Author Topic: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?  (Read 12936 times)

Melody

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #50 on: August 22, 2016, 08:17:08 AM »
Oh, and buy a compressor!!! Hand pumping bike tires sucks and you can do your car at the same time meaning that you do both more often meaning you enjoy cycling  more and will get better fuel economy  100% of the time

I actually keep my bike pump in the trunk and have used it on occasion
to top off my car tires (and sometime other owner's tires).

While the process for pumping up a car tire is time-consuming, it's never
taken me more than a minute to fully inflate a bicycle tire.
I am clearly weak!!! It takes me ages to pump a bike tyre and i can never get it to the right hardness. Oh well, bad ass cycle commuter in every other way!! Dresses, stack heels and the like :)

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Rubic

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #51 on: August 22, 2016, 08:48:18 AM »
I am clearly weak!!! It takes me ages to pump a bike tyre and i can never get it to the right hardness. Oh well, bad ass cycle commuter in every other way!! Dresses, stack heels and the like :)

It may not be you, it may be your bike pump.  I doubt if I have that much
physical advantage over you. ;-)

Nothlit

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #52 on: August 22, 2016, 08:57:12 AM »
Keep your mouth shut. Inhaling bugs is not fun.

I also bought clear glasses for riding at night - cold wind and bugs make some sort of eye protection a necessity no matter the time of day, and wearing tinted sunglasses after dark seemed like not a great idea.

Melody

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #53 on: August 22, 2016, 08:59:18 AM »
Ha ha, thanks for the ego boost rubric! I dunno tho... if you really do ride a unicycle you must have some great core muscles!!!

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Melody

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #54 on: August 22, 2016, 09:00:41 AM »
Keep your mouth shut. Inhaling bugs is not fun.

I also bought clear glasses for riding at night - cold wind and bugs make some sort of eye protection a necessity no matter the time of day, and wearing tinted sunglasses after dark seemed like not a great idea.
Your area must be super buggy!! This has never been a problem for me... glad you found a solution

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Nothlit

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #55 on: August 22, 2016, 09:05:35 AM »
Keep your mouth shut. Inhaling bugs is not fun.

I also bought clear glasses for riding at night - cold wind and bugs make some sort of eye protection a necessity no matter the time of day, and wearing tinted sunglasses after dark seemed like not a great idea.
Your area must be super buggy!! This has never been a problem for me... glad you found a solution

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It's probably not as bad as I made it sound, but ever since accidentally swallowing one bug, it has made me paranoid and I seem to notice them more. The clear glasses were really more for protection from cold wind during the cooler months, which would make my eyes water without some sort of protection.

Rubic

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #56 on: August 22, 2016, 09:07:26 AM »
Ha ha, thanks for the ego boost rubric! I dunno tho... if you really do ride a unicycle you must have some great core muscles!!!

Yep, that's me on a 36" Coker unicycle.  Muscles are just average, I'm afraid.

GuitarStv

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #57 on: August 22, 2016, 09:24:48 AM »
Keep your mouth shut. Inhaling bugs is not fun.

I also bought clear glasses for riding at night - cold wind and bugs make some sort of eye protection a necessity no matter the time of day, and wearing tinted sunglasses after dark seemed like not a great idea.
Your area must be super buggy!! This has never been a problem for me... glad you found a solution

Sent from my SM-G900K using Tapatalk

It's probably not as bad as I made it sound, but ever since accidentally swallowing one bug, it has made me paranoid and I seem to notice them more. The clear glasses were really more for protection from cold wind during the cooler months, which would make my eyes water without some sort of protection.

Eating them isn't too bad.  I will accumulate several dozen bugs on each limb when cycling near dusk in the spring and fall here.  They seem to get stuck in your sweat and then wriggle around.  That ranks high on my grossometer.

cacaoheart

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #58 on: August 22, 2016, 06:16:05 PM »

I am clearly weak!!! It takes me ages to pump a bike tyre and i can never get it to the right hardness. Oh well, bad ass cycle commuter in every other way!! Dresses, stack heels and the like :)

As Rubic suggested, it's likely the pump. I use a Topeak Mountain Morph pump which is a handheld/portable pump that functions as a small floor pump with a pressure gauge. It has a flexible hose and fold down foot pad so I can stabilize it with my foot and pump with much more ease and force using both hands to press down than I've experienced with pumps that can't be braced against the floor.

woodnut

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #59 on: August 22, 2016, 08:01:48 PM »
I've been biking to work 1 day a week for the past 2 months.  I've learned I no longer support Colorado's legal weed law.  Was passed by a car today with a uniquely identifiable odor emanating from it.  This is the second time this has happened in the past 2 months.  Hopefully they were both the passengers and not the drivers.

I also learned a 32 mile round trip to work on your bike is the best sleep aid.

tacosandbeer

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Re: What did you learn AFTER you began biking (at all, or more/regularly)?
« Reply #60 on: August 23, 2016, 07:41:31 AM »
My contribution:

  • Be careful at 4-way stops during commute times. Drivers are distracted. I almost got hit by a distracted driver who coasted through the stop sign.
  • Pay attention to the sun and how it affects the drivers' ability to see you.
  • Own the road. If you are riding on a road without bike lanes, ride in the middle of the lane. Obey all traffic rules!
  • Panniers are better backpacks.
  • Burn front and back lights no matter the time of day.
  • Small hand pumps aren't worth a $@!& outside of emergency (flat tire,  etc).

I bike to my office every day since December 2015. All of my stuff is about safety, I guess. :)