Cycling Thread - Page 52 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Old Yeller · 08-19-2013, 07:44 PM

I'm looking for opinions on a couple of different things.

First and most important I want a GPS/Speedometer for my road bike but I'm not sure of which features to focus on and what brands to look at as I usually just default to Garmin.

And I'm looking for a good backpack for biking. I bike to work everyday and have a locker in my office that contains a lot of work clothes, but every once in awhile I'll have to bring a full change of clothes from home, plus lunch, plus shoes, plus gym clothes so it'd be nice to have a pretty sizeable waterproof (or at least water resistant) bag that's comfortable with a bunch of separate compartments.

Any suggestions on brands/stores to look at for either?

Northendzone · 08-19-2013, 07:57 PM

i have a garmin 200 (I think), it was around $100 or so. it is recharageable, wireless, requires no set up/tire size input. it would be easy to move between bikes (if you buy the nylon bar mount attachment at MEC for ~$20). The only con as far as i am concerned is the fact the clock does not always stay visible.

as for a backpack, i suggest starting at MEC, then try atmosphere. other than that, i have nothing tangible to suggest.

bossy22 · 08-19-2013, 08:35 PM

I have a garmin 510 which I really like and use on my road and mountain bikes. I have cadence and the soft strap hr monitor. It will also pair with power meters, as well as my phone and you can let people know you are riding and they can track you in real time.
It is overkill, but I love my gadgets. A 200 is perfectly fine.

For a backpack for commuting, I have an osprey talon 33. I carry my clothes and laptop. It's lightweight and fits extremely well. It is Not waterproof though. I put my stuff in a garbage bag inside my pack.

JohnnyB · 08-19-2013, 08:51 PM

Anyone have experience with fixes/track bikes. Never thought I'd be in the market for one, but I left my fs mountain bike in Canada cause it was being wasted here in Shanghai and I'm looking for something fun, simple, light weight, with a good performance to cost ratio and low likelihood of being stolen for riding around the city. It's totally flat here, so no worries about hills or anything and I like the idea of added fitness through the change in pedalling style a fixie suggests. I've always been a bit put off by the culture that goes along with fixies, but I'm thinking a fixie could be just what I need right now.
Interested to know what others' experiences are of making a switch to a fixie.

Temporary_User · 08-19-2013, 11:00 PM

My friend has a specialized roll and here really enjoys it. It's a fixie, not a track bike though... Not sure exactly what you are looking for.

Bill Bumface · 08-19-2013, 11:31 PM

Old Yeller, have you considered paniers? I commuted with a backpack for a couple years and hated it. Your back sweat threshold goes way down. I have a short downhill to flat ride to work (less than 10 minutes) so I shower at home and hated a backpack for back sweat potential.

JohnnyB · 08-20-2013, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Temporary_User

My friend has a specialized roll and here really enjoys it. It's a fixie, not a track bike though... Not sure exactly what you are looking for.

My understanding of track bikes is that they are fixed gear bikes. Obviously most people with fixies don't have them for riding on a track, and I wouldn't be using it that way either, but I would open to either a fixie made for the track or a fixie made for the street. Perhaps I'm mistaken in my understanding of fixies and track bikes?

Either way, I'm interested to hear the impressions of people who have ridden road bikes or mountain bikes as well as fixies and how they compare them. I've considered a road bike and a cyclocross as well, though the simplicity and light weight at relatively low cost as well as the different pedaling requirements of a fixie is what's making me think about getting one. I understand that some avid road bikers use fixies as off-season training bikes.

Old Yeller · 08-20-2013, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

Old Yeller, have you considered paniers? I commuted with a backpack for a couple years and hated it. Your back sweat threshold goes way down. I have a short downhill to flat ride to work (less than 10 minutes) so I shower at home and hated a backpack for back sweat potential.

Yeah I've got 'em on my winter commuter but don't really want to put anything else on my road bike.

I've got about 20-25 minute ride to work so I'm sweaty ####### that needs a shower anyway.

Bill Bumface · 08-20-2013, 10:05 AM

Johnny B, what about just a single speed? Really the only "negative" is you need brakes. If you aren't too sure, then buy a bike with a flip-flop hub, and you can ride it fixed or freehwheeled.

macker · 08-20-2013, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Yeller

I'm looking for opinions on a couple of different things.

First and most important I want a GPS/Speedometer for my road bike but I'm not sure of which features to focus on and what brands to look at as I usually just default to Garmin.

And I'm looking for a good backpack for biking. I bike to work everyday and have a locker in my office that contains a lot of work clothes, but every once in awhile I'll have to bring a full change of clothes from home, plus lunch, plus shoes, plus gym clothes so it'd be nice to have a pretty sizeable waterproof (or at least water resistant) bag that's comfortable with a bunch of separate compartments.

