the rum soaked fist: internal martial arts forum

anyone here doing any bicycling? I don't think I'll get into the hobby seriously, with the endless upgrades and choices (expenditures), races, touring, etc., but getting my 2nd ever grown-up bike and just getting some low impact exercise. I did seemingly endless reading and talking about "geometry" til my brain hurt, but pretty sure I finally kinda sorta got it. if you thought IMA has over-complication, here's the hobby for you...

I recently did Galbraith Mtn with my daughter............

If you think those are dangerous - keep in mind that many
road bike "spinner" news letters have an obituary column.

Wow those look fun and yeah definitely dangerous. The first one made me feel like I was riding the bike and about to crash into a big tree or off a cliff. The second one reminds me of this childhood "course" we called "the dips" that was just a series of small hills at my school. In our minds I'm sure we imagined we were doing stuff like in the video, but child-sized. I think getting older, I'm too scared of these things now, but some "bunny slope" version sounds awesome.

Road: for sure I'm too scared of the road these days. Just driving my car, assholes on phones nearly hit me in a way that would probably severely injure a cyclist. I do like the feeling of pavement and some speed.

So I'm gonna split the difference and get a "gravel" bike and do mild versions of the above and probably won't get (I say that now) dedicated road or mtn bikes.

We have great hike and bike trails in Austin.
The scenery on the downtown hike and bike earns it a Club Hike and Bike status.

On that mountain single track you naturally avoid the trees
much like you would if you ran thru the woods.

I did a fun maybe 20 mile loop from about 31st and Guadalupe (lived around there) out West past Mt Bonnell, up 2222, then across the 360 bridge, back down Bee Caves Rd into Zilker Park area, back up past UT, back to 31st and Guadalupe once. It was insanely hot outside and probably felt longer than the route was, but it was a blast. on my 80s Takara touring bike. also felt a bit dangerous, but Austin is relatively bike friendly. I did get to ride (very slowly) in Boulder, CO, once. Insanely beautiful and far more bike friendly. Quite sure I saw pros or whatever elite level cyclists go zooming past. Upper bodies looked like the weak sided arm of a tennis player. Lower bodies developed like Arnold.

@Everything, you are right, Team Rally Pro are based around the Boulder area.
I do lots of biking road gravel and mountain... that is both my main sport and transportation these days. Just get an entry level bike(dont spend more than a grand) and use it... also worth shelling out for padded shorts if you are going to be riding any serious distance

well I ended up getting the Poseidon X (from California startup ish company), an entry level cross/gravel bike. Only other adult sized bike I had was a late 80s touring bike that I treated as a "go anywhere" bike (gravel, dirt, rough city streets, etc.).

I have to say I love it. Not sure it's an upgrade over my old bike, but it's really good and modern. Light, easy to go fast, good gearing range for me (2x10) since I'm just putzing around. Well ... I've immediately started find tuning/modifying the fit ... I guess it's going to be more like a comfort bike (better saddle, higher handlebars for more upright posture, etc.) - I kinda think this subcategory is a vanity subcategory the way SUVs are just station wagons for people too vain for a minivan. I guess I coulda bought a comfort bike but I like to go a little faster and love the lightness of the gravel bike and how it has a lot of places for attachments and room for upgrades.

Saddle choice can be counter-intuitive.

After riding a fair distance what looks comfortable - double springs
big cushy seat is actually less comfortable due to sloppy movement.
There are good saddles - well researched.

hmm yeah. my butt is big is all I know hahaha. not sure how much I'll get into this hobby, but I suspect I'll be buying a few saddles, stems, seatposts, bars, then upgrade wheels and tires eventually. geez. really should do IMA instead.

Roger is correct, my Giant Defy 2 came with a big squooshy thing that was really uncomfortable when I started to put serious miles on, so I replaced it with the Specialized Avatar 143 gel saddle from my other road bike.

I tried to measure my "sit bones" distance, and they won't fit those skinny saddles. Currently using a Specialized "comfort" saddle, which I'd say is ok, about 5 or 6 out of 10.

well, it really turned out that this new hobby turns out to be such a good "social distancing" machine. strange to have that timing.

switched to a skinnier less "comfortable" saddle and it's better so far. put it a little lower so handlebar relative stack is higher, which seemed to be key for better geometry/comfort. will probably continue this route a little to fine tune using a higher stem and riser drops. took some pressure out of the tires, too. not bad. a decent compromise between speed, comfort, and ability to go slightly off road. will look at fatter tires eventually.

tried some so-called "single track" and it's definitely fun. nothing crazy. figuring out what to do if I have to side-swipe a rock or root. other than that, "technical" doesn't seem all that bad if I take it easy ... at least not like IMA or MA "technical".