Fury RoadMaster Declared Winner!

[email hidden said:

"]As Pueblo hits eighty degrees to break the temperature
record for Guy Fawkes Day, the Fury RoadMaster breaks a
thousand miles! (David Van Tol may pay his debt at PayPal.)

After 247 4.06 mile rides, the Fury's average speed has been
determined to be 18.90 mph, taking an average time of 12:53
to reach the City Park, complete two slightly different
laps, and return to the same spot in the driveway, covered
with glory.

The Fury's best time was 11:55, averaging 20.52 mph--its
only sub-12 minute run. (Damn near killed me.)

Its worst day involved a chilly rain and a hundred-yard,
axle-deep puddle that slowed it to 14:39 as it crawled along
at a miserable average of 16.63 mph.

Its highest recorded speed was 27.7 mph on a sunny day with
a brisk tailwind down the backstretch behind the zoo.

Apart from what looks like a slightly bent extra-long seat
post, the only damage was a flat rear tire--the inner tube
failed at the base of the valve, apparently while the Fury
was asleep on the back porch.

Not bad for a $57.71 with tax WalMart bicycle bought on a
dare. (David Van Tol vanished a few months ago, but may
still pay his debt of $7.71 by PayPal.)

Anticipating the Fury's success, I procured a pair of
semi-slick Bell tires from WalMart a few days ago, each
$9.32 plus tax, a total of $20.02.

Following the Fury's normal ride today, I treated it to its
new pair of shoes, having already 584 rubber mold filaments
off them--132 on each side of the tread, plus 16 more on
each bead, absolutely regular, none missing. Before being
shaved of its rubbery whiskers, each tire looked like a bad
imitation of a cactus.

Again I was surprised by how inner tubes stick to tires if
not replaced as frequently as my touring bike tubes (25
flats in 303 rides so far this year--better than usual). The
Fury's back tube even stuck to one spot on the rubber rim
strip.

The new tires had modest but decorative diagonal grooves and
arrows indicating which way they should roll, so I mounted
them as suggested. In snow or mud, both tires would leave
tracks like this <<<<< heading this way -->.

It was only 4 o'clock and such a nice day that I decided to
take the Fury out for a spin on its new footwear. When I
rolled its new front tire next to the tape measure to
re-calibrate the speedometer, I was impressed with the
difference between the dainty new semi-slicks and the old
knobby numchucks.

In fact, my printed garage list converting inches to
millimeters didn't even go down to 77.75 inches, so I had to
go into the house and extend my spreadsheet--about 1974 mm.

Trying not to worry about the loss of ground clearance and
gearing, I set off--

Oh, my, what a difference!

The speedometer was showing noticeably higher figures by the
second corner. With the new tires, I could have used higher
gearing. The Fury easily set a new record on its first try,
11:52 and 20.53 mph, about 9% faster than normal--and that
was its second ride of the day.

Riding on knobbies (even with a continuous centerline)
instead of slicks must be like showing up at a track meet
wearing army boots. I'd expected some improvement, but not
61 seconds better than average.

Tomorrow I plan to give the Fury its first rest and run my
touring bike over the Fury's route, just to see what the
difference is.

Carl Fogel

Considering it's November in Pueblo, won't Fury long for the knobbies on the first snowfall or are tire chains in reserve?

Quoted message said:

As Pueblo hits eighty degrees to break the temperature
record for Guy Fawkes Day, the Fury RoadMaster breaks a
thousand miles! (David Van Tol may pay his debt at PayPal.)

After 247 4.06 mile rides, the Fury's average speed has been
determined to be 18.90 mph, taking an average time of 12:53
to reach the City Park, complete two slightly different
laps, and return to the same spot in the driveway, covered
with glory.

<more palmares snipped>

Congratulations, Carl. Please don't be frosted by the following:

Whose bike is this I think I know.
Built not for speed, neither for show.
What bends the wind in a venturi
Can be nought but Roadmaster Fury.

'High Tensity's the kind of steel
That lends its ride such a strange feel.
A panoply of gears give speeds
That number ten more than it needs.

Rims, brakes, cranks, bars inspire your trust
(if you look past their sheen of rust).
Alloyed from three parts chromium
And like measure of opprobrium.

With gravitas that verse imparts,
Heed warning, Caesar of The Arts:
Beware those curs-ed Rides of 'Marts,
Beware those curs-ed Rides of 'Marts!

