Bike Trails

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<p class="firstpara">nude, welcome to the Bike Path thread, whilst the 7C (IHB) Cycling Club comprises of elite Cyclist we tend to welcome anyone who rides a Bike, even you.....</p>

<p class="firstpara">But seriously, I agree with Eff's comments about "roadie cultural pathology" (after looking the meaning up on the www), I "ride with" some people like that, I have to because in a couple of the Clubs I ride with they are unavoidable, whilst most Members are really friendly some won't even acknowledge you but like I always say, you can have fun with serious People </p>

<p class="firstpara">Where I work there are a group of Mountain Bikers, the problem is, I really suck at Mountain Biking, I'd love to be good at it but I can't, I keep crashing...I bought a MTB last year and went off road exactly, let me see, ermmm...once. The problem for me is being so used to a Roadbike, my intuition tells me that when I'm climbing and come to a hard part, stand on the Pedals or spin, depending on the length of the climb, problem is, when you do that on a MTB you get up to a cadence of, oh, around 350 and fall sideways because you're still clipped into the Pedals...the rear wheel loses traction and it's hello Cactus and Rock City....</p>

<p class="firstpara">So I commute on my MTB now </p>

<p class="firstpara">Having said that, I have the utmost admiration for MTB'ers....the group at work keep inviting me, I have to keep making excuses....</p>

<p class="firstpara">As the Fat Cyclist at <a href="http://www.fatcyclist.com/">FatCycling.com</a> explains, the transition isn't easy....read on for a good laugh....</p>

<p class="firstpara"><strong>As a road cyclist, you have no doubt asked yourself, from time to time, the following question:</strong></p>

<p>"What would happen if I rode my bike offroad?"</p>

<p>Well, the answer is quite simple. If you took your bike offroad, your brainpan would be shaken loose and your tires would explode, right before your rims crumpled in a heap.</p>

<p>But that may not have been the question you <em>meant</em> to ask. Maybe you meant to ask, "What would it be like to ride a mountain bike on these trails I sometimes see intersecting the tarmac? Would it really be that much different?"</p>

<p>Yes, it would be different. Here are some of the key tips and tricks to help you prepare for your grand offroad cycling transformation.</p>

<p><strong>1. You must get a tattoo</strong>. Before you even begin thinking about shopping for a mountain bike, let alone taking your first mountain bike ride, you must get a rad tattoo. It's the law. There are actual mountain bike police out monitoring the trails, and they are liable to ask you if you have a tattoo. If you don't, they are authorized to give you one -- of their choosing -- on the spot.</p>

<p>Now, I'm certain that you are thinking, right this moment, "I'm pretty sure I saw a mountain biker without a tattoo, once." I assure you: that mountain biker had a tattoo. It was just more discretely placed than most, probably because that biker still lives at home and is afraid his mom will find out.</p>

<p>So the question is, what should your tattoo be? Well, the mountain biking bylaws stipulate that a chainring must be one of the graphical elements, a mystical Asian glyph must be included, and there must be a whimsical third symbol: wings, a skull-and-crossbones, or a cloud are all good examples. I recommend a yin-yang symbol inside a chainring, peeking out from behind a cloud, as if it were the sun.</p>

<p>Feel free to make up your own story as to what this means.</p>

<p><strong>2. None of your existing equipment transfers.</strong> You might think that since you already have an outrageous quantity of cycling gear that you would have significant equipment overlap, making it easier for you to get your foot in the door.</p>

<p>That is, naturally, ridiculous.</p>

<p>You will need to buy all new clothes: baggy shorts, jerseys promoting different products, a helmet with a visor. You will need different shoes, and a high volume / low pressure floor pump. You will need different lube and different tools.</p>

<p>And none of the spare bike parts you have a accumulated over the years will be of any use. The wily bike part manufacturers have made certain of that.</p>

<p><strong>3. Your bike will be be too complex for you to understand</strong>. Here's an interesting exercise: sketch out your road bike from memory. Be thorough: draw where the cables go and the where the brakes are.</p>

<p>That was easy, wasn't it?</p>

<p> Now, ask a mountain biker to sketch out his full-suspension bike from memory. He won't be able to. The frame is just too complex -- The fork moves up and down, the whole back section of the bike flexes around, and disc brakes are black magic that require either a degree in physics or theology (preferably both) to properly repair.</p>

<p>Continued in next post....</p>
 
.......Continued from last post

<p><strong>4. You must choose a tribe.</strong> When you ride your road bike, the bike type describes precisely what you're doing: you're riding on the road. Sure, there are a few outlier bike types (TT bikes, fixies), but even those are minor degrees of difference.</p>

<p>When you decide to go mountain biking, on the other hand, you haven't yet decided anything. You must still narrow down by these oh-so-important factors:</p>



<strong>Wheel size</strong>: 26" or 29"? Or one of each? If you go with 26" wheels, you're a luddite who can't accept the winds of change. If you go with 29" wheels, you're a sap who believes everything he reads. If you go with one of each, you're just confused.

