Sometimes you just gotta do it (i.e, I bought a bike!!)

Roger Zoul wrote:

I decided that the extra hand positions on the higher-end model plus the
extra comfort features were worth the extra money. I had no problem riding
with my hands in the drops, btw. I've done quite a bit of riding on both
models, plus a Trek, this week.

congratulations, Roger. i think you made an excellent choice.

This Mighty Joe is costing me $130.

i can't help you much with the rack thing. i can't put a rack on my car
at all, so i have to ride from home if i want to ride, or catch a ride
with someone who has room on their rack for me. in the past i've had
roof racks, and i consider them an excellent investment.

Second, what kind of lock should I get? I wanted one of those heavy U locks
rather than a cable lock. However, with two water bottles, there isn't a
lot of room for a U lock. What shall I do there? And, do people lock the
bike to the rack while it is attached to the car?

i prefer a cable lock. locks in general are bulky to carry, but worth
it if you are going to leave the bike anywhere. and yes, lock it while
it's attached to the car if you're going to be away from it. if your
saddle has a quick release, you may want to remove it also. the quick
release makes them easy to steal.

I'd like to thank those of you here who have encouraged me to get into
biking. I haven't been on a real bike since age 12 (I'm 45 now). It was a
bit shakey at first, but I seem to have "remembered" quickly. I still don't
have all the skills back -- like riding with no hands and riding standing up
on the peddles, but I hope those will return once I get in more "saddle"
time

you'll get the hang of it very quickly, i'm sure. it doesn't take long.

again, congrats. enjoy!

Roger Zoul wrote:
Well, I got tired of farting around on the matter, getting confused over
this option and that. Hence, I decided to pick what I felt best about and
act. The choice came down to a Specialized hybrid/comfort rode bike

http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMode...u1qn0ud.j27005

or the Specialized less-hybrid-more-real-road-bike/comfort road bike

http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMode...u1qn0ud.j27005

and I decided that the extra hand positions on the higher-end model plus the
extra comfort features were worth the extra money. I had no problem riding
with my hands in the drops, btw. I've done quite a bit of riding on both
models, plus a Trek, this week.

So, tomorrow morning I pick up my new bike along with all the gear I got to
go with it.

Good choice Roger! My neighbour has the Cirrus and it's a surprisingly
quick bike. The Sequoia will be even better. I've really enjoyed being
back in to cycling for the last year, hopefully you will too. Also,
remember it gets MUCH easier once you've been doing it regularly.


However, I have some questions for you biker-types. First, I don't want to
try to put this bike inside my car. It won't fit easily in the rear seat
( I have leather inside, so I don't want to go there anyway) and I don't
think it will fit in the truck even with the back seat down. Hence, I'm
going to buy a Yakama Might Joe bike rack that fits over the truck. I have
to get this model since I have a spoiler on my 02 Camry SE and this is the
only model the bike shop carries that will work with my car. Anybody got
any notion about this? Without some rack, I'm going to be very limited in
what I can do with this bike. I have already planned some rides at a few
locations for this weekend (one is this huge packing lot where a Sam's Club
used to be --- the building is now empty and few cars go into lot -- so I'm
just going to ride ride ride....then on Sunday I'm going to a park in the
city to ride there -- so I need a way to get the bike there). Also, if I
remove the front tire, the rest of the bike still won't go in the truck!
This Mighty Joe is costing me $130.

Can't help you here. My bike doesn't fit in either of my cars and no
racks available that I am happy with.


Second, what kind of lock should I get? I wanted one of those heavy U locks
rather than a cable lock. However, with two water bottles, there isn't a
lot of room for a U lock. What shall I do there? And, do people lock the
bike to the rack while it is attached to the car?

I have the same problem now that I have 2 water bottles. I have put a
Blackburn Alumin(i)um rack on the back on the back and use bungee cords
to hold my big D lock. I find this works fine. The website says your
bike has the necessary mounting points for a rack.


