Well that is all fine and dandy, but what if that is the only reasonably safe place to ride where he lives ? I'm fortunate to live near the edge of town, where I can take longer rides on low traffic country roads, but not everyone is so lucky. Also, when I ride in my hood, it's just as bad as a MUP with witless peds walking their dogs and senile elders just plain walking aimlessly in the middle of the street or backing their cars out of their driveways.

cycling is a dangerous sport ladies and gentleman!

still, don't be that ******* hammering on the MUP. Put yourself in danger out on the road instead of pedestrians on the MUP

Can I be the Fred going 15 mph while tucked in on my aerobars with no quick way to reach my brakes on the MUP?

I saw this exact situation like 3 times last night.

please don't lol.

I don't mean to say that you shouldn't ride the MUP ever, I do occasionally to access different stretches of road on longer rides. You just need to be OK stopping at a moments notice and slowing way, way down when you're passing anyone, especially if they're not on a bike.

It's NOT the place to ride fast or hammer continually... passing pedestrians at 20+mph is no good for either party.

I'm lucky in SD because we have Fiesta Island - I head out there at least a couple times per week to do some safe, controlled workouts.

Seriously, why is this okay? It's way worse than riding fixed brakeless. If you are not actively in a time trial there is no reason for aerobars.

It takes your body a lot of time (in position) to adapt to producing power in that position... you're breathing and hip angles are severely compromised.

Please note that I do agree with what you're trying to say, and most freds/roadies putzing around in aerobars like it for the novelty and different position and aren't training for legit TT's. I'm just playing the devil's advocate here.

Signed,
not a time trialist

...read that trackstanding at an intersection with a Google autonomous car = Mexican standoff.

How fixed-gear bikes can confuse Google?s self-driving cars - The Washington Post

I actually got into cycling as a triathlete so I call BS. Then again, that was back when a tri bike was just a road bike with aerobars strapped on.

well my opinion isn't worth anything as I've never even put in a real ride on legit TT bike, that's just what the higher ups in the 33 have to say, as well as a few elite stage racers that I know personally.

there is a huge disparity in power output in TT bike/position vs road bike for a given rider; that disparity can be somewhat minimized by spending time riding in the TT position. makes sense really if you buy that first part.

again, comes down to your lungs and hip angle being constricted. also again, just what I'm told, no experience in that regard

I do buy that first part, but I'm not entirely convinced by the second. Anyway the solution would be to put brakes on the TT bars along with the shifters. Brakes aren't all that important in an actual time trial because there isn't anyone close but for training it is stupid not to have the brakes available. Of course, when time trialists slow down too fast in the bars they tend to fall over.

Are we on the same page here?

By the first part, I meant: disparity in power output between those two positions
By the second part, I meant: training in said position can cause adaptations that help you minimize said disparity.

I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing. I didn't mention brakes anywhere.

Modern TT bikes are about sacrificing everything for speed, including comfort and power production

at the end of the day, the point I'm trying to make is that training in the aerobars is necessary for those who want to compete in TT's and tris. It takes some adaptation; it's NOT the same as riding in a road bike position.

also, at the end of the day: riding in the aerobars on the MUP is stupid :)

Yes, that is what I meant by first part and second part. The brakes thing was about the problem of Freds on the MUP not being able to slow down, which is why I originally said that there wasn't any reason to be on a TT bike. If you are going to be fredly you might as well have a few extra pairs of brakes in your cockpit anyway.

i took the bell off my bike because noone ever heard or or gave a **** to move

i yell pretty louldly and people still dont ****ing move

cool beans

thanks for being able to see through all my postings - I was just gonna post something about how I was saying too much and needed to be concise!

If I was to feign an argument about the second part, I would say that perhaps you are recruiting muscles differently in a full on TT position, which is of course subject to adaptation. But hey what do I know! we can agree to disagree on that one.

I think we can agree that you shouldn't ride in the aerobars when you are in the vicinity of anyone else, be it riders, pedestrians, or cars.

I rarely say anything. When I do say things, they typically do the exact opposite of what I'd hoped they'd do anyway.

"On your left! ... oh, okay I guess I'm on your right."

I had a mountain bike crash because of this. Luckily I got away with just a flat tire. sheeesh

YES! jesus christ its ****ing infuriating!

COMIN ON YOUR LEFT!

no mother****er. that does not mean move your merry troop of space cadets that are strewn across the width of the entire path to the left, that means there is an object moving on the left of you. GTFO!

im trying to refrain from using directions now and just say some **** like HEADS UP! or COMIN THRU! or if theyre old and look nice ill say EXCUSE ME! very loud

yaknow cuz old people dont hear so good.

I'll rarely say anything if children are involved. Lots of times in the past I'll say "on your left" as I'm slowly passing a child/young person (with a family) and for some reason that translates to "quickly cut across the path into the left lane" in a child's ear.

It's like driving home at 2am and being stuck behind an obviously drunk person...you want to get around them (as they're weaving) in the safest but discrete way possible since they're so unpredictable.

This, always. So annoying.

Today I received a new rear wheel in the mail a couple days earlier than expected. A very sexy looking Velocity Aileron #builtbyscrod -- excited to install it tonight!

let off the gas

downshift

blast past them as quickly and in as far of a lane away from them as possible.

resume driving like a sane person a mile down the road

Yeah, I agree. But if you're in an area with a lot of clubs/young people, blowing past them can sometimes result in the drunk guy thinking: "Did that guy just cut me off/show me up in front of my girl??..."

AKA: Dominic Toretto mode.


It's like you have to pass without making any eye contact. Subaru WRX/Mitsu EVO type car...not even worth it (we have a lot in my area).

i have a lot of those too, bunch a spoiled rich kids and parents with weak resolve

half the time they dont even know it happened, and if they do they speed off past you and they did the job for you

if its really bad someone in a mostly white car with a bunch of antennas sticking out of it gets a call and i pull into the nearest parking lot till theyre far enough away from me

I'm trying to justify building a second set of wheels to keep knobby tires on. I'm thinking Miche or All-City to Velocity A23's or some hard ano Archetypes if I can find a pair.