Bicycle to work?

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way. Gas prices are killing
me especially since I drive a truck.

I like to bicycle although it has been years since I have done it. I am
in decent shape and I do run some. 9Not as much as I should) I am a
male and around 35.

Would it be feasible to travel this distance to and from work a few
days a week? Admittantly, the only bike i have is from Wal _Mart and is
a sort of trail bike but it works well.

Well it's possible that in time you might be able to ride that far. It
largely depends on you. What i suggest is that you try it on a day off.
1 to see if you can do it, 2 to see how long it takes you to ride that
distance, 3 to see how comfortable the bike is for the distance you plan
to ride.

Quoted message said:

The other thing I thought of there is a parking lot 5.4 miles form my
house I could leave my truck and ride the bike from there to work. From
there to work it is a two lane highway with a large berm on each side.

How long should I expect the trip to take?

Some experienced riders could ride that in under and hour. But again
that is largely dependent on you and your overall physical condition.

Quoted message said:

Just wondered what you thought.

Try it out. You might discover that you like the idea of commuting by bike.

Ken
--
New cycling jersey: $49
new cycling shorts: $39
Not being a slave to the petrol pump: priceless.

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

Quoted message said:

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way. Gas prices are killing
me especially since I drive a truck.

Quoted message said:

Would it be feasible to travel this distance to and from work a few
days a week? Admittantly, the only bike i have is from Wal _Mart and is
a sort of trail bike but it works well.

It is feasible. It'll be more difficult with a *Mart bike, but it isn't
impossible.

Quoted message said:

The other thing I thought of there is a parking lot 5.4 miles form my
house I could leave my truck and ride the bike from there to work. From
there to work it is a two lane highway with a large berm on each side.

Because I'm a wuss, that's the sort of thing I'd do. I think if you try
riding 40 miles a day to start on a heavy bike, you'll soon give it up as
too much work. Doing a multi-modal commute, where you ride only part of the
way, is much easier. As you get stronger, you can ride more and more of it.
Another possibility is to drive in with the bike in the morning and ride
back, then ride in the next day and drive back.

Quoted message said:

How long should I expect the trip to take?

I think 10 mph isn't that far off for a beginner on a heavy bike.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

"The other thing I thought of there is a parking lot 5.4 miles form my
house I could leave my truck and ride the bike from there to work. From
there to work it is a two lane highway with a large berm on each side.
"

I live 32 miles from work. A couple times each week, I park at a "Park
& Ride" 6 miles from work, then ride in. I figure 12 miles (round
trip) is better than none at all.

I would definitely look for a good, used bike if I were you. Do you
have any friends who are cyclists? If so, they could help you seperate
the good bikes from the trash at your local Goodwill, or craigslist, or
whatever.

Ride as far as you are comfortable. Start with short distances and
work your way up. Some day, you will be able to do the whole commute
on a bicycle, if you have the time and inclination.

Good luck!

- Forbes B-Black

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way. Gas prices are killing
me especially since I drive a truck.

I like to bicycle although it has been years since I have done it. I am
in decent shape and I do run some. 9Not as much as I should) I am a
male and around 35.

Would it be feasible to travel this distance to and from work a few
days a week? Admittantly, the only bike i have is from Wal _Mart and is
a sort of trail bike but it works well.

The other thing I thought of there is a parking lot 5.4 miles form my
house I could leave my truck and ride the bike from there to work. From
there to work it is a two lane highway with a large berm on each side.

How long should I expect the trip to take?

Just wondered what you thought.

There was just a thread on various commutes. Mine is 15 miles each way
and it takes around 1:20. I'm pretty slow and in an urban area so I
have lights that slow me down.

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way. Gas prices are killing
me especially since I drive a truck.

I like to bicycle although it has been years since I have done it. I am
in decent shape and I do run some. 9Not as much as I should) I am a
male and around 35.

Would it be feasible to travel this distance to and from work a few
days a week? Admittantly, the only bike i have is from Wal _Mart and is
a sort of trail bike but it works well.

