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04-01-02, 10:11 AM
OK, I finally took my fixed gear out for more than a ride down the street. On Friday I took it for a 7 mile ride to the LBS and back (needed a cone wrench, and wanted to show it off). Then on Saturday my neighbor and I went for a ride on part of 17 Mile Drive (through Pebble Beach, with the golf courses and huge houses and amazing ocean views).
The bike rides like a dream, or at least it seems to in my unexperienced opinion. Once I convinced myself that I had to just keep pedalling no matter what, I did fine. I only had two major problems, both on the second ride.
1) Flat tire. Haven't really determined the cause. I tried to patch it when I got home, but it went flat again, so I either missed something or I put another hole in the tube while putting the thing back together. I'm new to bike repairs, so it may take some trial and error.
2) As you enter Pebble Beach, there are guard booths. This is because non-residents have to pay to drive through. Bike get through for free. Anyway, there are three lanes going in. There is a lane to the left of the booth for people who don't have to pay (residents, guests, etc). There is a lane to the right of the booth for people in cars who are paying. Then there is a lane to the right of that lane for buses. There is also a sign that says "bike route". Usually you go in on the right of the bus lane if you are on a bike. But the bus lane was blocked by cones. There were a bunch of cars in the pay lane, so my friend and I switched over to the left lane, which made sense because we didn't have to pay and it was clear. As we are going by the guard booth, a guard steps out right in front of us. My friend slams on his brakes and manages to stop, but I hit his pedal and go flying over the handle bars on to the ground. Just a few scrapes and bruises, and my handle bar tape was ripped up. Grrr. So I get up and guy proceeds to tells us that he "stopped" us because didn't look behind us when we changed lanes (which we did) and he considered that to be dangerous. He then asked me what I thought I was doing riding a track bike through there. I told him it was a fixed-gear road bike and that I had a front brake as required by law. He hemmed and hawed and went back to work. My friend and I were so stunned by what had happened that we just rode on through. On the way out we went back and told him that our major concern with him was that he had stepped out in front of the bikes, something he never would have done with a car. "Well, if you had hit me, I would have been the one to get injured," he said. Yeah, except that I'm the one with bruises and scratches, not him.
Anyway, the point of the story is that fixed gear bike are good, stupid people are bad, and you should always carry a pump and a patch kit.
andy
The bike rides like a dream, or at least it seems to in my unexperienced opinion. Once I convinced myself that I had to just keep pedalling no matter what, I did fine. I only had two major problems, both on the second ride.
1) Flat tire. Haven't really determined the cause. I tried to patch it when I got home, but it went flat again, so I either missed something or I put another hole in the tube while putting the thing back together. I'm new to bike repairs, so it may take some trial and error.
2) As you enter Pebble Beach, there are guard booths. This is because non-residents have to pay to drive through. Bike get through for free. Anyway, there are three lanes going in. There is a lane to the left of the booth for people who don't have to pay (residents, guests, etc). There is a lane to the right of the booth for people in cars who are paying. Then there is a lane to the right of that lane for buses. There is also a sign that says "bike route". Usually you go in on the right of the bus lane if you are on a bike. But the bus lane was blocked by cones. There were a bunch of cars in the pay lane, so my friend and I switched over to the left lane, which made sense because we didn't have to pay and it was clear. As we are going by the guard booth, a guard steps out right in front of us. My friend slams on his brakes and manages to stop, but I hit his pedal and go flying over the handle bars on to the ground. Just a few scrapes and bruises, and my handle bar tape was ripped up. Grrr. So I get up and guy proceeds to tells us that he "stopped" us because didn't look behind us when we changed lanes (which we did) and he considered that to be dangerous. He then asked me what I thought I was doing riding a track bike through there. I told him it was a fixed-gear road bike and that I had a front brake as required by law. He hemmed and hawed and went back to work. My friend and I were so stunned by what had happened that we just rode on through. On the way out we went back and told him that our major concern with him was that he had stepped out in front of the bikes, something he never would have done with a car. "Well, if you had hit me, I would have been the one to get injured," he said. Yeah, except that I'm the one with bruises and scratches, not him.
Anyway, the point of the story is that fixed gear bike are good, stupid people are bad, and you should always carry a pump and a patch kit.
andy