TNL Bicycles Volume I: Wild And Wacky Action Bike

[Nomi]

Riding in snow would scare me, I've got high pressure road tires that would not agree with the lack of traction. I'm considering getting some slightly more all-weather-etc tires such as the Bontrager Invert tires.

My mom got me panniers for my birthday. Good sale at the bike shop and I had a coupon for accessories, so they were a bargain. It will make my job easier this summer as the heavy binders full of protocol and data sheets will not be in my backpack (ouch)

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I'm thinking about registering for a charity ride in late June. The MS Society has a really popular ride out here, and they have a shortened, one-day 35 mile option (instead of the two-day, 50-mile-per-day minimum overnight full course). My aunt died of MS last year and I also think it might be something really nice to do with my mom (who was very, very close to my aunt) since my mom also got a new bike recently. 35 miles is going to murder me, though. I need to find some nice places to get some training in, I think.

[Finch]

35 miles is a long ride! i think the longest i ever went was around 40, and it was so tiring i just wanted to go to bed when i got back.
Studded winter tires are actually made for bikes, i think i'll get a pair next winter. They're supposed to help immensely for snow and ice.

[Josh]

NSFW ads.

Cool video though.

[Kidnemo]

I still lol @ the fixed gear fad.

I would ride my normal break pad setup bike in the winter all the time, just gotta be careful ya big babies!

[Shooting Love]

NSFW ads.

Cool video though.

sheesh, that kid's on another level.
the lines he see's are beautiful, a true artist.

That's something I really love about biking ..all the different directions it is evolving into. ..and the fact that most anyone, anywhere in the world can ride a bike (if they have the means to afford one).
And as far as 'extreme' or alternative sports go, ..something like skateboarding, or surfing, or snowboarding require specific terrain which severely limits who can participate. But here, this dude from Scotland is getting completely radical with the basic urban terrain he has available.

great song too.

[Finch]

I still lol @ the fixed gear fad.

I would ride my normal break pad setup bike in the winter all the time, just gotta be careful ya big babies!

Kidnemo, you are an instigator! Have you ever gone down a snow covered hill with gobs of snow stuck between your rim and brake pads? i tell you that i have and it mostly involves getting off my bike and digging the snow out!
Also, if you prefer to ride in one gear only and/or don't like the feel of a bike that coasts, what are you going to do?

[Nomi]

Get a bike with disc brakes, they're the same price as that high end fixed gear shit. Problem solved.

[EvilMog]

Get a bike with disc brakes, they're the same price as that high end fixed gear shit. Problem solved.

Exactly. No offense to Finch but I don't understand the point of a fixed gear bike. Seems pretty f'in stupid. Disc brakes have gotten very affordable the last few years. Even if all you do is street ride there is going to be times that you want a different gear. Wind says sup. And if you ride your bike so often you do it in the snow then there really is no reason not to treat yourself to a nice bike.

[Finch]

Disc brakes are for chumps. Why don't i just get a moped or an electric-assisted bike? That way if my fat ass can't pedal up a hill or into the wind, i can just wiffle through it.


The point is it's fun. There are plenty of practical reasons, but it's like a manual transmission; people don't do it for more control, because it's faster, because it gets better gas mileage, they do it because they like how it feels. Going back to automatic and free-wheel feels weak and sloppy, but some people just don't like it. Try it for a while. You'll either like it or you won't.
Granted, i've only been riding fixed a week, but i was riding SS (broken cable 3-speed) for 2 weeks before that, up hills, into wind. When my cable was replaced, i didn't even go lower because it felt weird not stomping up hills.

[Tones]

I can understand the fixed-gear trend completely. Every movement of the bicycle is tied to a movement of the body. It's not necessarily "practical," but bicycles are about more than being practical to a lot of people.