bike burn-out......

[Crescentius Vespasianus]

After cycling my ass off for a decade,
I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
seems to excite my anymore about it.
One thing that really depresses me, is
the constantly rising prices for parts,
so I only buy stuff to replace broken or
worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't
make you faster than a 9 speed, I know a
fancy race wheel will eventually leave
you stranded, etc. Even though they try
to re-invent cycling, it's usually the
tried and true that will make you happy.
Tired of the ever increasing traffic,
that really takes away from the magic of
cycling. Forcing me to drive ever
farther to experience the road the way
it should be experienced. I've worked
in more running, and look for other
non-cycling activities to do, but I
still do a lot of cycling just out of
habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

[vey]

Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:
Tired of the
> ever increasing traffic, that really takes away from the magic of
> cycling. Forcing me to drive ever farther to experience the road the
> way it should be experienced. I've worked in more running, and look for
> other non-cycling activities to do, but I still do a lot of cycling just
> out of habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

Why are you driving out in the country to cycle? Why do you think that
is the only place to cycle? I grew up "out there" in the country and
used my bike to get to school every day. It beat taking an
hour-and-a-half school bus ride every day. I could sleep later and get
to school in 35 minutes on what you would consider "magical roads." My
bike parts wore out because the roads weren't all paved.

For me, cycling is not recreation, but decent, cheap transportation.
"Recreation" seems like a hobby to me and like most hobbies, I would
tire of it and find something else to do. As I said before here,
"spinning" would bore me to tears.

So put a basket on your bike and use it to go grocery shopping. Pay your
utility bill in person. Deposit your checks at the bank. Take a nice,
leisurely ride in the mornings and meet your neighbors. Stop and talk to
them. If you have a dog, put a leash on him and he will happily trot
alongside of you while you are low/lowest gears. He will let you know
when he wants to stop and rest. He needs the exercise. You get to see so
much more by going slowly.

I think you have fallen for the bicycling as a sport hype that's been
spread like stinky manure by the manufacturers. It's not about that.
It's about working it into your lifestyle and dong it every day, not
just on the weekends or when you want to work out or when the weather is
nice or when you feel like it.

When approached this way, it never gets boring. And if it does, plug in
an MP3 player.

[Jay Beattie]

On Oct 2, 3:54 am, Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyb...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
> After cycling my ass off for a decade,
> I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
> seems to excite my anymore about it.
> One thing that really depresses me, is
> the constantly rising prices for parts,
> so I only buy stuff to replace broken or
> worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't
> make you faster than a 9 speed, I know a
> fancy race wheel will eventually leave
> you stranded, etc. Even though they try
> to re-invent cycling, it's usually the
> tried and true that will make you happy.
> Tired of the ever increasing traffic,
> that really takes away from the magic of
> cycling. Forcing me to drive ever
> farther to experience the road the way
> it should be experienced. I've worked
> in more running, and look for other
> non-cycling activities to do, but I
> still do a lot of cycling just out of
> habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

Just think, Jobst has been cycling his ass off for five decades.
Jobst, any advice?

IMO, you should find some people to ride with. Riding with others
obviously gives you the opportunity to socialize, but on top of that,
it usually exposes you to different routes.

Also, the way you feel has nothing to do with cycling. It has to do
with the feeling of obligation -- the belief that you have to ride or
else something will happen to you. Well, you don't. You are forgiven
in adance for not riding. I commute year round because it is
convenient and the right thing to do, but during the winter, I ski. If
I don't feel like riding on the weekend, I don't. I'm not training for
racing anymore, and I can burn billions of calories chasing my son
down Mt. Hood. When I feel like riding on the weekend, I get my
friend to go with me (who will be in the middle of his cross season),
and we catch up on news while he recovers. I struggle, but he
accommodates. He also knows a lot of weird routes close to home, so
it is always interesting -- if not a little dangerous. -- Jay Beattie.

[Donga]

On Oct 2, 8:54 pm, Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyb...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
> After cycling my ass off for a decade,
> I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
> seems to excite my anymore about it.
> One thing that really depresses me, is
> the constantly rising prices for parts,
> so I only buy stuff to replace broken or
> worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't
> make you faster than a 9 speed, I know a
> fancy race wheel will eventually leave
> you stranded, etc. Even though they try
> to re-invent cycling, it's usually the
> tried and true that will make you happy.
> Tired of the ever increasing traffic,
> that really takes away from the magic of
> cycling. Forcing me to drive ever
> farther to experience the road the way
> it should be experienced. I've worked
> in more running, and look for other
> non-cycling activities to do, but I
> still do a lot of cycling just out of
> habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

Single speed - so refreshing. Then maybe fixed. Or urban MTB.

[catzz66]

Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:
> After cycling my ass off for a decade, I'm experiencing bike burnout.
> Nothing seems to excite my anymore about it. One thing that really
> depresses me, is the constantly rising prices for parts, so I only buy
> stuff to replace broken or worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't make
> you faster than a 9 speed, I know a fancy race wheel will eventually
> leave you stranded, etc. Even though they try to re-invent cycling,
> it's usually the tried and true that will make you happy. Tired of the
> ever increasing traffic, that really takes away from the magic of
> cycling. Forcing me to drive ever farther to experience the road the
> way it should be experienced. I've worked in more running, and look for
> other non-cycling activities to do, but I still do a lot of cycling just
> out of habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

Institute the 100 mile rule. Don't haul your bike anywhere to ride
unless your destination is 100 miles from where you live. Learn to
enjoy the sights and sounds around you when you ride. Give your high
dollar bikes away to charity and start over with a simple inexpensive
bike and convince yourself how much it beats walking.

[Scott Gordo]

On Oct 2, 6:54 am, Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyb...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
> After cycling my ass off for a decade,
> I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
> seems to excite my anymore about it.
> One thing that really depresses me, is
> the constantly rising prices for parts,
> so I only buy stuff to replace broken or
> worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't
> make you faster than a 9 speed, I know a
> fancy race wheel will eventually leave
> you stranded, etc. Even though they try
> to re-invent cycling, it's usually the
> tried and true that will make you happy.
> Tired of the ever increasing traffic,
> that really takes away from the magic of
> cycling. Forcing me to drive ever
> farther to experience the road the way
> it should be experienced. I've worked
> in more running, and look for other
> non-cycling activities to do, but I
> still do a lot of cycling just out of
> habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

Cure for bike burn-out? Yeah. Try taking public transportation for a
week.

