New to cycling

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by fordomatic

I could get flamed for this but im going to say it anyway.

I'll start out by saying that i ride my road bike here in Canberra around 100km a week, to and from work, i also ride my MTB bike at least twice a week. I noticed online all the hate at road bike riders and never really understood the hate from drivers until last week.

In Canberra we have a massive bike scene and everyone rides to the paths and when on the road everyone is courteous, never riding more than two abreast and if there is a shoulder we are riding on it, over to the far left if cars coming. I have never had an issue with a car while riding and when i am driving i have never had an issue with a rider. In general, it just seems we have embraced bikes here in Canberra and the bike riders don't abuse the freedom.

I have just spent the last week at home, the Yarra Valley in Victoria, visiting family before i go away overseas for work. I now completely understand the
hate Victorian drivers give to bike riders down there. I have never in my life witnessed such selfish and dangerous riding. On the Maroondah Highway on
the way to Healsville i had to drive passed riders riding 2-3 abreast in the
middle of the road, they wouldn't even move over and ride on the shoulder.
On the 2 more serious occasions there was around 20 cars banked up in a 100
zone doing 40 and unable to pass. Coming into Lilydale and through Croydon
almost all riders do not ride on the shoulder, they ride about 1m off the white
line in the lane. Is this normal practice down there? No wonder so many bikes
get skittled in Victoria
I am just amazed at the no care attitude of the bike riders i experienced, if it is a two lane road in a 100 zone and you are on a blind corner you are absolutely crazy to be riding off the shoulder, your literally asking to die. Even general road rules, here in Canberra you never see a bike run a red light, in
Melbourne they are going through them all over the place
Interested to hear your thoughts guys, i've only written this as i am truly gobsmacked and can now understand why riders get so much hate sometimes.

In all walks of life , you will find those who value their own wants/ needs and importance over others . Yes , they 're cyclists littled over the place , who display that selfish and dangerous behavior - why?
On Sunday , whilst riding to meet my family after work , I came up to a young lady , who I witnessed neally bowl a tourist walking a green pedestrian light . I stopped and apologized on behalf of the cyclist , as clearly the tourist had been quite shaken by the experience and near miss
By this time , the cyclist had moved up the road quite a way . I thought that is the sort of action that gets motorist and pedestrian up in arms about cyclist , so much so, we are then all labelled as irresponsible pests which should be removed from pathways and roads - yet why should I be labelled as a pest when I have done nothing to warrant this label ?
Well, as I moving up in the traffic , I then witnessed the same female cyclist , accelerate through a red light , after she paused for a moment to check whether it was safe do so.
Motorists in the lane sitting next to me, where shaking their fists and tooting their horns at the cyclist as see run the red light
I caught her at the next lights ans gave her a few strong mouth full , so much so, I think I scared myself
She did apologize , but I told her ,it is because of her actions , that we are get painted with the same 'pest' colour brush
I pleased to have heard in your instance , motorist elected to err on the side of caution , and wait to drive pass the irresponsible cyclist , rather than take the action often seen, and push through the cyclist , because they can , and because they are clearly in the right .
We all have must to do and learn in this space

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

I caught her at the next lights ans gave her a few strong mouth full , so much so, I think I scared myself
She did apologize , but I told her ,it is because of her actions , that we are get painted with the same 'pest' colour brush

well done mate. its a brave thing to do to speak up sometimes.

[Whitey-AMG]

Sore legs after this attempt no doubt ! Wow. Look at the average speed he has to keep.
http://m.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/tr...-1227604888804

https://instagram.com/p/98CJJrxYFb/

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by prydey

well done mate. its a brave thing to do to speak up sometimes.

