Question for you cyclists....

[mean]

I know there's a few bicyclists who frequent this board, and I'm interested in getting started myself for many reasons...conservation of gasoline, exercise, etc. I would like to start commuting to work on a bike soon (so what if it's getting cold, bah!) and was wondering if anyone could help me plan a safe, cool route. So, does anybody have ideas for route from ~10th and Broadway to ~5th and Minnesota (and back)? It's only a few miles, and I don't mind going a little out of my way to pass through interesting or scenic areas if available.

I checked out MARC's bike maps, but they seemed pretty useless...

[staubio]

I know there's a few bicyclists who frequent this board, and I'm interested in getting started myself for many reasons...conservation of gasoline, exercise, etc. I would like to start commuting to work on a bike soon (so what if it's getting cold, bah!) and was wondering if anyone could help me plan a safe, cool route. So, does anybody have ideas for route from ~10th and Broadway to ~5th and Minnesota (and back)? It's only a few miles, and I don't mind going a little out of my way to pass through interesting or scenic areas if available.

I checked out MARC's bike maps, but they seemed pretty useless...

That is an uber-easy route.  In lieu of describing it in intense detail, send me a PM and I'll meet up with you and I'll ride it with you sometime.  Essentially, I'd hop over to Central, cut over to Wyandotte and go under the Broadway Bridge to take Woodswether into the Bottoms.  Then, take a series of roads avoiding the James St. viaduct and join a chunk of the Riverfront Heritage for the rest.  I ride that all the time as my entry point into KCK, which I love to explore. 

Anyone else need routes, let me know.

[mean]

Sweet, now I just need a bike!

Suggestions for the urban rider? I was thinking of picking one up today.

[staubio]

Sweet, now I just need a bike!

Suggestions for the urban rider? I was thinking of picking one up today.

How tall are you?  You are welcome to borrow one from me for the purposes of staking out the route.  I can accomodate 5'10" - 6'2" with my fleet, probably.

My suggestions would depend upon your budget and the types of riding you'll be doing otherwise.  If you'll be a committed commuter, I would try something from the Gary Fisher 29er Dual Sport line.  These are bikes built with mountain bike frames, but they are a new breed of mountain bikes with road-sized wheels and the Dual Sport line is setup with road-friendly wheels and gearing for the road.  Thus, you can mount road or cross tires on them and still get the durability of mountain wheels.  The line includes a kinda-crappy suspension fork that will help you out on bumpy roads, potholes, curbs, etc, but won't make you a rockstar on any sort of offroad trail.  This also gives you disc brakes, which are a nice to have if you plan on riding in the rain and snow.  Rim brakes lose considerable stopping power in wet conditions.

On the other hand, a non-race road bike does the trick nicely.  You can mount a bit wider tire and the wheels are heavier and more durable.  An old touring bike from Acme can get you by nicely on a budget. 

[mean]

Interesting, thanks for the tips. I think I will go check out Acme, seems like a pretty hip joint. I'll let you know when I'm ready for my tour. 

[DiggityDawg]

I'll chuck in the 2nd recommendation for Gary Fisher products...I've had one of their "comfort bikes" for about 5 years now, & have had NO problems.

[staubio]

Interesting, thanks for the tips. I think I will go check out Acme, seems like a pretty hip joint. I'll let you know when I'm ready for my tour. 

So, any leads on bikes?

[mean]

Sadly, no. I went down to Acme a couple weeks ago but there were closed. Their hours aren't exactly good for me, as I'm generally at work when they're open, and busy with other stuff on Saturdays. I could go to Sears or something, I guess, but I would really rather support Acme and it looks like they have better stuff anyway.

Do you typically ride all winter?

[warwickland]

i saw a nice crusier for sale on troost a couple weekends ago. i woulda bought it had i not been poor. and i already have two bikes. though apparently staubio has 32487 

[staubio]

Sadly, no. I went down to Acme a couple weeks ago but there were closed. Their hours aren't exactly good for me, as I'm generally at work when they're open, and busy with other stuff on Saturdays. I could go to Sears or something, I guess, but I would really rather support Acme and it looks like they have better stuff anyway.

Do you typically ride all winter?

Don't go to Sears or something.  Seriously.  You'll try cycling on a POS and hate it forever.  Happens to most people.

I do ride all winter.  I started riding with a group that only convenes during the winter, riding no matter what the weather.  I learned how to be prepared through that.  It isn't that tough, really.  You just have to layer and have a good wicking base layer, keep giving your body nutrition and keep your hands and feet warm.  It can actually be a sublime experience to be out in the city in the dead of a winter night.

[staubio]

i saw a nice crusier for sale on troost a couple weekends ago. i woulda bought it had i not been poor. and i already have two bikes. though apparently staubio has 32487 

Sadly, no, I don't.  I currently have 4.5

1 Trek 2300 road bike that I seldom ride.  It has a mixture of parts, 105/Ultegra/Dura-Ace, Mavic Cosmic Elite wheels and a Kestrel carbon fork.

1 Gary Fisher Triton, my baby.  Setup 44-16 fixed gear, the ultimate agressive bike hipster urban explorer on the street ride.

1 Giant XTC1, full XTR, CrossMax SL wheels.  This was my race bike this year.

1 Gary Fisher Paragon in pieces.  My first 29er mountain bike that I haven't built yet.  It is in a box.  It will have handbuilt wheels, full XT, hydraulic brakes, etc.  Should be fun.  I might retire the Giant or just retire from racing and make it my fun bike.  I got an extra set of heavier wheels to mount cross tires for the sometimes-not-on-the-street urban explorations.  It will be the do everything bike.

and .5, a Diet Dr. Pepper bike that I won in a promotional drawing.  It is a total POS.  I used to leave it out so I could grab it and go whenever.  My old apartment complex locked it up in their shop and it is still there.

