Just a quick question. When the group picks up the pace a lot near the end, what are you supposed to do? Sit back with some of the slower folks in the group ride, or go with them if you can stay up. I don't think they were sprinting, it was fairly easy for me to keep up, but I wasn't sure if this was normal or if my baggy shorts, steel frame, and poor technique was embarrassing and I thought they might be trying to get away from me.

i'll pass on the message.
 

i myself do not ride a singlespeed bike (cept to work). however, i have no problems pushing 140rpm due to my super awesome ceramic bearings and jan ulrich doping, er...training program. p.s. i really don't have ceramic bearings.

By the way, anyone who feels that botto and I are elitist Road Nazi aholes are essentially correct. What's your point? Better a Road Nazi ahole than a Fred pal. If you would only learn to tap into your essential Fredosity and mine the wealth of Self Loathing therein, you'd be on the path to Pcad Cycling Zen. But oh, no, that's too friggin deep for some of you idiots. So wring your hands, bemoan the 'attitudes' of other cyclists, and get your panties in a twist. For chrissake I Googled myself tonight and found some involved friggin analysis of my BF psychology by some pinhead college student online. It's mind boggling that anyone would waste the bandwidth on such meaningless tripe. I'm simultaneously flattered and utterly baffled.

Who cares what anybody else thinks?? You MORONS. Shut the F up and RIDE YOUR FRIGGIN BIKES. How are these kids getting into college anyway? Half of them can't even spell.

I went for an entire cycling season on a Marin San Anselmo. It's a heavy aluminum hybrid with front and seat suspension that I outfitted with a rear rack, fenders, lights, etc. The result, a heavy beast that was difficult to keep pace with the club riders. That said, my local club was awesome to ride with. People hung back with me as I would gradually tire late the long rides. They encouraged me and kept me into club rides. At the end of the year I bought a Specialized Roubaix Comp Double and experienced what I was missing out on.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that if you have a good club and are serious about riding, what you ride on is not important. I had a lot of fun on the group rides despite the difficulty I had keeping up sometimes on my hybrid.

Being able to keep up in baggy shorts is very bizarre. Happy?

Here's what you should do: Keep up if you want to ride with them. Otherwise, drop them.

I'm going to need a link for that.

I just googled my handle. Sick.

Your wish is Pcad's command.

Just scroll down a bit. Amazing.

I have been the last in my pack for four years now. Some days I'll admit it gets to me, until I realize the company I'm in is pretty high caliber. I'm the runt of the litter. But I try hard and do the best I can and that's all that matters to me. And it's all that matters to the rest of them too. I don't slow 'em down. If I get dropped they know I'm content to finish out the ride as best I can.

I could show up to an easier ride somewhere else, but I'm too sick in the head to do that. Why? Ironic, but it doesn't sound very fun! Must have something to do with self-loathing.

Our ride has a tag line:

"SEE" Ride - See who you can ride with, see who you can drop.

It's a pun on the local cycling club "C" ride classification, since our ride is off their classification chart.

The faster SF groups leave from the bridge around 8ish on weekends. Look for the too thin guys/gals with silly tan lines and kits you've never herd of. I use my SS cross bike when I'm gearing up for CX season, so you won't be the only ones without gears. All of the engines are VERY efficient.

I've found that its not difficult to ride fast in baggy shorts, but its increadibly uncomfortable. At least in "street" shorts, I don't know if you mean mtb shorts that still have a chamois...

Cool!

I got quoted on some freaky russian cycling forum! ..err....I think...

http://www.cyclist-friends.gr/showthread.php?p=45047

Anybody here read Klingon??

Here's my own experience with idiot racers: January 2008, 20ºF, four guys on a group ride that is typically a total hammerfest in warmer temps, but in the off-off season when five people show up, everybody tends to slow down. We get to the climb that splits up the group in May or June, and the one guy puts down 900 watts. I'm not going with him on a 20ºF day in the snow flurries 7 weeks before the first Spring race. I let them go, shaking my head. I haven't been back since, it will be a long time before I return to that particular idiotfest.

And that's why I stopped doing that ride. 12 miles in there is a mile long climb with a 10% section near the end, 2-3 guys on this ride are literally ranked in the top 10 guys in the NY Vets 35+ TT rankings, and I'm simply not going to match them watt for watt on that terrain without blowing a gasket. Not last year at least, I may try again this year when I'm in shape. I hung with them once or twice, but F that action. But I go on a fast group ride to get a workout, not to get shelled @ mile 12 and ride it in alone. You pick the rides you can do. I get dropped on the Nyack Ride - in the last .5 mile on the final climb by the best 10 guys. I've mixed it up with a who's who of NY area bike racing for the previous 45 miles with some climbs I can handle at that point, so I'm a happy camper. I do understand the 'take no prisoners this ride is like a race' mentality, but on a ride with 4 guys in the first week of Jan on a 20º (literally) day? That's really friggin ********. Sorry.

Pick your spots. If you get dropped, come back a bunch of times. If that ride is over your head, find another. Forget what other people think. I call people Freds mainly because it gets a rise out of them. I could give a **** if you call me a Fred, a Road Nazi or an ahole. I've been called worse. I don't ride to hear other people's bull****. I can't hear it anyway, I crank the iPod when I don't want to hear you.

botto does have a good point. Learn to ride in a group. Be smooth. Listen to criticism about your group riding skills. Your lack of them endangers yourself and others in cycling. On the other hand the only way you get them is by getting yelled at a few times. We've all been through it. It's worth it in the end. Cycling is great, so are group rides, so is racing. It does require you to wade through some crap. HTFU and deal with it. Your fragile ego will survive, and ultimately all the people I personally know who have been through this crap (like everybody who races or rides with fast groups) are very happy they put up with the initial perceived elitism.

Greek.

Makes sense...It was all Greek to me! :D (Insert rimshot)

(best if read in stoner Dell kid's voice) Dude, you're getting a stalker

Anyone who wants to stalk Pcad has to get in line. Plus they'd have to stalk me up Mt. Doom (the hill I live on) which would probably kill them. And if that doesn't, my killer watchdog Sam will:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y11.../DadSamOBX.jpg

As soon as he's done playing Frisbee.

You are but a hamster on the forum wheel. Greater powers are observing you.

jrennie, stick around here you'll soon have enough for a couple of doctorates

Boulder/Golden Colorado/Northern NM dudes!!! are almost non-existent in BF and rarely brag about hills or pace. Just an observation!!! Maybe it's oxygen deprivation when low altitude means 6 or 7K ft.

Today I rode our draft horses because the wifey is not here and she will know if I haven't ridden them. I went on a group ride with some nice vixens. Beats any cyclist elitist group rides!!! The only downside is the horses take a lot of **** breaks!

The OP is gone trolling in a knitting forum somewhere! Meanwhile the ego hammerfest continues.

I interpreted "rode our draft horses" to mean you drafted behind some big and tall cyclists, aka clydesdales.

This forum is fred if pcad is considered among the elite. A road nazi maybe but elite, no.

Most of what has been said here, is the exact reason I ride alone. Turn on the tunes, get on the bike, and all is good.

Apparently the distinction between elite and elitist wasn't covered at Apex Technical School eh?

jan ulrich does NOT do 140rpm...