Today I went back out to try another 20 miler on my XC mountain bike after using the tips y'all gave me. I was around 2.3 km short of a 20 miler, so a little more than a mile, but that doesn't matter too much.

Tips I tried:

• Aired up my tires by 10-15 PSI (Now at 50 in the front, 55 in the back.
• Fixed my handlebar sweep (I had installed them backwards before...what can I say, it was my first time building a bicycle 😅)
• Focused more on cadence than easier peddling - I.E instead of going to a low gear up a large hill and tiring my legs out by spinning, I kept it in a higher gear, pushing my cadence down a bit, but both getting me up the hill faster, and keeping my HR down.
• rode on the road more as opposed to the sidewalks to avoid potholes and obstacles.

Things to consider:

• I paused my smartwatch on stop lights, water breaks, pedestrian stop lights, and while I ate a snack.
• There were three rather large hills on this route I took and one pretty steady climb upwards. The last two of these hills would have been impossible for me to climb, as they were almost a kilometer long and just too steep, so I put my smart watch on pause for these hills as well.

Things I'm planning to do in the near future:

• going to buy myself some semi-slick tires: specifically, the Kenda K908. They seem to be a decent budget option, but if y'all have any other suggestions, I'd be open to hearing them!

Anyway, now for my results.

I don't know if these stats are more in line with what everyone else is getting, considering I paused on stop lights and 2 hills, but I would say I'm perfectly happy with a result like this.

Thank you so much to everyone who gave advice and help!

I want to begin riding bikes more for exercise and ultimately to commute to work.

Unfortunately I'm overweight and very out of shape. Work is about 20 miles away, along busy highways with big shoulders but moderate traffic. About 55 mph is the speed limit.

I'm trepidatious about obviously getting hit, but also I don't think I'd be able to go the whole way right off the bat. I'll train some first.

I'm thinking some kind of ebike like a Specialized Tero 3.0 but don't know. The shoulders can be pretty tricky/ gravelly so I was shying away from road bikes with thinner tires. I was leaning ebike because I think they're cool/fun, help me better keep up speed, and will ultimately help keep me motivated.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Today I did my first 20 mile (33km) ride on my hardtail XC bike. I learned how to ride a bike about 1.5 months ago, but I've been riding pretty consistently since I learned. I ride exclusively in the city, it's a very walkable city, but the paths aren't always the best. I did 33km in 2 hours 53 minutes, not including breaks for water or to eat.

I see people saying that 10MP/H (16KM/H) average is a good average to shoot for, but i can't even get my average above 7.1MPH (11.5KM/H), even on shorter rides. What am I doing wrong here? How are people going so freaking fast on bikes in cities?

So i bought this older Trek Marlin 7 a while back for cheap and it seems pretty decent. I'm guessing it's a first-gen as it's 3x and externally routed. The newer ones seem to be 1x and internally routed.
Since I've actually been riding it the question now is... Should i upgrade this bike or upgrade bikes? 🤔

Remove the mud guards and it might be a go!

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/40443230

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/40329475

I am a road cyclist, and I intend on getting a new bike soon. I'd like to use it to zoom around town for fun like I already do on my road bike, but I also want to be able to commute with it. As such, I'd like it to be able to handle light grass and dirt when I need to (no mud, gravel, excessive drops, etc). I've been thinking about a gravel or cross bike, but they're just not quite "zoomy" enough for me; I like more aggressive geometry and a nice, aero frame. Additionally, there has been a growing trend for thicker tires on road bikes, so a modern road bike should be able to fit cross tires. Should I just get a new road bike and throw some 33mm cross tires on it? Or should I suck it up and get a cross/gravel bike that's actually designed for dirt? On one hand I want to zoom and won't be on dirt/grass all that much, but on the other I don't want to ruin an expensive bike by taking it off-road when I shouldn't. Help a brother out.

I took yesterday off work to hit a new spot! It was hot, dry, rugged, and awesome.

Here in Indy there's a huge bike ride on the second Friday of every month called Bike Party.
I've been going for a little while now and it's always a great time! I think the last ride had like 600+ in attendance.
It's definitely a chill party cruise and not a cycling "group ride".

