This is topic Eddie, I Challenge Thee! in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Lalo, if you don't get on that bike SOON we won't see you at KamaCon

http://www.psgd.org/bike/country.html this guy actualy knew what he was doing, and has a good route, even if it wasn't quite the route you planned. Going up farther into Washington State will make your route far longer (500-1000 miles more). He averaged 73 miles per day.

He didn't hit Chicago. Assuming you keep as rigorous schedule as he did and actually used his route other than an extra two days into Chicago (which I think is optimistic, given your cycling expericence though he did have some rest days) You are looking at between 37-40 days to make it to Chicago. IF you take the same route. If you decide to go farther out of your way, it will take you probably 55-58 days to get here.

There are 31 days in July. We have 15 more days in June. Kama Con starts the 13th of August. That is exactly 59 days.

I don't think you can make it. I think you are all talk, and a smart alec punkass kid who isn't gonna make it.

Prove me wrong.

AJ
 
Posted by jebus202 (Member # 2524) on :
 
Thems sound like fightin' words, Eddie.
 
Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
 
You're not going to let a woman talk smack like that, are you?

Or are you everything she claims?
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
If you don't start in five days, I give you 5% odds of making it to Chicago on your bike, if you leave tomorrow I give you 30% odds. If you don't start within 10 days I give you .05%. Good luck.

[EDIT: Assuming the longer route]

Hobbes [Smile]

[ June 15, 2004, 02:06 PM: Message edited by: Hobbes ]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Hobbes I don't think he HAS a bike he can ride yet. I've talked to him for hours and hours on IM trying to help him out and there's always some excuse why he can't get his butt to the bike store. I'm fed up.

And because speed is now becoming a huge factor, I've recanted my mtn bike reccommendation and definitely endorse a road bike.

AJ

[ June 15, 2004, 02:07 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Well at least one good thing has come of this. [Wink]

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by peter the bookie (Member # 3270) on :
 
I lay the odds, tiger boy. And I pay out in spankings.

[Wave] [Cool]

^ us if eddie makes it.
 
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
 
I'll put it this way: if Eddie can make it to KamaCon on his bike, I'll pay his portion of the room fee.

---

That said, if Eddie's actually interested in doing this some time, he could do worse than check out the tour to which you've linked. $4000 for a fully-escorted, three-month-long tour is not unreasonable.
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Hmm. Crap. I'm still training for the damn thing.

Tomorrow I'm doing a 120 mile trip, possibly extended to a 160 mile ride. Last Saturday I did a 60 mile ride. I figure with a few days of these 120s, I'll be set to conquer the world within a week.

Hope to see you there, dude.

Crap, I really am running out of time.
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
Yes you are. Did you get a bike yet?
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
And heh. Thanks, Tom, I'm now gonna make it just to spite your claim. And to get out of the fee.

And $4000's way out of my budget. I don't need an escort -- all I need is, crap, to get the tent/bag/bike and get my ass out the door. The excuse I gave AJ's still unfortunately valid, though, and I'm still kinda screwed for the next couple days.

Hmm.

I'll see if I can make things happen anyway.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Eddie boy, you need to forget the "training" you are going to have to ride yourself into shape on the way or it ain't gonna happen. You need to at this point BUY THE DAMN BIKE, pack everything up and GO. Even if you only go 30 miles a day it gets you that much closer to here. Plus if you made it to Iowa you just might be able to catch a ride with Dana the rest of the way in.

AJ
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Er. Heh. No.

It's in the works! I still have a road bike, though, which while too brittle to handle touring, is decent for training.
 
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
 
"Thanks, Tom, I'm now gonna make it just to spite your claim. And to get out of the fee."

That was kind of my hope. If a couple hundred bucks didn't motivate you, I wasn't sure what would.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
and I'd seriously consider the dude's route that I linked to. He's got excellent day by day maps, and it is SHORTER.

AJ
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Pff. Catch a ride? Catching rides is for mortals.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
See, still giving excuses...
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
She's right. Train on the way. Like jogging before you start a run. Goooooooooo.

What's your route, anyway? How close will you get to me? I might be able to ride with you for a day or two or three.
 
Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :
 
On the other hand, those mortals get from point A from point B. You, on the other hand, can't even get your lazy, afraid-of-failure ass out the front door.
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
Hell, I could start a trip sooner than Lalo.
 
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
 
I've decided that if I ever resolve to go back to school and complete my degree, I'll mention it here on Hatrack first so that you guys will shame me into actually doing it. [Smile]
 
Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
 
Bobble's so sexy when he talks trash. Maybe you don't need to make it, Eddie. Maybe I'll have my hands full.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
And I'd believe you'd actually make it here Mack. I think you've got more stubborness and grit than Lalo.

AJ
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Problem is Tom, I don't think Eddie has a sense of shame.

AJ
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
HA! Hear that Lalo?!
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Even guys who ride the Tour de France specifically aren't at peak when the Tour starts, they normally aim for around the middle. Besides which, as AJ says, it doesn't matter if you aren't in shape, switch your training rides into going somewhere rides, and then you can train and get closer to Chicago.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Celia I agree [Wink]

AJ
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Hobbes you are 100% correct. But Eddie's so clueless I'm not sure it's worth cluing him in on that point.

AJ
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
One of my magazines this week came with a pull-out poster of Lance Armstrong. [Big Grin]
 
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
 
Once you've got a man down, Anna, you don't kick 'im in the fork. Let up a bit. [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Yeah my coworker gave me that poster, it's up in my office now. And on my screen background I've got a picture of Tyler and Lance riding together.

(Insert another approriate cutting and sarcastic remark about Lalo here)

AJ
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
You know, I don't think Lalo can ever be DOWN.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
The other question is does he actually possess a fork?

[Wink]

AJ
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
And Tom I already offered a steak dinner on me if he does make it. So I'm done with the "carrot", we are moving to the "stick" phase posthaste.

