markmontana

Back in the early 70's, we (missionaries) could choose our own bikes. An old timer gave me a nice Peugeot. Rode it for a few months and it was stolen, somebody else then gave me a Gitane. I just passed it on the the next guy that replaced me. Wish I still had both those classics.

I think the MTB concept makes sense- the bikes have to be useable for a wide variety of skill levels and body sizes. Some locations also have rugged terrain, I was in the SF Bay area and some hills were brutal.

Little Darwin

In 1980 I worked with a Mormon who wasn't on a mission, but was going to be. I forget what bike he bought, but it was a couple of thousand dollars worth of road bike, and those were 1980 dollars.

USAZorro

Neither true, nor appropriate for discussion in this forum. It's about the bikes, or the thread risks being moved to P&R.

sauze

[QUOTE=KonAaron Snake;11278195]

7/8timing

they don't all ride MTB's...





seems alot of mods are on their toes on this thread.

ColonelJLloyd 

Agreed.

I was aware of the risk when I started the thread, but it was a serious thought. Next time one of these fellas knocks on my door I'm going to try and convince him to trade his MTB for a vintage lightweight. I genuinely think that in my neck of the woods a missionary would be better served on a road bike. But what's more important, they're just cooler than your run of the mill MTB.

ColonelJLloyd 

I don't ride a fixed gear bike, but I do intend to set a bike up fixed soon. Can someone explain the foam on the top tube in this picture? Why is that necessary?

KonAaron Snake 

I can't see the photo at work, but most foam around the tt is to prevent scratching and damage when the bike is locked up.

ColonelJLloyd 

I see. If that's the case I think scratches look better than those hideous things.

BigPolishJimmy

I assumed the foam was for protection like on BMX bikes, so they could grow up to make little baby Mormons.

bradtx

If I were a missionary I'd choose a mountain bike because there are so many repair items available at nearly any department store.

Brad

sailorbenjamin

I like the gearing on MTBs better. I've put MTB gearing on most of my road bikes, but then I'm a Unitarian.
The Jews around here use road bikes. We have a huge Hassidic population, with the big hats, long black jackets and curly forlocks.
I don't know any of them personally but I have mingled in the Mexican social circles. There's a lot of them on the other side of our neighborhood. They have a real knack for finding old hardtail MTBs. There's an old Stumpjumper that's even my size locked up outside the mercado usually.

mkeller234

I like the colors of the bikes in contrast to their clothes. I can understand why the mods are weary, this thread has ugly potential.

uprightbent

Lighten up, it was humor he was intending, something we all need.

norskagent

I remember once long ago I re-directed some biking mormon's discussion topic (conversion,etc.) to their bikes - why did they ride mtn. bikes on the road? Why not road bikes? etc. They lost interest in talking with me.

Chris W.

I remember back in the 70s a lot of the missionaries riding really nice road bikes, and just as the young men on mountain bikes today, they didn't use fenders (white shirts and fenderless?) I often thought the church should supply bombproof, fendered, IG 5 speeds. Just my .02 cents

Cheers,
Chris

cudak888 

-Kurt

CMC SanDiego

I was a missionary exactly 21 years ago in Minnesota. We got to choose what we wanted to ride, many used hand-me-down bikes as mentioned above, I chose to buy a 1988 Specialized Hard Rock Sport mountain bike because slick tires didn't do as well in the wintertime snow and ice. I actually put studded tires on the bike for one winter, but never was smart enough to put slicks on it in the summertime. I did use fenders all of the time after ruining one white shirt riding after one of the ever-threatening summer rainstorms.

I recall one missionary had some kind of a Schwinn road bike, and he was a lot faster than the rest of us, but he couldn't hop curbs nearly as well. A couple of others had older 3 or 5 speed town bikes. I just remembered that I flipped my first bike ever while there (a Raliegh mountain bike, that I bought at a garage sale for $15, replaced the cables and brakes, and sold to a new missionary for cost).

CMC

KonAaron Snake 

I've been considering studded tires...did you find that they helped?

dashuaigeh

I thought the foam tube things were similar to top tube protectors - to prevent dents in the top tube from track handlebars. Doesn't make much sense with risers, but I suppose it does prevent scratches and mess from locking up.

KonAaron Snake 

I don't think the problem was Zorro not being light enough, I think the problem was the alleged humor not being funny and being offensive...especially when people here had already said they were mormons. It's funny how everyone complains about people needing to lighten up...until it's their group getting attacked. Try imagining that you were mormon and had heard jokes about being polygamous your entire life. Now imagine you were part of a close knit community that usually does a very good job of respecting one another. How would you feel...as part of that community...if another member of it rehashed the same old comment?

Btw...I'm not Mormon...and I found it in poor taste.

cudak888 

+1. Those who don't understand this concept should take a gander at A&S dynamics sometime...

-Kurt

CMC SanDiego

They did help very much when it was really cold, especially if there was unseen ice under the snow. In the winter in Minnesota they used to plow the snow in the parks into open circles, flood the middle, and have instant mini-ice rinks. One of the games we used to play was to race across them. I was one of the few that could consistently ride across the ice without crashing (because of the studded tires). Of course we were so bundled up that crashes didn't hurt anyway.

7/8timing

nope those are to protect your "pants yabbies" when falling or getting off a bmx bike. your thinking of one of these.
https://www.freshtripe.co.uk/Freshtri...himax_fp-1.jpg
or you can just use cloth bar tape and wrap it around the TT a few times where the bars hit. works just as good and it doesn't cost $50!

@cudak888

what's an A&S dynamic?

WNG

A nice Mormon fellow in MA offered me a lot of bike parts and his old mtb, after he got into downhill. The old bike was parted, a Barracuda with suspension fork 7000 AL frame and STX components. I got boxes of parts, extra fork, a set of mtb wheels. Nice, friendly, generous. Told him of my pending move to PHX. Turned out his family moved from there, and offered help and contact info to his older brother still there, just to assist me in my relocation.
I guess I'm posting this because I don't want to see this thread turn ugly. Into some Mormon stereotype thing. I'm not religious, but have been type casted more times I care to be. Everybody should be judged on an individual basis.
Live and let live I say. I think choosing a mtb for their task is good. The terrain here varies. But if one should knock on my door, I might recommend smooth slick tires instead of the knobbies. (And pay it forward, should they need a wheel trued, or derailleur adjusted.)