• There has been a recent cluster of spammers accessing BARFer accounts and posting spam. To safeguard your account, please consider changing your password. It would be even better to take the additional step of enabling 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) on your BARF account. Read more here.

Do You Road Bike?

Lol!
I'm just talking about what they've done to me! Let's not get started on the "pack mentality" (har har pun intended) of blowing stop signs and blowing stop signs nearly running over whoever is in the way.
Actually I've met some cool people on the ride, especially the time I showed up on my downtube shifted dinosaur.

It was actually my first group ride... Which was only a few months after I started riding. It was humbling to say the least.
 
Sooo, we did our first road race this weekend; the Knights Ferry road race on Saturday. It was a humbling experience. We've done that mileage before - twice that mileage - but never all-out, no stops.

I hung with the peloton easily enough for about half the race, but at one of the turnarounds, I tried to go around the outside, got pushed wide, and got in the dirt. The peloton was sprinting away by the time I got back on the road, and I blew my load trying to catch them again. Fortunately, I caught a Cat 1 gal who had lost her peloton, and we pace-lined the rest of the race. I got stung by a bee, and got one of those stickers in the front tire; I found out after the race I had a slow leak from it. But without the Gatorskins, I probably would have had a full-on flat; it looked like there were a lot of folk off on the side of the road with flats.

Neither of us was DFL, at least. It was good to have done it, and we did a little mountain ride yesterday to get our bodies used to two days in a row of going for it. We'll need that for the Sea Otter.
 
Congrats on your first race!

Be careful when working with people from other categories. You are technically not allowed to drop back and work with anyone from who is from a different category.
Most of the time if you're way off the back and you come across another person who is way off the back, you'll be fine so long as nobody witnesses you. But there is some kind if liability issue for the promoter, and the officials if something were to happen.
Plus the people who came in dfl wouldn't have a fair chance (not like it matters) of beating you if you're working with a cat 1 racer.

It's not usually a big deal, and I would never flag someone riding solo with another rider who is just trying to get to the finish.

Just a heads up :)
 
Ate doo doo today riding to work. Thought I crossed the street car tracks at a good enough angle but I was wrong. Think I might have dislocated my shoulder (no strength after the crash but I think I popped it back in place right after). Going to see the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow. At least the bike is fine. Only a scratched brake lever and pedal. The bike can thank my shoulder for saving its ass :p
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
You've done well. It's important to sacrifice everything to protect the bike.
Click to expand...

:laughing

Last time I crashed on my bicycle I blacked out for a couple of moments. Someone stopped to wake me up and asked if I was alright. My first question was "Is my bike okay?!?" :rofl

Big Pete, I hope your shoulder is nothing too serious. I tore my rotator cuff (slightly) the last time I crashed. :cry



EFFING Muni tracks. :x
 
sfcootz said:
:laughing

Last time I crashed on my bicycle.....
Click to expand...

Try to remember to keep your hands holding the bars during the crash. This way odds are waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy more in your favor for keeping both you and the bike in good shape post crash. Might be an awful crash where you bang up shoulder pretty good....but thats better than breaking your collar bone, ribs, wrist, and arm in 2 places; and cracking your fancy new bike.
(Don't listen to the idiots who say its impossilbe to plan for crash. "Parts and arms go flying and theres nothing you can do about!!!"....Thats a buncha nonesense ignant folk say.)
If you think about doing this on every ride for two months you'll burn it into your mind. Hold on to the bars and grip the frame tight with your knees and chances are youll ride away with just a bruise and scratched pedals.
Some folks get hit by a car, while not wearing helmet like an idiot, and continue riding to work. Others tip over at a stop sign in full gear cuz they forget to unclip and get flown into Stanford with broken bones/cracked helmet/broken bike.
 
Last edited:
theAmazingKickstand said:
Try to remember to keep your hands holding the bars during the crash. This way odds are waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy more in your favor for keeping both you and the bike in good shape post crash. Might be an awful crash where you bang up shoulder pretty good....but thats better than breaking your collar bone, ribs, wrist, and arm in 2 places; and cracking your fancy new bike.
(Don't listen to the idiots who say its impossilbe to plan for crash. "Parts and arms go flying and theres nothing you can do about!!!"....Thats a buncha nonesense ignant folk say.)
If you think about doing this on every ride for two months you'll burn it into your mind. Hold on to the bars and grip the frame tight with your knees and chances are youll ride away with just a bruise and scratched pedals.
Some folks get hit by a car, while not wearing helmet like an idiot, and continue riding to work. Others tip over at a stop sign in full gear cuz they forget to unclip and get flown into Stanford with broken bones/cracked helmet/broken bike.
Click to expand...