Thanks .. However , I wasn't so sure, as , I had felt like a person who has bestowed himself with the rod of god .. I didn't want to be that person, but after watching her pull those two stunts back to back , I thought something had to be said

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Thanks .. However , I wasn't so sure, as , I had felt like a person who has bestowed himself with the rod of god .. I didn't want to be that person, but after watching her pull those two stunts back to back , I thought something had to be said

If no one says anything, who will? How will they learn? By injuring themselves or someone else? That's usually when it's too late. I reckon you did the right thing. The best bit is the fact she acknowledged it willfully as well and hopefully next time she will realize her actions do not go unwatched. I often see the same stunts pulled when Im on a ride too. Yeah I could do the same thing and just ride without waiting for the lights but what example does that give? I think we all need to say something to help educate other riders personally. I see far too much arrogance in riders as it is.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by blueoval

If no one says anything, who will? How will they learn? By injuring themselves or someone else? That's usually when it's too late. I reckon you did the right thing. The best bit is the fact she acknowledged it willfully as well and hopefully next time she will realize her actions do not go unwatched. I often see the same stunts pulled when Im on a ride too. Yeah I could do the same thing and just ride without waiting for the lights but what example does that give? I think we all need to say something to help educate other riders personally. I see far too much arrogance in riders as it is.

I would have to agree - we are all occupying a space , where we can no longer say ' I am not doing the wrong thing ' , so I sholdnt be effected by the action of others - however , the actions of others, has a real effect of cyclist whether in the right or wrong
It's getting scary , seeing and feeling first hand , the lengths some drivers will take , because of some earlier bad experience with a cyclist

[Batmobile]

Whether on my road bike, or motor bike , I am continually shocked by the attitude and behaviour of other riders
I was always taught , it is better to heal , and remain safe , then place yourself in harms way, simple because you re in the right .
I have witnessed first hand to die at he hands of a motorist and I was killed as a result of a cascading sequent of events which lead to being hurt , that is why I don't understand , and will never understand , why cyclist would choose to ride side by side or three wide on a rode like Maroondah Hwy from Lilydale to Healesville ???
I say enjoy the journey , and choose carefully where you ride - out of harms way as often as possible
Let's pray , those that do come off , learn from their experience and become better equipped to handle the journey once again , and pray it is not the end of their journey
It was not my fault why and how I was killed on the roads , yet that isn't much comfort in recovery, and they try telling your friends why for a long time , you could ride on the road
Those years are now behind me, but it still worries me when I see clowns all over the road , with no apparent regard for their own safety , and the message their echo as they roll down the road

[mik]

No doubt about it some road users of all descriptions need an attitude adjustment, most of the problems stem from lack of courtesy and a chip on the shoulder, and its a two way street , but the mentality that a lot of bike riders have seems to be is that the law says ............... ..... i have a piece of road x and i dont care if i hold up a thousand cars and you can all get stuffed,

im a bike rider myself again after a long long break, if i know im going to go on severely dangerous bit of road that is used by heavy and fast traffic and im going to cause problems for the traffic and risk danger to myself and possibly others ............ i avoid it like the plague, and if i cant avoid it i do my best to make it easy for cars to get past,
its not rocket science, i find most of the time if you show a bit of courtesy it comes back (my 2 cents).

Back to topic , i just got back into riding again after many years off due to bad, knees, ankles, hips, etc , and the rest of the worn out body, but with some tips from the gp who says i might be ok if i go a bit easy, in the past i always pushed hard and fast,
so into it i thought, i bought a big mountain bike, a hulking 29.5 inches , my train of thought was that bigger bike more distance between me and pedals i get a straighter leg and less pressure on the kneees..... thats the theory anyway.

funny part is i was only going to spend peanuts on a cheapy incase the knees etc gave me more grief than i could handle again , i was going to spend 99 bucks or 150 bucks max, but after looking around at a very big range of bikes in a cycle shop in Heidelberg(melb) i rolled out the door with a 700 buck malvern star ........
did you guys know they still make malvern stars ? i did not even know until the bike mechanic dude came up to me and said
"is the malvern star yours it is ready " ...... i just give him a stunned mullet look and he said the red one , "oh yeah thats it".

