The Rob

Hello All,

I'm a little late doing this, but I've had great fun reading posts and enjoying the way in which everyone appears to interact here. You need only read Usenet to understand why this friendly atmosphere should be prized.

My true interest in cycling ( I had bikes as a kid but simply rode them through the neighborhood and never cultivated an education as to their upkeep. That's what fathers are for!) began recently, when coworkers began riding their machines to work. I suppose it was listening to their pow-wows at break-times, poring over the PricePoint catalogues and speaking reverently of upgrades, that piqued my curiosity. Over time I became more aware of just how many people commuted regularly along the route I drive to work. I became fixated on getting a bicycle of my own. I'd made a decision to become more active and this seemed a great way to help achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

My first bicycle as an adult: a Magna Catapult. Yup, I can just faintly hear a collective knitting of brows from you seasoned veterans, but not knowing better my thought was "a bike is a bike is a bike". To give the thing it's due, the wheels did turn when I pedaled it.

Perhaps surprisingly my love of the deceptively simple machine that is the modern bicycle survived, and just recently I made my first bona fide bike shop purchase. It's a perky steed, and though by hardcore standards it isn't and never will be a screamer, I like it a lot.

Thanks for this forum, by the way. I'm having fun.

-Rob in Portland Oregon

velocipedio

Hey Rob! Welcome aboard!

It's amazing, but every time I ride my bike, I marvel at how perfect a machine it is. It's simple, elegant and clean... and it hans't changed in basic design in more than a century. Why tinker with perfection?

So... Do you now pore over Price Point catalogues?

The Rob

Ha! Only when I want to revel in a severe case of sticker shock. Some lovely things in there, but Good Grief! I'll make use of it eventually though, as components wear out. It's obvious those catalogues bring jaw-unhinging prices down to merely gasp-inducing level. Whatever helps!

-Rob

hillyman

My first bike I bought when I got back into cycling(also the start of my 2nd childhood) was a Huffy mountainbike.I also thought a bike was a bike.Within a couple of months I had BENT the teeth on the chainring.The 'mechanic' at the department store I bought it at said he had never seen that happen before.I guess nobody ever shifted one going up a big hill.A couple months later the bottom bracket was screaming bloody hell.I took it to a pawn shop and traded it for a old roadbike.The next season I bought a hybrid at a bikeshop.I rode that bike 6 years without any problems except adjustments and flats(I still ride it every now and then on rail to trail rides).The Magna is a good bike to see if cycling is your thing.In a year you will want something better.$300 to 'the skys the limit'seems like alot ,but not if it lasts for years.KC

John E

My younger son has a late-model Magna Glacier Point which someone abandoned while stealing his Peugeot US Express. The Magna's latest stunt was to dump half of the ball bearings out of one side of its front hub, a first for me in 40 years of riding, repairing, and assembing bicycles. From what I have seen of the weight, brakes, and bearings, I cannot recommend Magna to anyone.

The Rob

Ah man! That's when you really hate a bicycle, when you leave it for someone from whom you stole a better one!

I didn't have the Magna Catapult long enough for it to do anything more hazardous than chain-slip a few times, but I got the impression after a couple of rides that it was simply a matter of time. Once I straddled a decent bike that actually fit, I saw the error of my ways, and I made a vow never to sin again. I'll take a Goodwill bike before I ever consider a department-store machine.

By the way...what causes chain-slip anyway? I had Tank Jr. do that on me just a couple of hours ago on a ride! I can't see anything overtly misaligned, but mine are not practiced eyes as yet.

-Rob