I'd like to thank those of you here who have encouraged me to get into
biking. I haven't been on a real bike since age 12 (I'm 45 now). It was a
bit shakey at first, but I seem to have "remembered" quickly. I still don't
have all the skills back -- like riding with no hands and riding standing up
on the peddles, but I hope those will return once I get in more "saddle"
time

Riding no hands also requires the front wheel to not be out of true, as
I found out last week at 30 mph. The frame geometry also makes a
difference to how easy it is.


Oh, I'm wondering when my neck will get sore, as when I'm riding I feel as
though I'm looking up at a tall building from very near it. How does one
deal with that neck position? Options for changing head position seem
limited...


I found the stiff neck disappeared after a few days or regular cycling.


Best of Luck

Pete

Roger Zoul wrote:
First, I don't want to try to put this bike inside my car.

It will be much better if you ride it wherever you go. I don't even have
a car, so when I want to ride the bike, I get on and ride. I ride to and
from work mainly. Are there compelling reasons why you can't start
riding when you get the bike outside? It sounds like you are making this
too complicated and setting yourself up not to ride.

Second, what kind of lock should I get? I wanted one of those heavy U locks
rather than a cable lock. However, with two water bottles, there isn't a
lot of room for a U lock. What shall I do there? And, do people lock the
bike to the rack while it is attached to the car?

I use one of the flexible metal link locks you often see used by
motorcyclists. Basically, if you are going to leave it somewhere you
have to lock it to a very substantial object. One practice is to "age"
your bike by scraping it up and sanding it and repainting it so that it
looks like ****. Thieves are less inclined to steel something that looks
like ****.

I'd like to thank those of you here who have encouraged me to get into
biking. I haven't been on a real bike since age 12 (I'm 45 now). It was a
bit shakey at first, but I seem to have "remembered" quickly. I still don't
have all the skills back -- like riding with no hands and riding standing up
on the peddles, but I hope those will return once I get in more "saddle"
time

Endeavor to avoid riding with no hands.

Oh, I'm wondering when my neck will get sore, as when I'm riding I feel as
though I'm looking up at a tall building from very near it. How does one
deal with that neck position? Options for changing head position seem
limited...

Well, that's why I would have bought a mountain bike rather than a road
bike. My neck gets sore on road bikes. I ride a mountain bike with the
handle bars set as I as possible. I also get better traction in the
winter, and I don't have to worry so much about uneven road surfaces.

martin

--
Wesley Clark for President
www.AmericansForClark.com

Martin Smith

http://www.creatinefacts.com/

Roger Zoul wrote:

Pat wrote:
I know having the smaller one really helps going up hill! However, I can't
imagine using the bigger one while going downhill! In fact, the notion of
peddling downhill sort of has me freaked, at the moment

I never have a need for the third (low) range. I wish they wouldn't even
put it on, but I suppose it would be useful offroad. On a roadbike, I
can't imagine where you would use it, but I don't know much about road
racing. You can coast downhill if you want.

Well, I'm the type to keep a car until it dies, so I guess the scratches
will come soon enough. Plus, someone keyed it recently, so the newness is
gone. I don't see much choice here, though. I feel I need this biking to
help me rid myself of my remaining bodyfat -- and I'm more important to me
than the paint on my car. I only get one life, but I can get a new car!

Then just take the bike out the door and ride it.

martin

--
Wesley Clark for President
www.AmericansForClark.com

Martin Smith

Congrats. This is one of the bikes I had in mind when I was trying to push
you up a notch. The Specialized 105 components, carbon fork, and the
wheels are all a significant step up.

My bike doesn't fit in my trunk, and I don't have a rack. When I need to
travel with it, I put the front wheel in the front seat or trunk, put a
plastic tarp over the leather seats in the back, and put it carefully in the
back. It just fits. This is enough of a pain in the neck that I don't
lightly throw the bike in the car.

Yakima has a good reputation for racks. I'm sure the rear rack will do what
you want. The big question on them is the ease of putting them on and off
the bike. I wouldn't want to use a rear rack because a fender bender turns
into something much worse for me.

When I used a rack, it was a roof rack, and it works great, unless someone
forgets that the bike is on the roof while going into a parking garage.
I've seen that happen and its not pretty. The best solution for a single
bike from a convenience standpoint is probably a hatchback, but I'm not
about to buy a car for my bike.

