain bikes are the bicycle equivalent of an SUV.  They give you a high
up riding position where you can see a lot, and they're great for off-road
riding, but due to weight, aerodynamics, and rolling resistance from the big
knobby tires, they're pretty inefficient on road.  Road bikes tend to be a
lot lighter, have wheels better suited for road riding, and put you in a much
more aerodynamic position.  Some people think they're uncomfortable.  I tend
to disagree pretty strongly with that idea, but at times when I haven't been
riding much the road bike has taken some getting used to.  The drawbacks to
road bikes, other than maybe the riding position, are that they don't handle
off-road stuff as well, probably won't stand up to really rough city riding
(running into curbs and so forth) as well as something with tougher wheels,
and tend to come stock with gears that aren't as low (although that's easy
to change).  There are also hybrid bikes that are a compromise between the
two -- generally with a light road-like frame, mountain bike handlebars, and
wheels that are somewhere inbetween.

I've got a mountain bike and a road bike.  I used to do a lot of off-road
riding on the mountain bike, but I haven't used it much recently.  I do my
road riding on the road bike.  If I were biking for transportation (I mostly
wak or take trains at this point), I'd probably buy a third bike, either a
hybrid of some sort or a much cheaper road bike.  I don't feel comfortable
leaving the road bike I have locked up outside anywhere.

I believe the theory with the weird handlebars is to give you several
alternate choices for where to hold them & rest your arms/body/riding
position.

Does it work?  Are they more comfortable than the handlebars I'm used 
to?

Well, if you are trying to push the limits of how fast or far you can
ride, a road bike with a light frame and downturned handlebars sure
makes sense.

Personally, nearly all my riding was commuter biking, not going more
than three or four miles, and only needing to go fast if I was late. 
Primary goal was to get there, secondary goal was to get exercise.  A
tough bike that could handle curbs and bumps and rain and snow was more
important than an efficient bike.  So I have to work a bit harder - it's
good for me.  Went through a lot of bikes over the years as one after
another got stolen.  The last and current one is a sort of mountain bike
thing, but with slightly more road-worthy tires.  But since I started
working at home, and especially since I started having kids,
opportunities for riding it have become scarce.

I originally got a road bike because I didn't have much money at the time,
and road bikes were cheap on the used market.  (I paid $50 for mine.) I've
kept it because I do most of my riding on pavement and a road bike is
quieter and more efficient than a mountain bike would be. Plus it's less
desirable, which means it's less likely to be stolen.

I think the thing I like best about the dropped handlebars is that you can
get a few different wrist positions by gripping the bars in different
places.  That can be nice on longer rides.

- Backtalk version 1.3.30 - Copyright 1996-2006, Jan Wolter and Steve Weiss