What got you started into bikes/riding, ? - Page 5

beungood · #61 07-24-2005, 08:03 PM

Well, I rode quite abit in Highschool for transportation and adventure. A best friend and I defied our parents and rode into Boston when the Pope was visiting. We took all back roads, it was 35 miles and rode as fast as we could. And we were caught as we were filmed by WBZ on TV up a tree waving at the Pope But thats another story....

What really got me back into it was trying to get 5 years out of my running shoes, and some ankle and knee pain and mentioning it to William. He lauded the Cardio /low impact benefits. And the second thing was holding the Thai Pads and being the recipient of a couple of his full power Thai round kicks and the resulting sting in my arms. Thought to myself Damn id like to do that to someone too.... and lastly was after riding for a while and a few impromptu "races" while out training and I was hooked.

I only wished he mentioned what looking at a custom bike with well crafted ornate lugs and trolling ebay drooling at Serotta,Kirks and Colnagos would do to me....... :argue:

#62 07-25-2005, 10:57 AM

Bikes as a kid were 60# Lone Rangers and later, a Burger(Dutch) 3 speed. Tried cycling again early in our marriage but it did not take. We were into tennis and I played a lot of tournament.

In 1992 my wife had a hip replacement. A rollerblading accident in 1995 brought on a year of PT for her. I bought her a mountainbike which she rode around on paved trails in a park. Later she bought me a mountain bike and we got into off road.

Our first trip to Moab was in 1998 prior to which we were told that Lois' hip had to be redone. We got into some road about that time buying steel Bianchis. Her hip was done again in 1998 and we continued MBing with some road. Lots of Moab, Fruita, Hawaii, etc etc etc. We also did some road acquiring Colnagos.

Evidently she came back too fast from the hip surgery and the new cadaver bone did not fully grow in and the hip was replaced last October.

Three times, not one complaint. She rehabbed, hiked and wondered whether she would be able to ride again. I had her measured for an Ottrot ST and she was finally able to get back on a bike in the middle of May 05. No more MBing, which meant my Fango was now a second class citzen.

I was happy with the Colnago until I had an unexpected windfall and bought a Legend ST which I got on the road a week or so ago.

Road is where we are at 5 days a week. We try to get 25 miles after she comes home from work and a longer ride on Saturday. Sunday is an early day because I work so we see how many hills we can ride in two hours or so.

We are hooked and only wish we had gotten serious about road years earlier. I find it frustrating that age has robbed me of the ability to improve as quickly as I might like, but we both work hard at it and she is really good.

William, hope this is what you are looking for from newer members,

B

William · #63 10-24-2005, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce Jacobs

William, hope this is what you are looking for from newer members,

Exactly.

William

jdoiv · #64 10-24-2005, 03:50 PM

Lemond in the Tour in the mid-eighties. I started riding my sisters old 10 speed. I have no idea what it was. It wasn't nice or anything near light. It was this hideous yellow tank and I used to ride it around the neighborhood hills for fun (pretty steep climbs). Got to college a few years later and picked up fencing. Got pretty good at that but I needed something to cross train with to increase stamina for long days of competition. Cycling seemed to be a good way to increase my overall fitness and was good for leg strength (lots of that needed in fencing). Also, I have bad ankles and knees, so running isn't much fun for me, so cycling it was. Talked my Dad into buying me a bike in 1989 and loved it. Did a century ride my first summer with the bike. The second summer (fencing is a winter sport really, even though they have it in the summer olympics) I regularly put in 300+ mile weeks. Have gone through times of riding a lot and times of not riding much (only rode a couple of times during the 6 years I lived in LA). Back to riding now and hope to stay with it for a while.

Fixed · #65 10-24-2005, 04:21 PM

bro I did a report on a great american in grammer school Major Taylor and I've tried to be like him ever since.cheers

#66 10-24-2005, 04:24 PM

We lived in Ft. Scott KS in 1979 and went to a bike shop in Kansas City(big city)were I took home a Schwinn brochure. I would ogle that thing over and over dreaming of someday having one of those cool race bikes that looked totally different from the bikes at a dept. store. We moved here in 1981 and I was now in suburbia. Because we could'nt afford a Schwinn I went and bought a Huffy Wind(Christopher Cross had his song in the tv commercial for the bike)at KMART. Well I rode and rode it all around and WAY out to the lake. One evening on PBS there was a show called Numero Uno that aired periodically which profiled atheletes who were at the top of their respective sports. That evening was a profile of Eddy Merckx. I was blown away! These guys riding effortlessly up mountains with snow and sweating no doubt! All the colorful jerseys and who knew what any of it meant. That nite I took the family car out in our hood and marked off a 1 mile course and tried to ride it as fast as I could to try and average 30 mph just like they said they could do on the show. Shortly after I got togehter enough money doing odd jobs to save up and put a 1981 Univega Gran RAlly on layaway. Started going into different shops to feel out where the best support and guys went to and started to pursue my passion of passions....the art of cycling. Went to my first race (Wutcher Memorial in St. Louis in Forest Park which at the time was the oldest annual race in the country) on a borrowed liscense and promptly got dropped out of juniors(Monninger was there). I got to see Fred Schuler of 7-Eleven lap the field twice in the pro 1-2! So there you go it pretty much except for the pure love of riding is alot of romance and imagination(I love old stories). I still exclusively wear all those colorful team clothes that I have no idea what meaning they have or do I care. mike

Frankwurst · #67 10-24-2005, 06:42 PM

Jilted by my girlfriend and decided to take out my hostility on my body via my bicycle. That was thirty years ago, haven't seen her since that day but really would like to thank her!

bostondrunk · #68 10-24-2005, 07:04 PM

Well.....hold on, taking a pull of budweiser......<burp>

It was that really good episode of Different Strokes, where the bike shop owner had all the young boys that he really liked doing things for him....yeah....we all benefited from that one.....