-------------------------------
John Dacey
Business Cycles, Miami, Florida
http://www.businesscycles.com
Since 1983
Our catalog of track equipment: online since 1996
-------------------------------

meb said:

Considering it's November in Pueblo, won't Fury long for the knobbies
on the first snowfall or are tire chains in reserve?

Perhaps he plans to convert the old knobbies to studded duty by adding
some genuine Wal-Mart sheet metal screws...
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 19:35:56 -0700, [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

After 247 4.06 mile rides, the Fury's average speed has been
determined to be 18.90 mph, taking an average time of 12:53
to reach the City Park, complete two slightly different
laps, and return to the same spot in the driveway, covered
with glory.

[snip]

Quoted message said:

The Fury easily set a new record on its first try,
11:52 and 20.53 mph, about 9% faster than normal--and that
was its second ride of the day.

A less excited and less innumerate poster would have divided
the right numbers (61/773) and come up with only a 7.9%
improvement.

C.F.

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 19:35:56 -0700, [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

After 247 4.06 mile rides, the Fury's average speed has been
determined to be 18.90 mph, taking an average time of 12:53
to reach the City Park, complete two slightly different
laps, and return to the same spot in the driveway, covered
with glory.

[snip]

Quoted message said:

The Fury easily set a new record on its first try,
11:52 and 20.53 mph, about 9% faster than normal--and that
was its second ride of the day.

A less excited and less innumerate poster would have divided
the right numbers (61/773) and come up with only a 7.9%
improvement.

20.53mph is 108.6% of 18.90mph. You could legitimately have rounded
the 8.6% up to 9%.since you said "about".
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

meb said:

Considering it's November in Pueblo, won't Fury long for the knobbies
on the first snowfall or are tire chains in reserve?

Dear Meb,

It hit a record 80 degrees here today, confirming a long
trend of warmer weather.

Forty years ago, I was a little boy learning to expect
twenty-below winters and a few blizzards that would dump two
feet of snow and close the schools.

Twenty years ago, I finally bought a four-wheel drive car
and enjoyed creeping up the steepest snow-filled alley in
town, stopping, and then starting again.

But after that, Pueblo pretty much decided that milder
winters are preferable. It still snows, but not as much, and
it doesn't get as cold.

The traditional Halloween snowfall that used to teach
Pueblo's children that life is not always a bowl of cherries
bypassed us again this year--a foot or so of snow fell in a
fifty-mile semi-circle around the city. While traffic
slithered to a halt on the highways in Colorado Springs, I
went for my usual rides in dry 40 degree weather.

Lately, I expect only a dozen days each year when there's
enough snow on the ground or the weather's cold enough to
give me a holiday from bicycling.

In any case, the Fury's new semi-slicks do have cute little
rounded grooves on either side and are still almost twice as
wide as a road tire, so traction should be good in the snow.
When it does snow, I have vague plans to alter my route
through the park to avoid the shady loops where the ice
lurks. Frequently, just riding on the other side of the road
is all that it takes to avoid the ice in the last few years.

Of course, I may be shovelling two feet of "partly cloudy"
off the driveway next week.

Carl Fogel

[email hidden said:

"]On Sat, 6 Nov 2004 13:48:22 +1100, meb

Quoted message said:

Considering it's November in Pueblo, won't Fury long for the knobbies
on the first snowfall or are tire chains in reserve?

Dear Meb,

It hit a record 80 degrees here today, confirming a long
trend of warmer weather.

Forty years ago, I was a little boy learning to expect
twenty-below winters and a few blizzards that would dump two
feet of snow and close the schools.

Twenty years ago, I finally bought a four-wheel drive car
and enjoyed creeping up the steepest snow-filled alley in
town, stopping, and then starting again.

But after that, Pueblo pretty much decided that milder
winters are preferable. It still snows, but not as much, and
it doesn't get as cold.

The traditional Halloween snowfall that used to teach
Pueblo's children that life is not always a bowl of cherries
bypassed us again this year--a foot or so of snow fell in a
fifty-mile semi-circle around the city. While traffic
slithered to a halt on the highways in Colorado Springs, I
went for my usual rides in dry 40 degree weather.

Lately, I expect only a dozen days each year when there's
enough snow on the ground or the weather's cold enough to
give me a holiday from bicycling.

In any case, the Fury's new semi-slicks do have cute little
rounded grooves on either side and are still almost twice as
wide as a road tire, so traction should be good in the snow.
When it does snow, I have vague plans to alter my route
through the park to avoid the shady loops where the ice
lurks. Frequently, just riding on the other side of the road
is all that it takes to avoid the ice in the last few years.

