Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.dzbarkley
03-25-08, 01:56 PM
In grad school in the late 70's we only had one car and so the bike became my major transportation. I rode a Vicount Lambert, purchased about the time Yamaha bought them out. Lugless 'aerospace' frame and a solid aluminum fork. Eventually I traded out the Campy hubs and dérailleurs from my wife's bike and installed Gran Compe brakes. I think I rode sew-ups at first... I barely remember this now.
What I do remember is that in addition to riding to school every day down Wilshire Blvd (much faster than the traffic because I could go to the head of the line at intersections) on the weekends I would ride up Western Ave. to Griffith Park, then up to the observatory. I even did this with a 3 year old on the back in a heavy bike seat. Back then I took pride in long trips, racing traffic, passing other riders and never being passed and especially racing up hills.
Anyway, I got out of the habit when I started working, in part because LA was a much more interesting place to ride than Eastern Washington (or so it seemed at the time).
Then I got into motorcycling and made several trips to Mexico and bicycling receded into the past.
So... now... I take a couple months off to go sailing in British Columbia and it finally dawned on me that a folding bike might be a pretty fun way to tour when I get to ports, and to pick up supplies.
Bought a Dahon Cadenza and am in the midst of seeing what works from the old Lambert.
But the real shock is not the bike, but me. I'm no longer the guy who thought nothing of riding to the top of Griffith Park. The additional 30 lbs is only part of it. My back complains if I run, so the couch has become my major piece of exercise gear.
10 minutes on the relative flat and I'm tired, actually a little light headed. Pathetic.:o But maybe this is the long overdue impetus to avoid the decline to complete fossilization.
Dan,
Richland, WA
What I do remember is that in addition to riding to school every day down Wilshire Blvd (much faster than the traffic because I could go to the head of the line at intersections) on the weekends I would ride up Western Ave. to Griffith Park, then up to the observatory. I even did this with a 3 year old on the back in a heavy bike seat. Back then I took pride in long trips, racing traffic, passing other riders and never being passed and especially racing up hills.
Anyway, I got out of the habit when I started working, in part because LA was a much more interesting place to ride than Eastern Washington (or so it seemed at the time).
Then I got into motorcycling and made several trips to Mexico and bicycling receded into the past.
So... now... I take a couple months off to go sailing in British Columbia and it finally dawned on me that a folding bike might be a pretty fun way to tour when I get to ports, and to pick up supplies.
Bought a Dahon Cadenza and am in the midst of seeing what works from the old Lambert.
But the real shock is not the bike, but me. I'm no longer the guy who thought nothing of riding to the top of Griffith Park. The additional 30 lbs is only part of it. My back complains if I run, so the couch has become my major piece of exercise gear.
10 minutes on the relative flat and I'm tired, actually a little light headed. Pathetic.:o But maybe this is the long overdue impetus to avoid the decline to complete fossilization.
Dan,
Richland, WA