Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - things I miss about riding in a real city...

1) The little numbers on the crosswalk signs that count down.
2) Racing cars.
3) Commutes that take more than 5 minutes
4) Hills
5) No cruiser bikes.

Right now I even miss the pothole slalom that is valencia street.

God damnit.

I understand all you people who commute 20+ miles a day in small towns. It's damn easy when its flat, the roads are smooth and the traffic is light.

BUT IT IS SO BORING.

The only fixed gear ive seen so far here was a converted mountain bike with front shocks. It was different, I'll give him that.

haha, do you cry every night?

jeez buddy, where'd you move to?

yea its emotacular. I've been gone 3 days and i get back in 3 more. *twiddles thumbs*

i didnt move anywhere, im just stuck in chico, ca for work for a week.

be glad sf has the countdown numbers, when i went there i was like "what, what?" its like growing up and thinking dogfood was a pretty good meal then discovering steak

1) The little numbers on the crosswalk signs that count down.


Best Invention Ever.

Yeah dude, I've been stuck in southern Idaho for the last six weeks. I actually MISS riding in Oakland. Say hi to the metal plates at 4th and Mission for me when you get home.

Yeah dude, I've been stuck in southern Idaho for the last six weeks. I actually MISS riding in Oakland. Say hi to the metal plates at 4th and Mission for me when you get home.

Boise?
Did you ride in the Scavenger Hunt or the Shutdown last week?

can't wait to be in oakland next year

Chico is wayyy to bike friendly thats another thing i hate about it.

this is when you discover trails, and start realizing how stupid track bikes are. build yourself an offroad fix, and these small towns become little wonderlands.

Boise?
Did you ride in the Scavenger Hunt or the Shutdown last week?

I said southuhn Idaho, son. Wish I was in Boise. Staying with mom, wrenching on my (gasp) musclecar, and waiting for my house in beautiful Weiser to be ready. See you all's for the 666 bar crawl, no?

I said southuhn Idaho, son. Wish I was in Boise. Staying with mom, wrenching on my (gasp) musclecar, and waiting for my house in beautiful Weiser to be ready. See you all's for the 666 bar crawl, no?

More than likely.

I said southuhn Idaho, son. Wish I was in Boise. Staying with mom, wrenching on my (gasp) musclecar, and waiting for my house in beautiful Weiser to be ready. See you all's for the 666 bar crawl, no?

More than likely.

do those countdown timers ever lead to trouble?

they don't have them in new york, but i can imagine seeing something counting down as i'm approaching the intersection and doing all kinds of crazy things to time the light so i don't have to stop.

1) The little numbers on the crosswalk signs that count down.
2) Racing cars.
3) Commutes that take more than 5 minutes
4) Hills
5) No cruiser bikes.

Right now I even miss the pothole slalom that is valencia street.

God damnit.

I understand all you people who commute 20+ miles a day in small towns. It's damn easy when its flat, the roads are smooth and the traffic is light.

BUT IT IS SO BORING.

The only fixed gear ive seen so far here was a converted mountain bike with front shocks. It was different, I'll give him that.

And vice versa. My 20+ miles hilly round trip commute is easy compared to 7 miles round trip commute in Brussels. I wished I had shorter gearing - I could not get to my usual speed between stops despite flatter and much shorter climbs and I wished I had even more upright geometry (I did flip stem and move the saddle forward).

yea this city is bike friendly. just got back from the sierra nevada brewery. Good ****.

The people i was with were freaking out i was gonna ride back, telling me i need some reflective jackets an "oh gosh its far!". Luckily they didnt notice my total lack of brakes. Got back in 7 minutes. I wish there was somewhere to REALLY ride to.

freebird - ill give that intersection a hello for you when i get back. Tho why you ride past the metreon I do not know.

maybe you should carry glow sticks.

i could take lesssons from rdub.

indeed. that is over the top. in a good way.

Tho why you ride past the metreon I do not know.

Wifey used to work at the House of Shields, and Mission is the fastest way to get up to the Elbo, and the Knockout for latenite fun.

do those countdown timers ever lead to trouble?

they don't have them in new york, but i can imagine seeing something counting down as i'm approaching the intersection and doing all kinds of crazy things to time the light so i don't have to stop.

I believe they lead to cars accelerating a lot more often to make the light, because they know they have exactly three seconds left -- VROOM VROOM! I hate them for that.

house of shields has good cookies.

