Friday, May 1, 2015

BSNYC No Friday Fun Quiz Only Relentless Self Promotion!

Well, it's here, and I'm finally heading down to Bike Expo New York today:


[Draws deep breath.]

Now for the last time, let's run though the schedule, and keep in mind that after today you won't have to hear any of this again:

Today, Friday May 1st, I'll be at the Walz booth from 12-2pm.  Walz will have free limited edition BSNYC caps for the first 12 people who stop by.  (Offer only good while I'm there, though I'm not sure what happens if you stop by while I'm using the bathroom.)  I'll be the guy with a Brompton, and if you want you can time me while I fold it.  (No, I will not have the Brompton in the bathroom.  Under no circumstances should you bother me in the bathroom.)

Early tomorrow morning (Saturday May 2nd): Sub-epic road-with-a-little-dirt ride!  If you're interested just email bikesnobnyc (at) yahoo (dot) com with the subject line "I WANT TO GO ON THE SUPER-SECRET EARLY MORNING RIDE!!!" and I'll send you details.  (No, you don't need a special gravel bike.)  Don't wait too long to RSVP though, because at a certain point this evening I'm going to stop checking my email.  The ride will be about two hours at a civilized pace, and we'll finish at Indian Road Cafe where we'll connect with...

Tomorrow mid-morning: Meet me at Indian Road Cafe in Inwood at 10am, and from there we'll ride down to the Expo.  (No RSVP necessary.)

Tomorrow 12-2pm: I'll be back at the Walz booth, where once again they'll have free caps for the first 12 people who show up while I'm there.

12:01pm-?: I fall asleep in the nearest bakfiets.

Oh, I should also mention I'll have some free "Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" caps to give away on those Saturday rides:


You're more than welcome to the cat as well.

Finally, if you somehow fail to obtain a free cap at any point during the next two days (I think there is a total of 36 caps available), you can obviously purchase one from Walz at their booth:


You can also purchase a jersey, and if they don't have one at the booth you can order one and they'll cover the shipping:



They'll even happily bundle any of their wares with one of my books, which I'll totally sign for you, or else refrain from signing if you want to obtain an alternate signature from someone more interesting, like David Byrne or the Assos Guy:



Finally, you'll get half off any Walz cap with purchase of a BSNYC cap.

Hopefully I'll see some of you over the next couple of days, and presumably you'll be drunk with bargains.

[Exhales.]

Alas, unfortunately for you, this flurry of activity will preclude my administering a quiz this week.  However, if it's any consolation, not only will there be a quiz next week, but there will be a special bonus question that will earn one lucky winner a prize, courtesy of esteemed sponsor Classic Cycle:


That's right, I'm taking this blog to the next level--in other words, one notch above mediocrity.

Finally, it occurred to me yesterday that, if I'm going to be riding with people on Saturday morning for two hours, I should make sure I'm in fact capable of riding a bike for two hours--hardly a given now that I'm the father of eighteen (18) children.  So I headed out into the verdant springitude, and it was such a beautiful day that before I knew it I'd ridden for twice as many hours as I'd intended:


Naturally, I was on my new bike:


The bike had come to me with Panaracer "RiBMo" tires on it.  I had no complaints, it rode beautifully.  However, my favorite tire in recent years has been the Panaracer Pasela, so I slapped a pair on there before heading out.  After spending the afternoon on the bike I'd say that yes, the bike feels even better now.  Sure, some of the effect could be psychological, but as a doctor once told me, "If you feel better what's the difference?"

The ride was just the right balance of trail and rolling country-ish roads:


And I can assure you that I did not spraypaint the horse dong on this sign:


Though I doff my Walz cap to whomever did.

Thanks for reading, ride safe, and hopefully I'll see you at the Expo.


--Wildcat Rock Machine


109 comments:

Unknown said...

5. In this article we give attention to only some of the negative developments that have grown out of the industrial-technological system. Other such developments we mention only briefly or ignore altogether. This does not mean that we regard these other developments as unimportant. For practical reasons we have to confine our discussion to areas that have received insufficient public attention or in which we have something new to say. For example, since there are well-developed environmental and wilderness movements, we have written very little about environmental degradation or the destruction of wild nature, even though we consider these to be highly important.

Anonymous said...

Podio.

Pathetic Old Cyclist said...

Podi. Yay.

geoff_tewierik said...

It's the dong that does it for me, kudos for highlighting it.