/s

[Tim McNamara]

In article <13g37ngnhf64g0f@corp.supernews.com>,
Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyboss@hotmail.com> wrote:

> After cycling my ass off for a decade, I'm experiencing bike burnout.
> Nothing seems to excite my anymore about it. <snip> Is there a cure
> for bike burn-out?

I find by the middle of August I am tired of riding the same roads. So
I buy a bike map (or this year, look at bike mapping sites like bikely)
and find new roads to ride. I shamelessly capitalize on the experience
of others to improve my cycling experience.

Something that has really perked me up is to do something outside my
norm: go on an occasional tour, do a brevet, go on a cycling weekend
somewhere. There's the sub-24-hour (S24O) bike camping trip. Take a
camera on rides and stop to take photos. My friend Jim's photos while
biking as an example:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/twowheelflight/

Sometimes the cure for burnout is to take a break. Go on just short
rides, or no rides at all. Read a book instead. Play Frisbee.

And finally riding with friends. IMHO there are few things finer than a
lovely day spent on the bike on good roads with a good friend or three.
Too much riding with only myself for company gets old- it is just not
that interesting to talk to myself for hours at a time. Last weekend I
did a 70+ miler around Lake Pepin with a group of people, only two of
whom I had previously met. I had a wonderful time- a great ride on a
great day with the bonus of meeting new people.

[Kenny]

On Oct 2, 6:54 pm, Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyb...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
> After cycling my ass off for a decade,
> I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
> seems to excite my anymore about it.
> One thing that really depresses me, is
> the constantly rising prices for parts,
> so I only buy stuff to replace broken or
> worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't
> make you faster than a 9 speed, I know a
> fancy race wheel will eventually leave
> you stranded, etc. Even though they try
> to re-invent cycling, it's usually the
> tried and true that will make you happy.
> Tired of the ever increasing traffic,
> that really takes away from the magic of
> cycling. Forcing me to drive ever
> farther to experience the road the way
> it should be experienced. I've worked
> in more running, and look for other
> non-cycling activities to do, but I
> still do a lot of cycling just out of
> habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?
>From what you are writing it sounds like you live in an area less and
less likeable for bicycle riding. I've known places like this. Some
places are so spread out due to urban sprawl that it takes an hour of
riding just to get to an area that's pleasant. Commuting to work,
riding to do mundane earrands can be depressing sometimes espicially
when traffic sucks. Unfortunately, there is only one cure that
afflicts your bicycle pleasure, that is you need to move. You should
consider moving to an area that has good weather, hills, mountains,
lakes and streams and near the ocean if possible. Sounds like
California doesn't it?

[Paul Cassel]

Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:
> Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

First analysis. Are you only burned out on bicycles or are you feeling
generally flat and uninspired? If it's bikes only, then a break. If it's
overall, you're in a slight depression which needs addressing. You ok
with family? Job? Your looks? Etc?

I'd not be surprised to hear that biking is only one of the things which
has lost its juice for you.

-paul

[Grolsch]

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."
~Albert Einstein


"Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride." ~John F. Kennedy


"The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of
transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in
heart." ~Iris Murdoch

"When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the
human race." ~H.G. Wells

"The bicycle is the most efficient machine ever created: Converting calories
into gas, a bicycle gets the equivalent of three thousand miles per gallon."
~Bill Strickland

"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live." ~Mark Twain

"It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember
them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses
you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven
through as you gain by riding a bicycle." ~Ernest Hemingway

"Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world."
~Grant Petersen

"Cycle tracks will abound in Utopia." - ~H.G. Wells

"The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." ~John
Howard


"Crescentius Vespasianus" <jazzyboss@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:13g37ngnhf64g0f@corp.supernews.com...
> After cycling my ass off for a decade, I'm experiencing bike burnout.
> Nothing seems to excite my anymore about it. One thing that really
> depresses me, is the constantly rising prices for parts, so I only buy
> stuff to replace broken or worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't make
> you faster than a 9 speed, I know a fancy race wheel will eventually leave
> you stranded, etc. Even though they try to re-invent cycling, it's
> usually the tried and true that will make you happy. Tired of the ever
> increasing traffic, that really takes away from the magic of cycling.
> Forcing me to drive ever farther to experience the road the way it should
> be experienced. I've worked in more running, and look for other
> non-cycling activities to do, but I still do a lot of cycling just out of
> habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

[mtb Dad]

After racing, coaching, (15 years) and working in cycling (8 years), I
was burned out too. Didn't really ride for another ten years. Got
back into it from an invitation to a group ride of guys my age. I
really like the low key social contact. One thing about being older
is that there is much less techno weenie behaviour, so what and how we
ride is less important than it was when I was younger. The guys seem
to like having people to ride with and drink coffee with.

The other thing I love is taking kids out; my own best of all, but
others with them are great too. I started an elementary school bike
club and arrange the coaches and the schedule, and watching them get
turned on is one of life's great pleasures.

I have a friend (ex racer, ex coach) who had an absolute blast
teaching a 50+ immigrant woman to ride a bike who had never ridden
before.

One thing still on my list for when I get bored is to do long
wandering rides like Jobst Brandt's, on gravel and other unlikely
places.

[Art Harris]

Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:
> After cycling my ass off for a decade,
> I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
> seems to excite me anymore about it.

Well, take a break. I find that if I don't ride for a week or two, I
really miss it.

Maybe you need to try new routes, or just stay tuned in to what's
going on around you. My worst rides are those where I'm thinking of
other things, and not enjoying the sights and sounds around me.
Another trap is the tendency to want to constantly keep moving. Get
off the bike once in a while and you'll be amazed at the stuff you've
missed even on your regular routes. Or explore those side roads you've
never gone down.

It sounds like you're into "fitness riding" which is fine, but that
doesn't mean you can't take some breaks during a ride. Yes, stopping
and exploring will lower your average speed. But who cares. Don't
become a slave to that bike computer.

I find that I see much more when riding solo, than with a group. On
the other hand, if you always ride solo, joining in with a group or
even one other rider can be a pleasant change.

I agree that traffic has gotten much worse over the years, and does
take some of the joy out of riding. Lately, I've been doing some
hiking, which is a nice change of pace, although not as much exercise
as riding at a brisk pace.

