250 MPG of water
June 23rd, 2006 by Crza under archive, bikes
Ah, bikes. Who doesn’t love bikes? Well, I guess some people hate BMXerz but for the most part I think we all dig the 2 wheels once in a while. So, lets talk about bikes and mainly my new bike.
I just purchased a single gear road bike for commuting reasons. I decided to take a job that involves some gnarly commuting. I was going to purchase a car but instead I did some research and found a train stop close to my new place of biz. THEN…I google mapped the spot and realized I could ride a bike to and from the train station. F#ck yeah, I was stoked. I then started to research bikes and decided I was going to get a single gear mountain bike. Why a mountain bike? The reason for a MTB was I thought there was to much of a scene around single gear road bikes (fixed gears). I didn’t want to be labeled a “messenger” or some one from Portland. Nothing wrong with that, but where I’m from that shit don’t fly. It would mean I would have to get knickers a haircut like Dennys, start wearing vintage t’s and wear a Timbuktu bag. It’s bad enough I fit the skater sterotype all I need is another sterotype in my life, fuck that. Anyhoot, I found the bike I wanted and it was a Redline 29er. Cheap ($490) and tough.
I don’t want to bore you with what a 29er is but it’s Mountain Bike with 29 inch wheels. Imagine one of those Orange County suped up trucks but as a bike. I went to some shops who carried Redline but they never heard of it and said they could order it and I could wait but judging by their body language it seemed sketchy. Fuck that, I’m American, I need instant consumer satisfaction if I’m going to buy some thing. I went to a few other shops but either the staff thought I was retarded or they didn’t want to deal with me (Good way to scare off a sales person is say the words “cheap” and “special order”). I was about to say fuck it and go buy some old lady bike until I decided to hit one last shop. I don’t want to plug them here cause I want people to pay for advertising (hint) but this one shop was really cool. I told the sales dude what I was looking for and he said I should look at the Giant Bowery which was a single gear road bike. Right away I was like, uh no, I can’t get a single gear road bike. He then told me to at least take it out for a ride. So I did and right away I was like, damn this shit is cool. I was sold, I paid the man and was off. I’ve been riding the bike and no knickers purchased or cycling caps as of yet and I still don’t own a messenger bag. The cool thing though is that I get a head nod from fixed gear dudes in the street so in some way I think I’ve been accepted into their world. I’m not cool though guys. I wear a helmet and Oakley Razors (pink, yes pink). I ride my bike solely for commuting reasons. I won’t join a group or a gang and probably won’t participate in Critical Mass anytime soon but I do love biking, a lot. Side note: I just realized I’ve completely rambled on so I’m going to end it with this. Let’s talk about bikes in this post. Put links and links to photos and most of all lets talk about bikes…the love…the hate…the retarded…the awesome.
June 24th, 2006 at 12:05 am
forget bike talk, let’s hear more about those pink oakley razors!
it’s refreshing to hear about someone who’s pumped on commuting sans car. i just purchased my first car a year ago (i’m 27), and don’t really see much need for it.
i’m seriously looking into getting a Biomega now. i’ll let you know if i manage to land a kickflip on it.
June 24th, 2006 at 4:21 am
Bowery.
You’re psyched.
Are you riding is as a coaster or fixed?
June 24th, 2006 at 4:24 am
I meant … bowery
June 24th, 2006 at 10:06 am
Nic..those are exactly my glasses, hahahaha. KW-I’m riding it as a coaster. I’m switching the bars and dropping the brakes (I’ll ride one brake). I have a whole philosphy about fixed gears. I understand their purpose in city areas (less things to break and less to be stolen) but the control factor to me is a bit crazy. I have friends that say you have more control with a fixed but for some reason I don’t think it’s true. I feel like they got caught in the hype. I’d feel safer riding a fixed in NY than LA though. People out here can’t drive and give 2 fucks about cyclists…it’s crazy. I’ve been lurking on this site since Nic posted it: Fixed Gallery. Another site I some times lurk on is MTBR. My other bike is a Turner Burner. Why are most mountain bikers goofs?
