Bike

[Townsend]

Actually it's not.  I could map you a safe route.

We'd need to be reasonable on my stick legs.  It takes me 15 to 18 minutes on a straight line going 70 to 80 miles an hour...Can't imagine how long it'd take me getting off the bike and walking up hills...

[jacobi]

Check out the trail that ends at NSU BA.  It connects to riverside.  In fact you can get all the way to skiatook without leaving the trail for more than a few blocks downtown.

[rdj]

I said get a "comfortable" not "expensive" seat.  In reality some of the more comfortable ones are the least expensive. 

I made the remark about getting the best seat you can afford.  Better said, don't try and skimp and save money on the saddle.  IMO, shoes and clips can wait for future purchase, a saddle can't.  If cycling to the office is a literal pain the in the donkey it won't be long before you are back in your comfortable automobile.

[DolfanBob]

I made the remark about getting the best seat you can afford.  Better said, don't try and skimp and save money on the saddle.  IMO, shoes and clips can wait for future purchase, a saddle can't.  If cycling to the office is a literal pain the in the donkey it won't be long before you are back in your comfortable automobile.

Do they make a jell filled toilet shape ?   

[sauerkraut]

I would favor a road type bike, However,  Mountain bikes may have an advantage because the thicker tires would not get flat as offten. I have a old 10 speed 26" road bike from 1985 that I hardly ever  use, flat tires were the biggest problem for me when I rode it- maybe today they make better tires and tubes to resist flats. I use the trails alot but I'm a runner- I  never could get much into cycling. I run on the RiverSide Trails  many cyclists ride there. Anyhow every person has to get a bike that fits them the best. All the best.

[carltonplace]

I would favor a road type bike, However,  Mountain bikes may have an advantage because the thicker tires would not get flat as offten. I have a old 10 speed 26" road bike from 1985 that I hardly ever  use, flat tires were the biggest problem for me when I rode it- maybe today they make better tires and tubes to resist flats. I use the trails alot but I'm a runner- I  never could get much into cycling. I run on the RiverSide Trails  many cyclists ride there. Anyhow every person has to get a bike that fits them the best. All the best.

Fat mountain type tires are for riding on rocks, not roads. If you are going any street distance at all you will curse those fat tires and will work twice as hard to get from point a to point z.

[heironymouspasparagus]

And all thanks to you guy's. I never would have even considered it without the postings on this forum.
The little woman thinks I'm crazy. Mid life crisis and all.

You are crazy.  But it is a fun, harmless kind of crazy.

[heironymouspasparagus]

A good friend of mine rides a Bianchi Volpe with the full tour kit- fenders, rack, panniers.  He does Freewheel, he does century rides.  He's an old terrapin- 13 MPH average, doesn't matter the terrain or the day.  Swears by his Brooks saddle, much like this one.  No padding, just a well-engineered piece of leather for padding.  Says it hurts like a grumble till it's broken in (about 6 weeks according to him) after that, plush.

That looks identical to the seats on the old Raleighs.  I must have never gotten them broken in right, cause they always were sub-optimal - I rode them, but it wasn't enjoyable.  The late '70s Raleigh has/had a much more padded seat and was pretty comfortable after got used to it.  Would like even more cushion now.

[Ed W]

Brooks saddles are not cheap, but after they're broken in they're very comfortable.  They do require some care and they're best kept out of the rain.  Both my commuter bikes have Brooks Professionals. 

Two commuter bikes?  Why in the world would someone have two commuters?  Well, there's one for nice days, and the other one is for foul weather.  The 'nice day' bike is a '96 Bianchi San Remo, one of the last made with a lugged steel frame.  Shortly afterward, Bianchi switched to a welded model. The San Remo was in the catalog for nearly 50 years, originally as a racing bike for rough roads like those found on Paris-Roubaix.  It used cantilever brakes for extra mud clearance.

The foul weather bike is an old Centurion LeMans 12.  All that's left of the original bike is the frame and fork.  Everything else has been replaced or discarded over the years.  It's now a single speed with fenders, a rear rack, and ordinary platform pedals so I can ride it to the grocery store.

And that's another subject.  Even if you can't consider using a bike to commute to work, consider using one to run errands around town.  I've even gone to garage sales on the bike, looking for old tools, old books, or old cameras.   

[custosnox]

My mom and step-dad got a pair of bikes years ago wanting to use em to get in shape.  She just dropped em of here a couple of hours ago.  Used so little they still have everything original, even the tires with no wear.  They are mountain bikes though, so I think we will need to look into finding some street tires for it.  And the seat on the woman's bike is really uncomfortable, so that is on the list too.  If I can get it ready for riding, I've got a two block ride to hit the trail that will drop me right onto campus when I'm heading to SE. 