I also don't use locks, and never have. I can see why you might want one to
lock the bike on the car. Some racks have a lock feature included, or they
did 15 years ago. When getting a lock, pay some attention to how hard it
would be to tear the rack itself off your trunk. There is no point to
getting a lock which is more secure than your rack system itself.

Every time I put myself regularly into a lower position, I can feel
something in my neck and shoulders. It should gradually go away. One thing
you should try to assess is how natural your position is when stretched
forward. When riding naturally forward, you should have a pretty straight
back. If you are hunched over in the back, you are probably riding a little
more horizontal than you can now sustain. To get your position lower and
more comfortable, you should gradually lenghten and lower your upper body
position. When you take a more aggressive position, you should think about
straightening your back, and having a straight angle between legs and torso,
instead of an arch. It will come over time.

Also, the harder you are pushing your legs, the easier it is to lean
forward.
You can try this by running up steps. If you go harder running up steps, it
becomes natural to lean forward and use your arms and legs together on the
steps.

No hands riding is a question of balance and confidence, and bike geometry
to a certain extent. I will ride with no hands when I need to stretch my
upper body. It will be easy to learn again. First, you need to train
yourself to ride in a straight line. This is not as easy as it sounds. I
see lots of recreational cyclists who pedal so unevenly that their front
wheel jumps on every stroke, and others who could not hold steady on a white
line if their life depended on it (and mine sometimes does!).

Then get comfortable doing this with both hands on the bars as close as
possible to the headset. This is the two hand position that offers the
least stability. But its still pretty easy. Then get comfortable riding in
a straight line, pedalling, while doing other things with either hand --
cleaning debris off front wheel if you have gloves, reaching for water
bottles, eating, reaching in the seat bag, grabbing your shoes, etc...
Doing this stuff will get you very comfortable with the feel of the bike.
Now go back to the hands by headset position. Ride one handed, and
experiment pulling the other one off for a second. You will know quickly if
you have the confidence to sit up or not. Again it will come with time.
Also, the faster you are going, the easier it is to do.

One thing you should be aware of. Many bikes have a resonant frequency at
which the front wheel will shimmy. This is not a defect, but is a natural
result of certain combinations of frame geometry and rider. The the shimmy
occurs, the front of the bike will start to bounce left and right, and the
bounce will become more severe the longer you let it go on. A finger on the
handlebars is enough to stop this shimmy. My bike has this effect at
somewhere between 19-20 mph, depending on the pavement. At these speeds, if
I ride no handed, the front wheel will start to shake, and then literally to
bounce left to right. Its both funny and unnerving. The solution is to
ride either faster or slower, or to put a hand on the bars to damp the
frequency resonance. If you find this happening with your bike, don't
panic, don't assume anything drastic is going wrong, and don't take it as an
indication that you should never ride with no hands.

Duffy


"Roger Zoul" wrote in message
...
Well, I got tired of farting around on the matter, getting confused over
this option and that. Hence, I decided to pick what I felt best about and
act. The choice came down to a Specialized hybrid/comfort rode bike


http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMode...u1qn0ud.j27005

or the Specialized less-hybrid-more-real-road-bike/comfort road bike


http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMode...u1qn0ud.j27005

and I decided that the extra hand positions on the higher-end model plus
the
extra comfort features were worth the extra money. I had no problem
riding
with my hands in the drops, btw. I've done quite a bit of riding on both
models, plus a Trek, this week.

So, tomorrow morning I pick up my new bike along with all the gear I got
to
go with it.

However, I have some questions for you biker-types. First, I don't want
to
try to put this bike inside my car. It won't fit easily in the rear seat
( I have leather inside, so I don't want to go there anyway) and I don't
think it will fit in the truck even with the back seat down. Hence, I'm
going to buy a Yakama Might Joe bike rack that fits over the truck. I
have
to get this model since I have a spoiler on my 02 Camry SE and this is the
only model the bike shop carries that will work with my car. Anybody got
any notion about this? Without some rack, I'm going to be very limited in
what I can do with this bike. I have already planned some rides at a few
locations for this weekend (one is this huge packing lot where a Sam's
Club
used to be --- the building is now empty and few cars go into lot -- so
I'm
just going to ride ride ride....then on Sunday I'm going to a park in the
city to ride there -- so I need a way to get the bike there). Also, if I
remove the front tire, the rest of the bike still won't go in the truck!
This Mighty Joe is costing me $130.