Art Harris

[andresmuro@aol.com]

On Oct 2, 4:54 am, Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyb...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
> After cycling my ass off for a decade,
> I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
> seems to excite my anymore about it.
> One thing that really depresses me, is
> the constantly rising prices for parts,
> so I only buy stuff to replace broken or
> worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't
> make you faster than a 9 speed, I know a
> fancy race wheel will eventually leave
> you stranded, etc. Even though they try
> to re-invent cycling, it's usually the
> tried and true that will make you happy.
> Tired of the ever increasing traffic,
> that really takes away from the magic of
> cycling. Forcing me to drive ever
> farther to experience the road the way
> it should be experienced. I've worked
> in more running, and look for other
> non-cycling activities to do, but I
> still do a lot of cycling just out of
> habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

I usually take a few months off every year and do other things. I
teach spinning a couple of times a week and it keeps me in cycling
shape during my lay-off. By this time of the year, I am not exited
about waking up early and going riding on weekends. I'll probably hang
my bike next month by hooks on the wall, and let the air flow to one
side of the tires and the rims get ovalized.

By February, I get desperate to go out riding. By March it is the only
thing that I think about. I do this annually and it has kept me riding
for the past 20 plus years.

Andres

[Chris Nelson]

On Oct 2, 6:54 am, Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyb...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
> After cycling my ass off for a decade,
> I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
> seems to excite my anymore about it.
> One thing that really depresses me, is
> the constantly rising prices for parts,
> so I only buy stuff to replace broken or
> worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't
> make you faster than a 9 speed, I know a
> fancy race wheel will eventually leave
> you stranded, etc. Even though they try
> to re-invent cycling, it's usually the
> tried and true that will make you happy.
> Tired of the ever increasing traffic,
> that really takes away from the magic of
> cycling. Forcing me to drive ever
> farther to experience the road the way
> it should be experienced. I've worked
> in more running, and look for other
> non-cycling activities to do, but I
> still do a lot of cycling just out of
> habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

MTB cures it for me, but $$$ are in involved and I am not as
comfortable riding solo on trails as I am on the road so you may need
riding partners also.

Chris

[Michael Press]

In article <13g37ngnhf64g0f@corp.supernews.com>,
Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyboss@hotmail.com>
wrote:

> After cycling my ass off for a decade,
> I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
> seems to excite my anymore about it.
> One thing that really depresses me, is
> the constantly rising prices for parts,
> so I only buy stuff to replace broken or
> worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't
> make you faster than a 9 speed, I know a
> fancy race wheel will eventually leave
> you stranded, etc. Even though they try
> to re-invent cycling, it's usually the
> tried and true that will make you happy.
> Tired of the ever increasing traffic,
> that really takes away from the magic of
> cycling. Forcing me to drive ever
> farther to experience the road the way
> it should be experienced. I've worked
> in more running, and look for other
> non-cycling activities to do, but I
> still do a lot of cycling just out of
> habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

Fixed gear and a messenger bag.

--
Michael Press

[mike.a.schwab@gmail.com]

On Oct 2, 5:54 am, Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyb...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
> After cycling my ass off for a decade,
> I'm experiencing bike burnout. Nothing
> seems to excite my anymore about it.
<deleted>
> Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

Join http://www.bikejournal.com and ask to Pansy to slap you into
shape.

[Greens]

"Crescentius Vespasianus" <jazzyboss@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:13g37ngnhf64g0f@corp.supernews.com...
> After cycling my ass off for a decade, I'm experiencing bike burnout.
> Nothing seems to excite my anymore about it. One thing that really
> depresses me, is the constantly rising prices for parts, so I only buy
> stuff to replace broken or worn out stuff. I know a 10 speed won't make
> you faster than a 9 speed, I know a fancy race wheel will eventually leave
> you stranded, etc. Even though they try to re-invent cycling, it's
> usually the tried and true that will make you happy. Tired of the ever
> increasing traffic, that really takes away from the magic of cycling.
> Forcing me to drive ever farther to experience the road the way it should
> be experienced. I've worked in more running, and look for other
> non-cycling activities to do, but I still do a lot of cycling just out of
> habit. Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

Ever given any thought to wrestling?
It works all the muscle groups.
NSFW
http://www.youtube.com/watch?eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.svamp.eu%2Findex.php%2 Ftopic%2C1473.msg152217.html&v=81tfolmgXxA

[Crescentius Vespasianus]

> Why are you driving out in the country to cycle? Why do you think that
> is the only place to cycle? I grew up "out there" in the country and
> used my bike to get to school every day. It beat taking an
> hour-and-a-half school bus ride every day. I could sleep later and get
> to school in 35 minutes on what you would consider "magical roads." My
> bike parts wore out because the roads weren't all paved.
>
> For me, cycling is not recreation, but decent, cheap transportation.
> "Recreation" seems like a hobby to me and like most hobbies, I would
> tire of it and find something else to do. As I said before here,
> "spinning" would bore me to tears.
>
> So put a basket on your bike and use it to go grocery shopping. Pay your
> utility bill in person. Deposit your checks at the bank. Take a nice,
> leisurely ride in the mornings and meet your neighbors. Stop and talk to
> them. If you have a dog, put a leash on him and he will happily trot
> alongside of you while you are low/lowest gears. He will let you know
> when he wants to stop and rest. He needs the exercise. You get to see so
> much more by going slowly.
>
> I think you have fallen for the bicycling as a sport hype that's been
> spread like stinky manure by the manufacturers. It's not about that.
> It's about working it into your lifestyle and dong it every day, not
> just on the weekends or when you want to work out or when the weather is
> nice or when you feel like it.
>
> When approached this way, it never gets boring. And if it does, plug in
> an MP3 player.
---------------
Oh, I do the commuting thing too, that's
why I drive into the country on weekends
to remind myself what it's like to ride
a bike where I hear birds, not just
roaring noise of cars. Commuting is
also more car dodging, and you really
can't ramp it up, like you can on the
open road.

[Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman]

Jay Beattie wrote:
> ...
> IMO, you should find some people to ride with. Riding with others
> obviously gives you the opportunity to socialize, but on top of that,
> it usually exposes you to different routes....