Moving on.......... holy jesus havent bikes changed, it has cable disc brakes, front suspension, a very solid looking alloy frame, quick release every thing .......... and for the piece de resistonce !!!(thats french )........ the gears .... 18 of them .... yeah i know , no biggy , but the gear selection method .... very cool ..... is 2 numbered clicky gear selectors , works like a bloody charm, in that price was a very nice set of led lights tail light and with an extremely bright headlight with multiple modes and rechargeable with the micro usb...... totally awesome i have to say.
i went from walking 4 to 6 k`s a day to riding about 6 k`s a day if i feel up to it, the walking was totally crippling me from get up in the morning to limping around, so im doing bike with a small amount of walking.
i havent done less than 4 k`s and on a couple of occasions i did a cruisey 8 k`s on the bike, i alternate between the bike paths that run along mahoneys rd and suburbia .

i dont mind saying it is hurting me heaps , but im doing the change of life/mid life crisis thing, its either going to kill me or im gonna push until im like a young bloke again ........ thats the theory any way,

i did 6 k`s on the bike tonight and then did a one and a quarter k walk straight after , almost guarantee i will be a cripple tomorrow, but with a bit of luck the mojo will be back by tomorrow night,
i started doing sit ups last week as well, when i was younger and fitter i used to do 150 every night easily, im back up to 50, all though im a **** load slower and it hurts .
just had a look on my scales , i`ve lost about 10 k`gs in about 8 weeks, i`m frigging happy with that !

another reason i got the bike , is from what i can find on the net , it says that you burn more calories on a bike ride than on an equivalent walk ? dunno if that's true or not , i bloody hope so because walking kills me more than biking..... except for the dam seat, does any one have a seat that doesn't work like a nazi ss torture device brrrrr , i paid the girl that sold me the bike for one of those anatomically correct seats for a bloke ......... oh my gawd !!!!.
apologies for the long post.

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Whether on my road bike, or motor bike , I am continually shocked by the attitude and behaviour of other riders
I was always taught , it is better to heal , and remain safe , then place yourself in harms way, simple because you re in the right .
I have witnessed first hand to die at he hands of a motorist and I was killed as a result of a cascading sequent of events which lead to being hurt , that is why I don't understand , and will never understand , why cyclist would choose to ride side by side or three wide on a rode like Maroondah Hwy from Lilydale to Healesville ???
I say enjoy the journey , and choose carefully where you ride - out of harms way as often as possible
Let's pray , those that do come off , learn from their experience and become better equipped to handle the journey once again , and pray it is not the end of their journey
It was not my fault why and how I was killed on the roads , yet that isn't much comfort in recovery, and they try telling your friends why for a long time , you could ride on the road
Those years are now behind me, but it still worries me when I see clowns all over the road , with no apparent regard for their own safety , and the message their echo as they roll down the road

Whilst I agree with what you are saying, experience being in heavy traffic has thought me what seems like putting yourself at risk, actually is often the safer option. Of course common sense and courtesy are king too.
Making your intentions clear, eye contact, and a simple wave always goes a long way. Driving a car or riding a bike.

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by mik

No doubt about it some road users of all descriptions need an attitude adjustment, most of the problems stem from lack of courtesy and a chip on the shoulder, and its a two way street , but the mentality that a lot of bike riders have seems to be is that the law says ............... ..... i have a piece of road x and i dont care if i hold up a thousand cars and you can all get stuffed,

im a bike rider myself again after a long long break, if i know im going to go on severely dangerous bit of road that is used by heavy and fast traffic and im going to cause problems for the traffic and risk danger to myself and possibly others ............ i avoid it like the plague, and if i cant avoid it i do my best to make it easy for cars to get past,
its not rocket science, i find most of the time if you show a bit of courtesy it comes back (my 2 cents).

