Celebrating 40 years of bike commuting this year! WARNING: Long post!
01-18-10, 04:18 PM
#1
----
Thread Starter
Celebrating 40 years of bike commuting this year! WARNING: Long post!
This is my 40th year of bike commuting! I've pretty much biked to every job I've had since 1969. I've used a bike for a large share of my overall transportation purposes (in addition to tons of touring and racing over the years as well.) I have no idea how many miles this adds up to but it's been rare that I've done less than 6,000 miles in a year. This is me back in 1969-
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Here are 40 things I've learned in that time. So that it won't take 40 years to read the post
I've highlighted things so you can look at what interests you or not:
1) Racing will make you very fast and fit as long as you keep racing.
2) Touring will make you really strong and build endurance while you tour and for a few months afterwards.
3) BUT it is Commuting to work and biking for transportation that will keep you fit for life.
4) Aerodynamic positioning does make a difference in speed and effort.
5) The weight of revolving components, including shoes, does make a difference in speed and effort.
6) Frame geometry and frame "stiffness" does affect your ride.
7) Frame weight, overall bike weight and weight of non-rotating components is vastly over rated.
8) Keeping your tires pumped to max. pressure, wheels trued, brakes adjusted and chain lubed will do more to maximize your efficiency than buying lots of expensive crap.
9) Layering really does work and will keep you warm and give you more options to cool off.
10) Wearing a back pack while biking gets old pretty fast- carrying weight on the bike as opposed to the body saves energy and pain.
11) Helmets are a personal choice- unless you're someone's parent or loved one it's not worth the energy to get into endless arguments regarding their worth and whether a cyclist should wear one. I choose to wear one every time I ride.
12) Rain gear is to getting wet as cures are to the common cold- they may or may not work. Spending lots of $$ for rain gear is not a guarantee that it will work. But staying dry while riding is really important. E-vent and Gore Tex products are expensive and do offer some of the best protection from the elements but some of the stuff you can buy at a Wal-mart or a hunting store will work pretty well for far less money.
13) Warm and dry hands and feet are also critical. Thin gloves as a base and layering up to a mitten with a waterproof shell is the best for extreme cold and wet. Shoe covers are great.
14) The most underrated cold weather gear is the: BALACLAVA. For all cold weather riding buy a good, versatile, balaclava- in fact, buy two, they get lost.
15) Cycling specific clothing like lycra shorts with seat padding and jerseys are great for long rides, tours, training, races etc but not at all necessary for most commutes and transportation purposes.
16) Cycling shoes: For racing get as light and stiff a shoe as possible. For commuting and touring I like Keens or a good MTB shoe with a more flexible sole for walking but it's the one piece of cycling specific clothing I use pretty much all the time- except in extreme winter riding when I just wear a big hiking boot.
17) Studded tires are fantastic and really do work and will keep you riding through many a tough winter.
18) Lights on a transportation bike are a must. Expensive lighting kits are just that- expensive. Lots of wattage is impressive in a brightness pissing contest but for about $25 you can buy a decent front light, for another $12 you can buy rechargeable batteries and a charger, and for another $15 you can get a really good rear blinkie/taillight. There are many more inexpensive options to what I described and lots of options if you are willing to put your own time and creativity to work to make your own light kit. And generators are also an option. But whatever- a light is simply a must- that way if you get hit at night, even if your light is as the dim as the bulb that just hit you, you can always say, "What's the matter couldn't you see my light?"
19) Make yourself as visible as possible on the bike. Or at least as visible as you can stand being. Bright colors do work. Yellow, as much as I can't stand looking like "Big Bird", does work. I was a "ninja" type for years- now I'm over it.
20) Assume "invisibility". This does not mean be invisible- see above ^. It means no matter what signal a driver gives you, looking you directly in the eye, even waving you to go ahead assume that you are still invisible to them. If there is anything after 40 years of riding that I've learned it is this. If you do get in an accident you'll find out- practically every driver will use the excuse, "I never saw them!" Drivers have selective blindness when it comes to bike riders.
21) Keeping your line of vision up and ahead of you- watching where you are riding is critical. Looking down only at the road is a mistake beginner riders and exhausted riders make that can be costly.