Should we be inflicting ourselves on others?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[Crescentius Vespasianus]

> Just think, Jobst has been cycling his ass off for five decades.
> Jobst, any advice?
>
> IMO, you should find some people to ride with. Riding with others
> obviously gives you the opportunity to socialize, but on top of that,
> it usually exposes you to different routes.
>
> Also, the way you feel has nothing to do with cycling. It has to do
> with the feeling of obligation -- the belief that you have to ride or
> else something will happen to you. Well, you don't. You are forgiven
> in adance for not riding. I commute year round because it is
> convenient and the right thing to do, but during the winter, I ski. If
> I don't feel like riding on the weekend, I don't. I'm not training for
> racing anymore, and I can burn billions of calories chasing my son
> down Mt. Hood. When I feel like riding on the weekend, I get my
> friend to go with me (who will be in the middle of his cross season),
> and we catch up on news while he recovers. I struggle, but he
> accommodates. He also knows a lot of weird routes close to home, so
> it is always interesting -- if not a little dangerous. -- Jay Beattie.
-------------
After years of riding, I can't just sit
on a sofa. But you are right, I
shouldn't feel obligated to ride, but it
is hard to find a substitute that you
can do for 5 hours on a weekend day. If
you ran 5 hours you'd be doing a
marathon, I don't think the body could
take much of that. I guess I could do
hiking, but that's usually an 8 hour
day, to hike up a mountain, and it is
also hard on the body. The beauty of
cycling is that you can make it as hard
or easy as you want.

[Crescentius Vespasianus]

>> IMO, you should find some people to ride with. Riding with others
>> obviously gives you the opportunity to socialize, but on top of that,
>> it usually exposes you to different routes....
>
> Should we be inflicting ourselves on others?
---------------
exactly! Especially when you're jaded
like I am. Sometimes when I ride with a
newbie, it is so painful to hear some of
the things they talk about with respect
to riding and bikes, because I remember
saying some of the same stupid things a
decade ago myself. Some people actually
listen to the wisdom of experienced
riders, and go through the learning
curve quite rapidly, I on the other hand
had to learn everything the hard way.

[dustoyevsky@mac.com]

On Oct 1, 10:57 pm, "Tom \"Johnny Sunset\" Sherman"
<sunsetss0...@iinvalid.com> wrote:

> Should we be inflicting ourselves on others?

Sounds fair to me-- they inflict themselves on us, don't they?

Burn out? Maybe it's getting your curiosity satisfied-- like seeing
what's on the other side of the mountain, you know?

Cycling, like many other pursuits, is an obsessive kind of thing (five
hours' suffering on that hard little saddle, nose to someone else's
butt?).

Maybe you're becoming happier and better adjusted, and you just don't
know it yet. --D-y

[vey]

Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:
>

> ---------------
> Oh, I do the commuting thing too, that's why I drive into the country on
> weekends to remind myself what it's like to ride a bike where I hear
> birds, not just roaring noise of cars. Commuting is also more car
> dodging, and you really can't ramp it up, like you can on the open road.

Commuting isn't much fun. There is pressure to get somewhere at a
particular time. That's too much like work.

I'm talking about leisurely riding at a speed of oh, I dunno, 5 MPH. Why
do you want to "ramp it up?" What's the point? Are you practicing for a
race? Does it make you happy to go fast? If so, no wonder you are jaded.

Try this:
Take your time, there is no rush. Explore. See somebody doing something
interesting, like framing a house, or using a TV camera to inspect
sewers (they might let you look), or gosh, what is that? "Hey Mister,
what is that thing?" You'd have to be a pretty smart guy to know
everything about everything you would see on a typical ride around a
city. If you ride those "magical roads" out in the sticks all there is
to see is weeds growing.

The point isn't to ride your bike. The point is to go out and see new
things. The bike just makes it possible to see those new things. Range
is limited by walking and you don't see very much in a car because you
whiz by too fast to see much of anything. In a car, stopping to ask a
question or say good morning is problematic.

Maybe you ride your bike the way you drive your car? I see people doing
that all the time. They come hammering along and whiz past me, while I'm
on the side of the road, waiting while my dog pees, and they see the
basket on the front and the lack of proper jersey and I guess they think
I am some sort of a nut. They won't even nod. They seem to be very
intent on "doing" something important, I don't know what it is. All they
are doing is riding a bicycle, something any 5 year-old kid can do. Why
make it into something it's not?

I guess I am just not a real bicyclist. I am riding a bike that I
literally found being thrown out for junk and fixed up. I've also never
worn anything made from Lycra in my life or any of that other gee-gaw
clothing they sell at the bike stores these days. It doesn't interest
me. What kind of crazy person buys shoes that they can't even walk in?
Why spend $2000 on a bicycle? I don't obsess about weight or
aerodynamics or speed or whether I am getting power on the upstroke, or
the brand of my derailer, or any of that other nonsense. I'm not racing.
I'm never going to be the next Lance Armstrong. In fact, I've recently
set my bike up so that I can sit more upright to be more comfortable in
my old age.

Sometimes it is work to be a kid again, but not much.

[vey]

Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:
>
Sometimes when I ride
> with a newbie, it is so painful to hear some of the things they talk
> about with respect to riding and bikes, because I remember saying some
> of the same stupid things a decade ago myself. Some people actually
> listen to the wisdom of experienced riders, and go through the learning
> curve quite rapidly, I on the other hand had to learn everything the
> hard way.

I don't understand. Is that what you guys talk about out there? How to
ride a bike and get tips on whatever new thing there is to buy? I don't
really know because I ride by myself and with my thoughts. I've never
been on an organized ride.

When you ride with someone else in their car, do you talk about gas
mileage, or what air filter is the best, or whether automatic
transmissions are better now than manuals? Those were really big topics
of conversation when I was a kid and muscle cars were the thing. But it
was pointless since none of us kids could drive.

[andresmuro@aol.com]

On Oct 2, 3:50 pm, Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyb...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
> > Just think, Jobst has been cycling his ass off for five decades.
> > Jobst, any advice?
>
> > IMO, you should find some people to ride with. Riding with others
> > obviously gives you the opportunity to socialize, but on top of that,
> > it usually exposes you to different routes.
>
> > Also, the way you feel has nothing to do with cycling. It has to do
> > with the feeling of obligation -- the belief that you have to ride or
> > else something will happen to you. Well, you don't. You are forgiven
> > in adance for not riding. I commute year round because it is
> > convenient and the right thing to do, but during the winter, I ski. If
> > I don't feel like riding on the weekend, I don't. I'm not training for
> > racing anymore, and I can burn billions of calories chasing my son
> > down Mt. Hood. When I feel like riding on the weekend, I get my
> > friend to go with me (who will be in the middle of his cross season),
> > and we catch up on news while he recovers. I struggle, but he
> > accommodates. He also knows a lot of weird routes close to home, so
> > it is always interesting -- if not a little dangerous. -- Jay Beattie.
>
> -------------
> After years of riding, I can't just sit
> on a sofa. But you are right, I
> shouldn't feel obligated to ride, but it
> is hard to find a substitute that you
> can do for 5 hours on a weekend day. If
> you ran 5 hours you'd be doing a
> marathon, I don't think the body could
> take much of that. I guess I could do
> hiking, but that's usually an 8 hour
> day, to hike up a mountain, and it is
> also hard on the body. The beauty of
> cycling is that you can make it as hard
> or easy as you want.

