"Man I Love 10 Speeds"
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"Man I Love 10 Speeds"
It made me laugh yesterday when I was stopping by the corner store next to my house.
This guy rolls up on a purple and pink little girls x-mart MTB as I'm locking up -
Him : Man, you got that bike all tricked out - that bike is tight! I love 10 speeds.
Me : It's not a 10 speed. It's a 1 speed.
Him : Whatever - 9 speed, 15 speed, 12 speed, they's all nice.
Me : Uh, no, 1 speed. Look at it - no brakes, no coasting, no deraillers - it's a fixed gear track bike...
Him : What? No brakes?
Went on like that for a good couple of minutes. I just couldn't convince him that it wasn't a 10 speed. He eventually was just like "That bike is tight - I appreciate the look of 10 speeds" and rode off on what was probably his daughters bike.
This guy rolls up on a purple and pink little girls x-mart MTB as I'm locking up -
Him : Man, you got that bike all tricked out - that bike is tight! I love 10 speeds.
Me : It's not a 10 speed. It's a 1 speed.
Him : Whatever - 9 speed, 15 speed, 12 speed, they's all nice.
Me : Uh, no, 1 speed. Look at it - no brakes, no coasting, no deraillers - it's a fixed gear track bike...
Him : What? No brakes?
Went on like that for a good couple of minutes. I just couldn't convince him that it wasn't a 10 speed. He eventually was just like "That bike is tight - I appreciate the look of 10 speeds" and rode off on what was probably his daughters bike.
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Originally Posted by HereNT
It made me laugh yesterday when I was stopping by the corner store next to my house.
This guy rolls up on a purple and pink little girls x-mart MTB as I'm locking up -
Him : Man, you got that bike all tricked out - that bike is tight! I love 10 speeds.
Me : It's not a 10 speed. It's a 1 speed.
Him : Whatever - 9 speed, 15 speed, 12 speed, they's all nice.
Me : Uh, no, 1 speed. Look at it - no brakes, no coasting, no deraillers - it's a fixed gear track bike...
Him : What? No brakes?
Went on like that for a good couple of minutes. I just couldn't convince him that it wasn't a 10 speed. He eventually was just like "That bike is tight - I appreciate the look of 10 speeds" and rode off on what was probably his daughters bike.
This guy rolls up on a purple and pink little girls x-mart MTB as I'm locking up -
Him : Man, you got that bike all tricked out - that bike is tight! I love 10 speeds.
Me : It's not a 10 speed. It's a 1 speed.
Him : Whatever - 9 speed, 15 speed, 12 speed, they's all nice.
Me : Uh, no, 1 speed. Look at it - no brakes, no coasting, no deraillers - it's a fixed gear track bike...
Him : What? No brakes?
Went on like that for a good couple of minutes. I just couldn't convince him that it wasn't a 10 speed. He eventually was just like "That bike is tight - I appreciate the look of 10 speeds" and rode off on what was probably his daughters bike.
baker
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that's funny. i've had to explain my track bike to many people. sometimes i make the mistake of saying it has no brakes....now i've learned only to say that in the right company.
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Originally Posted by bbaker22
When I was a kid (during the 70's and 80's), we referred to all road bikes as 10 speeds...
baker
baker
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Originally Posted by riderx
You should have offered to let him try it out. That would have been priceless.
Originally Posted by bbaker22
When I was a kid (during the 70's and 80's), we referred to all road bikes as 10 speeds...
Last edited by s2sxiii; 07-08-04 at 10:38 AM.
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Yep, I still get that too. To almost anyone who is not tightly connected with cycling, "road bike" = "ten speed" (regardless of how many speeds it has).
This following almost exact conversation has happened countless times:
[Brillig mentions that he cycles]
"On a Mountain Bike or something?"
"No, on a road bike"
"What do you mean? Like a ten speed??"
"Yeah, except they have more than ten speeds now" (Brillig at this point deciding if he really wants to go through all of this or just bail).
This following almost exact conversation has happened countless times:
[Brillig mentions that he cycles]
"On a Mountain Bike or something?"
"No, on a road bike"
"What do you mean? Like a ten speed??"
"Yeah, except they have more than ten speeds now" (Brillig at this point deciding if he really wants to go through all of this or just bail).
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#8
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I had my fixie down at the beach last weekend for a big 4th bash. I couldn’t believe how much that bike was the topic of discussion. Of course I went down with other roadies and over all out door sporting type enthusiasts. But the fact that it had one gear and no breaks was dumbfounding to many, I even got the Fred Flintstone comment So I let people try it out and after the beer flowed a bit more people were interested. I went for a ride with the roadies and it was so flat they hardly ever changed a gear and some became even more interested in my bike. Anyway the good thing is that after it was all over one person was totally hooked on fixed and wanting to build one up. I thought that was pretty cool.
Timmhaan – yea don’t bother anymore to talk breaks on my bike. It’s even funnier when you see the look on their face when it dawns on them that your bike has no breaks!!!
Timmhaan – yea don’t bother anymore to talk breaks on my bike. It’s even funnier when you see the look on their face when it dawns on them that your bike has no breaks!!!
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Originally Posted by ehenz
Yep, anything with dropbars was a ten speed. Still is to most of my friends. I think I might be the last person I know who actually owns a ten speed.....it might be 12.