AJ
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Lalo, here is your schedual:

Today: pick your route, figure out where your going and along what roads, and find milages between as many points as you can. Do something thinking as to how to break it up (keep the fact that you'll be going much slower on mountains/hills than on flat).

Tomorrow: Go get your equipment. Head down to your bike store of choice, talk the sales guy for a long time, make sure you find a good one, because a bike salesmen is a vital part of the bike you're buying. Get the bike and whatever equipment you need there (be sure to consult the salesman about the equipment as well as the bike, as why there are price differences, what you're getting and what they suggest for touring). Go to a mountaineering store, or whatever you feel is appropriate for the rest. Spend the rest of the spare day finalizing your route. Pick destinations for each day, and print out maps, maps maps. It's key you know where you're going.

Day after tomorrow get everything together, go over your route, validate, check things out (your bike, your route, whever you plan on staying). Tell someone what your route is so if something happens, at least someone else knows where you are. Take your fully loaded bike out for a short trip and fix whatever needs fixing.

Next day: leave.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Ouch...

Yikes, okay, geek. I'll be gone by the end of the weekend. I hope. Once I get started, I figure I'll just have to do more and do it faster. I'll get to Chicago. Though I'm starting to lack in motivation, despite Celia's offer of keeping her hands full...
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Lalo you AREN'T going to be able to go much faster than that dude I linked to at the top went. He made decent time (he said he was averaging 13-15mph which is faster than I can ride). You are gonna go SLOWER for at least the first week and a half to two weeks. After that, maybe you will be able to hustle more. But don't make your expectations unrealistic. If you take the shorter route I linked to and leave by Saturday, I think you have at least an even shot at making it. Any later than that and your odds go down to under 25%.

AJ

[ June 15, 2004, 02:33 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
If he takes that route, I might be able to do the NH bit with him.
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
quote:
Though I'm starting to lack in motivation
Don't you dare crap out...
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
And I forgot to add at least three days on for getting from LA to San Francisco, maybe four.

AJ
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Never ever. I don't know the meaning of the word fail! Nor do I understand "circumference" or "hyperbole," cuz I had an American ejukashun.
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Hey, but really, AJ, I just might take that guy's route -- but what a wuss HE is. 60-70 miles a day? Ha! I laugh at his overweight middle-aged ass.

And that's what I'll keep telling myself as I'm cramping and dying on my bike. A middle-aged fat man could do this, a middle-aged fat man could do this...
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Hobbes timeline is excellent. For the route: Google US bike touring and coast to coast cycling and a bunch of other stuff like that, that was how I found that route I mentioned above.

AJ
 
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
If he goes the route the same as the group you linked to in your first post in this thread, AJ, then he will go VERY close by my house.

I'll hitch a skateboard to the back and have him pull me along to Chicago. I might be able to afford it that way...

Farmgirl
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
1) Lalo, you've been offered free roam and board, a free steak dinner, and tons of respect by Hatrackers, what counts as motivation for you?

2) You'll get in shape doing this, and you'll become mroe used to it and go a little faster, but remember, you'll also begin to wear out, don't expect to accelerate all the way to the end.

3) On a 70 mile trip I did with my Dad we averaged abuot 18 miles an hour. I was on a very, very nice road bike with nothing on it besides a few tools, a pump and some water and I wasn't going to have to ride again the next day. You'll be going way slower than that, you're taking tons of stuff, you'll be on a worse bike (I garuntee that, sorry but we put a lot of money into my bike) and you'll have to do it every day. Not to mention that I've been training harder than you have, which is not a good sign, seeing as I'm not planning on riding across the country. [Razz]

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
http://briandesousa.com/bicycling/info/statemaps.htm
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Actually one day for every hour-hour and a half by car, is a pretty decent rule of thumb. Take comfort in that you will still be travelling faster than the pioneers.

AJ
 
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
If you hit the plains (Nebraska or Kansas) please be prepared for the summer winds. Many cross-country cyclists really aren't prepared for that, even though they think they are.

We just had Bike Across Kansas recently, and I talked to some of the riders -- they were complaining about having to ride leaned over at a 45-degree angle due to the wind -- then they would pass a windbreak and fall over! (couldn't correct fast enough). And they are FROM here. So it might slow you down some...

Farmgirl
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
http://www.bikelib.org/trails/git/index.htm
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Don't wear yourself out the first few days, go slowly and don't go for longer than is really necessary. If you feel, after 4 days or so, that you could do more, push it up a litt, ebut never too much at a time. If you screw up once and push too hard it could set you back days.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
For rule of thumb, fully loaded

I would expect that you will average 6-7mph to begin with, then as you ride yourself in to shape probably around 8-10mph. With a good tailwind, you will probably get up to around 15mph. Fighting the wind you'll go back down to 6-7mph.

AJ
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Luckily for you, most of the wind will be tail wind since your going West. Watch out for cross-winds, if it gets really bad just wait it out (if it looks like you can), same goes for rain. And take my advice from the other thread and start early to avoid as much of that as possible.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
Well, crap - I want to go...
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Yeah I suspect "bad weather" days are going to be his rest days, IF he gets off his butt and gets out the door.

AJ
 
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
 
I hate to disagree with the basic premise of this thread, but bee-in-as Eddie is a teenager of the male persuasion, nagging him will only make him more oppositional. [Wink]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
This isn't a nag. It is an attack on his manhood.
[Wink]
AJ

(If I have more balls than Eddie there are definite problems...)

[ June 15, 2004, 03:18 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
 
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
Um, he's going East.
 
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
 
quote:
Plus if you made it to Iowa you just might be able to catch a ride with Dana the rest of the way in.
Let me get this straight – you are suggesting that Bob and I give up the only time we have scheduled to be completely alone in the next seven months—the drive to Chicago—in order to give Eddie a ride because he hasn’t got his butt in gear to leave on time?
 
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
They're just trying to keep you out of trouble, dkw !!

[Wink]

FG
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Er, whoa, Lalo hasn't asked for that, nor do I think AJ meant it seriously. Nobody's taking your private time.

