Cycling - a chat about all things bike.

[imperfect_cupcake]

I cycle to work and back. In london, it was the only reasonable way to get around if you don't live near a tube station or if you didn't feel like spending massive amounts of money on the tube (expensive mode of transport). I also used to cycle to uni in vancouver, toronto and victoria. I gave up my car many years ago as I found I loved cycling much much more.

In Oxford, everything is so close, it's ridiculous to not cycle. I can cyle from one side of oxford to the other in about 40 minutes at the very most. I could cycle to work (by oxford airport about 7 miles away) as it's only about 45 minutes but I was working from home for a few months and I need to work my way back up to it again. Right now I do about 5 miles to work and then hop the bus.

I don't have the best bike so I'm not sure how much it's going to take, but as parts expire I get them replaced with better quality bits.

I can't cycle without a wide, plushy female seat. I get hideous ingrown hairs and swollen, sore glands in my crotch.

I have bursitis so if the seat isn't up high enough (re: I can juuuuust barely touch the ground with the very tip of my toes) it gets inflamed. If I have to stop I just hop forward and keep one foot on the pedal, one on the ground with the bar between my legs. Once it's ok to go again I push my foot down on the pedal, which moved the bike forward and gives me a lift back onto my seat.

[Dominique]

My thought for the morning, as soon I will be getting on my bicycle to go to work......why did we, for all those years, ride on that silly wedge thing they called a seat? I think I did alot of standing. CRAZY! Be comfortable.

If this wide seat concept starts to catch on, I will once again have a quick release on my seat post and start taking my seat with me,,,,lol

[imperfect_cupcake]

ugh. Not a fan of quick release anything. I'd rather lock my tires to the bike with small U locks (london necessity or they would be gone when you got back to your bike whether they were quick release or not!). But I can't ever get the quick release tight enough to not slowly push the bar into my bike as I sit on it. Probably because of my fat arse. So it's a super tight bolt. Best thing to do in london (but outside london I never had a problem with people stealing my seats) was to put a few pieces of duct tape across a new seat to make it look like it's been torn and repaired with tape. Cover seat with plastic bag and tie handles (like a cheap rain hat) when not on it. It means people have to a) remove the crappy plastic bag (and generally people with money don't cover their seats with plastic bags) and b) seat is obviously damaged due to duct tape over it.

only way I managed to not get my seat stolen. But it did work!

I loved cycling in Oxford honeybarbara. Although I did only do it for a fortnight whilst on the oddest visit to a person I've ever had but that's a whole other story. It tickled me to cycle past where Roger Bannister ran the first 4 minute mile.

My wheels are quick release but I've bound the levers to the forks with multiple zip ties until I can afford locking skewers. I carry a plastic back between the rails of my saddle for such wet weather service as you mention honeybarbarbara.

Yellow band, I can't cycle with a wide saddle, they're uncomfortable for my for skinny arse and apparently quite narrow sit bones. I'm hoping that the new (rather much more) narrow saddle will do the trick.

Meeep! I think I did a few too many miles last week and should have built up a little more gently to the 25 miler. My arthritic hips and knees have rebelled so have just been doing some more gentle 5's and a 10 tonight but it was at the limit of what my sore joints could cope with. Live and learn, live and learn.

Happy pedaling

[Dominique]

Well, let me say....a wide seat is different things to different people.

The seats my *chubby* friends have on their bikes, I couldn't use.

I have no ass at all. And I can not ride on that wedge. But I found a seat that is a seat, it's bigger than the wedge (and any gel seat i've ever had....)just like anything, one must shop around.

Originally Posted by Yellow band

Well, let me say....a wide seat is different things to different people.

The seats my *chubby* friends have on their bikes, I couldn't use.

I have no ass at all. And I can not ride on that wedge. But I found a seat that is a seat, it's bigger than the wedge (and any gel seat i've ever had....)just like anything, one must shop around.

To be fair, I can't ride the racing 'wedges' either. It's saddle issues that are causing me all sorts of problems at the moment. I'm just hoping that my new saddle turns up in the next day or so then I can give it a go. I've lowered my (riser) handlebars tonight and definitely need to go get a shorter stem with a somewhat longer reach. I think half my saddle problems are because I'm a lot more upright than I'm used to being. My bikes for years have all been a bit too big and therefore I'm used to be being relatively stretched out instead of right on my arse. I prefer the sportier stretched outness so a new stem is gonna happen in the next month.

Originally Posted by Yellow band

Well, let me say....a wide seat is different things to different people.

The seats my *chubby* friends have on their bikes, I couldn't use.

I have no ass at all. And I can not ride on that wedge. But I found a seat that is a seat, it's bigger than the wedge (and any gel seat i've ever had....)just like anything, one must shop around.

To be fair, I can't ride the racing 'wedges' either. It's saddle issues that are causing me all sorts of problems at the moment. I'm just hoping that my new saddle (and cycle shorts) turns up in the next day or so then I can give it a go. I've lowered my (riser) handlebars tonight and definitely need to go get a shorter stem with a somewhat longer reach. I think half my saddle problems are because I'm a lot more upright than I'm used to being. My bikes for nigh on 30 years have all been a bit too big and therefore I'm used to be being relatively stretched out instead of right on my arse. I prefer the sportier stretched outness so a new stem is gonna happen in the next month.

[Andrew, Jr.]

I have to start exercising more. I love to ride my bike, but unfortunately I was forced to sell it several years ago. I had a Schwin. It was such a wonderful bike. I am a big guy, and biking is hard on my knees, and hips. This bike was perfect for me. It hit me just right. It was actually a boys size bike since I am short 5'4". So now, I am in the market searching for a bike to ride around the neighborhood, and on bike trails. Any suggestions?

[Diavolo]

Originally Posted by Incubus

To be fair, I can't ride the racing 'wedges' either. It's saddle issues that are causing me all sorts of problems at the moment. I'm just hoping that my new saddle (and cycle shorts) turns up in the next day or so then I can give it a go. I've lowered my (riser) handlebars tonight and definitely need to go get a shorter stem with a somewhat longer reach. I think half my saddle problems are because I'm a lot more upright than I'm used to being. My bikes for nigh on 30 years have all been a bit too big and therefore I'm used to be being relatively stretched out instead of right on my arse. I prefer the sportier stretched outness so a new stem is gonna happen in the next month.

One of the big problems on the AIDS ride is saddle sores. It stopped me at 61 miles one day. Later in the ride one of the other riders suggested I have the seat "fitted". Apparently they have you sit on a gel mold thing that allows them to see the width of your sit bones and fit your seat according to that measurement. It made sense to me. As soon as I have a few extra bucks in my pocket I'm going to have it done.