It's been 6 weeks since my surgery and the doc said I could go. :)
Did a whopping 13.6 miles on the Withlacoochee Trail. I hope I'll be up to my usual speed and distance in a few weeks. :thumb:

Been waiting to read your posting that you are back on the saddle. Great news and enjoy the freedom. :thumb: :thumb:

This new bike was supposed to be my 70th birthday present back in June, but a series of problems with the framebuilder caused it to be delayed until recently. The end result is nearly perfect and exactly what I've been wanting in a fixed gear road bike.

https://m.imgur.com/a/cyWA6

I hear that Joe, Things around here all anything but level. There's a hill in any direction
leaving my home, a couple of which rise more than 300 ft in a little over a mile. There comes a point
when no matter how low of a gear you've got, you may as well just get off and walk it. I dream of
touring somewhere flat with hundreds of pleasant bike paths like the Netherlands or Denmark.
So...the next tour I'm planning naturally entails about 40,000 vertical feet of climb. I'm an
idiot. The only way it's possible is to tour just with my bivvy, debit card, and as much hydration
as possible. Given the terrain, I'm thinkin 15 mi. a day up, maybe 40 going down. So... where
were you planning planning to ride, Joe?

good news, glad to see back on the trails

I went to a local expo yesterday where they had a number of e-bikes that you could just jump on and take for a ride. The biggest collection there was from a company called "HaiBike," which had everything from commuters to full-suspension MTBs to fat tire models, all of the pedal-assist type drive (mainly Bosch). I had never ridden an e-bike before and frankly was quite impressed. This could eventually be my answer to "hill anxiety" as I get older, although I might just be exchanging that for "range anxiety." None of these, by the way, seem to be ready for all-day-ride scenarios just yet.

I've looked into e-bikes extensively on EBR( electric bike reviews) There are some nice
machines to be found, but it addition to 'range anxiety' there's also 'wallet anxiety'. Even
the best ones have a max range of 60 mi. For a time now I've been tinkering with motored
bikes as I am not getting younger. I have 2, though I seldom ride them for I still prefer
to pedal. Both are pedal-assist, one does 150 mpg, the other 200. I have studied the variety
of kits out there, many dangerous. The one I have settled on is the most environmentally
benign, but it has a few foibles. Of late I've been arranging the gearing to be synchronized
with my most efficient pedaling cadence for distance. I hope to achieve even greater range.

Wow. What a gorgeous bike. Enjoy. :beer:

Hey, thanks. It rides like a dream too.

Good to see a Made in USA frame&fork.
Please tell me about the Heavy Pedal wheels?
I've got to get a pair of carbon, just not at $2000 or some no-name cheapie.

I paid $900 for the HeavyPedal Tempo wheelset, but I don't think they are currently available. I bought them through Retro-gression, so maybe they (info@retro-gression.com) can fill you in on their availability. The wheels are very high quality with full carbon clincher rims, Gran Compe hubs and Sapim C-Xray bladed spokes. They were special ordered with choice of decals and smooth or rough rim sidewalls for a braking surface. It took six weeks and they were drop shipped directly to me from the factory in China. I can definitely recommend them.

A Question for men 65+
 

I'm a guy 69 who's been riding for a few years.I have Type 2 Diabetes & biking helps keep my blood sugar numbers down.I have been doing longer runs for me (10 Miles+).I have been experiencing pain in my testicle area.I've gotten a bigger seat with gel,but it hasn't really worked that well on my longer distances.Can anyone recommend biking underwear or pants with padding? Thanks

Jimcee what do you mean by "doing longer runs"? Do you mean longer "rides"? And by longer are you referring to 10+miles? Ten miles is a very short distance. So if by "+" you mean a few more miles over the 10 you are still riding a very short distance. Not the distances that should create a saddle problem if you are set up right with a saddle that works for you. Everyone's idea of a great saddle is different and what works for me is likely not to work for you. However a big wide saddle full of gel will not work for most rides, especially if doing any real distance. I am guessing you are sitting up right like in a chair and not leaning forward with hips rotated. I suggest you find a local bike store where you have confidence the sales guys know what they are doing see if there are any demo saddles to try or buy used saddles off Ebay. But something that's going to work for you is not likely to be a big, wide gel filled saddle. If you are serious about riding sounds like you may be a candidate for a professional fitting which includes a lot more than what saddle you're on. And it may be the type of bike you're ridding will always be uncomfortable riding 10+miles.

I see this is your first post. Tell us about yourself, your bike(s), where you live/ride, etc.