Cross train. do some running, some swimming, some weight lifting and
some yard cleaning.

[Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman]

Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:
> ...
> After years of riding, I can't just sit on a sofa....

The two can be combined, you know:
<http://www.bikeforest.com/couch_rental.php>. ;)

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman]

Eric Vey wrote:
> ...
> I'm talking about leisurely riding at a speed of oh, I dunno, 5 MPH. Why
> do you want to "ramp it up?" What's the point? Are you practicing for a
> race? Does it make you happy to go fast? If so, no wonder you are jaded.

Doesn't work for me at all. Others with better balance may differ, but
to me, riding below the speed where balance does not feel automatic is
not relaxing. For me, this is 7 to 10+ mph, depending on the bicycle.

However, I have no such issues on the trike, and it serves as a lawn
chair when I stop.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman]

dustoyevsky@mac.com wrote:
> ...
> Cycling, like many other pursuits, is an obsessive kind of thing (five
> hours' suffering on that hard little saddle, nose to someone else's
> butt?)....

That is why I went over to The Dark Side (aka "getting 'bent"). :)

Whether of not fit can cure all comfort problems on an upright bicycle,
it does nothing for the "baboon in estrus" display problem.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[Andrew Price]

On Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:16:25 -0500, Tim McNamara
<timmcn@bitstream.net> wrote:

[---]

>My friend Jim's photos while
>biking as an example:
>
>http://www.flickr.com/photos/twowheelflight/

Some nice photographs there. Does he develop the black & white stuff
himself?

[Crescentius Vespasianus]

Tim McNamara wrote:
> In article <13g37ngnhf64g0f@corp.supernews.com>,
> Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyboss@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> After cycling my ass off for a decade, I'm experiencing bike burnout.
>> Nothing seems to excite my anymore about it. <snip> Is there a cure
>> for bike burn-out?
>
> I find by the middle of August I am tired of riding the same roads. So
> I buy a bike map (or this year, look at bike mapping sites like bikely)
> and find new roads to ride. I shamelessly capitalize on the experience
> of others to improve my cycling experience.
>
> Something that has really perked me up is to do something outside my
> norm: go on an occasional tour, do a brevet, go on a cycling weekend
> somewhere. There's the sub-24-hour (S24O) bike camping trip. Take a
> camera on rides and stop to take photos. My friend Jim's photos while
> biking as an example:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/twowheelflight/
>
> Sometimes the cure for burnout is to take a break. Go on just short
> rides, or no rides at all. Read a book instead. Play Frisbee.
>
> And finally riding with friends. IMHO there are few things finer than a
> lovely day spent on the bike on good roads with a good friend or three.
> Too much riding with only myself for company gets old- it is just not
> that interesting to talk to myself for hours at a time. Last weekend I
> did a 70+ miler around Lake Pepin with a group of people, only two of
> whom I had previously met. I had a wonderful time- a great ride on a
> great day with the bonus of meeting new people.
-----------
Having done brevets, you know that you
have to do some long training rides.
The ones I did were 150 miles, but I
couldn't find anyone to do them with.
So you are right, doing a double or 150
by yourself does get to be a bit
tedious. Your brevets sounded more
socialable, the ones I've been on
degenerated into races. But it might
have been my ability, as I'm neither
fast or slow, so I'm usually stuck in
the middle with very few people if any
to ride with. I did do an organized
bike and camp deal, and they forget to
tell the park, where we had our tents to
turn off the midnight irrigation. You
can imagine the chaos when the
sprinklers all turned on. The people
who opted for breakfast had runny eggs,
and bad coffee. Then to top it off, the
sag had some food that gave many of us
food poisoning, that took me a few days
to completely recover from.

[Kenny]

Is there a cure for bike burn-out?

>From what you are writing it sounds like you live in an area less and
less likeable for bicycle riding. I've known places like this. Some
places are so spread out due to urban sprawl that it takes an hour of
riding just to get to an area that's pleasant. Commuting to work,
riding to do mundane earrands can be depressing sometimes espicially
when traffic sucks. Unfortunately, there is only one cure that
afflicts your bicycle pleasure, that is you need to move. You should
consider moving to an area that has good weather, hills, mountains,
lakes and streams and near the ocean if possible. Sounds like
California doesn't it?

[Kenny]

Damn computer is acting up. This third time shoud do it.

To: Crescentius Vespasianus

>From what you are writing it sounds like you live in an area less and
less likable for bicycle riding. I've known places like this. Some
places are so spread out due to urban sprawl that it takes an hour of
riding just to get to an area that's pleasant. Commuting to work,
riding to do mundane errands can be depressing sometimes especially
when traffic sucks. Unfortunately, there is only one cure that
afflicts your bicycle pleasure, that is you need to move. You should
consider moving to an area that has good weather, hills, mountains,
lakes and streams and near the ocean if possible. Sounds like
California doesn't it?

[Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman]

Paul Cassel wrote:
> Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:
>> Is there a cure for bike burn-out?
>
> First analysis. Are you only burned out on bicycles or are you feeling
> generally flat and uninspired? If it's bikes only, then a break. If it's
> overall, you're in a slight depression which needs addressing. You ok
> with family? Job? Your looks? Etc?
>
> I'd not be surprised to hear that biking is only one of the things which
> has lost its juice for you.

If you are not burned out, you are not working hard enough.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[Ben C]

On 2007-10-02, Grolsch <nospam@telus.net> wrote:
[...]
> "The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." ~John
> Howard

Is that _the_ John Howard? If so I'm surprised he didn't say "The
bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its engine is in a car in front of it."

:)

[Tim McNamara]

In article <m875g3t18hu025bns7msgl6e17gi5e7pte@4ax.com>,
Andrew Price <ajprice@free.fr> wrote:

> On Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:16:25 -0500, Tim McNamara
> <timmcn@bitstream.net> wrote:
>
> [---]
>
> >My friend Jim's photos while biking as an example:
> >
> >http://www.flickr.com/photos/twowheelflight/
>
> Some nice photographs there. Does he develop the black & white stuff
> himself?

He has a mix of digital and film cameras. True to form for Jim, he
started with digital and worked his way over to film. He has set up a
makehift darkroom in his house now, but many of those photos were
developed at Wallgreen's before he got his darkroom set up. And some of
the B&W are digital, but I think not very many. He's been quite taken
with pinhole cameras, too. I fully expect him to turn up for a ride one
of these days with an 8x10 field camera strapped to his bike.