Two claws said...

Top Ten!

McFly said...

Did Babble say she had been pegged at the young age of 20?

Anonymous said...

Morning!

cycle

Andy said...

Top ten again!

ce said...

Ted K, I don't know why you think you have all the answers, given that you are only running Human Brain 1.0. Admittedly, the CIA attempted to boot leg some mods into your head all those years ago, but really you have nothing on Ray Kurzweil. Ray has an implant, buried deep in the scranal region, that connects him to the internet and expands his conscious experience across all data inputs, also it tickles when the ring tone is set to vibrate.

Wryguyhi said...

Ted, ignore everything "ce" just said, it's not just nonsensical, it's also need nonsense.

Frankly I'm impressed with your scripting ability to grab the first place comment each day. Know thy enemy, ay Ted? Sort of wish I cared enough about this blog to do it myself... ...nah.

Wryguyhi said...

Wtf "need nonsense" ? That's just as bad! More nonsense....

Dave said...

What sort of bikes would Ted K. ride, if Ted K. could ride bikes? Bamboo? Dung-powered? Pennyfarthing made of wicker? One equipped with grenade launchers? The mind reels - briefly, anyway.

BamaPhred said...

Enjoy the rides, all who are going.
Be sure and patronize the Expo.
I might engage in retail therapy and buy some stuff from Snobbies adverts cause I'm feeling down cause I'm not going.
I hear The Dog has a special sale going on at the Brooklyn Flea.
Snort.
You had me at horse dong Snob.

ce said...

Wryguyhi, looks like you need some upgrades too.

Joe K. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
PotbellyJoe said...

The early blogger catches the horse-sign dong spray-painter.

I was down in Rockville, MD this week for a job training session. 3 days in a room with 8 other people.

The really unfortunate side of it is that I rode Amtrak and was told that there would be no bike portaging for my trip. I brought only my running shoes.

I had wanted to ride to DC and back on some of the fine MD trails, but instead I ran through neighborhoods of Twin Brook and Rockville corporate centers.

Blah Blah Blah.

Wish I could be in NYC this weekend so i could get a cap. Oh well.

I am not a robot, robots would have told Amtrak where to put it. (The bike that is)

Spokey said...

just glad i'm not a semi-proficient bike blogger.

this posting at 7am is nutz.

bad boy of the north said...

I'm going multimodal this morn to the bike expo.perhaps.when i waltz in the doors i'll scoot over to the table where snobbie's at.
me thinks I'm also getting multimicrobial while on one of the modes of transport.
See ya there.

Unknown said...

"What sort of bikes would Ted K. ride, if Ted K. could ride bikes?"

Sketchy info and grainy photos here,
here,
here,
here and
here.

dop said...

forget the unibomber...what kind of bike did these guys ride?

JB said...

Ted K is on the EPO!

Anonymous said...

Looks like he runs a one speed beach cruiser type of bike. Gotta admire somebody who stays true to their word and sticks with the simplicity he preaches. I wonder how much it got at auction?

Snobby needs to make a special wool cap for Ted. He deserves it for not only winning everyday but for also having something fresh and philosophical to say.

Pathetic Old Cyclist said...

What's long and hard and sounds like a bell??

DONG!!!

ce said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ce said...

Ted K., Ray Kursweil feels like such a retrogrouch when shifting with Di2. Nevertheless, Ray K. is still happy, he expects that due to rapid advances in technology, the top speed of bicycles will increase at an exponential rate over the coming years. Ray K. predicts that in as little as fourty years, bicycles may be able to be ridden at the universal speed limit, the speed of light. Ray K. expects that all other modes of transport will follow a similar trend. The point in time when all modes of transportation are as fast as the speed of light is known as a singularity. The point at which everything we know about transportation no longer holds true. A world in which bicycles are as fast as cars could be a major boon for bicycle advocacy. It would of course put rollerbladers and elliptigo pilots on an equal standing also... you know what... you could be right, bombing civilisation back to the Stone Age... there is a certain appeal...

grog said...

Geez, I wish you were going to be at the New York Bike Expo. I would stop by to see you on Sunday. Maybe next year.
FUNK WIZZ

dop said...

You speak of Ted K and Ray K, but what about JK?

Anonymous said...

HORS DONG

Dave said...

She is of course Da Bomb. Perhaps we'll call her the Duobomber.

Ted K Critic said...

