Well part of that is because the amount of seatpost sticking up has grown substantially as people try to get more aerodynamic and lighter weight. Couple with that steam in the range of 15cm or even longer, the frame itself has *shrunk* in a sense. Top tubes are longer now, angles are different, you get the picture. But yes, a frame that large is a custom for sure. 62cm is about the biggest you're going to find stock from just about anyone.
A simple <$100 heart rate monitor would really do you wonders when riding in helping you stay in that fat-burning magical range of 55-65% or MHR or a little higher for aerobic. Yeah the charting stuff is all good, but really, just knowing where you're at while riding and recording your resting rate when you wake up is good enough. You'll see the changes and be glad. Not to mention the weight loss. Now me, if I lose anymore, I get 2-dimensional so that's never been a goal of mine

It does sound like you're one of those genetic folks blessed with good cardiovascular, so keep taking care of it
Car, bikes, heck even wagons, its all the same (even tried making laps around the neighbor hood in anything but a radio flyer?). People are status conscious, and pay good money to look that nice. Just drop them on the next hill, preferably with toe clips, tennis shoes, jeans and a backpack

Ride happy!

MJ

I ride with toeclips, cutoffs...(old with a hole in the crotch)...Vans Half cab skateboarding shoes, t-shirt(or two)...and a skull cap usually since I shave my head...I'll take a pic for tomorrows ride...busy cutting strut rod mounts on my lathe and on a lunch break right now.

I do have nice gloves, and set of the arm thingies you slide on to keep warm...but thats just for winter riding.

I have a bike computer on it...and I know I don't need the bells and whistles, but I can't have my robots body have better vital sign acquisition than my own...can I ???

Karl

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64 GTO...10.80's@122 on street radials
Destroked 455, Qjet, stock ign, 2400 stall

64 Valiant
Old 225, 4spd, 2.92-8.75, 2bbl, headers
dual 2.25"

Yes, those are key--gloves if for nothing more than cleaning your tires of glass and debris and putting something between your palms on during the inevitable altercation with the pavement.

BTW, the technical term for those "arm thingies" is: arm warmers


Hmm, that's up to you Keep me posted on this suspension stuff, I'm quite interested. I've spent the last few weeks reading the Mike Martin's out-of-print suspension book and some others. I'm ready to actual make mine handle, although new springs in the rear are needed as mine are totally flat, and the rear shocks I just replaced were completely shot. My guess is that they are toast and that's what killed the shocks. I could completely expand and compress them by hand.

Lastly, my apoligies to Jack for totally hijacking his thread!

MJ

IMO weight is a minimal factor in cycling. For instance a Trek 1000c weighs 25 pounds. If you were to trade it in for a 15 pound bike, you'd spend about $2000 and gain about one-tenth of a mph in speed on flat ground. On hills, it's about 4 tenths of a mph. And as you mentioned, if I wanted to go faster by being lighter, I can lose 10 pounds off my ass much cheaper than I can lose 10 pounds off my bike. My old Triumph Criterion that I sank about $1800 in upgrades in (before it was stolen) weighed 42 lbs! and I regularly beat down commuters dressed in spandex and riding $4000 Mieles.

Two things make you go fast on a bike. First and foremost is bike fit. You want the absolute maximum effiency in terms of getting power from your legs to the chain. This is a very good reason NOT to purchase a bike on ebay or over the internet. A bike shop can professionally fit the bike to you. A good bike shop will even swap parts like crank arms or handlebar stems to make the fit perfect.

The second factor is aerodyamics. Given the same amount of energy output, you will ride about 1.5 mph faster with your hands down on the drops rather than on top of the bars. My next purchase is going to be a set of "aero bars." Those enable me to rest my elbows on top of the handlebars and steer by holding a U shaped bar in front. Lots of things slow you down aerodyamically... panier bags, rims, spokes, clothing, etc. NOTE: that is not the reason cyclists sometimes shave their legs. That practice is in order to make treating abrasions or "road rash" easier and less painful.

