relatively amusing craig's list ad

Peter Cole

Chalo wrote:
> Rex Kerr wrote:
>> though I cringe to think of them riding brakeless [fixed gear] in
>> skater shoes on platform pedals.
>
> That's one way to prevent being bucked off when you forget to pedal.
> Losing the pedals is way better than getting body-slammed by your
> odious bitchy bike. Consult the referenced Craigslist posting for
> corroboration.

The CL guy went down once because his worn out SPD let go while skip
braking, I don't think that was really a FG crash, more of a clipless
crash (of which I've seen several). Skip braking is dumb, anyway.

His second crash was after drinking & tried to coast. I think maybe his
reflexes were affected. Anyway, tricks are for kids, they heal faster.

> Everything I liked about my fixie, I like about my coaster-braked
> bike-- silence, simplicity, light weight, efficiency, clean
> appearance, intuitive operation. Everything I hated and feared about
> my fixie isn't even a factor on my "coastie".
>
> In light of the alternatives, I think a fixed-gear bike is comparable
> to a quill pen, straight razor, or kerosene lantern. It's
> entertaining for a little while, it imposes perils that tend to keep
> you on your toes, but mostly it instills gratitude and appreciation at
> the simple technological innovations that have made life better since
> the 19th century.

I've got a freewheel on one side of my fixed wheel. I flip it to ride
off road. It's not the same feeling at all. I used to ride 10-speed
junkers without derailers, just shortening the chain to fit a middle
sprocket on a freewheel, so I thought I knew what a fixer would feel
like (so I didn't bother with one for many years). My first few rides on
a fixer were not too fun, I was thinking about it way too much, but,
like clipless, once my reflexes got trained I could just go with the
flow. It seems much like switching between manual & automatic shifting
on a car. I don't know how, but my mind switches without conscious
effort even if years have passed without touching a stick.

What you say about technical progress could apply to stick shift, too.
Most people seem to find it an unqualified PITA. For light, low powered
cars (the kind I like to drive), I prefer a stick. A fixer feels much
the same.

Rex Kerr

Tom Sherman wrote:
>> Interesting... which pedal system do you use? (M324s???) I use
>> Speedplay Frogs and I can clip in or out with the pedals moving with
>> absolutely no problem. I could see SPD being more difficult since you
>> have to hit the target a bit more accurately.
>>
> Heck, just getting my feet on rotating platform pedals is not something
> I would want to do on a regular basis.

Regular basis? How often, exactly, do you expect fixie riders to have
to do that? I only do it intentionally (to pedal with one foot for a
while, for example)... When starting/stopping it's just like any other
bike, I clip in mid stroke. Do you stop pedaling after you start moving
to clip in? That said, I still can't get the hang of clips & straps and
really don't want to anyhow considering how many close calls I've had
with those, even on a regular bike!!



--
Work and recreation are not often effected at the same time.
One using a bicycle in business makes an exception to the rule.
- Dr. Edgar H. Earl, Rochester. (~1892)

Rex Kerr

Peter Cole wrote:
> Chalo wrote:

> His second crash was after drinking & tried to coast. I think maybe his
> reflexes were affected. Anyway, tricks are for kids, they heal faster.

I sometimes try to coast, but the sensation of getting pulled down hits
you so fast that you quickly right that mistake. It happens quite
rarely now that I've ridden more than a few thousand miles on the fixed.
In fact, after a few days of riding the fixed, if I switch back I get
the same mental "oh #!?!*" moment the first time I start to coast, then
I quickly remember that it's OK... :-)

> I've got a freewheel on one side of my fixed wheel. I flip it to ride
> off road. It's not the same feeling at all.

Exactly... He said that everything that he liked about a fixed he could
get from a freewheel, and I disagree. The momentum through the pedal
stroke that I described just doesn't exist. I never used my freewheel
when I had a flip-flip hub, now I don't even have one at all.

> What you say about technical progress could apply to stick shift, too.
> Most people seem to find it an unqualified PITA. For light, low powered
> cars (the kind I like to drive), I prefer a stick. A fixer feels much
> the same.

