Motorbikes and pushbikes

**quickbuck** · 3rd December 2007, 19:53

Oh, and as for the motorcycling has stuffed my cycling thing:
Well, personally I must say, I actually use a lot of motorcycling techniques in my cycling. Including counter steering.
The inputs are obviously no where near as big, but check out the photo.

**Mr Skid** · 3rd December 2007, 20:03

Originally Posted by McJim

With cycling you really do get what you pay for. Trick bits of Titanium

Yes, I couldn't agree more.

**madmal64** · 3rd December 2007, 20:03

Go get yourself one of these

I got one a few months back and Im having a blast on it!
I get about on it most weeks and now the weather is getting better Im using it instead of the car or motorcycle to go to the shops or hacking around local as its a shit load quicker to get out and about on and a good laugh too

**Coyote** · 3rd December 2007, 20:22

Originally Posted by madmal64

Go get yourself one of these

I got one a few months back and Im having a blast on it!
I get about on it most weeks and now the weather is getting better Im using it instead of the car or motorcycle to go to the shops or hacking around local as its a shit load quicker to get out and about on and a good laugh too

I saw one at Motorad a whle ago. Looked like a bit of fun. How heavy are they?

**madmal64** · 3rd December 2007, 20:26

Bloody heavy for a pushie!
29kgs! Still once its rolling thats not a problem

**gijoe1313** · 3rd December 2007, 20:28

Funny how you guys started talking about pushies, I just got back from riding my MTB just now!

I'm knackered! Just went to the servo to pump the tires up, rode around the block a couple of times and I'm drenched in sweat!

Blardy unfit I be, well as part of a stupid challenge with zeocen, we're doing a 12 week punish yourself course!

Had fun, leaping over curbs, riding across grass, wheezing uphill and watching a road bike lap me in the opposite direction!

now for the press-ups and sit-ups

**homer** · 3rd December 2007, 20:35

Originally Posted by Mikkel

So I dropped off the cage at the panel beater this morning to get some rust fixed. I'd been a clever bastard and brought my push bike along thinking that it would be a pleasant way to get to the university... it's less than 10 kms and it's flat. All good.

Think again!

I haven't been on the pushbike for just about half a year and in the mean time I've taken up motorcycling and have done about 4,000 kms on the ZXR over the last two and a half months.
I don't think I've ever tried anything quite as awkward as getting back on my pushbike. I used to bike a lot and were both confident and comfortable on the thing. But not today - I felt an utter lack of stability and braking power. While I overtook other cyclists I still felt as if I was effectively sitting still...
Am not looking forward to getting back on it to pick up the car on thursday! And I'm sure going to take the bus home today.

Hi ya
yeah i know exactly what you mean .
to unfit now as well
last time i rode the pushy was to get across town to go on the piss
Near had a heart attack .

good by to them days
have to catch up a
not on a pushy

**bungbung** · 4th December 2007, 07:34

Originally Posted by quickbuck

Two ring crank set YES! If it has a compact (36/50) on it, don't worry.

What is the problem with triples? (aside from the chain angle on the small-small and the big-big gears, which overlap with the middle ring anyway)

**MisterD** · 4th December 2007, 07:41

Originally Posted by slopster

I'm calling BS on that one. Only the best sprinters in the world could do that and only on a velodrome. 103kmh drafting a suv downhill is quite realistic though.

Actually, I think you'll find that velodrome speeds are less than the peak sprinting speeds the roadies achieve, because they're not drafting in bunches. 75kph+ would be a typical final burst from someone like Robbie McEwan.

Trackies will sustain higher averages though, the world Kilometer record is around 1 minute from a standing start!

**Angusdog** · 4th December 2007, 08:07

I love my MTB. If the opportunity arises, and it does a couple of times a week minimum, I commute on the MTB and ride home the long way - from the CBD to Highbury, Sanctuary fence to the Windmill and round to Wrights Hill and down to the Scout Hall. If you're a Wgtn MTBer, that all should sound familiar. It's a 90 minute workout, ad the best therapy for anything, especially on a nice day when you can see the Rimutakas, the South Island and all over the city.

If you haven't been on a bike for years, it will take a few rides to get back into it, but it is well worth it. I'm lucky enough to live in Karori so five minute's ride from Makara Peak MTB park - kilometres and kilometres of single track goodness, with loads more around.

**vifferman** · 4th December 2007, 08:20

Originally Posted by xerxesdaphat

A girl waiting outside Onehunga Highschool looked very concerned that I might expire.

She was probably eyeing up your meagre posessions with a view to flogging them off for lollies/drugs, and anxious that you might not expire.

Or mebbe it was your carbon she was after: "Someday you will die somehow, and something's gonna steal your carbon..."

**Finn** · 4th December 2007, 08:33

Push bikes are for fags.

Last Saturday, I went for a quick ride in the morning down South. After enduring 5 - 6 bouts of pointless roadworks, I stumbled upon and endless stream of fag Armstrong wannabies competing in a fag cycle race. I slowed down a bit but still got the old fag wave to slow down even further which I refused to do. Came around one corner and there was a fag lying on the ground crying for his mummy. There were no cars involved so I presumed one of his fag mates gave him the nudge. One down, 300 to go I thought.

My point is this: If you want to get fit, do it in your own time in a fag gym like Les Mills. The roads are cluttered enough without a bunch of wax fagged pansies blocking it.

**90s** · 4th December 2007, 08:57

Originally Posted by jrandom

I disagree; I think the key with road bikes is that they are ultra sensitive to setup. A millimetre here or there in bar and seat height and rotation makes the difference between agony and comfort over hours in the saddle. Once you find the perfect fit for you (and it's a very personal thing) a road bike just becomes an extension of your body.

And, yes, Coyote - get a proper road bike if you can afford one. Point to point on the road, you will average something around one and a half times the speed that you can do on an MTB, and there's nothing quite like standing up on a hillclimb on the road and blasting past MTBs at 20kph when they're having trouble maintaining 10.

(Yes, I'm a wanker.)

What's your budget likely to be?

My Cu framed giant mountain bike with 1" specialized fat boys on kills road bikes in the big hills - and the XT triple ring (44 front, cassette with bail-out 34 teeth) and loses out suprisingly little on the flat.
Having said that I am getting used to a small-cassette dual chainring on my roadbike (sadly only sora level) doing Scenic drive every weekend. When it comes to the flats its 52 teeth and lighter weight really give it the edge.
For cummuting its a bit of a toss-up between the 2 really - bit more comfort and control (+ disc brakes) on the mtn vs the faster cruising of the road.

There is an interesting debate here as every so often there are cycling threads about - the "dorky helmet" one went that way for example.

I truly believe that to be the best 'driver' you can and really understand the road you need to see it from a car, motorbike and cycle. I have spent years commuting through London and Auckland on cycles and motorbikes and learnt a lot on each.

And you really understand the mentality of cagers when you get things thrown at you on a cycle - thanks to the car load of surfers who threw a can of tui at me last weekend on Scenic drive.

**MisterD** · 4th December 2007, 09:02

Originally Posted by Finn

Push bikes are for fags.

My point is this: If you want to get fit, do it in your own time in a fag gym like Les Mills. The roads are cluttered enough without a bunch of wax fagged pansies blocking it.

Originally Posted by The Big bad Troll

Who's that clip-clopping on my bridge?

+ ten whotsits