There's a new bike boom happening

Actually, there is a lower form of life. Politicians.

 

If it takes more then a half hour to an hour to bike to a shop, your rural. You don't have to be inner city for cycling to be a usable mode of transportation. I live in a "city" of 68k and if I worked here in the city, then using a bike would be perfectly fine.

 

then you can peddle your ass off all you want but I'm not going to ride a bike for four miles because i need a loaf of bread and no i dont live in a rural area
and defiantly not in the summer when temps reach 100 plus

 

Sure. Then don't get one. Just don't assume your the majority.

 

There's quite a bit of opportunity to rent bikes these days. If possible rent before you buy, see what it's like where it's practical for you to ride and where you would like to ride. If you don't find the locality enjoyable a $5000 bike won't make much difference.

There's nothing wrong with buying an el cheapo big box bike to find that out either. If you sell it you won't lose that much.

 

This is my first bicycle I bought in 2011. I got sick and my Dr. told me if I didn't change my ways, my quality of life was going to decline real fast. So I quit smoking cold turkey after 40 years, quit drinking, and quit getting high. I am convinced I would be dead had I not done this.

The bike cost $345 new and I had to put a few mods on it. I had to upgrade the brace bearing and the back wheel is a double wall rim, and it has an after market seat. Other than that it only got regular maintenance, cables, chain, brake pads, tires...

This bike is now in storage.


Here is my second bike. It is a Cannondale cross country/mountain bike I bought for single track. The pic is in my friends new bike shop. We have a deal, I do his carpentry and neon for free and he fixes my bike for free. I evens out well. We are both happy.

This bike is almost completely stock. I had to put new discs on the brakes and a new seat, but that's about it.

I paid $750 for this one, dealers cost.



Here is a pic of my Cannondale at the single track. I got a pretty good gash on my thigh that day. I have since changed the tires to a smooth tread and only ride it on the bike trail. Single track is too dangerous at my old age. I just don't heal as quickly as I used to.



I also have a 1983 Fuji Boulevard i picked up at a second hand store and restored. I paid $60 for it and put another $80 in to it. It has the friction shifters on the handlebars. I like them so much I'm thinking of putting them on my Cannondale. It is a kind bike to ride. It pretty much wants to go straight. Good for leisurely rides.

I ride at least 8 miles every day the weather permits. I owe my life to my bikes.

Edit: I also have some awesome pics of Cross Country Skiing, Kayaking, and Fishing.

 

Agreed, there comes a point when it gets ridiculous. Before I started building bikes, I had a hardtail MB I had over 2K in. Surly troll framest, 500$ pair of Mavic, tubeless DH race rims another 500$. Avid Elixer hydraulics, 100$ X 2. A Rock Shox fork, 380$, Race Face evolve crank, think that was 160$. Handelbar and stem, maybe 100$ (this was a decade ago) pedals were 60$, headset bearings were 80$. The bike shop seen me coming and going, never again.

And you are right, it rode not much better than a 500$ bike, except that front fork, had 4 inches of travel and remote lockout and oversized sliders(?) A good suspension fork will set you back some dough.

 

I'm with you on the single track, getting older. Used to ride Flatwoods park (sounds super exciting terrain, huhh?) just outside of Tampa. 7 mile paved loop (great for those Tampa hotties roller blading in bikinis ) and a 15 off road loop thru Fl pinewoods and swamp. Some sections absolutely beat your ass with palmetto roots. There are a few good MB parks in Fl that are old phosphate mineland, that I have ridden, Santos being best IMO.

Also a fan of friction shifters. Index shifting was mostly just to make money, sure they make it easy for novices but how hard was it? Now the have bluetooth electric shifting if you want to spend a grand or 2. Only advantage I see is you can upshift under load.

 

The nice big open space with winding walkways and hills where I walk my dog everyday has pretty much been taken over with overweight 40 year olds on dirt bikes, and their dirt bike kids. I'd rather see them on the streets where they belong.

 

It looks as though you don't have a bike just now... ?

 

If you are unable to ride a bicycle four miles, you should probably avoid bread.

 

And there's nothing wrong with spending money on a bike that you want. I started on a $75 bike from Target, after I broke that, I got my "dream bike". The fork on my Titus was an $800 dollar fork retail. To say that there is "little difference" between an $800 fork and a $100 fork, well it's not accurate.

Spend it man, it's only money.

 

Giant is cool, although looking closely I think you have your chain crossed up. Gonna snap that sucker if you don't stop doing that.

Cannondale is cool too, I like the WTB tires you have on there. You should keep the rubber side up more often though. J/T

I'm 53 and lo0o0ove single track, don't give up on it man.

How do you put $80 into a '83 Fuji?

 

I have my e-bike, a crappy hybrid, the Gunnar Sport and a custom bike I call Long Ride.

My wife has only one bike, it's a Rivendell.

 

If we were closer I'd take you riding and see if I couldn't change your mind about a couple things.

 

I knew a guy who had a Gunnar, nice bike! He had his set up as a single speed. We would ride the main loop here in Austin's Walnut Creek but we'd go backwards against the direction of flow, made it harder that way. >

 

FB, you should take these bikes to a more scenic setting and take some good photos of them. Right now it looks like you snapped the pics as you strolled past. Show them off a bit man, they're cool.

 

Et tu, Brute? Just don't fall down, single track is the easiest form of trail riding there is. Well, except for paved trails, lol. Shifting under load will get you a snapped chain.

Friction shifters not gonna help on the Hill of Life.

https://rootsrated.com/stories/hill-of-life-trail

 

3K miles on a $500 single speed. Is it a track bike? I am dubious.

 

My yard, hell you did not even see my beer can pile and junk piles. All my tools (well, my fabricating tools) lay in a heap on a benchtop. We live in a mother in laws with a covered porch and patio slab. Not much room but at least it's outta the rain. Those were laptop pics

 

Wish I lived closer to the old mines, converted to trails. This is 200 miles north of me, been there twice. Those new bluetooth shifters claim to shift under load, for a grand or two.

 

Looks kinda like Texas.

We have Spider Mountain Bike Park here. They even have a ski lift to take you to the top. Annual lift ticket is like $600 though.

 

Actually now that I think about it, it has way more miles than that. It's just like in the link, but a single speed set up....29" all terrain tires. I used to run 4 miles/day, 6 days a week coupled with a 12-15 mile bike ride as well. So when you ride 80 miles a week, it adds up. 99% paved roads and trails/mixed hilly and flat.

If I had a road bike, I'd have to do 200 miles a week to match the single speed. Gears and cardio don't go together.

 

Thanks for getting back to me, where do you ride most often? Just around the neighborhood or a track or ... ?

 

I have a nice, fully rigid, SS mountain bike. It was 500$. Shame, it hardly gets ridden. My recumbent is just to damn comfy and can carry tons of cargo. The SS is at least 5 years old, maybe 300 miles. When I first moved here a decade ago, I rode about 30 miles a day, near every day. Since the wife had a disabling stroke, I only ride about 5 miles a day. I have done a century on loaded touring bikes within 12 hours, 6 times in my life, stealth camp touring.