[carlfogel@comcast.net]

On Oct 2, 2:16 pm, Ben C <spams...@spam.eggs> wrote:
> On 2007-10-02, Grolsch <nos...@telus.net> wrote:
> [...]
>
> > "The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." ~John
> > Howard
>
> Is that _the_ John Howard? If so I'm surprised he didn't say "The
> bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its engine is in a car in front of it."
>
> :)

Dear Ben,

Yes, it's _the_ John Howard, whose palmares put him in an entirely
different category than any RBT poster:

Three-time Olympic Cycling Team

10 years U.S. National Team

14-time USCF and NORBA Elite and Master's National Champion

Ironman Triathlon World Champion (1981)

Cycling 24-Hour Drafting World Record Holder, 539 miles (1987)

Cycling World Absolute Speed Record Holder, 152.2 mph

Competitive Cycling Magazine's Cyclist of the Decade -- 1970s

http://www.ultracycling.com/about/hof_howard.html

Only 13 pages of Howard's 231-page biography, "Pushing the Limits,"
are about his two-year effort to set a paced land speed record.

In fact, only the cover and two of the 25 photos in the book show the
land speed record. The rest are mostly pictures of Howard winning bike
races--plus a picture of him and Fast Freddie Markham next to their
_unpaced_ faired tandem, which set a 1989 land speed record of 58.6
mph for a mile.

:-)

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

[Crescentius Vespasianus]

> Well, take a break. I find that if I don't ride for a week or two, I
> really miss it.
>
> Maybe you need to try new routes, or just stay tuned in to what's
> going on around you. My worst rides are those where I'm thinking of
> other things, and not enjoying the sights and sounds around me.
> Another trap is the tendency to want to constantly keep moving. Get
> off the bike once in a while and you'll be amazed at the stuff you've
> missed even on your regular routes. Or explore those side roads you've
> never gone down.
>
> It sounds like you're into "fitness riding" which is fine, but that
> doesn't mean you can't take some breaks during a ride. Yes, stopping
> and exploring will lower your average speed. But who cares. Don't
> become a slave to that bike computer.
>
> I find that I see much more when riding solo, than with a group. On
> the other hand, if you always ride solo, joining in with a group or
> even one other rider can be a pleasant change.
>
> I agree that traffic has gotten much worse over the years, and does
> take some of the joy out of riding. Lately, I've been doing some
> hiking, which is a nice change of pace, although not as much exercise
> as riding at a brisk pace.
>
> Art Harris
-------------
Fitness riding is about right, but it
didn't start out that way, but that's
what it has evolved into. I do like
riding with people who don't talk about
bikes, but unfortunately, as you know,
when people are obsessed as I was once
they become one-dimensional. I do stop
a lot more, and linger more at the
turn-around, but when I'm rolling I am a
slave to the bike computer, years of
doing that way, is a habit that's hard
to break.

[Ben C]

On 2007-10-02, carlfogel@comcast.net <carlfogel@comcast.net> wrote:
> On Oct 2, 2:16 pm, Ben C <spams...@spam.eggs> wrote:
>> On 2007-10-02, Grolsch <nos...@telus.net> wrote:
>> [...]
>>
>> > "The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." ~John
>> > Howard
>>
>> Is that _the_ John Howard? If so I'm surprised he didn't say "The
>> bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its engine is in a car in front of it."
>>
>> :)
>
> Dear Ben,
>
> Yes, it's _the_ John Howard, whose palmares put him in an entirely
> different category than any RBT poster:
[...]
> http://www.ultracycling.com/about/hof_howard.html
[...]

Thank you for setting the record straight re the amazing John Howard.

On the subject of land speed records, another recent post has got me
wondering what speed could be reached in an unpaced fully-faired
recumbent sextet tandem.

[Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman]

Ben C wrote:
> ...
> On the subject of land speed records, another recent post has got me
> wondering what speed could be reached in an unpaced fully-faired
> recumbent sextet tandem.

Since a strong amateur racer (Sam Whittingham) has gone 81 mph on his
own power, mid 80 mph range to close to 90 mph should be possible,
assuming that such a long vehicle can maintain laminar flow over a good
portion of its length.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[carlfogel@comcast.net]

On Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:10:12 -0500, Ben C <spamspam@spam.eggs> wrote:

>On 2007-10-02, carlfogel@comcast.net <carlfogel@comcast.net> wrote:
>> On Oct 2, 2:16 pm, Ben C <spams...@spam.eggs> wrote:
>>> On 2007-10-02, Grolsch <nos...@telus.net> wrote:
>>> [...]
>>>
>>> > "The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." ~John
>>> > Howard
>>>
>>> Is that _the_ John Howard? If so I'm surprised he didn't say "The
>>> bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its engine is in a car in front of it."
>>>
>>> :)
>>
>> Dear Ben,
>>
>> Yes, it's _the_ John Howard, whose palmares put him in an entirely
>> different category than any RBT poster:
>[...]
>> http://www.ultracycling.com/about/hof_howard.html
>[...]
>
>Thank you for setting the record straight re the amazing John Howard.
>
>On the subject of land speed records, another recent post has got me
>wondering what speed could be reached in an unpaced fully-faired
>recumbent sextet tandem.

Dear Ben,

As Ryan points out, tandems don't do as well as expected in speed
records.

For the flying start men's 200 meter, the current record is a pitiful
68.405 mph for a two-man tandem type -10, meaning a streamlined supine
bicycle, long wheelbase recumbent:

http://www.ihpva.org/hpva/hpvarech.html

That snail's pace was set in 2002 and is just short of the single
rider record set back in 1980--and about 12.5 mph short of Sam
Whittingham's 2002 81 mph solo record.

Only a single tandem is listed in the IHPVA records, a triple that did
57 mph back in 1979 and was soon beaten.

For the flying 500 meters, tandems do a little better than singles,
64.64 mph versus 62.34 mph, Whittingham-Markham versus Whittingham.

But that's probably just due to lack of interest in the 500 meter.

Sam Whittingham did 79.79 mph in the solo flying 1,000 meter, but only
63.73 when he rode in a tandem with Markham.

For a flying mile, the solo record is guess-who in the Varna Diablo at
78.64 mph, versus only 58.81 mph for a tandem with Markham and John
Howard, whose 1989 record still stands.

:-)

For the standing start hour, the solo record is 53.92 mph by guess-who
in guess-what, versus the best tandem at 46.3 mph.

