Practical Bicycling

Sun Dec 26, 2010 1:37 pm by Chip Haynes

Ok, so it looks as though we're in for another wild ride with gas and oil prices in 2011. How's about I start a thread for practical bicycling? Any questions on how to get around by bike, bring them here and our blue-ribbon panel of bicycling experts will answer all of your questions. Or maybe I'll just make something up.

In case you didn't know: I wrote "The Practical Cyclist" that was published by New Society Publishers in 2009, and is available on the publisher's web site as well as Amazon. It was written as a sort of primer for people that want to get back on their bikes, but I never mention peak oil in it anywhere, so as not to scare anyone off. (I never mention Lance Armstrong in the book for the same reason.) And how did a Canadian publisher in British Columbia find an American writer in Florida? On the LATOC forum, of course!

Now then: Let's talk about bicycles.

Sun Dec 26, 2010 1:49 pm by Chip Haynes

Aaaaand... I'm gonna bump this up so someone sees it.

Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:01 pm by Megadoom

Bit too much snow up here for bicycling. Get back to you in the Spring.....if we're still here.

So what's the best male seat for bicyclist who get sore booties?

Megadoom

Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:33 am by hillwalker

Megadoom wrote:Bit too much snow up here for bicycling. Get back to you in the Spring.....if we're still here.

So what's the best male seat for bicyclist who get sore booties?

Megadoom

Still here indeed. pretty rough winter up there, sheesh.

Just like a horse saddle, the best saddle for yer butt is the one yer used to. You get used to it
by riding. Short rides, going longer, over time, take a break, then ride some more, discomfort
will go away over time.

Mon Dec 27, 2010 10:01 am by Chip Haynes

Yeah, I realized this ain't Cycle Season for most of North America right now. But now IS a good trime to work on your bike and get it ready for spring.

As for the right seat, no one can tell you. Everyone is different, and what works for me might not work for you. You just have to try them. A good bike shop will let you buy-and-try-and return the &*^%#%^&*&^%$!!! thing if it doesn't fit. So will Walmart if you save the receipt.

And don't rule out a "noseless" saddle. I have one, and it works well if you are not in a hurry, and have upright handlebars on the bike.

Mon Dec 27, 2010 11:17 am by hillwalker

Chip Haynes wrote:Yeah, I realized this ain't Cycle Season for most of North America right now. But now IS a good trime to work on your bike and get it ready for spring.

As for the right seat, no one can tell you. Everyone is different, and what works for me might not work for you. You just have to try them. A good bike shop will let you buy-and-try-and return the &*^%#%^&*&^%$!!! thing if it doesn't fit. So will Walmart if you save the receipt.

And don't rule out a "noseless" saddle. I have one, and it works well if you are not in a hurry, and have upright handlebars on the bike.

Yeah, I got one for xmas one year (noseless saddle). Put it on a cruiser. Was pretty comfy. Kinda scary though, don't have the same level of control. But for putting around, it was pretty neat.

Mon Dec 27, 2010 11:50 am by Chip Haynes

I had been warned about the control thing by Mister Henry, a local bike mechanic. Briefly, it's this: The noseless saddle doesn't let you control the frame's left-right position with your inner/upper thighs as you pedal. This is something we do without thinking with regular long saddles, but you can't do it at all with a noseless saddle. Is it a problem? Maybe, maybe not. I put the saddle on my BCA five-speed. The bike has upright (almost cruiser) handlebars, and I never use it to go fast. It's my go-anywhere/do anything bike. The noseless saddle worked well on that bike, but I could see that the noseless saddle would not have worked so well on, say, my quick fixed gear or any of the serious dropped-bar touring bikes in my stable.
Still, it's good to have one around if you need it, if your regular saddle is giving you problems. I bought mine in repsonse to a developing saddle sore, and it allowed me to keep riding without aggrevating the sore spot. It is not currently on the bike, but I do intend to hang on to it, just in case. I think I got it at Kmart for about $20. Money well spent.

Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:13 pm by Will Nailor

I almost hate to suggest it, but any flavor of padded shorts makes a giant difference. There's no reason to go public in your spandex, they hide well under any old random shorts, like briefs. If you're doing something like a commute of more than 3-4 miles, you'll feel the difference.
As a younger hard-on cyclist, I'd claim that you just had to ride it enough until you adjust to the seat, which I did...then. Screw that, if you're going to ride, ask for some riding shorts for yer birthday. Throw in some crap about their preserving virility or something!

Ride on!

Sun Feb 06, 2011 3:34 am by dam_oil

with preppin it for the main event
whats the prefered method of carrier for a load.

panniers? front, sides, trunk?
small, medium rucksack on your back?
one or two wheel trailer?

http://www.bicyclesmelbourne.com.au/mel ... rriers.htm
http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags?WYS ... 2c6mn6grn3

im thinking for my MTB to get the toppeak trunk on the arm straight of the seat.
http://www.topeak.com/products/Racks/MTXBeamRackA-Type
might not carrier huge amounts, but wont look really lame...

load = food, barter items, bob items

thoughts?

Mon Feb 07, 2011 7:40 pm by mousewizard

dam_oil wrote:with preppin it for the main event
whats the prefered method of carrier for a load.

panniers? front, sides, trunk?
small, medium rucksack on your back?
one or two wheel trailer?

http://www.bicyclesmelbourne.com.au/mel ... rriers.htm
http://www.topeak.com/products/Bags?WYS ... 2c6mn6grn3

im thinking for my MTB to get the toppeak trunk on the arm straight of the seat.
http://www.topeak.com/products/Racks/MTXBeamRackA-Type
might not carrier huge amounts, but wont look really lame...

load = food, barter items, bob items

thoughts?

Yeah, we wouldn't want to "look really lame" while hauling our possessions around with a bicycle.

A MTB with a load (panniers, etc.) just feels sloppy and nearly uncontrollable. Heck, even road bikes have problems with loads unless they're on a really smooth road. Get a trailer. One wheel for trails, two wheels if you have a serious load, and then restrict your travels to ATV trails or actual roads. You'll need to mod the hitching mechanism so you can run in one rut while the trailer tracks down both ruts.

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