your bike geek persona

[Fat Robert]

i been through some bikes -- it was a position thing, took me three years to find what works after a five-year break

but

i'm not picky

gunnar: ht too high
giordana: impulse buy and sell. it was fine. it worked.
ridley: the jerk made me do it. it was good for both of us. it worked.
scott: impulse buy. crappy high-speed handling, in my book.
pacenti: works. awesome.
rock lobster (incoming): works (its a copy of the pacenti geo -- like its not going to work...)

i come to the view that what matters to me is that the frame works with my contact points, handles well, and looks cool. that's about it.

you?

picky? not picky? why? discuss.


there was supposed to be a poll. it got effed up. here are the choices:

1) I am the princess. I can feel the pea.

2) Bike slut. I'll ride a Univega.

3) Bike snob. A Sachs is my rain bike

4) Wannabe gourmet.

5) Nigella. Is she hot or what.

[scrooge]

Personally, i have (strong) opinions, would love to try some things, but can't really afford to get a different bike every year (well, that's kind of true--I've been getting a different bike every year the last few years, but have been diversifying my stable with tandem/mtb etc ). So I'm picky, but don't do much about it but complain some days. Other days I just tell myself over and over that I like what i have, curtlo beats sachs anyday etc...

[SWorks4me]

Nigella is smoking! she can cook my pre/post race meals anyday.
I have become more and more picky in my old (34) age. Now that I have to buy my bikes...i scrutinize much more. Plus, after all the years racing on different ones...I know what works and doesn't for me.

[cpg]

Who is Nigella? Can I be a slutty princess?

Curt

[catulle]

Contact points + physical condition = Bike wisdom + Philosopher King.

If you know your contact points and if the builder knows what he/she is doing, you'll be happy. End of story.

Your contact points are directly related to your physical condition (training, experience, age, lesions...) The rider will just bring confusion to the table when talking about the lengths of tubes, angles, and so on. If you know the saddle tip to center of bars distance (reach), saddle height, and an approximate idea of bars drop (top of saddle to top of bars), you'll be fine.

Like Zen, and many other things in life, the difficult part is to make it and to keep it simple. KISS, atmo...

[bcm119]

I'm with doofus on this one. I have 2 bikes and they both "work". Neither are very hot sh;t relative to the bling we see here, but they are good bikes and thats all I need. I'm very sensitive to fit issues and it takes me a long time to dial in a bike, but as long as they fit right and handle right I'm not picky. Aesthetically, round tubed steel appeals to me most, but a lot of the beauty of a bike is the function, atmo. I'm more into the training aspect of cycling than the equipment.

[AgilisMerlin]

I have a special relationship wit' my bike.

She talks to me at work. She hangs over my head.

she is sexy.
Allusive.
Controlled.
She loves my contact points.
She has a mixed background, for she is American, Japanese and Italian.
All she requires is a bath and some Lube.
She is built to last.
She is warm to the touch.


:D

[A.L.Breguet]

I,d be happy with any decent bike. I'm not picky, and never was. Just needs to be campy. Ooh, maybe I am picky. :crap:

[zank]

ride the bike. Sun, salt, sand, rain, snow, run-off. Who cares...it's a tool. It can be cleaned. But that doesn't mean it can't or shouldn't look good too. Heck, that's why I buy freakin' Campagnolo tools.

I don't know what poll option that encompases though.

And I can't find a picture of Nigella anywhere on the net :rolleyes:

[Fat Robert]

all hail nigella

like atmo sez, round is the pefect shape for the application, atmo

[big shanty]

The words "nigella" and "hot" in the same sentence do not compute. In fact, the word nigella alone makes my wee bits go into hibernation.

[zank]

Well, I really can't find a picture of Dorothea Brooke :p

[Fat Robert]

Well, I really can't find a picture of Dorothea Brooke :p

read, you big zagnut

basically, we're talking nigella with a huge IQ, and at 19, for the whole dirty old man quotient. she married some 44-year old loser dorkboy named causabon, so, really, its not like she's outta the realm of possibility, if you know what i'm sayin. keep her away from sensitive artist types (especially if they're your cousin) and yer fine.

dorothea is totally Qoleum hot.

