Machka 

Where did you get your cycling information before there were cycling forums?


I have no idea when the various cycling forums appeared on the scene, but I stumbled onto the Bicycling Mag's forum in early 2002, and this one a little later than that.

However, by early 2002, I had been cycling for 12 years already. I started cycling "seriously" in a remote area in northern Alberta. There was at least one bicycle/ski shop in the city, which I visited a couple times, but I don't recall that there were any clubs or organized events of any sort back then. So my only real source of information came from the library. I read every book the library had about cycling ... all three of them!

Then I set about adjusting my massive and heavy, 57 cm, department store road bicycle (I ride a custom 49.5 cm bicycle now, so you can tell how big that old bicycle was for me!) to be as comfortable as I could possibly make it. I hunted high and low for cycling shorts and found a pair, to my amazement, in the local co-op grocery/department store. I had toe clips on my pedals, adjusted as well as I could, and I found a pair of the stiffest soled shoes I could.

And then I rode ... basically following the training plans I had found in the books.

I asked no questions ... because there was no one to ask ... and just figured things out as I went along, mainly by trial and error.


How about you ... before the forums ... who did you ask about your cycling gear or training plans? Or from what source did you get your information?

caligurl

well... since i just started riding a little over a year and a half ago... i've always had forums.. however my hubby is a WEALTH of info and my greatest coach and greatest inspiration.... he pushed and pushes me! he's always giving me tips and advice (sometimes i get ticked when i just want to RIDE! but i know he's just helping make me a better cyclist! and i wouldn't have been able to accomplish what i did in my first full year of riding without his guidance and 1000% support of my riding!!!!!)

C4Byke

I got my cycling knowledge from a few older guys that showed my the ropes when I was first starting out, you know, like group riding etiquette and whatnot. Everything else I learned through trial and error. Which is the best way in my opinion.

patentcad

On the road for 20 years. And that's where I still get most of it. Unlike half the friggin freds in this think tank.

This is merely Weeniestock.

reneuend

My father-in-law is a lot like you, Machka. He's ridden everywhere. Sometimes he'll just grab his bike and start riding for days with no real plan. He's been teaching me a lot about biking. I still have a long way to go.

aadhils

I scoured the web for info. Sheldon brown, and ken kifer were particularly informative...

Machka 

But before the web ... where did you get your information then?

khuon

Before BikeForums, there were always other sources. USENET (rec.bicycles.*), various webpages such as those by Sheldon Brown, etc. There's also plenty of books, Zinn, Barnetts, and various other publications. But a lot of this stuff can best be learned by talking to seasoned veterans and mechanics in the industry both from LBSes as well as clubs. Racing helps a little too. From a mechanical standpoint, MTB racing really helped me out. It seems that in general MTBers are more gearheads and interested in the mechanics than other cyclists because that's the nature of the sport. Hanging out at the races and talking to people can gain you a lot of knowledge. I also pick up plenty of stuff from trial and error.

aadhils

Mebbe the library. I always get my info either from the web or the library heh...

14max

Velonews and a really good LBS. The one I used to go to was co-owned by a retired member of the 7-Eleven team and he used to just let me hang out and watch.

mirona

I've been on BikeForums since I started road cycling. I did, however, ride BMX before that and learned everything I knew at the dirt jumps or at the track. If your face hit the dirt, you were probably doing something wrong.

C4Byke

Yes, my ELF taught me quite a bit about what is possible on two wheels and what isn't.

Machka 

See ... when I started cycling ... I'm not going to say there was no internet, because some sort of internet has been around for quite a long time, but the internet was definitely NOT a common household thing. It was probably 5 years after I started cycling before one or two of my friends and acquaintences, who were employed in IT fields, got the internet on their home computers, and I got it approx. 7 years after I started cycling.


So, I guess I'm sort of wondering what other newbie cyclists did before the web, and forums, etc. became available.

Louis

I got all my information from books and magazines. Bicycling Magazine was much more creditable back then and there were a few other good ones too. I didn't want to join a club until I felt like I knew what I was doing. After about three years of solo riding I joined a club and fit in immediately. The club was a great source of further learning such as pace lines etc.

I didn't own a computer until 2000, and that's when I discovered internet forums.

I still like to read cycling books when I can find a new one.

Machka, I know what you mean about the library's meager supply of cycling books. It was the same here for me...sometimes I was forced to re-read until I nearly memorized some passages.