Yup... I prefer manual transmissions as well... oh, and fountain pens
too. (to address the previous poster)

--
Work and recreation are not often effected at the same time.
One using a bicycle in business makes an exception to the rule.
- Dr. Edgar H. Earl, Rochester. (~1892)

Tom Sherman

Rex Kerr wrote:
> Tom Sherman wrote:
>>> Interesting... which pedal system do you use? (M324s???) I use
>>> Speedplay Frogs and I can clip in or out with the pedals moving with
>>> absolutely no problem. I could see SPD being more difficult since
>>> you have to hit the target a bit more accurately.
>>>
>> Heck, just getting my feet on rotating platform pedals is not
>> something I would want to do on a regular basis.
>
> Regular basis? How often, exactly, do you expect fixie riders to have
> to do that? I only do it intentionally (to pedal with one foot for a
> while, for example)... When starting/stopping it's just like any other
> bike, I clip in mid stroke. Do you stop pedaling after you start moving
> to clip in?

Often times I briefly pause to clip in the second foot.

I have been around too many industrial accidents, so I have an aversion
to putting any body part near any type of moving machinery.

> That said, I still can't get the hang of clips & straps and
> really don't want to anyhow considering how many close calls I've had
> with those, even on a regular bike!!
>
Clips and straps are obsolete, and rightfully so.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

Tom Sherman

Peter Cole wrote:
> [...]
> What you say about technical progress could apply to stick shift, too.
> Most people seem to find it an unqualified PITA.

Those people should be banned from driving for life. If a person can not
drive a vehicle lacking syncromesh, he/she should not be issued a license.

> For light, low powered
> cars (the kind I like to drive), I prefer a stick. A fixer feels much
> the same.

Automatic transmissions suck out too much power, cause a huge delay in
increasing acceleration while they down shift (extremely annoying when
exiting a corner) and are otherwise a general annoyance. The 90% of US
vehicles that only offer an automatic transmission are automatically
(pun intended) off my shopping list.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

Tom Keats

In article <fum22l$de$1@registered.motzarella.org>,
Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> writes:

> Clips and straps are obsolete, and rightfully so.

No they're not.

Besides, double straps + cleats are still
de rigeur in track racing. And rightfully
so in that particular avocation, where the
second-to-last thing one wants is pull-outs
from one's pedals.

Chinook Jargon isn't obsolete either. It often
has more concise nuance than plain English.

Clipless pedals are too skookum.


klahowya,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Tom Sherman

Tom Keats wrote:
> In article <fum22l$de$1@registered.motzarella.org>,
> Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> writes:
>
>> Clips and straps are obsolete, and rightfully so.
>
> No they're not.
>
I think we have had this discussion before. Interested parties can
search the Google Group archives.

> Besides, double straps + cleats are still
> de rigeur in track racing. And rightfully
> so in that particular avocation, where the
> second-to-last thing one wants is pull-outs
> from one's pedals.
>
Not too many stop signs or traffic signals on the velodrome, eh?

> Chinook Jargon isn't obsolete either. It often
> has more concise nuance than plain English.
>
> Clipless pedals are too skookum.
>
See <http://powergrips.mrpbike.com/pg_benefits.shtml>.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

Tom Keats

In article <fumt12$ij3$1@registered.motzarella.org>,
Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> writes:
> Tom Keats wrote:
>> In article <fum22l$de$1@registered.motzarella.org>,
>> Tom Sherman <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> writes:
>>
>>> Clips and straps are obsolete, and rightfully so.
>>
>> No they're not.
>>
> I think we have had this discussion before.

And I won.

>Interested parties can
> search the Google Group archives.

I just got off afternoon shift. I dunno what
your excuse for being up at this unGoldy hour
is, or even if you ever sleep at all, but I
recommend it's occasional indulgence.

>> Besides, double straps + cleats are still
>> de rigeur in track racing. And rightfully
>> so in that particular avocation, where the
>> second-to-last thing one wants is pull-outs
>> from one's pedals.
>>
> Not too many stop signs or traffic signals on the velodrome, eh?

Pull-outs while traversing intersections ain't
much fun either. Neither is having to don special
clabber just to go somewhere.

