The Great Bicycle Thread

[msparks]

Okay here goes.

I plan to keep this thread near the top of this forum for at least the next month. My goal is to at least get 10 board members interested in bicycling.

I'll start off on with this.

First off are there any other avid cyclist on here? If so please sound off with what type of bike you have and how often you ride.

Currently I have 2 bicycles.

I have a 2001 trek 2200 bike and a 2002 Trek 6500 mountain bike. I like to ride anytime. I do it for fitness as well as the fact that I'm powering myself under a mechanical machine. It really is quite amazing to thing about. I can ride at 20+ miles per hour over 30 miles(or more on flat ground). Under my own power. I love the wind in my hair. The silence of the road.

 

[msparks]

History of the Bicycle
DaVinci's sketch

For much of man’s history on earth, he had two choices for getting around, either on foot or on the back of an animal (such as horses, mules, and wooly mammoths). Bicycles were developed to add another transportation option that multiplied human efficiency by a factor of approximately five.

But the history of bicycles is very fuzzy. Sources often disagree as to the names of the inventors and the dates of their inventions. Leonardo DaVinci sketched a facsimile of the modern bicycle in 1490. It was way ahead of its time and, as far as we know, never left the drawing board.

Around 1790 a French craftsman named de Sivrac developed a “Celerifere” running machine, which had two in-line wheels connected by a beam. The rider straddled the beam and propelled the Celerifere by pushing his feet on the ground, scooter fashion.

In 1817 German Baron Karl von Drais added steering. Several versions appeared around France and England by the early 1800s. As a replacement for the horse, these “hobby horses” became a short-lived craze. The roads of the time were too rutted to allow for efficient wheeled transport.
Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan developed a rear-drive bike in 1839 using a treadle and rod for the rear drive mechanism. But, he lived in the Northern British Isles where people and ideas traveled slowly, so his invention didn’t spread. R.W. Thompson patented a pneumatic tube in 1845. Prior to this invention, bikes had metal wheels.
The French anointed Ernest Michaux “father of the bicycle,” as he and his brother Pierre added cranks and pedals. Their Velocipede started a bicycle boom. The larger front wheel made it faster but less stable. The war of 1812 brought an end to the French bicycle boom.
British engineers were next to pick up the design and improve upon it by adding ball bearings, pneumatic (Dunlop) tires, wire-spoked wheels, chain drive, variable gears, and cable controls. Over a twenty-year span, the British brought the bicycle to its present form, thanks mainly to James Starley of the Coventry Sewing Machine Company. In 1885 the Starley Rover safety bike was born, returning wheels to a reasonable size and improving the bike’s stability.
In the early days, women’s dress (corsets, pointed shoes, and voluminous skirts) limited their participation in this new sport. Newspapers of the day railed against the “sorcers” or bicycle speedsters.

 

[msparks]

bicycle


Bicycle, light, two-wheeled vehicle driven by pedals. The name velocipede is often given to early forms of the bicycle and to its predecessor, the dandy horse, a two-wheeled vehicle moved by the thrust of the rider's feet upon the ground. Probably the first practical dandy horse was the draisine, originated c.1816 by Baron Karl Drais von Sauerbronn, chief forester of the duchy of Baden, to facilitate his inspection tours. Introduced into England in 1818, it was slowly improved, and c.1839 Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith, developed a machine propelled by foot treadles and incorporating cranks, driving rods, and handlebars. The French inventor Ernest Michaux introduced in 1855 a heavy crank-driven bicycle. This was perfected c.1865 by Pierre Lallement, whose velocipede, known as a boneshaker, ran on ironclad wooden rims, the front wheel larger than the rear. Major improvements followed rapidly, including a light, hollow steel frame, ball bearings, tangential metal spokes, and solid rubber tires. By the 1880s the front wheel attained a diameter up to 64 in. (163 cm). Although the larger the wheel, the greater the potential speed, size was limited by the length of the rider's legs, and speed by their strength. The safer tricycle, a three-wheeled vehicle similar to the bicycle, also enjoyed a vogue in the 1880s, especially among women and short men. The safety bicycle, with wheels of approximately equal diameter and a sprocket-chain drive connecting the pedals with the rear wheels, was first manufactured at Coventry, England, c.1885 by the English machinist James Starley; following the invention of the pneumatic tire in 1888 by the Scot John Dunlop, the safety bicycle superseded the high-wheel form. Subsequent modifications include the freewheel (a rear wheel that turns freely when the pedals are stopped), the coaster brake, the hand brake, variable drive gear, and adjustable handlebars. In the 1880s cycling became a fad of major proportions in the United States and Europe. Bicycle clubs were formed; both sexes participated in rides into the country, often on tandem bicycles. The League of American Wheelmen, organized in 1880, was a leader in the agitation for good roads. Although cycling declined in the United States with the introduction of automobiles, it has recently grown in popularity, notably since the introduction in the 1970s of wide-tired, off-road mountain bikes. In many parts of the world the bicycle remains a more important means of transportation than the automobile.