Back to topic , i just got back into riding again after many years off due to bad, knees, ankles, hips, etc , and the rest of the worn out body, but with some tips from the gp who says i might be ok if i go a bit easy, in the past i always pushed hard and fast,
so into it i thought, i bought a big mountain bike, a hulking 29.5 inches , my train of thought was that bigger bike more distance between me and pedals i get a straighter leg and less pressure on the kneees..... thats the theory anyway.

funny part is i was only going to spend peanuts on a cheapy incase the knees etc gave me more grief than i could handle again , i was going to spend 99 bucks or 150 bucks max, but after looking around at a very big range of bikes in a cycle shop in Heidelberg(melb) i rolled out the door with a 700 buck malvern star ........
did you guys know they still make malvern stars ? i did not even know until the bike mechanic dude came up to me and said
"is the malvern star yours it is ready " ...... i just give him a stunned mullet look and he said the red one , "oh yeah thats it".

Moving on.......... holy jesus havent bikes changed, it has cable disc brakes, front suspension, a very solid looking alloy frame, quick release every thing .......... and for the piece de resistonce !!!(thats french )........ the gears .... 18 of them .... yeah i know , no biggy , but the gear selection method .... very cool ..... is 2 numbered clicky gear selectors , works like a bloody charm, in that price was a very nice set of led lights tail light and with an extremely bright headlight with multiple modes and rechargeable with the micro usb...... totally awesome i have to say.
i went from walking 4 to 6 k`s a day to riding about 6 k`s a day if i feel up to it, the walking was totally crippling me from get up in the morning to limping around, so im doing bike with a small amount of walking.
i havent done less than 4 k`s and on a couple of occasions i did a cruisey 8 k`s on the bike, i alternate between the bike paths that run along mahoneys rd and suburbia .

i dont mind saying it is hurting me heaps , but im doing the change of life/mid life crisis thing, its either going to kill me or im gonna push until im like a young bloke again ........ thats the theory any way,

i did 6 k`s on the bike tonight and then did a one and a quarter k walk straight after , almost guarantee i will be a cripple tomorrow, but with a bit of luck the mojo will be back by tomorrow night,
i started doing sit ups last week as well, when i was younger and fitter i used to do 150 every night easily, im back up to 50, all though im a **** load slower and it hurts .
just had a look on my scales , i`ve lost about 10 k`gs in about 8 weeks, i`m frigging happy with that !

another reason i got the bike , is from what i can find on the net , it says that you burn more calories on a bike ride than on an equivalent walk ? dunno if that's true or not , i bloody hope so because walking kills me more than biking..... except for the dam seat, does any one have a seat that doesn't work like a nazi ss torture device brrrrr , i paid the girl that sold me the bike for one of those anatomically correct seats for a bloke ......... oh my gawd !!!!.
apologies for the long post.

Great work Mik. Before long 6ks will feel like nothing and 60ks will be the target.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by GTpilot

Great work Mik. Before long 6ks will feel like nothing and 60ks will be the target.

Yes , but don't make the often made mistake of 'I can now do 6k so I go out and do 26k'
You need to train the body in small steps , especially if you have been dormant - little exercise . Please , I hope you re not pedaling the big dog looking for speed as your guide to improvement
Take it slow and gradual, and I sure you will be doing it forever and you will be in the store in no time looking to update to the next best thing

[Captain Stubing]

Originally Posted by DJM83

I know most of this is road bike talk. But just wondering if any MTB'ers have heard of these mag lock pedals? I dont really wanna go SPD's im happy with my Shimano saints but i think it my be beneficial to go to something like these.
http://www.maglockbikepedal.com/stor...ike_Pedal.html

I've got the SPD's on my mountain bike, they're quick and easy to disconnect if things get slippy. Much easier to reconnect than my road pedals.

I'm wondering why they have the disclaimer as part of their main advertisement...

The manufacturer does not guarantee that the MagLOCK Bike Pedal will function or release as described previously.

Does that mean they don't work well?

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by swanny

I've got the SPD's on my mountain bike, they're quick and easy to disconnect if things get slippy. Much easier to reconnect than my road pedals.

I'm wondering why they have the disclaimer as part of their main advertisement...


Does that mean they don't work well?

Yeah i seen the disclaimer, i have no idea what they mean by that though. It looks like a good idea however.

