Bike Questions

[SkyRider]

I was looking at bikes on the weekend. Saw a bike that had no handbrakes and only one speed. Price was $1,200. Do people actually buy such bikes?

My bike has 18 speeds but I actually use only 2-3. I also have to regularly adjust my gears which is a bit of a nuisance. How many speeds do you use for city riding?

 

[SkyRider]

Personally, I like my 5 speed street cruiser. lol

5 speed is ideal for the city. All the bike shops were really busy on the weekend. The staff had no time to answer questions from curious onlookers like me who didn't appear ready to shell out $1,200 for a 1 speed, no handbrakes bike.

 

[GameBoy27]

I was looking at bikes on the weekend. Saw a bike that had no handbrakes and only one speed. Price was $1,200. Do people actually buy such bikes?

Yes, and anyone who rides a "fixie" in the city with no brakes is an idiot. They're designed for track racing, not city riding. Stupid hipsters!

I have a 21 speed mountain bike but rarely use anything other than the top 7 in the city. I'll use the bottom ones for steep hills on the trails but that's about it. If you just ride in the city, 5-7 speeds is fine.

 

[Viggo Rasmussen]

Fixies are great, I get why people want the absolute minimum of parts on a bike but at least one hand brake would make it safer.

I can't have a bike without fenders and a chainguard, they used to be standard. Just one speed is plenty.
If I had the money I'd get a shaft driven bike with no chain.

 

[staggerspool]

A $1200 fixie is the ultimate statement: I am all for show, please put me out of my misery, just go ahead through your green light as I run this red, and everything will be fine with the world.

 

[staggerspool]

Personally, I have an $900 drop bar road bike, 12 speeds. I grew up on them, my body is shaped around them, a little twitch of the ass and I'm aimed directly at where I want to be.

I had a big tire straight handlebar bike for a while... it had a fat slick front tire which was perfect for dealing with streetcar tracks and broken road surfaces, but I slid on a slick manhole cover, and fell directly on the end of the handlebar - an inch lower and I'm pretty sure it would have gone right in. And it handled with striking imprecision - steer into the corner, wait to see where it's going, steer again, wait to see where it's going, steer again....

luckily it was stolen (I actually saw the guy riding off with it, "Hey, that's the kind of bike I have! With exactly the same added red light on the back... ohoh...." ran to find my flimsy cable in two pieces beside the ring...) so now I'm back with a cheap but precise road bike and a fucking heavy ulock.

 

[staggerspool]

I was looking at bikes on the weekend. Saw a bike that had no handbrakes and only one speed. Price was $1,200. Do people actually buy such bikes?

My bike has 18 speeds but I actually use only 2-3. I also have to regularly adjust my gears which is a bit of a nuisance. How many speeds do you use for city riding?

I keep to the smaller chainring, and run the middle 4 gears at the back. When I started I stayed in the tallest gearing on the thing, then I learned to value my knees...

 

[great bear]

wonder when Blackcrack will chime in about his Segway.

 

[oldjones]

I was looking at bikes on the weekend. Saw a bike that had no handbrakes and only one speed. Price was $1,200. Do people actually buy such bikes?

My bike has 18 speeds but I actually use only 2-3. I also have to regularly adjust my gears which is a bit of a nuisance. How many speeds do you use for city riding?

I guess no one here but me learned to ride on a one speed with a coaster brake. Back then a Raleigh with a Sturmey-Archer three-speed was exotic and all sorts of kids graduated from their CCMs to their first cars without ever even thinking bikes could have gears at all, let alone finicky handbrakes.

Unless serious hills are a frequent and significant part of your cycling routes, changing the gears only switches the muscle/cardio benefits into flexibility benefits, and that coaster brake should be all you need. But you'll find any number of fashionably over-equipped and cheaper 'exotics' before you'll find that basic CCM street bike.

 

[GameBoy27]

I guess no one here but me learned to ride on a one speed with a coaster brake.

There's two of us oj. Although mine was a duomatic 2 speed. A quick reversal of the pedals would change gears. Loved that bike!

 

[sleazure]

could be an old-fashioned cruiser with a coaster brake. those things didn't need handbrakes, but not at that price...
either that or a fixed-gear track bike...at $1200, this seems more likely

 

[Ceiling Cat]

wonder when Blackcrack will chime in about his Segway.

 

[MattRoxx]

I was looking at bikes on the weekend. Saw a bike that had no handbrakes and only one speed. Price was $1,200. Do people actually buy such bikes?

My bike has 18 speeds but I actually use only 2-3. I also have to regularly adjust my gears which is a bit of a nuisance. How many speeds do you use for city riding?

I was looking at escort listings on the weekend. Saw a prostitute that had no promises on service - and not even one picture of her face! Price was $1000 for 2 hours. Do people actually hire such women?!

At least you get to take a bike home and ride it more than one time!

Anyway...$1200 is considered 'entry level' for a well made bike by a name manufacturer. It's easy to spend about that much on a decent set of wheels.

Check out EnduroSport some time if you want to get real sticker shock or want to drop $10,000 on a 2-wheeled vehicle that you still have to pedal to get moving LOL.

http://www.endurosport.com/shop/searchresult.aspx?CategoryID=7

 

[groggy]

Depends on what you want it for.
Downtown a flashy racing bike just calls to Igor to come visit.

But if you're a weekend rider, go for it.

For me I just need a solid bike with a few gears and fat enough tires to get over the streetcar tracks.
Racing downtown is the last thing on my mind.

 

[shakenbake]

I guess no one here but me learned to ride on a one speed with a coaster brake. Back then a Raleigh with a Sturmey-Archer three-speed was exotic and all sorts of kids graduated from their CCMs to their first cars without ever even thinking bikes could have gears at all, let alone finicky handbrakes.

Unless serious hills are a frequent and significant part of your cycling routes, changing the gears only switches the muscle/cardio benefits into flexibility benefits, and that coaster brake should be all you need. But you'll find any number of fashionably over-equipped and cheaper 'exotics' before you'll find that basic CCM street bike.

I still have this bike. No, the one in the picture is not mine, but have one like it from the same era. That is when bikes were bikes.

 

[Viggo Rasmussen]

Anyway...$1200 is considered 'entry level' for a well made bike by a name manufacturer. It's easy to spend about that much on a decent set of wheels.

Yes.
Consider what you get if you spend that much on a car, a piece of crap that you're embarrassed to drive and will probably die on you within a year.
Instead you could have a fine machine that will impress your friends and last a lifetime! :thumb:

 

[GameBoy27]

Yes.
Consider what you get if you spend that much on a car, a piece of crap that you're embarrassed to drive and will probably die on you within a year.
Instead you could have a fine machine that will impress your friends and last a lifetime! :thumb:

You're comparing a $1200 car to a $1200 bike?

 

[SkyRider]

A friend sent me this pic and claims the lady is Toni Johnson of Oasis Aqualounge, can anybody confirm?

 

[fuji]

You do not need multiple speeds for trundling around commuting, but you also do not want a racing bike. One moderate gear is enough if your plan is to get around without breaking a sweat. You certainly do want to have brakes.

If you plan on using the bike for strenuous exercise you would want at least three speeds if not five, so that you can switch between a comfortable no sweat commuting speed, and racing along at your limits for exercise. If you live near steep hills you might also want a very low gear for hill climbing.

 

[JohnHenry]

Back then a Raleigh with a Sturmey-Archer three-speed was exotic

I still have one. It looks like new, is it worth anything?