[Mr Tonka]

Originally Posted by solefald

I went on a giant (3,000 people) ride last weekend. It was just a bunch of people riding a 25 mile course. Not a race or anything.

Holy shit. The amount of stupid shit I had to dodge was fucking insane. Parts falling off people's bikes, dumbasses stopping in middle of the road to talk on a phone or to scratch their balls, idiots doing zig-zags in front of you, people falling all over the place... Some dude's bottom bracket fell out. It was stupid.

I kinda stuck with a group of younger roadies, because it was way more challenging than groups on pink beach cruisers.

Old dudes on road bikes were the worst. Stupid snarky motherfuckers just could not deal with the fact that someone passed them. They would work extra hard to keep up, one up or just make smart-ass "yeah.... nice bike" comments.

Best part were the people on $5,000+ machines in full on lycra outfits who were not able to keep 17 mile pace.

I think I'm finally ready for a road bike, though.

Originally Posted by carve

LOL...I have a late 90's entry-level Cannondale road bike...about $400 when I got it used, maybe $250 now. On "Ride the Rockies" a few years back it was hilarious seeing fat old dudes on $8k bikes. Great fun blowing by them on my POS.

I sure do appreciate them buying the bikes though. Good for the industry, and it makes it easier to shop for used bikes.

Imagine how much worse they are when it's a couple of chicks blowing by them. My wife and her girl friend do a long ride every saturday morning. Anywhere from 50 to 80 miles and they always have stories about guys trying to hang or making rude comments when they pass them.

[scalbert]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

It's kind of a wash, as most road gloves don't really have useful padding on the back of the hand anyway. I prefer unpadded, slide-on gloves, just for a little extra grip on humid days, and in case it rains. But they don't really provide much help when you go down.

Glad you came out mostly unscathed, guys in aero position in a group scare the hell out of me, I tend to distance myself from them as quickly as possible. Pity about his frame and especially the innocent guy, just glad you came out okay.

I agree, the gloves may have just lessened the damage.

As for the innocent guy, he is a friend from my neighborhood. He had come out on this group ride several times with me and is an avid rider. His was a Madone which only some of the components will be recycled. My injuries were superficial mainly. He torn his groin pretty back and was on crutches for a week and the only exercise he has been able to do is swimming.

The worst part is the timing. We are going to the B2B tri at the end of October in Wilmington, NC. I'm doing the half IM distance but he was scheduled for the full and this is not the time to lose a bike or the training time.

[KingOfJericho]

I wear gloves just because the hoods feel very slick to me with even minimal sweat and with the VERY forward position of the handlebars compared to the mountain bikes I'm used to, I just felt way too slick to put full pressure without slipping.

[jayely1]

So, is this douchey?

http://www.cycling-monton.com/BMW-20...ts-p-2589.html

[KingOfJericho]

Not at all. Looks pretty cool actually.

[scalbert]

Good price too.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by jayely1

So, is this douchey?

http://www.cycling-monton.com/BMW-20...ts-p-2589.html

Its a little douchey, but almost everything in road biking is to the observer.

[jayely1]

I think it looks pretty cool!! Not a bad price either

[Litos]

hey ya'll - wife got an itch in her ass and now wants some bikes......

I call it "the flavor of the month"...

anyways, I was looking at some cheap cruisers at this one bicycle shop in the Houston area (only one that I really remember since I don't care for bikes)...

wife sees this pink Electra for like $239 and I see the "chrome" Electra for pretty much the same price....

are these any good to just put around the park in ??

don't want spend big money on bikes that could potentially sit in the garage after a few weeks....

here are the bikes I was looking at

his: http://websterbicycle.com/product/el...1-179997-1.htm

hers: http://websterbicycle.com/product/el...s-180011-1.htm

[Red Bread]

Litos, those are both good, simple, albeit heavy and a bit ponderous rides. The cruiser is great if you're only going a short distance and don't have any/many hills.

Something with a few gears might be an easier starting point and could get ridden more often. Something like this, but there are a million choices at or a little below this price point.
http://m.specialized.com/us/en/bikes...1-step-through

Or:
http://www.linusbike.com/products/du...imited-edition

[Litos]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Litos, those are both good, simple, albeit heavy and a bit ponderous rides. The cruiser is great if you're only going a short distance and don't have any/many hills.

