12XU

It strikes me that "non-hipster, real deal messenger" types chugging beers and smoking while no-handed track standing is quite obviously style over substance.

lemurhouse

19) because you happen to be riding one of your other bikes just then, and because you love riding pretty much any bike that fits and works, and because you really don't give a dam about others like/don't like about your bike/s or about what kind of label they are eager to put on you. Its all good.

crushkilldstroy

you don't like it when 3 people a day come up to you and start talking about how they're building a fixed gear too. then you see them 4 months later and they still don't have a bike.

mplsminx

maybe he meant "you mom mails you her Pope."...? i kid! i kid!

ImOnCrank

42) A reason to avoid the FG/SS Forum

jfmckenna

LOL HA HA best one Judah
15) You like riding 2" behind some yuppie dressed like a seal

20) You don’t know how to love your woman (or man ladies)
21) Your thighs look like match sticks
22) Your afraid to leave your suburban mcmansion neighborhood
23) You never even heard of Black Flag
24) You spend all your time polishing your carbon bits

Mercier666

Hahaha!
25. You don't like people thinking you're crazy for spinning full speed DOWNhill.

sloppy robot

if i had a brake hole.. i might put one on just to stop hearing this.. its really annoying.. i tell people theres a brake.. but its on the wheel.. which is pretty much true

ostro

so your wheel is slightly out of true...

gnat

you know, far more annoying than people asking where your brakes are is when guys yell "hey can i get a ride?/girl, let me ride wit you!" i get that every single time i ride around by myself.

to continue on with the topic in this thread thou, i like riding brakeless because it makes it easy to keep eager aquaintences off my bike "you can't ride it dude, it's got no brakes..."

sloppy robot

i dont get it...am i dumb?

ahhhh...
just got it.. and it actually made me laugh

Elvish Legion

Why the hell does treck not make one have to do with anything? You could always take a trek frame and convert..

dustinlikewhat

story about it...

take that roadies, even lance rides them.

Elvish Legion

I want to start riding fixies so right back at cha, good work out and training during the off season, and easy to fix on the fly

sloppy robot

in a not really related note.. i just rode my road bike for the first time in about 5 months.. what a bummer it was.. i rode it home, washed it.. and took pics for ebay.. i think the #1 reason for me to ride a fixed gear is the derailleurs.. now i remember why i got started riding singlespeeds in the first place

DownRodeo

out of curiosity, what about the derailleurs don't you like?

b00sh00

With fixed I can't grab on to moving automobiles and have them drag me around town (Back to the Future style)

53-11_alltheway

Not everybody rides a bike for transportation purposes though. I ride bikes for exercise and I deliberately picked the fixed gear because it is less efficient for general use (strictly flat ground is another story)

Same reason I pick the stairmaster over the elliptical and treadmill, it's harder because gravity works on you 100% with every step.

Training with fixed gear is better because it forces you into ananerobic conditions occassionally and this raises your lactate threshold.

Telling me you like easy and efficient is like saying you go to the gym, but make sure your muscles never burn and you don't stress yourself too much. Adapting to harder exercise equals gains.

Riding my road bike on flat ground is a waste unless I'm mashing hard in the 53-11 (180mm cranks make this easier than it sounds). Only problem with that is my bike can coast and it's too tempting to stop pedaling.

That leaves hills as the only way to actually challenge yourself on a road bike. Flat ground on a road bike is the equivalent of a little old lady "walk striding" on a treadmill at the gym.

considering that I think 170mm cranks suck, 165s don't sound good so you are right about that.

Ability to effectively use long cranks is related to leg length and seat fore/aft position. Track bikes already have the forward seat tube angle (which allows for very high seat) so the short crank is really only there for ground clearance issues.

BadAssBiker

I despise you.

sloppy robot

could someone please tell 53-11 that people have different tastes, preferences, needs and wants?

bodegabandit

But I think its funny.

deadly downtube

ummm... i've never ever ever clipped in improperly... how is that possible??? you hear the click, you feel the goodness, you're in!

53-11_alltheway

I do realize people have different needs.

Like I said 170mm cranks sucked for me. I never said if you were a shorter person with shorter legs 165mm cranks wouldn't be ideal. If I was 5'2" trust me I'd probably be saying 175mm and 180mm cranks suck. Different strokes for different folks.


One problem with getting used to really small cranks is the part of your legs used by a longer crank would be atrophied to a degree (due to a smaller range of motion). This in combination with being cluelss how to adjust your seat may make longer cranks not an alternative.

Just so I don't get flamed, having too long of a crank combined with too much seat set-back sucks too. The set-back makes your legs feel shorter compared to the crank length.

And just so you guys don't forget the "hour record" was set with 190mm cranks. If shorter cranks were more efficient for tall guys that record would have been set with a 165mm. Since he didn't have to make sharp turns he could choose the crank for maximum sustained power instead of ground clearance.


It's that simple.

EDIT: Just so I don't sound too biased there is some evidence that shorter cranks can make more peak power for brief periods of time, but it's sustained power that wins races and lets you complete double centuries, etc

cicadashell

could someone please tell me why persons on this forum are so unwilling to give 53-11 a pass every once in a while? maybe he comes off as arrogant sometimes, but is that really a crime? why not simply ignore him? personally, i find him to be genuinely funny ever since the beginning, and i can't believe i'm the only one who gets the joke. i have more of a problem with the folks who brag about their drinking, but that i can ignore.

carleton

After working at a shop that sells Trek bikes you notice how many people just "want a Trek", most likely because of Lance and the hype around him and the tour.

I've had countless conversations like this:

Guy: Hey, nice bike.
Me: Thanks.
Guy: [proudly] By the way, I have a Trek.
Me: Cool, which model?
Guy: Um...I can't remember...But, it's a Trek.

To the uninitiated, all that matters is that it's a Trek.

By the way, I'm not snobbing down on these people. There are more things that I am NOT an expert in that those that I am. Trek has built a very strong brand name for sure.