Of course, I may be shovelling two feet of "partly cloudy"
off the driveway next week.

Carl Fogel

Perhaps you wouldn't need avoid that icy section if Fury received a Roman Wheels Netwon conversion for the winter:

ddol-las.fsnet.co.uktrikes.htmOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

As Pueblo hits eighty degrees to break the temperature
record for Guy Fawkes Day, the Fury RoadMaster breaks a
thousand miles! (David Van Tol may pay his debt at PayPal.)

After 247 4.06 mile rides, the Fury's average speed has been
determined to be 18.90 mph, taking an average time of 12:53
to reach the City Park, complete two slightly different
laps, and return to the same spot in the driveway, covered
with glory.

The Fury's best time was 11:55, averaging 20.52 mph--its
only sub-12 minute run. (Damn near killed me.)

Its worst day involved a chilly rain and a hundred-yard,
axle-deep puddle that slowed it to 14:39 as it crawled along
at a miserable average of 16.63 mph.

Its highest recorded speed was 27.7 mph on a sunny day with
a brisk tailwind down the backstretch behind the zoo.

Apart from what looks like a slightly bent extra-long seat
post, the only damage was a flat rear tire--the inner tube
failed at the base of the valve, apparently while the Fury
was asleep on the back porch.

Not bad for a $57.71 with tax WalMart bicycle bought on a
dare. (David Van Tol vanished a few months ago, but may
still pay his debt of $7.71 by PayPal.)

Anticipating the Fury's success, I procured a pair of
semi-slick Bell tires from WalMart a few days ago, each
$9.32 plus tax, a total of $20.02.

Following the Fury's normal ride today, I treated it to its
new pair of shoes, having already 584 rubber mold filaments
off them--132 on each side of the tread, plus 16 more on
each bead, absolutely regular, none missing. Before being
shaved of its rubbery whiskers, each tire looked like a bad
imitation of a cactus.

Again I was surprised by how inner tubes stick to tires if
not replaced as frequently as my touring bike tubes (25
flats in 303 rides so far this year--better than usual). The
Fury's back tube even stuck to one spot on the rubber rim
strip.

The new tires had modest but decorative diagonal grooves and
arrows indicating which way they should roll, so I mounted
them as suggested. In snow or mud, both tires would leave
tracks like this <<<<< heading this way -->.

It was only 4 o'clock and such a nice day that I decided to
take the Fury out for a spin on its new footwear. When I
rolled its new front tire next to the tape measure to
re-calibrate the speedometer, I was impressed with the
difference between the dainty new semi-slicks and the old
knobby numchucks.

In fact, my printed garage list converting inches to
millimeters didn't even go down to 77.75 inches, so I had to
go into the house and extend my spreadsheet--about 1974 mm.

Trying not to worry about the loss of ground clearance and
gearing, I set off--

Oh, my, what a difference!

The speedometer was showing noticeably higher figures by the
second corner. With the new tires, I could have used higher
gearing. The Fury easily set a new record on its first try,
11:52 and 20.53 mph, about 9% faster than normal--and that
was its second ride of the day.

Riding on knobbies (even with a continuous centerline)
instead of slicks must be like showing up at a track meet
wearing army boots. I'd expected some improvement, but not
61 seconds better than average.

Tomorrow I plan to give the Fury its first rest and run my
touring bike over the Fury's route, just to see what the
difference is.

So, you got new tires?

Bill "post summer-izer" S.

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

Quoted message said:

As Pueblo hits eighty degrees to break the temperature
record for Guy Fawkes Day, the Fury RoadMaster breaks a
thousand miles! (David Van Tol may pay his debt at PayPal.)

After 247 4.06 mile rides, the Fury's average speed has been
determined to be 18.90 mph, taking an average time of 12:53
to reach the City Park, complete two slightly different
laps, and return to the same spot in the driveway, covered
with glory.

The Fury's best time was 11:55, averaging 20.52 mph--its
only sub-12 minute run. (Damn near killed me.)

Its worst day involved a chilly rain and a hundred-yard,
axle-deep puddle that slowed it to 14:39 as it crawled along
at a miserable average of 16.63 mph.

Its highest recorded speed was 27.7 mph on a sunny day with
a brisk tailwind down the backstretch behind the zoo.

Apart from what looks like a slightly bent extra-long seat
post, the only damage was a flat rear tire--the inner tube
failed at the base of the valve, apparently while the Fury
was asleep on the back porch.