So, apart from the flying 500 meter, tandems don't do nearly as well
as singles when it comes to no-holds-barred fully-faired foolishness.

Given how much work goes into the Varna Diablo, it's understandable
that multiple-rider machines will compete less often, suffer more
complications, and show up poorly.

Building a 6-man faired recumbent would be a hideous task.

Trying to launch a 6-man faired tandem would be a nightmare.

If built and launched, a 6-man tandem might go like hell, but I'd hate
to be in it or anywhere near the path of the likely crash. The beast
might surprise everyone by being very stable, but a little wind, a
little wobble, a little mistake, and you have 6 men going
ass-over-tea-kettle while trying to exceed 80 mph.

Finding a single rider who will undertake the enormous preparation is
hard enough. Finding six of them would be amazing.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

[RonSonic]

On Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:46:57 -0500, "Tom \"Johnny Sunset\" Sherman"
<sunsetss0003@iinvalid.com> wrote:

>Eric Vey wrote:
>> ...
>> I'm talking about leisurely riding at a speed of oh, I dunno, 5 MPH. Why
>> do you want to "ramp it up?" What's the point? Are you practicing for a
>> race? Does it make you happy to go fast? If so, no wonder you are jaded.
>
>Doesn't work for me at all. Others with better balance may differ, but
>to me, riding below the speed where balance does not feel automatic is
>not relaxing. For me, this is 7 to 10+ mph, depending on the bicycle.
>
>However, I have no such issues on the trike, and it serves as a lawn
>chair when I stop.

Ya know, that is possibly the real and valid advantage to those weird things you
ride.

Ron

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <4702ce10$0$26457$88260bb3@free.teranews.com>,
"Tom \"Johnny Sunset\" Sherman" <sunsetss0003@iinvalid.com> wrote:

> Ben C wrote:
> > ...
> > On the subject of land speed records, another recent post has got me
> > wondering what speed could be reached in an unpaced fully-faired
> > recumbent sextet tandem.
>
> Since a strong amateur racer (Sam Whittingham) has gone 81 mph on his
> own power, mid 80 mph range to close to 90 mph should be possible,
> assuming that such a long vehicle can maintain laminar flow over a good
> portion of its length.


You'd think so, but the tandem HPV record (never mind the apparently
nonexistent more-than-tandem record) stubbornly remains below the solo
HPV record.

While I harbor the suspicion this has as much to do with the fact that
coordination of two strong riders is hard (and finding two riders as
strong as Whittingham who are willing to fiddle around with a silly HPV
record is even harder), it's possible the aerodynamics falter due to
some aspect ratio problem with a recumbent tandem.

That said, if I was going to mount an assault on the absolute HPV land
speed record, I'd start with a tandem.

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

[A Muzi]

Crescentius Vespasianus wrote:
> Tim McNamara wrote:
>> In article <13g37ngnhf64g0f@corp.supernews.com>,
>> Crescentius Vespasianus <jazzyboss@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> After cycling my ass off for a decade, I'm experiencing bike burnout.
>>> Nothing seems to excite my anymore about it. <snip> Is there a cure
>>> for bike burn-out?
>>
>> I find by the middle of August I am tired of riding the same roads.
>> So I buy a bike map (or this year, look at bike mapping sites like
>> bikely) and find new roads to ride. I shamelessly capitalize on the
>> experience of others to improve my cycling experience.
>>
>> Something that has really perked me up is to do something outside my
>> norm: go on an occasional tour, do a brevet, go on a cycling weekend
>> somewhere. There's the sub-24-hour (S24O) bike camping trip. Take a
>> camera on rides and stop to take photos. My friend Jim's photos while
>> biking as an example:
>>
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/twowheelflight/
>>
>> Sometimes the cure for burnout is to take a break. Go on just short
>> rides, or no rides at all. Read a book instead. Play Frisbee.
>> And finally riding with friends. IMHO there are few things finer than
>> a lovely day spent on the bike on good roads with a good friend or
>> three. Too much riding with only myself for company gets old- it is
>> just not that interesting to talk to myself for hours at a time. Last
>> weekend I did a 70+ miler around Lake Pepin with a group of people,
>> only two of whom I had previously met. I had a wonderful time- a
>> great ride on a great day with the bonus of meeting new people.
> -----------
> Having done brevets, you know that you have to do some long training
> rides. The ones I did were 150 miles, but I couldn't find anyone to do
> them with. So you are right, doing a double or 150 by yourself does get
> to be a bit tedious. Your brevets sounded more socialable, the ones
> I've been on degenerated into races. But it might have been my ability,
> as I'm neither fast or slow, so I'm usually stuck in the middle with
> very few people if any to ride with. I did do an organized bike and
> camp deal, and they forget to tell the park, where we had our tents to
> turn off the midnight irrigation. You can imagine the chaos when the
> sprinklers all turned on. The people who opted for breakfast had runny
> eggs, and bad coffee. Then to top it off, the sag had some food that
> gave many of us food poisoning, that took me a few days to completely
> recover from.

That's a good story!
And, truly, that's life. Reminded me of a rustic stop on a long day ride
where companion and I, young and starry eyed, discovered itch mites au
naturel. All over.
I hope that everyone's thoughts here were a help to you.
Cycling, like life, is imperfect. Varied, unpredictable, maybe
exhilarating, maybe dangerous. Sometimes just getting out with a good
story makes for a good ride!
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

[Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman]

Ryan Cousineau wrote:
> In article <4702ce10$0$26457$88260bb3@free.teranews.com>,
> "Tom \"Johnny Sunset\" Sherman" <sunsetss0003@iinvalid.com> wrote:
>
>> Ben C wrote:
>>> ...
>>> On the subject of land speed records, another recent post has got me
>>> wondering what speed could be reached in an unpaced fully-faired
>>> recumbent sextet tandem.
>> Since a strong amateur racer (Sam Whittingham) has gone 81 mph on his
>> own power, mid 80 mph range to close to 90 mph should be possible,
>> assuming that such a long vehicle can maintain laminar flow over a good
>> portion of its length.
>
>
> You'd think so, but the tandem HPV record (never mind the apparently
> nonexistent more-than-tandem record) stubbornly remains below the solo
> HPV record.
>
> While I harbor the suspicion this has as much to do with the fact that
> coordination of two strong riders is hard (and finding two riders as
> strong as Whittingham who are willing to fiddle around with a silly HPV
> record is even harder), it's possible the aerodynamics falter due to
> some aspect ratio problem with a recumbent tandem.
>
> That said, if I was going to mount an assault on the absolute HPV land
> speed record, I'd start with a tandem.