Any suggestions on brands/stores to look at for either?

I use my garmin but the last time I had my bike in at a bike mechanic he talked me into putting this on it : http://cdn.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/...ort%20rev2.pdf
I think it was only $40 or $50 ? and you don't need a GPS signal so I have yet to change the battery after one year of use. I have started leaving my garmin at home from time to time after realizing that the readings were the exact same after many rides of bringing both. If I am interested in tracking elevation gain I bring my garmin but otherwise this specialized gadget is great for the main things I track on my road bike : time/speed/distance/and most importantly AVS.

JohnnyB · 08-22-2013, 07:39 AM

Went out and got myself a fixie yesterday then spent all evening riding around. Initial thoughts: the constant pedaling takes some getting used to, but not much. I was initially somewhat worried about not having a rear brake, but in reality I found that I barely even touched the front brake all evening because of braking with my legs. I was really surprised to find how much my legs ached this morning. The leg braking obviously was working muscles I don't usually work when riding. A very satisfying feeling to wake up to. Finally, the bike does not disappoint in being light, fun and fast. It's a really enjoyable city bike in a flat place like Shanghai. I'm quite happy in feeling that I got a good quality and fun bike, not just a dorky fashion bike.

Old Yeller · 08-22-2013, 12:11 PM

I had never tried a fixed gear bike and my neighbor has one so I took it out a few days ago. It was so WEIRD for the first 5 minutes or so, I never realized how much I must coast on my road bike.

It's not at all a good fit for my commute but I gotta say I did enjoy the simplicity of riding one.

Coys1882 · 08-22-2013, 01:03 PM

It must be a mother on some hills.

Bill Bumface · 08-22-2013, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coys1882

It must be a mother on some hills.

I commute on a single speed (got tired of rusted/gummed up derraileurs in winter) and I'm running 42T up front and 15T in the rear. Basically like being in your 3rd or 4th hardest gear on a mountain bike.

I wanted to see if I could make it up the curling club hill one day, and my diaphragm hurt for two days after... haha. You definitely have to get your ratio right for your strength/fitness/commute length/cadence preference. Mine is fine for mile hills, but you're standing right up on it for the steeper stuff. It's helped a ton with my fitness for mountain biking, early season riding is now way less painful.

Old Yeller · 08-22-2013, 02:03 PM

The alternate must be true on downhills.

I remember coming back down from the top of the Highwood Pass and on some of the steeper hills you can get going so fast there isn't really a point in pedaling.

A fixed gear on hills like that would probably leave a legless corpse.

JohnnyB · 08-22-2013, 06:08 PM

Shanghai is so unbelievably flat that I'd have to leave the city to find any hill, but I'm eager to see how it is on downhill riding. I imagine it would be pretty exhausting on a long downhill ride because of all the control you would need to exercise with leg braking to avoid getting too fast and out of control. I don't think I'm in shape yet to make it up a long, steep hill on this bike yet anyways though so it's probably best that I don't go riding down any in the first place.

J epworth · 08-22-2013, 09:53 PM

Going for a long run tomorrow morning and thought people in this thread might be able to help. Wanted to run in fish creek park starting at Bannister road and going west, haven't been down that way since the flood and was wondering what the state of the bridges are that way, if a 10 mile run is feasible that way.

Northendzone · 08-23-2013, 07:58 AM

use this link to check on which pathways are clsoed:

http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pag...-closures.aspx

Temporary_User · 08-23-2013, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J epworth kendal

Going for a long run tomorrow morning and thought people in this thread might be able to help. Wanted to run in fish creek park starting at Bannister road and going west, haven't been down that way since the flood and was wondering what the state of the bridges are that way, if a 10 mile run is feasible that way.

You should be fine, especially running.
I went biking there a few weeks back and had to turn around a few spots, got lost a little, other times I saw I could simply pick my bike up and run around.
I think you're just going to have to get down there and explore a bit. You may end up with a longer run than expected though. Have fun!

JohnnyB · 08-29-2013, 07:02 AM

Update on riding fixed gear:
After a week of riding and putting on a few hundred kms I have to say I'm really loving riding a fixed gear bike. I've never felt quite so in tune with a bike as I do with this because of the leg breaking and constant peddling. I feel really motivated to be out riding all the time. My legs also feel like they're getting much stronger than they ever did on my other bikes due to using my legs for slowing down and constantly controlling speed. I did 70kms a couple of days after getting the bike and did the first 50 on the fixed gear before switching back to one of my mountain bikes and I couldn't believe how lazy I felt on the mountain bike. It felt very point-and-shoot going back to my old bike because I was only putting effort into acceleration, then coasting and using the brakes to stop rather than constantly modulating the speed. The lightness of having such a simple bike is a pleasure too. I would definitely recommend this style as a fun city bike.
Pic for reference - here in Shanghai.