Sorry, just had to take the opportunity to talk about my bikes.

[warwickland]

ive got a twin set of 1975 azuki tourist 10s. a yellow one and a silver one. the silver one is really too big for me, but i've got it all decked out with new really grippy tires, and nice seat, handlebar wrap, headlight, tailight mount, a dumb basket for groceries and booze transport, etc. all kinds of garbage bolted on. the yellow one i ride when i feel like livin' on the edge, ie haivng a bike accident due to slick tires, bad brakes, etc.

are japanese bikes still any good? obviously, in 1975, they were probably of veryt good quality relative to a lot of american offerings of that time. my bikes are in pretty good shape for being 30 years old. the only problem is that when i shift too fast, my gears "jam" on the silver bike. this is how I BELIEVE i lost my heat at the bike "drag" race. of course, i would have been skewered immediately by someone even if i had won. it would have been pretty embarrasing for me to race you. i probably would of just coasted on in.

[staubio]

ive got a twin set of 1975 azuki tourist 10s. a yellow one and a silver one. the silver one is really too big for me, but i've got it all decked out with new really grippy tires, and nice seat, handlebar wrap, headlight, tailight mount, a dumb basket for groceries and booze transport, etc. all kinds of garbage bolted on. the yellow one i ride when i feel like livin' on the edge, ie haivng a bike accident due to slick tires, bad brakes, etc.

are japanese bikes still any good? obviously, in 1975, they were probably of veryt good quality relative to a lot of american offerings of that time. my bikes are in pretty good shape for being 30 years old. the only problem is that when i shift too fast, my gears "jam" on the silver bike. this is how I BELIEVE i lost my heat at the bike "drag" race. of course, i would have been skewered immediately by someone even if i had won. it would have been pretty embarrasing for me to race you. i probably would of just coasted on in.

Back in the day, I think the Japanese bikes were good because they had the best components.  All of the bike component innovation has come out of Japan, basically, with the powerhouse that is Shimano.  I don't have a ton of background, but I think that is how they earned their reputation.

These days, I can't think of a complete bike that comes out of Japan, though most components do.  A ton of bike frames are made by the same company in Taiwan and then there are the custom steel and carbon frames in the US. 

I'd say you've got good bikes on your hands.  An older steel frame is really the ultimate for riding in the city because of its vibration dampening qualities and durability.  The Japanese origin gives you components that will probably last and were ahead of their time.

In regard to the "jamming," you might be able to fix this with some derailleur adjustment.  I'd guess the cable pull is a little off and is slipping past your desired cog and effectively getting stuck in limbo.  I got tired of that and started riding a single-speed around town -- we could convert one of yours and you drop weight, increase reliability and have a good old time.  Once you switch, you'll never go back!  Do your bikes have horizontal dropouts?

In terms of the race, I think the singlespeeders had the advantage.  Shifting only created a gap where you couldn't accelerate.  My gear was aggressive enough that I could spin out the whole length, and if I wasn't such a princess on a light fixed gear bike, I would have been easily beaten.

In the end, the best bike is one that is ridden, so you've got a top notch couple of bikes. 

[warwickland]

uh, i think the dropouts are diagonal  . yeah, i believe they are horizontal...ish.

i'd love to convert the yellow one, and the frame is the most comfortable. it would be nice for a "fun time" bike. the silver one is my mainstay workhorse. the only problem is that my girlfriend occasionally rides it and she likes the gears...but....man, i'd really like to convert it...maybe i will go ahead and do that after the first of the year if i have any money...

i want to leave the gears on the silver one though, because i can coast practically from 43rd street to brush creek on my way to class in the morning, half asleep, as dangerous as that might be...

[staubio]

uh, i think the dropouts are diagonal  . yeah, i believe they are horizontal...ish.

i'd love to convert the yellow one, and the frame is the most comfortable. it would be nice for a "fun time" bike. the silver one is my mainstay workhorse. the only problem is that my girlfriend occasionally rides it and she likes the gears...but....man, i'd really like to convert it...maybe i will go ahead and do that after the first of the year if i have any money...

i want to leave the gears on the silver one though, because i can coast practically from 43rd street to brush creek on my way to class in the morning, half asleep, as dangerous as that might be...

Money?  For a single, I think it can probably be done for the cost of a cog.  If we can find a solid chainline, we can even use the existing cassette.  I'd have to take a look and have my more mechanically inclined friends take a look, but methinks we could hook you up pretty easily.

[mean]

Don't go to Sears or something.  Seriously.  You'll try cycling on a POS and hate it forever.  Happens to most people.

I kind of figured their selection was crap.

I'm going to try to get down to Acme tomorrow and find something I like that isn't too expensive, wish me luck!

[VELO DOOM]

Money?  For a single, I think it can probably be done for the cost of a cog.  If we can find a solid chainline, we can even use the existing cassette.  I'd have to take a look and have my more mechanically inclined friends take a look, but methinks we could hook you up pretty easily.

I'm kinda just jumping in here while skimming through this thread.  I personally ride a track bike around town, also have a fixie conversion, and a 10 speed road bike I race during the summer.  If you're looking to convert there are a ton of options.  I picked up a complete rear wheel, which is all you really need for 125 bucks and some new chainring bolts to straighten out the chainline.  You can also get flip flop hubs that have a fixed side and a freewheel side so you can switch between the two.  Note I'm mainly talking about fixed gear conversions, the same ideas can be applied to a single speed application though.