I would consider a two-wheel drive tandem, so the riders would not
influence each other's power production. Weight does not matter much in
these events - a Varna Diablo is NOT lightweight.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

[Tim McNamara]

In article <13g5vh25k7vnm82@corp.supernews.com>,
A Muzi <am@yellowjersey.org> wrote:

> Sometimes just getting out with a good story makes for a good ride!

Wisdom for sure.

[Ryan Cousineau]

In article <e206g3hpoljei4677qeo60daggrtugl3np@4ax.com>,
carlfogel@comcast.net wrote:

> On Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:10:12 -0500, Ben C <spamspam@spam.eggs> wrote:
>
> >On 2007-10-02, carlfogel@comcast.net <carlfogel@comcast.net> wrote:
> >> On Oct 2, 2:16 pm, Ben C <spams...@spam.eggs> wrote:
> >>> On 2007-10-02, Grolsch <nos...@telus.net> wrote:
> >>> [...]
> >>>
> >>> > "The bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its passenger is its engine." ~John
> >>> > Howard
> >>>
> >>> Is that _the_ John Howard? If so I'm surprised he didn't say "The
> >>> bicycle is a curious vehicle. Its engine is in a car in front of it."
> >>>
> >>> :)
> >>
> >> Dear Ben,
> >>
> >> Yes, it's _the_ John Howard, whose palmares put him in an entirely
> >> different category than any RBT poster:
> >[...]
> >> http://www.ultracycling.com/about/hof_howard.html
> >[...]
> >
> >Thank you for setting the record straight re the amazing John Howard.
> >
> >On the subject of land speed records, another recent post has got me
> >wondering what speed could be reached in an unpaced fully-faired
> >recumbent sextet tandem.
>
> Dear Ben,
>
> As Ryan points out, tandems don't do as well as expected in speed
> records.
>
> For the flying start men's 200 meter, the current record is a pitiful
> 68.405 mph for a two-man tandem type -10, meaning a streamlined supine
> bicycle, long wheelbase recumbent:
>
> http://www.ihpva.org/hpva/hpvarech.html
>
> That snail's pace was set in 2002 and is just short of the single
> rider record set back in 1980--and about 12.5 mph short of Sam
> Whittingham's 2002 81 mph solo record.
>
> Only a single tandem is listed in the IHPVA records, a triple that did
> 57 mph back in 1979 and was soon beaten.
>
> For the flying 500 meters, tandems do a little better than singles,
> 64.64 mph versus 62.34 mph, Whittingham-Markham versus Whittingham.
>
> But that's probably just due to lack of interest in the 500 meter.
>
> Sam Whittingham did 79.79 mph in the solo flying 1,000 meter, but only
> 63.73 when he rode in a tandem with Markham.
>
> For a flying mile, the solo record is guess-who in the Varna Diablo at
> 78.64 mph, versus only 58.81 mph for a tandem with Markham and John
> Howard, whose 1989 record still stands.
>
> :-)
>
> For the standing start hour, the solo record is 53.92 mph by guess-who
> in guess-what, versus the best tandem at 46.3 mph.
>
> So, apart from the flying 500 meter, tandems don't do nearly as well
> as singles when it comes to no-holds-barred fully-faired foolishness.
>
> Given how much work goes into the Varna Diablo, it's understandable
> that multiple-rider machines will compete less often, suffer more
> complications, and show up poorly.
>
> Building a 6-man faired recumbent would be a hideous task.
>
> Trying to launch a 6-man faired tandem would be a nightmare.
>
> If built and launched, a 6-man tandem might go like hell, but I'd hate
> to be in it or anywhere near the path of the likely crash. The beast
> might surprise everyone by being very stable, but a little wind, a
> little wobble, a little mistake, and you have 6 men going
> ass-over-tea-kettle while trying to exceed 80 mph.
>
> Finding a single rider who will undertake the enormous preparation is
> hard enough. Finding six of them would be amazing.

It's clear what the solution is. Yes, you could just clone Whittingham
(or better yet, clone whichever current pro appears to have the best
ratio of watts/shoulder width) six times, but why not just standardize
the rider?

We know pretty much what wattage world-class riders can put out for the
times of these rides, and we know what shape and weight they are. So
let's just create an electric power pack that conforms to the "standard
high performance human" and use that as a default testing apparatus of
new HPV designs.

This idea could have legs,

--
Ryan Cousineau rcousine@sfu.ca http://www.wiredcola.com/
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

[Ben C]

On 2007-10-03, carlfogel@comcast.net <carlfogel@comcast.net> wrote:
[...]
> If built and launched, a 6-man tandem might go like hell, but I'd hate
> to be in it or anywhere near the path of the likely crash. The beast
> might surprise everyone by being very stable, but a little wind, a
> little wobble, a little mistake, and you have 6 men going
> ass-over-tea-kettle while trying to exceed 80 mph.

Good, I like a challenge.

> Finding a single rider who will undertake the enormous preparation is
> hard enough. Finding six of them would be amazing.

Well the Discovery Channel team are recently out of jobs so I've
pencilled them in for now.

Otherwise if I turn a blind eye to you-know-what I'm sure I could find
six or so disgruntled pros serving out two-year bans and looking for
something to do.

[Tom \Johnny Sunset\ Sherman]

RonSonic ??? wrote:
> On Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:46:57 -0500, "Tom \"Johnny Sunset\" Sherman"
> <sunsetss0003@iinvalid.com> wrote:
>
>> Eric Vey wrote:
>>> ...
>>> I'm talking about leisurely riding at a speed of oh, I dunno, 5 MPH. Why
>>> do you want to "ramp it up?" What's the point? Are you practicing for a
>>> race? Does it make you happy to go fast? If so, no wonder you are jaded.
>> Doesn't work for me at all. Others with better balance may differ, but
>> to me, riding below the speed where balance does not feel automatic is
>> not relaxing. For me, this is 7 to 10+ mph, depending on the bicycle.
>>
>> However, I have no such issues on the trike, and it serves as a lawn
>> chair when I stop.
>
> Ya know, that is possibly the real and valid advantage to those weird things you
> ride.

If events likes firework displays and airshows are your thing and within
riding distance, a trike is great, since you have the most comfortable
seat to watch from.

I can ride my trike a few miles to watch the big kerosene drinking birds
takeoff and land.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
A Real Cyclist [TM] keeps at least one bicycle in the bedroom.

--
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