An introduction that is longer than it has to be with quick synopsys at the end.
07-09-09, 07:10 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
An introduction that is longer than it has to be with quick synopsys at the end.
Oh look! A NooB forum! Well, it will have to do since I am a NooB and all I have to contribute as of now is Noobitry. I'm not sure who, if any one will read this but I'm pretty excited to be cycling this year. About ten years ago I bought a Diamondback Sorrento and never really rode it until a few years ago when I got out about a dozen times in a local park with some trials. It's been pretty much sitting ever since.
Wow. That's fascinating, right. What kind of tool joins a bike forum to tell every one he had a bike covered in dust in the garage? Not this kind! No sir and mam. I got the thing out and got it tuned up and a rear rack installed. I'm not sure why. I have long admired those of you who live in more urban areas and can do things like commute and run errands built out here bicycling is not really a good way to save the planet. The distances are simply too far and my life too spread out. It's also been raining. A lot. This has kept me off of the local trails and put me out riding on the street. I've gotten out when I could and steadily increased my distance (still only five or six miles). The one day that I was really got pooped was the day that I just went out and rode like a kid. I went exploring the neighborhood and all the little paths, side streets and cut-though. I don't think that I went more than three miles but with no though or strategies regarding hills or straight routs, or any thing else for that matter, it was the most tiring but most fun ride yet!
Today was the piece de résistance though. Today was the day that I officially joined the hippy ranks (well sort of). Today was the first day I used the bike to actually DO something and eliminate a car/motorcycle ride! I went to the grocery store! Since I was going to be an eco-warrior I armed myself with a cloth, reusable grocery bag provided by Wal-Mart (?) for free at the NASCAR(**********WTF) race my wife went to recently. I peddled my but down there and selected my groceries which were suitably and smugly vegan whole foods, except for my daughters Golden Oreos. I paid for them cashlesly and hauled my stuff out to the bike where I spend the next fifteen minuets trying to figure out how to bungee-cord my provisions to my new rack without smashing my peppers or crushing my cookies. In the end I got all my stuff secured and peddles it all home without disaster! I went to brag to my wife who simply replied "why didn't you use a back-pack?" I hate her. Despite my small victory, her question IS valid and, because of the successful invention of the back-pack, I am still unsure exactly what purpose a rack on the bike serves.
In the days to come I hope to run more errands and hit some trails. Yes, the bike is part of a health improvement and weight loss plan so I hope to achieve those goals too. If the whole riding thing "takes" this time I might even up-grade with something "new to me" since, even though I bought the thing full price from a LBS all those years ago, I think that they sold me what they had on the floor instead of what would have fit me right. I think the bike is too small for me by "this much" even though the seat and bars are as far up as they can be. Also, and this is "I have a dream" stuff, I would like to get my hands on a 24 inch BMX bike and try my hand at some novice, adult BMX. Someday. In the future.
So, any way, this is who I am, what I have and what I am up to. I wanted this to be a little more than "Hi I have a bike" but I didn’t thin that it would turn into this epic of a post!
SHORT VERSION:
I rode my bike a couple blocks to the store and I think I'm pretty cool now.
Wow. That's fascinating, right. What kind of tool joins a bike forum to tell every one he had a bike covered in dust in the garage? Not this kind! No sir and mam. I got the thing out and got it tuned up and a rear rack installed. I'm not sure why. I have long admired those of you who live in more urban areas and can do things like commute and run errands built out here bicycling is not really a good way to save the planet. The distances are simply too far and my life too spread out. It's also been raining. A lot. This has kept me off of the local trails and put me out riding on the street. I've gotten out when I could and steadily increased my distance (still only five or six miles). The one day that I was really got pooped was the day that I just went out and rode like a kid. I went exploring the neighborhood and all the little paths, side streets and cut-though. I don't think that I went more than three miles but with no though or strategies regarding hills or straight routs, or any thing else for that matter, it was the most tiring but most fun ride yet!
Today was the piece de résistance though. Today was the day that I officially joined the hippy ranks (well sort of). Today was the first day I used the bike to actually DO something and eliminate a car/motorcycle ride! I went to the grocery store! Since I was going to be an eco-warrior I armed myself with a cloth, reusable grocery bag provided by Wal-Mart (?) for free at the NASCAR(**********WTF) race my wife went to recently. I peddled my but down there and selected my groceries which were suitably and smugly vegan whole foods, except for my daughters Golden Oreos. I paid for them cashlesly and hauled my stuff out to the bike where I spend the next fifteen minuets trying to figure out how to bungee-cord my provisions to my new rack without smashing my peppers or crushing my cookies. In the end I got all my stuff secured and peddles it all home without disaster! I went to brag to my wife who simply replied "why didn't you use a back-pack?" I hate her. Despite my small victory, her question IS valid and, because of the successful invention of the back-pack, I am still unsure exactly what purpose a rack on the bike serves.
In the days to come I hope to run more errands and hit some trails. Yes, the bike is part of a health improvement and weight loss plan so I hope to achieve those goals too. If the whole riding thing "takes" this time I might even up-grade with something "new to me" since, even though I bought the thing full price from a LBS all those years ago, I think that they sold me what they had on the floor instead of what would have fit me right. I think the bike is too small for me by "this much" even though the seat and bars are as far up as they can be. Also, and this is "I have a dream" stuff, I would like to get my hands on a 24 inch BMX bike and try my hand at some novice, adult BMX. Someday. In the future.
So, any way, this is who I am, what I have and what I am up to. I wanted this to be a little more than "Hi I have a bike" but I didn’t thin that it would turn into this epic of a post!
SHORT VERSION:
I rode my bike a couple blocks to the store and I think I'm pretty cool now.
Last edited by mr,grumpy; 07-09-09 at 07:24 AM.
07-09-09, 07:54 AM
#2
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: niagara region
Posts: 358
Bikes: 1987 bianchi campione d'italia, 1970's eatons glider, 1990's hybrid, 1992 trek antelope
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Welcome to the forums, and a good post too! I've seen people mount milk crates and such to a rear rack to haul stuff. Try browsing the Utility and Commuting threads for ideas. Happy trails...
07-09-09, 08:28 AM
#3
The Improbable Bulk
Join Date: Jul 2005
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Welcome!
Great first post!
A backpack is fine, but you can actually haul more on the bike with the proper configuration... It is also for many people more comfortable, especially on longer rides.
There are panniers designed specifically for hauling groceries etc, and I think you might be able to even pull some off, and use them as a shopping bag too.
The Utility forum is full of good advice, but look out, some of them may try to convince you to buy a Big Dummy so you can haul more stuff.
Great first post!
A backpack is fine, but you can actually haul more on the bike with the proper configuration... It is also for many people more comfortable, especially on longer rides.
There are panniers designed specifically for hauling groceries etc, and I think you might be able to even pull some off, and use them as a shopping bag too.
The Utility forum is full of good advice, but look out, some of them may try to convince you to buy a Big Dummy so you can haul more stuff.