22) When riding on the road- keeping "as far right as practicable" means as far to the left as you see fit. Take the whole lane if you need it. And, obviously, ride with the flow of traffic."WATCH OUT FOR CAR DOORS"
23) Don't play politics with your riding on every single ride- it's exhausting and will wear you down. Save it for advocacy organizations and town meetings and if you do join groups like Critical Mass or other forms of protest more power to you but making every ride into a personal campaign to change the world takes a lot of the fun out of biking. I say this out of personal experience. I used to be a far more, dare I say "assertive", rider- now I just shut up and ride- it says all I need to say to drivers. Fights suck.
24) Riding on MUP's, bike paths and bike trails can be fantastic- for commuting, for recreation, for tours etc. But they sometimes require modifications to riding style. Slow down when they're busy and don't use them if it's too crowded for your particular riding style or needs. I've learned to love bike paths- being as far away from cars is a relief at times.
25) The politics of "Vehicular Cycling", in it's most fundamentalist form, has been far more detrimental to cycling advocacy than anything I have seen in all my years of being a conscientiously involved cyclist. It has, at times, divided the cycling community and often slowed or halted any real progress or reform. Feel free to debate this opinion in A&S, open another thread in A&S about it but it's something I learned in my 40 years of riding and I have to say it.
26) Spinning at a higher RPM is way better than grinding gears. 90 rpm's is a really nice rhythm.
27) Mountain bikes didn't exist when I started riding. I love them. A great invention.
28) Clipless pedals!
29) Aero Bars for time trialing! (but can do a number on your lower back)
30) 10 speeds on one cassette!
31) The Netherlands is a bike riders' heaven.
32) Riding cross country is a life changing experience. (I've done it 3 times now)
33) Wind can be your biggest ally or your biggest challenge. But it will make you a stronger rider. Learn to love a headwind as much as a tailwind.
34) Up hills- spin, spin, spin, stay seated for most of the climb and stand when needed for extra short term power.
35) Pedal stroke- with clipless pedals or toe clips thinking "UP" on the pedal stoke as much as down.
36) Custom bikes- my daily ride is an off the floor REI Novarra but the bike I've ridden on road rides for the past 34 years is a custom steel frame with all updated Campy components. Nothing rides like a well made custom bike and the people who build them are great artists. Good bikes are a work of art.
37) Triple Chain rings for the minimal weight addition of an extra chain ring are great on a road bike but you won't look too macho to some riders unless you can power up the hill better than they can on their double.
38) Single Speeds and Fixed Gears are great for simplicity and keeping good cadence. But any bike can be a single speed if you don't shift and any bike can be a fixed gear if you don't stop pedaling. And fixed gears without proper brakes are just a broken chain away from catastrophe and I've watched it happen and it ain't pretty. But SS/FG's are the best of example of how little you really need to make a great bike.
39) Folding bikes I bought my first folder 40 years ago and continue to own one. Worth having in your stable.
40) Ride your own ride. The more you ride the faster you'll get. The faster you get the more you'll ride....Do what makes you happy. Bikes are an improvisation on wheels. Explore the unexplored spaces. Let a bike take you places you could never go in a car.
[IMG]
[/IMG]Here are 40 things I've learned in that time. So that it won't take 40 years to read the post
I've highlighted things so you can look at what interests you or not:1) Racing will make you very fast and fit as long as you keep racing.
2) Touring will make you really strong and build endurance while you tour and for a few months afterwards.
3) BUT it is Commuting to work and biking for transportation that will keep you fit for life.
4) Aerodynamic positioning does make a difference in speed and effort.
5) The weight of revolving components, including shoes, does make a difference in speed and effort.
6) Frame geometry and frame "stiffness" does affect your ride.
7) Frame weight, overall bike weight and weight of non-rotating components is vastly over rated.
8) Keeping your tires pumped to max. pressure, wheels trued, brakes adjusted and chain lubed will do more to maximize your efficiency than buying lots of expensive crap.
9) Layering really does work and will keep you warm and give you more options to cool off.
10) Wearing a back pack while biking gets old pretty fast- carrying weight on the bike as opposed to the body saves energy and pain.
11) Helmets are a personal choice- unless you're someone's parent or loved one it's not worth the energy to get into endless arguments regarding their worth and whether a cyclist should wear one. I choose to wear one every time I ride.