Not bad for a $57.71 with tax WalMart bicycle bought on a
dare. (David Van Tol vanished a few months ago, but may
still pay his debt of $7.71 by PayPal.)

Anticipating the Fury's success, I procured a pair of
semi-slick Bell tires from WalMart a few days ago, each
$9.32 plus tax, a total of $20.02.

Following the Fury's normal ride today, I treated it to its
new pair of shoes, having already 584 rubber mold filaments
off them--132 on each side of the tread, plus 16 more on
each bead, absolutely regular, none missing. Before being
shaved of its rubbery whiskers, each tire looked like a bad
imitation of a cactus.

Again I was surprised by how inner tubes stick to tires if
not replaced as frequently as my touring bike tubes (25
flats in 303 rides so far this year--better than usual). The
Fury's back tube even stuck to one spot on the rubber rim
strip.

The new tires had modest but decorative diagonal grooves and
arrows indicating which way they should roll, so I mounted
them as suggested. In snow or mud, both tires would leave
tracks like this <<<<< heading this way -->.

It was only 4 o'clock and such a nice day that I decided to
take the Fury out for a spin on its new footwear. When I
rolled its new front tire next to the tape measure to
re-calibrate the speedometer, I was impressed with the
difference between the dainty new semi-slicks and the old
knobby numchucks.

In fact, my printed garage list converting inches to
millimeters didn't even go down to 77.75 inches, so I had to
go into the house and extend my spreadsheet--about 1974 mm.

Trying not to worry about the loss of ground clearance and
gearing, I set off--

Oh, my, what a difference!

The speedometer was showing noticeably higher figures by the
second corner. With the new tires, I could have used higher
gearing. The Fury easily set a new record on its first try,
11:52 and 20.53 mph, about 9% faster than normal--and that
was its second ride of the day.

Riding on knobbies (even with a continuous centerline)
instead of slicks must be like showing up at a track meet
wearing army boots. I'd expected some improvement, but not
61 seconds better than average.

Tomorrow I plan to give the Fury its first rest and run my
touring bike over the Fury's route, just to see what the
difference is.

So, you got new tires?

Bill "post summer-izer" S.

Dear Bill,

No, but my Fury RoadMaster did.

Carl "clarifying" Fogel

[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

As Pueblo hits eighty degrees to break the temperature
record for Guy Fawkes Day, the Fury RoadMaster breaks a
thousand miles! (David Van Tol may pay his debt at PayPal.)

Fascinating. But I see that not once did you use it for its supposed
intended purpose--mountain biking. We know you love to post, so could
you please explain to those of us who weren't around when you started
this saga exactly what you were trying to prove?

Super Slinky said:

[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

As Pueblo hits eighty degrees to break the temperature
record for Guy Fawkes Day, the Fury RoadMaster breaks a
thousand miles! (David Van Tol may pay his debt at PayPal.)

Fascinating. But I see that not once did you use it for its supposed
intended purpose--mountain biking. We know you love to post, so could
you please explain to those of us who weren't around when you started
this saga exactly what you were trying to prove?

Dear SS,

Briefly . . . Oh, who am I kidding?

The original titanic debate was born when a long-forgotten
college student (naturally named Dave) asked what to do with
$800 burning a hole in his pocket:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&threadm=8bbde8fc.0401201227.4932e222%40posting.google.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dschwinn%2Bjunior%2Bdave%2Bcarl%2Bhigh%2Bschool%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26group%3Drec.bicycles.tech%26selm%3D8bbde8fc.0401201227.4932e222%2540posting.google.com%26rnum%3D1

or http://tinyurl.com/6sgkk

The poor guy only needed to ride two miles to classes and
then back home again, a four-mile daily ride, but he might
as well have walked onto a car lot, announced that he had
$8000, and asked how much he ought to spend.

(To be fair, he did mention that he might join a bike group,
so we could blame the victim and argue that it was his own
fault for provoking us.)

The student was informed that he could only avoid disaster
by visiting a dozen local bike shops, gathering endless
details, and spending his entire $800 on an "entry-level"
bicycle.

I pointed out that WalMart was selling bikes for under a
hundred dollars that ought to be able to handle a ten-minute
two-mile morning ride to school. (I kept hoping that someone
would recommend a pair of clipless bicycle shoes that cost
more than $100, but everyone was so busy spending the $800
on the bicycle alone that they forgot such details.)