In point 5, Ted K does some housekeeping and clarifies the ground rules governing the scope of the subsequent portion of the essay. The approach he outlines is to discuss only those issues that have not yet been covered adequately, and essentially shut the fuck up on topics where he has nothing to say, or when an issue has already been done to death. In stating this prioritization scheme, he adopts a position almost diametrically opposed to that of the mainstream media, which tends to place saying SOMETHING, no matter how inane or repetitive, at the top of the priority list.

1983 David Byrne said...

No visible means of support, and you have not seen nothing yet!

Anonymous said...

Ted K.,

As disturbing as are the myriad ills of the “industrial-technological system”, even more disturbing is a homicidal loon living in a hand built porta potty, sending pipe bombs through the mail. Now THAT’S disturbing!

Spokey said...

cd @ 11:27 AM

are u kiddin?

i've driven a car at 125+. Pretty scary. i've a motorcycle at 90+. really scary. i'd pee in my plastic pants if i got to 50 on my pedalmobile.

that is US fun miles for each hour of course. if communist inspired lengths for each time period, i might not embarrass myself any more than usual.

Anonymous said...

In the long run the end results of our industrial technological system is the absolute destruction of everything beautiful in the world. That's actually might be a little more disturbing than what Ted did.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous @ 12:23

Yeah, I suppose so…unless it were you, or someone you loved, who received one of Ted’s “Special Deliveries” in the mail.

Napoleon Bonaparte said...

"... if communist inspired lengths..."

Je l'ai fait plus de répandre le système métrique que tout communiste.

Anonymous said...

I'll be doing a secret ride to the doughnut store tomorrow. It's nice to have a week of work. We all work too hard. Does anybody feel like they never work hard?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 12:06 apparently unaware it's not the real Ted K talking.

PotbellyJoe said...

@Spokey,

Have you never bombed down Long Hill or Montgomery Rd?

I've hit 50 on both of those.

I found a very steep grade last year in Bucks County PA where I was already holding at 45 and the bottom further dropped out at which point I broke 55 for the first time in my life (on a bike). I think my ride data said 62, but I'm not certain how accurate it was, i was looking straight ahead at that point, haha.

I did 140 on a train on Wednesday. I wasn't driving though.

Freddy Murcks said...

HORSE DONG
GOOFY TILLER EFFECT
SAME DIFFERENCE

dop said...

DUTX RUDR

Anonymous said...

"Killing people is WRONG you guys! My loved ones! My loved ones!"

Yeah I'm thinking probably zero of your loved ones were ever a Unabomber target. But some of them have probably already died from stuff explicitly made possible or inevitable by industrial society.

PotbellyJoe said...

@Spokey,

BTW, here is the road in Bucks County.

https://goo.gl/maps/ep1ea

Lower Mountain Rd, it is a progressive downhill so you already have speed, then it just drops like crazy through the railroad tracks.

It's 25 mph in theory, but you'd cook your brakes trying to rein your speed in that much.

Heckuva lot of fun.

Spokey said...

i've only gone up long hill then down zion. given zion is kinda of curvy, the brakes probably have kept me from going too fast. likewise i think i've only gone up montgomery and not in a long time. can't remember how i've come back. maybe dutchtown/zion or whatever that road is that goes back to 601.

i used to ride in that area but haven't for a few years. not sure why. maybe i'll do some riding that way this year. next thing i'll thinking of is checking out that new park near the mont high school. probably check out that lindbergh house too.

Anonymous said...

vsk said ...

My max byke speed was 42mph murican.
I was headed west on Hillside Ave off 9W. 2004 Specialized Allez (carbon WRAP forks! yee ha). Had room and downgrade and conditions right to go a little faster however I was approaching an intersection and was just imagining my lack of stopping power if someone rolled thru the stop sign and what kind of injuries I would be looking at so I bled off a hoo and was only going woo speed.

Hope I can see the Snobborati at the Expo Show!

vsk

babble on said...

You could ride my Lynskey if ever you came to Vancouver to do a Fondon't, Snobbydoobydoo, with the gold Campagnolo Shamal wheels, n'all. Because if ever a town could do with a Fondon't, this is it. Just sayin' is all...

Anonymous said...

RayK thinks he's so smart but we've all seen Elysium and Her and the one Star Trek. So yeah, maybe.

Dooth said...

Wildcat, that Horse dong crossing sign is missing something. Please do tell the location of that road.