[Conan71]

Brooks saddles are not cheap, but after they're broken in they're very comfortable.  They do require some care and they're best kept out of the rain.  Both my commuter bikes have Brooks Professionals.  

Two commuter bikes?  Why in the world would someone have two commuters?  Well, there's one for nice days, and the other one is for foul weather.  The 'nice day' bike is a '96 Bianchi San Remo, one of the last made with a lugged steel frame.  Shortly afterward, Bianchi switched to a welded model. The San Remo was in the catalog for nearly 50 years, originally as a racing bike for rough roads like those found on Paris-Roubaix.  It used cantilever brakes for extra mud clearance.

The foul weather bike is an old Centurion LeMans 12.  All that's left of the original bike is the frame and fork.  Everything else has been replaced or discarded over the years.  It's now a single speed with fenders, a rear rack, and ordinary platform pedals so I can ride it to the grocery store.

And that's another subject.  Even if you can't consider using a bike to commute to work, consider using one to run errands around town.  I've even gone to garage sales on the bike, looking for old tools, old books, or old cameras.    

Um, think you could send a photo of the San Remo?  I LOVE bike porn, especially the Italian type.  

This discussion has me fired up.  I'm going to pull "The MILF" (my beloved 1984 steel lugged Bianchi) out of storage and buy a rack and pannier set.  I've done some searching and Topeak seems to have what I want.  I've bought a few of their components and I've always been happy with what I have bought.  I'm thinking primary purpose is the ride to work and back.  The tank bike will get grocery store and close to home commuting duty.  And, of course, the thoroughbreds will always have their purpose.  

[Ed W]

Um, think you could send a photo of the San Remo?  I LOVE bike porn, especially the Italian type.  

This discussion has me fired up.  I'm going to pull "The MILF" (my beloved 1984 steel lugged Bianchi) out of storage and buy a rack and pannier set.  I've done some searching and Topeak seems to have what I want.  I've bought a few of their components and I've always been happy with what I have bought.  I'm thinking primary purpose is the ride to work and back.  The tank bike will get grocery store and close to home commuting duty.  And, of course, the thoroughbreds will always have their purpose.  

I have an entire folder of bike porn, Conan!  But there aren't any good photos of the Bianchi.  I had a folder with a bunch of my bikes in it, but I can't locate it.  Tomorrow I'll clean the old girl up a bit and take some photos.  It's my favorite bike, as comfortable as an old lounge chair.  It probably has more than 30,000 miles behind it.  Despite regular maintenance, the drive train is due for replacement again.  The last time, the only cogs available were Campy Record 8 speed.  That and a chain was about $100.  This time I think the chain rings will need to be replaced too along with the rear derailleur and some new hub cones.  I could probably buy another (cheap) bike for what the parts will cost.

[Conan71]

I have an entire folder of bike porn, Conan!  But there aren't any good photos of the Bianchi.  I had a folder with a bunch of my bikes in it, but I can't locate it.  Tomorrow I'll clean the old girl up a bit and take some photos.  It's my favorite bike, as comfortable as an old lounge chair.  It probably has more than 30,000 miles behind it.  Despite regular maintenance, the drive train is due for replacement again.  The last time, the only cogs available were Campy Record 8 speed.  That and a chain was about $100.  This time I think the chain rings will need to be replaced too along with the rear derailleur and some new hub cones.  I could probably buy another (cheap) bike for what the parts will cost.

Yeah, but unless someone has never ridden lugged steel to compare the ride to aluminum/carbon or carbon, they simply will never appreciate why the ride is so much better on a lugged steel frame and therefore why you have 30K miles on that bike.  The MILF was my only bike and sat idle quite a bit until I started riding again to x-train for rowing in '08.  I might put 50-100 miles a year padding around the neighborhood from about 1990 until then.  I figured I needed more gears and a lighter bike if I wanted to expand my riding horizons around town.  That's when the second Bianchi came into the picture and the MILF got parked again.  Then I needed to see what full carbon was all about- oh, and just had to have a mountain bike and a cyclocross bike for good measure!  Then there was the day the tank bikes arrived at my office.  Really, I've got to stop there or just open a bike shop.  

Last year, MC and I decided to ride from my house down to the crits on Crybaby Hill during Tulsa Tough and I figured I'd take the oldest bike in the stable.  I couldn't believe how much better the old steel frame absorbs road vibration.  It was like riding a giant spring down the road.  I had to take her and the CX bike to storage while I was doing the recent renovation projects on my house so I had room to move around (we have something like 9 or 10 bikes between us, plus the two motorized ones and a few more antique Harley projects).

Speaking of bike porn:

[jacobi]

Look!  Conan is fired up too!  Awesome.  Tulsa's bike culture has done nothing but explode over the last few years.

[DolfanBob]

A buddy of mine e-mailed me that he has a Haro Zero 1 hybrid and a electric Ezip. Whats the thoughts on those ?