The Bicycle / Biking Gear Thread

[sunvalleylaw]

Checking back in. Working to get back deeper into cycling again. Will be commuting to work in boise some, about 50 min each way. And getting some more mountain biking in hopefully. I am getting my sig other into it, some on an acoustic bike, like yesterday, and sometimes with Mollie riding an e-assist MTB and I riding an acoustic bike. Depends on the terrain and style of ride.

This was an easy day on a new path from Stanley, ID to Redfish lake. Mostly pretty flat but a couple hills. Mollie pulled this hill well on a regular mountain bike, but it is the most I would ask her to do for now without e-assist, in order to keep it fun and safe feeling for her.

On this day, she was on the e-bike, and I was on a regular mountain, and we were exploring old mining roads/access roads out side canyons from Hailey. Good climbing, and she was really happy she could enjoy riding with me, getting enough workout for herself, while I worked out as hard as I wanted too. So that is fun as an option now!



For my improved older guy training, I am Watching this obnoxious Scot to clean up my fuel, and consider some training goals as an older cyclist. Hope you all are well and getting out there some.

 

[nuke_diver]

Didnt watch the video but I know this over 50 guy lost weigh cycling, weigh I did not have to lose in the first place. And I can't get it back lol

 

[nuke_diver]

Well the first bike I bought myself was stolen but
The second bike I bought (1982) I still have and hasn't had any major things wrong with it.
The 3rd lasted 10 years 30,000 miles before I broke the frame
The 4th I still have but wore out the rear cassette in 5K miles, I thought it might be because it's a gravel bike and I'm not insane about keeping the bike clean
The 5th bike (a replacement for the 3rd) needs a new Freehub after only 2 years of riding.
Clearly the older bikes are better

 

[nuke_diver]

Well the old adage has come to roost (it's not if you get hit by a car it's when). And the when was this morning on the way back from the gym.

Dude stopped at a stop sign (I saw him) and then as I was about 20' away he decided it was safe to do a u turn. It was not. Fortunately I was able to get on the brakes enough to slow but not enough to avoid the collision. The guy stayed and admitted fault right away so that was good of him. Bruises and scraps appear to be the only issue so I was lucky. Also no idea if I would have had a head injury but I was wearing a helmut and the cops and paramedics all said "good thing" First time for me that I was the centre of attention for a 911 call

My old bike probably has a bent front fork at least and possible other damage and I have no idea if it's fixable or how much it would cost. The bike is circa 1982 so fixing might be problematic though I would like it fixed as a first choice. But we are going away next week to help out my MIL for a couple of months so there's no chance of getting it looked at before hand. I did make an insurance claim on the guy's insurance just to get something on the record before we leave. I'm not looking to sue the fellow or anything like that even though I probably could call up one of those ambulance chaser lawyers that advertise on TV all the time

If anyone has any vintage bike repair experience fixing something like that I'd love to hear it.

 

[Andrew Sak]

Well the old adage has come to roost (it's not if you get hit by a car it's when). And the when was this morning on the way back from the gym.

Dude stopped at a stop sign (I saw him) and then as I was about 20' away he decided it was safe to do a u turn. It was not. Fortunately I was able to get on the brakes enough to slow but not enough to avoid the collision. The guy stayed and admitted fault right away so that was good of him. Bruises and scraps appear to be the only issue so I was lucky. Also no idea if I would have had a head injury but I was wearing a helmut and the cops and paramedics all said "good thing" First time for me that I was the centre of attention for a 911 call

My old bike probably has a bent front fork at least and possible other damage and I have no idea if it's fixable or how much it would cost. The bike is circa 1982 so fixing might be problematic though I would like it fixed as a first choice. But we are going away next week to help out my MIL for a couple of months so there's no chance of getting it looked at before hand. I did make an insurance claim on the guy's insurance just to get something on the record before we leave. I'm not looking to sue the fellow or anything like that even though I probably could call up one of those ambulance chaser lawyers that advertise on TV all the time

If anyone has any vintage bike repair experience fixing something like that I'd love to hear it.

Whoa! I'm so glad you appear to have avoided any serious injuries. I haven't heard the old adage about cyclists getting hit by cars. I don't care for that one. I would definitely access the physical damage after the adrenaline has worn off. I would assume the driver will pay for the new bicycle parts.
I hope everything works out for the best given the circumstances.
Hit by a car on your bicycle Mojo!

 

[nuke_diver]

Whoa! I'm so glad you appear to have avoided any serious injuries. I haven't heard the old adage about cyclists getting hit by cars. I don't care for that one. I would definitely access the physical damage after the adrenaline has worn off. I would assume the driver will pay for the new bicycle parts.
I hope everything works out for the best given the circumstances.
Hit by a car on your bicycle Mojo!

I think I took some liberties with the adage (I actually think it's related to motorcycles and accidents in general not cars specifically ).

On reflection I realized just how lucky I was. A second earlier (or a wee bit faster) and the car probably hits me rather than me Tboning him. I don't think, in that case, I would have just some scraps and bruises. Nothing new showed up this morning for me, still sore but really I dodged a bullet. I looked over the bike this morning and it looks like the front fork is bent back about an inch so probably needs to be replaced. But otherwise I don't see anything wrong (steel frames FTW). What I do and how I do it will depend on what the driver's insurance company does or doesn't do.

 

[Bob411]

I think I took some liberties with the adage (I actually think it's related to motorcycles and accidents in general not cars specifically ).