Comment deleted said...

Be careful out there folks. It's Spring and the roads are rife with horse dong and cum strollers.

PotbellyJoe said...

Three weeks from now, I will be pedaling my bike. Imagine where you will be, and it will be so. Hold the lane! Stay with me! If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!

Fri-high-day bitches said...

short post today, so jumped over to babble's for some cheap thrills and I was not disappointed. thanks babble. hope you are healing.

Pathetic Old Cyclist said...

I like Babs as a 20 year old.

Pathetic Old Cyclist said...

I am going to miss her elegant movie star quality profile picture.

babble on said...

Oh bless. Thank you, gentlemen. Yes, I am healing up. The bruise is long gone, and after my doctor drained the swollen site this week, the hematoma is gone now, too, though my arse is certainly ALL THERE.

And move over, Madonna! 20 indeed! How could I not post THAT bit of ridiculousness?! The pussy shot is still kicking round here somewhere...

I have been missing good ol' spokeNscene of late, it's just been so so so busy! Soon. I will post again in short order.

Spokey said...

normally i don't believe in cleaning anything on a bike other than the chain. but really babs, a white amsterdam has to be the exception and it looks like it could use a little tlc. or is it the photography?

Anonymous said...

Pasela's suck balls. Get the Nashbar brand fatties.

BamaPhred said...

But he never tells us what pressure he's running on those Pasela's.

Anonymous said...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/11577649/Frankfurt-bike-race-cancelled-over-Islamist-terror-plot-arrests.html

Spokey said...

my 2002 comotion came with pasela's (700x35 i think). i was flatting all over the place. went back to conti either top touring or top touring 2k which ever was around at that point and life got much better. gave away the paselas but never heard how they worked out for the next guy. i did have a a major tire explosion in the middle of idaho on one of the replacements in 2003 but probably my brother's fault.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 3:13pm,

Paselas are awesome because you get to peel a piece of plastic off the sidewall label when they're new. So satisfying!!!

--BSNYC

bad boy of the north said...

wow!what an expo.lots to see.even met our future czar.
Also saw a lot of smugness.
Enjoy the ride!

leroy said...

I attended the Bike Expo today.

The place is bike schnorrer heaven.

Even pawing through the bins of inexpensive bike shorts was only faintly reminiscent of braving the bargain-hunting scrums of sharp-elbowed matrons at Loehmann's.

Afterwards, I recovered with a cheese steak from one of the food trucks out back, then headed to the bike valet to retrieve my commuter.

My bike came back with a flat front tire.

It was easily the best flat tire of my riding career:

-- I had made it to where I was going notwithstanding a leak I was unaware of.

-- The weather was perfect.

-- The flat was on the front tire.

-- The cause -- a sharp piece of wire -- was easily found without bloodshed.

-- Ran into some old friends while fixing the flat.

-- There was a free bike repair tent 12 feet away.

The free repair folks patched my old tube while I put in the new tube and loaned me their floor pump.

Only downside: A couple of people called me "sir." I like to think it's because people just naturally assume I've KBE honors. My dog says it's because I'm old.

But he's just peeved because I told him to get his own damn cheese steak.

Ride safe all -- especially if you're riding the 5 Boro. I'll be marshalling somewhere in Brooklyn.

If you see me, say hello. I'll be the guy with the bike.

And the BSNYC Walz cap, which my dog assures me is slimming.

At least I think that's what he meant when he called me a pinhead.

Fredder said...

A pleasure meeting you at the expo. You seemed a little wary when I questioned the use of a certain name as a pejorative. Rest at ease, I came in peace.

Your stalker,

Fredder

Freddy Murcks said...

Taste in bike tires is like taste in persons of the opposite sex (or persons of the same sex if that's the way you roll - I am totally cool with that, by the way). What I like, you may find merely meh (at best) or abhorrent (at worst), and vice versa. But it doesn't mean that one of us is right and the other is wrong.

wishiwasmerckx said...

Freddy, that is not the internet way. Haven't you read the manual?

Try this instead: Pasela tires suck major ass because I say so, and I'll punch you in the dick if you say otherwise, faggot."

There now, isn't that better?

Spokey said...

sorry freddy

but i am rite and you are wrong.

leroy's dog told me that and almighty lob concurred.

not that i needed their blessing to know it.

Old-timer said...

Anonymous @ 12:33

“…secret ride to the doughnut store tomorrow…We all work too hard.”

