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I've just ridden home on my new mountain bike.
I used to ride for miles when I was a kid, but I'm in peices after riding the one mile from the shop.
I didn't realise I lived at the top of a mountain.
Mind you, it will be good fun riding down it again on my way to work in the morning.
Weeeeeee!
Seemed like a good idea at the time. It's murder getting parked at the office which is only two miles from my house.
The weather's getting better, mornings are lighter...
WHAT HAVE I DONE?
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote: Seemed like a good idea at the time. It's murder getting parked at the office which is only two miles from my house.
The weather's getting better, mornings are lighter...
WHAT HAVE I DONE?
Eh? Did you put your clock forward? Mornings are darker!
That's d-a-r-k-e-r.
It's the evenings which are lighter. Which is why I'm still at work - cos they haven't shut Regents Park yet and I can still walk to Camden through there, even at this time of night! (And maybe get mugged by a gang of 20 teenagers, but that's not he point)
The mornings are dead light up here anyway. By 7am you don't need your headlights, even now the clocks have gone back.
And the evenings go on forever.
By June we'll have 3 hours of darkness. It's not even proper darkness, it just goes a bit dim for a bit.
It's one of the advantages of living this far north.
In fact, it's the only advantage as far as I am aware!
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote: The mornings are dead light up here anyway. By 7am you don't need your headlights, even now the clocks have gone back.
Sun-up's at 6.30 in London at the moment, but it was 5.45 before the clocks went forward. D-a-r-k-e-r. 
Right, I'm off to gangbanged in the park by the Red Hang Gang. If you don't hear from me again, it was nice knowing you! 
Must stick with Biggie here, the mornings are in fact getting lighter, dawn comes earlier each day. The one off moving of clocks to defer this phenomenon is a man made nonsense, and only made it darker one day, those following days were lighter than the day on which the clocks went forward.
I can no longer ride a bike, owing to me sore bits, so I may pass no further comment on that.
the facts as i see them as i walk to work at 6.30 am is that it is DARKER than it was a week or 2 ago, it wil of course get lighter but for now, it is indeed,darker.
eldorado wrote: the facts as i see them as i walk to work at 6.30 am is that it is DARKER than it was a week or 2 ago, it wil of course get lighter but for now, it is indeed,darker.
Yes, BUT, today was lighter than yesterday, and darker than tomorrow. So the mornings are getting lighter, except for one morning, last Sunday. And of course the time from sunset to sunrise is decreasing daily.
Dawn is now visible here from as early as just after 5.
Just been out for half an hour, just to get the feel of it.
I'm knackered! i didn't realise I lived at the bottom of a steep hill. It's uphill everywhere round here.
And those bloody speed humps motorists don't look where they're going fucking third rate citizens us cyclists I pay my taxes just like everyone else it's a disgrace I tell you.
Lance Armstrong must be shitting himself!
I were right about that saddle though
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote: my new mountain bike.... Weeeeeee!
Good job there, Biggie. But you should swap out those mountain bike knobbie tyres for some commuter slicks-- they're far more efficient.
Comrade Shampanyov wrote:
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote: my new mountain bike.... Weeeeeee!
Good job there, Biggie. But you should swap out those mountain bike knobbie tyres for some commuter slicks-- they're far more efficient.
How are they on wet and greasy roads?
Over here, and where the bigster is, after a few dry days, a little light rain can create what amounts to a lubricating layer betwixed wheel and road, you can near go on yer hole on foot it's that bad. It's basically dust and condensed fuel vapoour that stays cohesive until water gets in on the act.
I know a lot of roads stateside are concrete and that in general they're built a little differnet. So I just wonder if the same thing happens and if slicks are terrifying in such conditions.
Otherwise they sound like a fuckin fabulous idea.
Well, there is the whole, business of this being the UK and it being pissing wet 350 days of the year too.
Comrade Shampanyov wrote: Good job there, Biggie. But you should swap out those mountain bike knobbie tyres for some commuter slicks-- they're far more efficient.
The guy in the shop, bless him, wanted to sell me a COMMUTER BIKE.
He was certainly right that it was the best choice for me, being a commuter and everything.
But I'm a non-reformed Tonka nut. I wanted knobbly tyres, suspension, disk brakes and low gears. In the end he shrugged and sold me what I wanted. It's got a flashing light on too.
It's a boy's bike. Like Roysers.
Oh dear.
I'm having a mid-life crisis, aren't I!
I was very close to buying a BMX.
Doctor? wrote:
Comrade Shampanyov wrote:
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote: my new mountain bike.... Weeeeeee!
Good job there, Biggie. But you should swap out those mountain bike knobbie tyres for some commuter slicks-- they're far more efficient.
How are they on wet and greasy roads?
Over here, and where the bigster is, after a few dry days, a little light rain can create what amounts to a lubricating layer betwixed wheel and road, you can near go on yer hole on foot it's that bad. It's basically dust and condensed fuel vapoour that stays cohesive until water gets in on the act.
I know a lot of roads stateside are concrete and that in general they're built a little differnet. So I just wonder if the same thing happens and if slicks are terrifying in such conditions.
Otherwise they sound like a fuckin fabulous idea.