Louis

thebankman

Up until last year I got all my info on biking from friends, my dad and bike shop employees. Now the forums supply much info, hopefully more accurate than the rumor and gossip I received as a kid.

khan

Lemme see, there was this guy, Lemond...George, Greg.That's it! Greg Lemond won the World Championship and I was lucky enough to have a friend who was into cycling and got me interested. It was still a couple of years before I started riding. Clincher tires were just beginning to improve and there was no desire to play with glue and sew-ups, not that I could even afford it at the time. Bicycling mag, Bicycle Guide, Bicyclist and Winning were the journals of the day. Lemond started talking about spinning at a higher cadance (what the hell was that all about?!). Not many books were around. It was a cool time. RAAM was developing (Lon Haldamana sp? and Susan Noterangelo). 7-Eleven was more than a slurpy. Ahhh, the memories.

Kid-Cycle

When I was a young kid my dad taught me how to repair flats and perform basic bike maintenance. Anything my dad couldn’t I learned from the Milt Vice, owner of the Western Auto store that was around when I was a kid. This guy could fix anything I did to my Stingray!

I became interested in road cycling in the early/mid 80's and just started going to LBS while in college at CSU Chico. After talking with owners of the various stores and many test rides, I purchased my first bike. I road in gym shorts, T-shirts and tennis shoes. After a while I bought a pair of bike shorts with a leather chamois. I learned the hard way about the necessity for being prepared for fixing flats while out in the middle of some nowhere (almond orchard). After suffering from sore feet I bought bike shoes with the cleat that locked me into the caged peddles. When want to know how far I was going I bought an odometer that mounted to the front wheel hub and used a rubber band to turn the odometer. After a ride you would press the reset button to zero it out.

After a while I started riding with some school mates and learned about riding in a pace line and the etiquette of riding.

In the late 90's I found Sheldon Brown's website and learned quite a bit of info there. Then in the early 00's I found this forum. I've learned quite a bit from here, especially about bike maintenance. I was able to downloaded the Bartlett's manual from this forum when it was available and I have purchased Zinn's book.

Something kind of interesting is I never wore a bike helmet until I started riding with my kids (I was trying to set a good example). Now I never ride without one and it has saved my skull at least once!

Now days I ride my road bike for fun and excersize and then I ride my mountain bike with street tires when I ride with the kids. It's all good and they like riding!

56/12 and 22/28

Bike Shops.

Starclimber

In the beginning... Bike shops, other cycling friends, Bicycling and Winning magazines, and best of all Effective Cycling . John Forester taught me how to maintain the beast, and how not to get run over while riding it.
Now that we have the internet, Sheldon Brown is the go-to resource for me. I'd be surprised if I know 1/000th as much about bikes as he does. I'm pretty fond of this place too, of course, and the Park Tools website.

K6-III

I started with BikeForums. It was here that I learned that Steel is Real. Still riding steel bikes exclusively...

DieselDan

It started with a lack of funds to replace a single speed bike that the chain kept falling off. My Dad managed to get a Barnett's manuel, and I read how to loosen the chain and brake arm to tighen the chain. I kept that book until I moved out of the house.

As for events, I was never interested until I got serious again four years ago and lived near a bike shop.

55/Rad

Back when I started in the 80's, information about riding came from fellow cyclists. Gear and tech stuff came from the LBS themselves. And the biggest thing to look forward to?

The catalogs in the mail. Nashbar, Performance. There was another great one but I can't recall what it was.

55/Rad

clausen

Groing up it was learn to wrench or not ride, so I am a self taught mechanic (Which explains why I had so may bikes as a child). I also learned through books at the library. Now I find the internet like many LBSs great tools, if you can sort through the BS. Best advise is always found out on the road by people with nothing to sell you.

mirona

I hadn't thought about this earlier, but when I was growing up I got my bikes out of dumpsters. I had to fix them myself and I learned by doing.

turtleguy54

Great question Machka!
I started riding in 1972 after being run over by a car ended my cross country running passion. Back then, especially in isolated West Texas, you just did it. Bicycling Mag was much more of an informative mag and the lbs was owned by a real rider. But basically we were not intimidated by the bike and would strip one down just to see how it worked. If you wanted lighter weight,heck you started drilling holes in cranks or deraillers! HaHa, you learned quickly about stress points. What's interesting compared to now is that everyone helped and gave advice to anyone on any type of bike. It was not about what you wore or rode. It was that you were out there riding and learning what the bike could do. I rode for years with a Brooks saddle, cut off jeans, and those old shoes with wooden soles.
We didn't really look at how much someone paid for his ride or outfit; it was what he could do with it that counted. And, we were always eager to help tear his equipment apart to see how it could be improved. It was a fun and educational community and I sort of miss that "who says so, let's try it" attitude.