Something with a few gears might be an easier starting point and could get ridden more often. Something like this, but there are a million choices at or a little below this price point.
http://m.specialized.com/us/en/bikes...1-step-through

Or:
http://www.linusbike.com/products/du...imited-edition

eeekkk - $600 bikes (and I understand those are the cheap ones HAHA)

these two bikes that we're going to get are far from "sport" type bikes...

she just wants to be able to hit concrete at the park (or the beach) and go on a simple bike ride...

we're not looking at being uncomfortable, meaning we're not going to want to lean to grab handle bars and stuff like that....

I just more or less wanted to know is that Electra was worth the $239 if all we are wanting to do is cruise on flat concrete for @ 30-40 minutes at a time....

wasn't sure if that Electra is "cheap Chinese junk" or if it's just an inexpensive decent bike to have....

[Litos]

p.s.
I'm looking at bikes like Camera Equipment...

start off cheap, and if you "get into it", you can always upgrade HAHA !!!

[Red Bread]

Electras are fine for the money. I'm pretty sure they offer some three and eight speed internal geared bikes too that won't break the bank either. And yes, they are Chinese, but everything at that price point will be.

I have a few stupidly expensive bikes, but use a Schwinn I paid $325 for for nearly all of my errands and commuting (the headlight on it for commuting cost more than the entire bike). Nothing wrong with cheap bikes, provided you know what you're getting into. There's certainly a lot of return on your spend up to a point though.

[Litos]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Electras are fine for the money. I'm pretty sure they offer some three and eight speed internal geared bikes too that won't break the bank either. And yes, they are Chinese, but everything at that price point will be.

I have a few stupidly expensive bikes, but use a Schwinn I paid $325 for for nearly all of my errands and commuting (the headlight on it for commuting cost more than the entire bike). Nothing wrong with cheap bikes, provided you know what you're getting into. There's certainly a lot of return on your spend up to a point though.

yeah, I can imagine...

again, this is the wife's flavor of the month...

she saw a pink bike that had a basket on it and she lost her mind HAHA !!!

so now we're looking for some cruiser bikes so that we can put around a park or the beach in...

looks like those Electras are the answer to my wife's current itch....

we'll probably go look at some and then make our purchase in about 3 or 4 weeks....too freaking hot to be on bikes right now anyways HAHA !!!!

[Red Bread]

Wait, your wife wants a pink bike? Buy her a fucking pink bike. End of story.

[Litos]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Wait, your wife wants a pink bike? Buy her a fucking pink bike. End of story.

that's what I'm sayin !!!!!

she saw it and was like I want it blah blah it's so pink blah blah cooking cleaning blah blah pink basket blah blah blah.....

I had a front row seat to a live episode of "I don't give a fuck"...

but now, we need to get bikes....

uuuughghgh.....

[Red Bread]

Buy her what she wants and get yourself something that's less pink. Wait until October or November before venturing outside.

[Litos]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Buy her what she wants and get yourself something that's less pink. Wait until October or November before venturing outside.

yeah, that's why I posted a picture of the Chrome Electra - that one would be mine...

she would obviously get the pink one...

October/November around here feels good...low 80's....

[Red Bread]

I know, I'm up the road. I went mountain biking yesterday at 8a and it was 93 when I finished a little after 10a. Yuck.

[Litos]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

I know, I'm up the road. I went mountain biking yesterday at 8a and it was 93 when I finished a little after 10a. Yuck.

yep - rode my motorcycle last Thursday night - it was only 90 degrees at 11:30pm....

[scalbert]

For your intended use, they are fine.

Also, look on Craigslist for similar bikes that people rode 25 miles total and have been gathering dust. Some give them away.

[Litos]

Originally Posted by scalbert

For your intended use, they are fine.

Also, look on Craigslist for similar bikes that people rode 25 miles total and have been gathering dust. Some give them away.

good advice....

I hate Craigslist though - might just have to look there though....