Unless it means I can get Bob all to myself. What a man. What a man.
 
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
 
Wow....this is intense!
 
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
 
I was kidding, Lalo. If you get as far as Iowa and are behind schedule and need a ride, we'd be happy to haul you and your bike to Chicago.

Heck, we're taking both of our mothers along on our third date, might as well have you on our fourth.

[ June 15, 2004, 03:39 PM: Message edited by: dkw ]
 
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
 
I would just like to remind Lalito of our 3 a.m.appointment in the swimming pool.
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Woops, I was thinking a Western wind which then got lodged in my head and pushed out the fact that this actually means traveling East. [Embarrassed]

Lalo, I think you can do this if you just get moving, and don't screw up on the planning. Sweat hard in training so you don't bleed in battle type of thing, only now instead of training, it's planning and buying and what not.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
Well, at least in the midwest it will be a SOUTH wind, not a tailwind.

But I believe he can do it. If he just takes that first step...

Farmgirl
 
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
 
quote:
I would just like to remind Lalito of our 3 a.m.appointment in the swimming pool.
If this doesn't get him moving, nothing will.

Dagonee
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Sorry dkw I shouldn't have volunteered you without your permission. I was thinking that if he actually made it that far, I could go pick him up if worse came to worse...

AJ
 
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
 
Hell, I offered him a vacation in NYC with Kama and a ride to Chicago if he could just make it to Boise by the 1st of August.

Eddie, there's no shame in giving up. When I was your age, I probably would've chickened out, too.
 
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
 
Hey, since when did you start offering me to other men?
 
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
 
I just said that you'd be there. You wouldn't be obligated to talk to him or anything.
 
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
 
[Razz]
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Ha! Eddie's such an ass.

Fine. To reinforce just how superior I am to him, I'll have to do it.

Only, crap, none of the stores I'm calling stock the touring bike I'm interested in. And the cell phone and the credit card aren't arriving for at least a week. Dammit.

By the way, in terms of advice (directed to those who ever know what they're talking about -- breathe easier, Frisco), would end-heavy shoes supposedly designed for cycling be better than lightweight running shoes? I can't figure out which I'd prefer -- the heavier end will give a better drop to my pedals, but I can't process that heavier = better.
 
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
 
If you get off late you can always have a friend drive you out a few hours so you can get back on schedual. [Smile]
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Well for touring this long, if you're actually going to get new shoes for it I would suggest at least looking at cycling shoes (clip-ons). This would mean ou'd have to take slippers or loafers or something since you can't really walk in cycling shoes but it can save you a lot of energy since the clip-ons mean you use the energy that you spend moving your leg up as well as down.

If you're doing a none clip-on shoe just ride around in both and see how you feel, but I would seriously doubt that heavier would be better. Remember that you have to push these shoes around in a circle thousands of times, and the heavier they are the more work that will be. Plus it will be rotational inetia instead of just plain mass, so it's I = m*r^2 you'll be dealing with every time you go 'round.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
If you don't get cycling shoes and cleats you are going to at least need toe clips. With cleats you increase your efficiency a lot because instead of just pushing down you are also pulling up on the other part of the pedal stroke. Toeclips do the same thing but are much more annoying. I second the have someone drive you up the coast idea. If you could get as far north as Santa Barbara it would definitely help you out.

And if you are wearing normal shoes, definitely lighter what goes up must come down so you aren't really going to get any advantage with heavy shoes since you have to pull them up on both sides equally. It just adds extra weight to lug around the country.

AJ

[ June 15, 2004, 06:03 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Watch out with toeclips, they can hurt your feet pretty badly after a extended period of riding. This is from personal experience, that involved my size 14 feet so don't take my word for it, but do watch out for that.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
And just GO to the bike shop. You don't know what model you actually need, or want until you actually RIDE the bike. See what they have in stock and choose from that unless it seems woefully inadequate, which I highly doubt.

AJ
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
oh and the cycling shoes are gonna run $60-$70 another reason why I have advocated a slightly cheaper model of bike compared to the ones you were looking at last time I remember.

AJ
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Cycling shoes often run higher than that, I got middle of the line ones for a little over 80. Of course Eddie's not going to be getting top-of-the-line but I just want to make sure he realizies that $80 wont buy him racing shoes, just good, solid preformance. [Smile]

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
 
Since the shoes weight the same as each other, won't the weight cancel out? I understood the main reason you want cycling shoes is to have a rigid surface to press against, to save a bit of maneuvering your foot would have to do with each rotation. The net weight is lighter to design this into the shoe than to design it into the pedal. If you use regular shoes on touring pedals, the effect in a hill climb is going to be like walking on stilts rather than on stairs. At least, that's the way it was in '89.
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
The main point of cycling shoes is that you are always connected to the pedal, so that when you bring your leg upwards you're not just wasting energy, you're pushing the bike forward. It also allows your motion to be much smoother sonce you don't have to worry about your foot slipping off the pedal. Cycling shoes also tend to be much lighter, but that's not their main benefit.

The weight of the shoes don't cancel out because you still have to bring each one around seperatly every time you do a full revolution.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
I think the odds are less than 50% that Eddie actually leaves to attempt the journey.

AJ
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
It's starting to feel like that. No place carries the bike I'm interested in -- and they can't order it from Treak since Trek apparently sold out this year, and the new model year won't produce it until August.

Christ, this is annoying.

I may wind up going directly to dock work and do the round-the-country bit next summer, if this persists.
 
Posted by Phanto (Member # 5897) on :
 
Eddie will. He's not a coward. Right?
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Treak being like Trek, only tweaked.
 
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
 
Oh, Eddie, please don't let the bike be your excuse. If you have to come up with something, please get kidnapped by aliens. ANYTHING more creative than "I can't go because I can't get the exact model of bike I want, despite not having actually gone to a shop to look at bikes yet."
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Heh. Tom, relax, guy -- not inspecting the bike doesn't mean I haven't browsed a number of brands and their respective touring models. Thus far, I've been directed towards a $1500 Cannondale bike and several different hybrids -- none of which I'm particularly entranced by, and none I'm eager to blow upwards of a grand on.

