gettingold

My usual thoughts after a group ride....

CIA Superior: What did we learn, Palmer?
CIA Officer: I don't know, sir.
CIA Superior: I don't f***in' know either. I guess we learned not to do it again.
CIA Officer: Yes, sir.
CIA Superior: I'm f***ed if I know what we did.
CIA Officer: Yes, sir, it's, uh, hard to say
CIA Superior: Jesus F***ing Christ.

jefferee

-I'm around middle of the pack on the local Tuesday night road ride. Not bad, considering that my "road bike" is a commuterized CX bike, complete with rack, fenders and 35 mm tires. I think it weighs about 30 pounds.

-Going over potholes and gravel bits is not a big deal on a CX bike, but apparently more difficult on a road bike.

-Going over horse **** is no big deal with fenders, but apparently sucks on a road bike.

-The biggest downside of the CX bike appears to be rolling resistance and aero, since it was fairly straightforward to keep up on climbs, and I had to drill it a couple times to close gaps going downhill.

jetbike

That after 7 weeks of no real riding due to Tonsillitis, the lycra was a bit tighter than I remember and even a easy ride was hard, but after an hour I was having fun. That riding over the Sydney Harbour Bridge on a cold, clear day, at dawn, is magical. That riding is awesome.

And that I have nice friends, and an understanding wife (who looked after the kids with a mild hangover).

Quel

I'm too fat to keep up with genetic freaks on major climbs. Oh well, I'll go drown my sorrows in some pizza and beer.

Nachoman

I learned something that I forgot. Bring 2 water bottles and a little something to eat if you're going to do 45 fast miles. for 45 slow miles, it doesn't matter.

shelleyspins

I am on the fence about the Camelbak which I've ridden with twice now. It's hot and humid here and yes, it is nice being able to just drink and not even think about it. But both times I rode with the Caembak I spent the whole time reaching for water bottles that weren't there. This morning I ditched the Camelbak, used water bottles and made an active effort to remember to drink constantly. Despite being drenched in sweat I wasn't having hydration issues. Maybe I don't need that silly thing after all.

Honu

1. that the world offers wonders to anyone willing to take her in from a bicycle, even if that person happens to be suffering mightily at the time;

2. that the folks I ride with are patient (I re-learn this in new ways quite frequently) ; and

3. that the walk-in beer cooler at a convenience store is a good place to be dragged if you've overheated

Carbon Unit

I learned to double check that my shoes are in the car before leaving for a group ride; otherwise, I will be doing a solo ride after I have returned home to get my shoes.

Yaniel

I learned never to trust a weather man. Weather channel forecast called for rain from 3 AM to 11 PM today so I didn't bother setting my alarm for the 7 am group ride. It's now 11 pm and it still hasn't rained.

midgetmaestro 

Not to ride on country roads on Memorial day weekend....

ls01

I learned that motorist really get offended when they harass you from their car, and you get them to stop so you can hand them a copy of the Mi. motor vehicle code, that pertains to cycling on the road. Apparently " share" , as in share the road means I have to pull over to allow her to pass.

BarracksSi

So... does that mean you took the lane, or shared it?

ls01

I took it, but it was not well recieved by her and the 4 other cars behind. Oh, well.

Edit; reading comprehnsion fail. I did what 257.660a gives me the right to. I rode as far to the right edge of the road as is practicable. I tried to share but see above. I just didnt let her intimidate me with her horn or her car.

coasting 

i learned not to wave to group rides. today i passed a group of about 20 riders strung out all the way down a hill coming the other way. they each saluted me and i got bored with waving back.

ls01

Funny you should take that stance. Further along in my ride I was watching a truck approach from behind, I use a mirror. He gave no indication that he was going to move over so I rode out another foot or so to insure that he saw me. The dumb ASS passed me on the shoulder of the road. Scared the jeebers out of me. So, so much for taking the lane.

ibarunnin

I've learned a handful of things in the past month:

- To watch out for drainage grates on the side of the road. I was riding on the sidewalk to avoid heavy traffic, then as it thinned out I decided to get back on the the road. The only ramp down to the road had a grate next to it, I haven't had any problems before so I just rode over it. My front tire decided to follow the grate instead of cross over to the road so I ended up falling directly in to the road, almost got hit and got a nice amount of road rash on my hip (which is still there 5 weeks later).

- You can't miss clipping in to your pedals when you're start on grass. I missed clipping in my left foot and didn't have enough time to try again as my bike lost momentum immediately and I went right down. There was a guy in the park next to me sitting on a bench, he saw what happened out of the corner of his eye and fell off the bench laughing.

- (Again) don't miss clipping in when starting off going uphill in a high gear. You only coast so far and if you miss you're hitting the ground.

I'm embarrassed to say I am still quite a noob when it comes to clipless pedals. Over the last 3 years I've layed down my bike 5 times due to being cliplessly incompetent.

coasting 

relax. everyone does clipless falls.

yes it was deliberate.

ibarunnin

The only thing that bothers me about it is when I put a small dent in my top tube and scratched up my shifters

BarracksSi

I'm not taking either stance, I take the lane just as much as I ride to the side. I just find it funny that any road user will yell about "share the road" when what they mean is "give the road to me".

Mekrob

I learned that Co Road 450 between Columbus, IN and Hope, IN is a false flat the whole way.

Kneez

I learned that Doris lives.

WhyFi

Before the ride, I found that the BANG! from inflating an improperly seated tube/tire is really, really loud.

Yaniel

my friends dog runs away from the bike pump because this happened once in the house about a year ago. poor thing is terrified of the pump now.

I learned the Memorial Day weekend in Miami is awesome to cycle. All the locals are out of town and all the tourists are in a 10 block area of the beach. 63 miles through the entire city with not a single bad car encounter, except at the beach.

KiddSisko

I learned that eating half an apple pie, plus a dose of ibuprofen makes for a great post-ride recovery combination.

bismillah

That I'm a beast