June 25th, 2006 at 7:40 pm
i make 2 trips in to work a day and ive been trying to ride my bike for one of them the last 3 weeks, its approx 15 miles roundtrip. running a giant stp right now but have a track bike on the way to really get moving. that bowery was one of my first choices but i took the plunge and ordered something i can really be proud of and/or really get hurt on :)
June 25th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
whoops….pista concept
June 26th, 2006 at 9:03 am
I ride to work as much as I can. It’s 4.6 miles each way, so no biggie. I have to bring a change of cloths in the summer because the east coast is brutally hot. The winters aren’t much fun either but an investment in some decent riding gear for next season will make it a lot better. I ride a 1984 Trek 400 with gears and breaks I got of Craigslist for $15. I’m currently searching for a touring bike so I can carry my stuff on the rack instead of in a bag. Once I get that then the Trek will become a fixed gear do I can hang with the hipsters.
June 26th, 2006 at 11:59 am
what happened to my responses? I just replied and now they are gone? F#ck I wrote a bunch of shit. I hate the internet.
June 26th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Silo-I wanted to build a bike at first but then realized I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. 500 is still a lot but I think the bike is good for what I’m doing (commuting to work). I’m sure I’ll get the bug and build one in a year or so. I just swaped out the bars for some Soma bars and changed the brakes.
June 26th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
absolutely…i def. think im jumping the gun a little but so goes life on the hedonic treadmill. the bowery is perfect entry level and once you start wearing biker shorts and cycling shoes 24/7 you can make the jump. plus its in complex this month, so im sure youll get some really hip bros commenting you on your ride ;)
June 26th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
i want to try out the h-bar. -kw knows what i’m sprayin’.
ordering this for the lady this week.
June 26th, 2006 at 3:09 pm
I wear the shorts under baggy shorts and have been riding clips for about 14 years (Time Atacs and before that Onza…ouch). When I rode in NYC, on the street, I rode a converted TREK hybrid (narrow bars, everything bolted on) and a 24in crusier. I even rode the TREK a few times to skate spots around queens. I almost did a build up (like you are doing now) but I spent so much time and loot on the Turner I couldn’t do it again. That’s funny the Bowery is in Complex. I should go buy the latest sneakers to match my new hip bike.
June 26th, 2006 at 3:17 pm
Nic- You know what’s funny about those bars I always find myself moving my hands around my bar while playing in the dirt (mainly on climbs). Before the Soma bars for the commuter I almost bought these: like whoa.
June 26th, 2006 at 9:42 pm
“The only thing I’m good at, is riding this bike!”
-Cru Jones
June 26th, 2006 at 10:09 pm
any nyc street riding horror stories? im pretty excited about getting hit and pitching headfirst into a combine or other corn related machine. first though, im gonna tape myself saying how dumb helmets are, and then i can be on tv being awesome in my coma.
June 27th, 2006 at 7:22 am
i’ve been hit by many a car… not in NYC though (i hear they’re softer there anyways). most of the time the people are pissed that you’re in the way, and don’t even stop to check you out. Sometimes you get lucky and just get a back massage from the mirror of a bus/truck.
just wear a tee-shirt with a helmet crossed out everytime you ride.
June 27th, 2006 at 8:45 pm
(sound of knocking on wood) I’ve been lucky in NYC. One time though I got sandwiched between 2 buses. Both buses touched my handlebars and I started screaming so they would realize I was there. It was only for a few seconds but it felt like 10 minutes. There is this documentary called Pedal which was done by Peter Sutherland which has a gnarly crash scene from a messenger bike race. The person was ok though but it looked gnar. As far as helmets go you should wear one guy. My aunt suffered brain damage from a bike accident and she wasn’t wearing a helmet. She was so athletic now she struggles with day to day tasks. Harsh.
June 28th, 2006 at 8:08 am
Here’s the trailer for Pedal with the gnarly crash mentioned by Crza.
http://www.petersutherland.net/Pedal.mov
Also be sure to check out Gabe Morford’s Bike video.
http://www.mashsf.com
June 28th, 2006 at 10:32 pm
I didn’t know morford was a fixie dude…wow. My commute so far is going good…so nice to be car free. I’ll take a pic of the rig and post it.
June 30th, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Damned, all this talk about bikes, now I want one as well. I want a roadbike with normal gears and brakes and shit, any recommendation? Not too expensive please.
June 30th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Sweet articles about biking in LA.