Sheesh. I COUNT the ride to the doughnut shop as “work”! Ridin’ the bike to the doughnut shop is the “work”; and havin’ the doughnuts is the “pay”. I’m pretty sure I got that right. Seems right.

bad boy of the north said...

Snob,it was nice to meet ya.leroy,sorry i missed you and the dog.

ken e. said...

boom!

ken e. said...

the level of sensitivity in this place makes me want to kickstart my way overnight to NYC. ride safe y'all!

BEIN NYC!
SUB- EPIC

babble on said...

Heyyyyyyy, Kickstarter! Now there's an idea! Things that make you go "Hmmmmm..."

Spokey - Thanks for your suggestion. Guess you didn't read the "Been round the block a few times" post last year, then. It's funny, cause I clean my roadbike every time I ride it in the wet, but the Amsterdam, with its internal hub and guarded chain, never gets that kind of attention. It's hard to get excited about cleaning a bike that falls apart at even the scent of any sort of moisture.

While the bike could almost certainly do with a good scrub, I find it disheartening, because it started to rust out almost immediately after I purchased it. The shop I bought it from must have let it sit outside continuously for months on end, because I never left it outside uncovered until last autumn, but never have I seen anything like it.

I recently bought a new chain guard, because that is the worst spot, but when it arrived, it wasn't even the entire chain guard. The back bit is sold as a separate part, though they didn't bother to tell me so when I ordered it. Meh.

Olle Nilsson said...

Yup, he rides a

UNAC YCLE - prison tats, no less

Pasellas have such a sweet ride, but I'm convinced the tourguard does nothing for flat protection.

Arizona hillbilly said...

Everybody that Ted did had it coming.

crosspalms said...

I don't think I can make it to any of the EXPO or secret ride functions this weekend, but can you send me one of those calendar notifications so I can say "no, can't attend?" I'd hate to be impolite.

Anyway, sounds like a lot of fun, hope you have good riding/hat-giveaway weather!

I think I didn't have time to comment yesterday(?) to say thanks for the link to the Guardian article. You were right-- It was really interesting up to the last line. What editor let him kill the thing like that? Anyway, slow progress, but progress.

SteveL said...

Can I note that doing 45+ mph on a bike *on road* is not fast. If you can do it in a car, you can stay up on a bike. You have to worry about whether you can take the corner, road surface and stopping distance. I've even done 40+ mph in the Alps with tagalong on the back. That may seem irresponsible and dangerous —but if you saw my school run videos with those near misses, you'll conclude that falling out the sky on an Alpine road is safer to do on a bicycle than cycle one mile to school in a British city.

Blank said...

I went to the expo. I was disappointed by the expo. I went as a consumer looking to purchase a specific certified freestyle helmet. I didn't expect to find that exact helmet, I did expect to see more then the handful of freestyle helmets that were available.

I ride a bmx, the website for the bike expo and image on this blogpost have a picture of a bmx rider "being glamorous" and doing tricks. That was wonderful, so I went.

After i had arrived I felt mislead, lets be real, that bike expo isn't for "my kind" I'd rather bmx be ignored completely then used as an advertisment and entertainment for the expo.

In terms of bike culture, we don't seem to mesh well with other riders. I know why, the personification of the bmx rider. Hell, we don't mesh well with each other.

Could you kindly ask them at the expo to "leave me out of it" in a manner of speaking.I might get the wrong idea and actually show up to bike expo that has nothing for me. They should change the "all inclusive" to 99% inclusive bike expo, just being real.

Blank said...

At about 80 Mph downhill on a bmx race bike, your eyes begin to welluo with water causing you to become blind AND your schrader valves begin to make your tires hop due to the unbalanced nature of the biketube you can compensate for this effect by using spoke reflectors as a counter balance. It's kind of like balancing a car tire and actually make you roll at a higher top speed. Turning at ultra high speeds has more to do with tire compund, sidewall strength, and tire pressure.

40+ mph is fast on a bike.

ZZ Top: She's Got Legs.... said...

Babble's 04/08 post has a photo of her that is all legs and stilettos. Just in case anyone needs to wake "up" this morning.

The commentariat said...

Blank, BMX? Who cares? Can we leave you out of the comment section, too?

dop said...

