Here's my road bike (also today's transportation to work).
Oh, man. That is pure retro goodness right there!
I have a few of those exact parts bouncing around in some of the misc. boxes of bike stuff in my garage. Very nice!
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Show us your bicycles
- Thread starter Vorago
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Oh, man. That is pure retro goodness right there!
I have a few of those exact parts bouncing around in some of the misc. boxes of bike stuff in my garage. Very nice!
Bob Lee (QSC)
In case you missed it, I work for QSC Audio!
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Oh, man. That is pure retro goodness right there!
Yeah, when was the last time you saw rear dropouts like those?
I've found eBay to be very useful for buying older spare parts (stuff you can't find in stores any more) and for selling off older stuff like my 27-inch wheels.
Yeah, when was the last time you saw rear dropouts like those?
I know exactly where. On the early-80's Nishiki ONP frame hanging in my garage! Back in its day it was considered a good racing frame. For a while I had it built up as a single-speed. The horizontal rear dropouts make proper chain tensioning possible when you don't have a derailleur. There's still something very classy about a well-built lugged steel frame.
Definitly agree. I had an old Brian Rourke reynolds 531 frame i very first raced on aged 14. Beautiful frame, very comfortable bike. Steel frames are still very popular. Theres a frame builder in sheffield called Kevin winter who makes some very very nice steel racing framed. Steel frames with carbon rear triangle too
. If i start racing again i just might get me one of those...
Hey Guys. I'm currently using Road pedals and shoes (obviously). My brother's dog bit through almost a whole velcro strap. I'm thinking of switching to MTB pedals. Would seem easier. I don't know much, if anything, about MTB pedals and shoes. Are they easier to clip in and out of than roads? Also, what makes a good MTB pedal? Have any advice? Thanks.
MTB shoes and pedals will work just fine on a road bike. MTB pedals are typically 2-sided (easier to get into than a 1-sided road pedal) and the cleat is recessed into the sole of the shoe (this makes walking around off the bike MUCH easier). Not all road pedals are one-sided, but many are. Shimano has kind of the standard for MTB pedals, but there are plenty of good options on the market. With any shoe/pedal setup, there will be a bit of a learning curve until it becomes automatic.
OK, so actually I already bought the shoes today. They are comfortable and affordable, so bought them. They are SPD style cleat attachments. I've heard of the 2 side and the recession, so that was enough to get me to switch. Any other advantages? Any disadvantages to making the switch?
Usually MTB shoes are not as rigid and therefore do not transfer energy as efficiently. Also, some road designs allow for 2 sided entry anyway (like the Speedplay ones I guess you are no longer using). There's nothing wrong with MTB pedals and shoes on a road bike, but it's just not the ideal tool for the job.
How do road pedals/shoes transfer energy more efficiently than MTB pedals/shows? That's a bit confusing to me.
MTB shoes tends to have a little less stiff sole to allow for more walking comfort when off the bike, but some of the top-end shoes get pretty close in stiffness to a road shoe. If you're not racing, don't sweat a tiny bit of lost efficiency - you'll never notice the difference.
I do love the Speedplay design for road pedals. I've been using them for years.
I've got two bikes now.
I just bought a freestyle BMX bike (which is more of a flatlander, really). It's a GT Calafia. Love it. Has a 21" top tube so it doesn't feel like a kid's bike. It's got the STT/Oryg rotor, pegs and killer Sun Ditch Witch rims. Even came equipped with sexy aluminum GT bar end savers!
I've always wanted one but could never afford one. Back in my early teens I was living in the Seattle suburbs of Kent and Federal Way and there were these kids that were super-rich and would ride around with their Redlines, Haros, GT's, Diamondbacks and Mongooses and they would never let me near them, even to just ride on them for a second. Here I was on my pedal-braking Huffy! Needless to say, I had zero pull with these guys. Add that to the fact that I also didn't have the newest Air Jordans, Starter jacket, etc. I didn't seek approval from these jerks. I just wanted to try their bikes!
Back around 1994 I bought a Gary Fisher Mt. Tam MTB and I'll be damned if it isn't the best bike I've ever owned. I truly cherish it. It's pretty much stock save for the carbon-fiber handlebars, custom aluminum brake calipers, super-lightweight bar ends and shock-equipped seatpost. I've ridden that thing all through northeast and central Kansas. Right now the Fisher is back in KC with a friend. I find that there are more trails that are readily-accessible to me there than there are here (in NYC). I know it's not hard to take public transportation to some killer trails around here but I like the idea of having the two bikes in their respective homes. Now when I go back every summer I can ride my MTB on all my favorite trails and when I get back to NY I have my BMX for the streets.
Don't really have a pic of the Fisher yet but I did take a snapshot of my GT. Sorry for the blur. I was in a rush.
