Originally Posted by
rdlange
I now qualify here. I'm too pragmatic to be competitive, and too practical to cycle just for fun, so I'm usually on the Utility forum. And I still work more than 40/wk.
Now I am trying to justify cycling for healthy exercise, so I bought an old mixte to restore and I'll have a 'real' bike to take somewhere without getting laughed off the trail.
My neighborhood is not a really a bike friendly area. Most cyclists I see around here are kids, elitests, poor or eccentric. None of the shopping moms on their Yubas with a couple of kids and a trailer full of cat food and lettuce. Maybe an occational spandexer.
But I am trying, and other than wally world and the usual high end places, I did manage to find one good bike shop run by a real 'wrench' who looks like Sheldon Brown, so I guess I'm not totally out of luck.
I'm sure there are plenty of places around here to just cycle, so I'll be posting my 'new' ride pictures where appropriate and updates to my 'useful' ones when I get the chance.
rdlange,
About your competitive attitude, or lack of. I used to have the competitive attitude but got over it when I discovered that I didn't have the engine to push the bike at higher speeds. I can do 100 miles in a day, but not in the time allotted during a tour. It takes me a lot longer and I have to have running lights since I always come in after dark, even when starting at dawn. So, I altered my attitude and now ride for fun, fun including challenging myself to do long distances. It's part of staying healthy. I do League of American Bicyclists bike tours, but keep my distance shorter than the "road studs" distance. The main reason I do the tours is that they offer SAG vehicle support if you break down, and road bikes are easy to break. I don't ride a road bike for general riding any more, especially if I'm going to do a longer ride of 50 miles or more, alone. That's because I hate having to change inner tubes constantly which is what you end up doing with a road bike. Hybrids are my choice for distance riding, despite the ridicule I get from the roadies. I have 32c tires mounted on my hybrid, and the only time I have had to change an inner tube was when I changed the tires themselves when they are worn out or for winter riding. Riding should be a pleasant occupation, not a challenge to see if you are a bike wrench or not.
Don't be concerned about what kind of cyclists you have in your neighborhood or whether it's bike friendly. Most of us live in areas where there are very few roadies who ride all the time. Mostly it's kids and casual riders who don't ever do more than a couple of miles and think they did something fantastic.
Yup, post your pictures.