Motorbikes and pushbikes

[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.

[jrandom]

I still like riding my Trek on the road (alloy frame, Shimano Ultegra all round, Mavic Aksium wheelset). It's a different buzz to motorcycling; the fun derives from the exertion and the feeling of moving under your own power, conquering the hills, driving yourself to your physical limits.

I'll be doing a few endurance road races in 2008 to keep my hand in. Nothing too serious, but it's a great sport, even though I'm not that shit hot at it.

[gijoe1313]

I've got a big ol'MTB, used to cruise out to Clevedon/country bits and all parts of Auckland on it (at night) ... haven't used it in a long while (hmm that co-incided when I got my motorbikes! )

Guess I'll have to make the time to get it out again! So, does KB have a bicycle section? "Kiwi Bicycler ... a site for all New Zealand pedal power bikers"

[MisterD]

Guess I'll have to make the time to get it out again! So, does KB have a bicycle section? "Kiwi Bicycler ... a site for all New Zealand pedal power bikers"

That'll be vorb you're thinking of....

Where's all the usual KB cyclist-bashers gone? We can re-tread all that stuff about bunches of cyclists not obeying road rules or paying rego.

If I can pop over to the 3rd for a moment...MisterD did Taupo in 5hrs 33mins and is over the moon for the lads, Brian.

[jrandom]

MisterD did Taupo in 5hrs 33mins...

What a wannabe pro racer auw!

An excellent time, sir. Well done. Any photos from the day you'd care to share?

[Coyote]

How fast are road push bikes? Are they any easier to ride than a mountain bike? I imagine so with the thinner wheels but I've never ridden one myself. I'm pretty keen on getting one if they are that much better for when the VFR breaks down. Would be looking at going 30km at times on relatively flat ground (Upper Hutt to Petone), would that be hard to do? Not that fit but that's also why I'd like to get a proper bike (only got an old BMX and cheap Mountain bike, both with broken cranks).

[xwhatsit]

Heh. Not long ago I was doing the fork seals on my bike (my only transport). Got halfway through -- forks in a million bits, front end of the bike scattered around my garage, and then realised that I couldn't get the fork seals out (these forks are the kind where the seals stay in the legs after you pull the stanchions out). Not a big enough screwdriver for leverage -- and not big enough muscles!

No problem. I'll just chuck the fork legs in my backpack and push-bike-ride 10kms over the old Mangere Bridge to my Uncle's house in Onehunga.

Well first of all the tyres were flat. 1km to the petrol station to fill them up. Get to the start of the bridge and the wind is in my face the whole way. By the time I get into Onehunga I'm completely shagged out -- but no time for that, I've got to get up Pleasant St somehow (that's a seriously steep road, or at least seems that way). Eventually had to get off the bike and push. A girl waiting outside Onehunga Highschool looked very concerned that I might expire.

Anyway, get to Uncle's house, he whacks the seals out in 30 seconds, get back on my bike. Get to the steep part of Pleasant St and begin to shit myself. Never realised before how very fucking dangerous these are! Worse brakes than the CB, no suspension, twitchy as all hell, no engine braking... gahhhh... I let the speed creep up to 40kph or so and then tried to stop before the intersection but it was cutting it pretty fine.

Interestingly enough, when I went back over the bridge it would seem the wind had turned around and was in my face again

Scary machines those. Don't know how I got through my school days without ending up in hospital

[bungbung]

Road bikes are much faster than mountain bikes for the same amount of effort.
My commute is 16km (hutt - thorndon) and takes about 30min on my road bike. On the mtb (with knobs) another 6-8min.

If you want to be able to ride off road, just get slicks for your mtb.
A mtb is much more comfortable to ride.

[MisterD]

How fast are road push bikes? Are they any easier to ride than a mountain bike?

Depends on the motor, doesn't it...I average about 27kph on my own, 30-35 in a bunch and max out at about 65 on the flat (sprinting)

[jrandom]

A mtb is much more comfortable to ride.

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?

[Coyote]

Road bikes are much faster than mountain bikes for the same amount of effort.
My commute is 16km (hutt - thorndon) and takes about 30min on my road bike. On the mtb (with knobs) another 6-8min.

If you want to be able to ride off road, just get slicks for your mtb.
A mtb is much more comfortable to ride.

So much is broken on my mtb that it'll be easier (and probably cheaper) to start again, and i have a tendancy with projects to leave them linger.

I'll look for cheapies on trademe. Any brands or features to look out for?

[xwhatsit]

I'll look for cheapies on trademe. Any brands or features to look out for?

I believe Puch make small two-stroke bolt-on engines.

[Mikkel]

Hmmm, my point was more that it appeared to me that riding a motorcycle has fucked my pushbike habits... It just felt all wrong.

[Coyote]

Depends on the motor, doesn't it...I average about 27kph on my own, 30-35 in a bunch and max out at about 65 on the flat (sprinting)

That's quicker than I imagined. Sweeeet

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?

That's good to know. Since the ride is going to take an hour, would be good to do it in comfort

As I said above, I'd be looking at 'cheapies'. I did have $500, but a new rear tyre and my mates egging me into going to the A1GP took that away. Don't have much now, but I'll continue getting more to spend. Looking at around $300 I'm guessing

[MisterD]

So much is broken on my mtb that it'll be easier (and probably cheaper) to start again, and i have a tendancy with projects to leave them linger.

Oh man, you gotta go singlespeed. It forces you to think about lines through corners and carrying speed, I guarantee it'll improve your motorbike handling...