At your age, I figured your prostate would have caused a few by now. :thumb:

So far no problem. But I did pass through Columbus on Sunday (on my way home from God's country) and took a whiz on the Horseshoe. ;)

When you are riding to work and a bunch of nuts fall on your head...you will know I really am GOD!
Too bad even God can't help the Buckeyes all the time. :cry:

So I'm biking home last night and I'm going down the hill right by my building. Fairly steep but not that long. I start by pedaling by just coast until I get on the upswing a bit. Anyhow, a buddy of mine on a recumbant was starting out just after me, and we're both going the same direction. At about 3/4ths the way down the hill he whizzes by me, going much faster than me. We was like a bullet compared to my arrow. And he was coasting, too!

He beat me to the top but not by much and we chatted on the way off the lab. He's got a windshield and really gets moving down the hills as his drag is reduced quite a bit. He's always said the reason he can get up the hills so quick on that bike is that he goes down it very fast. I never believed that until yesterday.

I coast all the time because constantly pedaling is tiring.

I normally coast behind other riders that are blocking my way or down some of the longer hills on my commute.
I do not understand the fixie thing. I guess its cool if you want to do tricks but if you are riding 13 miles up and down hills twice a day in heavy traffic I think the ability to coast is essential. Maybe when I am in way better shape I will try to commute on a fixt gear and see how it goes.

I'm thinking an "emergency stop" probably means an emergency instance where you need to decelerate faster than you can without brakes. This might happen when a car unexpectedly cuts you off, a ped jumps out into the street, a taxi swoops in to pick up a fare without signaling, etc.

I hate seeing someone who ever stops pedaling on an uphill. No coasting up hills. Not allowed. I don't care if you're slow, but you have to pedal all the way up the hill.

I pedal all the time because starting and stopping and starting again is tiring. It's counterintuitive, but I've found that it's better to soft-pedal than to stop altogether.

hmm.. interesting, i find the opposite to be true.

of course I coast, I earned it by doing the hill...

I'm too slow and wobbly to coast. Unless I have the wind to my back.

I seldom coast, and it's usually when I'm making a turn, coming to a stop, or overrun the top gear on my winter commuter on a fast downhill grade. I try to keep my pedals constantly moving as much as possible, in order to get most of motorist's attention with my brightly colored/reflective ankle biters.

If I am not riding for a workout or now riding in a group, I tend to coast a bit to enjoy the scenery. I have even been known to hop off the bike and grab a few pictures. Who knows, maybe someone will see the picture and hop on a bike to go and enjoy the area in the photo. Even when i am out on a gentle scenic ride, even if I don't coast, I still pedal fairly slow so I can still enjoy the scenery. It is funny, living here in Chicago forever, I am amazed at all of the new things I find right by my house that I had no clue were there before.

I do that on one spot on my commute. It's rolling hills and the city put a stopsign at the top of the hill and roughed up the street with ridges so the car drivers wouldn't run over any kiddies trying to get to the school across the street. The cops have been lurking just waiting to write a ticket for anyone to roll through the stop sign.

Anyhow, on the approach I am getting about 34mph downhill and at that point I get more speed tucked down and coasting than I would get pedaling. The 4 rough stripes on the uphill I prefer to rise up off the saddle (still tucked) but still coasting. I don't coast all the way up... but it's pretty close. Short hill but steep enough that I can make those speeds going down (yes, Clyde rider).

Normally I only coast when...
... I am trying to get my water bottle, fiddling with headlights, adjusting clothes
... I can go faster coasting tucked down than pedaling (maxed out on cadence)
... I am approaching a situation where I must slow or stop anyhow
... Group riding situation where I am slowing to match pace of a cyclist I am riding with
... Rough terrain where I wish to stand on the pedals and float over the saddle and handlebars
... I am taking a turn fast
I believe that it increases my fitness if I recover from climbing by keeping pedaling while my heartrate drops and the burn eases up on my legs.

I like coasting uphill. Put whatever potential energy I've accumulated to work.