Worse comes to worst, I'll mount the tiny clown bike with jacked up seat and handlebars, and manage my way across the country on that damn thing. Or I'll get a job on the docks this summer and tour the next. I'm easily the least happy person about the reality of my life right now, all the more so for my keen awareness of my responsibility for its problems -- but I really don't need to get ridden for this by every Hatracker who lacks the barest understanding of my financial and social situations. I'm flattered by AJ's passion and Tom's dry humor, but flattery goes only so far.

So, please. Believe me when I say I'm trying to get off the ground. And leave be.
 
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
 
While I sympathize, didn't you just buy an iPod?
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Just blew the bank on an iPod, yes. And regretting the hell out of the purchase.

I'm not the wisest of financial managers.
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
That purchase would, by the way, tie in with the whole "keen awareness of my responsibility for [my life's] problems" clause.

It'll be an interesting few weeks.
 
Posted by dabbler (Member # 6443) on :
 
just so you know, iPods aren't that hard to resell. You might lose about $50 on it, but that's not much to lose.

Heck, I know several people vaguely interested in purchasing one.
 
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
 
If I had ever any doubts about Eddie's age, this thread solved them all.
 
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
 
Ouch. Kicked in the fork again.
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Ugh. Maybe I'm not as bright as I enjoy believing, but I've no idea what you're referring to, Kama. I've made some poor financial decisions, but I like to believe that's not unique to my youth. The same preferred belief works with my current financial troubles and my unfortunate timing with the release of bicycle models as well.

But, hey. I'm tired. Maybe I'm simply not capable of understanding what you're talking about.
 
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
 
no one has the barest understanding of your financial and social situations right now?

and you just bought an ipod?

you're right. i have no idea what it's like to have money, especially to blow on toys.

it's okay to be reasonable and decide that now is not the best time for you to take a cross country bike trip, but to strut around cocksure and then tell people they have no idea what your life is like is, well, as kama said, very telling of your age. arrogance and innuendo swapped with defensive "you don't know me! you're not my real dad!" exclamations are usually a trademark of youth. especially impulsive, male youth.

just don't take it too seriously, eddie. a bike trip would be cool, and it's fun to see other posters get you worked up, but do what's best for you in the semi-long run, not what will make you popular or get you laid.
 
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
 
(edited out)

Sorry.

[ June 16, 2004, 06:17 AM: Message edited by: Kama ]
 
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
 
Kick him again! I think he just coughed up some blood!
 
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
 
Am I being a jerk? I'm sorry.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Ditto, what porcelian girl said. After talking to you last night on IM I'm far more concerned about other decisions you are making (like regarding delaying school) than one for the stupid bike trip.

The scary things are the similarities and patterns between the two. I thought about it a lot last night and you should be smarter than this Eddie. I know you are.

Example A) You decide to go on a 3000 mile bike trip without ever having been to a bike shop.

Example B) You decide to delay school for a year without ever having applied for need-based aid.

You do this, despite several merit-based scholarships that drop your need-based aid to relatively reasonable levels even if it seems like a huge sum from where you are standing now.(Other people have managed far more with far less than you have currently been offered)

Eddie I wouldn't yell at you if I didn't like you. Maybe delaying school for a year will help you gain a bit of perspective. But I don't see it, I see you stagnating where you are at which is a crime because you have so much potential.

You aren't acting with a lot of maturity or even seem to trying to see the larger picture at this point. Maybe, going on the bike ride would help you develop the perspective you need you would develop more Perserverance and Determination if you didn't quit after day 3 or 4. I don't know.

Maybe being stuck at a boring and tedious job til the end of summer or for a year would be better for your character. You would be putting Duty before selfishness and that is always character improving.

Do you ever actually look at things from the perspective of Duty? Yes it may be an old dusty character trait, but the fact is most people in the world actually do live by it even if some do flagrantly violate the strongest of bonds. You've seen both, I know.

You could make arguments for various things on the basis of Duty. For example, is it your Duty to your mother and yourself, to get your butt educated as fast as possible at the highest quality level, so that you are no longer a burden to her and can maybe help her out a bit? Or is it your Duty to stay where you are and work for a year and take a community college class or two, so that you lessen the burden on her when you go off to college, thus prolonging the process slightly but helping out more as you go along.

I don't know the answers, they are your questions to answer. Choosing either option won't screw up your life, unless you let it. (and that's really where the kicker is, isn't it?)

AJ

(afterthought: The conversation last night was a bit vague. He may have applied for the need based aid, but if he had done it the normal deadlines I think he would have known already what he was getting. There are late apps I know, and a second deadline, but to make any decisions before you know for sure what your need-based aid is, seems premature. And given the info he's given me I would expect him to get a decent package of grants and loans.)

[ June 16, 2004, 11:30 AM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
 
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
 
Oh, Eddie, are you REALLY considering delaying school?

Don't do it, man; I'm speaking here as someone who turned his short vacation from school into a complete failure to ever finish his degree.

You are eligible now for more scholarships than you will ever be. Period. You're going to a reasonably-priced school. And right now, interest payments are so low that you could probably even afford to take $12k/year in loans and expect to be able to pay it back.

You need to go now, or you will risk being paralyzed by idleness.
 
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
Man -- I need A.J. and Tom to come down to Kansas and talk to MY son -- they are really hard hitting on this issue!

Farmgirl
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
I personally come down in solid agreement with Tom, but I have seen people take the other option, of working their butts off at community colleges and make it work, so to be fair I felt I had to present both options above.

AJ
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
Go to school, Eddie. You can pay it back later. Don't be a pansy. Apply for need-based financial aid. AJ can help with applying.

I sort of regret delaying school to work, and I've finished my bachelor's and like my job!

