You know you're obsessive about cycling when...

[William]

...You're heading out the door for work, see your bike, and go back in to adjust the handle bar so the bike's profile from the side is straight....just right.

:crap:

William

[Kevan]

I’m petering about the house, sorta watching the tour, and get this notion to fill my son’s tires in the event he wants to use his bike today. With pump underfoot, I unscrew the valve head on the rear tire and begin to install the pump’s nozzle. PPPPHHHEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!! Tire goes dead flat right in my hands. A hole developed in the tube next to the valve. I change the tube and am about to roll the bike back into the mudroom when I notice the chain rub while the bike’s in the big ring, out comes the bike stand. Tweak the front and rear derailleur.. bike’s running right as rain now. Hmm.. there’s some oil on the chainstay from when I removed the wheel for the tube fix, get out the Simple Green and clean off the stay. The rest of the frame is looking a little dusty, clean that too. Tuck’s been complaining about the braking, fix that too.

I need help!!!!!

[Too Tall]

And that's a problem? Some of my most peaceful times are spent with Beau the uber poodle snoring on a canvas painters tarp in the garage while I "fiddle" with bikes. BigMan you are enlightened not burdened.

Kevan you said Peter. Just wanted to point that out.

[Kevan]

peter... peter.... peter.... peter... peter.... peter.... peter... peter.... peter.... peter... peter.... peter.... peter... peter.... peter!

Can't help myself, feels good.

[Spinsistah]

Reminds me of an old toast -

"Here's to friends that come and go,
And friends that peter out,
But you, my friend, will be my friend,
Peter in or peter out."

I like tinkering with the bikes, it's therapeutic.

[Samster]

For me, it's more "obsessed with bikes" than "obsessed with cycling."

I noted this when I flipped saddles around my various rigs for the 10th or 12th time (no joke) to see which saddles works best with which frame material when the reality is I just don't do rides over 30 miles anymore... ever!

The real irony for me seems to be "the less I ride, the more bikes I have, and the more time I have to fiddle with them." But I do like to fiddle with them.

Now that I think about it, it's a little depressing.

Thanks for getting my day started off right... :bike:

--sam

[pjm]

peter... peter.... peter.... peter... peter.... peter.... peter... peter.... peter.... peter... peter.... peter.... peter... peter.... peter!

Can't help myself, feels good.

That's my name, don't wear it out! :no:

[mikemets]

...You're heading out the door for work, see your bike, and go back in to adjust the handle bar so the bike's profile from the side is straight....just right.

:crap:

William

Who doesn't do that? ;)

[Ray]

The real irony for me seems to be "the less I ride, the more bikes I have, and the more time I have to fiddle with them." But I do like to fiddle with them.
Similar, but reverse observation. When I was working, I was really into buying and selling and tinkering with bikes and parts. Was up to 8 at one time and thought about all of them, tinkered with all of them, and made a point to ride all of them. Now that I'm not working for a while and have lots of time to ride, I still have a bunch of bikes, but I basically ride one of them. I'll jump on the fixie or the errand bike for quick jaunts around town, but I basically ride the Spectrum all the time now. With all of this time to ride and fiddle with different bikes, I don't. I'm so into riding now, that the other stuff just seems like a waste of time. As if I don't find plenty of other ways to waste plenty of time.

I wonder what it'll be like when I go back to work?

-Ray

[scooter01]

You Might be a Cyclist if."....

"You Might be a Cyclist if."....

1. You tell a family of 5 in a crowded mall to 'hold their line.'
2. Your spouse says 'If you buy another bike I'm going to leave you'
and you think 'I guess I'm going to miss him/her.'
3. You have more water bottles than you have drinking glasses.
4. You have more cycling jerseys than work shirts.
5. Your cycling jersey IS your work shirt.
6. Your legs are smoother than your wifes.
7. The nicest pair of shoes you own have cleats in the soles.
8. You have defined the 8 stages of roadkill decomposition through
daily observation.
9. You are walking along a street and you signal left.
10.You go to your local store on a bike.
11.You sulk when in cars, on hot days.
12.You sulk when in cars, on cold, windy, snowy days.
13.You get withdrawal symptoms if off the bike for more than a day.
14.When anybody mentions distance you immediately think of how long
it would take to cycle it.
15.You point at pot holes, but you ! are driving in your car alone.
16.While driving your car you yell at your passenger 'Car back' as a
vehicle approaches from behind.
17.Your bike is worth more than your car and the 2 tires on your
bike costyou more than the 4 tires on your car.
18.You put more miles on your bike than your car.
19.Your hands have a strange tan that looks remarkably similar to
thepattern on your cycling gloves.
20.Weather forecasts can be broken down into 2 categories: good
biking weather, bad biking weather.
21.You put your bicycle in your car, and the value of the total
package increases by a factor of 4 (or better).
22.As you are driving down the road in your car, you find yourself
'sprinting' for city limit signs and taking note of them so that on
the next group ride, you will be one up on everyone else.
23.You spend 2X the money on cycling wear that you do work clothes.
24.You can tell your partner with a straight face that it's too
hot to mow the lawn , then bike off for a century.
25.You dream of winning the lottery and the first thing you think of
is how many/which bikes can I buy?
26.You buy a car based on whether or not a bike will fit in the
trunk/back, with the rear seat folded down.
27.You open your car window and yell out 'On your left' when passing
cars on the freeway.
28.You have not one, not two, but three permanent chain ring scars
on your right calf.
29.Your bike sleeps with you in the living or bedroom.
30.You wear a heart rate monitor during sex.
31.You check out all other guys/girls legs to see if they are better
than yours.
32.Your spouse can't take it anymore and takes up cycling.
33.You wonder why a $500 bike has 24 gears, while a $20,000
car or truck only has 4.
34.You crash...and insist on getting to the bike shop to have your
bike checked out BEFORE going to the hospital.
35.You can't seem to get to work before 8:30am, but you don't have
a problem meeting your buddies at 5:30am for a ride.

