I read that as "Clusterf*ck Chart of the Day".

A racing post? What do you think this is, the 33?

i posted in the 33 too...I want them to like me, but i like pcad and they don't so....you know it is akward

I am personally still waiting for the doomstock invite.

Who can argue with this? Tough time for the J. Lunchpail set that's for sure. Kills me when I read Wall Street Journal editorials decrying unemployment benefits as negative because they encourage unemployment. Which studies confirm on one level, but how anyone could publish such a diatribe at times like this still boggles my mind. WhatEVER. For every guy who stays unemployed longer because of his $300 unemployment check there are ten more DYING to find a friggin job because $300 barely pays their friggin bar tab.

Oh, don't bother.

Nice bike man! Glad to see you're still here, I've been away from the bike for a while...got into motorcycles but I'm starting to ride my bikes again (I missed it). Anyway, sweet ride!

Speaking of motorcycles, I was just on my ST 1300 for a 50 mile ride, went by the local Honda dealer and looked at that cool new VFR.

I like my 04 ST much better. That's good, because it's paid for. Only has 16K miles on it. Goes in for a major service (valve adj, plugs, oil filter, maybe front brakes) this week.

I'm seriously looking at the Ducati Monster as my next bike. I've ridden a few and like them very much...besides, my bike is coming up on 12,000 miles and it needs a valve check soon.

See, now the VFR would be a blast to ride. For half a hour. Then my legs would be sore from the position. They even get sore on the ST, but I have highway pegs up front that fold out from the tip-over blisters, so I can kick back and ride it like a cruiser, and then switch back to the more upright sport touring position. The windscreen goes up and down with a push button on the ST. Not such a big deal on nice days, but on rainy or windy days, it's the difference between feeling like you're riding in the jetstream @ 30,000 feet or riding in a calm pocket of relatively quiet air (can't tell you how dry that keeps you in the rain too). In other words, comfort is the more important thing on a bike for me and many riders (whether they will admit that or not). On the other hand the Goldwing is over the top, not nearly sporting enough. My bike feels like a giant sport bike with some comfort. Really fun in the twisties, really carves up the curves, but you can ride it from here to Portland and back and stay sane.

I guess every rider weighs those factors and chooses what they like, but for me it will always be the sport touring segment. That segment is small partly because it's not so well known and partly because the bikes are all relatively pricey. You can buy most of the cruisers/sport bikes in the Honda/Suzuki/Kawasaki/Yamaha lines for $8K-$11K. All the good sport touring bikes are $14K-$18K. Well worth the money to me for the flexibility, comfort and performance they deliver.

I can't tell you how many guys age 30-60 wind up on an ST after riding cruisers or sport bikes for 10+ years, and when they discover the ST and what it offers, it's like 'where the F has this bike been all my life?' and they're fans of the ST and/or the sport touring segment. I had a guy at at stop light yesterday asking me if I was selling my bike, he said he was dying to find a used one in the $7-$8K range with ABS (that's about what mine would sell for used, possibly even a bit more). Not such bad resale, I paid $14K for the bike and put another $2K into it in this and that (seat, rear trunk, etc.). And I've enjoyed it daily now for six years.

But I'm not selling it anytime soon.

What's disturbing about that chart is that the last few recessions it has taken longer and longer for the lost jobs to come back. Look at how the unemployment cycle took four years last time. And we lost a lot more jobs this time. Unemployment could be high for several years, especially with oil not far from $100.

That's one of the reasons I'm skeptical of a fast recovery.

I never said things were happening fast. But they are turning far harder than anyone would have ever expected 12-18 months ago. I don't know if you recall, but it was seriously the End of friggin Days there for a while. Even in a normal recovery (and this is looking more like one of those with each new data point) employment takes years to approach pre-recession levels.

But back to cycling. Man that S2 with the Zipp tubies felt great today. You really feel how light those wheels are chasing fast wheels on upgrades.

I do like my bicycles. And unlike some of you, I actually ride them.

today was indeed a beautiful day for a ride in the nyc area. i had my newly built Merlin out today. man that bike is enjoyable to ride.

When you get a great 2-3 hour workout on your bike and you feel great about it, you realize there's not too many better places to blow your money.

I am the expert on this by the way.

Hey Pcad,

Did you realize that manufactures still make, and people still buy, titanium bicycles?

Who knew?

It's like the 90s redux.

Titanium RULES.

Good thinking except for one new variable. What jobs? There is almost no manufacturing left and what is left pays peanuts due to the vast pool of talent just standing around. Without manufacturing there isnt enough work to go around, we cant all be in the service industry. I will believe it when I can go back to work in my trade as a carpenter and not have to travel from state to state to find work.

Happy days! although not a real nice day here, I did ride my litespeed today. I salute a fellow Ti rider. still waiting to see pics of said merlin.

Jobs will come. That doesn't mean in your particular field and location of course. A recession is when your neighbor is out of work. A depression is when you are.

Today I spent three hours in two LBSs. My intention was to trade in one of my two bikes at the bike swap and apply the proceeds to a new bike. I ended up buying not only one bike, but two, and not at the LBS where the swap was occurring. End result, money not blown, but well invested. I am now selling both of my 5 year old bikes and coming away with a Fuji Cross Comp for $700 with full 105, as well as the bike that sneaked up and into my shopping cart - a 2009 Scattante (guess where I ended up?) CFR Sport for a little more than $900 after all the points and discounts had been applied.

All this after a couple of months anguishing over an online purchase. I've never 'blown' so much money in one day on a vehicle with less than four wheels. I am working my way up the self-loathing index...

EDIT: This proves I am 'Addicted'.

^ You did buy 4 wheels after all..

I want new wheels. These Mavic CXP22s just aren't cutting it.

They had a 2010 Scattante carbon unit there selling for $1,300, with the label clearly stating the Alex ALX-220 wheels. The wheels were actually Ksyrium Elites. I wish that mistake had been made on my bike(s).

Join the rest of us doing symbolic logic manipulation.

how does it pay?