Btw, i'm the one on the bike in the picture. 👌

Source

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/39423488

Last summer the LBS gave me this old Rodriguez that was part of a batch of bikes they got from an estate sale. I just "completed" it yesterday. Even in its neglected state, it felt soooo good. Also, since it was from the original era of Rodriguez, it merits all the love.

How I got it:

The original TA 50.4 BCD crank was ruined because it was over-torqued to the point of rubbing the frame. Not the biggest issue since 50.4 chainring selection has been problematic for decades.

I stripped it down, cleaned it thoroughly, touched up the paint dings, and put clear film on all the wear points. I'm not a fan of blue on bicycles, but this metal flake blue really grabs me.

The handcut lugs and brazed cable guides are also a pretty detail.

Upgrades:

• VO fluted triple crankset, 165mm
• VO 124mm cartridge bottom bracket (holy hell, this took me months to find; of course, now they're back in stock :D )
• VO Enterprise wheelset, 27inch, 126mm rear OLD
• Pasela Pro-Tite tires, 27x1 1/4 (meh)
• VO first gen quill stem, 100mm, NOS
• Nitto Noodle 177 bars, 46cm, NOS, traded some IT work with the LBS for these
• Shimano BR400 brake levers, NOS (although I recently found out these are still in production!)
• 14-30 custom, rebuildable freewheel traded from the LBS retrogrouch in exchange for homemade peppermint patties :D
• VO clear braided stainless brake and shifter cables
• Forager Cycles cable cherries (highly suggested farkle for all your bikes! They make cable adjustments much easier away from the workbench.)

What I kept:

• Suntour Honor rear derailleur - not the prettiest, but a total workhorse and will last until the heat death of the universe
• Huret front derailleur
• Campagnolo Record downtube shifters
• Suntour Superbe sidepull brakes
• Specialized cartridge headset
• SR Laprade seatpost (but it needs a polishing)

What I'm going to change:

• 700C wheels - there's plenty of room on the brake arms to move the pads down; the switch to 700C will vastly improve my tire selection and give me room to add...
• Full coverage fenders, probably VO smooth
• Tubus Fly stainless racks, front and rear
• That bar tape was not my best wrapping job and the tape itself doesn't impress me; probably gonna go with Lizard Skins DSP or Supacaz Super Sticky Kush

Part of the fun of these old bikes is the by-hook-or-by-crook refurbishing journey. The networking and human connection involved in bringing this bike to its rideable state... it absolutely took a village. I found fellow retrogrouches in my small city. I helped the LBS resolve a bunch of their computer network problems. Old components that were languishing in a box got a new life on a bike that will be ridden. Seeing this in the sun, feeling it on the pavement, all that frustration turns to joy.

Special callout to Classic Cycle in Bainbridge Island WA USA: (https://classiccycleus.com/museum/bikes/). They are a seriously cool museum bike shop. They have encyclopedic knowledge and a ridiculous NOS parts selection. For being such a tiny shop, it's absolutely worth the trip. Be sure to say hi to Tullio, the friendly chill shop kitty.

God damnit, that was an expensive ride.

Now I’m trying to find one identical to this so I can use it for parts. I just hope this isn’t a common issue with this frame and that I just got unlucky with mine.

Would’ve been an easy fix if the frame were steel - but from what I understand, welding isn’t really an option with these alloy frames.

Been having a blast living car-free with my Jones SWB, embracing the low-tire-pressure lifestyle. Also, hello lemmy / fedi bikers!

My own city, which is not Indianapolis, has a few sections of trail that locals tend to avoid because they're congested with homeless camps and while I've never had an issue, there is a perception of danger and it doesn't make for a relaxing ride. I go in the day and in a group, but not alone at night.

I am planning a daytime ride in Indianapolis along the Monon Trail from Carmel to Downtown, then circling back using the White River. Are there any sketchy or outright dangerous sections of trail I should know about?

The city glows bright red on crime maps, but so does almost every downtown in every US city over 500,000 people.

I've looked at what's available online. A lot of what I could find was either generalized or dated so I'm still looking for additional perspectives.

Grant Petersen designed #BridgestoneRB-1 (1989 in this case) has been a grail bike frame of mine for years.

This beauty showed up at a swap meet this weekend, and was complete and in great working order. Took it home for $250.

I have a full set of 11s 105 that’s going to make its way onto the bike, and I’ll keep the Suntour GTX components safe for the originalists out there.