Feasibility depends on your expectations and abilities. I'd expect a
20 mile trip on a typical Wal-Mart mountain bike to take about two
hours for someone who isn't accustomed to riding, and leave them sore
enough to prefer walking home, at least the first few times. Before
you try it, I'd recommend striking out on your day off to see how far
you can comfortably get in 30 minutes, and then turn around and come
back. Run the same route with the truck and see what distance you
covered. I suspect it's going to fall a bit short of what you'd
consider workable right away, but don't let that discourage you. The
test ride just gives you a baseline; results will improve when you
start riding the route regularly.

Quoted message said:

The other thing I thought of there is a parking lot 5.4 miles form my
house I could leave my truck and ride the bike from there to work. From
there to work it is a two lane highway with a large berm on each side.

How long should I expect the trip to take?

A typical speed for a cyclist who just uses a bike for commuting is
around 12 mph on mostly level ground. I'm guessing that you're in
Indiana; big hills are unlikely to be a major issue, and you should
have good weather most of the time. For a trip of about 15 miles,
then, you should expect that a bit over an hour and fifteen minutes
from the lot to work would be a good target. I suspect that you'll
find your transit time creeping down as you get more miles in the
saddle; eventually, you'll probably want to do the whole trip on the
bike, and leave the truck at home. Don't be too surprised if you
start riding to other places as well.

Side observations: The fat, knobby tires that are on your bike will
slow you down and make the ride much less pleasant than it would be
with somewhat narrower, smooth tires. Unfortunately, the only smooth
tires in your size sold at Wal-Mart are quite fat. With a little
shopping around online and at local bike shops, you can probably find
some 26 x 1.5 slicks for a reasonable price; in my opinion, they'd be
worth having. The other potential sore point (literally) is the
saddle. Particularly if the bike is a Roadmaster, you are likely to
discover that the original saddle on your bike is just not comfortable
enough to make the bike acceptable for a ride of an hour's length or
more. Although it might seem as though a soft, wide saddle would be
more comfortable, this isn't a good assumption. Finding a saddle that
will work well for you may be a bit of a challenge. A good bike shop
might be able to help. Before doing any of that, however, try the
day-off evaluation ride to see what you need to work on in order to
make the ride and the bike fun for you. It's quite possible that
you're in better shape than you might expect, and the bike might be
perfectly useful for commuting as-is.

--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

x-no-archive:yes

I live in southern kentucky. There are a few large hills.

Werehatrack said:

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way. Gas prices are killing
me especially since I drive a truck.

I like to bicycle although it has been years since I have done it. I am
in decent shape and I do run some. 9Not as much as I should) I am a
male and around 35.

Would it be feasible to travel this distance to and from work a few
days a week? Admittantly, the only bike i have is from Wal _Mart and is
a sort of trail bike but it works well.

Feasibility depends on your expectations and abilities. I'd expect a
20 mile trip on a typical Wal-Mart mountain bike to take about two
hours for someone who isn't accustomed to riding, and leave them sore
enough to prefer walking home, at least the first few times. Before
you try it, I'd recommend striking out on your day off to see how far
you can comfortably get in 30 minutes, and then turn around and come
back. Run the same route with the truck and see what distance you
covered. I suspect it's going to fall a bit short of what you'd
consider workable right away, but don't let that discourage you. The
test ride just gives you a baseline; results will improve when you
start riding the route regularly.

Quoted message said:

The other thing I thought of there is a parking lot 5.4 miles form my
house I could leave my truck and ride the bike from there to work. From
there to work it is a two lane highway with a large berm on each side.

How long should I expect the trip to take?

A typical speed for a cyclist who just uses a bike for commuting is
around 12 mph on mostly level ground. I'm guessing that you're in
Indiana; big hills are unlikely to be a major issue, and you should
have good weather most of the time. For a trip of about 15 miles,
then, you should expect that a bit over an hour and fifteen minutes
from the lot to work would be a good target. I suspect that you'll
find your transit time creeping down as you get more miles in the
saddle; eventually, you'll probably want to do the whole trip on the
bike, and leave the truck at home. Don't be too surprised if you
start riding to other places as well.