Second, what kind of lock should I get? I wanted one of those heavy U
locks
rather than a cable lock. However, with two water bottles, there isn't a
lot of room for a U lock. What shall I do there? And, do people lock the
bike to the rack while it is attached to the car?

I'd like to thank those of you here who have encouraged me to get into
biking. I haven't been on a real bike since age 12 (I'm 45 now). It was
a
bit shakey at first, but I seem to have "remembered" quickly. I still
don't
have all the skills back -- like riding with no hands and riding standing
up
on the peddles, but I hope those will return once I get in more "saddle"
time

Oh, I'm wondering when my neck will get sore, as when I'm riding I feel as
though I'm looking up at a tall building from very near it. How does one
deal with that neck position? Options for changing head position seem
limited...

M.W. Smith wrote:
:: Roger Zoul wrote:
:::
::: Pat wrote:
::: I know having the smaller one really helps going up hill! However,
::: I can't imagine using the bigger one while going downhill! In
::: fact, the notion of peddling downhill sort of has me freaked, at
::: the moment
::
:: I never have a need for the third (low) range. I wish they wouldn't
:: even
:: put it on, but I suppose it would be useful offroad. On a roadbike, I
:: can't imagine where you would use it, but I don't know much about
:: road racing. You can coast downhill if you want.
::
::: Well, I'm the type to keep a car until it dies, so I guess the
::: scratches will come soon enough. Plus, someone keyed it recently,
::: so the newness is gone. I don't see much choice here, though. I
::: feel I need this biking to help me rid myself of my remaining
::: bodyfat -- and I'm more important to me than the paint on my car.
::: I only get one life, but I can get a new car!
::
:: Then just take the bike out the door and ride it.
::

Well, I feel my options are more limited riding from my house. the
neighborhood is very hilly, and one doesn't need to go far between getting
on the highly traveled very narrow rodes (with hills) -- making it hard to
see what is ahead. A bit further, and there is a four-lane road
thorough-fare. I'm not up to that. With the rack, I can take the bike to
one of a couple of locations I have found where riding is much safer. That
is my plan, and I've bought the rack.


:: martin
::
:: --
:: Wesley Clark for President
:: www.AmericansForClark.com
::
:: Martin Smith

The Queen of Cans and Jars wrote:
:: Roger Zoul wrote:
::
::: I decided that the extra hand positions on the higher-end model
::: plus the extra comfort features were worth the extra money. I had
::: no problem riding with my hands in the drops, btw. I've done quite
::: a bit of riding on both models, plus a Trek, this week.
::
:: congratulations, Roger. i think you made an excellent choice.

Thanks. And guess what -- once I put on those skin tight biking shorts with
the crotch padding, the bike is even more comfortable!


::
::: This Mighty Joe is costing me $130.
::
:: i can't help you much with the rack thing. i can't put a rack on my
:: car
:: at all, so i have to ride from home if i want to ride, or catch a
:: ride
:: with someone who has room on their rack for me. in the past i've had
:: roof racks, and i consider them an excellent investment.

Well, I sprung for it and we played with it at the shop until I learned how
to best fit ot on without having it touch the spoiler. There is a lot of
extra wind noice while driving with the rack and bike attached, however.

::
::: Second, what kind of lock should I get? I wanted one of those
::: heavy U locks rather than a cable lock. However, with two water
::: bottles, there isn't a lot of room for a U lock. What shall I do
::: there? And, do people lock the bike to the rack while it is
::: attached to the car?
::
:: i prefer a cable lock. locks in general are bulky to carry, but
:: worth
:: it if you are going to leave the bike anywhere. and yes, lock it
:: while
:: it's attached to the car if you're going to be away from it. if your
:: saddle has a quick release, you may want to remove it also. the
:: quick release makes them easy to steal.