[ June 16, 2004, 11:53 AM: Message edited by: katharina ]
 
Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :
 
I think I should just point back to my first post about fear of failure. So long as you don't try you can never fail and it's the easiest way to keep that high opinion of yourself. It's easy to fall back on the "I didn't try so it doesn't count" excuse. Witness the bike trip, the not applying to schools until the last minute, now possibly delaying school. It's an easy path to walk and certainly helps keep your ego high. Not particularly satisfying though.

But do what you have to do. And try not to let this Hatrack Piledriver thread get you down.
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Well not wanting to be left out, I have some advice to, but I'll stick to what I know and tell you about biking. I don't know if you've actually decided to not go on this trip or not (I don't have AIM on my computer yet, haven't installed it since I had to replace the HD so I don't really know what's going on), but if you're not 100% against going, remember this. For a touring bike it would be fun to have a $1200 bike, but when you have that much gear the difference between a $1200 bike a $200 bike become almost zilch. If it is just money stopping you, don't let it, you can get this stuff for a lot less than you were planning, and on a trip like this it wont cost you later on the road.

Of course the discussion seems to have moved on to more abstract matters so perhaps I'm just being an anachronism in this thread. [Embarrassed]

Hobbes [Smile]

[ June 16, 2004, 10:58 AM: Message edited by: Hobbes ]
 
Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :
 
Nah Hobbes, you're just an idealist [Smile]

Most everyone else has given up on him even leaving the house [Razz]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
*wonders if Eddie has actually read this*
 
Posted by Ben (Member # 6117) on :
 
Eddie, brother, you are going to die.

that is all.

and you better call me when you get your cell...bitch!
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Holy crap.

Look, guys, I'm really flattered you're taking this personal a stake in my life. But damn -- how many of you have I met? How many of you do I confide in? You're making good suggestions, but I'm not entirely sure if you're making them to me or to the man you imagine I am.

I'll start with Porce.

quote:
no one has the barest understanding of your financial and social situations right now?

and you just bought an ipod?

you're right. i have no idea what it's like to have money, especially to blow on toys.

Yeah, hey, welcome to the club. I blew my savings on toys -- it's damn stupid, but it's not as though I simper away daddy's money on poodles and BMWs.

quote:
it's okay to be reasonable and decide that now is not the best time for you to take a cross country bike trip, but to strut around cocksure and then tell people they have no idea what your life is like is, well, as kama said, very telling of your age. arrogance and innuendo swapped with defensive "you don't know me! you're not my real dad!" exclamations are usually a trademark of youth. especially impulsive, male youth.

Actual quote:

"Worse comes to worst, I'll mount the tiny clown bike with jacked up seat and handlebars, and manage my way across the country on that damn thing. Or I'll get a job on the docks this summer and tour the next. I'm easily the least happy person about the reality of my life right now, all the more so for my keen awareness of my responsibility for its problems -- but I really don't need to get ridden for this by every Hatracker who lacks the barest understanding of my financial and social situations. I'm flattered by AJ's passion and Tom's dry humor, but flattery goes only so far.

So, please. Believe me when I say I'm trying to get off the ground. And leave be."


Yeah. Porce, I'm not making the "you don't know me! I'm special! I have special needs!" defense -- truth be told, you don't know me, nor how much money I have available, nor even why I'm doing this trip. Do you? I always suspected someone was watching me, but I thought they were limited to the spycam in the shower...

AJ:

quote:
Eddie I wouldn't yell at you if I didn't like you. Maybe delaying school for a year will help you gain a bit of perspective. But I don't see it, I see you stagnating where you are at which is a crime because you have so much potential.

You aren't acting with a lot of maturity or even seem to trying to see the larger picture at this point. Maybe, going on the bike ride would help you develop the perspective you need you would develop more Perserverance and Determination if you didn't quit after day 3 or 4. I don't know.

Maybe being stuck at a boring and tedious job til the end of summer or for a year would be better for your character. You would be putting Duty before selfishness and that is always character improving.

Do you ever actually look at things from the perspective of Duty? Yes it may be an old dusty character trait, but the fact is most people in the world actually do live by it even if some do flagrantly violate the strongest of bonds. You've seen both, I know.

Whoa, dude, slow down. As I understand them, your points are that a) I'm selfish, b) I shirk duty, and c) I generally dismiss duty as an "old dusty character trait."

Yeah.

AJ, my merit scholarships roll over if I defer admission -- a decision I've been anxiously reconsidering for some time now, believe me. It's too late for me to apply for need-based financial aid; and in any case, I'll be paying for most of college myself. The scholarships I have now cover virtually all of tuition, and I can handle most of the living expenses with a decent job (outside of work-study).

That said, yeesh. Why does this thread exist at all?

I understand that you like me, girl, though I've no idea why -- there's no reason for you to take such a personal stake in my trip or my life, and certainly no reason to become furious if either leaves your set boundaries of what you find acceptable. I like you, dude, but I'm not about to go into screaming fits if you break up with Steve or choose buy an American car over a Japanese one -- you aren't mine to control, and I've no right or reason to believe so.

Tom:

quote:
Oh, Eddie, are you REALLY considering delaying school?

Don't do it, man; I'm speaking here as someone who turned his short vacation from school into a complete failure to ever finish his degree.

You are eligible now for more scholarships than you will ever be. Period. You're going to a reasonably-priced school. And right now, interest payments are so low that you could probably even afford to take $12k/year in loans and expect to be able to pay it back.

You need to go now, or you will risk being paralyzed by idleness.

That's probably sound advice. But fact is, I currently have pretty damn impressive scholarships -- certainly more than I deserve, and I'm unlikely to get fatter scholarships in the future. Rolling them over a year can't hurt.

As far as succumbing to idleness, yeah, I believe it. But there seem to be plenty of reasons not to go to college immediately -- my transcript shows just how unprepared I was for high school. I prefer to go out and live a little before returning to study, if only to appreciate college and not understand it as a burden to maintain. Also, I'm not entirely confident that I won't burn out if I press too hard, too fast -- a friend of mine, brilliant guy, dropped out of Columbia his first year because, in his own words, he knew he wasn't ready for the place and went anyway for fear of his scholarships.