#69 10-24-2005, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bostondrunk

Well.....hold on, taking a pull of budweiser......<burp>

It was that really good episode of Different Strokes, where the bike shop owner had all the young boys that he really liked doing things for him....yeah....we all benefited from that one.....

oh man...changed my effin life

and when that episode of What's Happening showed the evils of bootlegging when the hey hey hey dude got caught taping the doobie brothers on a portable cassette player the size of a bking sheet (cause the doobies were *it* in compton in the late 70s...ABC said so)...doof saw the light and stopped selling bootleg tapes of all sorts of people to those guys at the park who seemed to like em....

actually, seein the flying nun pedal in the opening credits made me want to win the tour

L84dinr · #70 10-24-2005, 08:50 PM

In Wichita, KS Me and my friends down the street. We'd ride to downtown along the river paths, (make sure you have thorn resistant tubes!). Wichita was our oyster! Loved the freedom. In '79 my mom bought me a Motobecane, HS grad present, was a black bike with red panels, set up for touring, (I think my brother still owns the bike). I replaced the ranoduer(sp) handlebars with flat drop bars, the long cage RD with a Suntour shortcage, and corncob gear freewheel for the touring freewheel. Learned how to wrap handlebars, break chains, rebuild BBs' and wheel bearings; basically become a bike mechanic. I loved it! Wrecked my car and ended up riding my bike for practically a year saving money to buy a beater 1961 Ford Econoline, (a Cool truck). When it rained I wore Trash bags... When it snowed I wore everything I could! I put a rack on the back to carry lunch etc... I ended up moving a couple of times and ended up in Norman, OK. Followed my future wife to OU and enrolled in school. During this time I had entered a few amatuer races and loved the competition. I bought a used Eisentraut from a friend of a friend of some racer dude from Wichita, KS. What a bike. I crashed that thing like crazy! (RoadRash sux). Anyway I raced cat 4 races for a couple of years for CRRC. Loved it! My 'Traut ended up breaking, so I had Fred Karcher make me a frame, and then life got in the way. I had to pay for college and lifes necessities so the bike got put up. After about 12 years a bud of mine from OU calls spring of 2004 and says lets do the MS150. I said no way. Wasn't even sure if my tires would hold air. So ended up training and rode a shorter 35 mile event. I am amazed how my cycling legs have come back. Making circles is second nature. Now wondering how I can squeeze training/riding in so I can race the 45 masters class next year. Also building a cross bike. I love the competition, don't care if I win or loose... Just Do IT!

Sorry to be so long winded,
Raymond

shinomaster · #71 10-24-2005, 11:16 PM

When I was 17 it was Greg LeMond, Davis Phinny, A young George Hincapie, And then Lance...
Oh yeah...I was a mountain biker back then...John Tomac, Julia Furtado and Ned. I wanted a Yeti.....

sn69 · #72 10-24-2005, 11:54 PM

I was fairly sure I had no chance in hell with Mary Lou, so cycling seemed like a reasonable alternative.

#73 10-25-2005, 07:08 AM

I rode a Schwinn Continental in 1974-76 while in high school until it got ripped off. Then I got into Harleys and didn't touch another bicycle for almost 20 years because they weren't "cool". In about 1994 I got a Specialized Crossroads just for fooling around. In 1997, my brother and I were coming back from a backpacking trip in the Porkies and took a detour on the way home. We were driving near Harbor Springs, MI and found ourselves in the middle of an organized century. It looked like fun. A few weeks later I went to the local road shop and they answered my questions for an hour. I bought a Bianchi Campione. Three years later I upgraded to a Concours. I must be the only person here that never played competitive sports in high school...I had to work.

William · #74 07-12-2006, 03:32 PM

Let's hear from the new folks!

William

Cary Ford · #75 07-12-2006, 03:50 PM

I grew up in a small conservative Missouri town on the Mississippi River, population 30,000. There was one bike shop in town. I was maybe 8 or 9 years old and desperately wanted a Schwinn Chopper - which was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. But against my wishes, my dad instead bought me a Raleigh Record - that 24 inch wheel ten speed that came in British racing green - and 'surprised me' with it on my birthday. I was annoyed, but I think the owner of the shop needed to get rid of it and sold my dad on the fact that it was a bike more suited to an 'older kid' - (ie. I wouldn't outgrow it as fast as the Chopper and, therefore, my dad wouldn't have to buy me another bike anytime soon.)

I reluctanly started riding it and found it to be kind of cool. I had more gears than anyone else in the neighborhood. One thing led to the next, and then a few years, and another, bigger Raleigh later, my best friend and I started riding out into the country roads surrounding my house on 'bike hikes' as we called them. We would go miles without ever seeing a single passing car (how I long for those days - I think i was in 6th grade.)

I started pining for things like panniers and racks and all sorts of 'touring' equipment.

Then one day I was in the bike shop, probably flipping through a catalog for panniers or rear view mirrors that mounted on my glasses, and I met an 'old guy' (he was a 20 year old college student who had just moved to town from St. Louis) wearing a funny yellow hat that said "Campa-something or other" on it and wearing black wool shorts and leather shoes with holes in them and wooden soles. He had in his hand a piece of flimsy newsprint that he showed to me. It was a copy of something called "Velonews."

I looked at the 'magazine' for a moment, then looked up at the old guy.

"You mean people RACE bikes?" I asked.

"They sure do," he responded.

I never looked at a catalog for panniers or racks or mirrors ever again....