Side observations: The fat, knobby tires that are on your bike will
slow you down and make the ride much less pleasant than it would be
with somewhat narrower, smooth tires. Unfortunately, the only smooth
tires in your size sold at Wal-Mart are quite fat. With a little
shopping around online and at local bike shops, you can probably find
some 26 x 1.5 slicks for a reasonable price; in my opinion, they'd be
worth having. The other potential sore point (literally) is the
saddle. Particularly if the bike is a Roadmaster, you are likely to
discover that the original saddle on your bike is just not comfortable
enough to make the bike acceptable for a ride of an hour's length or
more. Although it might seem as though a soft, wide saddle would be
more comfortable, this isn't a good assumption. Finding a saddle that
will work well for you may be a bit of a challenge. A good bike shop
might be able to help. Before doing any of that, however, try the
day-off evaluation ride to see what you need to work on in order to
make the ride and the bike fun for you. It's quite possible that
you're in better shape than you might expect, and the bike might be
perfectly useful for commuting as-is.

--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

I live in southern kentucky. There are a few large hills.

Don't feel bad about going slow up the hills.

The main thing i'd suggest, on top of what has been posted is that
when you go out for your training/try-out rides, make a note of how much
warmer you get once you've got going. I recommend dressing more for
how hot you are once you're warmed up, not when you're just starting out;
otherwise you can get uncomfortably overhot.

I like the Michelin "Transworld Citi Multi" tires. They're a little fatter
than 1.5s (they're 1.95 inches wide), but they're fairly robust and a bit
tougher than a lot of the 1.5 tires. But almost anything is better than
knobbies. Whatever tires you get, best to keep them inflated towards the
high end of the rated pressure. Get comfortable changing fixing flats, just
in case.

If you're riding in the hills of Ky (i'm originally from e-town), you'll be
well served by starting out with filled water bottles. It takes a little
getting used to, but that spandex stuff (shorts) and coolmax (jerseys) turns
out to work pretty well. but lots of people do use plain old cotton, so
ymmv.

Other than that, i'd listen to Claire, and start off slow rather than
jumping in with a 40 mile hilly commute. Take your time. You _will_ be sore
at first, it'll pass.

Do you know about the googlemaps pedometer? <http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/>
It lets you mark up and measure (including altitude change) bike routes. It
works with satellite/aerial views (might not have good zoom-in for ky) as
well as maps. Broad band connection only; doesn't work well on a modem.

Do keep us posted, and best wishes!

..max

Quoted message said:

Just wondered what you thought.

You've already gotten a lot of excellent advice. Establishing your
capabilities by riding on your days off is important, and so is dealing
with your tires and saddle (even if you do nothing else about your
bike).

I'd add two things:

1) Poor bike fit will break you on long rides. It's particularly
important that your saddle be high enough that, with the balls of your
feet over the pedal spindles, your knees are only slightly bent at the
bottom of the pedal stroke. (If you move your heel to the pedal
spindle, your knee should become straight - but don't ride that way!).
A too-low saddle will kill your knees.

2) Experienced bike commuters tend to spend their first year or two
establishing their limits, their inventories of necessary supplies and
equipment, their clothing preferences, etc. Then, when asked by a
newcomer, they (I should say "we"😉 sometimes do an infodump of
everything we've learned, which can seem overwhelmingly complex and
dauntingly expensive. We forget that we learned this stuff gradually,
and started out simply, and still somehow managed to get to work and
back and learn to love it.

A 40-mile round trip is longer than the typical commute, and most of
the cyclists who do such distances are using road bikes (or at least
"roadified" bikes) of some sort. Spending 3 or more hours a day
commuting is also more time than a lot of people can afford. The
partial bike commute is a good alternative; you might want to spend
some time looking for additional parking alternatives at varying
distances from your job. And use a map to look at smaller roads you
might not normally drive on; often, the best driving routes are not the
best cycling routes.

RichC

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

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way. Gas prices are

killing

Quoted message said:

me especially since I drive a truck.

What you would consider a good cycling distance is probably about
four times what you would consider a good running distance.

My suggestion is make a first trial by driving three quarters of the
way, not one quarter, and expecting to make about 10 mph on your
first trip on the bike leg. having done that once, you will have a
better idea about how much to increase the bike section on the second
trip.

Jeremy Parker

Quoted message said:

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way.

My commute is just a bit shorter than that.

Quoted message said:

Would it be feasible to travel this distance to and from work a few
days a week? Admittantly, the only bike i have is from Wal _Mart and is
a sort of trail bike but it works well.