[zank]

I read a lot, you silly billy. The only authors I have been reading lately though are Kip Thorne, Stephen Hawking and David McMahon. Trying to get my noodle wrapped around relativity and, to a lesser extent, quantum mechanics.

[Ginger]

A bike is a bike...

but I'm with CPG...can I be a slutty princess with options on 3?


Oh...that's right...


nevermind.

[Bill Bove]

[I]
Qoleum hot.
Yes, that is hot.

Nigella turned me into a food slut, I love her recipe for fried Twinkies :banana:

Bikes? I'm beyond picky. I know what I like and don't change it much at all. I just bought my first new frame in seven years. A Storck Vision Light. Oddly enough it's the same geometry that I was riding twenty years ago.

[atmo]

nigella bites atmo

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0786868694.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[saab2000]

In the end I can make almost all my bikes work. They are fine. The rider is the problem. I really don't have back pain or wierdness or anything wrong with the bod that losing 25+ lbs would not fix. But I am a bit like DBRK in that I don't measure each one to the mm. The seat height is the same, but that's it. And even that changes from bike to bike because the setback is different on each one. I guess. On Sunday and Monday I rode 100 miles on my red Croll. It was awesome. But at the end of the second day I lowered the saddle a bit. Didn't measure it. Just loosened the bolt and lowered the saddle a bit. I'll ride it in a month or so and it'll be better.

I think I can feel the pea, but it doesn't bother me. If that makes sense. Some bikes just don't work. But most do. It is the motor at the end of the day.

I am a huge snob in some ways and not in others. The bike must be set up properly but what the bike is don't matter. But there are inconsistencies.

Having had a taste of the Look carbon I am very intrigued. By the carbon and the design. The ride is deeeeeeee lish. So is the road feel. Seems muted, but never gives up the necessary feeling of the peas on the road. 'Tis a good bike, that Look. I just wish it were a 57 instead of a 56. Maybe I can feel the pea if 1 cm matters.

The Merckx is dead. Wooden. But the position is good. And the handling is top notch. But without a soul.

The CIII provides the best of all, but the best of none. The Look is very seductive. The Merckx shows what it could be. The Serotta does it all well, but is missing 1% in terms of handling (Handling of the Serotta is perfect. Don't get me wrong. But a bit more 'racy' would be even better. If that makes sense) and is a cm too large. Otherwise it is close to perfect.

At the end, just shut up and race. When you are wheezing and huffing and puffing and the dude who is about to drop you has a Novara and Ultegra you will realise it is the beer and pizza diet and not the bike that really is why you are wheezing and not riding that tool off your wheel.

[ti_boi]

i been through some bikes -- it was a position thing, took me three years to find what works after a five-year break

but

i'm not picky

gunnar: ht too high
giordana: impulse buy and sell. it was fine. it worked.
ridley: the jerk made me do it. it was good for both of us. it worked.
scott: impulse buy. crappy high-speed handling, in my book.
pacenti: works. awesome.
rock lobster (incoming): works (its a copy of the pacenti geo -- like its not going to work...)

i come to the view that what matters to me is that the frame works with my contact points, handles well, and looks cool. that's about it.

you?

picky? not picky? why? discuss.


there was supposed to be a poll. it got effed up. here are the choices:

1) I am the princess. I can feel the pea.

2) Bike slut. I'll ride a Univega.

3) Bike snob. A Sachs is my rain bike

4) Wannabe gourmet.

5) Nigella. Is she hot or what.



Now it is Ti or nothing at all.....riding ti is like being on the back of a unicorn ascending a giant rainbow with the bird chirping merrily in the background....dat geeky enuff?