The least I owe this guy is to learn from him. If I go, will I burn out? Will I get caught up with women and the various intrigues of NYC? Hell, in terms of my own fallibilities, am I even ready for a place like New York? I'm no smooth-talker, and lately I've been feeling more and more the need to escape and indulge wanderlust for a while -- and I'm not anxious to suppress that while trying to study calculus in some library.

But more importantly than any of those -- will I ever have the chance to do this again? I can't well take off a year in the middle of college -- not without abandoning all the friends I'd have made by that point. I can't take it off after college for the same reason, plus employers will be distrustful of the lost year on my resume, plus, hell, what about the possibility of grad school? I'm so damnably, dangerously close to taking on responsibilities I've no interest in knowing -- why not escape them while I've still got time left to do so?

Yeah, it's damn foolish. But which would make better memories when I'm an old feeble man incapable of even imagining trying a trip like this bike trip?

CyberDan:

quote:
I think I should just point back to my first post about fear of failure. So long as you don't try you can never fail and it's the easiest way to keep that high opinion of yourself. It's easy to fall back on the "I didn't try so it doesn't count" excuse. Witness the bike trip, the not applying to schools until the last minute, now possibly delaying school. It's an easy path to walk and certainly helps keep your ego high. Not particularly satisfying though.

But do what you have to do. And try not to let this Hatrack Piledriver thread get you down.

Heh. And someone else has that cable channel which features close-ups of my soul.

It's possible you're right, dude. But I wouldn't unload on me for the sake of spreading your bad mood.

Now, christ, have I dealt with the greater issues of the day? My turn.

Guys, really, I AM flattered. But jesus, I don't give my own life this kind of attention -- sleep easier by knowing you have no responsibility to, either. AJ's more or less convinced me not to do the trip -- when I told her how I blew my money and had dedicated the rest to future hotels, and now lived dependent on charity to help me equip a bike, she called me a spoiled brat. And damn if she's not right. I don't like being dependent on other people, least of all those who've struggled to support me for decades -- and for that reason, while I haven't yet officially decided to postpone the trip, I feel more and more that it can't be done without compromising my pride and autonomy, sacred idols not to be profaned by other people's kindness. If I don't do this, I'll find a job this summer and work off enough money to support my trip myself.

Hell, I'm even having misgivings about deferring admission. All that keeps me from going is the heavy knowledge that if I go now, I'll fail there as I failed here, and I'll have given up an opportunity to indulge wanderlust and youth. In this sense, at least, CyberDan's right -- I defer college for fear of failure, or rather, for fear that my study habits will carry over to the next, far more important leg of my education.

I have some thinking to do. And as sweet the pain is from the blows to my fork in this thread, somehow I can't help but imagine I'd be better off if I could try to gaze through the water without my dripping blood obscuring my view.

Thanks for your counsel. Believe me, it's being taken into consideration. Now, drop it -- I'm honestly not worth your time or effort.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
quote:
But more importantly than any of those -- will I ever have the chance to do this again? I can't well take off a year in the middle of college -- not without abandoning all the friends I'd have made by that point. I can't take it off after college for the same reason, plus employers will be distrustful of the lost year on my resume, plus, hell, what about the possibility of grad school?
Not True

quote:
Now, drop it -- I'm honestly not worth your time or effort.

Not True

AJ
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
It's your decision, but jeez, you most certainly CAN take off a year or so in the middle of college - ESPECIALLY if you have plans for that year. Your friends will be okay - the real ones will stick around, and the crowd will survive without you and you without it. It sucks, but that friend loss will happen five thousand times in your life.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
quote:
Why does this thread exist at all?
Because I thought you had integrity and cared about the meaning of your words. You write with passion like you do care, but otherwise you really are all bluff and braggadocio, and your words are worthless.

It isn't what you SAY and you can holler as loud as you want, it is how you live your life that matters. You didn't have to announce this trip nearly a YEAR ago. Look at the posts on this thread. You have a reputation and track record as a flake. Tom Davidson I don't think ever thought you would do it in the first place. In hindsight he was wiser than I. I actually thought you would.

Do you actually want a reputation as a flake, even on an crazy internet forum like Hatrack?

I don't think deep down that's what you really want. I think you do care about what people think about you, and care so bad it hurts.

That's why I started this thread.

AJ
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
I guess its stupid of me. I want to see that you are capable of rising above, of meeting a challenge. I wanted to see you fight me, I didn't want to see you quit. I wanted you to defy me and prove to me that you weren't a spoiled brat and still go on the trip. Instead you are using me as an excuse to quit, which is I guess good if you are that weak.

I think given the money you have in hand that is Yours you could still buy a decent bike, for around $200-$300, spend another $100 on supplies and still have money left over for emergencies and food. It could be done. You don't actually want to put the time or effort into doing it.

This is what saddens me. I had hoped you'd rise above adversity to come out on top.

AJ
 
Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :
 
*shrug*

It's just something that I've been thinking for a while. Certainly it's the impression I get. Could be wildly off base, could be me taking my frustrations out on you, who knows? But what better place to toss it out than a thread where everyone else was already judging you? You know how much I like to fit in!

But if (when [Wink] ) you realize I'm right I expect an E-mailing telling me as much. And a shrubbery. And maybe a song detailing my greatness. Actually, that song would be nice regardless fo whether I'm right or not.
 
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
 
quote:
Yeah, hey, welcome to the club. I blew my savings on toys -- it's damn stupid, but it's not as though I simper away daddy's money on poodles and BMWs.

and what at all does that have to do with me? was that your comparison of choice because i'm a white girl?

you're an ass. you dish all day long but you can't even handle a spoonful of your own game.
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
quote:
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, hey, welcome to the club. I blew my savings on toys -- it's damn stupid, but it's not as though I simper away daddy's money on poodles and BMWs.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

and what at all does that have to do with me? was that your comparison of choice because i'm a white girl?

you're an ass. you dish all day long but you can't even handle a spoonful of your own game.

