Cycling!!!!

PatrickGSR94

PatrickGSR94

Barefooters
Dec 9, 2011
627
179
43
#1
I don't know what's gotten into me, but the last couple of days I've had a MAJOR itch to get out on my bike and pound out some miles. Trouble is, my bike is out of commission with flat tubes. I have to get to a local bike shop or order online some tubes with skinny presta valves, as Wal Mart and other places don't carry that kind of special stuff.

I actually had a spare tube on the shelf that I put on my rear rim. I liked the new tube so much that I took off my front tire to put on a new tube... except there was no new tube. I could have sworn I had 2 extras but apparently not. So I put the old one back on and the tire, and now THAT one leaks! Dammit.

No but really, it's been nearly a year since I last rode (only a few weeks before my barefoot lifestyle epiphany). As of right now I really don't have much of any suitable shoes, except for some old Nike Shox *ugh* I suppose I should put my SPD clipless pedals back on and find some bike shoes and cleats. I really dread having to get into shoes, though.

Also my bike is a MTB, and though a very nice one - KHS Alite 1000 with several upgrades - I prefer road riding. I'm planning to convert this into more of a hybrid with new skinny semi-slick tires and rigid front fork. I'd love to try riding my 25-mile round-trip commute to work some time. Only problem there is that the route to work is almost all 2-lane back roads which IMHO are not very cycle friendly - no room out of the main car lane, and many people drive quite fast.

So yeah, I dunno why the sudden obsession, but it's STRONG right now :p I just joined Bike Forum last night to get some tips on making my bike road-friendly.

Anyone else here like to ride? What sort of shoes do you use?

IMG_5315.jpg
 
#2
I'm on Bike Forums as well - same handle - though I haven't posted in a while...

Nice bike - FWIW, my commuter is an old converted MTB - I swapped to 1.9" x 26 slicks, added some fenders and swapped the H-bars - I now ride it 23mi RT to my client. (I also got an old English touring bike, a new Raliegh Record Ace and an old Specialized FSR)

While I ride shod (I'm not shoe adverse), I remember as a kid I used to ride barefoot. It's all in the pedals. Swap the SPD's with something like this and you should be good to go...

Similarly, Grant Petersen (Owner of Rivendell Bicycle Works, if you've heard of them) rides in Teva's. Not completely BF, but a viable alternative.

Finally, there's something to be said for Schraeder valves - you can fill them up at any old gas station; try doing that with Presta's.
 
#3
Yeah same handle on BF as well, I use this for all forums now since I bought my GSR in 2001. :D

I have a Schader adapter, but it's still a pain to deal with. And I don't have the SPD pedals on right now. They came with the bike but I didn't have any shoes/cleats to use with them, so I currently have the black aluminum pedals seen in the pic above, with reflectors. Problem is that have little blunt "spikes" on them. I removed most of them as they're just special screws. But there's 2 spikes on each end of each pedal side that don't seem to be able to come out. I don't see a way to get them out.
 
#5
I like cycling as well. I haven't done it in (other than on my trainer in the house) about 4 1/2 years though because of two major back surgeries that sidelined me. I've got a Fuji road bike that I like. I do hate how road bikes go through tubes though which can be pretty expensive. I am currently trying to figure out new shoes as my feet seem to have widened tremendously or new pedals. It seems cycling shoes are mostly all very narrow which causes a ton of pain for me.
 
#6
A couple thoughts..

1) Unlike BF running /walking, being clipped into the pedals will make you more efficient, faster, and I think, an all around better rider. It's not barefoot, but there are a number of SPD sandals out there that might be a bit less restrictive than hard-core bike shoes. Problem is, you will want to try them before you buy them, and they might not be something a local bike shop has in stock. You might have to go through a few iterations of ordering, and sending back shoes until you find some you like. Here's one that looks pretty nice, but there's other out there.

http://www.sixsixone.com/Catalog_66...&product=b226699e-547d-41e9-b277-f07aff8508cf

2) That looks like a very nice bike, and with some fast 26" road tires should make a great commuter/fitness bike. Even though presta valves and thin/tubes can be a PITA sometimes, resist the urge to drill your rims for shraeder so you can install "heavy-duty" tubes; they will be noticably heavier and slower.

3) If you like to sit and pedal high-cadence, a rigid fork probably won't be a big benefit. If you like to stand and "honk", a rigid or locking fork would be nice on the road.
 
#7
I'm big into my cycling. I can easily sit on my bike and just ride for hours on end without getting tired of it! Here's some pics of mine:
IMAG0069.jpg

This is my MTB which I ride trails/jumps with. I totally rebuilt it over Christmas with only the frame and seat post surviving from the original components... It's a single speed as it's pretty flat round here and I like the almost-zero maintenance compared to my other bike:
Steed1.jpg

This is my race machine. I have completed a bunch of >100km rides on it and I've got a couple of >100mile rides this year. Hopefully will tick off two more 'racetracks of the world' when I get to cycle round Silverstone & Goodwood later this year. Unfortunately, I don't have a pic of my other bike which this replaced, which is a single speed road bike which has now been demoted to commuter status.