The bike commuters at my company either live much closer or combine cycling
with public transit. (Our local commuter rail line allows bikes on the
trains, which is very convenient.) A couple of them will ride all the way
(15-20 miles one way) once a week or so, but they're fairly serious sports
cyclists who ride even longer distances for fun. And they've got nice road
bikes.

The rest of us tend to ride road-oriented hybrids (for those who "just
commute"😉 or mountain bikes (for those who ride off-road on weekends).

Quoted message said:

How long should I expect the trip to take?

It takes me about 1:30 to ride home on the rare occasions when I don't take
the train. But as others have suggested, your most accurate estimate will
come from riding the route yourself on a day you don't have to be at work.
--
Darin McGrew, [email hidden], http://www.rahul.net/mcgrew/
Web Design Group, [email hidden], http://www.HTMLHelp.com/

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

rdclark said:

[email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

A 40-mile round trip is longer than the typical commute, and most of
the cyclists who do such distances are using road bikes (or at least
"roadified" bikes) of some sort. Spending 3 or more hours a day
commuting is also more time than a lot of people can afford. The
partial bike commute is a good alternative; you might want to spend
some time looking for additional parking alternatives at varying
distances from your job. And use a map to look at smaller roads you
might not normally drive on; often, the best driving routes are not the
best cycling routes.

Up until a recent move my round trip commute was a bit over 30 miles
..... if I did a direct to/from which I rarely do. My daily trips were
usually 35-50 miles as I went out of my way to ride with friends, did
errands along the way, etc. My bikes are touring bikes, not lithe and
light road bikes; quite stout and heavy. My commute is now only 2/3 as
long, again if I do the straight in and back, but again that is rare.
This morning's ride was 21 miles in, Tuesday I did 26 as I rode with my
wife to her job before heading to mine. Part of the justification of
spending 2-3 hours a day commuting is that it is my main aerobic
activity and if not for bike commuting I would have to spend time
getting my aerobic exercise. I use the time to be with my wife, visit
friends, run errands, etc. BTW, I do have a bailout, a light rail
line along most of my route that can get me within a mile of home on
one end and 3 miles of work on the other, but I have used that exactly
once on a VERY rainy night.

Another aspect of the time spent commuting is to look at it relative to
the time spent driving. *IF* all goes well, I can drive to/from work
in about 25-30 minutes per day, and if I went straight to/from on the
bike it would take about 75-90 minutes/day. But things rarely go
well, and the frequency of traffic jams, etc. causing delays is much
greater when driving than when cycling. My main commute path parallels
freeways in part, and I can often go much faster than the freeway
traffic for significant sections of the commute. If I were twins and
could do both commutes daily for a year I would suspect that the
average RT driving time would be 50 or more minutes per day, and the
average cycling time would still be 75-90 minutes per day. Driving
would still be faster, but not as fast as the ideal by a long shot.

One way of looking at the equipment and expendable costs of cycling is
cost/mile and equate that to driving cost/mile. Driving cost/mile is
much more than the cost of gas: depreciation, maintenance, amortized
replacement of tires, etc. For cycling it is cost of the bike, other
equipment and clothing, amortized cost of replacement parts (chains,
cogs, tires, tubes, rims, etc.). I use two bikes on my commute, one an
18 year old name brand touring bike and the other a 3 year old custom
touring bike. On the older bike my per mile cost is probably much
less than $0.10. On the newer bike it is running about $0.35-0.40 per
mile, but dropping rapidly as I add miles which lower the per mile
amortized cost of the frame/fork. Thinking in these terms, it is
much easier for me to spring for new parts when necessary rather than
delaying; the new bike sandals I bought last year were less than 2
tanks of gas, the replacement rim for the rear of the older bike about
1 tank of gas.

- rick

Quoted message said:

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way. Gas prices are killing
me especially since I drive a truck.

I ride to work every day. I got 22 km both ways. The gas prices in US is
still under 50% compared to the price in Norway...

Quoted message said:

I like to bicycle although it has been years since I have done it. I am
in decent shape and I do run some. 9Not as much as I should) I am a
male and around 35.

Would it be feasible to travel this distance to and from work a few
days a week? Admittantly, the only bike i have is from Wal _Mart and is
a sort of trail bike but it works well.

A better bike will make the ride easier and more fun. And with a relative
high gas price, buying a new bike will be a good investment.