...what?

I'm not comparing myself to you, geek. I'm comparing who I am to who you claimed I am.

And what game? Ass.
 
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
 
I say go...because why not? You can still go to college and Hatrack people want to see you. Or at least cheer you on. I don't think going on this trip will be shirking duty. [Smile] Of course I don't know every detail.
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
"What game?"
 
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
 
i compared you to who exactly you are.

a cocky young man that get flamingly indignant when the tables are turned and has the gaul to complain about finances when he spent money on toys.

how and why someone's father's money and little dogs has anything to do with that is lost on me.

at least indeed.
 
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
 
ass right backatchya.
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Well this is productive. [Razz] When are we getting back to biking?

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Well I was debating about posting this cause it ain't gonna do any good. But just for you Hobbes...
I hope this link is fixed now

This shop is in Southern CA...

AJ

[ June 16, 2004, 03:29 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
And AJ, christ, leave be. What possible track record could I have of being a flake, aside from an entire, what, two Shindas I said I'd attend then missed? What bluff and braggadocio are you talking about -- good god, dude, I'm having trouble finding and financing a bike, nothing more, nothing less.

You're taking my hesitation and doubt far too personally, AJ. I like you, and we're friends, but I'm not your pet, nor your idol -- as I told you yesterday, I'll stumble through this in my own time in my own way on my own terms, and while I sympathize with your frustration, my life isn't yours to frustrate over. I haven't entrusted my secrets nor my plans to your confidence, let alone my future. I can't possibly put it any clearer than that. I like you, and I will continue being your friend as I long have, but insulting me won't break me to your will, as you seem to have believed for some time now.

The money I have isn't enough, not even for food, after I buy all the crap I'd need. As it stands now, I'd need to borrow money or depend on charity -- one I can't afford, and the other I can't tolerate. I may yet buy a bicycle, or just set out on a newly tricked-out bike of my own, but I'm sure as hell not going to be bullied into it because you feel like throwing a fit will motivate me into obeying you. Please, dude. Think over what you've said and consider if you'd have any respect for me at all if I broke to such commands.

Jesus, this is getting complicated. Look, guy, I'll do what I can with what resources I have -- before this thread, I had every intention of leaving within two weeks after intensive training and preparation. Now I'm not convinced it's worth the sacrifice. I'll do some thinking and try to get back in the mindset I had before being commanded about, but I'd appreciate it if you don't try to deter me from working things through in my own time.
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
[EDIT: supposed to come right after AJ's post]

Sweetness ... except that with my tiny work screen that url is too big for the screen and the formatting is getting screwd up... mind fixing that AJ?

Hybrid is defaintly the way to go for cheap touring bikes. They're tough and decently comfortable, as well as most of them have a really low gear, which is ideal. I would also suggest checking out any cruisers they have there, they might be too expensive but they also make for good touring bikes, worth looking into anyways. Ohh, and I'm convinced you can get hybrids for less than that link, often times the online price for bikes is well above the store price (for whatever werid reason).

<--*Hoping Lalo is still going*

Hobbes [Smile]

[ June 16, 2004, 03:22 PM: Message edited by: Hobbes ]
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
AJ, are those mtn/street bike combos? My bike got stolen a while back, and while I have a great mtn bike, I HATE riding on pavement with it - it's so slow and crouchy...

Not that I have money for this at the moment.
 
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
It'll probably have to wait, Hobbes, until we get to the bottom of who is and who isn't an ass around here. I'd have a seat if I were you.

[Edit--well, that's what I get from pausing in writing my post to answer my phone and help out a user. My post is now so completely misplaced that I doubt it even makes much sense. Take my word for it, it was screamingly funny in the proper context [Wink] ]

[ June 16, 2004, 03:26 PM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
And heh. Porce, you can't "ass" right back at me -- I was assing right back at you.

Hobbes, dude, your advice has been invaluable and damn near overwhelming. Thanks for everything -- if you don't mind a bit more, I'll ask for counsel as soon as I decide which bike I'll set out on.
 
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
 
No man is an island, but we're pretty darn good at renting ditch-diggers and digging really good moats.

-Bok
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Kat, a hybrid is a mountain/road bike combo. I like to joke that it combines the worst elements of both, but in reality they're cheap bikes, and they're pretty reliable. If you're looking for a short commuting bike (like 3 miles each way or something) hybrid is actually ideal. They can go off road (though you shouldn't take them on anything besides very nicley kept dirt trails, they aren't meant for rough stuff, though most could handle it if you were, for some werid reason, in dire need of tacking a really bumpy trail), and they can do street riding faster than a mountain bike (since much less energy is lost to the shocks you need on your mountain bike). They're heavy, but that shouldn't matter for touring (in fact it's a plus since you'll have a sturdy frame for carrying stuff) nor for the shorter commutes.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Lalo, no problem! [Cool]

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Lalo, you really can dish it out and not take it. I'm not commanding you to do jack.

Let me remind you of this thread which happened quite recently.
quote:
Also, as I said in the last post (and what probably annoyed Rivka), grow a spine. You should have divorced her the instant you knew, for certain, that she was cheating on you and the relationship was unrepairable. That you haven't only contributes to her understanding of you as a weak man to be taken advantage of. End the furious complaining and take action -- otherwise, you'll never win her respect, nor anyone else's. I realize this is tough, man, and I'm more than understanding of your need for counsel and sympathy, but there's only so far you can stretch the sympathy period without taking any actual action.

How DARE you give advice like that, on a topic you know jack about when your own crap isn't together?

Even though it isn't a relationship you clearly can't take your own advice.

Grow a spine Eddie.

AJ
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
AJ, I love that you're so idealistic and optimistic.
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Ha! Good point. Now can I have some peace?
 
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
 
Are you asking for a CHALLENGE???