The anti-WalMartians predicted that any rider foolish enough
to buy a WalMart bicycle would suffer irreversible
mechanical failures before he could reach the end of the
block, and probably crippling injuries, if not a
well-deserved and agonizing death.

The more morbid anti-WalMartians dwelled at length on how
WalMart often installed the front quick-release backward, so
that it must inevitably be snatched and torn open by bushes
encouraged to line paved roads by the "fog line"--this line
of thought began like this:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl3338362989d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&selm=73da2590.0401211548.4610835a%40posting.google.com
or http://tinyurl.com/6k9qt

and eventually wound up in the fog line like this:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%22fog+line%22+corvallis&hl=en&lr=&selm=73da2590.0401260922.65b49da8%40posting.google.com&rnum=2&filter=0
or http://tinyurl.com/5acn8

(Amusingly, the Fury RoadMaster uses nuts and washers
instead of quick-releases, so the criticism never applied.)

Anyway, my off-the-cuff sub-$100 guess was soon corrected,
and the Fury RoadMaster at under $60 with tax soon became
the gold standard in discussions of bespoke gentlemen's
bicycles.

Taunted by unbelievers, I vowed in public to purchase and
ride a Fury if its price dropped under $50. David Van Tol
promptly dared me to put my money where my keyboard was, buy
a Fury, and ride it a thousand miles, predicting "durability
issues." He went too far when he offered to pay any amount
over $50 up to $3.73 plus tax:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=c255ll%241k10%241%40f04n12.cac.psu.edu
or http://tinyurl.com/3cucp

Fogels being nothing if not foolish, I soon posted this:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl2912196017d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&selm=ZXv1c.8302%24Xb5.2972%40fe01.usenetserver.com
or http://tinyurl.com/yqv8g

So much for the ur-Fury posts. The First Folio recounting
the Fury's early adventures may be perused here:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&threadm=8bbde8fc.0403081633.20c40575%40posting.google.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3D%2522after%2Bthe%2Bfirst%2Bfive%2Brides%2522%2Bcarl%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26group%3Drec.bicycles.tech%26selm%3D8bbde8fc.0403081633.20c40575%2540posting.google.com%26rnum%3D1
or http://tinyurl.com/3tnfk

Further adventures ("The Case of the Flat Tire"😉 are
available here:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&threadm=h3gvh0to6v8r9158m7c8dfrup05sj7gjtv%404ax.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3D%2522fury%2Broadmaster%2522%2Bcarl%2Byikes%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26selm%3Dh3gvh0to6v8r9158m7c8dfrup05sj7gjtv%25404ax.com%26rnum%3D1
or http://tinyurl.com/6wz4u

In short, the cheapest WalMart bicycle-shaped object seems
to work just fine for roughly a school year of commuting,
despite dire predictions to the contrary. I've certainly
gotten my $57.71 worth out of it.

Time to see how fast my touring bike can cover the same
route. Monday, I may take the Fury to a veterinarian's
office (my clients will put up with anything) and put it on
their convenient electronic scale.

Carl Fogel

Quoted message said:

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

Quoted message said:

[mondo snippitola, not before it was needed]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Tomorrow I plan to give the Fury its first rest and run my
touring bike over the Fury's route, just to see what the
difference is.

I would think that you would ride it, instead.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So, you got new tires?

Bill "post summer-izer" S.

Dear Bill,

No, but my Fury RoadMaster did.

Carl "clarifying" Fogel

Gosh, did it pay cash or use it's Wal-Mart Visa card?
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Werehatrack said:

Quoted message said:

B i l l S o r n s o n said:

[email hidden] wrote:
>

[mondo snippitola, not before it was needed]

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>
> Tomorrow I plan to give the Fury its first rest and run my
> touring bike over the Fury's route, just to see what the
> difference is.

I would think that you would ride it, instead.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

So, you got new tires?

Bill "post summer-izer" S.

Dear Bill,

No, but my Fury RoadMaster did.

Carl "clarifying" Fogel

Gosh, did it pay cash or use it's Wal-Mart Visa card?

Dear Werehatrack,

I'm afraid that both my Fury and my Schwinn would insist
that I'm just along for the ride and to make excuses about
the damned wind.

Annoyed by being asked to roll around an unfamiliar route,
my Schwinn touring bike also objected to brisk headwinds on
the outbound leg and turned in a disappointing 10:46 at an
average 22.63 mph over 4.06 miles this morning--better than
the Fury's 11:52 and 20.53 yesterday, but still slower than
hoped for.