[ti_boi]

i been through some bikes -- it was a position thing, took me three years to find what works after a five-year break

but

i'm not picky

gunnar: ht too high
giordana: impulse buy and sell. it was fine. it worked.
ridley: the jerk made me do it. it was good for both of us. it worked.
scott: impulse buy. crappy high-speed handling, in my book.
pacenti: works. awesome.
rock lobster (incoming): works (its a copy of the pacenti geo -- like its not going to work...)

i come to the view that what matters to me is that the frame works with my contact points, handles well, and looks cool. that's about it.

you?

picky? not picky? why? discuss.


there was supposed to be a poll. it got effed up. here are the choices:

1) I am the princess. I can feel the pea.

2) Bike slut. I'll ride a Univega.

3) Bike snob. A Sachs is my rain bike

4) Wannabe gourmet.

5) Nigella. Is she hot or what.



Now it is Ti or nothing at all.....riding ti is like being on the back of a unicorn ascending a giant rainbow with the birds chirping merrily in the background....dat geeky enuff?

[ti_boi]

i been through some bikes -- it was a position thing, took me three years to find what works after a five-year break

but

i'm not picky

gunnar: ht too high
giordana: impulse buy and sell. it was fine. it worked.
ridley: the jerk made me do it. it was good for both of us. it worked.
scott: impulse buy. crappy high-speed handling, in my book.
pacenti: works. awesome.
rock lobster (incoming): works (its a copy of the pacenti geo -- like its not going to work...)

i come to the view that what matters to me is that the frame works with my contact points, handles well, and looks cool. that's about it.

you?

picky? not picky? why? discuss.


there was supposed to be a poll. it got effed up. here are the choices:

1) I am the princess. I can feel the pea.

2) Bike slut. I'll ride a Univega.

3) Bike snob. A Sachs is my rain bike

4) Wannabe gourmet.

5) Nigella. Is she hot or what.



Now it is Ti or nothing at all.....riding ti is like being on the back of a unicorn ascending a giant rainbow with the birds chirping merrily in the background....dat geeky enuff?

[atmo]

Now it is Ti or nothing at all.....riding ti is like being on the back of a unicorn ascending a giant rainbow with the birds chirping merrily in the background....dat geeky enuff?
post(s) of the month for the next three months atmo.

[old_school]

I have two persona: one feels the pea; hell, it feels the sand flea. It spends way too much time obsessing, adjusting cleats, seat posts, stems, bars ... trying to make a twisted, asymmetrical body ride evenly on a straight instrument, trying to attain/maintain ideal form and somehow self-justify the obscene amount of money it has invested in exotic tidbits.

The other is the bike slut, riding a dirty fixed gear with middle of the road components and rat traps, wearing whatever cloths happen to be on its back and whatever shoes happens to be on its feet. This persona spins to its hearts content, thinks about nothing and smiles incessantly.

Have you ever spent countless hours looking for something only to find it is right under your nose? :crap:

[Bill Bove]

it is the beer and pizza diet and not the bike that really is why you are wheezing and not riding that tool off your wheel.

Wha!!!! My whole world view is shatterd :crap:

[Ginger]

I remember what my most favorite mechanic used to call me.

I'm neither a princess, nor a bike slut...


I'm a bike-achondriac.

(No...there really is something wrong!)

[Grant McLean]

I'm a massive snob, but i've earned it.
Anyone who spends more on bike junk than
mortgage & car payments can be all five choices!

:)

g

[JF636]

Not a snob, more like the bicycling industry's worst nightmare. I still ride an '01 LOOK on '00 turn of the century Chorus 9 speed that I keep well maintained. Wheels are handbuilt Chorus 32x3 tubulars on FiR ST120's. I do have some of the old style deep section Ventos that I use for back up. I don't dislike any style bike or material but do have personal preferences towards obscure less known brands. Like most, the fit is dialed in for both the road and fixed gear bike eventhough they are slightly different.

I find it funny how much fun riding a fixed gear can be....at 1/10 of the cost of an average modern road bike.

[dash]

my wife lets me be promiscuous with bikes as long as i'm not promiscuous with other women

[davids]

there was supposed to be a poll. it got effed up. here are the choices:

1) I am the princess. I can feel the pea.

2) Bike slut. I'll ride a Univega.

3) Bike snob. A Sachs is my rain bike

4) Wannabe gourmet.

