Observations from an overweight novice road biker

[email hidden] (DSat) wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Bike riding observations from an overweight bicycle novice . . .

1/4th of a mile is the maximum distance that I can ride before I peel off the dead bug that
splattered on the bridge of my nose right between my eyes while wearing no glasses

Feel lucky. You ride without them. I can't see without mine; the specs aren't style, they're
necessity.

Quoted message said:

You might be an overweight bike rider if . . . --You have the tires at 120 psi (max 130 psi) and
you still are riding on the rims -Your seatpost has suspension even though you don't have a
suspension seat post -Your tummy is resting on the top tube while you are riding in the hoods -You
apply maximum pressure to the front brake only, and you flip over backwards

You forgot "you knee yourself in the gut when riding in the drops"

Yes. I know.

Quoted message said:

When riding just after it rains and you get off of your bike, that stripe of dirt/mud that goes
right up the back of your saddle bag and the back of your seat more than likely continues up the
back of your shirt. That explains some of the looks that I was getting in Wal-Mart.

This is probably the most eloquent pro-fender/mudguard argument I've read. Fit fenders, even if they
have to be clip-ons, if you have anything like the clearance to do so.

Quoted message said:

The bike shop owner needs to speak in complete sentences. He told me that when I need to stop
(first time with clip-in pedals/shoes), to unclip my left shoe and stop while being supported with
my left foot down on the ground while the right shoe is still clipped in. Seems like good advice.
The part of the sentence that he left out is, "if something gets your attention back over your
right shoulder and you turn to look, don't get too much weight over on that side of the bike
because you will take a nose dive". How I kept from falling over is beyond me as I turned to look.
Being overweight has it's advantages I guess.

Clipless? *shrug*

I ride the bike from point a to point b--whether that's a lark in the country (very very seldom now
that I'm in the city) or to school/shops/etc (nearly every day!). Since I do a lot of the latter,
and don't feel compelled to drill out *all* of my shoes for cleats, I ride non-clipless pedals. On
my 'nice' bike at home (o how I miss it!) that means clips and straps (soon to be augmented by a
purchase here of MKS GR-9 platform pedals--the LBS here has 'em, the one at home doesn't!). On
"bekah," my london hackbike, that means rubber-block pedals. No falling-over problems.

(okay, one. I'd just raised my seatpost, & idiotically tried to reach the ground with my feet whilst
remaining on the saddle....I'd been able to do that with the saddle lower down, but my position had
sucked. Now the position while riding is more comfy--but my brain hadn't registered the extra height
on the saddle...didn't fall though & saved face)

you left off one advantage of being this big: cars pass with lots of space--they're afraid of
hitting my [censored].

-Luigi Let him who is without sin cast the first stone. I've got 17.

Quoted message said:

I appreciate all of the suggestions that I should rent my back out for advertising while I ride
due to huge amount of space