[Tom]

Every road I drive on I evaluate for how good it would be to ride it.

I love this icon... found in the context of Emmylou Harris and Elvis Costello harmonizing...

[BigDaddySmooth]

What about squeezing the tires or just looking at the bike(s) before departing for work? Is that weird?

[SGP]

when you are driving, has any one else found them selves turning their head more to see what bikes are on another car's roof rack than to look at a pretty girl? i'm weird, huh?

in the middle of a mad dash out the door, herding the kids & dogs etc. ever stand next to your bike, grasp the hoods, close your eyes, take a deep breath and picture a section of favorite road stretching out before you...

[Kevan]

now aren't you Big Daddy?

Yes, you're weird too.

[SGP]

:d

[FunkyPorcini]

You coast buy a bar at 1:30 AM as your Campy hub buzzes off the walls of an empty street so you can look inside and wonder why you're not like the other kids.

You plan the route home from wherever you are at whatever time it is through the greatest elevation gain just to see how she still feels on a climb.

She begs you to ride her all night long and you know YOUR a$$ is going to be the one that's sore in the end.

[Kevan]

funky shrooms, man.

[Tmogul]

You spend over and hour trying to make sure you're stem is "perfectly" inline with the front tire. Then you realize that the shadow cast by the light affects the perception of the stem being "perfectly" straight and so another hour is spent double checking at various angles to the light which is complicated by the fact that the light is coming in from more than one source....two windows and a lamp.

When all is done and your shirt is drenched by sweat from intense concentration you finally get out for the 6pm weekly hammerfest grp ride. However the ride isn't enjoyable because the entire time your riding you realize that your stem is a bit off and you just can't take your mind off of it. :crap: Now where is that prescription I got for my OCD. :D

[FunkyPorcini]

You spend over and hour trying to make sure you're stem is "perfectly" inline with the front tire. Then you realize that the shadow cast by the light affects the perception of the stem being "perfectly" straight and so another hour is spent double checking at various angles to the light which is complicated by the fact that the light is coming in from more than one source....two windows and a lamp.:D

May I suggest a plum, bob?

[csb]

you drive 2 hrs (each way) to ride on the track, 3x @ week.

[Ozz]

Looking at bikes on roof racks and bikes being ridden along the side of the road while driving, is more dangerous than talking on a cell phone.

[csb]

on her arrival home, your girlfriend lists with a smile, the specific bikes she saw today.

[RichMc]

How about that you're at work early in the AM, reading the Serotta forum, watching the TdF, thinking bibs or shorts, rubbing sore knees from last night's training ride and figuring out strategy/tactics for this Sunday's race. BTW, did I mention being at work? Sometimes it's good being second in command.

[csb]

girlfriend has chamois creme in the top drawer of her bedside nightstand

[BigDaddySmooth]

now aren't you Big Daddy?--I only do that when I'm bored :banana:

Yes, you're weird too.--thanks for the confirmation :cool:



Got a couple more...looking at Excelsports catalogue over and over again, trying to figure out what to buy...but then buying nothing or re-reading Procycling (specifically, oggling the bike write-ups).

[Too Tall]

You own more than 6 5mm allen keys because you lose them...put where you won't lose it...lose it...get frustrated and buy another ad nauseum.

GroundHog Daycyclism

[Fixed]

Reading this.Cheers

[William]

-
Got a couple more...looking at Excelsports catalogue over and over again, trying to figure out what to buy...but then buying nothing or re-reading Procycling (specifically, oggling the bike write-ups).

...You are keeping & re-reading the same Nashbar-Performance-Primal Wear catalogues in the bathroom.....just to look at. :rolleyes:


Not that there's anything wrong with that. ;)


William

[beungood]

After a long,hard ride, and feeling the rush of pushing yourself and knowing it was a good long ride you pull into the drive way, takw your bike off the rack and give it the once over. Slowly walk up the stairs using the last bit of energy and go down for the night happy that it was a good day great ride and now you can rest and sleep...........right after you log on for a "few minutes" to see what on the cycling section of ebay, what good deal, the ultimate piece of gear to get you to your next breakthrough and convince yourself that it is worth the money and well ..ah.. it IS for the bike.....several sweatsoaked hours later........your giddy because you found another bike or piece of gear you could put to use. Oh god help me. :banana:

[cycleman_21]

8. You have defined the 8 stages of roadkill decomposition through
daily observation.

HA HA HA God I've seen a lot of that lately

[cycleman_21]

Coming home from work and going for another ride because the 5:30am ride wasn't enough and tommorrow is just soooo far away, (my wife would kill me if she read this) Honey I only rode a little this morning, mind if I go for a little while? luv ya :)

RC

[Kevan]

Kevan and I'm a bikaholic.