On my road bike, I use clip-in pedals as they're essential for long or fast riding, but on my MTB, I just wear a squishie pair of Reebok classics. You want a stiff sole to ride with, or you'll just hurt your feet and lose pedalling efficiency. I wouldn't worry about them not being minimalist as you're not walking or running in them.

Looking forward to seeing more pics! I love bike porn =)
 
#9
Kinda bummed, the only pics I have of my bike are tiny pics from when I did STP (Seattle to Portland). They blur out as I try to make them bigger.
 
#11
Andy Tomlin said:
Chad - Loving the single speeds, especially the MTB! You're wife is right about that Surly though. Damn, wide tyres are ugly!
Click to expand...

True - but there's a lot of desert exploring to do near my house. Unfortunately, I always end up in dry sand and gravel washes (think endless box of loose kitty litter). These are nearly impossible to navigate with regular mt. bike tires. If/when I get one, I'll probably build it up with a SS freewheel on one wheel and FG on the other. Form follows function with one of these.
 
#12
I'm drooling as I type. I'll post some pics of mine if I can ever work out how to do it on this forum.

I have a carbon framed Orbea Onix that I used for TTs with a pair of clip on aero bars and a fairly aggressive setup, a Giant SCR 3 that I use on the turbo trainer and long rides for comfort and a very old steel framed MTB with skinny slick tyres that I use for nipping into town.

I may end up putting the fat tyres back on the MTB as my daughter is now getting the bug as well, and I'd like to take her off-road.

As for punctures, the sure way to stop them is to buy a box of 10 discounted tubes. Worked for me - I've still got 8 of them over a year later.
 
#15
With a garage full of bikes including many customs, I'm now playing around with options that will work with my current disability.
Recumbant was the obvious choice, since it allows for an extended neck position rather than flexed.
BUT: Riding barefoot on a recumbant is probably the riskiest shoeless activity there is, slip off the pedal and your looking at possibly a major ankle fracture as well as severe soft tissue damage.
I retro-fitted one of my earlier mountain bikes w/ ape hangers tilted forward, and am now able to (sort of) ride without too much neck pain/arm numbness/weakness.
I'm thinking about investing in a bottom bracket forward bike, maybe an Electra, as a safer to the feet alternative to a recumbant.
It's either put on the cleated cycling shoes and add a pocket protector to my tank top somehow while riding so low that I'm invisible to drivers on the road in a recumbant, or just bite the bullet and buy a Fedora to wear while styling in an Electra in my bare feet.
Maybe next week I'll decide.
 
#16
There's all sorts of recumbent bikes. You don't have to get one of the super low and streamlined ones; there are many which sit much higher and are way more visible to motorists. You could also put a big old whip aerial on the bag with a little flag to show you are there =P I'm surprised that you don't already have a cruiser though Longboard! Something like this looks super comfortable to ride =D
chubbybike.jpg
 
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#17
It'd be alright round here, but I wouldn't want to try it on a hill
 
#18
Yeah, that's the plan. I was thinking something like the Electra Ghost Rider, similar idea, just not as stretched.
The reason I never had the cruiser is I always wanted performance from a bike, and used my boards for cruising.
Now that I've been looking at relaxed angle bikes I also can't believe I never indulged before.
I'm considering an 8spd Nexus hub on the type of bike pictured a couple of posts up, but it's beginning to look like it will have to be a custom.
The three speed Ghostrider has a coaster break and no bosses for a V-brake.
If I'm going to have to mess around with major changes, I just might go with a custom from scratch.
Before that type of project, I'm fine sticking w/ my modified Specialized MTB for now until I find out what the next set of docs have to say. If I'm going to be out of action for a year (fusion +more), I'll have plenty of down time to plan my rehab bike. But if told to wait out the inevitable for now, I will definitly want to do it in style!
 
#19
I think those chopper style bikes would be worse on your back. On a normal bike, you use your weight to counter pedaling force. On one of those, the only way to counter the force is to use your back and arms, otherwise you'll just slide backwards on the seat. "Real" recumbents have a back-rest to help with this.

If you're worried about visibility, and you have the dollars for custom, I'm sure you can have a "tall" recumbent made.

Based on that, I'm going to take the opportunity to post some kinky bike porn. I modded $20 garage-sale bike and made a "tall-bike" a few years ago.:eek: I'm wearing the helmet on the maiden voyage since I didn't trust my welding with the extend stem. It worked fine however.:)

10.jpg
 
#20
Chad_1376 said:
I think those chopper style bikes would be worse on your back. On a normal bike, you use your weight to counter pedaling force. On one of those, the only way to counter the force is to use your back and arms, otherwise you'll just slide backwards on the seat. "Real" recumbents have a back-rest to help with this.
Click to expand...

I agree, and fully expect my lumbar region to rebel. It's my cervical spine that is critical right now, I can't even hold my head level, let alone extend the c-spine. I have to look down at all times right now.
I'm planning on a lumbar support that should also allow for more power...maybe a rear rack w/ a custom box/lumbar support.
I sure miss the minimalism of BFRunning and certainly had'nt thought I would return to techy bike stuff once again
 
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