Originally Posted by
balto charlie
If I was drinking a beer it would have shot out my nose
Sorry NR, hope you feel better. Sounds like a brooks AND a triple up front is in your future. Maybe you can wear one of those weight lifting belts.
nbac23 hey, I live in Catonsville and really like the triple for the extreme hills around here, though some of the BF youngsters will ride them on a fixie. My next bike will have a compact. Most of the city ridingN to S is fairly flat so any speed will work BUT if you ride E to W then you got some rather stiff climbs(Jones FAlls river valley) You will lose speed w/out a 52/53. Not much tho'. Ask yourself: Do I want to fly as fast as possible OR have decent knees when you're an old curmudgeon fella like me.
Royal farm: Depends which RF. i leave mine unlocked at some grocery stores but will lock it in certain areas for a quick stop.
NR: I would eat the 200 for the Jeff cup. You don't want your 'junk' hangin' out your trunk.
MAx: still working on the panniers. Check out Beckmans. Some say the best there are, ain't cheap.
Thanks Balt Charlie-
I think I SHOULD get either a compact or a triple. I am much more concerned about my health and the level of enjoyment I get out of riding than my speed. Besides, I need to work on keeping my cadence up as it is.... I was thinking as I was riding today "It isnt like I am afraid of a challenge, but if those hills become too much of a pain then I am much more likely to take the car instead." When the time is right I will probably test ride the compact again and see how much speed I lose on flats or descents with the compact vs. the triple.