12) Rain gear is to getting wet as cures are to the common cold- they may or may not work. Spending lots of $$ for rain gear is not a guarantee that it will work. But staying dry while riding is really important. E-vent and Gore Tex products are expensive and do offer some of the best protection from the elements but some of the stuff you can buy at a Wal-mart or a hunting store will work pretty well for far less money.
13) Warm and dry hands and feet are also critical. Thin gloves as a base and layering up to a mitten with a waterproof shell is the best for extreme cold and wet. Shoe covers are great.
14) The most underrated cold weather gear is the: BALACLAVA. For all cold weather riding buy a good, versatile, balaclava- in fact, buy two, they get lost.
15) Cycling specific clothing like lycra shorts with seat padding and jerseys are great for long rides, tours, training, races etc but not at all necessary for most commutes and transportation purposes.
16) Cycling shoes: For racing get as light and stiff a shoe as possible. For commuting and touring I like Keens or a good MTB shoe with a more flexible sole for walking but it's the one piece of cycling specific clothing I use pretty much all the time- except in extreme winter riding when I just wear a big hiking boot.
17) Studded tires are fantastic and really do work and will keep you riding through many a tough winter.
18) Lights on a transportation bike are a must. Expensive lighting kits are just that- expensive. Lots of wattage is impressive in a brightness pissing contest but for about $25 you can buy a decent front light, for another $12 you can buy rechargeable batteries and a charger, and for another $15 you can get a really good rear blinkie/taillight. There are many more inexpensive options to what I described and lots of options if you are willing to put your own time and creativity to work to make your own light kit. And generators are also an option. But whatever- a light is simply a must- that way if you get hit at night, even if your light is as the dim as the bulb that just hit you, you can always say, "What's the matter couldn't you see my light?"
19) Make yourself as visible as possible on the bike. Or at least as visible as you can stand being. Bright colors do work. Yellow, as much as I can't stand looking like "Big Bird", does work. I was a "ninja" type for years- now I'm over it.
20) Assume "invisibility". This does not mean be invisible- see above ^. It means no matter what signal a driver gives you, looking you directly in the eye, even waving you to go ahead assume that you are still invisible to them. If there is anything after 40 years of riding that I've learned it is this. If you do get in an accident you'll find out- practically every driver will use the excuse, "I never saw them!" Drivers have selective blindness when it comes to bike riders.
21) Keeping your line of vision up and ahead of you- watching where you are riding is critical. Looking down only at the road is a mistake beginner riders and exhausted riders make that can be costly.
22) When riding on the road- keeping "as far right as practicable" means as far to the left as you see fit. Take the whole lane if you need it. And, obviously, ride with the flow of traffic."WATCH OUT FOR CAR DOORS"
23) Don't play politics with your riding on every single ride- it's exhausting and will wear you down. Save it for advocacy organizations and town meetings and if you do join groups like Critical Mass or other forms of protest more power to you but making every ride into a personal campaign to change the world takes a lot of the fun out of biking. I say this out of personal experience. I used to be a far more, dare I say "assertive", rider- now I just shut up and ride- it says all I need to say to drivers. Fights suck.
24) Riding on MUP's, bike paths and bike trails can be fantastic- for commuting, for recreation, for tours etc. But they sometimes require modifications to riding style. Slow down when they're busy and don't use them if it's too crowded for your particular riding style or needs. I've learned to love bike paths- being as far away from cars is a relief at times.
25) The politics of "Vehicular Cycling", in it's most fundamentalist form, has been far more detrimental to cycling advocacy than anything I have seen in all my years of being a conscientiously involved cyclist. It has, at times, divided the cycling community and often slowed or halted any real progress or reform. Feel free to debate this opinion in A&S, open another thread in A&S about it but it's something I learned in my 40 years of riding and I have to say it.
26) Spinning at a higher RPM is way better than grinding gears. 90 rpm's is a really nice rhythm.
27) Mountain bikes didn't exist when I started riding. I love them. A great invention.
28) Clipless pedals!
29) Aero Bars for time trialing! (but can do a number on your lower back)
30) 10 speeds on one cassette!
31) The Netherlands is a bike riders' heaven.