Well, there is the whole, business of this being the UK and it being pissing wet 350 days of the year too.
I'm not sure about the "greasy" part, but some commuter tyres do admirably well on wet roads. Don't forget, here in Portland, the bike capital of America, it rains from October through May. Check with your local bike shop, I'm sure they can recommend tyres suitable for wet roads.
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote:
Comrade Shampanyov wrote: Good job there, Biggie. But you should swap out those mountain bike knobbie tyres for some commuter slicks-- they're far more efficient.
The guy in the shop, bless him, wanted to sell me a COMMUTER BIKE.
He was certainly right that it was the best choice for me, being a commuter and everything.
Yes, he was. But you can still commute on your mountain bike (although if you have low-quality shocks, they will make the ride less efficient because they transfer some of the energy from your crankset to a useless up-and-down motion), and even more efficiently with the proper tyres. If you'd like, get a second wheelset, and use one set for efficient commuting, another set for your midlife crisis stunt-biking.
The main purpose of the exercise (see what I did there) is to get a little fitter. So a slightly less efficient bike isn't really a problem as it delivers a bit more of a workout on my ride to work (which is only 2 miles so hardly the Tour de France).
This next bit is disgusting. Don't read it if you're eating and don't say you weren't warned...
My office is surrounded by cobbled streets I pass several fish factories on my route through this area. So the cobbles are covered with a lovely greasy fishy paste. I sometimes tail slide my car around in this solution when it's late and there's no parked cars around. So I imagine my knobbles and suspension (front only) will come in handy there.
The front forks have adjustable tension but, honestly, I'm sure I'm some way off needing to optimise my bike in this way. It's just a way of getting some exercise, beating the traffic and never having to worry about parking.
...and it gives me an excuse to ram a large piece of chamois down the front of my kecks, obviously 
Comrade Shampanyov wrote:
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote:
Comrade Shampanyov wrote: Good job there, Biggie. But you should swap out those mountain bike knobbie tyres for some commuter slicks-- they're far more efficient.
The guy in the shop, bless him, wanted to sell me a COMMUTER BIKE.
He was certainly right that it was the best choice for me, being a commuter and everything.
Yes, he was. But you can still commute on your mountain bike (although if you have low-quality shocks, they will make the ride less efficient because they transfer some of the energy from your crankset to a useless up-and-down motion), and even more efficiently with the proper tyres. If you'd like, get a second wheelset, and use one set for efficient commuting, another set for your midlife crisis stunt-biking.
That only goes for rear shocks, front shocks don't effect yer efficiency (unless they are not set right)... but they make it easier on the elbows.
I'm all about them hardtails
Street bikes are for girlie-men
EdelBrock wrote:
Comrade Shampanyov wrote:
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote:
Comrade Shampanyov wrote: Good job there, Biggie. But you should swap out those mountain bike knobbie tyres for some commuter slicks-- they're far more efficient.
The guy in the shop, bless him, wanted to sell me a COMMUTER BIKE.
He was certainly right that it was the best choice for me, being a commuter and everything.
Yes, he was. But you can still commute on your mountain bike (although if you have low-quality shocks, they will make the ride less efficient because they transfer some of the energy from your crankset to a useless up-and-down motion), and even more efficiently with the proper tyres. If you'd like, get a second wheelset, and use one set for efficient commuting, another set for your midlife crisis stunt-biking.
That only goes for rear shocks, front shocks don't effect yer efficiency (unless they are not set right)...
Stand behind one headed uphill on a city street and watch the up-and-down bounce.
Now admittedly, a good set of shocks won't do that.
EdelBrock wrote: but they make it easier on the elbows.
Street bikes are for girlie-men
First he complains about how hard it is to ride without shocks, and then he calls guys who ride without shocks "girlie-men."
Never ridden a bike equipped with shocks in my life, mind.
I think you missed it, hardtails are bikes with only front shocks.... and still mountian bikes.....
FACT: street bikes are....well.....bikes for girlie-men
EdelBrock wrote: I think you missed it, hardtails are bikes with only front shocks.... and still mountian bikes.....
FACT: street bikes are....well.....bikes for girlie-men
I know what a hardtail is, but really, aren't you the one who missed it? You complained that it's hard to ride without shocks...And then called guys who ride without shocks "girlie-men."
Must be in the Republican genetic code, always getting everything bass-ackwards.
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote: The mornings are dead light up here anyway. By 7am you don't need your headlights, even now the clocks have gone back.
And the evenings go on forever.
By June we'll have 3 hours of darkness. It's not even proper darkness, it just goes a bit dim for a bit.
It's one of the advantages of living this far north.
In fact, it's the only advantage as far as I am aware!
What about the sheep?
Shug wrote:
Biggest Thing on Two Wheels wrote: The mornings are dead light up here anyway. By 7am you don't need your headlights, even now the clocks have gone back.
And the evenings go on forever.
By June we'll have 3 hours of darkness. It's not even proper darkness, it just goes a bit dim for a bit.
It's one of the advantages of living this far north.
In fact, it's the only advantage as far as I am aware!
What about the sheep?
Aberdeen - Where men are men,
and sheep are nervous....
Sheep are too easy
We've moved onto Llamas now, it's the south american influence - latino animals