I'm 71. I'd recommend any decent brand of padded cycling shorts or bibs (nashbar.com, performancebike.com, etc), minus any underwear.
I've been riding on saddles with a center cutout since about 2003. Both of my bikes have a Selle Anatomica X series. Love them. :thumb:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/01...g?v=1472675578

^^^^^^^^
+1 on Selle Anatomica

Gradually build up your mileage--sitting on a bike is not a very natural position and it takes time to adapt. And lots depends on what kind of bike you have too.

Reply
 

Thanks for the info.I recently moved from NYC to Milford Ct.When I lived in the city I rode a mountain bike & because of heavy traffic had to be vigilant.In the past year I bought a Raleigh road bike.In addition to type 2 diabetes,I have lower back pain & a touch of arthritis in my left knee.I'm 5'7" 200lbs & the only exercise I can do is biking.I was a long distance runner,but back problems ended that.I try to bike 4-5 times a week for 1hr to 1 1/2hrs.It's when I bike 2hrs plus that I start having pain in the lower regions.I've found a small bike shop nearby where I'll ask about the seat & shorts.Thanks again

I submitted a reply,but it didn't post
 

Thanks for the info.I wrote a reply,but it didn't post

You guys are great!

Put these two gear ratios into BikeCalc.com and both are 2.2 gear inches. Facts are facts.

Correct, absolutely correct. However one offers considerably more leverage against the pedal
being more distant from the fulcrum.

Archimedes once said," Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the world," He was referring to leverage.
Think of your 170mm crank as the lever & the chainring as the fulcrum. Your pedal will be closer to a 39T
ring than a 24t ring. the further from that ring, (fulcrum), the more leverage you can exert. Basic physics.

I'm no expert but I don't believe you have a proper handle on the physics. The crank arm is the lever; and, the bottom bracket is the fulcrum (axis or pivot). Your leg of course provides the turning force. Gearing does not change the length the lever arm, nor the amount of force (or power) that a cyclist is capable of generating.

When looking at bicycle gearing, calculating the inches of travel makes sense because it takes into consideration the circumference of the wheel that is being turned-- all else being equal, just going to a smaller wheel will increase torque...

[QUOTE=McBTC;19158682]I'm no expert but I don't believe you have a proper handle on the physics. The crank arm is the lever; and, the bottom bracket is the fulcrum

The 'Fulcrum' changes every time you move from one chain ring to the next. That's
what gears do. I'm sorry you don't grasp the concept. Probably diminished blood
flow to the brain. you should ride more & post less. It will improve function.

The force applied by the tire to the tarmac is determined by the ratio of the crank arm length to the radius of the rear tire, multiplied by the gear ratio. Period. All of this analysis of intermediate forces and torques gets canceled out. Yes, it is true that you are applying more torque to a smaller chainring than to a larger one, but this is exactly canceled out at the rear wheel as the smaller cassette cog applies less torque to the wheel than does the larger one!

One can try this out on a typical road bike by comparing the effort of pedaling a 50/25 gear combo to 34/17 (or something similar depending on your gearing).

[QUOTE=rawly old;19158851]I doubt it but thanks for making me feel so much smarter than I really am...

All fine up to here-- in this instance a call out to subjective reasoning can only perpetuate scientific ignorance. Old Rawly already informed us about what he knows, "for a fact & utterly without a doubt that it is easier to pedal a 24/11 that it is to pedal 39/18. I have bikes on which I can use both arrangements, and I have tried both! there is significantly less resistance with the 24/11. I am not imagining it."

[QUOTE=McBTC;19159333]Perhaps you think this is just something I made up of the top of my head, But I
can assure you it has been tried, tested, & proven. Though the ratio is the same
24/11 is easier to pedal than 39/18. I'm glad you feel so much smarter than
you really are. And Doug, No it's not. All either of you need do is try it, but
your stubborn mind set & ego will never let that happen.

It's really extremely simple, 24/11 has a mechanical advantage due to increased leverage!

... by the seat of your pants.

If the ratios are the same then the resistance should be the same. If it's not, then there is a problem in your drive-train.
If anything, because the chain has to wrap around a smaller radius with the 24/11 the drag might be higher.

It could be that a combination of smaller rings means there will be less friction (fewer teeth) so perhaps less resistance (except that there might be a lot more friction between the links of the chain because the chain is wrapping around a smaller radius as you mentioned) but then, the smaller rings would result in a slower moving chain so maybe there would be less rotating mass to deal with, but... irrespective of what Old Seat of the Pants may believe, none of this has anything to do with a change in leverage since the length of the crank does not change and the fulcrum would still be the center of the bottom bracket.

Small chain-rings have more friction than large ones. But it would take some good equipment to measure the difference.