32) Riding cross country is a life changing experience. (I've done it 3 times now)
33) Wind can be your biggest ally or your biggest challenge. But it will make you a stronger rider. Learn to love a headwind as much as a tailwind.
34) Up hills- spin, spin, spin, stay seated for most of the climb and stand when needed for extra short term power.
35) Pedal stroke- with clipless pedals or toe clips thinking "UP" on the pedal stoke as much as down.
36) Custom bikes- my daily ride is an off the floor REI Novarra but the bike I've ridden on road rides for the past 34 years is a custom steel frame with all updated Campy components. Nothing rides like a well made custom bike and the people who build them are great artists. Good bikes are a work of art.
37) Triple Chain rings for the minimal weight addition of an extra chain ring are great on a road bike but you won't look too macho to some riders unless you can power up the hill better than they can on their double.
38) Single Speeds and Fixed Gears are great for simplicity and keeping good cadence. But any bike can be a single speed if you don't shift and any bike can be a fixed gear if you don't stop pedaling. And fixed gears without proper brakes are just a broken chain away from catastrophe and I've watched it happen and it ain't pretty. But SS/FG's are the best of example of how little you really need to make a great bike.
39) Folding bikes I bought my first folder 40 years ago and continue to own one. Worth having in your stable.
40) Ride your own ride. The more you ride the faster you'll get. The faster you get the more you'll ride....Do what makes you happy. Bikes are an improvisation on wheels. Explore the unexplored spaces. Let a bike take you places you could never go in a car.
01-18-10, 04:37 PM
#2
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Forty years! Wow, that is impressive. Thanks for your words of wisdom. There not an item that I disagree with. I started blke commuting when I entered college in 1972 and continued through my studies, but unfortunately stopped when I started working. However, I started bike commuting again 3 years ago, and can't believe I didn't do it sooner.
. What more is there to say?
01-18-10, 05:50 PM
#5
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
+ 40
I have been a dedicated cyclist for over thirty years although there have been spells when I only rode recreationally and a few seasons where I hardly rode and had a long affair with motorcycles.
Great post.
I have been a dedicated cyclist for over thirty years although there have been spells when I only rode recreationally and a few seasons where I hardly rode and had a long affair with motorcycles.
Great post.
01-18-10, 06:07 PM
#6
genec
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Great stuff... and in my 40 or so years of cycling, I have to say your list is about the same as my list... with a couple of minor exceptions.
I like good lighting. I played with all sorts of lighting over the years, from strobes to generator systems, and frankly if you want to light up the road well enough to see, while you are traveling at 20MPH or so, you need good lighting... and the best stuff seems to be expensive. I have an expensive system on my commuter, but I refuse to buy their even more expensive batteries. I also have redundant cheap lighting which I consider "see me" lighting...
This other item I fully agree with, and have gone round and round with some individuals to the point of saying GFL and walking away.
I have long called cycling "being in the Casper mode." Drivers that believe in cyclists will see us, drivers that don't believe in cyclists won't see you. I have had drivers look right at me as I was crossing in front of the hood of their car, and they step on the accelerator... and then... only then, their eyes pop wide open and you see the realization of what their eyes are really telling them.
No you are not technically invisible, nor do you act like it... but the bottom line is that at times, you have to realize that to some people, you are just not there.
And as for the VC stuff... I have to fully agree. Yeah I am a vehicular cyclist... that really is the only way to get around in most of America... but at the same time... dammit... the political nonsense is just that, nonsense. I am fed up and tired of the "logical" arguments and "rights" arguments that tend to form the basis of so much VC agenda... I have seen wonderful facilities and I have seen crappy facilities... and I have seen whole towns that have bike paths that are just fantastic. But it all comes down to just wanting space and recognition on the road. It really is that simple. Or to paraphrase Jackson Browne... "all I want to do is ride..."
Happy 40, and here is to 40 more.
I like good lighting. I played with all sorts of lighting over the years, from strobes to generator systems, and frankly if you want to light up the road well enough to see, while you are traveling at 20MPH or so, you need good lighting... and the best stuff seems to be expensive. I have an expensive system on my commuter, but I refuse to buy their even more expensive batteries. I also have redundant cheap lighting which I consider "see me" lighting...
This other item I fully agree with, and have gone round and round with some individuals to the point of saying GFL and walking away.