 

[cryptokid]

well i like to bicycle! i have a schwin beach cruiser with a 22cc kawasaki line trimmer engine bolted up to the front wheel. i dont actually petal the bike but i could if i ever ran out of gas.

 

[tdi-rick]

another bike rider here.

Cannondale Silk Road 2000 road bike (CAAD4 Paris-Roubaix frame with 15mm headshock, Ultegra running gear, DT-Swiss Hugi hubs, although I have Dura-Ace 175mm cranks).

'02 Giant NRS 1 mtb. (Marz Marathon fork, Chris King hubs, Sapim CX-Ray spokes, Mavic X317 rims, '03 XT cranks, Easton Monkey Lite bar, Extralite stem and seat collar, Easton post, San Marco Aspide saddle.)

I love the bikes, and need to ride more. It's raining here this morning, so did an hour of Yoga instead of a ride.

Rick.

 

[moribundman]

My current bike is still a 1994 Gary Fisher mountain bike with a Manitou shock absorbing fork. Nothing fancy by today's standard, but a pretty reliable bike that still looks and peforms well. All the bikes I like right now are over $2,000. Mine was around $1,500 in '94, and that's about as much as I'm willing to spend.

 

[msparks]

Right now my bikes are mostly stock.

My Trek 6500 has a manitou 6 fork on the front.

I just ordered some new Mavic rims and a new cassette SRAM 970 9 speed. I'm going to have 2 wheelsets, one with slicks and the other with offroad tires. We do night rides downtown and it's too rough for the roadie. So I also ordered lights and such that I'm going to mount on the MTB.

My roadbike is quite nice stock. I came with 105's all around. I just put on some new tires and it rolls like a dream So far I have about 2000 miles on the roadie.

 

[msparks]

http://www.bikemonth.com/

Bicycling is part of the solution to many of our nation’s problems: the obesity epidemic, traffic congestion, air pollution and more. Some 64% of adults and over 15% of kids are overweight today, resulting in 300,000 premature deaths and a cost to society of $117 billion a year. Over 22% of all motor vehicle trips Americans take are less than one mile long, and 50% of the working population commutes five miles or less to work, an easily bikeable distance. If the average person biked to work or shopping once every two weeks instead of driving, we could prevent the pollution of close to one billion gallons of gasoline from entering the atmosphere every year. The League of American Bicyclists’ new television and radio PSA campaign uses humor and the element of surprise to encourage Americans to visit www.bike-to-work.com and bike to work instead of driving. The League promotes bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation, and works for a bicycle-friendly America

 

[basils]

My family owns three quality Mt. Bikes. We enjoy riding them on trails but NOT the road. Far too many morons on the streets to make it safe enough for me. I used to ride sixty miles at a time when I was interested in getting involved with racing. I even commuted to work (30 miles) for a while. Gave up the serious riding when I found out how much training was needed. The other issue was all the close calls that I had with dumb-jerk drivers. Even a school bus driver nearly killed once. Now I just ride once in a while....for fun only.

 

[eljefino]

It would be really sweet if more workplaces had showers, lockers, and maybe even laundry. Bike on in ahead of time, get freshened up, change, be ready for action!

Having bought new, (Trek 730, nice touring bike) and wrecked the bike (riding in snow/salt

) I probably won't buy new again. There are enough bikes at flea markets and yard sales with 10 miles on them for 1/20 the original price. But they're all Huffys or walmart junk. In fact the row of brand new bikes chained out front of my local wally's were literally rusting this summer! People buy the things on some more-exercise new years resolution then never use them.