Jim
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Originally Posted by jfmckenna
Timmhaan – yea don’t bother anymore to talk breaks on my bike. It’s even funnier when you see the look on their face when it dawns on them that your bike has no breaks!!!
I understand Homonyms can present an especially difficult problem in some cases because they sound alike, but the different spellings mean different things. Changing one letter in a word could alter the whole meaning of a sentence.
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An Ode to the Spelling Chequer
Prays the Lord for the spelling chequer
That came with our pea sea!
Mecca mistake and it puts you rite
Its so easy to ewes, you sea.
I never used to no, was it e before eye?
(Four sometimes its eye before e.)
But now I've discovered the quay to success
It's as simple as won, too, free!
Sew watt if you lose a letter or two,
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S. Chequer's my very best friend
I've always had trubble with letters that double
"Is it one or to S's?" I'd wine
But now, as I've tolled you this chequer is grate
And its hi thyme you got won, like mine.
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#11
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Same here. Any road bike when I was a kid was a 10 speed. People I know still call them that. No matter how many times I try to explain my fixed gear bike or my singlespeed mtb, they just don't understand. They've got to try it to understand it. Yet sometimes even then, it's all a different language to them.
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Originally Posted by progre-ss
Same here. Any road bike when I was a kid was a 10 speed. People I know still call them that. No matter how many times I try to explain my fixed gear bike or my singlespeed mtb, they just don't understand. They've got to try it to understand it. Yet sometimes even then, it's all a different language to them.
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i rode down on my fix to watch the csc invitation crit. and i was surprised at how many stares, comments and questions i was getting from bikers.
#14
Tiocfáidh ár Lá
Originally Posted by Raiyn
One would hope that your bike wouldn't have breaks. That could be dangerous. Or did you mean "brakes"? I have to admit I'm not big on the idea of riding sans binders.
I understand Homonyms can present an especially difficult problem in some cases because they sound alike, but the different spellings mean different things. Changing one letter in a word could alter the whole meaning of a sentence.
Just for fun
An Ode to the Spelling Chequer
Prays the Lord for the spelling chequer
That came with our pea sea!
Mecca mistake and it puts you rite
Its so easy to ewes, you sea.
I never used to no, was it e before eye?
(Four sometimes its eye before e.)
But now I've discovered the quay to success
It's as simple as won, too, free!
Sew watt if you lose a letter or two,
The whirled won't come two an end!
Can't you sea? It's as plane as the knows on yore face
S. Chequer's my very best friend
I've always had trubble with letters that double
"Is it one or to S's?" I'd wine
But now, as I've tolled you this chequer is grate
And its hi thyme you got won, like mine.
—Janet E. Byford
I understand Homonyms can present an especially difficult problem in some cases because they sound alike, but the different spellings mean different things. Changing one letter in a word could alter the whole meaning of a sentence.
Just for fun
An Ode to the Spelling Chequer
Prays the Lord for the spelling chequer
That came with our pea sea!
Mecca mistake and it puts you rite
Its so easy to ewes, you sea.
I never used to no, was it e before eye?
(Four sometimes its eye before e.)
But now I've discovered the quay to success
It's as simple as won, too, free!
Sew watt if you lose a letter or two,
The whirled won't come two an end!
Can't you sea? It's as plane as the knows on yore face
S. Chequer's my very best friend
I've always had trubble with letters that double
"Is it one or to S's?" I'd wine
But now, as I've tolled you this chequer is grate
And its hi thyme you got won, like mine.
—Janet E. Byford
Ha HA
But seriously I am diagnosed a serious dyslexic so their/there you go
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I love being asked why I need to "spend so much on a bike that doesn't even have gears? Why can't you just get an old ten speed from a garage sale?"
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Originally Posted by gilby
I love being asked why I need to "spend so much on a bike that doesn't even have gears? Why can't you just get an old ten speed from a garage sale?"
#19
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one day i was working at bertucci's, and i went outside in the alley with someone to see my boss sitting on my bike, talking to someone. he see's me, and instantly starts asking questions (this was before it was fixed)
him: "whats the deal with this bike, only a front brake? what are you going for suicide or something!?"
me: "no, you only really need a front brake, thats as fast as your bike is possible to stop"
him: "thats insane, your gonna go flying over the handlebars and kill yourself!"
me: "not if you know how to use the front brake, but just wait til its fixed gear, only one gear, and you can't coast"
him: "why the hell would you want to do that?!"
me: "because you dont need to coast, or all those gears, or brakes for that matter"
sometimes i like explaining it to people, and sometimes its just annoying, because most people are stubborn, and won't understand anyway, no matter how many times you explain it
him: "whats the deal with this bike, only a front brake? what are you going for suicide or something!?"
me: "no, you only really need a front brake, thats as fast as your bike is possible to stop"
him: "thats insane, your gonna go flying over the handlebars and kill yourself!"
me: "not if you know how to use the front brake, but just wait til its fixed gear, only one gear, and you can't coast"
him: "why the hell would you want to do that?!"
me: "because you dont need to coast, or all those gears, or brakes for that matter"
sometimes i like explaining it to people, and sometimes its just annoying, because most people are stubborn, and won't understand anyway, no matter how many times you explain it