5) Nigella. Is she hot or what.
Some combination of #1 and #3. Maybe #5, too, but I still don't think I get the metaphor...

Re Pea-feeling Princess: I rode my Nove this morning, after using the Axiom last weekend. The differences were obvious and immediate - smoother, stiffer, lower. The 53-39/12-25 works better than the 50-34/11-23. Etc, etc, etc... All this stuff I knew nothing about 5 1/2 years ago, and now can't stop thinking about.

Re Bike Snob: Read the last paragraph. Nove. Axiom. Then there's the Love #3 frame hanging from the basement ceiling. It's not built yet, but I've got the PMP seatpost! And yeah, I'll ride a cheap bike, as long at it's a fixie.



But of course, the picture's never perfect. I'm every bit as happy with Ultegra as Dura-Ace. I'm still finding it hard to imagine that those expensive factory wheels can be worth 2-3x the price of some excellent hand-builts.

And the more time I can spend riding, the less I think about the peas or the high-zoot accoutrements. I know that my fitness and form is more important than all of this. I was holding my own this morning, and that's all right for March, but I've got some work to do to get where I want my fitness and skills to be. I'm glad that winter's ending!

[72gmc]

you forgot the nymphs... nymphs are essential

[Kevan]

here. Happy with my 3 square and likely don't need anymore than that, but for beer and pretzels as treats.

Calfee - dialed with room for more dialing in the future.

Serotta Colorado - Getting time to sell her for something bigger framed. Object: quality steel lugged. More on this subject later in the program.

Beater - a constantly evolving experiment. Today's look won't be tomorrow's.

I'm in a happy place with my riding: spirited club rides, rolls with the slowpokes, and rides of exploration.

[Karin Kirk]

My persona?
I let Dave worry about the important stuff. He builds me what I need, I leave it to him and I've always been happy and spoiled. I guess that puts me in the PRINCESS category, doesn't it?

For the non-important stuff, like all the aesthetic factors (paint color on the bikes, tire color, bar tape, clothing, shoes and socks, sunglasses, etc!) I dedicate WAY too much energy picking out the stuff I like. Again, that qualifies as a Princess, I'm afraid.

Now where did I put my light-blue tiara...?

[Mud]

My persona?
I let Dave worry about the important stuff. He builds me what I need, I leave it to him and I've always been happy and spoiled. I guess that puts me in the PRINCESS category, doesn't it?

For the non-important stuff, like all the aesthetic factors (paint color on the bikes, tire color, bar tape, clothing, shoes and socks, sunglasses, etc!) I dedicate WAY too much energy picking out the stuff I like. Again, that qualifies as a Princess, I'm afraid.

Now where did I put my light-blue tiara...?

She has HER bike, an Ottrot ST. No decals, black tape, black saddle, black tires, black Zipps (no decals), and is perfectly happy owning just one bike. No need to worry about flats with tubulars, gear adjustments, lubing, etc, she has me. Is happy with bibs as long as it has an Assos chamois, wears her Assos Uma outfit at 55 degrees with an underlayer, has her foavorite Oakleys---but she can ride 100 miles and she rides with me.

Definite Princess (and definitely can feel the pea. Must have gone through 50 pairs of gloves before she found one that the seam did not bother her), and I love it all.

[stevep]

I read a lot, you silly billy. The only authors I have been reading lately though are Kip Thorne, Stephen Hawking and David McMahon. Trying to get my noodle wrapped around relativity and, to a lesser extent, quantum mechanics.

zanks brain will be fired...
hey, relativity dude,
"im gonna put the seat cluster at the head tube..its relatively close...
hey, i thk ill attach the dropouts to the fork crown...make it easy to hang wet socks on."

these are actual quotes for anyone waiting for a frame.

[edouard]

zanks brain will be fired...
hey, relativity dude,
"im gonna put the seat cluster at the head tube..its relatively close...
hey, i thk ill attach the dropouts to the fork crown...make it easy to hang wet socks on."

these are actual quotes for anyone waiting for a frame.


kip thorne not rip torn