[CrackMonkey] FW: Greetings friends of Eazel!]

[Deirdre Saoirse]

On Fri, 25 Feb 2000, Monkey Master wrote:

> The suspension does matter, especially when you're hopping off of curbs
> and rattling across embedded train tracks.

Agreed.

> I actually wore out my wrists using the stupid rotary shifting
> mechanism on my old bike, though, and now I've got tendonitis.  I
> probably could have healed if I had stopped typing, but I really
> didn't notice it until too late.

Damn, I hate those rotary shifters. Ick. Mine has two dials -- left is for
the front (3 gears),  right is for the rear (9 gears).

> The big complaint against mountain bikes is that it is hard
> to find a good one.  Too many people buy them because they can't
> balance while leaning forward, and so many mountain bikes turn out to
> be cheap pieces of shit.  Leaning forward even just a little bit
> improves your efficiency while riding, especially on slight inclines.

I can balance while leaning forward, but I can't handle that much weight
on my hands all the time.

My bike may be a piece of shit (this remains to be argued),  but it
certainly isn't a cheap one.

> 	I recall an old dilbert from back when it was funny:
> 
> 	1. Problem: bicycle seats are uncomfortable.
> 	2. Engineer's diagnosis: there is something wrong with your
> pants.
> 	3. Engineer's solution: wear dorky spandex pants.

Heh, well, that does solve some of the issues (friction and bunching)
though.

> 	I really wouldn't ride anything nowadays except for a
> recumbent, and I cannot justify the costs.  Leaning back gives you
> the same benefits as leaning forward, and a lateral motion for
> pedaling allows you to get a benefit from eliptical pedal gears.

I found that the recumbent bikes I have been around (of the exercise
flavor) actually stressed my lower back (one of my worst areas) worse
because of the angle.

> Shocks are nice.  Off-road biking is nice.  Road bikes are
> VERY GOOD at what they do.  Recumbents are EXTREMELY good at what road
> bikes do.

I don't like how low recumbent bikes are. Also, I looked for a bike
company that really (imho) led the way with bicycle design. I think I knew
about five minutes after I saw one that I wanted a Cannondale. I'm sure
Rick knew it was inevitable at that time.

Also, it doesn't seem like recumbents would be practical over many types
of terrain; they mostly seem appropriate for long, flat stretches.

-- 
_Deirdre   *   http://www.linuxcabal.net   *   http://www.deirdre.net
"That doesn't make sense in any meaning of 'sense' with which I'm
familiar"
                                     -- Aaron Malone <aaron at semo.net>