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Hey, folks, the wheel's been invented... (Read 1271 times)


Team HTFU NCTR Driver

    What, were all y'all not paying attention or something? I mean, really, I'm totally fat, but on my slowest bicycle I'll make the fastest Kenyan look like a chump. OK, OK, I'm not trolling (much) - I'm avoiding my sucktacular job, and zoom-zoom's been pestering me to join over here, so here I am. I reserve the right to make fun of you pedestrians. I bike. Bikes are totally cool. You can make them out of steel, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, bamboo, or my personal favorite, fiber-reinforced plastic. They have moving parts that you can fiddle with, but not too many to understand. They are amplifiers for a human engine. They are fast enough that aerodynamics matter, but slow enough that you can enjoy the world going by. You can sprint until your legs are a useless, quivering glop, then coast and cruise along for a few minutes, slurp a Hammergel, and then go back to a nice 25 mile an hour paceline. You can downshift, spin up a hill, then, on the backside, flick into a gear ratio that would make a pickup truck whimper, tuck into an egg shape, and watch the numbers on the speedo climb into lethal territory. Bikes are miraculous. Incidentally, I've run plenty - did XC and track in high school and a skoosh in college - so I'm down with the running fitness thing. Want to lose weight? Run. Period. Want to go far, fast? Bike. Want to do both? Ask me anything. did p.s. I've seen zoom-zoom naked.



    Scout7


      Why don't you just throw a small swim in there, and do a tri?


      Team HTFU NCTR Driver

        Why don't you just throw a small swim in there, and do a tri?
        Well, one, ain't got no time to add another activity. Two, I'm easily the least competitive person on the face of the earth, and there's not much point to training for a tri if I'm not going to do one. Biking is more of a zen thing - I ride a bike to ride a bike and all that, and to do the JDRF fundraising rides (see siggy). Three, ain't got time to add ANOTHER activity, 'cause I haven't run for the sake of running since 1993. My old Sock Trainers don't look too good. did



        zoom-zoom


        rectumdamnnearkilledem

          Why don't you just throw a small swim in there, and do a tri?
          I know! How cool would that be?! You know, I keep thinking that once the progeny is a bit older (and can be left home alone for a few hours here and there) that I might have to give some thought to tris. I have these stupid thighs that would probably be put to better use on a bike and I'd like reason to build up bigger/better arm muscles. Oh, and we have that big body of water some call Lake MI just a few miles run/bike away. I need a couple more sports to blow some $$ on, methinks...

          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

               ~ Sarah Kay

            See now running is MY zen thing! Damn who knows what would happen if you got me on a bike (and to think I live like 5 miles from the PA Veledrome). I have to say though that when my youngest children are old enough to bike with me I'll definetly start biking! Oh and I've seen zoomers neked too Wink Clowning around j/k

            Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

            Scout7


              I ride my bike when the weather's decent. Unfortunately, the weather hasn't been decent.
                Oh your not enjoying the new snow Scout?

                Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson


                Team HTFU NCTR Driver

                  See now running is MY zen thing! Damn who knows what would happen if you got me on a bike (and to think I live like 5 miles from the PA Veledrome). I have to say though that when my youngest children are old enough to bike with me I'll definetly start biking! Oh and I've seen zoomers neked too Wink Clowning around j/k
                  Man, I just looked at your profile, and you are one funny lookin' woman. Must be, like, east german or somethin' to have a goatee like that. Clearly your avatar is false advertisin'. Biking, I can go somewhere. There's a place with killer cinnamon rolls, but it's a minimum of a 52 mile round trip to get one. I can wander back roads for hours on end in a reverie that'll only be interrupted by some jackadze passing me too close (Michigan law's pretty cool with bikes - we're treated as cars for the most part). Running, that only happened when I was peaked out, fitness-wise (back in the day when I could go out and run 8 miles in 55 minutes and come home feeling pretty decent). That's many years and many more pounds ago. We've got a trail-a-bike for the didlet, so he can learn traffic etiquette and all that. He's got all the duds, too, except he's so skinny his spandex hangs off him like loose skin. did