Quoted message said:

The other thing I thought of there is a parking lot 5.4 miles form my
house I could leave my truck and ride the bike from there to work. From
there to work it is a two lane highway with a large berm on each side.

How long should I expect the trip to take?

Just do the ride and find out. Over time you will find smart ways to ride
and save time. And as your fitness increase, you will ride faster...
--
Jørn Dahl-Stamnes
http://www.dahl-stamnes.net/dahls/

[email hidden] wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way. Gas prices are killing
me especially since I drive a truck.

I like to bicycle although it has been years since I have done it. I
am in decent shape and I do run some. 9Not as much as I should) I am a
male and around 35.

Would it be feasible to travel this distance to and from work a few
days a week? Admittantly, the only bike i have is from Wal _Mart and
is a sort of trail bike but it works well.

The other thing I thought of there is a parking lot 5.4 miles form my
house I could leave my truck and ride the bike from there to work.
From there to work it is a two lane highway with a large berm on each
side.

How long should I expect the trip to take?

Just wondered what you thought.

I commute 28 miles each day with 25 to 30 pounds of bike supplies,
clothes and works items in panniers. I ride a touring bike; touring
bikes are made specifically to carry extra loads. When I first
started commuting by bike I rode a 1978 Raleigh 10 speed and was happy
to make 11MPH average speed.

Everyone has covered the things you need to know so I will tell you
something that you will find out once you get started; the exercise
going to work raises your endorphin level, when you arrive you will be
alert, relaxed and ready to face the day. When you ride home the
exercise will have the same effect and the stress of the workday will
have vanished no mater how hard the day was.

The most important thing is to get a bike that fits you and is
suitable for your commute, if it hurts you to ride your bike you will
not keep doing it.

Rich

Other posters have given you great advice. Driving halfway then riding your
bike the rest is great. Changing to slick tires would be great, too. Once
you've improved your fitness and have decided to keep riding to work, a
switch to a road-type bike would be great. Being comfortable will make
riding much more enjoyable.

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

Quoted message said:

x-no-archive:yes

I have about a 20 mile comute to work one way. Gas prices are killing
me especially since I drive a truck.

I like to bicycle although it has been years since I have done it. I am
in decent shape and I do run some. 9Not as much as I should) I am a
male and around 35.

Would it be feasible to travel this distance to and from work a few
days a week? Admittantly, the only bike i have is from Wal _Mart and is
a sort of trail bike but it works well.

The other thing I thought of there is a parking lot 5.4 miles form my
house I could leave my truck and ride the bike from there to work. From
there to work it is a two lane highway with a large berm on each side.

How long should I expect the trip to take?

Just wondered what you thought.

I put in at least 10 miles each day more for health reasons. I am in my late
50s. If you use the Walmart Special here is a bit of experience.

53.95 All Steel contruction including rims Wore out between 300 and 450
miles. For me, 3 to 4 months tops. If you can go more than a week without
bending the front brake pad arms then you do better than everyone else.
This thing is just plain junk

69.95 All steel construction including rims. Wore out between 600 and
700 miles. For me about 6 months. Not much better but the brakes don't
seem to be as fragile but they are still inadequate for normal usage even if
you just use it on the street. It may be better but it's still a piece of
junk.

79.95 Only lasts a year. Frame and rims are aluminim. Half the weight
of the cheaper bikes. Not really bad for the price For you, it will last
about 6 to 9 months. Change the tires out for street tires. If you are
riding it for work reasons, don't EVEN take it off the road. It won't hold
up. But it's an okay streeter. The brakes seem to be more than adequate.
Good for the money if you aren't a serious or even an occasional trailbike
rider.

99.95 Slightly better hardware than the 79.95 bike but the rims are
fancier aluminum. I really don't like the welded ridged rims. If they do
bend it's going to be harder to get them straight. And we all know that Rims
NEVER go out of round or alignment, right (g). The frame is an alloy that
seems to be quite strong. I opt for the 79.95 one over this one. There
just isn't enough difference in hardware or performance to spend the extra
20 bucks. Especially since this one is not really designed for the serious
trail bike rider either.

There was one for 129.95 that had decent derailers, brakes, etc. and
Aluminum and alloy. If you want to do an occasional trailbiking then this
one might be fine.