On reflection I realized just how lucky I was. A second earlier (or a wee bit faster) and the car probably hits me rather than me Tboning him. I don't think, in that case, I would have just some scraps and bruises. Nothing new showed up this morning for me, still sore but really I dodged a bullet. I looked over the bike this morning and it looks like the front fork is bent back about an inch so probably needs to be replaced. But otherwise I don't see anything wrong (steel frames FTW). What I do and how I do it will depend on what the driver's insurance company does or doesn't do.

When I'm stuck behind someone do 10 mph below the speed limit, I try to think what if. What if this is keeping me from being at some random intersection at the wrong time? It doesn't help but, I still think about it.

 

[Andrew Sak]

I think I took some liberties with the adage (I actually think it's related to motorcycles and accidents in general not cars specifically ).

On reflection I realized just how lucky I was. A second earlier (or a wee bit faster) and the car probably hits me rather than me Tboning him. I don't think, in that case, I would have just some scraps and bruises. Nothing new showed up this morning for me, still sore but really I dodged a bullet. I looked over the bike this morning and it looks like the front fork is bent back about an inch so probably needs to be replaced. But otherwise I don't see anything wrong (steel frames FTW). What I do and how I do it will depend on what the driver's insurance company does or doesn't do.

I was thinking about that too. Any time you walk away from serious injury or death from a car vs. bike incident is a lucky day. I'm sure you will figure out fixing or replacing the bike. Steel frames are pretty bullet proof. I have a steel frame mountain bike from the late 80's.

On the bright side, you are pretty much guaranteed to never get hit by a car while cycling again. The old, 'nobody gets attacked by a shark twice' adage. Kidding. Hopefully you'll be back in the saddle in no time. Kudos for cycling to the gym.

 

[Punchy]

Jeezy creezy @nuke_diver, glad you're ok.

I picked up a few new chains for the family bikes, and will probably get all new shifter cables before our next camping trip. They're box-store bikes, but I watched some Park Tool videos and am now confident I can bring them back to better than new condition after having sat outside in the rain all winter. The highest priority job is to get the wife's Electra back in good shape, but what I'd really like to do is get my 1993 GT Outpost operational again. So many good memories of that bike when I was a kid, and I know I could spend less and get more now, but nostalgia dammit.

 

[nuke_diver]

Jeezy creezy @nuke_diver, glad you're ok.

I picked up a few new chains for the family bikes, and will probably get all new shifter cables before our next camping trip. They're box-store bikes, but I watched some Park Tool videos and am now confident I can bring them back to better than new condition after having sat outside in the rain all winter. The highest priority job is to get the wife's Electra back in good shape, but what I'd really like to do is get my 1993 GT Outpost operational again. So many good memories of that bike when I was a kid, and I know I could spend less and get more now, but nostalgia dammit

I do a fair bit of normal work on my bikes and I was planning to redo the head bearings and possible convert the bottom bracket to a sealed cartridge one on the old bike but we'll see now. My biggest problem is that I don't have a space to work on the bike and leave parts lying around for days so what I do usually is something that can be done in a day. I talked to a bike mechanic yesterday who said definitely replace the forks. I could probably do it just getting the parts might take a while given the age. If I get decent insurance money I might just get someone to do all the work for me. I'm old enough that I'd rather just ride than spend time fixing something that will take a few days

I was thinking about that too. Any time you walk away from serious injury or death from a car vs. bike incident is a lucky day. I'm sure you will figure out fixing or replacing the bike. Steel frames are pretty bullet proof. I have a steel frame mountain bike from the late 80's.

On the bright side, you are pretty much guaranteed to never get hit by a car while cycling again. The old, 'nobody gets attacked by a shark twice' adage. Kidding. Hopefully you'll be back in the saddle in no time. Kudos for cycling to the gym.

It's surprising how little damage either of us have given I was doing ~18mph when he pulled out, I did slam on the brakes but they are old rim brakes and stopping in a few feet wasn't going to happen. Surprisingly no spokes on the front rim broke even though I just replaced one the day before because of metal fatigue. But slamming into the driver door of a car is no problem . I was riding my fancy road bike today, 35ish miles and got a pinch flat. If it wasn't for bad luck...seriously that's a hazard on the some of the roads so oh well. And yeah I generally won't go to the gym unless I can ride, nice warmup and especially given the gas prices. It takes a bit longer but not that much since it's only about 7 miles. Given lights and stop signs a car would probably take about 15 minutes and the bike generally takes about 25 (a bit longer on the way home because it's generally uphill)

 

[Tig]

I talked to a bike mechanic yesterday who said definitely replace the forks. I could probably do it just getting the parts might take a while given the age. If I get decent insurance money I might just get someone to do all the work for me. I'm old enough that I'd rather just ride than spend time fixing something that will take a few days

Post a photo of your 1982 fork here (or message me your email address) and I'll ask a buddy who owns a repair shop if he has anything that could replace it. Does the bike have 700c wheels or the older 27" wheels. Also, what is the frame size so the steerer tube length can be taken into consideration. Come to think of it, maybe a measurement of the head tube is all we need.

 

[nuke_diver]

Post a photo of your 1982 fork here (or message me your email address) and I'll ask a buddy who owns a repair shop if he has anything that could replace it. Does the bike have 700c wheels or the older 27" wheels. Also, what is the frame size so the steerer tube length can be taken into consideration. Come to think of it, maybe a measurement of the head tube is all we need.

Thanks though the guy I talked with said that you could definitely find replacements and there was a shop around that would do custom replacements if necessary. Because I am on the road I won't be able to do any measurements or anything like that other than the wheel size which is 27". Also no idea of the frame size other than it was the one they fitted me with when I bought the bike, so it's probably too big now since I'm sure I'm shrinking. Best I can do right now is these pre accident pictures

Not the best but it's all I have on hand. These are over 12 years old