                  Scout7


                    Considering the fact that no one on my route on Sunday evening has ever heard of a shovel, no, I'm not liking the new snow at all. Did, you should try trail running. Talk to jlynn and ultrasteve.
                    zoom-zoom


                    rectumdamnnearkilledem

                      Oh and I've seen zoomers neked too Wink Clowning around j/k
                      I choked for a second, there! I was wondering if I might have to be added to the growing list of folks who have taken Ambien and done crazy shit unbeknownst to them! Tongue k

                      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                           ~ Sarah Kay

                        Man, I just looked at your profile, and you are one funny lookin' woman. Must be, like, east german or somethin' to have a goatee like that. Clearly your avatar is false advertisin'. Biking, I can go somewhere. There's a place with killer cinnamon rolls, but it's a minimum of a 52 mile round trip to get one. I can wander back roads for hours on end in a reverie that'll only be interrupted by some jackadze passing me too close (Michigan law's pretty cool with bikes - we're treated as cars for the most part). Running, that only happened when I was peaked out, fitness-wise (back in the day when I could go out and run 8 miles in 55 minutes and come home feeling pretty decent). That's many years and many more pounds ago. We've got a trail-a-bike for the didlet, so he can learn traffic etiquette and all that. He's got all the duds, too, except he's so skinny his spandex hangs off him like loose skin. did
                        You making fun of my better half? Wink Oh and more like Irish As for the spandex falling off of didlet, must be a boy thing cause the same thing would happen to my youngest son. Now my dd on the other hand has a kid ghetto bootie. Nothing's gonna fall of of her.

                        Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson

                        zoom-zoom


                        rectumdamnnearkilledem

                          Pam, if did shaved his head he'd look a LOT like your hubby--complete with goatee. Oh, and as we have already discussed they also share that little procrastination issue... Wink k

                          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                               ~ Sarah Kay

                            Welcome Mr. Zoom Zoom. We're glad to have you here!! Wink
                            jEfFgObLuE


                            I've got a fever...

                              Thanks for joining Mr. Zoom! Smile Got a bike question for you -- can you recommend a good saddle from a standpoint of comfort? I have a Specialized Rockhopper mtn bike, but most of my riding on it will actually be stationary training (as a non-running day cross-training activity). Cheers, Jeff

                              On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.


                              Team HTFU NCTR Driver

                                Thanks for joining Mr. Zoom! Smile Got a bike question for you -- can you recommend a good saddle from a standpoint of comfort? I have a Specialized Rockhopper mtn bike, but most of my riding on it will actually be stationary training (as a non-running day cross-training activity). Cheers, Jeff
                                Here's the thing - recommending a saddle is like recommending underwear. Or running shoes. They're totally personal, and what one person swears by another will swear at. So the trick here is to find a bike shop that will let you try a saddle for a couple of rides, and return one if your hiney disagrees with it (and you haven't scarred it up). As for comfort, DON"T GET A SQUISHY SADDLE. Ya know what those big, soft, foofy saddles do? They transfer pressure from the hard parts of your butt to your "soft tissues." Your "soft tissues" will not appreciate that. They may register their displeasure by staying soft - get my drift? What you need is a saddle that's firm enough to keep the load on your "sit bones" - the ischial tuberosities that are part of your pelvs - but soft enough to not smash the skin and muscle between the sit bones and the saddle. The perfect saddle is supposed to be a hard leather Brooks (http://www.brookssaddles.com/ that you've ridden for 15 years, and is shaped just like you are. Most of us don't have those, so you've gotta just try things. Make sure it's wide enough, but not too wide - you should feel planted on it when you get your sit bones on the wide part of the saddle. Your butt is going to hurt for a few weeks when you start off. Period. Good ol' Desitin helps with the skin pain, but the pain from the pressure only heals with time, and only more riding will prevent it in the future. It's like having sore feet. The other thing that will help in time is, as you get stronger, you'll support more of your weight on your legs as you pedal harder. did



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