Assume "invisibility". This does not mean be invisible- see above ^. It means no matter what signal a driver gives you, looking you directly in the eye, even waving you to go ahead assume that you are still invisible to them. If there is anything after 40 years of riding that I've learned it is this. If you do get in an accident you'll find out- practically every driver will use the excuse, "I never saw them!" Drivers have selective blindness when it comes to bike riders.
No you are not technically invisible, nor do you act like it... but the bottom line is that at times, you have to realize that to some people, you are just not there.
And as for the VC stuff... I have to fully agree. Yeah I am a vehicular cyclist... that really is the only way to get around in most of America... but at the same time... dammit... the political nonsense is just that, nonsense. I am fed up and tired of the "logical" arguments and "rights" arguments that tend to form the basis of so much VC agenda... I have seen wonderful facilities and I have seen crappy facilities... and I have seen whole towns that have bike paths that are just fantastic. But it all comes down to just wanting space and recognition on the road. It really is that simple. Or to paraphrase Jackson Browne... "all I want to do is ride..."
Happy 40, and here is to 40 more.
01-18-10, 06:07 PM
#7
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Great post! congrats on 40 years!
one thing though, on your SS/FG section. I agree about any bike being a SS if you don't shift, but a FG is different. The connectivity you get from it is great for crappy conditions like rain where you can really dial down your speed without risking your wheel slipping. Any dedicated foul-weather bike I ever own will be FG with at least a front brake, but that's the only time I'd ride one.
one thing though, on your SS/FG section. I agree about any bike being a SS if you don't shift, but a FG is different. The connectivity you get from it is great for crappy conditions like rain where you can really dial down your speed without risking your wheel slipping. Any dedicated foul-weather bike I ever own will be FG with at least a front brake, but that's the only time I'd ride one.
01-18-10, 06:23 PM
#8
----
Thread Starter
Great post! congrats on 40 years!
one thing though, on your SS/FG section. I agree about any bike being a SS if you don't shift, but a FG is different. The connectivity you get from it is great for crappy conditions like rain where you can really dial down your speed without risking your wheel slipping. Any dedicated foul-weather bike I ever own will be FG with at least a front brake, but that's the only time I'd ride one.
one thing though, on your SS/FG section. I agree about any bike being a SS if you don't shift, but a FG is different. The connectivity you get from it is great for crappy conditions like rain where you can really dial down your speed without risking your wheel slipping. Any dedicated foul-weather bike I ever own will be FG with at least a front brake, but that's the only time I'd ride one.
You're spot on about the connectivity you get from a FG- it's a great feeling of control and it's true nothing really compares to it- didn't mean to dismiss it.
01-18-10, 07:00 PM
#9
Jet Jockey
Run the math through "analytic cycling", and they'd disagree with some of your physics here. It's certainly worth a read.
__________________
Good night...and good luck
Good night...and good luck
01-18-10, 07:29 PM
#10
----
Thread Starter
For the difference in rotating weight try this experiment. Put on a pair of ankle weights on your ankles and ride a flat course of any length. Ride it as fast as you can. Now give yourself time to rest, take off the ankle weights and fasten them securely on the bike. Ride the same course. For even more fun- try it now on a steep up hill course.
01-18-10, 08:00 PM
#11
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This is my 40th year of bike commuting! I've pretty much biked to every job I've had since 1969. I've used a bike for a large share of my overall transportation purposes (in addition to tons of touring and racing over the years as well.) I have no idea how many miles this adds up to but it's been rare that I've done less than 6,000 miles in a year…
Congratulations on those forty years and all that advice. I’m pleased to have made your acquaintance on Bikeforums, and I’m glad you are a fellow Bostonian (even a Newtonian is cool too). I consider you the elder statesman of BF. Whenever I get a chance to ride along with a cyclist of the appropriate age and gender I encounter around here, I always think, maybe it’s buzzman. I quote you frequently, and just today referred to the Cult of the Bike Fanatics.
100+ on everything else.
Sincerely,
Jim from Boston
01-18-10, 08:10 PM
#12
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Forty years - what an accomplishment, congratulations. I read your advise carefully, and took it seriously, after all you have the time-proven credentials!