[Whitey-AMG]

Originally Posted by mik

except for the dam seat, does any one have a seat that doesn't work like a nazi ss torture device brrrrr , i paid the girl that sold me the bike for one of those anatomically correct seats for a bloke ......... oh my gawd !!!!.
apologies for the long post.

Hi Mik
Saddles are a bit of a black art and can be hit and miss. Its all to do with your sit bones and measuring the distance and ensuring the right areas are loaded. Sometimes the more natural padding you have makes it easier on the nether regions and ironically as you get fitter and lose more weight, it changes the profile and load points and "padding" of your posterior....lol. Sometimes something simple like a better padded pair of nix can make a worthwhile difference.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/fitne...-chamois-37341

I struggled a bit when I hot back into cycling as well many years ago, I have crook knees as well . But I'm enjoying my rides , i wear well padded gear the seat is OK , the bike ergonomics are good and I'm pedaling @25 klms a day and often do bigger 60 - 100 KLM rides now. If you prep well and know your limits and control your cadence , plan your ride so you don't get hit with unexpected 15 degree gradients , then the journey is bliss !!

Then there is the evil of strava....... It makes you do things you didn't think you wanted to. LOL.

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by Bluey-GT

Then there is the evil of strava....... It makes you do things you didn't think you wanted to. LOL.

HAHA - I've noticed you have been riding in them hills - and along the dreaded FTG road.....

[GTpilot]

A fantastic article on tyres (roadbike) I thought I'd share.
Testing and results aside - Really worth the read.

http://velonews.competitor.com/where...ing-tires-fast

[prydey]

interesting article. i switched to 25's about a year ago and find them better for comfort, and trust the science they roll slightly better at the same pressure as a 23.

i've run the conti gp4000 and they do indeed roll extremely well, but alas, i split a sidewall on about their 3rd ride, so now i stick with my conti gator hardshells for their superior toughness. i'm not chasing speed records, but i do ride on a lot of rough roads.

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by prydey

interesting article. i switched to 25's about a year ago and find them better for comfort, and trust the science they roll slightly better at the same pressure as a 23.

i've run the conti gp4000 and they do indeed roll extremely well, but alas, i split a sidewall on about their 3rd ride, so now i stick with my conti gator hardshells for their superior toughness. i'm not chasing speed records, but i do ride on a lot of rough roads.

On my training bike , I have been a big fan of the SchWalbe Ultremo ZX Evo in 23' and for grip , comfort and speed , on my race bike , I ride with the Vredestrein in 23' as well

[mik]

Originally Posted by GTpilot

Great work Mik. Before long 6ks will feel like nothing and 60ks will be the target.

thanks for the kind words , i would love to see a 60 k runs , that one might be a while off i think .

[mik]

Originally Posted by Batmobile

Yes , but don't make the often made mistake of 'I can now do 6k so I go out and do 26k'
You need to train the body in small steps , especially if you have been dormant - little exercise . Please , I hope you re not pedaling the big dog looking for speed as your guide to improvement
Take it slow and gradual, and I sure you will be doing it forever and you will be in the store in no time looking to update to the next best thing

thanks mate, good advice going like a bull at a gate was always the way i did it in my younger years , especially on the bikes , if it was too easy i`d push harder , go up another gear .
i cant do it like i used to , every now and then i forget im an old fart and do something like a youngy and then pay the price for weeks or even months afterwards with torn muscles painful bones ...... its a learning curve this getting old stuff.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Bluey-GT

Hi Mik
Saddles are a bit of a black art and can be hit and miss. Its all to do with your sit bones and measuring the distance and ensuring the right areas are loaded. Sometimes the more natural padding you have makes it easier on the nether regions and ironically as you get fitter and lose more weight, it changes the profile and load points and "padding" of your posterior....lol. Sometimes something simple like a better padded pair of nix can make a worthwhile difference.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/fitne...-chamois-37341

I struggled a bit when I hot back into cycling as well many years ago, I have crook knees as well . But I'm enjoying my rides , i wear well padded gear the seat is OK , the bike ergonomics are good and I'm pedaling @25 klms a day and often do bigger 60 - 100 KLM rides now. If you prep well and know your limits and control your cadence , plan your ride so you don't get hit with unexpected 15 degree gradients , then the journey is bliss !!