As for the higher priced ones, if you can afford that 259.95 bike from
Wallyworld, you can now go to your local Bike Shop and get a good one.

As for taking a daily 40 mile ride on anything short of at least a 500 buck
bike, don't. Your Wallyworld special will [censored] out on you in about a week.
Don't.

There is another option for you. If it's legal, think about electrifying
your Walmart Special. It's easily done and if you get the right Battery
Packs (notice, plural) and don't weigh 240 lbs like I do (170 or less) then
you can make the run at up to 20 mph in just over an hour one way. Of
course, visit your local bike shop for new bearings and races as the [censored] in
the Wallyworld special would never hold up.

Each battery pack should give you about 12 miles range if you pedal to help
out on hills and run no more than about 15 mph. 20 mph sucks power bad.
You need to have two battery packs for that range and pedal whenever
possible to conserve power. I don't mean to shut down the electric but to
assist it whenever possible. Owning an electric bicycle doesn't stop you
from pedaling on a long haul. It was never intended that way. Of course,
you will have to charge both battery packs when at work. Each pack will
require it's own charger and take between 3 to 5 hours.

Hope that helps. I ride an electric bicycle myself. The right knee is
going.

*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***

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

Quoted message said:

I put in at least 10 miles each day more for health reasons. I am in my
late
50s. If you use the Walmart Special here is a bit of experience.

53.95 All Steel contruction including rims Wore out between 300 and 450
miles. For me, 3 to 4 months tops. If you can go more than a week
without
bending the front brake pad arms then you do better than everyone else.
This thing is just plain junk

69.95 All steel construction including rims. Wore out between 600 and
700 miles. For me about 6 months. Not much better but the brakes don't
seem to be as fragile but they are still inadequate for normal usage even
if
you just use it on the street. It may be better but it's still a piece of
junk.

79.95 Only lasts a year. Frame and rims are aluminim. Half the
weight
of the cheaper bikes. Not really bad for the price For you, it will
last
about 6 to 9 months. Change the tires out for street tires. If you are
riding it for work reasons, don't EVEN take it off the road. It won't hold
up. But it's an okay streeter. The brakes seem to be more than
adequate.
Good for the money if you aren't a serious or even an occasional
trailbike
rider.

99.95 Slightly better hardware than the 79.95 bike but the rims are
fancier aluminum. I really don't like the welded ridged rims. If they do
bend it's going to be harder to get them straight. And we all know that
Rims
NEVER go out of round or alignment, right (g). The frame is an alloy
that
seems to be quite strong. I opt for the 79.95 one over this one. There
just isn't enough difference in hardware or performance to spend the extra
20 bucks. Especially since this one is not really designed for the
serious
trail bike rider either.

There was one for 129.95 that had decent derailers, brakes, etc. and
Aluminum and alloy. If you want to do an occasional trailbiking then this
one might be fine.

As for the higher priced ones, if you can afford that 259.95 bike from
Wallyworld, you can now go to your local Bike Shop and get a good one.

As for taking a daily 40 mile ride on anything short of at least a 500
buck
bike, don't. Your Wallyworld special will [censored] out on you in about a
week.
Don't.

[...]

All of the above by Daryl Hunt is folderol. I have known several cyclists
who have ridden across the country on very cheap Huffys. Daryl must trash
his bikes on his commutes. If you are careful and maintain them properly, a
low grade steel bike will last you forever, barring the usual replacements
of tires, chains and brake pads.

I myself have an old Huffy that is apparently indestructible. Yes, the kids
trash these bikes, but that is because they do not care for them. Care for a
Huffy and it will last you a lifetime.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

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

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

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I put in at least 10 miles each day more for health reasons. I am in my
late
50s. If you use the Walmart Special here is a bit of experience.

53.95 All Steel contruction including rims Wore out between 300 and

450

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miles. For me, 3 to 4 months tops. If you can go more than a week
without
bending the front brake pad arms then you do better than everyone else.
This thing is just plain junk

69.95 All steel construction including rims. Wore out between 600

and

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700 miles. For me about 6 months. Not much better but the brakes don't
seem to be as fragile but they are still inadequate for normal usage

even

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if
you just use it on the street. It may be better but it's still a piece

of

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junk.