>> Chinook Jargon isn't obsolete either. It often
>> has more concise nuance than plain English.
>>
>> Clipless pedals are too skookum.
>>
> See <http://powergrips.mrpbike.com/pg_benefits.shtml>.

Whatever turns your cranks.

I'm too sexy for my shoes.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Rex Kerr

Tom Sherman wrote:
> Automatic transmissions suck out too much power, cause a huge delay in
> increasing acceleration while they down shift (extremely annoying when

Ah, you're starting to understand the appeal of a fixed gear!

When I first got my fixed gear I rode it for a week straight. Then I
got back on my nearly brand new touring bike and actually stopped twice
to figure out what was dragging... turns out, nothing was dragging. All
of those extra bends and turns in the chain along with a crooked
chainline really do add up! The difference really does feel much like
the power of a manual vs. automatic, the 'direct' connection to the
wheel does translate into more immediate feedback to input.

-Rex

PS: What's wrong with double clutching?

--
Work and recreation are not often effected at the same time.
One using a bicycle in business makes an exception to the rule.
- Dr. Edgar H. Earl, Rochester. (~1892)

Andrew Price

On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:12:25 -0500, Tom Sherman
<sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote:

>Those people should be banned from driving for life. If a person can not
>drive a vehicle lacking syncromesh, he/she should not be issued a license.

Are there any still manufactured? The last car with a "crash" gearbox
I drove was a FIAT 500 from the 1960s.

Tom Sherman

Rex Kerr wrote:
> [...]
> PS: What's wrong with double clutching?
>
Do not ask me - I do it all the time out of habit, even with syncromesh.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

Tom Sherman

Andrew Price wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 20:12:25 -0500, Tom Sherman
> <sunsetss0003@REMOVETHISyahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> Those people should be banned from driving for life. If a person can not
>> drive a vehicle lacking syncromesh, he/she should not be issued a license.
>
> Are there any still manufactured? The last car with a "crash" gearbox
> I drove was a FIAT 500 from the 1960s.

Most heavy trucks lack syncromesh, except Volvo's. The clutch is only
used when starting out, which potentially saves in maintenance costs.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

It's Chris

Hmm, maybe I should buy it, it has been quite a few years since I've
felt the pavement rushing by...

- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net

My website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner

Dane Buson

Tom Keats <tkeats2005@hotmail.com> wrote:
> In article <571ae6fe-cacb-4b23-b892-4e0145a617aa@p25g2000pri.googlegroups.com>,
> Claire <cpetersky@yahoo.com> writes:
>> Over yonder: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bik/637385956.html
>
> At one point I thought /my/ bike was cursed.

Before I even opened the craigslist page I knew that was ad for
Henry's bike.

> Until it and me got head-on'd by a car.
>
> Maybe just the parts I had to replace were cursed.
>
> But I'll tell ya what -- that frame is as solid as
> a brick sh!740u23, and that's the truth.

I wish I could say the same, my latest broken frame is sitting at
Recycled Cycles waiting for them to go through all the motions with the
Surly warranty department.

> There's somewhat to be said for the hi-tens end
> of the chro-moly spectrum.
>
> Black spokes would look good with my rhinestone-eyed
> black skull valve caps. I need more skull/death's-head
> themed stuff for my bike.

In the frippery department, I've been contemplating what I would need to
make my own headbadges. Probably not as swanky as this:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6128877

But I might be able to turn out something interesting.

> The Craigslist seller should just get himself a bike
> that he could ride and enjoy. Well, I guess he should
> just enjoy whatever his reasonable volition suggests.

He bought a Long Haul Trucker earlier this year, and AFAIK hasn't
crashed it yet.

> Anyways, nothing is ~cursed~. We just tend to put our
> own baggage on stuff. You know that; why am I telling you?

Exactly, the same sort of reason we shouldn't anthropomorphize machines
and computers. They really don't like that.

> If those black spokes were octagonal ...

As long as they aren't forged out of Octiron or give off Octarine
colored emissions we're probably okay though.

--
Dane Buson - sigdane@unixbigots.org
"Veni, vedi, vasectomy. I came, I saw, I clipped."