I flew over my bars. You should have seen the bruise on my inner right thigh 'cause I flew to the left. I actually felt my body go limp as I left the bike, then thud, out for a minute, came to, some guys helped me up, pedaled to the bike store for a new helmet (mine was smashed) then went home and picked the pieces of my ripped shirt out of my arm and took a vicodin. Not fun.
 
Thanks. I'm just hoping I don't need surgery. It's killing me right now and I cant move it much. My primary care physician gave me some mess but it's not doing crap. I should just try a handfull of them :party




theAmazingKickstand said:
You've done well. It's important to sacrifice everything to protect the bike.
Click to expand...
:laughing :thumbup
 
Remember that ice is your friend. Supporting the shoulder will be really helpful, too. Do you have a sling? If not, I have one I can drop off.
 
Ya, I've been icing it for 30min every 2 hrs. As for a sling, I'm using a scarf for now and it's working. I should be able to get a sling from the doc tomorrow but I really appreciate the offer. If they charge me a arm and a leg for one, I'll definitely PM you
 
Okay. I just grabbed mine from WalGreens for about $15.00 and it would be no sweat to bring it to you!
 
Roadstergal said:
Sooo, we did our first road race this weekend; the Knights Ferry road race on Saturday. It was a humbling experience. We've done that mileage before - twice that mileage - but never all-out, no stops.

I hung with the peloton easily enough for about half the race, but at one of the turnarounds, I tried to go around the outside, got pushed wide, and got in the dirt. The peloton was sprinting away by the time I got back on the road, and I blew my load trying to catch them again. Fortunately, I caught a Cat 1 gal who had lost her peloton, and we pace-lined the rest of the race. I got stung by a bee, and got one of those stickers in the front tire; I found out after the race I had a slow leak from it. But without the Gatorskins, I probably would have had a full-on flat; it looked like there were a lot of folk off on the side of the road with flats.

Neither of us was DFL, at least. It was good to have done it, and we did a little mountain ride yesterday to get our bodies used to two days in a row of going for it. We'll need that for the Sea Otter.
Click to expand...

Congrats. Sorry to hear about the off road trip. Were you in the drops? It's easier, and safer, to push back while in them. The key of course is not to over do it. Just firmly stay in your line.
 
Maurice said:
If he likes hills Highway 9 is popular, Mt Hamilton is my favorite ride, Sierra road, Quimby, old la honda, page mill, and my favorite workout bohlman-on orbit (hits 22%)

For flatter riding Uvas reservoir is fantastic, foothill expressway can be taken out to sand hill? Out to highway 92

For group rides San Jose Bicycle Club has a good Saturday ride that goes out to Uvas.
There's a couple alto velo rides that are good.
Or if he likes big fast rides, the spectrum ride is a great ride effort wise... But I've vowed never to ride on it again because if the cocky assholes who go on it and make it dangerous. And if I ever have to deal with them fucking with me again I'll put them in the hospital.

If he's still in winter shape and not much of a climber he can head out to any actc (almaden cycling and touring club) it's basically geriatrics cycling, they are slow, but they have at least two rides a day 365 days a year.

For racing, our season starts in January, and runs all the way to September. And cross is popular enough to race all year! We also have a velodrome, I use to mainly race track. In a couple months they'll have races on Tuesday's and Wednesday's. And if he's never ridden on one, the beginner session is on Saturday at 8:30ish

Ncnca.org will have the road races, and the site to the track.
Click to expand...

Yeah Spectrum... Never been on it, but heard about it. Still doesn't hold a candle to SoCal BS.
 
Just got out of the docs office. Whew... He said most likely it's a bruise rotator cup and I should be back to normal in 2-4 weeks
 
^ That hurts!

Also, your reply begs the question, were you ever normal in the first place? :teeth

I'm glad nothing is torn. :banana
 
What would you guys suggest for a newbie wanting to ride about 5 miles a day (on flat ground) for the sake of getting in shape. I'd like to spend in the $300 - $350 range and am cool with the thought of a used bike.

Don
 
If you're really gonna limit yourself to 5 miles on flat ground get whatever hybrids on sale for $220. Sell it for $150 after your done in a few months and go from there.
It's not worth putting on shoes and spandex and pumping up tires for just five miles.
Kinda like getting on Goldwing to go 5 miles on city streets.

Don't spend more then that cuz a new $200 hybrid performs the same as a $700 hybrid.
Used bikes are great cuz they lose 50% as soon as they leave the shop. The more expensive the bike the better the deal for you. Poblem is you have to be super familiar with bike parts to guarantee a good purchase. Your fancy $8k bike that you got for $2.5k could have busted wheels and a cracked frame and you wouldn't know it until the first real ride.
Never buy wheels or frames from strong riders or fat guys. That's a good rule of thumb if your not sure what to look for.
 
Last edited:
Or maybe get an older mountainbike on craigslist that is in good shape and has half decent components. Should be able to get something for under a hundred bucks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top