 

[msparks]

quote:

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Originally posted by eljefino:
There are enough bikes at flea markets and yard sales with 10 miles on them for 1/20 the original price. But they're all Huffys or walmart junk.

---

Shoot you would be suprised.

I rode a couple of times with this guy on an older nishiki steel frame that he paid $75. It had full 105 components circa late 1980's but it rode well and shifted nice.

While frame technology has vastly improved with the use of carbon and lighter aluminum. And Components have gotten lighter as well. The quality and mechnical workmanship is just as good 20 years ago as it is today.

Find a good steel framed bike with good components and you can ride for many trouble free years.

 

[basils]

Eljefino,
Go onto e-bay and get one. You can find some really fine bikes for very good prices. I've seen five year old bikes that sold new for well over a thousand, sell for $400 to $500. Just keep in mind that shipping can cost around $70 to $120.

 

[tom slick]

i ride a GT i-drive 2.0 mountain bike. i injured myself pretty good earlier this year and haven't ridden much since. i'll probably start back up in the next couple of months.
my 2 worst injuries ever have been on bicycles, ironic because i have ridden 3 wheelers, quads, and dirtbikes since i was 10, and they are supposed to kill you.

 

[Jelly]

quote:

---

Originally posted by tom slick:
my 2 worst injuries ever have been on bicycles, ironic because i have ridden 3 wheelers, quads, and dirtbikes since i was 10, and they are supposed to kill you.

---

Yep, I used to ride a lot, but haven't done much since I came to college...

Been around fourwheelers, horses, motorcycles, etc...my worse injuries have came from riding a bike on singletrack.

 

[rjundi]

I have a Cannondale Jeckyl, full suspension bike. These are quite nice to ride in the woods as you get a cushier ride and don't get bone jarrring impacts on your body. I love single track. Roads are bad, I was hit by a car once in college albiet buzzed by a lady swinging right to do a left turn. That was enough of the road for me, it scares me.

 

[MarkC]

I started out with a Schwinn Varsity back in the 70's. Lately I've had 3 mountain bikes; 2 Diamondbacks and a Schwinn Moab. My Diamondback Z-Tech Comp was sweet, but the Moab was awesome.
Currently, I am bikeless, unfortunately.

 

[msparks]

Well I've effectively help start a cycling club in our town.

www.clarksvillecyclingclub.org

 

[PRRPILL]

Congratulations on starting your new Bike club. Being on a bicycle is the true essence of freedom.
I have a bunch of bikes for road and offroad. I sponsor the LSU tiger Cycling Foundation. They just won the Louisiana and Mississippi Bicycle Racing *** . championships. Our bikes include 2 ea. Trek 5900 with Dura Ace, 2 Cervelo P3's with Dura Ace, Trek 2200 for my son with Ultegra, Specialized S Works with Dura Ace for my wife, A Tek Fuel with XTR, 2 Trek 8500 with XTR, Harro BMX, and a bunch more. In fact I keep 4 bikes on the wall in my living room. I am waiting on my Trek Madonne(Lance Edition) and have a special place for it in my office. My house is littered with bike stuff. My favorite is a Specialized Langster single speed. I ride about 120 miles a week on it. Just finished the MS 150 on it. Used lots of Boudreaux Butt Paste after that ride. So, yes, I love bikes. Can I send you a link to our Bike club.
Llew

 

[Thomas Pyrek]

My old roomie used to race bikes, but I'm not quite sure why he stopped. He still rides everyonce in a while.


I occasionally put myself on a bike to go to work. It's about a 3.5 mile ride and I work at a bar/restaraunt, so I can't really get too sweaty.

 

[Scott P]

I am currently riding a 1992 Trek 820 mountain bike. i really need to upgrade, but just don't feel like dropping $500 on a new one. $500 is on the low end too.

I try to ride my bike into work once a week in the summer. It's about 21 miles and I take the canal path. (Erie Canal). It's a great workout and I have a couple of big bridges to cross that really let my legs know they exist.

I only average 14 miles an hour or so (big tores, stone dust trail), but I'm hoping increase that pace next year.