Rome Commute on a Tikit
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 912
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Rome Commute on a Tikit
I made this for a friend but thought you'd be interested: video of my commute through Rome on a Tikit. With accompanying map.
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 153
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Awesome! You are very fortunate to enjoy the visual grandeur of the city of Rome on a daily basis.
When I started viewing, I expected Rome traffic to be the biggest obstacle, but it appears the pedestrians and tourists are the biggest challenge. Also, you ride over some pretty rough terrain. Big Apple tires, and thudbuster seat post suspension would maybe help to soften your ride, and a good bell. I think a bell, however, would not work very well. You would be riding with one hand on the bar and one hand on the bell all the time. Try clipping a baseball playing card to the front fork so it rubs against the spokes. I use a Mickey Mantle rookie card >.
When I started viewing, I expected Rome traffic to be the biggest obstacle, but it appears the pedestrians and tourists are the biggest challenge. Also, you ride over some pretty rough terrain. Big Apple tires, and thudbuster seat post suspension would maybe help to soften your ride, and a good bell. I think a bell, however, would not work very well. You would be riding with one hand on the bar and one hand on the bell all the time. Try clipping a baseball playing card to the front fork so it rubs against the spokes. I use a Mickey Mantle rookie card >.
#3
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 912
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Also, you ride over some pretty rough terrain. Big Apple tires, and thudbuster seat post suspension would maybe help to soften your ride, and a good bell.
I'm on a tikit, so Big Apples aren't possible. Instead, I've got Greenspeed Scorcher TRs, which are still very fat and soft (at 40mm). Surprisingly the tikit does very well over this terrain. Interestingly the faster you go over the cobblestone the milder it gets.
I've got the standard tikit bell, but perhaps an airhorn might do a better job. :-)
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 749
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
no way in hell i would ride thru all those "cobbestones." in nyc, there are some streets with cobbestones ususally on those historic district like greenwich village, chelsea, etc. and they are usually are only 1 block long and i couldn't even take it. i had to stand up and look for paved road right away.
Last edited by vincentnyc; 10-10-09 at 12:42 PM.
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Vancouver, Washington and Ocean Shores, Washington, USA
Posts: 1,319
Bikes: 2 - 2007 Custom Bike Fridays, 2 - 2009 Bike Friday Pocket 8's, Gravity 29'er SS, 2 - 8-spd Windsor City Bikes, 1973 Raleigh 20 & a 1964 Schwinn Tiger
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
After walking around Florence last Nov. I can relate to just how congested (people, cars and motorcycles/scooters) your commute is. Traffic speed is incredible and much of the terrain you have to cover looks like off-road stuff.
Will be interesting to see how well the tikit holds up. Could be a great advert for BF.
Nice touch with the map; made understanding you route very easy.
Lou
Will be interesting to see how well the tikit holds up. Could be a great advert for BF.
Nice touch with the map; made understanding you route very easy.
Lou
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: studio city ca.
Posts: 148
Bikes: cannondale topstone, caad 10, trek superfly, bike friday pocket rocket
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
1 Post
did we meet you in rome last month? we were touring with a bike friday and a dahon and we met a gentleman with a tikit and his friend had a dahon outside the parthenon...
anyway, fun riding in rome especially at night, as crazy as that sounds!
ciao!
anyway, fun riding in rome especially at night, as crazy as that sounds!
ciao!
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 912
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 19 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
Yep! That was me and my wife (she was on a Helios). You were about to get on the train to Florence if I recall, and we suggested you check out Lucca. Did you get the chance?
Last edited by feijai; 10-13-09 at 01:12 AM.