I visited UC Davis this week and was excited because it's a "bike friendly" campus. There was a **** ton of bikes there, but if that place is bike "friendly," I'm the queen of England. The more appropriate term is bike graveyard.

The number of bikes I saw must've easily exceeded 1000, but 99.999999% of them were ****ty MTBs that I doubt would even roll. Chain lube is apparently not available in that area, because you could hear EVERY one of the bikes that could roll coming from a mile away. Seriously, every bike I saw actually moving was squealing and grinding like it was going to seize up at any moment.




I'm pretty sure that every new student promptly purchases a ****ty MTB, locks it up, and never touches it again.

128, I'm with you. Personally, I feel freaked out riding in the suburbs. I keep thinking some 15 year old with a learning permit is gonna come barreling 'round the corner.

I'm pretty sure that every new student promptly purchases a ****ty MTB, locks it up, and never touches it again.

probably. they're usually all spoiled and wealthy.. dumb college kids :p

1)

I understand all you people who commute 20+ miles a day in small towns. It's damn easy when its flat, the roads are smooth and the traffic is light.

.

Get some aero bars and come over to the dark side. We are waiting.

countdowns are handy for me because I can see if I have 3 seconds or 15 seconds till a light changes and can slow down/speed up accordingly to make it across an intersection. I keep getting startled by yellow lights I don't see comming here.

mtb's seem common in chico, but the cruiser bike reigns supreme. It's an epidemic. They make me cringe, they look so uncomfortable! I suppose thats what they think of my bike though.

carleton - yea. i know city riding is dangerous, but at least I know that the drivers are a little more used to cyclists.

mrc- hell no. im getting out of here as fast as i can. back to the city where its safe and comfortable.

I visited UC Davis this week and was excited because it's a "bike friendly" campus. There was a **** ton of bikes there, but if that place is bike "friendly," I'm the queen of England. The more appropriate term is bike graveyard.

The number of bikes I saw must've easily exceeded 1000, but 99.999999% of them were ****ty MTBs that I doubt would even roll. Chain lube is apparently not available in that area, because you could hear EVERY one of the bikes that could roll coming from a mile away. Seriously, every bike I saw actually moving was squealing and grinding like it was going to seize up at any moment.


I'm pretty sure that every new student promptly purchases a ****ty MTB, locks it up, and never touches it again.

Oh, you don't even know the half of it. I ride the Yolo causeway and then brave semi's, harleys, U-turning cops, big fat tire-eating RR tracks, wrong way crackheads on bikes, not to mention the mom of one of two of my former students who has nearly doored me from her Ford Excursion more than once.

But nothing compares to the sheer terror of riding through the UCD campus at 5:00. And I have driven in Ireland. No one seems to know how to ride in a straight line. People think nothing of walking down the bike paths three and four abrest (with two of them walking their bikes). Not only does no one use the crosswalks, but there's no predicting what other bikes will do when they encounter pedestrians in the bike path -- swerve? Maybe. Slow? Mabye. Ride 20 feet past, stop suddenly and start conversing with pedestrian? maybe. You never know.

As far as sqeaky bikes. Davis is really big into "recycling" stuff, including bikes. There are a few excellent organizations, namely the Bike Church and the UCD Bike Barn that take abandoned bikes and make put them back in comission. And that's where a lot of students get their bikes. Also, a lot of bikes are used simply to get around campus, never making any trips longer than a few hundred yards. For that, the best bike is the crappiest bike possible as not to even have to lock it. I know because I had one myself when I went to school there.

But back then, we knew how to ride. ;)

Actually, what's changed in the last decade is that UCD enrollment has exploded. So what you see is actually what cities go through with automobile traffic all the time - a community that has outgrown it's infrastructure. There have been days where I've gone to visit my wife at work, and couldn't even find a place to lock up (you can get a ticket for locking to anything other than a bike rack on campus.

The city of Davis is actually a lot more bike friendly thand the UCD campus. Low speed limits, lot's of "No parking any time" areas make it easy to get around by bike. Just avoid going through the campus.

indeed. that is over the top. in a good way.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/6302816580.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

in a good way.

****yea.

i really want to rent the run down again, on a totally unrelated note.

The people i was with were freaking out i was gonna ride back, telling me i need some reflective jackets an "oh gosh its far!".