As for who paid the Fury's new tires, I suspect that it's a
bit like flowers and perfume--the one who pays for them is
not usually the one who gets them.

Given U.S. banking habits, I expect to find a letter in the
mailbox that congratulates "Mr. F. Roadmaster" on his
excellent credit history and offers him a card with a $5,000
line of credit and a surprisingly high interest rate and
annual fee.

After all, they used to call it a "revolving" credit plan.

Carl Fogel

Quoted message said:

Super Slinky said:

[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

As Pueblo hits eighty degrees to break the temperature
record for Guy Fawkes Day, the Fury RoadMaster breaks a
thousand miles! (David Van Tol may pay his debt at PayPal.)

Fascinating. But I see that not once did you use it for its supposed
intended purpose--mountain biking. We know you love to post, so could
you please explain to those of us who weren't around when you started
this saga exactly what you were trying to prove?

Dear SS,

Briefly . . . Oh, who am I kidding?

The original titanic debate was born when a long-forgotten
college student (naturally named Dave) asked what to do with
$800 burning a hole in his pocket:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&threadm=8bbde8fc.0401201227.4932e222%40posting.google.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3Dschwinn%2Bjunior%2Bdave%2Bcarl%2Bhigh%2Bschool%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26group%3Drec.bicycles.tech%26selm%3D8bbde8fc.0401201227.4932e222%2540posting.google.com%26rnum%3D1

or http://tinyurl.com/6sgkk

The poor guy only needed to ride two miles to classes and
then back home again, a four-mile daily ride, but he might
as well have walked onto a car lot, announced that he had
$8000, and asked how much he ought to spend.

I will point out, modestly, as is my wont, of course) that in that
thread, I posited that a more modest solution might be available, to
wit:

One additional thought: the campus cops at some universities are
the custodians of the "abandoned bicycles" collection, from which
there is often a way of obtaining a bike very cheap or free. It
will often need some repairs, but potentially may save you enough to
bail you out when a prof suddenly decides that you need *another*
$80 textbook that wasn't on the required list at the start of the
term. Crummy but serviceable used bikes are also often to be found
at thrift stores. For a short commute such as you describe,
virtually any bike that it's *possible* for you to ride will fill
the bill adequately. Once you're settled in, if you decide to hook
up with a local group for rides, they will probably know where the
best deals are to be had on bikes for those recreational purposes.

Quoted message said:

(To be fair, he did mention that he might join a bike group,
so we could blame the victim and argue that it was his own
fault for provoking us.)

Yes! Yes! He misled us all, he did!

Quoted message said:

The student was informed that he could only avoid disaster
by visiting a dozen local bike shops, gathering endless
details, and spending his entire $800 on an "entry-level"
bicycle.

And this is one of those enduring mysteries to someone like me; I
doubt that I have $800 invested in all of the bikes in the household,
inlcluding the 8 that were stolen back in August (don't ask; measures
have been taken to reduce the risk of a repeated loss), and I've got
some pretty nice stuff. Nothing bleeding-edge, but plenty of good,
solid, ride-without-worry hardware in a variety of sizes and types.

Quoted message said:

I pointed out that WalMart was selling bikes for under a
hundred dollars that ought to be able to handle a ten-minute
two-mile morning ride to school. (I kept hoping that someone
would recommend a pair of clipless bicycle shoes that cost
more than $100, but everyone was so busy spending the $800
on the bicycle alone that they forgot such details.)

IIRC, nobody mentioned five-panel riding shorts or a camelback,
either; clearly an omission of significant magnitude.

Quoted message said:

The anti-WalMartians

SPLORF! The extending implications of that term are...amusing.

Quoted message said:

predicted that any rider foolish enough
to buy a WalMart bicycle would suffer irreversible
mechanical failures before he could reach the end of the
block, and probably crippling injuries, if not a
well-deserved and agonizing death.

Well, I'm sure that there are those who have no doubt that *they*
would suffer irreversible psychological damage from the
(self-)ridicule and humiliation that would be heaped upon them unto
the end of all things were they to be seen riding a Roadmaster...or,
perhaps worse yet, a Huffy. (Or perhaps not; Wal-Mart carries no
Huffys.)

Quoted message said:

The more morbid anti-WalMartians dwelled at length on how
WalMart often installed the front quick-release backward, so
that it must inevitably be snatched and torn open by bushes
encouraged to line paved roads by the "fog line"

And what's so difficult about snapping the lever open, rotating it to
a more appropriate position, and latching it back down, I wonder?