I just bought a freestyle BMX bike (which is more of a flatlander, really). It's a GT Calafia. Love it. Has a 21" top tube so it doesn't feel like a kid's bike. It's got the STT/Oryg rotor, pegs and killer Sun Ditch Witch rims. Even came equipped with sexy aluminum GT bar end savers!
I've always wanted one but could never afford one. Back in my early teens I was living in the Seattle suburbs of Kent and Federal Way and there were these kids that were super-rich and would ride around with their Redlines, Haros, GT's, Diamondbacks and Mongooses and they would never let me near them, even to just ride on them for a second. Here I was on my pedal-braking Huffy! Needless to say, I had zero pull with these guys. Add that to the fact that I also didn't have the newest Air Jordans, Starter jacket, etc. I didn't seek approval from these jerks. I just wanted to try their bikes!
Back around 1994 I bought a Gary Fisher Mt. Tam MTB and I'll be damned if it isn't the best bike I've ever owned. I truly cherish it. It's pretty much stock save for the carbon-fiber handlebars, custom aluminum brake calipers, super-lightweight bar ends and shock-equipped seatpost. I've ridden that thing all through northeast and central Kansas. Right now the Fisher is back in KC with a friend. I find that there are more trails that are readily-accessible to me there than there are here (in NYC). I know it's not hard to take public transportation to some killer trails around here but I like the idea of having the two bikes in their respective homes. Now when I go back every summer I can ride my MTB on all my favorite trails and when I get back to NY I have my BMX for the streets.
Don't really have a pic of the Fisher yet but I did take a snapshot of my GT. Sorry for the blur. I was in a rush.
If the sole of the shoe flexes when you pedal, some of the force applied by your foot is lost in the flexing, and therefore taken away from the force actually applied to the pedal. A rigid sole provides a more efficient transfer of foot-pedal energy. We're talking about very small percentages of difference. Like I said before, if you're not racing, don't sweat it.
Answering a couple of questions above... Gard, you never went up the St. Francisville while you were here? Just 50 miles north of BR, nothing but hills.
The chain tubes don't make any noise, they tension the chain and keep the grease off your leg.
When I raced road bikes, I would spend a week in Birmingham, AL at my folks house. Real mountains there, only time I ever approached the kinds of speeds that I see on the bent now. Actually the fastest I've ever been on a bicycle was at the mid point of a century, from Baton Rouge to Donaldsonville, LA. We went over the Sunshine Bridge over the MS River. I hit 58mph on my road bike, a Rossin frame with Campy components.
Speed is not as dangerous as cars...
I'll never ride without one of these on my bike: Link Removed
110db blast. Gets attention fast!
Lots of info on recumbents here: http://www.bentrideronline.com/ Actionbent is linked there, great bikes for not much investment..
The chain tubes don't make any noise, they tension the chain and keep the grease off your leg.
When I raced road bikes, I would spend a week in Birmingham, AL at my folks house. Real mountains there, only time I ever approached the kinds of speeds that I see on the bent now. Actually the fastest I've ever been on a bicycle was at the mid point of a century, from Baton Rouge to Donaldsonville, LA. We went over the Sunshine Bridge over the MS River. I hit 58mph on my road bike, a Rossin frame with Campy components.
Speed is not as dangerous as cars...
I'll never ride without one of these on my bike: Link Removed
110db blast. Gets attention fast!
Lots of info on recumbents here: http://www.bentrideronline.com/ Actionbent is linked there, great bikes for not much investment..
Very true, but I'd add that most road shoes also have a different shape as well. My road shoes are more rigid than my MTB shoes not only in the sole, but especially the heel cup. They tend to force you to keep good form by keeping your toes down, whereas the MTB designs are more flat and casual. This is of course why road shoes are ridiculous to walk in, especially with the Speedplay cleat design.
Very cool! I've been getting more interested in recumbents and that's a nice site.
Found a cool photo here of Sean Costin establishing a new World Recumbent Racing Association unfaired one-hour record.
He covered 28.459 miles in the allotted time while riding a Velokraft NoCom.
*from http://www.bentrideronline.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=210&blogId=1
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I'd say that's probably true in most cases, but some shoe manufacturers (Sidi comes to mind) use the same upper and sole shape for their road and MTB shoes. The MTB shoes just use a lugged sole.
I definitely agree about Speedplay. Those cleats will make ANYONE walk like a penguin on ice, but they sure are nice while you're on the bike.
Yeah, I need a pedal (preferably MTB) that allows for easy and quick in and out due to traffic riding also.
Butch, yeah, I saw St. Francisville, but that's still not much in the way of "hills" to me these days!
I would say that's about "average" for Greensboro riding conditions, and compared to the area around Boone/Blowing Rock where I like to take long weekends now, St. Francisville is FLAT! 
