Cycling

Sax

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Joined
Mar 21, 2018
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2,245
Age
38
Location
Missouri
Lifestyle
  1. Vegan
Veganism and cycling go hand in hand...they're both healthy, good for the environment, and most people can't imagine themselves doing either for very long. I'm a little surprised at how few of the people I've met through cycling are vegan...hopefully more of the people I meet through veganism will be cyclists.

I got a bike for commuting to my first job in high school, and I've ridden pretty much everywhere I go since. I've done some touring, and ridden up into the mountains to go backpacking or scrambling, even rode myself to the ER a few months back. I never really decided to be a crazy guy on a bike, it just happened.

Aside from transportation I love a fast group ride on pavement or gravel, and XC mountain biking is a blast.

Any other cyclists here, either recreational or utilitarian? What kind of bike(s) do you have, what kind of riding do you do? If you haul stuff how do you like to carry it? Do your co-workers think you're more weird because of your commuting, or your veganism?
 
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I commute on foot and have always walked as much as possible. I started getting into cycling about 4 years ago for recreation. I absolutely love it.

I'm not particularly fast paced, however take part in an annual 50 mile cycle and currently training for the more challenging 90 miler.

I've been vegan for 8 months and tune out my co-workers who make comments about my veganism. I don't really get many comments about my exercise as I've always been physically active, some people seem a little disappointed I haven't collapsed in a heap due to lack of meat consumption.
 
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Thanks for the heads up on tires, hadn't considered that.

Surly rider here too. Got an Ogre I can use for everything but road rides. Would like to have a Cross Check or Straggler someday.
 

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I've been loading a BOB trailer with gardening supplies and rolling out to my community garden plot lately.

Went to war with a seized bottom bracket on my road bike...finally got that sucker out and installed a dura ace drivetrain I got for free (!)

Converting my mountain bike to a 1x9 tomorrow. Got my first XC ride of the season in this week...so good to be mashing on trails again.

Also, my work schedule changed so I'm only making one grocery trip per week instead of two...it wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the cat litter.
 
I love riding my bike. Unfortunately there aren't many safe places around me to do it. Especially long trips. I ride a few blocks several times a week, though.
 
Yeah, riding in traffic can be unnerving. With safe riding and making yourself visible you are no more likely to be in an accident than you are in a car, but the consequences obviously can be a lot worse.

Riding on gravel roads is a good alternative...less traffic, and you can hear em coming. Gravel riding has gotten huge in the last few years, with pretty much every manufacturer putting out gravel specific bikes.

Have you tried mountain biking? A lot of the marketing makes it look like some extreme adrenaline sport that you need a $5000 bike to enjoy. And for some styles of riding that's (almost) true. Cross-country mountain biking is more like hiking on two wheels...except it's more fun and you can go farther and faster. You don't need to spend a ton to get an XC bike you can have a lot of fun on.

Looks like you have some MTB options in Austin: https://www.mtbproject.com/directory/8010446/austin
 
To be honest, about a week after I bought my road bike, I wished I’d spent the money on a mountain bike. There is a large community here.
 
I’ve bought my last two bikes from bikes direct.com and have been very happy with them. I’ll never buy a bike over $1000 again. Learned my lesson.
 
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1) Support your local bike shop.

2) You get what you pay for.

Words to live by as a cyclist. Cost doesn't have to be a barrier to get into cycling, but for passionate riders, high end bikes really are that much better. Buying used is the best way to get quality for less.
 
I can’t tell the difference in build quality between my $400 Motobecane or my $1300 Giant Cyclocross and both were equipped with Shimano components. The thing I have noticed is people have no interest in stealing my Motobecane. But, I honor your viewpoint.