<strong>Your riding style: Cross country, Downhill, or Freeride?</strong> "Cross country" means you aren't very good at riding downhill, and sotell people you like to be able to climb. "Downhill" means that you wish you could afford a motorcycle, and are making do for now. "Freeride" means that you bought into the marketing hype that said if a downhill bike were a pound lighter you could also climb with it.

<strong>Suspension: Front, Full, or None?</strong> Modern mountain bikes have sophisticated shock absorbers that can very nearly negate the bumps on the trail you claim to have come out to enjoy on the first place. Here's a thought: if you want a smooth, non-bumpy ride, why don't you try a remarkable new invention called "tarmac?" On the other hand, if you ride a mountain bike with no suspension, you'll be called a retro-grouch and you'll be rattled into a state of amnesia.

<strong>Gears or singlespeed?</strong> When you're on your road bike, of course you want gears. Gears make you go faster. On mountain bikes, on the other hand, it's becoming increasingly popular to have no gears, because it's simpler or something. The prevailing wisdom on this theory is that the only people who subscribe to it are those whose brains have been excessively rattled, due to lack of proper suspension on their bikes..

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<p><strong>5. You must learn new tactics</strong>. When you first start mountain biking, you'll be tempted to draft, riding as efficiently as you always have. You will quickly discover, however, that this tactic doesn't have much benefit at 3.5kph.</p>

<p>And don't point out obstacles. Unlike roadies, who want to help each other stay upright, one of the primary reasons mountain bikers hit the trail is because there's always a good chance someone's going to have a good wipeout, and they don't want to miss it.</p>

<p>Finally, and most importantly, start drinking more beer.</p>

<p><strong>6. Be ready to work harder for your miles</strong>. If you go on a three-hour road ride, you've probably covered 50 miles or so. If, on the other hand, you've gone on a three-hour mountain bike ride, you may not get out of sight of the trailhead.</p>

<p><strong>7. Be prepared to be injured in new and interesting ways</strong>. As a road cyclist, you no doubt live in constant terror of road rash. The good news is, as a mountain biker you'll never have to worry about road rash again.</p>

<p>The bad news is, there are numerous new ways you can be injured while mountain biking:</p>



<strong>Branches at eye level</strong>: On your road bike, glasses are a good idea. On your mountain bike, they're a really really really really good idea. Really.

<strong>Branches at other levels:</strong> Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to have a branch catch in the crook of your arm as you blow by at 22 mph? Or to have a branch insert itself between your spokes and fork? You'll find out soon!

<strong>Dirt is softer than tarmac, but not much:</strong> You've probably already figured out that turfing it on the dirt is going to hurt less than hitting the tarmac. However, when you consider how much <em>more often</em> you're going to fall, that may be small comfort.

<strong>You're going to get stupid</strong>. By and large, people don't do intentionally stupid things on road bikes. You just ride. This is not the case on mountain bikes. At all. People will look at a nine-foot dropoff and say, "I think I can make it." I'm pretty sure this has to do with all the brainpan rattling.

<strong>Nasty creatures</strong>: Got room in your jersey pocket for a snakebite kit? Maybe you should <em>make</em> room.

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<p>You'll be glad to know, however, that your big, burly mountain bike is built to take the kind of beating you're sure to give it, and it will only rarely have mechanical difficulties.</p>

<p>No, I'm just kidding. Your mountain bike will break as (or more) often as your road bike.</p>

<p>So please, allow me to conclude by welcoming you -- my roadie friends -- into the sport of mountain biking.</p>

<p>I'm sure you're anxious to dive right in.</p>

<p><em><strong><a href="http://www.fatcyclist.com/">http://www.fatcyclist.com/</a></strong></em></p>

<p> </p>
 
<p>"roadies", that cracks me up.</p>

<p>Ok, full disclosure time... I once was a roadie too. It only lasted a couple of years.</p>

<p>My first bike, at age 5, was a blue Schwinn Stingray with a banana seat and and training wheels. By age 6, I was playing Evel Knievel off curbs. Over the next 5 years I bent more rims than any kid I knew. For my 11th Birthday I got my first beach cruiser... a Huffy. After installing a home made boogieboard rack, axel pegs, and scrapping the fenders, I rode that thing until the handles literally fell off in my hand. That particular wheelie ended badly.</p>

<p>In 1984, my godfather decided I needed a "real" bike. He took me down to a bicycle shop in Newport to be measured (with lots of discussion about things I didn't understand) and I ended up with a brand new blue Motobecane Jubilee Sport. It had gears! and rat cages! and skinny little tires! But man... once I learned that the rims didn't like curbs (at all!) I was in love with the speed. Back then the stretch of PCH between CDM and Laguna was just a hilly highway with a cliffside restaurant and a trailerpark on the beach, and I would ride that with my godfather as often as we could, maybe three times a week in the summer. We'd start at Culver & Michelson, take Michelson to Jamborree, Jamboree to PCH, PCH to Emerald Bay, then turn around and ride back home. During the school year, I would occasionally ride with him, but eventually found a new loop that my high school friends and I would ride.</p>