My house is at the top of a steep hill, about 18% grade if I can believe strava. Coming home from a long ride is a challenge, but the rides get started quickly. When I moved in 15 years ago, I would try to beat my fastest speed descending. I hit 48 mph regularly. before I decided I didn't want to surprise any neighbors pulling out of their driveways. It's only fast if you hit something.

Anonymous said...

vsk said ...

Sorry to miss you and the riding and stuff.
Perhaps the Fondon't!
I need to do more miles to keep up (for a while at least!).

I hope all had a great time.

vsk

dop said...

I punked out on the am ride (2 family members in the house recently home from the hospital)
but went for an afternoon ride. Apprapos of my earlier post, I was surprised twice by people pulling out or their driveways. Both on blind turns (who would buy such a house?) once at 15 mph up a slow rise, once at 30 mph, coasting down a hill where my 10 year younger self would hit woohoo speed.

I've got this middle aged thing down.

Spokey said...

I just had a peachy time at the Farmlands Tour today. weather.com said it was supposed to be cool but the temps where almost perfect.

@Blank

it's not just your niche. none of this stuff is for utility cyclists either. by that i mean catering to people with bieks that want racks. Front and back. Maybe some rear lights that you can mount on a rack instead of pretty much every one (except euro models that don't blink) mounting on the seatpost or chainstay where it will be blocked by panniers, trunk bags etc.

I'm still convinced that most casual / recreational riders would be better served by bikes that unfortunately are not in any bike shop around here and probably custom as well as everyday equipment to carry stuff home from the store etc.

McFly said...

You guys are dorkin out pretty fiercely over bicycle terminal velocity.

babble on said...

dop - Yikes. You didn't say anything about a car accident, so I have to wonder: how do two family member end up in hospital at the same time?!

And right?! It's incredible that our generation is still around, given our healmentless start in life. I am totally chuffed to have survived my younger self. But then, I seem to have skipped the more sensible aspects of middle age, so I just count my blessings every time these old feet hit the ground in the morning.

VSK - don't underestimate yourself. And don't let an opportunity to ride pass by because you're not happy with your waistline, either. Weight only makes a difference when you're climbing. Well, a little as you accelerate, too, but that's minimal. Seriously.
You. Can. Do. It.

Mr ZZ - Why, thank you kindly, sir. We aim to please. :)

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

Looking forward to the sub-epic ride report.

52mph recumbent.

Dop said...

My daughter was admitted for a spontaneous pneumothorax...after she came home my mother-in-law was admitted for kidney stones... Home Friday night & convalescing in the spare bedroom...both fine

I'm not obsessed with terminal velocity, I just mean woohoo speed is readily achieved... All you need is a hill and a runoff

BamaPhred said...

Well, yes to all of the above. I rode in spirit, at the same time, even if I couldn't be there in person.
In bizarro news, Bo Jackson, Brian Bosworth, and Lance Armstrong were all on the same charity ride in south Alabama.
I suppose Bo ran over the Boz at the finish line.
I have no idea how Lance figured in all this.
No, I did not participate in that either, so at least I was consistent with my social isolation.

Spokey said...

babs

i think that weight can actually help a little on acceleration from a stop. There's a corner about 1 1/2 miles from my house where I often come back and am making a left turn. It is a stop for that maneuver. As I turn, the road slightly inclines and peaks about 30-40 yards down (or perhaps up). I often like to see how fast I can get to by that peak. I'm convinced that standing and pounding the pedals with my extra flab helps out in that department. Of course you are right that any sustained ascension becomes an issue as i lug that pork upwards.

But I've also noticed that going down a slight slope also is helped. I see others still pedaling while I'm coasting and sometimes passing those pedallers.

And yes, look for opportunities. I was grumbling about going to this new park this morning with spousy to walk around (have had a persistent ankle issue for one thing) (and was still on my first cup of coffee for another) but finally agreed and threw the bike on the roof. Spousy drove back and I rode. Only 10 miles, but it's 10 I wouldn't have otherwise.

Dirk Diggler said...

Snob,

If you are going to take bike porn shots of your ride then I would suggest that you purchase a full Shimano Dura Ace Signorina ride.

Weiner Von Braun said...

The test results are in ...

Down hill sprint with presta valves capped ...

52.77342 mph

Downhill sprint with presta valves uncapped ...

52.77392 mph

I will have the Schrader (American Valve) results some time next week.

Professor Erwin Corey said...

Downhill Test Flight completed. Reached a speed where tears involuntarily flowed horizontally back into the hair. Whaaaa Hooooo.

