Smokinapankake

Don't know if anybody mentioned it yet or not but what really lights me up is when an online seller will advertise his "Schwann" or "Trex" or "Trax" bike. Really? The dang name is right there on the downtube! Do these people not know how to read? Sheesh!

Unca_Sam

Practice and double-sided clipless pedals are helpful here. It's toe clips I seem to struggle with.

nlerner

Oh, wait, if it's BF-specific grievances, then I need to add that I really hate any indoor pic of a bike. No, it doesn't look good posed in front of your sofa, stereo system, couch, bed, kitchen table, grungy basement wall.

seypat

That's a bold statement. Here comes the torches and pitchforks.

dedhed

I'm planning on using my stimulus for a new garage door.

eja_ bottecchia

You mean...something like this?

xiaoman1 

Ha Ha,
You must either have a small garage door or you mean the side door to your garage....in any event, you will still be a little short.
Best, Ben

nlerner

Sob! That's a bike just screaming to be let outside.

steelbikeguy

I've got my share of crappy photos, but every so often, on a nice day, I do bring a camera along just to see what sort of photos I can get.
Sometimes I get one that isn't too bad.....





... but I do use these photos a lot. Most of us have other stuff to do than think about opportunities for creative photos, so I don't much care about garage door photos. I do appreciate the folks that have the instinct and time to be creative.

Steve in Peoria

Biketiger

I am the owner of the bike in question. The fork is not bent. The original Ritchey seatpost is set well within the safe limit as well as the Nitto stem. Thanks for your concern.

JohnDThompson 

But if I put a dustcap on, you wouldn't be able to see the cool Zeus 2000 titanium bolts!

Biketiger

Thanks Phil and absolutely - I would never grind off a derailleur mount or even a cable guide. This 1990 Ultra will outlive me and I will pass it on someday.

Biketiger

Thanks Phil and absolutely - I would never grind off a derailleur mount or even a cable guide. This 1990 Ultra will outlive me and I will pass it on someday.

Biketiger

Fisher - I completely agree. It's entertaining to read riders' opinions regarding bikes but critiquing a set-up for a rider you've never seen and no absolutely nothing about is silly and adds nothing to the thread.

eja_ bottecchia

She does get outside, but only on “special” occasions. That Bottecchia was a gift, new, from my Mom, who passed away 11 years ago.

It has a great deal of sentimental value and so I don’t want to risk anything happening to her. If I could own only one bike, I would gladly give up all my Colnagos.

BTW, I know that some in this thread have objected to calling a bike a “she.” But in Italian, the word for bicycle (bicicletta) is feminine. In the case of Italian bikes, calling them “she” makes perfectly good sense.

nlerner

I’m very sorry for your loss and very much look forward to an outdoors pic off your Bottechia the next time you take her out.

Velo Mule

Hello, my name is Velo Mule and I have a problem. I saw this thread and despite knowing that I have issues, I ignored it. I even checked out this thread a few times to see how things were progressing. Well, I have a bike related issues that bug me. It doesn't just bug me, it bother the heck out of me. It gets me all worked up and want to rant. I want to bend something.

Straight forks. I am fine with them when they are carbon fiber, but on a bike with a steel fork, it is just wrong. I meant to say that "I think it is wrong". Forks should have a curve. I understand that to get from the fork crown to the fork end you could either make a straight path or a curved path, however that curved path has so many benefits and just plain looks good. It looks elegant. It looks like something that was planned and then carried out by a skilled builder.

Every time I see a straight steel fork, I just want to get a conduit bender and tweak those things. I look at bikes all the time and there are some nice new bikes out there, but if it has a straight fork, I not only don't like it, I question the designer or builder to the point that I would loose respect for that builder. I know that is not fair or reasonable. They may have some reason to use it other than it saves a bunch of money in tooling or having to buy it from a manufacturer that has making curved forks down to a science. To me, it seem like straight forks are a shortcut and has the added benefit that they may resemble a more expensive carbon fiber fork.

Would you eat your food off of a fork that was flat, with no curve? In both cases the curve is there for a reason.

It is my peeve. I am trying to control it and admitting it openly will hopefully help me.

Thank you, for reading this, I think, with your understanding, I will be able to at least control this well of energy that I get from seeing straight steel forks.

P!N20

Bikes referred to as ‘she’.

elcraft

I was wondering if the carin theorignal photo was a Peugeot 404, I owned three different sedans; two’68s and a ‘69. I have such fond memories of those cars..

sjanzeir

The older C&V "bros" who won't deign to ride anything other than a particular model of a certain brand from an exact year made from a very definite steel alloy. "I have a Pampogano Funkochento Pro Corsa Potenza Brava from 1977 that I picked up at a garage sale for $12 and it's the best bike ever and I won't ride anything else and you people are stupid and genetically inferior because I have this bike and you don't. Eff yeah!" and there seems to be too many of them on BF.

seypat

Glad you got that off your chest.

Daytriker

I'm old. I ride a trike & down low. I've already got bad eyesight. Some anatomies just don't belong in those lycra shorts.
I think they are contributing to my worsening eyesight. Some could cause me to have a heart attack. I can't win.

sjanzeir

My daily driver is a rusty old 504 Familiale with 450,000 miles and I love it. And the AC works.

Cycle Tourist

Too late. Wrapping bars bottom to top keeps the tape from curling from use after long service. I have an aversion to wrapping top to bottom. As for the retention ridges that force you to unscrew the qr, I file them off. The clips and screw retention device I generally leave alone. They're unnecessary but not as inconvenient.

Glyndwr

I don't like cycling being referred to "biking" because it leads to me being called a "biker", which I absolutely HATE being called. Nothing against bikers - I'm just not into motorcycles and any connotation referring to someone who wears leather, has tattoos and rides a machine that makes a lot of totally unnecessary noise (at least here in the States)!

I also get extremely irked by teens/adults riding on the sidewalk - it isn't called a "sidepedal", so stay on the street and leave that practice to small children! ...and don't even get me started on idiots riding against the flow of auto traffic!!