<p>In 1986, I traded that bike for a brand new GT ProFreestyle and some *ahem* stuff. I spent a couple of years playing games on that before the frame cracked and I switched over to motorcycles. In 1994, I walked into a bike store in Las Vegas and walked out with the coolest thing I had ever seen: A Univega Alpina 5.1. It was green, it was heavy, it had 21 speeds and 6 million mounting points, and it was the most fun I had on a bike since my Motobecane. Two years later I got a Specialized Rockhopper that died a tragic death under the wheels of a Animal Control truck. But I loved riding off-road in the Nevada desert far more than those long summer rides in Orange County. The mix of riding surfaces, the lack of truck mirrors, the all encompassing pain involved in trying to pedal up a 35 degree trail, the sheer terror of trying to ride one back down, the feeling of freedom (and the lack of people yelling "watch your line!") in picking out your own route, and yes....the frequent falls that sometimes require you to hike your bike out so it can be fixed at the shop; all of that took cycling to a new level that makes road riding seem like a 6 am commute on the 91 freeway.</p>

<p>Now I 'ride' a '98 GT Timberline, outfitted with Continental Double Fighter tires and armrests, that sits in my Kurt Kinetic trainer. I haven't touched a real trail since 2002, and haven't spent more than an hour riding outside since I moved to Seattle. After writing all this, I realize how pathetic I have gotten in my old age. If you see me, just put a bullet in my head. Please.</p>
 
<p><em>whilst the 7C (IHB) Cycling Club comprises of elite Cyclist we tend to welcome anyone who rides a Bike</em></p>

<p>Since ya'll keep bugging me to join you, you would have to welcome me despite my broke-ass mountain bike and muscles only used to an elliptical trainer or treadmill. With all the nice weather lately I am more and more tempted to go see to the rust and flat tires that await me in the garage.</p>

<p> </p>
 
<p>Bike Mechanics to teh cf-pad, stat! </p>

<p><img alt="" src="http://www.innocentenglish.com/funny-pics/lolcats/kitty-help-fix-computer.jpg" /></p>
 
I know of a pic I would be posting that showcases the kind of helping hands one can find in the IHB community, but I'm not allowed to post that pic anymore.
 
I used to be way into road biking. . . did 2 centuries. I then worked at Performance Bicycle at Jamboree and Barrannca (before they turned it into a Kinko's). Anyone remember that bike shop? There were so many characters there. The 6'6 guy, the mechanic who broke all of his teeth riding home one night with no light on the bike after he jumped a curb, Managers Penelope, Chris, Mayte and Shawn, the mechanic of indeterminate race who Chris went up to one day and said, "dude, what. . .are. . . you?" (He was "Obama"), the smooth talking 16 year old Persian guy who had a great reputation for selling extras along with the bikes. . . I was by far the most boring person. They were all surprised that I had gotten into a good college. . .





Oh well, anyone remember that shop?
 
<p><a href="http://www.worldnakedbikeride.org/index.html">World Naked Bike Ride</a></p>

<p>"To celebrate cycling and the human body. The ride demonstrates the vulnerability of cyclists on the road and is a protest against oil dependency."</p>

<p>Hey...who wants to go??</p>

<p></p>

<p> </p>
 
<p><img alt="" src="http://www.clever-radfahren.de/kompakt/dl/images/cat-on-bicycle.jpg" /></p>

<p>Newest member of the 7th Circle Cycling Club...</p>
 
<p>Introducing the new 2009, <strong>7Circles IHB Cycling Club Team Bike</strong>....Our (elite) Cycling Club no longer has to let Cycling get in the way of Blogging or Blogging get in the way of Cycling....we think of everything </p>

<p>We call it the "Blogcycle" </p>

<p><img alt="" src="http://www.uploadandgo.com/images/Swedish-V-urban-bike.jpg" /></p>
 
<em><strong>Dude, where's the cup holder?</strong></em>



If you look very closely Troop, you'll notice it doesn't have one, we delegated the Cup Holder Part to Prof unfortunately....we're still waiting...



But in any Case, we always incorporate a Coffee Shop into all 7C rides, in fact, we're not the only club that does this, every other <strong><em>elite Cycling Club</em></strong> I know of does the exact same thing.



Incidentaly, we're now known in the Cycling world as simply "7", like when everyone refers to "Lance", after thinking about this for a while it's probably good that we're not known as the "7C's" because if there were in fact seven of us it could be pretty embarassing Imagine as we roll up to the Coffee shop "HEY, here come the 7C's"



It just doesn't sound good IMHO.
 
Finally, here is a race that PeterUK could win!

Tour de Donut, July 12, 2008:





"You may have heard about the Tour de France, or maybe even the Tour of California, or possibly even the Tour of Utah...

It's simple. Race 21 miles and see who is the king donut! In circuit style, ride 7 miles, then eat as many donuts as you would like. No limit. Then, ride 7 more miles, eat more donuts, then ride the last 7 mile lap. Glory and adulation are waiting for you at the Finish Line. Proceeds benefit the Utah Amber Alert ID project.



Time Bonuses

Did I forget to tell you? For every donut you eat, subtract three minutes from your time! Ten donuts? 30 minutes right off the top. Finally your appetite and your pot belly are your greatest assets"
 
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