not to completely hijack the thread to the benefit of things ubuesque and 'pataphysique (the science of imaginary solutions really deserves its own and i may just get on that today) it must not escape our notice that far beyond simply being good friday (and accessorily the day of saint marcellin yum, yum) today is the 15th day of the month of Clinamen and the Supreme, First First Class Feastday of: THE INVENTION OF 'PATAPHYSICS a round of absinthe is in order and it's on the house.
Well, if the free market works over time you should see more and more bike lanes in the US, at least in areas with decent population density, few hills and not too harsh weather.
Anyone read the "Bike Snob NYC" books. I'm currently reading the first one - "Bike Snob: Systematically and Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling" It's hilarious. And oh so true. Once I finish it, I'll read the one just recently published - "The Enlightened Cyclist" His blog is great too Loved his description of his visit to DC. I ride the trails he talks about on a pretty regular basis.
A Giant Kronos, probably built around '97 or so. Great bike, and pretty light, but I'm so tempted to get a cyclocross so I can hit some gravel trails
a nice bike! i can give no advice of any use to you since my purchasing policy is to get the cheapest bike i can, usually at carrefour; my last one only cost me 83€*! these suit my purpose well enough and are surprisingly good value for money: frames made in france in the same factories that supply sunn or gitane, components from reputable manufacturers (shimano, sram, rigida)... the major downside is that final assembly is done by the guy who also stocks the lawn chairs and tiki lamps and uses the same professional care in doing so, so you need some mechanical knowhow and you start putting it to use the minute you wheel your bike out of the store. and you need to put more suitable tires on, especially for street use. but a perverse kind of reverse snobbery makes me proud to say my total outlay including tubes (which i never change until they have at least 5-6 patches), pads (which i shim with washers until they're right down to the nubbity nubbins) and all the other things that break (which i usually cannibalize off my old bikes or one of those dead beaters one always sees still chained to their final resting ground) is under 30€ per year. 109€ list price -15% special offer -10€ gift certificate.
thinking about nice bikes, there's a guy at our company (i have no idea who since he works shift and i never see him, only his bikes in the garage who either comes on (i assume it's the same guy since you always see one or the other but never both) an all original equipment (well, maybe not the wheels) 1958 rafael geminiani or, a replica of sean kelly's 1988 racer... what's left of it anyway, all the components are pretty banal shimano and all the markings have been rubbed off, but the vitus carbon/kevlar frame is unmistakeable:
Does it explain why cyclists in NYC are always in a grumpy mood? Or why they feel its okay to bike the wrong way on a one-way street at night without a light, yet are the first ones to yell at any pedestrian or car that gets in their way?
He does address some of those issues. but more in his second book than in his first. And always is a total exaggeration. Most bicyclists I know don't do the things you mention. Hell, when I ride to work, I start my day in a GREAT mood.
Maybe the "always" only applies to NYC bicyclists then. Biking along a 5-lane road with no separate bike path is a far cry from biking through parks. So the grumpiness is justified, although I don't know why they bike when they seem pissed off half the time.
So you're trying to argue that EVERY bicyclist in the five boroughs of NYC are all grumpy and actually hate riding their bikes? Seriously?
meh, I said "half of the time". But one of these days I'm going to hit one of them with my car and they'll accuse me, probably get me in police trouble even though they were driving erratically the wrong way down a one-way street without a light at night and I was driving soberly the right-way with lights being part of the road rather than acting like I own the road. That said, the trouble will be soooooo worth it! hehehahahahehe
Bike noob here...so what kind a difference can I expect in comfort if I upgrade from my $59.99 Pacific Prowler to at least something like a Trek and is there really a HUGE difference in drag when using the nobby tires as opposed to smoother ones.
streetwise tires are THE upgrade to make. when i did that i gained almost two whole sprockets (i now generally roll at 44*14 and go to 44*12 as soon as a favorable circumstance presents itself, when i used to push 44*16 with occasional need to drop to 18). but what you need most is a downgrade so to speak: meaning get rid of the suspension! my bike is the same market range as yours and nice bikes, well, they're nice! but for my needs, try as it might every time i buy a new ride, my id can't justify the expense to my superego. if you also do backwoods riding though, you need to cough up the shekels for adjustable suspension that you can lock right down for the street and for a second set of wheels so you can change tire types back and forth quickly.
boca fan is obviously joking, but something i saw this morning brings home that there is some sick bikehate out there. last night someone thought it would be funny to rip out a couple of the posts supporting some newly planted trees alongside a new bike lane here in town, and arrange them so the ends jut out just at the height where passing cyclists' heads go. would he still be laughing if he saw the state of the woman who was on the ground there this morning? the sad answer is i think he would be.