79.95 Only lasts a year. Frame and rims are aluminim. Half the
weight
of the cheaper bikes. Not really bad for the price For you, it will
last
about 6 to 9 months. Change the tires out for street tires. If you are
riding it for work reasons, don't EVEN take it off the road. It won't

hold

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up. But it's an okay streeter. The brakes seem to be more than
adequate.
Good for the money if you aren't a serious or even an occasional
trailbike
rider.

99.95 Slightly better hardware than the 79.95 bike but the rims are
fancier aluminum. I really don't like the welded ridged rims. If they

do

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bend it's going to be harder to get them straight. And we all know that
Rims
NEVER go out of round or alignment, right (g). The frame is an alloy
that
seems to be quite strong. I opt for the 79.95 one over this one. There
just isn't enough difference in hardware or performance to spend the

extra

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20 bucks. Especially since this one is not really designed for the
serious
trail bike rider either.

There was one for 129.95 that had decent derailers, brakes, etc. and
Aluminum and alloy. If you want to do an occasional trailbiking then

this

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one might be fine.

As for the higher priced ones, if you can afford that 259.95 bike from
Wallyworld, you can now go to your local Bike Shop and get a good one.

As for taking a daily 40 mile ride on anything short of at least a 500
buck
bike, don't. Your Wallyworld special will [censored] out on you in about a
week.
Don't.

[...]

All of the above by Daryl Hunt is folderol. I have known several cyclists
who have ridden across the country on very cheap Huffys. Daryl must trash
his bikes on his commutes. If you are careful and maintain them properly,

a

Quoted message said:

low grade steel bike will last you forever, barring the usual replacements
of tires, chains and brake pads.

I can see you haven't shoppe Walmart lately for bikes. I ride them hard and
long. I just wore out a Huffy 53.95 in less than 3 months. BTW, I am in
Colorado where it ain't always flat and I weigh in a svelt 240 lbs. High
winds, lack of bike paths, rough roads, etc.. And I do go as fast as I can.
Tires last no longer than 3 months due to the Goatheads. We all don't live
downtown like you do. Heck, even downtown around here takes a toll on a
bike.

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I myself have an old Huffy that is apparently indestructible. Yes, the

kids

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trash these bikes, but that is because they do not care for them. Care for

a

Quoted message said:

Huffy and it will last you a lifetime.

Huffys aren't for serious duty and that is what the person needs. Then
again, he needs a good 10 speed Road Bike for that kind of distance and
there ain't no Road Bikes (thin tires) sold in Wallyworld.

*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***

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

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Huffys aren't for serious duty and that is what the person needs. Then
again, he needs a good 10 speed Road Bike for that kind of distance

Lots of people don't need 10 speed cassettes. Personally, I like having 30
gears at my disposal, but I don't think it's required.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

I have an older steel frame 3 speed SA Columbia, love it. But I also
have a Huffy Sea Pines 3spd-never ridden-I haven't put it together-it
looks pretty indestructable, and 2 bikes from Wally world.
I have a Next mountain bike-21 speed, I don't ride it that much
anymore, about 5 years old, aluminum rims-it's holding up well.

I also have that recently purchased Next Monterrey aluminum bike. I
wish it came in the women's model but it doesn't-I called Kent bikes
(the manufacturer). I'm changing all the nuts and bolts to stainless,
added a rear rack, a front basket, and just ordered Planet Bike's
hardcore 60mm matching fenders with mudflaps. It has the Sturmey
Archer sealed 3 speed which I hear is not as good as the older ones but
I'll keep my fingers crossed. At 97 dollars plus 12 for the basket,
about 7 or 8 for the rack & 35 plus 7 shipping for fenders, if I ever
get going for the 4.5 mile commute one way it will be an inexpensive
investment in to see just how this bike will hold up. In the meantime
I'm using it for errands and general riding.

I was interested in getting a Breezer, or other bicycle but the
finances say "wait". I figure if I don't get on the bike and do any
more riding than I am, I won't drop that kind of money just yet. If I
get going with the commuting-not just errands and general riding, then
I might spend more, but I'll wait until at least next year. If the
bike holds up-and mine always have, I'll stay put. I want to see what
this hurricane season will do, living in s.e. Louisiana...