[Wave]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
quote:
Ha! Good point. Now can I have some peace?
I'm torn between justice and mercy. I've actually considered deleting this thread a couple of times.

AJ
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Ahh! No! Not after all the advice that's been given in here. It's good advice, it should be saved, and I can't save it here at work. [Frown]

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
What advice has much meaning to you Hobbes?

Apparently my advice is worthless so why shouldn't I delete it? and all of your advice is safe in your brain.

AJ
 
Posted by Bob the Lawyer (Member # 3278) on :
 
This whole thread was about justice? After that vigilante justice thread we had?
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
I do like the bike riding advice in this thread.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
It didn't start out to be about justice BtL.
[Frown]
AJ
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Well I meant the bike riding advice, it's been my policy so far to not touch any other aspect of this thread with three 12 meter poles and a clown suit...

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by Lalo (Member # 3772) on :
 
Whoa, AJ, your advice has been sound, too, and I've told you as much several times -- I expressed gratitude to Hobbes now only because his advice, while exceptional, has gone largely unthanked.

I'm grateful for your counsel, and flattered by your interest, but you take it too far. Don't worry about me. It tends to be an exercise in futility, anyway.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
quote:
Don't worry about me. It tends to be an exercise in futility, anyway.
See, you've already given up on yourself. You doom yourself to fulfil your own prophecies. Why?

AJ
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
http://www.schwinnbike.com/products/bikes_category.php?id=2
http://www.schwinnbike.com/care/dealer_results.php?action=ZipCodeSearch&ZipCode=90000&PASC=

[ June 16, 2004, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
 
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
*hugs AJ* [Frown]
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
I can just about garuntee that any price you find on a bike manufactures web page will be well above what you pay at the store. If you get a hybrid, I suggest not bothering with schocks, they cost mroe and they're much slower. The Schwin hybrids AJ is linking are, like most hybrids, incredibly sturdy. You can take wahtever you want, lash it to the bike, throw the whole thing off a cliff and expect to still be able to ride the thing (assuming your stuff made it OK [Wink] ). Make sure there's a very low gear on them, most hybrids have a kind of 'super-low', but that's not a garuntee, test ride it up a hill and put it in lowest. You should be able to go up sitting down without too much exertion in that gear (don't worry about speed).

*Hugs AJ, Kat, and Lalo*

*And Annie*

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Yeah my first bike I ever rode with training wheels was a little red schwinn. My brothers and I thrashed that thing for years til we finally gave it away.

AJ
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
Hobbes he didn't believe me when I told him that the MSRPs are always high, thank you for corroborating. But to find that out for himself it requires him going to a bike store. [Roll Eyes]

He also thinks bike salesmen are out to screw him over when I have told him repeatedly they are simply biking geeks working to make a living doing what they love and probably not making much of a profit at it. The complete opposite of used car salesmen. But to find that out for himself he has to go to a bike store [Roll Eyes]

AJ
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Cousin Hobbes tested and patened litmus test for determining if you bike salesman is out to rip you off: ask him/her about their recent biking escepades. If they mention rides that they've taken in the last couple of months, and those rides sound ver difficult, you've got yourself a good salesman. If they say they haven't gotten a chance to ride much latley go somewhere else.

Of course this only works in the summer but not the point. Most salesman really are bikebums, who work in the store to support their life-encompassing hobby of biking. They tend to not care as much about getting your money as promoting their favorite bike (which you also have to watch out for, what works for them may not work for you, but hey, at least you know it works) and they also tend to be pretty knolwedgable, having done it themselves. Occassionaly you will get someone in it for the money (why they choose bike stores is beyond me but none the less), but they're easy to recognize, heck, just look for someone who doesn't look like a biker and you'll have found your culprit.

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
To prove my point Lalo, when I was up in Washington in close to the best shape of my life as far as physical attractiveness goes, I was riding my Dad's Klein road bikes that was one of the first aluminum racing bikes to ever be built. It had all vintage Campagnolo components on it. Well I ate it on a turn cause of some gravel, and tweaked stuff on the handlebars. Since I didn't bring a bunch of tools with me other than to change a tire on my internship, I had to go to a bike shop.

There I was, a 19 year old blue-eyed blonde, in relatively attractive condition. Why did I end up with all the guys in the shop clustered around? They didn't even look at me. Not a single one even attempted to be personable, much less hit on me. They couldn't believe the bike!

*Sigh* it was an impressive bike. My brother actually raced it in a triathalon last year. Sadly it is no more, it got destroyed when Mom burned down the garage a month ago.

*nosgalgia*
Have I mentioned that at least half of all my parents Christmas tree ornaments are bicycles? Or all the biking memoribillia that graces our walls. There is a mounted poster that was in my room for years showing a bunch of Campagnnolo vintage gear sets and how the sprockets went together. Taught me how to read plans long before engineering. There is one envelope from a cycling magazine that was for billing or something, addressed to my dad. However the stamp was a bicycle stamp, that just happened to be stamped on the first day of issue. He's got that framed too.

*/end nostalgia*
 
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
 
*grin* I dated a guy who worked in a bike shop all through high school. When I got a puppy he wanted to name it Campagnnolo. </nostalgia>
 
Posted by sarahdipity (Member # 3254) on :
 
Your mom burned down the garage? I think I must have missed that thread.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
you could call it Campi for short...
<Grin>

AJ

I didn't actually give it a thread of its own...but the details are here.
http://www.hatrack.com/ubb/forum/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=024108#000041

[ June 16, 2004, 05:32 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
 
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
 
Mmmmmmmmm.....Campagnnolo....

Hobbes [Smile]
 
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
 
Wait – it must have been Colnago because we were going to call her Collie, and Mom said we couldn’t name a dachshund/rat terrier Collie.
 
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
 
yeah they make beautiful frames.
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=PRODUCT&PRODUCT.ID=152

quote:
Only a handful of these bikes will make it to the US, but the good news is that available at the relatively reasonable price of $6999
[Eek!] [Cool]

AJ
 


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