June 30th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
not so sweet article about blood doping.
Get a Smoke! (You’re my new hero if you get this)
July 1st, 2006 at 11:31 am
huphtur, awww yeah i think you need this-
futura
you can ride it on over to NE and bomb some hills w/ pw crew!
July 1st, 2006 at 6:20 pm
Silo: how do you like yur Bianci? I’m thinking about checkin out their Brava model.
July 4th, 2006 at 5:42 pm
^ its yet to arrive, should be here wednesday. the shop guys seemed more stoked out than i am on the bike, i hguess theyave yet to get one in until now…itll probably have 20 miles on it before i even pick it up! i think that brava looks like a winner, and hopefully youve got a local spot that can help you out price wise a little bit. i think that bike would kill it in celeste…
July 5th, 2006 at 8:36 am
Huphz’ Bianci’s are good but check out Giant and Lemond (owned by Trek I think). They tend to be really good on price and value. Most important is fit. If you are serious about getting one let me know and I’ll roll with you to a shop. Most shops will let you test ride it around the block before you buy.
July 5th, 2006 at 9:49 am
Yeah, I saw this Lemond docu on OLN, that dude kinda rules. So I checked out some of his bikes, this Etape is totally affordable and looks dope: silver+yellow+black. Yes, I’m THAT guy that buys a bike cuz it has sweet colors. Just like buying a board is all about the graphics. Let’s go check out bikes this weekend.
July 5th, 2006 at 11:32 am
did you think lemond came across like a bit of a prick? i mean yeah, he was on the road to the top and stomping some ass all over until he got popped with lead, and def. worked hard to come back and win, but it seemed like he has a really big chip on his shoulder. like the world really owes him something…anyway…i think tim roth should play him in a made for movie drama.
i dont get up before noon for ANYTHING, and ive been up at 730 am every morning eating this tour up…a year ago you probably could not have paid me to watch it.
good luck on the bike hunt huphtur, let us know what you get!
July 5th, 2006 at 1:42 pm
What you guys think of Cyclocross bikes?
July 6th, 2006 at 3:59 pm
Don’t get a Cyclocross bike. They are awesome looking but if you plan on riding mainly street get a road bike. The geometery is a bit different on a cyclocross bike. If weather was an issue in LA I would say it could make a good commuter. I’m down this weekend to go to a shop. Give me a ring bro.
July 6th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
I haven’t seen any of the tour cause I don’t have OLN. Oh, Huphz’ that article on LA cycling was cool.
July 11th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
any purchases this weekend huph???
i picked up my pista concept saturday and am already in love. i rode about 20 miles the first day and when i decided to go for a midnight ride on my giant stp sunday night, it felt so slow and sloppy i couldnt handle it. officially over that big lug.
on my commute today i cut my trip by almost 1/3…actually keeping up with traffic and catching all the lights like i do when driving. i was a little burnt out but i can already tell im gonna be in fine shape by the end of the summer. get ready for some massive ollies from these horse thighs.
July 11th, 2006 at 5:43 pm
Silo: There’s something wrong with my calf. It’s been hurting for 3 weeks now, so something is up. I’m going to a doc tomorow. After that’s all fixed and healed, im putting all my energy and money in a bike. I looked at a dope one from Holland. They start at *gulp* 1700 euros.
July 17th, 2006 at 9:09 pm
hows the leg?
July 19th, 2006 at 2:02 pm
I used to skate but then this bike n shit
July 19th, 2006 at 7:58 pm
“I use to ride bikes but then this skateboard n shit”
July 20th, 2006 at 12:51 pm
“i used to ride bikes but i almost died twice and got nic’s ass kicked”
July 23rd, 2006 at 10:13 am
Huphz got a Pista. So sick.
July 23rd, 2006 at 3:44 pm
AWWWWWWWWW YEAH! let us know how you like it :) i feel like a lazy pile but this is the only thing that has been voluntarily getting me up at 6am in all my 27 years of life. early AM nebraska rides are a darn good reason the midwest is a great place to reside.
July 27th, 2006 at 10:25 pm
dude it’s true. Cycling for some reason gets me up at 6am. Whether it’s the single gear road bike ride or a trek through the woods. Mmmmm, smell that? It smells like AWESOME.