I get that a lot around here, the "that's so far" part. I just laugh at them because it's like less than a twenty minute ride at the absolute most to get anywhere in town, usually less than five minutes. I get kind of the opposite with the safety gear...I use lights at night usually and people think thats like some kind of overkill or something weird, I dunno. I'm constantly arguing with people who can't understand why I don't ride on the sidewalks, etc.

In this town, anyways, there isn't really any kind of off-road trails, but there are plenty of pretty unused bike paths and low speed roadways to use, so my Mark V has been ideal for me here. It does get a little old riding around the same places, but I find if I have some sort of purpose or destination, it makes it a lot easier. I get tons of unbelieving comments when people see me riding to bars, etc. but very late at night is the best time to ride, there's hardly any cars on the road.

Kind of sucks I don't yet know many people that ride, though I have convinced some friends to pull their mountain bikes out of storage and do some riding and commuting. In town here Trek pretty much owns the market far as I can tell. The one big sports store here has a decent selection of road bikes (also mostly trek) but I haven't really seen anybody riding them in town. It's generally either the mountain bikes, or the ubiquitous "comfort bikes" ridin round, with of course all the kids on their BMX bikes. According to the one bike shop in town, there are a few fixeds floating around, I just haven't seen them yet. Most bikes on campus are of the Wal-Mart variety and are either unrideable or haven't been moved for years or both.

I dunno, small town riding so far has been slightly boring, and I am looking forward to hopefully moving to a larger city sometime soon, but I think I can put up with this for a little while.

Side note, what's the deal with these einsteins that ride around, sometimes in traffic, with no hands, arms at sides? They aren't even really doing anything with their hands so I can only imagine they think they look cool or something. Does this happen elsewhere? I only mention it because it seems like at least a quarter of the riders I see on campus here do this.

well i guess its easy if you dont have a frame that handles like (to use an old dolface quote) "a barnswallow on crack". i really should take pictures of some of the cruiser/chopper bikes ive seen. SO stupid.

man hearing some of you guys talk makes me really appreciate my experiences.

spent the first 6 years of my adult, post collegiate life as a bike commuter/messenger in chicago, and then moved to fort collins colorado where i'm a car free commuter.

both of them are ****in awesome bike towns in totally different ways. i hear these horror stories and feel realyl grateful that the worst i get is the occasional redneck. great rec riding, great commuter infrastructure, mostly educated, patient drivers...

While I was in chico I ran a red light and my friends who lived there didnt, they are from the bay and are all for running red lights / stop signs. but didnt... They said cops treat bikes worse than cars when it comes to traffic laws and dui's ..... So I stopped at stop signs to make right turns ****in BS.

Oh, you don't even know the half of it. I ride the Yolo causeway and then brave semi's, harleys, U-turning cops, big fat tire-eating RR tracks, wrong way crackheads on bikes, not to mention the mom of one of two of my former students who has nearly doored me from her Ford Excursion more than once.

But nothing compares to the sheer terror of riding through the UCD campus at 5:00. And I have driven in Ireland. No one seems to know how to ride in a straight line. People think nothing of walking down the bike paths three and four abrest (with two of them walking their bikes). Not only does no one use the crosswalks, but there's no predicting what other bikes will do when they encounter pedestrians in the bike path -- swerve? Maybe. Slow? Mabye. Ride 20 feet past, stop suddenly and start conversing with pedestrian? maybe. You never know.

As far as sqeaky bikes. Davis is really big into "recycling" stuff, including bikes. There are a few excellent organizations, namely the Bike Church and the UCD Bike Barn that take abandoned bikes and make put them back in comission. And that's where a lot of students get their bikes. Also, a lot of bikes are used simply to get around campus, never making any trips longer than a few hundred yards. For that, the best bike is the crappiest bike possible as not to even have to lock it. I know because I had one myself when I went to school there.

But back then, we knew how to ride. ;)

Actually, what's changed in the last decade is that UCD enrollment has exploded. So what you see is actually what cities go through with automobile traffic all the time - a community that has outgrown it's infrastructure. There have been days where I've gone to visit my wife at work, and couldn't even find a place to lock up (you can get a ticket for locking to anything other than a bike rack on campus.

The city of Davis is actually a lot more bike friendly thand the UCD campus. Low speed limits, lot's of "No parking any time" areas make it easy to get around by bike. Just avoid going through the campus.

haha, thanks for the insight. I didn't visit the city while I was there. I was interested in maybe attending school there, but a couple hours on the campus was enough for me to know that it's not a good fit. I need something more urban.