Quoted message said:

(Amusingly, the Fury RoadMaster uses nuts and washers
instead of quick-releases, so the criticism never applied.)

Funny how that often works.

Quoted message said:

Anyway, my off-the-cuff sub-$100 guess was soon corrected,
and the Fury RoadMaster at under $60 with tax soon became
the gold standard in discussions of bespoke gentlemen's
bicycles.

Wow, what extravagance! (I usually get at lest three bikes for that
kind of dough, though they're decidedly not new. OTOH, in the last
major buy, the lot of 5 (at a cost of $62) included a Miyata mtb, a
Pacific mtb, a Schwinn Collegiate and...a Roadmaster Fury. The Fury,
alas, is only a 24", so I am loathe to put it into service for myself,
but it was one of the two newest-looking in the group, and after being
spurned by several potential donees, has been relegated to the "guest
ride" rack.

Quoted message said:

Taunted by unbelievers, I vowed in public to purchase and
ride a Fury if its price dropped under $50. David Van Tol
promptly dared me to put my money where my keyboard was, buy
a Fury, and ride it a thousand miles, predicting "durability
issues." He went too far when he offered to pay any amount
over $50 up to $3.73 plus tax:

A Challenge was involved? Gosh, now I wish I'd read the rest of that
thread. Y'see, at the time it was all going on, my stable already
included a bargain-basement Roadmaster that I had acquired new even
more cheaply than yours; I might have joined in the Long Term Test.

Quoted message said:

In short, the cheapest WalMart bicycle-shaped object seems
to work just fine for roughly a school year of commuting,
despite dire predictions to the contrary. I've certainly
gotten my $57.71 worth out of it.

Pardon me while I don't act shocked, confused, or amazed...

Quoted message said:

Time to see how fast my touring bike can cover the same
route. Monday, I may take the Fury to a veterinarian's
office (my clients will put up with anything) and put it on
their convenient electronic scale.

Remember, a proper scale for measuring the weight of a Fury *is not*
calibrated in grams. No wimpy mass-units for Roadmaster! They use
good, old-fashioned, solid *pounds* for their weights!
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Dear SS,

Briefly . . . Oh, who am I kidding?

An amusing story. Department store bikes are about all I see on college
campuses. They sit outside all the time and get rusty and they attract
thieves and vandals like doggy-doo attracts flies. I have to admit, I
wanted to be cynical, but you proved a point. I still wonder though
about the setup out of the box. Like how did it shift? Did you go over
it and make sure everything was tightened down and put together
correctly?

Super Slinky said:

[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Dear SS,

Briefly . . . Oh, who am I kidding?

An amusing story. Department store bikes are about all I see on college
campuses. They sit outside all the time and get rusty and they attract
thieves and vandals like doggy-doo attracts flies. I have to admit, I
wanted to be cynical, but you proved a point. I still wonder though
about the setup out of the box. Like how did it shift? Did you go over
it and make sure everything was tightened down and put together
correctly?

Dear SS,

The secrets of the Fury RoadMaster's pre-Tour of the City
Park preparation are found here:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl2398224621d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&selm=8bbde8fc.0403032343.25b35ac%40posting.google.com
or http://tinyurl.com/5woch

and here:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=g:thl2398224621d&dq=&hl=en&lr=&selm=8bbde8fc.0403051118.7fa4580%40posting.google.com&rnum=48
or http://tinyurl.com/3tehr

The left thumb-shifter needed to be tightened down:

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&threadm=8bbde8fc.0403081633.20c40575%40posting.google.com&rnum=1&prev=/groups%3Fq%3D%2522after%2Bthe%2Bfirst%2Bfive%2Brides%2522%2Bcarl%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26group%3Drec.bicycles.tech%26selm%3D8bbde8fc.0403081633.20c40575%2540posting.google.com%26rnum%3D1
or http://tinyurl.com/3tnfk

The chain has been oiled two or three times after impromptu
cleaning in long winter puddles. Also, due to my poor
installation, the replacement seat post, well--

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=yellow+tape+seat+carl+fury&hl=en&lr=&group=rec.bicycles.tech&selm=0i8690h9lbs7kot4ig4asitpc5ao4h22ti%404ax.com&rnum=1
or http://tinyurl.com/6r32k

A frightening false alarm . . .