Lots made sense what you said, I do have a question, however, regarding lights: I do have to say I filled up my bladder to be ready for the pissing contest, but if I understand you correctly, you are saying that high-powered lights are overrated? I always was under the impression, you can't have enough. And 19) seems to contradict 18), I realize you're talking about reflective gear, but doesn't visibility also mean wattage? So what lights are you using currently, and why? So what's wrong with a brighter light?
Could you elaborate on that point.
Thanks and a big congratulations again!!
Lots made sense what you said, I do have a question, however, regarding lights: I do have to say I filled up my bladder to be ready for the pissing contest, but if I understand you correctly, you are saying that high-powered lights are overrated? I always was under the impression, you can't have enough. And 19) seems to contradict 18), I realize you're talking about reflective gear, but doesn't visibility also mean wattage? So what lights are you using currently, and why? So what's wrong with a brighter light?
Could you elaborate on that point.
Thanks and a big congratulations again!!
01-18-10, 08:47 PM
#13
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Thanks so much for this post. Great information.
BTW, I so agree about a balaclava, and not just for biking. If you get a good one that can easily covert from gaiter to beanie, to mask, to whatever, it is quite possibly the best piece of winter gear ever. I have a couple cheap ones that work ok, and will probably buy a nice one like the Ninjaclava as well.
Thanks again, and congratulations!
BTW, I so agree about a balaclava, and not just for biking. If you get a good one that can easily covert from gaiter to beanie, to mask, to whatever, it is quite possibly the best piece of winter gear ever. I have a couple cheap ones that work ok, and will probably buy a nice one like the Ninjaclava as well.
Thanks again, and congratulations!
01-18-10, 09:15 PM
#14
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That was a great post. I am certain I will RE: parts of it for some time to come here at BF.
I am in my 36th year of commuting. 20 years car free. I hope to make it to 40 and beyond.
Congrats to you! Nicely done sir!
I am in my 36th year of commuting. 20 years car free. I hope to make it to 40 and beyond.
Congrats to you! Nicely done sir!
01-18-10, 09:24 PM
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Wow! Congratulations!
I Pretty much agree with everything you said, but might have phrased some some stuff differently.
All in all, excellent post, should be made a sticky.
I Pretty much agree with everything you said, but might have phrased some some stuff differently.
All in all, excellent post, should be made a sticky.
01-18-10, 09:47 PM
#16
----
Thread Starter
Lots made sense what you said, I do have a question, however, regarding lights: I do have to say I filled up my bladder to be ready for the pissing contest, but if I understand you correctly, you are saying that high-powered lights are overrated? I always was under the impression, you can't have enough. And 19) seems to contradict 18), I realize you're talking about reflective gear, but doesn't visibility also mean wattage? So what lights are you using currently, and why? So what's wrong with a brighter light?
Could you elaborate on that point...
Could you elaborate on that point...
Though what I'm saying is not that wattage is over rated. What I am stressing is that what's most important is that cyclists are better off with a light of some kind that makes them visible and lights the road and works consistently. I'd rather risk offending those riders that ride with plenty of light than give the impression that one can only ride a bike at night safely with a $200 + light kit.
I've purchased some pretty expensive light kits that have failed due to poor design- in those cases I'd have preferred a simple flashlight with some spare batteries in my pocket than riding home in the dark with over a hundred dollars of over-designed junk on my handlebars.
But yes, you're right, more wattage means you'll be seen better and, as genec rightly points out as well, it lights the ride more effectively for fast riding at night.
In any case if you've got a sophisticated light kit with plenty of wattage carry a nice simple spare back-up.
I just returned to REI two Pava light sets that ran about $90 each that failed. I've had Nite Rider lights that were very costly that lasted a season or two until a New England winter got the best of them.
Right now I'm riding with two Planet bike lights on the front (one on flash and one pointing down at the road) and two Planet bike superflashes on the back. I use rechargeable NiMh batteries.
01-19-10, 12:54 AM
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I like your list, thank you for taking the time to write it out.
I would like to offer some constructive comments...
Yes, the heavier the better to keep your momentum, but starting and stopping in traffic with a heavy bike and rims feels like more work in my experience.
True sometimes, I find it more work to run high psi on bumpy roads.
I pretty much agree with you on everything else - and that is saying a lot!!
I would like to offer some constructive comments...