Then there is the evil of strava....... It makes you do things you didn't think you wanted to. LOL.

Well done Bluey, 25 a day , thats a good daily .
im gradually increasing my distance , did 7 k`s last night and a small walk straight afterward , but on the odd days the bones dont feel up to it i do about half distance, or if im really bad , just have a day off , but most of the time i push on even if it is uncomfortable, at the end of the ride if i get home and i feel im not going to collapse in heap , i will go around the block once more even if i have reached my target distance.
good article thank you , the mission for a comfy seat is ongoing .

Pretty lucky in melbourne we have quite a few bike tracks , i took a different direction the other day on part of my ride and followed the bike track along the hume freeway for a bit just past the rusty foot bridge over the freeway, bloody rabbits everywhere in that area, a few very light gradients that probably wouldnt test you guys much , but i was feeling them let me tell you.
i was that weak in the legs starting off biking again , i could barely even stand up on the pedals, being a pensioner for 10 years it just slowly kills you if you dont look after yourself.
i can see why many old people succumb to old age when they stop working.

[mik]

speaking of bike tyres , after buying some car valve adapters to fit the petra valves, bloody hell , i never heard about these petra valves until i went to put some air in and found the valves had changed to these weird things, i suppose they have been out for a while and the bike shop just expected me to know about them, anyway i bloody dont like em much , at tyre change i might drill the rim out and put the old car valve style back in.

After putting some extra air in , it was a whole lot easier of a ride tonight, the tyres did not actually feeel low on air, though they are big spongy mountain bike tyres, i put the auto air thing on inflate from flat....... (full throttle) and put my thumb into the tyre while putting pressure on it with my other hand to get a feel how far i could pump them up before popping , woweee what a difference.
I felt stuffed before i left , been full on today, i felt pretty good on the bike after a k or 2 though , knocked over 10.7 k`s tonight.
i used the cycling app on my galaxy note for the first time tonight, ive had galaxy notes for 3 years and never opened the app up until recently on walks , and bikes , dam good it is , you set a target distance , say 6 k`s and it will tell you your distance every half and full k`, at the full k it tells you the average speed, expected time to finish , and at the end it gives all the details , calories burned, max hills over distance , etc , etc and it tracks you with the gps and leaves you with a map and thew route you took with the details , ............ very cool i reckon.

[Captain Stubing]

Mik, the Presta valves aren't hard to get used to. If you get a floor standing pump they're easy to get up to pressure. I've got them on both my road bike and my 29'er.

To pump up the Presta type, I loosen the little knob on the end, press on the valve to break the seal, screw on the pump, add air, then tighten the little knob at the end.

[DBourne]

So this happened...

propel-1 by Dave Bourne, on Flickr

[prydey]

Awesome!

[GTpilot]

Originally Posted by DBourne

So this happened...

imagepropel-1 by Dave Bourne, on Flickr

Man that's harsh.....I hope you recover!

[Captain Stubing]

Wicked looking machine, Bourney!

[Batmobile]

Originally Posted by DBourne

So this happened...

imagepropel-1 by Dave Bourne, on Flickr

Nice bit of bling ! Mmmm , I like a lot

[mik]

Originally Posted by swanny

Mik, the Presta valves aren't hard to get used to. If you get a floor standing pump they're easy to get up to pressure. I've got them on both my road bike and my 29'er.

To pump up the Presta type, I loosen the little knob on the end, press on the valve to break the seal, screw on the pump, add air, then tighten the little knob at the end.

Thanks Swanny . i will have to get a floor standing pump.
cheers.

[mik]

yes indeedy , nice bike , Oooooh that seat .............. , im having nightmares all over again from my own seat, i think i now know what its like being in a cell with Bubba .

Edit : that looks like its made to go really fast , is it made of carbon fibre or something Bourney ?