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=fury+pebble&hl=en&lr=&group=rec.bicycles.tech&selm=8bbde8fc.0403281732.60cc93bd%40posting.google.com&rnum=1
or http://tinyurl.com/3l7o3

.. . . was followed by the infamous rear flat:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=yikes+disaster+fury&hl=en&lr=&group=rec.bicycles.tech&selm=h3gvh0to6v8r9158m7c8dfrup05sj7gjtv%404ax.com&rnum=1
or http://tinyurl.com/7xfnd

As for shifting, the triple front ring and 5-cog rear
shifted well enough when I first got it and experimented and
then worked fine on a fifteen-mile ride up the Arkansas
River and a 400-foot climb:

http://groups.google.com/groups?q=fury+river+roadmaster&hl=en&lr=&group=rec.bicycles.tech&selm=bo8me09dabp0ctpnklppb5874k8pacrfu9%404ax.com&rnum=1
or http://tinyurl.com/5jdab

But to be honest, the Fury stays on the big ring and shifts
from 4th to 5th about twenty seconds out of the driveway.
With the 77.75 inch slicks replacing the 80+ fearsome
knobbies and lowering the already low gear ratio, I may not
even bother dropping to 4th gear any more.

Carl Fogel

Werehatrack <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Remember, a proper scale for measuring the weight of a Fury *is not*
calibrated in grams. No wimpy mass-units for Roadmaster! They use
good, old-fashioned, solid *pounds* for their weights!

Nothing but a different sized mass unit--and one which no longer has
an independent standard, so the relationship between pounds and grams
is exact.

http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/PUBS_LIB/FedRegister/FRdoc59-5442.pdf

Announcement. Effective July 1, 1959, all calibrations in
the U.S. customary system of weights and measures
carried out by the National Bureau of Standards will
continue to be based upon metric measurement standards
and, except those for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
as noted below, will be made in terms of the following
exact equivalents and appropriate multiples and submultiples:

1 yard= 0.914 4 meter

1 pound (avoirdupois)= 0.453 592 37 kilogram

Currently, the units defined by these same equivalents,
which have been designated as the International Yard and
the International Pound, respectively, will be used by the
National Standards Laboratories of Australia, Canada,
New Zealand, South Africa, and United Kingdom; thus
there will be brought about international accord on the
yard and pound by the English-speaking nations of the
world, in precise measurements involving these basic units.

To see the previous U.S. definition of these units, as slightly
different exact fractions of the metric units, for the 66 years prior
to this 1959 redefinition, see the URL above.

--
Gene Nygaard
"It's not the things you don't know
what gets you into trouble.

"It's the things you do know
that just ain't so."
Will Rogers

On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 19:35:56 -0700, [email hidden]
wrote:

[snip]

Today I drove the Fury over to my vet's office, where I had
to pick up some basset-related pills anyway.

Although well-behaved, the Fury was reluctant to climb up
onto the three-inch high electronic scales, a trait that it
shares with my larger and less intelligent dog. The trouble
was that its wheelbase was just a little longer than the
pad, even placed diagonally, so it teetered and trembled and
produced erratic readings.

Rude comments were made about how it's no use weighing an
overweight animal if the tail hangs off the scale.

Luckily, a licensed veterinarian was handy. Soothing the
Fury with kind words, he simply flipped it upside-down on
its seat and handlebars and told it, "Sit! Stay!"

His later denials that he had learned the trick while using
the scales to weigh his own were met with skepticism by the
saucier members of his staff.

With no sidestand, no front or back reflectors, and no wheel
reflectors, but with its longer seat post, speedometer, and
new lightweight slick tires, the Fury RoadMaster proved to
be a svelte 34.2 pounds, much lighter than I feared after
seeing "Shipping weight in pounds: 40.0" on the WalMart
site.

Carl Fogel

[email hidden] wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

The poor guy only needed to ride two miles to classes and
then back home again, a four-mile daily ride, but he might
as well have walked onto a car lot, announced that he had
$8000, and asked how much he ought to spend.

These cheap bikes can be an excellent solution for a short commute or
a short section of a commute, particularly where there are security
problems WRT parking. For 2 short to medium cycle journeys with a
train section in the middle a good quality folder is also an excellent
way to go.

I might claim some precedence with the following post.
<http://tinyurl.co.uk/gpy8>

or <http://groups.google.co.uk/groups?hl=en&lr=&selm=57db8bde.0312030518.5086e42f%40posting.google.com>

I have to admit though, I would not have considered offering to
demonstrate the viability of the solution personally.

--
Dave...