[ninefivezero]

Like anything there are a ton of different brands out there, but its a tire, they all do the same thing

Just go to a bike shop and tell them you are looking for some low cost street tires for your mountain bike, they will point you in the right direction.

[randomtask]

so, hows your ass feeling? nice and sore?

[Jishory]

yeah i need to get a new seat, a bike is a great way to discover you dont know how to navigate 3 miles from your house, i rode all around town today, i like being able to take shortcuts and skip around traffic, it helps make up for being slower then a car, in about 10 miles i got all the errands done that needed to get done

edit: saved roughly 1.33$ in gasoline!

[ninefivezero]

$1.33, Nice! It all adds up though man.

And I love riding a bike for the same reasons, skipping around traffic, taking shortcuts, hitting the sidewalk at times and riding between huge line-ups of cars stopped at lights or something like that.

And the truth is almost every bike seat is uncomfortable, you just need to get used to it.

Or you can just get this:

[randomtask]

Originally Posted by Jishory

yeah i need to get a new seat, a bike is a great way to discover you dont know how to navigate 3 miles from your house, i rode all around town today, i like being able to take shortcuts and skip around traffic, it helps make up for being slower then a car, in about 10 miles i got all the errands done that needed to get done

edit: saved roughly 1.33$ in gasoline!

there has been many times when in traffic, i am barely going faster than some guy on a pushbike. You get a red light... watch him zoom past.... finally catch up to him again, pass him, a few sets of lights later on down the road.... there he is passing you again. I then proceed to get pissed of at how annoying the traffic is.

[QuickSilvah]

Originally Posted by ninefivezero

And the truth is almost every bike seat is uncomfortable, you just need to get used to it.

+1.

If you haven't ridden a bike in a while, your ass is going to feel sore, no matter what. The other advice I can give you is that a soft squishy saddle is not always the best in the long run. When you sit on it, your body weight is going to push you down and all that gel/foam/whatever is going to end up pushed up into your nether-regions.

Ideally, you want a saddle that will support your weight through your sit-bones (the bony lumps in your ass) and not through your crotch. Any extra padding needed is found in a quality pair of bike shorts with a good chamois (pad). This is why you'll usually see serious cyclists with very minimalistic saddles.

[smirnoff]

I can vouch for the importance of having your bike seat at the right angle (for you). When I did a bike trip last summer bought a new seat and set the angle parallel to the top tube, and thought nothing of it. After two days of riding I felt like my legs were tiring out prematurely but couldn't really say why, because there wasn't really a localized soreness. In anycase I tried playing with the seat angle that evening, and tilted it about 15degress downward from where it was. I hopped on for a little test ride, and it felt a little weird of course because I was so used to how it was, but I immediately noticed less pressure being put on that crotch tendon (or is it a ligament, anyways someone else can fill us in on what to call it). The next day riding was like a night and day difference, I felt I could go longer and harder than the previous two days, and my legs weren't exhausting the same way. The way I figure it I was straining those tendons and to some degree limiting circulation. Anyways, something to think about.

Just breezing though this article might be a good idea, if you're unfamiliar.

[jake]

Originally Posted by smirnoff

I immediately noticed less pressure being put on that crotch tendon (or is it a ligament, anyways someone else can fill us in on what to call it).

It's called a penis. :P

[smirnoff]

Originally Posted by jake

It's called a penis. :P

lol, I laid that one up pretty good I guess.

[Jishory]

my ass hasnt gotten that sore, every couple miles i stand up and stretch out and it feels better. my bike isnt shifting very smooth though, for my rear gearset i kind of need to switch over two gears for it to switch one and then i switch back so it isnt grinding. im finding better routes places and im really liking the bike though thanks for the help getting me started, im gonna head over to the bike shop tomorrow and get some street tires and a seat maybe

[ninefivezero]

Sounds like your bike needs a tune-up too

[Jishory]

i adjusted the wire cables controlling the derailers, they were stretched out and never adjusted, its shifting like its brand new now, i lubricated the chain with motorcycle chain lube

[ninefivezero]

Well done.

[JustinL]

man, I hopped on my friends bike a while back. It had been years since I last rode around on a bike, and I has real use to riding around dirt bikes. It was really weird having my legs move around so much and not being able to just turn your wrist and go faster... I've been meaning to get out and start riding here lately, but I keep putting it off.

[super_Chris]

Originally Posted by Jishory

i adjusted the wire cables controlling the derailers, they were stretched out and never adjusted, its shifting like its brand new now, i lubricated the chain with motorcycle chain lube

I was going to recommend that you use chain wax, but it looks like you already did it. That shit works wonders on a dried out chain.

[MSP]

I need to service my bike. It's been hanging in the garage unused since 2006. There's a 1.3 mile bike path near my house that I used to ride for exercise. Plus it's a few miles there and back. The reason I stopped was the heat, and all the fat bitches pushing strollers on the bike path. They'd walk in pairs, side by side, and would always get bent out of shape when I would shout "Passing on your left!" and they'd have to move.

[mattdev]

Here are two fantastic bicycle options.

Welcome to StairCycle Innovations!
Eric Staller's Conference Bike!

[Jishory]

just bumping this to check in, ive still been riding my bicycle regularly, i ride about every couple days, sometimes more sometimes less, weather has been very nice out making it much more comfortable to ride during the day. my girlfriend and i have been doing most of our grocery shopping and alot of our errands on bikes. after i start socking away some dough i want to pick up an american made road bike, because my mountain bike is too small for me and the drivetrain is starting to fall apart. anyways i love getting around on my bike, not too slow that you cant get anywhere but not too fast that you miss things flying past you, plus its very satisfying getting around under your own power.

[mattdev]

I've been riding quite often lately. It's much faster than walking, and often I can beat public transit for short treks. Plus I don't have to worry about paying for parking!

I'm rollin' a 1980s Nishiki Rally. It's heavy as hell, but it rides pretty nicely. I need to get the brakes fixed on it because right now they don't work in the rain. That's a huge problem living in the Pacific Northwest.

[Jishory]

thats not good, i have the opposite problem, i think my front wheel is bent just a little bit so it grabs a little every rotation of the wheel. do you lube your chain and other stuff after riding in the rain? yes not paying for parking is a big plus, plus at the college here it takes like 15-20 minutes to park so you get to fly past all of the people circling in the parking lot looking for a spot, and i live only about 2 miles away with bike lanes almost the whole way. too bad my classroom is at an airport in the middle of the desert, ive been meaning to ride out there one day though if i have alot of time