8) Keeping your tires pumped to max. pressure, wheels trued, brakes adjusted and chain lubed will do more to maximize your efficiency than buying lots of expensive crap.
I pretty much agree with you on everything else - and that is saying a lot!!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us.
01-19-10, 08:27 AM
#21
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I bought my first 10 speed, (5 speed cassette with two chain rings), back in 1969 and by the look of your photo we must have been close to the same age. The bicycle has always had a special place in my life and many of the points you have made I have taken for granted and I thank you for writing them down. When it wasn't cool to ride a bike to high school I rode mine and left it at my girl friends place then walked the rest of the way. I have not commuted continuously for the past forty years like you but sometimes I wished I had. Congratulations for forty years of doing something you love to do.
01-19-10, 11:38 AM
#22
genec
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Absolutely.
Though what I'm saying is not that wattage is over rated. What I am stressing is that what's most important is that cyclists are better off with a light of some kind that makes them visible and lights the road and works consistently. I'd rather risk offending those riders that ride with plenty of light than give the impression that one can only ride a bike at night safely with a $200 + light kit.
I've purchased some pretty expensive light kits that have failed due to poor design- in those cases I'd have preferred a simple flashlight with some spare batteries in my pocket than riding home in the dark with over a hundred dollars of over-designed junk on my handlebars.
But yes, you're right, more wattage means you'll be seen better and, as genec rightly points out as well, it lights the ride more effectively for fast riding at night.
In any case if you've got a sophisticated light kit with plenty of wattage carry a nice simple spare back-up.
I just returned to REI two Pava light sets that ran about $90 each that failed. I've had Nite Rider lights that were very costly that lasted a season or two until a New England winter got the best of them.
Right now I'm riding with two Planet bike lights on the front (one on flash and one pointing down at the road) and two Planet bike superflashes on the back. I use rechargeable NiMh batteries.
Though what I'm saying is not that wattage is over rated. What I am stressing is that what's most important is that cyclists are better off with a light of some kind that makes them visible and lights the road and works consistently. I'd rather risk offending those riders that ride with plenty of light than give the impression that one can only ride a bike at night safely with a $200 + light kit.
I've purchased some pretty expensive light kits that have failed due to poor design- in those cases I'd have preferred a simple flashlight with some spare batteries in my pocket than riding home in the dark with over a hundred dollars of over-designed junk on my handlebars.
But yes, you're right, more wattage means you'll be seen better and, as genec rightly points out as well, it lights the ride more effectively for fast riding at night.
In any case if you've got a sophisticated light kit with plenty of wattage carry a nice simple spare back-up.
I just returned to REI two Pava light sets that ran about $90 each that failed. I've had Nite Rider lights that were very costly that lasted a season or two until a New England winter got the best of them.
Right now I'm riding with two Planet bike lights on the front (one on flash and one pointing down at the road) and two Planet bike superflashes on the back. I use rechargeable NiMh batteries.
On the flip side, wattage wars tend to be annoying... So for the sake of mutual sanity, I also keep my lights pointed low and as low in brilliance as the need demands. Nothing worse than two mega watt cyclists going head to head on a dark, otherwise deserted, road.
01-19-10, 01:10 PM
#23
Alfredo Contador
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Wow.... congratulation buzzman! You have rode longer than I started breathing! Thoroughly enjoyed your Top 40 list. Ride on!
01-19-10, 01:32 PM
#24
Count Orlok Member
01-19-10, 09:27 PM
#25
----
Thread Starter
I like your list, thank you for taking the time to write it out.
I would like to offer some constructive comments...
Yes, the heavier the better to keep your momentum, but starting and stopping in traffic with a heavy bike and rims feels like more work in my experience.
True sometimes, I find it more work to run high psi on bumpy roads.
I pretty much agree with you on everything else - and that is saying a lot!!
I would like to offer some constructive comments...
Yes, the heavier the better to keep your momentum, but starting and stopping in traffic with a heavy bike and rims feels like more work in my experience.
True sometimes, I find it more work to run high psi on bumpy roads.
I pretty much agree with you on everything else - and that is saying a lot!!
Oh, I wish I did. I do have my father-in-laws rod braked Raleigh "British Bobbie" bike from 1952, which I am in the process of resurrecting.