I got a cable lock and a D or U lock. I'll keep the D/U lock in the truck
and the cable on the bike.

::
::: I'd like to thank those of you here who have encouraged me to get
::: into biking. I haven't been on a real bike since age 12 (I'm 45
::: now). It was a bit shakey at first, but I seem to have
::: "remembered" quickly. I still don't have all the skills back --
::: like riding with no hands and riding standing up on the peddles,
::: but I hope those will return once I get in more "saddle" time
::
:: you'll get the hang of it very quickly, i'm sure. it doesn't take
:: long.
::
:: again, congrats. enjoy!

Thanks. I plan to practice everyday, using it as a warm up on gym days.

I'm wondering if I ought to start riding my stationary as a means for extra
training for street biking in a hilly area. Basically, I'm thinking of
high/low intervals for short duration.

Ningi wrote:
:: Roger Zoul wrote:
::: Well, I got tired of farting around on the matter, getting confused
::: over
::: this option and that. Hence, I decided to pick what I felt best
::: about and
::: act. The choice came down to a Specialized hybrid/comfort rode bike
:::
:::
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMode...u1qn0ud.j27005
:::
::: or the Specialized less-hybrid-more-real-road-bike/comfort road bike
:::
:::
http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkMode...u1qn0ud.j27005
:::
::: and I decided that the extra hand positions on the higher-end model
::: plus the
::: extra comfort features were worth the extra money. I had no
::: problem riding
::: with my hands in the drops, btw. I've done quite a bit of riding
::: on both
::: models, plus a Trek, this week.
:::
::: So, tomorrow morning I pick up my new bike along with all the gear
::: I got to
::: go with it.
::
:: Good choice Roger! My neighbour has the Cirrus and it's a
:: surprisingly
:: quick bike. The Sequoia will be even better. I've really enjoyed
:: being
:: back in to cycling for the last year, hopefully you will too. Also,
:: remember it gets MUCH easier once you've been doing it regularly.
::
:::
::: However, I have some questions for you biker-types. First, I don't
::: want to
::: try to put this bike inside my car. It won't fit easily in the
::: rear seat ( I have leather inside, so I don't want to go there
::: anyway) and I don't
::: think it will fit in the truck even with the back seat down.
::: Hence, I'm
::: going to buy a Yakama Might Joe bike rack that fits over the truck.
::: I have
::: to get this model since I have a spoiler on my 02 Camry SE and this
::: is the
::: only model the bike shop carries that will work with my car.
::: Anybody got
::: any notion about this? Without some rack, I'm going to be very
::: limited in
::: what I can do with this bike. I have already planned some rides at
::: a few
::: locations for this weekend (one is this huge packing lot where a
::: Sam's Club
::: used to be --- the building is now empty and few cars go into lot
::: -- so I'm
::: just going to ride ride ride....then on Sunday I'm going to a park
::: in the
::: city to ride there -- so I need a way to get the bike there). Also,
::: if I
::: remove the front tire, the rest of the bike still won't go in the
::: truck!
::: This Mighty Joe is costing me $130.
::
:: Can't help you here. My bike doesn't fit in either of my cars and no
:: racks available that I am happy with.
::
:::
::: Second, what kind of lock should I get? I wanted one of those
::: heavy U locks
::: rather than a cable lock. However, with two water bottles, there
::: isn't a
::: lot of room for a U lock. What shall I do there? And, do people
::: lock the
::: bike to the rack while it is attached to the car?
::
:: I have the same problem now that I have 2 water bottles. I have put
:: a
:: Blackburn Alumin(i)um rack on the back on the back and use bungee
:: cords
:: to hold my big D lock. I find this works fine. The website says
:: your
:: bike has the necessary mounting points for a rack.

Yes, I've held off on getting a rack for the bike for the time being. I'm
going to just keep the D lock in the truck if I can and have attached the
cable lock to the bike. We'll see how that goes.