Gas Filled Tubes are Dope said...

Bike locked up at coffee house. Leave and discover on my ride home that someone stole the caps off my Schrader valves. I discovered this brazen act of theivery because there was just something about the the bike's balance that just wasn't right on my first downhill. Thank the lobster on high that it was a gentle short grade, high speed could have resulted in a re-enactment of the Hindenburg exploding as my tubes are filled with helium curated in Brooklyn.

Rear Admiral Freddrickson said...

Say it LOUD! Say it PROUD! I AM A RAMBL'IN GAMB'LIN MAN, MON ...

http://www.jpcycles.com/product/2170127?adpos=1o3&creative=42616826650&device=c&matchtype=&network=g&cid=Google+SEARCH+NON-BRAND+PLA+-+Shopping+Campaign&gclid=COybrOO7psUCFUk8gQod7TMAxg

Spokey said...

can wiwm

Spokey said...

beat me

Spokey said...

to the punch that is

Spokey said...

and

Spokey said...

get the

Spokey said...

week enderly century

me thinks not

babble on said...

XX Done and dusted, and podium kisses to boot. Yes, I definitely notice the extra ooomph that spare, 'winter tire' gives a person on the down hill. Because gravity works. And yes, you prolly get a little extra go when you stand on the pedals to accelerate, too, but it doesn't come anywhere near making up for the difference in the power/weight ratio the skinnies have as they fly up hill and leave me in their dust.

I am officially on a diet. Meh.

dop - ouch!! Your beloved women folk have had some serious pain this past little while, bless their tender hearts. I had a collapsed lung once, which led to my worst ever socialized medicine event, incluing hallucinations as my fever topped 105... (the joys of EDS.) They are lucky to have you, what with those medical letters after your name, and the understanding that goes with.

Ha! My doctor actually thanked me last week. He followed it up with "You always give me something interesting to think about. There's never a mundane moment as your physican, and in this day and age, that's saying a lot."

Heh heh. Like I said: We aim to please. :D

JLRB said...

in honor of the super secret ride I missed - I left my house without telling anyone and had my own super secret ride - rocked the 46 woo hoo hoo jersey - and rode my fredliest of bikes for a change - felt good - some day I'll get my riding routine back

Olle Nilsson said...

Since we're geeking/nerding/dorking out:
49mph on a road bike on an unfamiliar hill - scary.
42mph on a brompton on a familiar less curvy hill - no problem.

Was Young in the 80's said...

"I suppose Bo ran over the Boz at the finish line."

Got that joke. Bet no one else did.

Bo Knows Youtube Links said...

"I suppose Bo ran over the Boz at the finish line."

Punch line to this joke is here.

bad boy of the north said...

pedalled(?) the five boro yesterday.did a lot of walking and standing still.gridlock and chaos.
a beautiful day and a great time nonetheless.
anyone else?

Anonymous said...

vsk said ...

Ms. Babble - Many thanks for the encouragement! I rode to work today, heavy bag, late for work etc. 11 miles in, will be 13 miles home.
I just didn't want to hold folks back. It's not just the acceleration or uphill but keeping a good pace as well. I get extra lung capacity with less poundage at the middle. I have 20 to get rid of to try to think of keeping up with folks on a steady pace. Today's ride much better. I like seeing the improvement at time goes by. Right now it's a corvette engine in a U-Haul truck!

dop - sorry to hear about the hospitalizations. One of the guys at the mechanic's where I take my [all paid for so no more bank!] said that hey is 38 and had kidney stones. He said it was the worst pain he ever felt in his life. The doctor told him than most people usually pass out from them. Good Luck!

bad boy of north -
I did the 5 boro thing once years ago when there was a pack of us motorpacing with the Police Harleys. I hear now that unless you're up front, you basically walk a lot.

Happy Monday!

vsk

babble on said...

I don't understand: why do you have to walk on the 5 borough if you actually have the bridges and roads to yourself, sans cars?!

bad boy of the north said...

dop...hope all are feeling better.
vsk...I,too,did it years before.fifteen years ago the hfirst time.then,nine years ago.
it was time to do it again.this year,they selected me to be in the last group.
ms.babble...even with a major artery being free of cars at this point,us cyclists on the FDR,were squeezed from three lanes to one in order to access the queens borough bridge,also known as the 59th st bridge and Edward I Koch bridge.once on the bridge we sailed along.