I thought it was amusing that there were actually bike circles in the roads. It was fairly dead while I was there, but I just imagined the streets jam packed with bikes with people riding around those circles in unison. I mean, it's got to be crazy if you build bike traffic calming circles to avoid crashes at 5 MPH.

probably. they're usually all spoiled and wealthy.. dumb college kids :p

That's what I thought the whole time I was there. Well, more like, "damn, I'm too old for this ****.... dumb college kids..."

The one big sports store here has a decent selection of road bikes (also mostly trek)
Scheels? Man, I hate that store so much.

GForks and Fargo are sweet to ride in for sure, but it is kind of crappy how even if there were offroad trails around there, they wouldn't really go up or down much.

/me misses ND, sometimes.

On the other hand, Suburban CT is sucky for the reasons onetwentyeight says: My commute is 9 miles each way, and is boring as hell. When I get to ride in Boston or NYC (or even New Haven), it just makes me hate my commute even more. But, there is sick mountain biking here, so I'll take it.

Scheels? Man, I hate that store so much.

GForks and Fargo are sweet to ride in for sure, but it is kind of crappy how even if there were offroad trails around there, they wouldn't really go up or down much.

/me misses ND, sometimes.

On the other hand, Suburban CT is sucky for the reasons onetwentyeight says: My commute is 9 miles each way, and is boring as hell. When I get to ride in Boston or NYC (or even New Haven), it just makes me hate my commute even more. But, there is sick mountain biking here, so I'll take it.

Yeah I wouldn't actually buy anything there, just kind of impresses me they actually have anything like that at all.

Miss ND? Wow :) I dunno it's just getting pretty old for me.

Best Invention Ever.

for sure i thought the best one was the bicycle.

[QUOTE=onetwentyeight]countdowns are handy for me because I can see if I have 3 seconds or 15 seconds till a light changes and can slow down/speed up accordingly to make it across an intersection. I keep getting startled by yellow lights I don't see comming here.

Amen!!!

NYC doesn't have the countdown, but all ya gotta do is look at the perpendicular walk signal to see if it's the walk guy, a flashing hand, or a solid hand to get a good idea of what kinda time ya have.

what about getting hazed at post? nerds always wanting to talk njs on the street? and ritual coffee? the grass is always greener!

I miss riding in the wine country...drinking vino and talking Campagnolo.

do those countdown timers ever lead to trouble?

they don't have them in new york, but i can imagine seeing something counting down as i'm approaching the intersection and doing all kinds of crazy things to time the light so i don't have to stop.

wild and crazy things?? Really?? Such as riding slower? That would be pretty intense.

NYC doesn't have the countdown, but all ya gotta do is look at the perpendicular walk signal to see if it's the walk guy, a flashing hand, or a solid hand to get a good idea of what kinda time ya have.
yeah, but you can't see cross street signals from 1/2-3/4 block up where with 10 secs you speed up or with 3 secs you slow down. Cars speeding up to catch a light still ain't as bad as chasing yellows, imo. Cameras help a ****load too, plus they don't register bikes.

haha, thanks for the insight. I didn't visit the city while I was there. I was interested in maybe attending school there, but a couple hours on the campus was enough for me to know that it's not a good fit. I need something more urban.

I thought it was amusing that there were actually bike circles in the roads. It was fairly dead while I was there, but I just imagined the streets jam packed with bikes with people riding around those circles in unison. I mean, it's got to be crazy if you build bike traffic calming circles to avoid crashes at 5 MPH.

There are stories of freshmen arriving at UCD after not having ridden a bike since the 6th grade and getting stuck going around and around in the bike circles and not knowing how to get out.

Davis is a nice school, but the bike culture is really weird. Interestingly, the competitive cycling scene is not really that strong. I think other cities in Northern California host more races.

+1 on boring towns. I just moved from Philly (love it) back to the burbs (yuck). Within 2 minutes of my first ride I was greeted with "Hey you ****** *****-ass mother ****er, you wanna fight?!"

Awesome.

I miss city riding soooo much. Around here I have to dodge drunk 16 year olds driving Civics with 2 foot spoilers and purple ground effects. At least city buses are a worthy adversary. I'm not far from the city, I really think I'm going to have to put the bike in the car and drive downtown once in a while.

I miss riding in the wine country...drinking vino and talking Campagnolo.
you bougie ass mother****ing yuppie piece of ****.

you bougie ass mother****ing yuppie piece of ****.
you would say that...BEAR