A good fitting mountain bike, with high pressure street tires (I run City Slickers) and low enough handlebars can go almost as fast as a road bike. The only disadvantage with the MTB design is the smaller diameter tires which give a harsher ride when you use the narrower street tires.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

When I was in Holland I rented a Gazelle to tour around town in, holy crap it was comfortable. Full fenders, spring seats, sissy bars, and the rear hub had a variable transmission in it, you could stand on the pedals and get a lower ratio, then open it up on flat road and cruise comfortably wthout whipping your legs around. Perfect balance. A perfect city bike. They only cost about E1800, too.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

That's what Im talking about. I could ride that bike all day.

nice town. I was through there.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Yikes, that's spendy. I've got pretty much all those features on my old Raleighs (don't remember what "sissy bars" are, though). Spring seat? You betchya. I run Brooks B-130s. Four coil springs in the back (two compression, two extension), and a triple-compound hairpin spring up front. Frame suspension? We don' got to show you no steenking frame suspension!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Handlebars. The bike Menko is on is exactly the same as the one I rented. These bikes are cadillacs---I can easily see the 1800 euros in their construction. Mine had a built in bottom bracket lock that locks the crank solid. Really slick. Fenders were full and shielded on the side like that tandem Menko posted. And man was it smooth.[/quote]

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

My Raleigh Superbes have a front fork lock. And yeah, one ride on a bike with an internal gearhub lets you see derailleurs for the noisy, clunky, pants-greasing, chain-throwing, problem-prone junk they are.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I didnt know John Muir did bikes lol.

This bike didnt have a conventional hub in it. It did not require shifting at all and the ratio was infinitely variable from a comfortable low to an impressively tall top end. Cone maybe? I dunno.

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I've been calling it as i see it for my entire life and that's not about to change. Take it or leave it.

Interesting! Never heard of this. Sort of a CVT for bikes..?!

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I have one in my garage, although its still a 3 speed instead of a variable speed. Admitedly, the street bikes in Holland sit you very upright--comfy but not very aerodynamic. Its to get about in, not break the land speed record.

Yeah I think Sturmey Archer is making a CVT for bikes. There was also some testing of such a system on some mountain bikes a few years back as a means to eliminate the derailleur. I can't recall how the heck they made the internals though. I'll have to find it someplace.

MJ

There isn't a better practical city bike than a three speed, unless this CVT Gazelle gets a wider market. At a stop, I can drop two gears and pedal off in first. When I ride a derailleur bike I really miss that feature!

To me, there's just something not right about drive chains that jump sideways from gear to gear. It rankles, and even though I know they work (and well, in this day of index shifting) it is tough to accept.

I love messing with old bikes, especially single speed and three speed, and keep a parts pile around for building my own brand of hybrids. My best so far is an old Schwinn frame, originally coaster hub, now with sidepulls and a Shimano 3 speed hub. I think the frame angles are just a bit off from a "light roadster" like Raleigh Sports, and makes for a lively combination, even though weight is a bit more.

Sturmey-Archer stuff is harder to come by, in this area at least, but is pretty well supported as far as replacement parts. Shimano is everywhere, and while it lacks a certain something in character, it does perform fairly well. I'd love to build a bike around the Nexus 7-speed hub.

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Last one out , turn off the light

Amen.
These people are the US stockists.
Same with Hondas. I really dislike Shimano for the same reason I really dislike Hondas: They are toasters. Completely boring, completely soulless, completely, as you say, without character. And for the most part, they cannot be serviced, upgraded or repaired. "Throw it away and get a new one". Ptewph.
Make mine the new Sturmey 8-speed hub (or if money's no object, the very expensive and thoroughly impressive Rohloff 14-speed internal gearhub.)

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

I checked out the Rohloff Speedhub link, and was amazed. That is the class of the field. The versatility of the Rohloff boggles my mind.
Well, yes, you have a point. The machines that mirror our enthusiasms ought to have more merit than mere competence. The Sturmey-Archer equipment is "durable goods", made to last a lifetime, then to be rebuilt and last another, heirloom-style. It has a particular feel and makes a unique sound, and is unlike anything else. Just like the English Roadster it was built to compliment.

The Shimano is built to a price, but is not so chintzy that it can't be repaired. It has its uses, such as driving one of my homemade ratbikes, which rely more on the combination of bits and my creative spirit than true quality. I love to thrash this kind of junk, so the availability and cheapness of the parts fits my method.

It is fun to have a good bicycle as well. I let a maroon Rudge light roadster, circa '68, slip away last year, and still haven't replaced it. I'd like another, just for the sake of experiencing what riding such a bike does for my soul.

Thanks for the links.

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Last one out , turn off the light