::
:::
::: I'd like to thank those of you here who have encouraged me to get
::: into
::: biking. I haven't been on a real bike since age 12 (I'm 45 now).
::: It was a
::: bit shakey at first, but I seem to have "remembered" quickly. I
::: still don't
::: have all the skills back -- like riding with no hands and riding
::: standing up
::: on the peddles, but I hope those will return once I get in more
::: "saddle"
::: time
::
:: Riding no hands also requires the front wheel to not be out of true,
:: as
:: I found out last week at 30 mph. The frame geometry also makes a
:: difference to how easy it is.
::
:::
::: Oh, I'm wondering when my neck will get sore, as when I'm riding I
::: feel as
::: though I'm looking up at a tall building from very near it. How
::: does one
::: deal with that neck position? Options for changing head position
::: seem
::: limited...
:::
::
:: I found the stiff neck disappeared after a few days or regular
:: cycling.

I've got stiff neck right now, so I'll find out soon

::
::
:: Best of Luck
::

Thanks, Pete!

M.W. Smith wrote:
:: Roger Zoul wrote:
::: First, I don't want to try to put this bike inside my car.
::
:: It will be much better if you ride it wherever you go. I don't even
:: have
:: a car, so when I want to ride the bike, I get on and ride. I ride to
:: and
:: from work mainly.

Work is a 45 minute ride on freeways. I have no clue how far and long it
would take on a bike-friendly road. So I don't have this option.

Are there compelling reasons why you can't start
:: riding when you get the bike outside? It sounds like you are making
:: this
:: too complicated and setting yourself up not to ride.

No way!!! For what I spent, I'll be damned if I don't ride. I just sprung
for a rack. Problem solved, imo. Since you mentioned it, I don't consider
the path from here to anywhere very bike friendly. First, hills everywhere
(bad now, but not nearly so much later) but the right problem, as I see is,
is narrow roads and lots of cars. There are better and safer places I can
ride for now. On weekdays, I'm going to ride in the neighborhood, and
practice the hills and looking our for cars, etc. On weekends, I'll use the
rack to go to near nearby park that have several nice riding trails. There
is another location near the Donaldson Center than people regularly meet up
at for rides. And there are several other 25, 50, and 100-mile type tours
in this part of SC...so I'm planning on working up to my first 25 miler
soon.

::
::: Second, what kind of lock should I get? I wanted one of those
::: heavy U locks rather than a cable lock. However, with two water
::: bottles, there isn't a lot of room for a U lock. What shall I do
::: there? And, do people lock the bike to the rack while it is
::: attached to the car?
::
:: I use one of the flexible metal link locks you often see used by
:: motorcyclists.

Yes, that sounds like a good option. I saw one of those somewhere, but the
bike shop didn't have any. That seems pretty hard to defeat for your
typical hit-and-run bike thief.

Basically, if you are going to leave it somewhere you
:: have to lock it to a very substantial object. One practice is to
:: "age"
:: your bike by scraping it up and sanding it and repainting it so that
:: it
:: looks like ****. Thieves are less inclined to steel something that
:: looks
:: like ****.

Good idea. Of course, then it won't look good to me either

::
::: I'd like to thank those of you here who have encouraged me to get
::: into biking. I haven't been on a real bike since age 12 (I'm 45
::: now). It was a bit shakey at first, but I seem to have
::: "remembered" quickly. I still don't have all the skills back --
::: like riding with no hands and riding standing up on the peddles,
::: but I hope those will return once I get in more "saddle" time
::
:: Endeavor to avoid riding with no hands.

I hear ya. Not something I plan to do a lot, but it provides (to me) and
extra opporunity to stretch and I think it also says something about my
confidence and skill on the bike. That is really what I'm after with that
notion. I used to do this will no problem, but now I'm freaked by that
notion.

::
::: Oh, I'm wondering when my neck will get sore, as when I'm riding I
::: feel as though I'm looking up at a tall building from very near it.
::: How does one deal with that neck position? Options for changing
::: head position seem limited...
::
:: Well, that's why I would have bought a mountain bike rather than a
:: road
:: bike. My neck gets sore on road bikes. I ride a mountain bike with
:: the
:: handle bars set as I as possible. I also get better traction in the
:: winter, and I don't have to worry so much about uneven road surfaces.

Yeah, I hear ya. However, I didn't like the feel of the mountain bike. The
feel of it was very alien to me.